I'm really happy with this chapter. I had a good time writing Chad coming out to his parents. I'm definitely going to write a whole one-shot about that one day.

If I got Ryan's mom's name wrong then I'm sorry, I got mixed messages on what it was. Fun fact, Chad's mom does not have a name, so I didn't mention their names at all.

Ryan felt twisted inside and out like he was stuck in a difficult yoga pose. He'd had to beg Sharpay to let him tell their parents about his prom date in his own time. And that time, apparently, was tonight.

"So, anything interesting happen at school today?" Vance Evans asked as they sat down for family dinner. Family dinner was something that happened about once a week, once every two weeks when Vance got super busy. So it really was now or never if Ryan was going to tell his parents about Chad. And for the first time ever, Sharpay was silent. She was yielding her time to Ryan.

"I got a date to the prom."

"Ah, yes, that Kelsi girl who played piano for us over the summer, right? She seems lovely."

"No, we were going to go together, as friends, if we didn't get real dates. And then someone else asked me. Someone who also worked for us over the summer."

"Well, who is it?" Vance didn't like to be kept waiting.

"Uh, Chad Danforth. He was a caddy and a server for us over the summer."

"Along with Troy," Sharpay interjected.

"I remember Troy. I somewhat remember Chad. And Chad asked you out?"

"Yes."

Vance frowned, and Ryan felt sick.

"That's nice, dear. He seemed like a sweet young man," Derby Evans said, trying to support her son the way she always had.

"He is," Ryan agreed, "I really like him."

"And you're sure he isn't just using you? Or making fun of you? Because the Evans men will not be the butt of the joke."

"Chad would never do that to me."

"Make sure that he doesn't. Now excuse me, I have work to attend to." Vance got up from the table, not saying another word about Ryan's prom date.

Ryan put his head on the table.

"I knew it, I knew it would go like this. It always goes like this."

"At least he didn't yell," Sharpay pointed out.

"This isn't better! He's pretending my sexuality doesn't exist. If I was dating Kelsi he'd be happy. But if I'm with someone who makes me happy he just worries about his reputation. I'm just a disappointment to him."

Sharpay fell silent, studying her plate. Derby got up and placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"You're not a disappointment. Your father is just a very busy man, and he's not good at showing emotion."

"He's good at showing disappointment," Ryan said, standing up.

"I'm not hungry, I'm gonna go for a ride."

He grabbed his scooter and headed out, not knowing where he was going until he arrived at Chad's house. He felt jittery then, like this was a mistake. He should have texted or called first, but now he was here and he just really, really wanted to talk to his date.

He knocked on the door, hoping Chad would answer, but he did not get his wish.

"Hi, Mrs. Danforth, I'm Ryan Evans, one of Chad's friends. Is Chad here?"

"Yes, come in! We just sat down for dinner, you're welcome to join us."

"Oh, thank you, I'd be happy to, but could I talk to Chad first?"

"Of course. Chad, your friend is here!"

A moment later Chad appeared behind her, looking stunned when he saw Ryan.

"I'll give you two a moment, but there will be an extra plate on the table if you want to stay, Ryan."

"You've already made a good first impression on my mom," Chad said, chuckling nervously when she'd walked away.

"She seems really nice."

"Oh, yeah, she is. And super into musical theatre, you should tell her about all the plays you've been in."

"You don't mind me staying for dinner?"

"Mind you staying? Of course not. You're my friend." Chad glanced back to see if his parents were lingering and then reached out to stroke Ryan's cheek.

"What's wrong? You seem upset."

"I told my parents about prom. My dad basically implied you were only using me, told me not to make a fool of myself, and then he walked out."

Chad winced.

"That sucks, man. But you know I'm not using you, right? I really like you."

"I know. Really, I know."

"If you want, we can tell my parents tonight. Maybe they'll take it better, and if they don't, at least we'll be in the same boat, right?"

"Chad, you don't have to do that for me."

"I was going to have to tell them eventually. Come eat dinner, and after they get to know how awesome you are, then we can tell them if you want to. But only if you're comfortable with it."

"Alright, thank you." Ryan wanted to kiss Chad right then and there but he knew he had to restrain himself.

Chad grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, dropping it before they got to the dining room.

"Mom, Dad, this is Ryan Evans."

"Nice to meet you," Mrs. Danforth said.

"Where do I know you from?" Mr. Danforth asked.

"Uh, I'm the mascot for the basketball team."

"And he was in that play that Troy was in," Chad piped up.

"Oh, an actor!" Chad's mom looked delighted.

"That was a good play. I didn't know that Troy had it in him."

"He and Gabriella were so good. And my friend Kelsi wrote the music."

"Ryan is a really talented performer too. And he plays baseball."

"That's really impressive," Mr. Danforth said. Ryan beamed.

"I'm not as good at baseball as Chad."

"Come on, dude, you gave me a run for my money at the employee game last summer."

"Oh, Ryan, you worked at the country club as well?" Mrs. Danforth asked.

Ryan felt a little embarrassed, "No, actually, my parents own the country club."

"That's impressive," Mr. Danforth said. Chad quickly changed the subject before Ryan could become uncomfortable and the conversation drifted casually for a while. Ryan was beginning to feel much better after his own awful family dinner, but he wasn't sure if it would last if Chad's parents knew the truth.

Somehow, without either of them intending it, prom came up naturally.

"So, Ryan, do you have a date for prom? Chad won't tell us who he's going with," Mrs. Danforth said.

"I still don't understand why you broke up with Taylor. She was smart. You could have had a future with her," Mr. Danforth said.

"I told you, I didn't want a future with her. She wasn't the right person for me." Chad glanced at Ryan, who gave an almost imperceptible smile and nod.

"Mom, Dad, if you really want to know who I'm going to prom with, I'll tell you."

"Go ahead, Chad." They didn't pick up on the romantic tension between Ryan and Chad.

"I'm going to prom with Ryan."

Mr. Danforth blinked and looked between the two boys.

"As friends?" He finally asked his son.

"No," Chad replied. Ryan stayed quiet throughout, a little nervous that he was going to be rejected by two sets of parents today.

Mrs. Danforth didn't say anything, as if she was waiting for her husband to form an opinion on this.

Mr. Danforth kept looking back and forth between Ryan and Chad.

"Son, I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm bisexual. I like guys and girls. And I like Ryan, a lot. Maybe even love him. So we're going to prom together." It clearly took everything inside of Chad to keep his voice steady. Ryan took Chad's hand and squeezed it, both of them half expecting yelling or worse.

Mr. Danforth just sat there for another silent minute before nodding.

"Okay."

And then he smiled, "Look at you. Figuring out who you are and what you like. That takes guts. I knew I raised you right."

Chad's mouth formed an O.

"Really? You mean it?"

"Would you still date Ryan even if I didn't support it?" Mr. Danforth asked.

"Well, yeah, of course."

"Then yeah, I mean it. I know a lot of people aren't accepting of homosexuals and before you told me I'm not sure I would have been very accepting either. But there are also people who don't accept a white person and a black person dating. I don't want to be like those people, and judge my son for who he loves. You're brave and you should be proud of your love, both of you. You're both my sons."

Chad looked flustered and happy and Ryan felt choked up, squeezing Chad's hand even harder. He had acceptance here. He wasn't being yelled at, shut out, or walked away from.

"Thank you, sir," Ryan said, trying to keep emotion out of his voice.

"You're welcome here anytime, Ryan," Mrs. Danforth said.

"As long as you're responsible," Mr. Danforth added.

"And you'll have to come by before prom! So we can get pictures!"

"Mom, don't embarrass me."

"You're gonna want to remember that night, honey."

"I'll be here for pictures," Ryan promised.

Chad turned to Ryan, "I saw you had your scooter, do you want a ride home?"

"That would be great."

"Don't get into any trouble," Mr. Danforth warned.

"We won't, sir." But Ryan wasn't worried about trouble. He was still glowing inside and out knowing that someone saw him as a son instead of a disappointment or a liability.