The next two chapters are the last two chapters, but after chapter ten I will have other Chad and Ryan fics! I have some in the works right now, including one that is loosely based on Heathers The Musical :)

Chad was feeling pretty good as he drove his boyfriend home, but then he stopped to think about the word boyfriend. And then he stopped the car.

"Chad? We said we wouldn't get into any trouble."

"Don't worry, prude, I'm not going to kiss you. I just have a question."

"I'm already going to prom with you," Ryan pointed out. Ryan was also in a really good mood. Chad hadn't expected his parents to be so accepting but it made him really happy. And Ryan's joy and relief made him even happier.

"Ryan, are we dating?"

"What?" Ryan's eyes widened.

"Well, I thought we were dating last summer but you seem to have thought it was just a summer fling. So I don't know what to think anymore. We're going to prom together, does that just mean we're prom dates or are we like, boyfriends? I mean my parents clearly already think of you as their son-in-law, and I'm definitely not trying to go that far but-"

Ryan leaned over and kissed Chad before pulling away.

"We're boyfriends. I'm yours if you want me"

"I want you," Chad said, "I am so excited to go to prom with you. I want everyone to see us together."

Ryan beamed.

"That means the world to me, Chad."

"Dad was right, some people might judge us, but I'm okay with that. Being with you is more important than any of that."

"I agree. I don't care what my dad or anyone else thinks about us. Being with you is enough."

Chad started the car again, but he couldn't help feeling giddy.

"The stars are beautiful tonight."

"They really are."

"Almost as beautiful as you," Chad added.

Ryan laughed, "I have the cheesiest boyfriend in the world, don't I?"

"Hmm, I don't know. You're not Gabriella."

Ryan burst out laughing then, "You know, last summer when we first got together, Troy thought I was flirting with Gabriella?"

Chad laughed too, "Troy is such a mess. I think he read Romeo and Juliet and missed the point. He'd die for Gabriella in a heartbeat."

"Let's hope they're not actually star-crossed lovers, then, for his sake and hers. Let's hope we aren't either."

"What's star-crossed mean, again?" Chad asked, glancing once more out the window at the starry night above them. At this point, he associated Ryan with starlight.

"It means doomed to fail."

"Then we are definitely not star-crossed lovers. Stars, yes, lovers, yes, but not doomed to fail. In fact, I think we were doomed to succeed."

"Maybe don't use the word doomed, then," Ryan laughed.

"Okay, we were fated to succeed. It's written in the stars." Chad hoped Ryan could see it too. He hoped that they had a future together, past prom, past high school. Right now though, he focused on getting the man he loved home safe. Tomorrow would worry about itself.

When Ryan and Chad went tux shopping and got matching tuxedos, speculation began, insinuating that the pair were an item.

"We are an item. Let them speculate," Ryan had said, but Chad felt a little weird about all of it. Not that people were talking about them, but that they weren't giving the people something to talk about. He wanted to kiss Ryan in the hall right in front of everyone, but something held him back. Something held both of them back. Still, prom was right around the corner, and there would be no hiding then. They were going to dance together, in front of everyone.

Troy was supposed to be his backup. Troy was supposed to be there, at the prom, supporting Chad and Ryan. Walking into prom with Ryan, knowing that Troy wasn't there, felt a little awkward. Troy was with his true love, dancing with Gabriella at Stanford. Well, hopefully, that would be magical for him or whatever, but Chad was still a little nervous.

Ryan took Chad's hand.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready…" Chad mumbled, an echo, not an answer.

"Are you sure? You seem kinda spooked."

"I'm fine, Ryan, I'm just bummed that Troy isn't here. He's the second person I ever told about us and I'd just like for him to be here, y'know?"

Ryan nodded seriously.

"That makes sense, and I'm sorry he isn't here. But this is our Senior Prom. This is the only chance we get to go out in front of everyone and be seen together. This is our only chance to dance together."

"Not our only chance," Chad said quickly because he saw a future for them past graduation, "just our first. Come on, let's go show them who we are."

Chad took Ryan's hand and squeezed it, and then they walked into the gym, which had been decked out for prom.

Chad glanced around, seeing their friends and classmates. A few people were looking at them, most people weren't. Most people weren't. That honestly made him feel better.

"Come on, let's get pictures," Chad said.

"What, you think your mom didn't get enough?"

"I think she'd be disappointed in us if we didn't get pictures in front of the prom backdrop. And I bet your mom would want photos, too."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe."

"Ry, your mom loves and accepts you. And I'm sure your dad will come around."

"Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't matter. As long as I'm with you, nothing matters."

"That's funny because when I'm with you, everything matters. You give my life meaning. You give my life music. And dance."

"I thought you didn't dance," Ryan laughed.

"I was wrong about a lot of things." Chad pulled Ryan over to the photo backdrop, and right before the photographer was about to snap the photo, stole a kiss. Ryan was surprised and delighted, and now more people were looking at them. But this time, Chad didn't notice. Right now it was just him and his boyfriend and the music, the soundtrack to their romance and their first dance as a couple. It would not be their last.