Thank you to everybody who's reading the new version. You are all fabulous. Thank you for your kudos as well. I meant to update this chapter yesterday, but I got ridiculously distracted working on the revised version of 38 (or I believe chapter 20 in the original version). Also, I probably won't post the next chapter until at least Sunday because I'm going to be very busy this weekend. Feel free to send me a message if you don't see it by then.
Like the previous chapter, this chapter's title comes from the Linkin Park song Waiting for the End.
Chapter 16: The hardest part of ending is starting again
After 30 minutes of being yelled at by Lisa, several other residence life members, and campus police, Chad was finally able to get out of the building. He was just glad he did not have to be there for the conversation with Mr. Evans. Apparently, his mom is also conferencing in. It's never a good sign when he gets an 'I told you so' from his mom via text message.
Chad was definitely not looking forward to any conversation with his girlfriend's father. Especially one this complicated. How will he explain that he and Sharpay were not dating this summer even though Ryan told him they were? However, they were dating now, and he was utterly in love with her. He wasn't even sure where to start. Unfortunately, his ex-girlfriend decided to freak out and destroy half a floor in Evans hall.
His night of being yelled at was far from over when he receives several angry text messages from Ryan, Troy, and Kim. Ryan called him an idiot but also thanked him for not telling Taylor about his role in all of this. Chad would love it if Ryan explained to his dad what his role in all of this was, but Chad knows not to ask for favors right now.
Troy and Kim's text messages had more expletives. The two were stuck watching Taylor, and they were not happy about it. Chad felt better knowing that she was safe. Of course, his punishment was to take care of Alex for the night. Chad was utterly shocked when Kim told him to pick up Alex from Grandpa Jack's house. He was definitely getting the story of how Coach Bolton found out about Alex later from Kim.
He pulled up to the house around 6:40 pm. He waited as late as he could to give the pair as much time as possible before he had to be at Sharpay's. He noticed Mr. Bolton playing with Alex in the back on the basketball court. Chad couldn't help but take a picture of Alex running around with the basketball.
"Did Kim send you to get him?" Coach Bolton asked once he noticed Chad taking pictures.
"Yes. Kim felt it would be better if Alex stayed with someone he was more used to." And Kim didn't want Lucy anywhere near her son. After telling Chad about the letter, he's inclined to agree.
"Kim made me promise to give you guys as much time as possible the hangout. She's not going to keep you away from him. You just need to call her to work out the arrangements." Arrangements that don't involve Lucy.
"Besides, this is my punishment for not breaking up with Taylor correctly. I get to spend the first night with my new girlfriend taking care of a toddler." Chad couldn't help but frown. "Although, I'll take this instead of Kim screaming at me via text messages." Jack chuckled at that.
"Or your mom."
"She angry text messaged me while in a conference call with Sharpay's dad. I'm well aware I'm going to be in a lot of trouble for how poorly this was handled." Chad sighed.
"You kind of deserve it. I can't believe someone who is as assertive as you on the basketball court was too afraid to tell Taylor that he met someone else."
"Sometimes, I think the basketball court is the only place I can be assertive. At least you are not yelling at me like everyone else is."
"I would, but I need to make a good impression with my grandchild. We cannot have him thinking I am some sort of ogre." Jack said as he hugged Alex. Chad could already tell Jack was utterly enamored with his grandson.
"No, you should save that for when he makes the basketball team in 12 years," Chad said with a smile as he grabbed Alex's things and started taking them to the car. If he wasn't so emotionally exhausted, Chad would ask how well Jack was taking his grandson's existence but not this weekend. Chad can only deal with one crisis at a time. He'll deal with Alex paternity stuff Monday.
Xxx
BFF Jack: You were right. You know I hate it when you're right.
Carolyn: What was I right about precisely? Personally, I'm going with Chad should have broken up with Taylor over the phone.
Carolyn: I just got out of a horrible phone call with Lisa of residents' life and Vince, a.k.a. the father of my son's new girlfriend. Because Chad inherited Charles' breakup skills, Taylor did about $10,000 worth of damage to Evans hall. It's a miracle she didn't get him expelled.
Carolyn: Bonus I had to explain to Vince that Chad and Sharpay did not begin the year dating each other but fell in love with each other while pretending to date. He wasn't happy to find out Ryan lied to him to get his friend a better dorm room. I got to listen to that conversation too.
Carolyn: I am at Hops now for a beer and the potato skins. I need a fucking drink.
BFF Jack: Right there with you on the drink. In Chad's defense, he still did better than his father. At least Taylor didn't actually walk-in on Chad having sex with Sharpay.
Carolyn: Because unlike his father, Chad was actually trying to end his relationship with Taylor before entirely starting things with Sharpay. I tried to raise my baby right the best way I could.
BFF Jack: You did an excellent job. Chad is just not the best at asserting himself off of a basketball court. Which is what I told him when he came by to pick up my new grandkid.
Carolyn: Which is my fault. I didn't set the best example for Chad by staying with Charles. I should've you married him in the first place.
Carolyn: I now understand the reason why you need a drink. So, I was right about Alex being Troy's son?
BFF Jack: Yes. This is such a mess. Lucy's fingerprints are all over it.
Carolyn: I know you didn't want to hear it at the time, but I'm pretty sure Lucy wrote that letter that you found. It's why I told you not to give it to Troy.
BFF Jack: I now know 100% for sure Kim didn't write it. She was furious when she read it.
Carolyn: What are you going to do now?
BFF Jack: In addition to trying to build a relationship with my grandson, I moved my stuff into Troy's bedroom. I can't even share a bed with her right now. Not that we've done anything else there recently anyway.
Carolyn: Fuck
Jack: You know how miserable Troy was when Kim left, and Lucy was the one responsible. I don't know if I can forgive her.
Carolyn: So Kimberly left to hide the pregnancy like I thought?
BFF Jack: Kim didn't know she was pregnant when she left. Lucy threatened her with jail time and pulling Troy out of East high for homeschooling.
Carolyn: Meaning no basketball and no Chad.
BFF Jack: Which would've broken Troy as much as losing Kim. Chad is his brother.
Carolyn: If Lucy did that, I would be handing you the name of every single decent divorce attorney within a 200-mile radius. I would also work as Kim's defense attorney pro bono, not that she would've needed me since she's less than three years older than Troy.
BFF Jack: You've already helped Kim legally. Sharpay gave Kim the document you sent her regarding New Mexico statutory rape laws. That's how she realized that Lucy was bluffing.
Carolyn: Why did you marry that woman?
BFF Jack: I don't even remember anymore. I think I used to love Lucy. Now I don't want to be near her. I don't know how to move forward.
Carolyn: Do you want the list?
BFF Jack: I don't know. I promise for better or worse, this is definitely worse. I just don't know how to go forward.
BFF Jack: Lucy kept Troy away from someone that he really loves. Actually, Troy still loves Kim, and she really loves him. You don't want to know the text messages that I accidentally read this afternoon. They are still flirting with each other, even though he is still technically with Gabriela.
Carolyn: Chad still flirts with Ryan, and he's with his sister. Although he has cut back. I don't want to read that much into that. Also, I feel like Troy's relationship with Gabriella is not going to last much longer.
BFF Jack: It's probably for the best. I think you're right. I don't believe Troy will stay with Gabriella when things are obviously not working now that Kim is back. Mainly because she is the mother of his son.
Carolyn: How are you taking having a grandson?
BFF Jack: That part I like. Alex is so cute and adorable. You know I always wanted more kids.
Carolyn: Grandkids do work in a pinch.
BFF Jack: And you get to take them home to their parents afterward.
Carolyn: With Kim being in school, she's probably going to need more help. That means more quality grandchild bonding time.
BFF Jack: Especially with Troy at Berkeley. Now I'm really regretting him being there. Actually, I'm worried about how this is going to change everything for Troy.
Carolyn: You know he didn't actually go there for Gabriella? Also, Troy is not in the same situation that I was in. I don't think you are a shotgun wedding type of person.
BFF Jack: I know. If anybody understands Troy's love of theater, it is going to be Kim. Also, with her trust fund reinstated, he can afford to become an actor.
Carolyn: Reinstated?
BFF Jack: Kim's mother cut her off when she decided to not have an abortion. Because Lucy burned all bridges, Kim was too afraid to come to Me. So she struggled alone with Alex for two years. At least until Vanessa got her trust fund reinstated.
Carolyn: Do you want to fix things with Lucy? Be honest.
BFF Jack: I don't know if there's anything to fix. I think I just need to focus on helping Troy deal with finding out he has an almost-two-year-old. I'll deal with Lucy later. Troy needs me right now.
Carolyn: I could fly down for a few days if you want some help? Now that I'm no longer paying Charles child support, I actually have disposable income again.
BFF Jack: Despite a kid in college? How much child support were you paying him.
Carolyn: Way too much. But that was the only way he would agree to keep Chad last school year. Charles is also getting most of the money from the house. I don't want to talk about it right now.
Carolyn: Thankfully, Chad got a very generous scholarship. He even has a siphon. I have just been sending him some extra spending money, so he doesn't have to work right now. Although Vince and I are tempted to make Chad spend his summer at Evans Enterprises in New York paying off his debt to society.
BFF Jack: And not Lava Springs?
Carolyn: Taylor will be working off her debt there. I don't think they should be in the same state right now. Also, New York means Chad will be closer to me. It's only a few hours by bus or train.
BFF Jack: Which means getting to go see musicals with your son's girlfriend.
Carolyn: There are some perks to this. It's necessary when you have to deal with judiciaries during the first semester.
BFF Jack: Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I need you just yet. Please tell me you're coming back for Thanksgiving. I'm sure everybody's going to find out about the new grandkid then. I think my mom will be okay with the situation. Lucy's mom is going to be insufferable.
Carolyn: I'm already planning to be there. BTW Charles is no longer coming for Christmas but Thanksgiving instead despite our agreement. Charles will bring his new girlfriend, who happens to be the same one I caught him fucking last summer.
BFF Jack: Shit!
BFF Jack: Although silver lining, you can come up for Christmas too now.
Carolyn: He just told me about it yesterday. Like I want to know about his love life. I didn't even want to pick up his call. He is the other reason I need alcohol and potato skins. He wanted me to tell Chad, but I told him that he's on his own.
Carolyn: I'm so coming up for Christmas now. Margarita thinks I should, anyway. She's with me because she doesn't think I should drink alone, and she never turns down a good potato skin.
BFF Jack: This is what happens when your next-door neighbor is a therapist.
BFF Jack: Thanksgiving is going to be a disaster, but I look forward to Christmas now.
Carolyn: Probably. I'll bring wine. Anyway, check your inbox. Remember, if you need me, I'll be there.
BFF Jack: You sent me the divorce attorney list anyway?
Carolyn: It's there for when you're ready. Also, Troy is going to need legal counsel. I don't think Kim will screw him over regarding custody, but who knows with some of her family could do. You should do this by the book.
BFF Jack: you're perfect, you realize that?
Carolyn: I try. Anyway, our croissants just got here, so I'll talk to you later.
Xxx
"Do you feel better after texting your boyfriend?" Carolyn's neighbor Margarita Cruz asked her as she put her phone away to enjoy the croissants and her beer that just arrived. She loved the fall blends.
"No, that was Jack. He is dealing with his own family crisis." That was an understatement. "He just found out he's a granddad." To an almost 2-year-old. "Sorry, I ignored you."
"It's okay. Jack is definitely your boyfriend, regardless If you want to acknowledge it or not. I know you kissed after you caught the asshole with Tiffany. That means he's always going to come first for you." Margarita said as she grabbed one of the croissants. "I'm fine, coming in second to your boyfriend. Wait, isn't Jack's son the same age as your son?"
"Yes, which is why this is a crisis." She opted not to tell Margarita that Troy was just 15 at the time he got Kim pregnant. "Temporary lapse in good judgment post-Tiffany incident notwithstanding, Jack is just a friend. Even if I wanted more, he's off-limits because he's married. For the moment anyway." That last part was mumbled into her drink, but Margarita heard her anyway.
"Trouble in paradise? Are you the trouble?" A dark part of Carolyn wishes that she was.
"I can't give you any more details other than its related to the new grandkid. But I did just send Jack my best divorce attorneys in the Albuquerque list.
"We're at a brewery, and the night is young. I will get the details. I would ask you why you have that saved in your phone, but I don't think you're ready to answer that question yet."
"Not gonna happen, Margarita. We are here to help me figure out what to do about Taylor. I showed you pictures. I need your professional opinion on that."
"At a minimum, anger management counseling and possibly a restraining order," Margarita suggested. "One of my college friends set up practice near New Haven. I'll text you her contact information later. Makayla is the best."
"Thank you."
"Last time I got you drunk, you told me about the kiss. I'm feeling adventurous." Margarita told her as she took her own drink. "Eventually, you will tell me all of your Jack related feelings."
XXXX
After consuming half a container of Chunky Monkey, Taylor decided it was time to talk to Kim. She had a lot of questions that only Kim could answer. (Of course, this was only because she was still avoiding Ryan's text messages.) Ironically Taylor found Kim watching a clip of her boyfriend answering those questions she needed the answer to.
"I did not love Taylor, not in a romantic way anyway. I didn't realize that until recently, at least not consciously. I don't think I knew what romantic love was until maybe a few weeks ago. I guess that is what happens when you have parents who got married because the condom broke."
"How did that affect you?" She heard the Kim in the video asked Chad.
"I never want to end up like them. It was just this random encounter after a game that cost my mom her dream of being on the Supreme Court someday. She did not get to go back to law school until I started school. I didn't want to end up in a situation like that."
"Yet, despite that, you love Sharpay?" The Kim on the screen asked Chad.
"Yes. I can share everything with Sharpay. She's the first person other than Troy that actually sees me completely. I can tell her anything."
"You almost got there with my brother." Taylor heard Sharpay yell off-screen. What did that mean?
"I trust her more than anything else in my life, which is why Sharpay knows all about the disaster that was Jamie. When I am around her, I feel complete. Which is strange because we've only been together like this for less than two months. Being around her taught me that maybe love does exist. " She started to cry when she heard that. Kim must have heard her because the video clip stopped.
"What is this for?" Taylor asked, wiping her tears away.
"This particular clip is for our film class project where were we are recreating the interview scene from Harry met Sally to explore relationships in 2008. We drew the film randomly. Apparently, it's our professor's Life Partner's favorite film. He also just happens to be Chad and Sharpay's English teacher. However, I believe Chad and Sharpay's relationship is perfect for this assignment."
"Do you have any more footage like this?"
"I have hours worth of stuff. Including one video that I don't think we're actually going to put in the final project despite the fact our professor has a domestic partner."
"Why?" Taylor asked.
"Even though Chad is starting to tell his friends that he's Demisexual without a gender preference or bisexual-ish, Chad is not ready to be publicly out yet. Or rather the basketball team isn't ready yet. So the stuff about Jamie, beyond a gender-neutral name drop, despite how good it is won't make it into the final cut." That's when Taylor realized Chad was dealing with a lot more than just his feelings for her.
"Can I see that video?" Taylor asked.
"Give me a minute, and I'll load everything up on my old pc."
XXXX
"Why are you bringing an almost unconscious toddler into my house?" Sharpay asked Chad as she helped him bring a sleepy Alex and the food into the house. Sharpay placed the food on the coffee table in one of the living rooms.
"I think this is Kim's idea of birth control. We get to keep him for the night because she is babysitting my obviously emotionally distraught ex. Where can I put him?" Chad asked.
"You can put Alex on the couch for now. Besides, there is no way you are getting any after your girlfriend destroyed my room. I just spent a good portion of this afternoon trying to explain to my dad why we shouldn't go to Judiciaries because we could not control our guests. We owe your mom a wine gift basket." Sharpay said, sitting down on the other couch.
She didn't mention the surreal conversation with Dr. McKessie earlier in the evening. Despite the gross-out factor, she did feel better after talking to someone who went through her situation. She also didn't mention the 30-minute conversation between Dr. McKessie, Carolyn, and her father to decide Taylor's punishment. She would tell him later.
"We can go to judiciaries for that?" Chad asked, sitting next to her.
"She was our guest, and we left her unsupervised. Because we left her unsupervised, she…" Sharpay wasn't even sure how to end that sentence. It was a disaster.
"Taylor recreated the scene from waiting to exhale without burning anything." Sharpay did not find his joke funny.
"Good thing for us, you text message Amanda to come and watch Taylor. We were able to prove that we did not leave Taylor unsupervised, and she went psychotic anyway."
"Mom always told me to put things in writing. At least I did something right today. This is all my fault. I really did like that television." Chad lamented.
"This wasn't your fault; it was mine. I took you from Taylor. I sort of deserved to have my entire fall wardrobe destroyed." How could she do this to Taylor after what Penelope did to her?
"No, you don't." Chad wrapped an arm around Sharpay. "Didn't we have this conversation earlier today? You didn't take me from her. I was never hers."
"Because you were still too guarded after the Jamie fiasco? So you went with the safe choice of Taylor. But there wasn't really anything there."
"And the implosion of my parents' marriage didn't help things. Also, my second thought after kissing your brother was 'Sharpay, is going to kill me.'"
"And I assume Taylor wasn't your first?"
"I didn't even remember she existed until she pointed out the shirt change." Sharpay was surprised to hear that.
"She wasn't suspicious?"
"Maybe I was a little too good at acting straight," Chad confessed. "I didn't want to go farther with Ryan because I didn't want to upset you, and I'm only starting to understand what that means now."
"That should have been a big warning sign." Sharpay shook her head. They were so clueless.
"I know. When I really think about it, I think I've been yours ever since kindergarten when you took my chocolate milk." Chad kiss Sharpay's forehead.
"Then you started crying, and I gave my cookies to Ryan to give to you. But I wouldn't let him tell you that they were from me. I never like seeing you sad." Sharpay said as she leaned into him.
"Even in kindergarten, you were obsessed with your image." He said with a small laugh.
"So were you. Maybe if we broke free of everybody earlier, this would have happened sooner." She said as she kissed him gently on the lips.
"I still have the Jamie thing to work through, but maybe you are right. I never told anybody this, but the only reason why I started dating Taylor was because Troy was dating Gabriella." Okay, she wasn't expecting that confession.
"So was this you trying to assert your heterosexuality after Jamie? Or because Troy was dating a brain, so you had to date one too? You two have a very strange friendship."
"If I was doing that, that thought went right out of my mind when I kissed your brother," Chad said, only half-joking. "It was more like Troy and Gabriella were always together, and they would bring their friends along. After months of being stuck together, we just kind of stayed that way. It was as if we were expected to date." Sharpay gave him a look.
"Okay, maybe there was a bit of a beard element to it. During junior year, everybody kept asking me why I wasn't going after the head cheerleader anymore. I couldn't tell anyone else about Jamie. Especially when he never bothered to talk to me again. I was just his summer fling to him, and that hurt. I was confused about what it all meant."
"And you were not emotionally ready yet to start making out with my brother, so you went with Taylor?" Sharpay asked.
"I regret that a little bit because Ryan is a better kisser." At that, Sharpay threw a pillow at him. "I told you before you're a better kisser than your brother. The order is you, Ryan, Jamie, Taylor, and the head cheerleader when we were sophomores. That last kiss wasn't even wholly consensual. I've never kissed anybody else contrary to locker room talk."Chad acknowledged.
"The Evans twins strive to be the best at everything," Sharpay said, quickly kissing him again.
"The Evans twins are number one. The reason things are so much better with you is, it is not just physical. There is this deep emotional connection between us. Everything is so much more intense."
"That's one more point for you being demisexual."
"I never love Taylor, not romantically at least. I'm not even sure I was ever actually sexually attracted to her. I really need to send Ryan a thank you note for that book." Sharpay's mouth opened wide in shock.
"I don't know why you are surprised. I told you earlier today, Taylor was never in my heart."
"I just didn't put it together. But it makes sense with the demisexual thing. You never loved Taylor romantically? You weren't even sexually attracted to her?" She saw him shake his head. "You two looked so good together in high school. I just assumed it was true love like Gabriella and Troy."
"Remember, I'm an expert at wearing a mask, and so is Troy. I don't think Troy loves Gabriella. I don't think he ever could."
"Because he's still in love with someone else," Sharpay told him.
"He told you?" Chad asked her, surprised.
"Troy fuses to give me a name, but I know he was in love with someone else in his sophomore year of high school. That is why he went for the easy relationship with Gabriella instead of a messy relationship with me. Troy was just another person who was afraid to let me in." She was starting to pull away from him, afraid to let him see her so vulnerable. But Chad wouldn't let her. He quickly wiped her tears away with his hand.
"I'm not afraid to let you in. Not this time." He said, pulling her so close that she was practically sitting on his lap.
"Ryan?"
"It was the right decision in the long run because it led me to you. I love you completely—even your diva attitude and ice queen tendencies."
"That's good."
"I want to be with you in every way. You are the only person I've ever wanted to give myself to completely. You're the only one who ever deserved it." He said as he gently kissed her from her forehead to her shoulders and neck.
"What do you mean, I'm the only person you ever wanted to give yourself to completely? I know you never had sex with Taylor, but I know you did some stuff with Jamie. We're not talking about Ryan because it's Ryan."
"I agree in this context."
"Did you ever have anal sex with Jamie?" It was hard to ask him this question when he found that spot on her neck that made her stop breathing. He pulled back from her and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Jamie wanted to the last night." She definitely didn't see that coming. "I almost let him talk me into it. I wasn't sure that I loved him yet, but it was going in that direction. It was the closest thing to love I felt before. Also, it wasn't like I would have to worry about the consequences of a broken condom."
"Chlamydia is bad, but it's not an unwanted pregnancy," Sharpay remarked.
"Exactly, so I was going to go through with it even though I wasn't sure. Then Troy had impeccable timing and asked for me to come to help him pack. I've never been so grateful, especially afterward, when Jamie never returned any of my emails or phone calls."
"You are definitely different than most guys I've been with."
"Don't judge me by those assholes that broke your heart or violated you. I'm not Zeke and definitely not Richard." She knew that more than anything. "Troy thinks it's because I'm not heterosexual. But he's not an ass hole either."
"I know you're different. I don't think I could be with you otherwise." She said as she began to kiss him slowly.
"Now that I got that out of my system, you can continue your story."
"At prom, Taylor wanted to take our relationship to the next level, and I couldn't do it. I fled the room and ran into a door. In hindsight, we probably should've broken up then."
"That explains why you spent 30 minutes in makeup for the spring musical."
"You notice that?" Chad asked, surprised.
"I've never been so self-absorbed that I would not notice things like that." He laughed when she said that. He was probably thinking about last spring when she was messing with Troy's mind by pretending that she didn't know when the big game was.
"So why couldn't you sleep with her when you want to sleep with me?"
"I'm emotionally attracted to you, and therefore, I'm physically attracted to you. I need both."
Chad explained.
"I feel like there's more to it."
"You know about the circumstances of my conception. My parents never loved each other; it was an idiotic drunken hookup. I was a stupid mistake that ruined my mom's life." She noticed he was starting to cry. Sharpay hated it when he was sad. She started rubbing gentle circles on his shoulder.
"Chad, nothing as good as you can be a mistake. Maybe you were unplanned. However, you are not a mistake." She quickly wiped away his tears with her other hand.
"Sometimes, I envy Alex. Despite the fact he was obviously an unplanned pregnancy, Kim loved his father very much, and he loved her. Contraceptives are never 100% effective. Living proof of that is sleeping on the couch right there."
"He is adorable proof, though," Sharpay remarked.
"I told myself years ago, when I saw my parents fighting all the time before the divorce, that I would never sleep with someone I couldn't picture myself raising a child with."
"Obviously, this rule only applies to the female part of the population," Sharpay remarked.
"13-year-old me thought he was straight when he came up with that rule. Obviously, my Jamie epiphany added an asterisk to it." Chad explained.
"An absolutely gigantic asterisk."
"But it doesn't change things. I didn't want any child of mine to go through what I did. My child would know that his parents loved each other no matter what."
"I'm so sorry, baby." Sharpay pulled him closer to her.
"On prom night last year, as hard as I tried, I couldn't picture myself raising a child with Taylor. Despite not being ready to admit that I couldn't love her romantically, I knew we didn't have a future together on some subconscious level. That was the other reason why I couldn't sleep with her." Chad explained.
"What about us? Do you see us several years from now with 1.7 children and a dog living a white picket fence dream?"
"All the time. I mean, you already put me on your car insurance. That's pretty domestic right there." Chad joked.
"Putting the car in your name was the only way I could have two cars on campus at the same time. It was just practical."
"Yet, I'm on the insurance for both cars. I think it's cute." He said as he kissed her again.
"This afternoon, when I saw you cutting up Alex's food at the restaurant, I could not help but imagine you doing that for our own curly-haired boy. You are going to make a great mother someday. I want it to be my child. Someday in the very distant future. I'm thinking no earlier than 2018."
"I can see it too. I agree with your timeline because that will give me time to get established in the acting or business communities. However, if it happened earlier with you, I wouldn't be terrified."
"You see us together in 10 years?" Chad asked.
"Sometimes. I may not be able to say the L word yet, but I care more about you than anyone else before. I am just too screwed up right now after everything that happened in the past." Chad doesn't even know about Darby yet. He's going to have to find out soon, but she wasn't quite ready for that confession yet. "However, I can see us growing old together."
"Just because I say I love you doesn't mean I expect you to say it back. I know your relationship history has not been healthy. I only want what you're ready to give me."
"Even if I'm not ready for a sexual relationship with you? After what happened with Malick, I'm not sure if I'm ready." She still had nightmares about Richard. She wasn't ready emotionally for a physically intimate relationship. She was still working on the emotional intimacy part. The fact that she pushed everybody away for two years told her that. Chad was the first person after Richard that she let know her. She never let Zeke in completely.
"I can wait. I not even 100% sure I'm ready yet for a sexual relationship. I still have some Jamie baggage to work through too. We're in this relationship together. We make all decisions together." She knew that wasn't just a line. She trusted him.
"Sometimes, I wish you were my first," Sharpay said in a whisper as she curled herself into his arms.
"I the only one that counts," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "No more crying. We should probably eat before the food gets cold." Sharpay let go and grabbed one of the trays from the coffee table.
"Too late, the food is already ice cold. I think our heart to heart lasted too long. Go ahead and put Alex in Ryan's old room. There's a door between the rooms for easy access. Leave it open so we can hear. I'll bring everything upstairs in a few minutes. Just because I'm not ready for certain things doesn't mean I don't want to have some fun with my new boyfriend tonight." Sharpay said as she went in for the most intense kiss of the night. When they broke apart, they were both panting for breath.
"Maybe we better save the rest of this for upstairs." As she put the food in the toaster oven, she remembered the chocolate covered fruit and champagne in the refrigerator. She was going to definitely make good use of that.
XXXXX
It took Chad 20 minutes to get Alex to fall back asleep because he was a brat and wanted to keep Chad away from Sharpay on Friday movie night. Now Chad was toddler free; he was expecting to find Sharpay in her room wearing her crazy pink bunny slippers that she keeps at the house so no one would make fun of her in the dorms. Instead, Chad found candles, champagne, chocolate-covered fruit, and a Sharpay decked out in black lace. He had a feeling this was her new piece from Alexandria's custom lingerie. He was looking forward to seeing the entire collection, especially when they get to the point in their relationship where it would be on the floor most of the time.
"I thought you said you weren't ready?" Chad asked, surprised.
"I'm not. It's just after everything you said downstairs, I wanted to give you this completely romantic evening even if it didn't exactly end up with us doing that." Sharpay said, blushing at the last part. He never thought he would see Sharpay Evans be embarrassed by anything. He loved it.
"I think it's a great idea. Besides, how far are we going to get with an almost two-year-old sleeping next door? Kim probably programmed him to start screaming at the moment I try to take off your panties." He said as he went in for another earth-shattering kiss. As they continued, he gently placed her on the bed. After breaking apart for air after a very intense few minutes, he finally spoke again.
"I just thought of something."
"What's that?" Sharpay asked, almost breathless.
"You never asked me to be your boyfriend?" Chad told her.
"I thought it was supposed to be the other way around."
"Not with us." He said, kissing her again.
"Find," she said when they broke apart. "Chad Danforth, will you be my boyfriend?"
"I have to think about it," when he said that, she threw one of the strawberries at him.
"You know the answer is yes." He said as he grabbed one of the chocolate pieces of fruit to feed to her.
To be continued…
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Mostly original A/N fall 2009 (grammar edits only): Although Chad and Sharpay are now together, this is not the end of this story. Remember, the title is Scenes from Freshman Year. It's only October. There are lots of adventures to be had. Up next are midterms. I hope the next few chapters can go back to standard size because most of the heavy stuff is over for a while. I thought about breaking this one up, but there wasn't a good place to divide the material.
Fall 2020 A/N: I'm pretty sure in hindsight that the original two chapters for this section are the reason why I now have a 7500 maximum chapter-length policy. Just the mere fact that I had to break this up into five chapters proves that. That is even one more than I originally had planned, but this chapter would have been nearly 13,000 words without the split. Apparently, I'm better at splitting chapters now. We also have a little bit more to go before we are swing fully into midterms.