This story is set very shortly after High School Musical 2, when Troy is still figuring out how to make it up to his best friend, and Chad is figuring out he has feelings for Ryan. I wrote a completely different HSM2 and HSM3 rewrite called "The Start Of Something New" which is 10 chapters and that I just completed today, so check that out if you haven't. This story takes a slightly different approach to their romance then this one.
Also, this story is dedicated to my best friend who watched all three of those movies with me this year and who lets me text him my thoughts and feelings about Chyan.
Happy Pride Month!
"So you forgive me?" Troy asked.
"Maybe. Maybe I just needed a ride home. I haven't bought my car yet and you just got given a truck." There was a bit of resentment in Chad's voice. This summer a lot of things had just been given to Troy, and Troy had nearly forgotten himself and his friends in the process. Chad had mostly forgiven him, but he still couldn't help feeling slighted by Troy.
"I really am sorry. We'll always be brothers, yeah?"
Chad offered Troy a slight smile, "Yeah. I'm glad the real Troy is back. We have a lot to catch up on."
"Yeah? I'm all ears, dude. You can tell me anything."
"Alright, while you were busy sucking up to Sharpay I actually ended up befriending Ryan."
"Seriously?" Troy snorted. He didn't actually believe that Ryan had been making any moves on Gabriella but that didn't mean he liked the dude.
"Oh, shut up. He's nothing like his sister. Ryan is cool."
"Cool isn't the word I'd use."
"Then you don't really know him. Hear me out, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. What makes Ryan Evans so cool?"
"Well, first of all, he's better at baseball than you."
Troy let out a mock gasp.
"Now I know that you're making things up."
"I'm not, you're just not all that good at baseball. But Ryan is great at it. As good as me, I'd say."
"You don't give those compliments out lightly," Troy noted.
"Well, he earned it. He really brought it at the employee game, he convinced me of his skills and convinced me to try singing and dancing for the talent show."
"Ryan did all that in one game? What else did I miss?"
"Oh! He also let me wear his rich people clothes."
"What?"
"We did an outfit swap after the game."
"Why?"
Chad shrugged, "Because we felt like it. And I wanted to make him feel like part of the team since we'd be working on the show together. It doesn't hurt that his clothes are super nice. And he let me keep the hat."
Troy glanced at Chad, who was looking off into the distance while he spoke about Ryan, almost dreamily.
"So you like, changed in front of each other?" Troy asked.
"What? It's not that weird. I change in front of you and the team all the time."
Troy chuckled to himself before asking the next question, "Is he ripped?"
"Totally. Or, well, sort of? He's got a lean, dancer's body. He's muscular, it's just not as obvious. But he's definitely in shape."
Now Troy laughed out loud, "Dude, you were ogling him."
"What? No, I wasn't. Just because I noticed he was in shape? Anyone could notice that."
"Anyone could notice that, if they were changing clothes in front of Ryan Evans, during some convoluted clothes swap."
"Ogling? Convoluted? You've been spending too much time with Gabriella."
"I haven't been spending enough time with Gabriella. And you're changing the subject. Absolutely no judgment, Chad! It just seems that you have some pent-up feelings for Ryan."
Chad let out a shocked and nervous laugh.
"Troy, I don't know what you're talking about. He's my friend."
"People don't give detailed descriptions of their friends' bodies. You like him."
Chad let out a deep breath, his eyes widening.
"Oh my god. I do like him. I kept telling myself that I just thought he was cool and impressive and stuff but… Huh."
Now Chad gave Troy an uneasy look.
Troy saw the look and briefly lifted his hands from the wheel as if surrendering.
"Chad, I do not care if you're into men. If you want to date Ryan I will be the best wingman ever."
"You mean that?"
"Of course! It doesn't change anything about our friendship."
"So you think I should go for it with Ryan?"
"Do you want to?"
Chad fell silent for a while, maybe thinking about changing in front of Ryan in the dugout, and how Ryan had patiently taught him how to dance.
"I do. I don't know if he'll reciprocate my feelings, but Ryan is worth taking a chance on."
"Great, then let's come up with a game plan. I've already got step one for you."
"What's step one?"
"Break up with Taylor."
Chad groaned, "Oh yeah. That."
"I'll help you, it'll be okay. I've got your back."
"But now I feel bad! Taylor's a great girl, definitely the smartest person I've ever dated, but I don't like her the way I like Ryan. Do you think she'll understand?"
"You just said that she's smart and she's great, of course she'll understand. She'll probably be upset, but she'll understand."
"I don't want to lose her as a friend," Chad said sadly.
"I don't know if you can do that, man. You could stick to the status quo and not break up with Taylor, or you could go for what you really want and hope that she'll understand and come around eventually."
"I can't stick to the status quo," Chad said, "Now that you've put it in my head I want to go all the way with Ryan."
Troy cleared his throat.
"Not like that!" Chad swatted Troy, who laughed.
"I mean I wanna go on proper dates and maybe take him to prom and wear his rich people clothes again."
"Promise me you're not just interested in Ryan because of his rich people clothes," Troy teased.
"Oh, I'm not. I'm into his clothes and everything underneath."
Again Troy laughed and shot Chad a look.
"I'm gonna stop talking now. You know what I mean."
"You're pretty hopeless, Chad. Good thing you have the best wingman ever. I'm gonna help you break up with Taylor and then I'm going to help you ask out the man of your dreams." They pulled up to Chad's house.
"Not a word of this to anyone else," Chad said suddenly, "Not Gabriella, not your parents, and definitely not my parents."
"Of course not."
"I just came out to myself… I'm not ready to come out to everyone else."
"That's all you, man. Take your time. But I'll be in your corner, no matter what."
"Thanks, Troy." Chad got out of the car.
"Let's meet up tomorrow before or after work to figure out our game plan for breaking up with Taylor," Troy said.
"You make it sound like we're both breaking up with Taylor."
Troy laughed, "Do you want my help or not?"
Chad paused, "I want your help."
"Thought so! See you tomorrow."
The next day started with an argument.
"I told you that you couldn't tell Gabriella."
"I didn't! I just think she could help with Operation Friend Zone."
"Did you come up with that last night?"
"Yes I did, thank you."
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I know she could probably help, but I don't want to bring anyone else into this unless I have to. Not Gabriella, not Sharpay, or Kelsi, or Zeke, or any of our friends."
"I don't know if Sharpay should be on our list of friends," Troy said.
"If only there was a word for people who were like, friends and enemies at the same time. But I only mentioned Sharpay because she's Ryan's sister."
"Oh, yeah. Does that mean she'd be your sister-in-law if you marry Ryan?"
"Let's not think about marriage when I haven't even broken up with Taylor yet."
"Sure. But I'd be your best man, right?"
"Let's focus on Operation Friend Zone, alright?"
"Alright!"
"Did you think of any ideas for how I can break up with Taylor or did you spend all your time coming up with Operation Friend Zone?"
"My idea was that we could ask Gabriella for help since she's so much smarter than us and stuff and since they're best friends."
"Right. Not doing that, so I guess I'm just going to have to do it."
"What are you going to say?"
"I don't know, Troy, that's what I'm trying to figure out."
"Someone as smart as Taylor is going to want to figure out why she was dumped."
"Right."
"So you're gonna have to give her a reason."
"Mm-hm."
"So…"
"So maybe I should just tell her?"
"Tell her what? That you like someone else?"
"Or that I'm gay?" That was the first time that Chad had actually said the word. It surprised him, hearing it out loud, but when he thought about Ryan it felt right.
"My only fear is that if I told her that she would tell everyone else."
"Yeah, that wouldn't be ideal. But if you started dating Ryan everyone would find out that you're gay pretty fast."
"Huh. I guess you're right. I don't know if I'm ready for everyone to find out. That's a lot to think about."
"Well, you have time, Chad. I'm not going to say anything. There's no rush to dump Taylor or ask out Ryan."
"You're right, but… I definitely want to end things with Taylor today. The last thing I want to do is string her along."
Troy nodded, "I think that's the right thing to do."
"Even if I didn't take my chance with Ryan, it wouldn't be fair to Taylor to keep her in a relationship my heart wasn't in. And if I take this step then maybe I'll get the guts to ask Ryan out. It's a win-win." Chad was trying really hard to convince himself of that.
"Yeah!" Troy was trying really hard to support his best friend, even though they were both out of their element.
Chad was really out of his element when he talked to Taylor on their break that day. He had plenty of experience being dumped but no experience breaking up with someone, and definitely not someone as intelligent and pretty as Taylor.
"Hey, Tay? Can we talk somewhere in private?"
"Yeah, sure. We'll take the golf cart."
"I have something really serious to tell you," Chad said, his voice feeling really dry.
"Okay, shoot."
"I have to break up with you."
The golf cart jerked to a stop before continuing again, picking up speed.
"Do you want to elaborate on that, Chad?" Taylor asked, sounding a little tense.
"Yeah, I owe you an explanation. I've been thinking about it a lot and I just don't think it's fair to keep stringing you along, now that I know that I like someone else."
"Oh, you do? And when did this happen?"
"Since we started working here."
"Do I know her?" Taylor asked.
"Kind of? And listen, it was never my intention to fall for him, but I have and I can't take that back-"
"Him?" Chad hadn't even registered the slip of the tongue. He cringed a little before steeling himself to come out to his ex.
"Yeah, him. I have feelings for Ryan Evans."
"Wow, that's a shock. Really? You're not just saying that because you needed an excuse to break up with me?"
"Do you think that I'd rather risk you telling everyone I'm gay than break up with you?"
"Fair point."
They were silent for a while, and then Taylor pulled to a stop for real.
"So are you going to ask him out?"
"I think so. I can't get him out of my head. I feel like I finally know who I'm meant to be."
"One game of baseball did all that?" Taylor asked.
"I wish I could explain it…"
"You don't have to, Chad. And I won't tell anyone. He clearly means a lot to you and I'm happy that you found someone who makes you feel complete."
"I know you'll find the same, Taylor. You're brilliant, really, and radiant. Anyone would be lucky to date you."
"Thank you. This'll give me more time to focus on my studies, yearbook, and all that. It's for the best."
"Can we stay friends?"
Taylor nodded, "You were honest with me, and you clearly didn't want to hurt me. You're not a bad guy, Chad. We can still be friends."
Chad smiled, "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"Now that the easy part is over, though, you're going to have to show Ryan how much of a great guy you are and sweep him off his feet."
Chad laughed nervously. If this was the easy part, then he was terrified of what came next.
"I'm going to need a bit more time before I'm ready to do that," is what he told Taylor. But what he meant was, "I need to talk to my wingman."
Troy and Chad had their next planning session on the basketball court behind Troy's house. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton were on a date so the two could talk and scheme in private while they shot baskets.
"Apparently breaking up with Taylor was the easy part? It was pretty hard for me, even though she took it well. But now I have to impress Ryan."
"That'll be a piece of cake, man, you're awesome!"
"Nah, who am I fooling? Ryan Evans is awesome. Way cooler than me. He's talented, he's handsome, and he's rich. I don't stand a chance."
Troy hit Chad in the stomach with a basketball.
"Hey, no one talks that way about my best friend. You're so cool, Ryan won't know what hit him. I bet he already likes you! You just need to put your best foot forward and ask him out."
"What if I can't connect to him? What if we're too different?"
"Dude, of course you're different. Me and Gabriella are different too. But you have enough in common to at least try and make it work, right? I know you really care about him, so you've gotta try. I'll help you."
"I need to do something really special for him… Something that shows how much he means to me."
"...I think I have an idea," Troy said suddenly, missing the next shot as a stroke of brilliance took hold.
"Yeah?" Chad was a little afraid of that mischievous look in Troy's eyes.
"We never did get to sing You Are The Music In Me for the talent show. I bet Kelsi would let us use it for a little private concert."
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking you learn the words and serenade your musical theatre boy to win him over! It's a foolproof plan."
"Except I'm not that good at singing!"
"Oh bullcrap, Chad. Everyone knows you just say that so that people don't expect you to sing. You're maybe not as good as a professional, like Ryan, but you are pretty good, and he's gonna find the whole thing so charming that he won't even be paying attention to how good or bad you are at singing."
Chad had to admit, this wasn't the worst idea, "Okay. Let's do it."
"I'll get the sheet music from Kelsi and help you set the whole thing up. Ryan is going to swoon."
"I hope so," Chad said, still not convinced that he deserved someone as amazing as Ryan, but willing to try with some support from Troy.
On the day of their foolproof plan, Chad waited alone in the rehearsal room while Troy tracked down Ryan. Everyone else had gone home for the day, so Chad was pretty confident that they'd have privacy. He was a little nervous about his own musical abilities, and about his chances with Ryan in general, but there was no going back now.
"Hey, Ryan, I know it's a bit late but I was wondering if you could teach me some of your moves?"
"Oh, which one?"
"Uh. The jazz square. Can you teach me how to do a jazz square?"
"Sure! Right now?"
"Yeah, I think the rehearsal room is open."
Ryan was clearly taken aback when he saw Chad in the rehearsal room. He glanced back at Troy, who gave Chad a thumbs up before stepping out of the room.
"Hey, Ryan? Sorry to get you here on false pretenses, but I really have something I need to say to you."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Or rather…" Here goes nothing!
"Or rather, I have something I need to sing to you."
He was a little unsteady at first, but by the time he reached the chorus, he was feeling a lot more confident, confident enough to look at Ryan for the first time.
"When I hear my favorite song, I know that we belong, oh, you are the music in me, yeah it's living in all of us, and it's brought us here because, because you are the music in me."
Ryan looked stunned, blushing as he watched Chad serenade him. Chad reached out to Ryan, offering him his hand. Ryan took it and, in a moment of bravery, Chad spun Ryan and pulled him closer, continuing to sing. Ryan grinned and laughed a little, twirling Chad in turn. When Chad had finished with the song Ryan was still holding onto his hand.
"I thought you didn't sing or dance," Ryan said, staring into Chad's eyes.
"Well, you're worth it, Ryan. I really like you."
"I really like you too," Ryan said, subconsciously moving a little closer to Chad.
"Ryan Evans, will you be my boyfriend?" Chad asked, no longer afraid.
"Absolutely." Ryan leaned in to kiss Chad and was interrupted by some whooping from outside.
"Has Troy been listening outside the whole time?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, he's kind of my wingman. He's the one who had the idea that I should serenade you."
"Well, tell him he's a very good wingman."
"I will. But first…" Chad leaned down and completed the interrupted kiss. It was better than he could have ever imagined.
I actually headcanon Chad as bi but I don't think he and Troy knew the term, lol.
