Author's Note: So, I greatly appreciate all of the reviews. Tomorrow I start my fall semester...Sophomore year WAH! It's crazy stuff man, anyway, that'll sort of leave my updating to random late nights and weekends, as I'm taking four really reading and writing heavy classes, I won't have as much time to write fanfiction, passionate about it though I may be.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.

Chapter 4: Getting Used to It

"Does everyone always come over here?" Averman asked as he and Ryan got everything ready for the party.

"Pretty much," Ryan shrugged, "We have the space so,"

"Right sure," Averman nodded, "So are you like completely homo, or just flamboyant?" Ryan stopped. "I'm just curious, I don't actually care."

"I'm gay," he said, "Its fine to ask, I guess. You're pretty perceptive."

"Actually, you're pretty flaming," Averman shrugged. "But I'll take the compliment." He walked over to a large photo of a girl with blonde hair, standing with her arms in the air and a cocky smile on her face, "Whoa."

"Oh, yeah," Ryan started laughing, "That's Sharpay."

"Why don't you have one of these?" Averman laughed.

"Because I'm not Sharpay," He shrugged. "And I didn't want one. I'm more in it for the fun, she's all about the glory."

"In what?"

"The business we call show," Ryan laughed.

"Got it," Averman laughed. "So, girls usually like Luis, do you like Luis?"

"Are you going to be making gay jokes for the rest of the year?" Ryan asked.

"Probably, yeah," Averman nodded.

"Just wanted to be prepared," Ryan shrugged, "You and Chad can brainstorm together."

"I usually work alone," Averman smiled.

"Hey guys," Jack Bolton was standing in the kitchen when Troy and Charlie came down stairs. "What's going tonight?"

"Pool party at Ryan's," Troy shrugged, "We're gonna go pick up the girls."

"Sounds good," Jack nodded, "So Charlie, everything good, you feel like things fit at East High?"

"Yeah," Charlie nodded, "Thanks for talking to the hockey coach for me."

"Hey no problem," Jack said, "It's what I'm here for. You need anything, let me know, OK?"

"Sure, thanks again," Charlie stopped, "What'd he say about Julie?"

"He doesn't think that it'll work," Jack shook his head, "He thinks she'd get hurt."

"He obviously doesn't know Julie," Charlie laughed, "Whatever, she'll go in a fight for it."

"Yeah," Troy nodded, "Look, we should go."

"Right," Charlie said.

"Troy," Jack called him back.

"What's up Dad?" Troy said.

"How are things with you and Charlie?" He asked him, "You two seem very,"

"Cold?" Troy shrugged, "Things are fine Dad. We don't have to be best friends. I really gotta go, Gabby's waiting."

"Right sure," He said, "Go have fun, in by 11 ok?"

"Got it," Troy nodded, "See you later."

Julie sat by the pool at the party, her feet dangling in the water. Chad came over and sat down next to her. She smiled at him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," She smiled. "What's up?"

"Eh, very little," he shrugged. "You like it here?"

"It's nice," Julie nodded. "Different."

"Well yeah," Chad laughed, "New Mexico is very different from Minnesota."

"I'm not from Minnesota," Julie laughed. "I'm from Maine actually."

"Hey," He said, "You want a tour?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Of Ryan's house?" Julie laughed. "Shouldn't he give it?"

"Nah, I can give it better." He smirked. "It's funnier when I do it."

"Fair enough," she laughed, standing up. He took her hand and pulled her into the huge house.

"So here, is the rec room," he smiled, "Check the full professional karaoke equipment, Troy and Gabby will more than likely treat us to one of their famous duets by the end of the night." Julie laughed. "You sing?"

"No," Julie said, "In the shower, sometimes, but I suck."

"Give Ryan a half hour," Chad smiled, "He's a completely brilliant teacher. Taught me to dance." He then stepped away and did some kind of turn ending in a drop down. Julie smiled. "You like?"

"I like," she nodded. "The garage is huge, what's in there?" Chad smiled and they walked in.

"Wow," Julie said looking around at the various cars and then stopping at one bubble gum pink Mustang. "That's um, why would you do that?"

"You're Sharpay Evans," Chad snickered. "It's an atrocity, I know."

"Other than the Pepto she obviously painted it with," Julie circled, "It's a pretty amazing car. It looks like a 2006? I love the new bodies, and how they look like the classics!"

"Yeah," he smiled, "I'm saving for a car, Mr. Evans actually said he might sell one his older ones to me, which would be amazing!"

"I love cars," Julie smiled, circling to a silver Porsche. "My Dad and I started building me one when I was twelve. It should be finished this summer."

"You play hockey, you like cars," Chad smiled, "Are you sure you're a girl?"

"What the boobs aren't a dead give away?" She laughed.

Back at Eden Hall, Linda sat quietly on a couch in a common area of the dorms. She was going over her notes, Connie came and sat down next to her.

"You left your room?" Linda raised an eyebrow, "With your AP schedule?"

"I had to get away from that Barbie doll they put in my room," Connie rolled her eyes, "And I don't know how I'm getting through those APs without Julie."

"You're rooming with Sharpay Evans?" Linda laughed, Connie nodded. "Lord I pity you."

"She's horrendous," Connie sighed, "She just won't shut up about the injustice of you not dropping whoever had the lead and giving it to her."

"Fantastic," Linda sighed, "That's what I need right now." Her cell phone started ringing. They both looked down at the caller ID.

"So, it's a Saturday night," Connie smiled, "and Charlie is calling you. Didn't you two break up?"

"Technically speaking," Linda nodded, "Yes, we're broken up. However, we're not so good at it in practice."

"Got it," Connie nodded, knowing that she and Guy had tried the same thing last summer, when she had spent most of it in New York, visiting her older sister. "I'll let you talk to him."

"Thanks," Linda smiled as Connie walked away. "Hi," she said happily, picking up the phone.

"You would not believe that house I'm in right now!" Charlie shook his head, looking around the Evans's living room. "It makes Adam's look like a shack!"

"You would not believe how lucky you are to be out of here," She lay down. "There's this one exchange girl, she's completely heinous, I think she's giving Connie a nervous breakdown."

"Does she have giant blonde hair?" Charlie said, glancing at a picture of Ryan and a girl in the middle of Times Square, New York.

"That's the one." Linda laughed.

"I'm at her house," Charlie said, "The guy whose house I'm living at is friends with her brother."

"Crazy," Linda laughed. "How's the new school?"

"It's good," he sighed, "I miss you."

"I miss you too," she said quietly. "When are you coming home?"

"Christmas," Charlie answered, dejectedly, "Linda, I was thinking, maybe this breakup,"

"Maybe it wasn't such a great idea?" She said hopefully.

"Exactly," he said, excited that she felt the same way he did. "I can't stop thinking about you, and, well,"

"But you're so far away," she sighed, "We can't really get back together can we?"

"I guess not," He said, "But I mean, Julie and Adam are doing it, right?"

"Yeah, but they've done long distance before," Linda pointed out, "When Julie goes home for summers and stuff."

"So we know that it can work," Charlie insisted.

"We've had this conversation before." She sighed. "We just can't be sure."

"Linda what's changed?" He asked. "Do you still love me?"

"Yes, but its not that simple," she said, gulping, why did they have to have this conversation again, it had been hard enough the first time.

"We still love each other," he insisted again, "and we still talk every day. Nothing's changed!"

"Except that we're thousands of miles away from each other!" She said, tears were starting to form in her eyes. "Charlie, please don't make me go through this again."

"No," he said, looking outside where Averman, Goldberg and Luis had pressed their faces up against the glass making faces at him. "I should go, people are starting to look for me."

"I'm really sorry, Charlie," she said, "Maybe, we shouldn't talk for a few days."

"Whatever," he said, shrugging, "I guess I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye," she said quietly and hung up. Why did it have to be so hard.

"Who were you talking to?" Troy asked as Charlie walked back outside.

"My girl-ex girlfriend," Charlie said.

"That sounds ominous," Gabriella grimaced.

"Oh yes, the Charlie and Linda saga is many faceted," Goldberg nodded. "Shall we start with freshman year,"

"Charlie is a jock," Luis said, "Linda is an intellectual semi activist with a politically correct agenda. Obviously, the two don't mix."

"Then, after a wooing session on a bus stop bench," Averman sighed, sarcastically batting his eyes, "And you know, almost a month of Charlie being an asshole," Charlie shot him a glare.

"They share their first kiss," Luis smiled, "On the ice after the big game!"

"That sounds very familiar," Zeke smiled, nudging Gabriella.

"Then for three years," Goldberg said, "We are subjected to constant hemming and hawing, will they or won't they, together or not, until they ultimately, when Charlie decide to do the whole exchange program thing,"

"Broke it off," Charlie growled. "And she just pretty much ended it for good. I hate my life." He plopped in a chair.

"See why I'm not enjoying living with him?" Troy whispered to Gabriella.

"Get used to it," Averman rolled his eyes, "We've been putting up with it for over eight years."

Reviews please, although this hasn't seemed a problem with this particular story.