Taylor was already sitting in a booth when I got to I Hop. She was nursing coffee and continued to stir it even as I slid into the booth. "Where were you?" she asked quietly. She makes a show of looking at her watch and then looks up at me, "The library closed an hour ago. No one is out studying this late."

I shifted uneasily, she was right and wrong. Yes I had been studying but if I didn't practically live with Sharpay I would've been at the dorm. "I was at home." I said in a rush.

She leveled me with a searching gaze, "Your Mother says you never spend the night at home. I talked to her yesterday."

"Taylor, I…" I wanted to end us but six years made the words impossible to find.

"Tell me Chad where is home?"

I hesitated, if I just told her she would get hurt but I could see that while she knew no names she knew there was another girl involved. "I'm sorry Tay." I met her eyes in an effort to show I cared.

"How many times?" she asked calmly.

"How many times what?" I asked hoping she wasn't asking the question I didn't want to answer.

"How times have you slept with her?" her voice rose just a little on the last three words letting me know she wasn't as calm as she was pretending.

"You don't really want to know." I said moving to stand up.

"Six years and this is all I get? An admittance of cheating and then you walk away? She must be something real special. Yeah, a real special kind of slut." Taylor said bitterly.

"Hey!" I could feel my temper rising, maybe it was because if she knew who it was it would only reinforce the opinion rather than make attempts to get to know her.

Taylor looked up at me in surprise, "You're getting mad?" she snapped, "Like you have a right to get angry after all you've done. I have a right to my bitterness.'

"Look, be bitter about me all you want but leave her out of this." I turned to go. I did not want a scan in I-Hop and I had Sharpay waiting at home.

"You're in love with her." I heard Taylor gasp.

I turned around and looked at her in shock, "You thought I was fucking around because I was lonely waiting for school to be done? Reality check Tay, I'm not like that."

"I'm sorry," Taylor said sadly.

I sat down in the booth and cupped her hands, "Sorry for what?" I asked softly.

"For not being enough and for being so far away. For cheating on you as well." She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

I couldn't summon the anger to hate her for cheating. Maybe it was because I had done it as well or maybe it's because I knew that no matter what we wouldn't have worked out and you only stay mad when you think it would've worked if something had been different. "Don't, let's not blame ourselves. We just weren't meant to be."

"Is she at least pretty?" she asked with watery eyes. Her smiled told me that my friend rather than my ex-girlfriend was attempting a joke.

"Gorgeous." I whispered.

"Tall me about her." She said, "If you want I can tell you about him." I hesitated and she let out a small laugh, "You don't have to give names. I know I won't."

I relaxed, "You tell me something about him and I'll tell you something about her."

When I had come home that night Sharpay was asleep and the sheets had been changed. A week later she was gone and I had no idea what had happened to her. Now six years later I knew why she had left but not why she felt that she had to hide Tyler from me. "And now is your chance to tell me them."

Sharpay hesitated and took in her appearance. Having a child had not had a negative effect on her. She was as skinny as ever. Her hair was swept up in a pony tail rather than carefully styled and rather than sequences and short skirts she had jeans and a tight message tee. It was red and said Super Mom in blue. I couldn't help but let out a small huff of a laugh at it. She looked down at her shirt and smiled, "It was my Mother's day present from Tyler last year. Ryan took him shopping and they cooked me cookies and wrapped this shirt in Hulk paper because Tyler told Ryan that it was my favorite movie. It's lost on a four-year-old that you might only watch a movie twenty times for them."

I smiled at the picture of my son convincing Ryan to get the Hulk paper. My smile faded after a moment however, and I fixed Sharpay with a look, "Stop stalling and tell me why." I snapped.

Her had came up with a snap and the deer in the headlights look faded and her jaw clenched, "You will not talk to me like that." She hissed, " I did what was best for everyone."

"Oh, yes because growing up without a father who would love him is best for Tyler." I snapped unable to keep my voice from rising.

"I had my reasons," she yelled standing her full height, which wasn't all that tall without her stilettos.

I laughed bitterly, "I'm still waiting to hear them. Tell me Shar what was such a good reason that you kept my son from me all these years? I was ready to give up everything for you!" I pushed off the door and strode over to her so that I towered above her.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" she shouted, "You have no right to anything so I'm done with this conversation. Leave!"

I smirked, "You can throw me out now but I have money Shar. I'm a NBA player with a law degree. I have money and knowledge and power to match yours. Throw me out now but Tyler will be mine."

"I fight you with my every last breath. Mother's are seen in a better light and I'll see that you see Tyler so little that he doesn't have a clue who you are."

"Yes because this custody battle is really what's best for Tyler." We both whipped around to see Ryan standing in the now open door. "Are you both that selfish that you would take this argument to court and tear your son apart like that?" He came and stood beside us, he was shorter than me so I was forced to take a step back so that I didn't feel like I was towering over him as well. "I expected better of you Sharpay! You've put Tyler first in everything you've done since day one. Why is this different?" He turned on me and I found myself a tad bit intimidated, I began to wonder if this was a family trait. "And you, yeah Sharpay was a bitch for keeping it from you but to take him away from her? I thought you were more of an adult than that." He fixed us both with a look, "I don't know what happened between you two. I don't know how Tyler came about or what caused Shar to run but what I do know is that you're both here now. You both want to be a part of his life so if you refuse to work out your personal issues work things out enough so that Tyler can have you both. Peacefully!! I have no problem throwing you both out and keeping Tyler here until you fix this." With that he turned on his heels and strode from the room closing the door with a decided thump behind him.

I looked at Sharpay and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, "When did your brother get scarier than you?" I asked and we both giggled nervously.