"Law?" Sharpay raised her eyebrows at me.
"I know, big surprise but it's pretty interesting. Besides if the NBA doesn't pick me up I want a career."
"Is that doubt I hear?" Sharpay mocked.
"No ice queens allowed in my door room." I said throwing a pillow at her.
"Sorry." There was an awkward silence and I wondered why I invited her back here and why she agreed to come.
"So, teaching huh? I thought you'd be studying for all the Glam and press."
"I did the first semester while I helped Darbaus with the play. After that I found loved teaching those kids. Besides Darbaus will retire eventually and I'll fit right in." she shrugged as though everyone in our class wouldn't die of shock to find out she had chosen teaching over being a star.
"A teacher and a lawyer huh?" I laughed.
"Before you know it there'll be two kids and dog for us both." She smirked.
"Oh no!" I grabbed my heart dramatically, "Save us from adult hood!"
She cracked up and soon we were both rolling on the ground. 'Oh yeah,' I thought as she impersonated Lucy from I love Lucy, 'I invited her back because she makes me laugh.' I couldn't help but wonder when the ice melted but was to busy pulling her down for a tickle fight to ask. I soon found I didn't care, I was just glad it did.
I watched as the raindrops carved erratic paths of water down my window. I balled up my fist and punched the wall careful not to put a hole in the wall of my hotel room. I know I should hate her, she did the unforgivable. She kept my son from me, I missed so many of his firsts, and those were things I could never get back. I remember sitting next to Troy when Caleb was born and thinking that I would try to be better when it was my first born. Now I would never even get to be there much less act better. I should hate her, I knew that, but I didn't. I sat down and leaned against the wall. As I closed my eyes I could feel tears I didn't want to fall stinging my eyes.
"Sharpay, I haven't worn a coat and tie since prom." I protested trying not to look at her puppy dog eyes.
"Please Chad, I don't want to go to this thing without a date. I went to the last one alone and Mom harassed me for weeks to go out with this super boring guy she knows." She straddled my lap and stuck out her lip. "It's just for pretend."
"You better be glad you're my best friend." I sighed, "I would never do this for Troy."
"Thank you! Thank You!" she threw her arms around me and bounced up and down in place. Suddenly I was really glad I had said yes.
I looked down at my hands trying to exorcise the memories that were haunting me tonight. I immediately knew that I should've looked anywhere else as I spotted a small scar that trailed up my thumb.
I threw open Sharpay's door in a panic, the living room was filled with smoke, "Sharpay!" I shouted.
"In here!" she called from the kitchen, she sounded on the verge of tears.
Running in I stopped short as the erratic thundering in my chest calmed down. Sharpay stood over the stove waving a towel. On the table sat what was suppose to be a cake but looked more like charcoal. "What are you doing?" I asked trying not to laugh.
"It's your birthday." She said sadly.
"You baked a cake?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around her waist.
"I tried," She said looking up at me. "But I got busy taking a shower and wrapping your present so it would be ready in time and I forgot about the time."
"Well how about we go out and let apartment air out and I'll say it's the thought that counts." I was really touched that she had gone to all the trouble. She seemed so devastated that it had failed, "I still have a present right?" I wheedled.
Suddenly her face lit up, "Yeah!"
"Well go get it and I'll take care of this." I gestured to the kitchen.
"Okay." She skipped out and I turned around and grabbed the cake pan. I immediately realized what a mistake this was when pain shot through my hand.
"Shit!" I cursed and dropped the pan.
"Chad!" she ran back in and saw what happened, "You idiot!" she said as she reached over and cradled my hand in her's. She pulled me over and turned on the faucet. "The pan is hot!"
"Nah, I didn't notice." I said sarcastically.
I sighed and clenched my hand into a fist. Sharpay made me laugh, she made me study, she made coming home worth it, she made me want to be a better man. Now I was faced with what was more important to me, my anger over my son or the fact that I was still in love with Sharpay Evans.
"I want two boys and a girl." I said as I tossed another piece of popcorn in the general direction of Sharpay's mouth.
"I want boys." She said.
"What? I thought you would want a girl to do all the girly things with."
"I'd be afraid she'd turn out like me."
"What's so bad about that?"
"I was hated in high school Chad, I don't want that for my kids. I want them to have what you and Troy had."
"I can't see you keeping up with a mob of boys."
"You think Ryan was always the follower? Nah, when we were little before we moved here I tagged along behind him. Baseball, dirt, monkey bars, and blocks were my life."
"What! No way, so then why the glitter?"
"I got a crush on one of our friends the year before we moved here. He said he couldn't like me because I was one of the boys. He dated, in the way little kids "date", a girl who wore pink and I swore that I would never be one of the boys again. After a while I loved it, it suited me as well as a base ball cap did."
"Only you could be a walking contradiction." I grabbed her to me and brushed my lips against hers. We smiled at one another and I knew we were justifying our current position. We were really good friends after all.
I stood abruptly, grabbing my key card I burst out the door. Once I got out of the hotel I started to run. My feet hit the pavement in a steady rhythm. Nothing had ever calmed me like running at night. The wind blew the rain in my face and I spun in a circle in mid run enjoying the sensation. I didn't even realize where I was heading until the swings of the park came into view. I stopped in my tracks next to the merry go round. Reaching out I ran my hand across the cold wet metal. Grabbing it I pushed with all my might and watched as it spins and to me the rain faded into a sunny day.
"Faster!" Sharpay was holding on for all she was worth. She looked up at me, her hair flying out around her, and laughed with glee.
"Faster? Faster? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you!" I said as I shoved it again watching her spread her arms out in joy.
"I was scared." I turned around to see Sharpay standing behind me.
"Why?" I asked reaching out to stop the merry go round.
"I thought you would accuse me of making it up or worse ask if he was yours."
"Yeah, because I proved myself to be that kind of guy." I said sarcastically.
"I was scared of getting my heart broken." She said quietly.
I walked over to her, reaching up I pushed her hair out of her face, and cupped her face, "You took my son from me. There are things that I've missed that I will never get back."
"Not a day goes by that I don't regret that." She whispers and looks away.
I leaned down and captured her lips with mine. The kiss was gentle at first, as though we were both trying to feel our way through it. After a moment it heated up with the passion that we always possessed. I backed her against the snack building and pressed my body against hers.
Just as I felt her arms start to snake around my neck I tore my lips from hers and pushed off the building so there was space between us again, "I can't." I said and I felt my voice crack. "You broke my heart," I admitted, "I was really going to give up everything for you. I almost did anyway. I went to law school thinking one day you'd come back and I'd be ready to show you that I wanted a family. I almost turned down the NBA when they offered after law school but by that time I was jaded. I'm not married because every time I date I keep comparing them to you. I sound like some star stuck schoolgirl but I can't do this again. I can't sleep with you and then have you walk away. It's going to be hard enough to pick Tyler up and talk about school and everything else that parents have to do because of their kids." I backed up even more, "You're not even back for good, you didn't come back for me or us. I'll draw up the papers to make everything official with Tyler and I'd like to take him out tomorrow but I can't do this, us." With that I turned and ran.
I knew I should stay and talk out specifics but I couldn't. I ignored her calling my name and just kept running. I ran all the way to the Bolton's house and banged on the door. Troy answered looking annoyed until he caught sight of me. I must have looked bad because he called for Gabby and pulled me inside. I sunk to my knees in the kitchen and for the first time since sophomore year when my dad died I cried in my best friend's arms. I didn't tell him why and he didn't ask and when I woke up the next morning he gave me a ride to my hotel. It was at moments like these that I appreciated having a best friend that I had known since we were in diapers. "Hey man," he said as I climbed the car, "Keep your head in the game." I smirked and prepared to face the one woman that could still reduced me to next to nothing.
Okay I'm nervous about this chapter. I've always seen Chad as kind of a tough guy. I thought I had made clear Sharpay's side of things and why she left but I wanted you guys to see what it did to Chad. I know him crying to Troy wasn't something you were expecting or even I was expecting to write but although I deleted it four times I kept putting it back. So tell me what you think. Also I have one vote for Ryelsi having no kids and one for them to have one. I need tie breaker so tell me what you think.