To Never Ever

I stood stock still in shock. How could she still love me? It had been seven years since we'd been friends or anything more and while the memories still haunted me every day she had seemed to get along fine alone. True she had yet to go on a date since I moved to Sandhill but she was a single mom with a career, maybe she just didn't have time. I slowly made my way up the stairs and stopped with my hand on her door. It was D-Day, if I went inside we would talk about it but if I left it was over for real, for good. Could I just get back together with her and pretend like nothing happened?

I opened the door and went inside, "We've never talked about getting back together." I stated.

She looked steadily out the window, "No we haven't. Tyler's stuff is in his regular bag in his room with him."

"So that's it? I love you, shatter your world with that comment, now leave and take our son?"

She whipped around angry; good that's what I wanted. At least she was paying attention to me now. "That's not how it is! That…that just slipped out."

"Did you mean it?" I snapped riding the height of passion in the room.

"Yes!" She snapped back.

"Good, then marry me!" I roared.

"Why! You good for nothing…wait what?" she stopped mid rant and I smiled at her.

I sunk to one knee and looked up at her, "I haven't got a ring yet but will you, Sharpay Evans, marry me?"

"I…I…I…what?" she stuttered.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"No…I mean yes…I mean, have you lost your mind?"

"Come on, we've both wanted it for years and Tyler is already in the first grade if we want more of him we need to get a move on it." I stood up and smiled at her suggestively.

Suddenly her face broke out in a smile and she jumped up off the window seat into my arms, "Tell me I'm not dreaming!"

I froze with my hand on the door, this was reality and it just didn't work like that. I walked into Tyler's room and collected his stuff. She would pick him up from school on Monday and I would be back my next weekend and things would never change. That was life and it sucked. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the ring I had carried with me since two days before Taylor and I had broken up all those years ago. I grabbed a string from the odds and ends draw and tied it to Sharpay's bedroom door.

As Tyler and I were getting in the car Sharpay burst out of the house, "Come back!" she shouted. I paused and then walked up to her so she would have to lower her voice. "Come back, please don't leave this house again. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please let's be a family."

I hesitated, everything in me wanted to say yes. To be Chadpay again but there was that darker angry side. The part that roared every time I met someone new to me that Tyler already knew and every time I saw his baby pictures. "Go inside Sharpay, don't let the neighbors see you cry." I smiled condescendingly. I was too close to giving in for her to stay out here and ask again.

"No!" she said and I looked at her in surprise, "You love me, so you're staying." She took my hand and started to drag me to the house with Tyler tagging along behind trying to figure out what was going on.

I finally let myself smile as I gave in, maybe I wasn't as mad as I wanted to be. Maybe…just Maybe we could be us again.