Buddies

by: skyz

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed and are reading. I'll get around to replying personally for the last chapter this weekend. The prompt was buddies and I thought I'd try writing a little for Troy so... Enjoy.

14.

A collection of glittering diamond rings sat before Chad as he bent down to inspect a two and a half carat princess cut white gold ring. To him they all had begun to blur together and now looked exactly the same.

He replaced the ring on the tray.

"Well?" Chad asked turning to his best friend.

Troy shrugged leaning back in his chair. He looked anywhere but at Chad.

"Well what?" Troy muttered.

Chad sighed and picked up another ring. An antique round diamond in gold. He held it up to the light to see how much it would shine.

"You said you'd help me out here, man," Chad said as he picked up another ring. "But all you've done is sit there and sulk like some kinda kid. Leave if you want."

Troy groaned and swept a hand through his shaggy hair.

"But dude it's just...Sharpay, you know? Why her?" Troy's voice held the unmistakable hint of a whine and Chad chuckled.

"Because man it was like war between us for so long. All that fire, the anger, that whole thing just... Look she told me this once and it fits like hell. She said 'Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop'. And that fits us perfectly. Besides we're outta high school, Troy. You should have moved on by now. What do you think about this one?"

Chad turned holding out a platinum three stone ring.

"She actually said that? Like she made that up off the top of her head?" Troy asked incredulously.

"Nah, but she could have. It's a quote, man. This isn't working."

Chad put the ring back and turned to the hovering manager.

"None of these are going to work," he told the man. "I need something else..." Chad trailed off glancing around at the display cases. "Colored jewels. Let me see those."

"You know she'll probably just make you return this, Chad. Trade it in for something she picked out herself. That's what she does," Troy warned him.

"Dude shut up," Chad snapped. "So what if she does? I mean if I pick out something that's hideous I'm not gonna complain if she exchanges it. But that's why I'm not gonna pick out something hideous. It's gonna be perfect."

"I don't know why you just didn't ask Ryan to come with you. He knows her better than anyone."

"Because if I did then she'd know," Chad pointed out as if it were quite obvious.

"Why? He can keep a secret."

"Yeah, right. You don't spend enough time with him to know that. He can't keep a secret from Sharpay. He caves every time and if he were here and she couldn't get a hold of him..." Chad shuddered as the manager settled a tray of colored stones in front of him.

"You're so whipped," Troy said laughingly as he leaned closer to inspect the rings.

"At least I have a lady," Chad countered.

"Shut up."

"This is nice," Chad noted as he picked up one. "What is this, sapphire? It's antique right?" Chad asked the manager.

"Correct. This is a 2.7 carat sapphire and diamond platinum antique ring," the manager replied.

"It's pretty," Troy admitted grudgingly.

"This goes under maybe," Chad decided. He scanned the remaining rings and shook his head. "Mike here's what I want. That antique diamond ring I saw earlier. I want that ring but I want to replace the diamond with a bigger Asscher," Chad stated decisively.

Mike nodded approvingly.

Troy snorted.

"You should have just designed your own ring then. Why waste all this time looking at rings?"

"Because I want to be able to say I looked and looked and finally found the perfect one. She'll appreciate it more this way. She told me designing a ring is a cop out and she's right."

"Whatever."

Chad shoved Troy hard on his shoulder as he got to his feet as Mike hurried over with a tray of loose diamonds.

"Keep acting like this and Ryan'll be my best man," Chad muttered studying the diamonds.

"If I may?" Mike asked. "I would suggest this one. It would be a perfect match to the antique setting."

Chad studied the diamond Mike handed over. He compared it with the antique ring and nodded.

"Okay. That's it then," Chad announced.

Troy got to his feet with a groan as his knees popped and smothered a yawn.

"I'm hungry," Troy declared.

"Let me just tally this up," Mike said and gathering his tray turned away.

"So how are you gonna ask her?" Troy asked glancing around the closed store.

"Hmm?" Chad asked distracted as his phone vibrated against his hip. He flipped it open and read the text Sharpay had sent him.

"How are you going to propose?" Troy repeated.

"Sharpay got tickets to the Yankee's. You wanna go?" Chad asked, as he was texting.

"Sure. But the proposal, man! On bended knee? Written in the sky? Romantic dinner? Hidden in dessert? How?"

Chad finished replying to Sharpay and turned to Troy with a frown.

"I don't know," he said, confused. "I hadn't really thought ahead to that."

Troy slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"That's the most important part! She'll remember that forever and if it sucks she'll never let you forget it, Chad. She'll lord it over you for the rest of your life."

Chad grimaced imagining that outcome and seeing Sharpay's wrath for the rest of his life. No, he shook his head it wasn't going to go down that way.

"Okay. All right. She's traditional. She'll want bended knee and the whole thing. She won't want it in her food or her drink. She doesn't like skywriting, thinks it's cheesy. Can't do something like a scavenger hunt she'd never even bother to follow the first clue. She'd make Ryan do it and ruin the whole surprise. Not with her family, that'd just embarrass her. I don't know."

Chad's shoulders slumped.

"Well, what does she like to do with you? You know...romantically?" Troy could barely get that out and grimaced as soon as the words left his mouth.

"We like to watch um...the Discovery channel. You know on the couch and stuff and she'll be like cuddled up to me. Or we'll go to the market sometimes... or take baths together and sometimes--"

"Ah, ah, ah," Troy yelled covering his ears. "I don't wanna hear that! I don't even wanna picture that, Chad! Dude!"

Chad rolled his eyes.

"Ok," Troy said after a moment as he calmed down. "Not in a bath because it might go down the drain. Maybe when you're on the couch. Drop something and bend down to pick it up but stay like that or something."

"What?"

"You know! Like this."

Troy sat back down in his chair and pretended to drop something. He started feeling around on the carpet searching for something.

"Ah! Act like you found it. And then..." Troy turned still on his knees. "Switch to one knee," Troy added as held up his NCAA championship ring. He levered his weight onto one knee and grinned up at Chad. "I love you, man. I really do. You're the best thing that could have ever happened to me. You and I are a team. You earned this ring right alongside me. And uh...it'd be my honor if you'd um...you know..."

Chad covered his face with his hands laughing.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, voice muffled.

"Take me as your best man. But don't say it like that to her. You gotta tell her you love her and wanna be with her for the rest of your life. Mention how happy she makes you; she'll eat that right up. And you gotta say how much you love her and why."

Troy got to his feet with a helping hand from Chad.

"See? That wasn't so hard."

Chad rubbed the back of his neck.

"That wasn't a proposal though," Chad pointed out.

"Well how hard can it be to say 'Sharpay will you marry me?'" Troy grumbled.

"Sharpay will you marry me?" Chad repeated. "You're right that was easy! Thanks man," Chad slapped Troy on the back.

Troy raised his hands into the air and let his head fall back.

"At last he sees the light! It's just a question. With a simple answer."

"You need to thank Sharpay for the tickets too. Act a little nicer and she might hook you up with one of her friends. And then you can call me to help you pick out a ring and I'll school you on how to propose the proper way."

Troy took three giant steps away from Chad.

"You...you're contagious man... Get away from me!"

Chad stepped towards him with his arms held out. He moved like a zombie towards Troy.

"Let me infect you with my commitment germs and see if it sticks!"