Yup yup… Here's the next chapter… Without any delay and junk. xD
Walking on the path with a thin layer of snow underneath our feet, Ryan and I interlaced our fingers. He lifted my hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it in a movie-like gesture. I grinned walking with him and leaning against his shoulder a little.
Taylor looked over her shoulder to make sure we were following. Her eyes widened and she squealed. "Look at them!" she said excitedly to Chad who stared blankly. Taylor sighed and turned back around.
Chad rolled his eyes. "Yeah… cute," he said trying to sound enthusiastic.
I laughed a little at the two of them and looked over at Ryan. Our pace was a bit slower enabling me to watch as Taylor and Chad talked about whatever it was. "Does Chad like Taylor?" I asked wondering if Ryan knew. I was pretty good at reading girl crushes obviously, but guys were usually… just different.
He chuckled slightly, as if this was a joke. "Of course he does," he answered simply.
I tilted my head, watching the two walk closer together. I studied them for a little, curious.
"I can see that matchmaker look on your face," Ryan said with an all-knowing smirk.
"Well..." I began, feeling guilty. I'd been caught. "Look at them! Both of them are head over heels... If they'd just realize it already," I said, with a tiny frown.
He laughed softly and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I hate it when that happens," he whispered, brushing his fingertips against my cheek after bothering with my hair.
I nodded slowly, almost oblivious to him and still intent on Chad and Taylor. "What do you think they're talking about?" I asked, almost talking to myself. After a brief silence, I spoke up again with a determined look on my face. "It will happen eventually."
"I'm sure it will," Ryan replied, looking at me with a small, reassuring smile. His smile practically caused a domino effect on myself, unleashing a giggle. Ryan gave me that confused glance, as if he was missing something. I kissed his cheek silently, as a vague answer to his confusion. I wrapped my arm around him, resting my head on his chest as we continued to walk up the snow-filled path. My eyes were fixed on the two in front of us.
Then, out of the blue I asked, "You were jealous of him?"
"Huh? Who?" Ryan asked, plastering that lost look on his face again. The bewilderment melted from his expression and he replied uneasily. "Who told you that...?"
"You shouldn't have been," I said quietly, thinking back to the minimal time I spent with Jack. "He was a jerk..." I muttered, a bit embarrassed about how idiotic I had acted around him.
I glanced at Ryan, who had an curious look on his face. I could see a small flicker of doubt as well. "You didn't watch us long enough to see me tell him off," I added after a pause, with a smirk at the memory.
His lips parted as if to defend himself, but the sound of Chad's voice ringing through the quiet, stopped him.
"Hey! There's a short cut back to the lodge through here!" he called, seeming quite proud of himself. He and Taylor had stopped walking for us to catch up a little. She seemed a bit afraid of Chad's yells causing an avalanche or something.
"Now you're Mr. Mountain Man?" I asked, teasing him a bit as he tried to see past a patch of tall bushes ahead.
"I don't see you pitching in any ideas," Chad shot back, still wiggling around in an attempt to squint through the foliage.
I rolled my eyes, stifling a laugh. He always took things so personally. "Let's go then..."
Ryan shrugged as Chad looked to him for his input. "It's worth a try," he said almost nervously. He'd go along with anyone's idea.
Taylor nodded in agreement. "Come on then," she said, dragging Chad behind her without hesitating through the trees. Ryan and I followed, a bit more cautious. This so called short cut by Chad Danforth. Should be fun.
As we were engulfed in the trees, the twists and turns, the 'path' we were following got worse. Taylor and Chad were only a few paces ahead, but hard to keep up with because of the winding turns. We were walking for a fairly long time, and most of the group were less enthusiastic about their decision to go along with Chad's idea.
"Come on!" I exclaimed energetically to Ryan, pulling on his hand, urging him to pick up the pace. Ryan groaned lazily, limp in my grasp.
"I don't want to lose them. Or get lost..." I said, skipping up ahead further. Pushing through a dense bush, I gave up and stood on my tiptoes to see over the stubborn thing. 'Maybe Taylor and Chad were past this stupid thing...' I thought.
My jaw dropped at the sight over the mass of leaves. My hand flew to my mouth, to stifle a gasp. I spun around to show someone, anyone, just to know I wasn't going crazy.
Ryan, who had caught up to me, stood beside me, leaving Chad and Taylor behind a little. At his confused expression, I opened my mouth to explain, but after nothing left my mouth, I pointed in the direction of the bush. Ryan raised an eyebrow at me, still clueless and poked his head over the bush.
He smirked a little, looking back at me. "Well, we found them."
I turned back around to spill the news to the other two who were approaching. Chad wasn't paying any attention, and he ended up barging right through the bush.
"I'll check if--" Chad trailed off, standing in the clearing. He was clearly experiencing the same thing as Ryan and I had.
Sharpay and Zeke were... together, sitting on the grass. I wasn't quite sure if my eyes were right when I noticed the two dangerously close. Her hand was in his and they were talking softly to each other, somewhat tenderly. It struck me as so strange that Sharpay could look that... gentle.
When Chad burst through the bushes, Sharpay jumped up to her feet, quick to defend her social status. She turned away from him, and pretended to be inspecting her nails. Zeke sat there, now alone and chattering nervously.
"H-hey Chad..." he greeted, rubbing the back of his neck. He straightened out his legs in a more casual way, and leaned onto his palms.
Taylor was curious and impatient with how long it took Chad to come back with a report. She busted through the bush as well, followed by Ryan and myself, seeing as it must've been a bit safer.
"Um, hey guys..." Zeke said, revising his original greeting to Chad alone.
Suddenly, Sharpay spun on us. "What are you doing here? What if the chaperone comes to check on us? What do you think will happen when there is no one there?" she inquired furiously. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced to each one of us in turn.
I fought my amused smile from appearing on my face. Of course Sharpay would just decide to pin the blame on us. It was a typical Sharpay move.
"Relax, if we head off right now, we should be able to get back before they even know we're gone," I replied calmly, managing to hold in any sarcasm daring to jump out.
The walk back to the lodge was silent, mostly. A thick, awkward silence fell between the six of us. One that no one dared to interrupt. Well, except for Chad.
"So... Is Sharpay a good kisser?" Chad asked, attempting to keep a low voice. A low voice was impossible for Mr. Danforth. He nudged Zeke as he asked, teasingly.
Zeke looked down at his feet obviously embarrassed. Taylor smacked Chad's arm and rolled her eyes at the comment. Sharpay looked to Chad with disgust then to Zeke. Disgusted with us all. She scoffed, continuing with the disgusted expression on her face and walked a bit faster.
The silence returned. I realized that the tension between us all would easily lessen if people would unleash their secrets. I just didn't understand. Why would they keep those 'secrets' from the rest if the secret itself was obvious to the group?
I looked down at my hand which was now connected with Ryan's once more. I smiled at the feeling. Our secret was out in the open...
Finally, the walk was coming to an end. Chad led the group back toward the lobby. The moment it was in view, an invisible weight seemed to lift from all six minds. Once we entered the lobby, the weight returned. Four anxious chaperones stood in a circle, looking grim.
Alrighty then. I hope you liked that. Well, send me reviews and such. Pleasums? Haha. Next chapter soon-ish maybe. I have school starting really soon. c
-Ali x3