Hey Everyone!

I don't have much to say. It's pretty late for me right now. I was planning to do this when someone would be awake, but since tomorrow is the 4th of July, I'd be really busy. This is probably one of my best chapters thus far. But that's just my opinion.

Okay on with the story! What happens when Taylor starts to think differently about Chad? Will things begin to take off for her? Or just push her farther away from Chad? Let's find out...

CHAPTER FIVE

Taylor walked into the library and settled into a chair at a table by the window. She propped Corbin up against the window and placed the binky in his mouth. She didn't need Ms. Fallstaff kicking her out of the library because her homework started crying. Besides, she had a lot of work to catch up on and her father started nagging her about college.

"Now, please be quiet," Taylor asked the doll, "Be a good baby for mommy, okay?"

She opened her calc textbook, looked at the equations that she had to do, and closed the book. With only ten minutes left, there was no way that she could focus on her work. Pulling out her Lit. book, she opened to Odyssey, the new section they were working on. She took a look at the first line and closed the book. She just couldn't seem to focus. Surprisingly, all her thoughts drifted back to her and Chad sitting at the lunch table. The side of Chad she had never seen before, a side that she wish she could've seen more.

"You know, Corbin," she said to the baby, "You're dad's a very complex person. He can be a jerk sometimes, like all the mean things he does to me, and then he could be...more human. Like at lunch today, he actually came over to the table and asked if I was okay. That was a shock to me. But then he goes back to being the jerk again."

Propping herself against the window, Taylor pondered whether she had seen that side to Chad before today. Suddenly, she thought of his smile and that childish gleam that was in his eyes when he was talking to her. He seemed so...attractive when he was like that. Unconsciously, she wrote down this list on the paper cover of her Lit. book.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...Tay, get yourself together," she pushed the book off onto the window sill, "Chad is a jock. You can't like a jock...even if he has the most amazing smile in the world," she added wistfully.

Looking at the clock, she assessed that she had about 8 more minutes left before her lunch period ended. She could've dropped by the gym and watched a little bit of Chad and Troy's game. It wouldn't hurt to take a break from her work.

"What do you think Corbin? Do you want to go watch your dad play basketball?" Taylor looked at the doll. "What am I doing? I am taking this project way too seriously. It's just a doll for goodness sake."

She laughed at herself while gathering her things and placing them in her bag. Lastly, she swept up Corbin in her arm and walked out of the library. Her Lit. book was left behind, still sitting on the window sill, with her list on the front cover.

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"Go Troy!" Gabriella called from the sidelines as Taylor ventured into the gym. Troy turned to give Gabriella a wave and Chad took this opportunity to steal the ball from him. Taylor took a seat by the gym entrance. She really didn't want to be seen by anyone and thankfully nobody noticed her.

She watched as Chad took the ball from Troy's hand and dribbled it down the court. He had pulled his hair back out of his face, which made his highly defined cheek bones even more noticeable.

Troy turned his attention back to the game and hurried behind Chad, trying to get the ball back from him. Quickly, Chad stopped, aimed his shot, and launched the ball into the air. He watched as the net swished when the ball went in.

"Look who won this time!" Chad gloated, letting his hair fly loose again.

"I was distracted," Troy whined.

"What's that to mean? You were the one who decided to wave to me!" Gabriella shouted, giving Troy a slap on the shoulder.

"Gabi, I'm kidding," he gave Gabriella a hug, "Good game Chad. You really put up a good fight this time."

"That's all I get? No congrats? What about you Gabriella?"

"Nice game. It was really close."

"Is no one getting what I'm saying?" Chad threw his arms up in frustration, "What about you, Taylor? Why have you been so quiet?"

"What?" Taylor was in the memory from earlier when Chad called her name. "How did you know that I was in here?"

"I saw you walk in and quietly close the door. Anyway, do you have any words of encouragement?"

"Yeah, sure...Go Chad?" she said questionably, wondering if that was the answer he was looking for.

Chad laughed at the perplexed look on Taylor's face. He went over to her and took Corbin from her hands. "What did you think of Daddy's game?" he said in a kiddish tone.

Ever since that day Mr. Levisk paired them up together, Chad continued to amaze Taylor. Over the course of two days, he has shown her a totally different side to him...a gentler side. But of course, he hides it with the jerky side.

"Anyway, what brings you here?" Chad asked her. Troy and Gabriella had disappeared somewhere, probably left the gym to have some time to themselves.

"I couldn't focus on my work...and Gabi told me that you guys were in here. So, I decided why not come here till the bell rings," Taylor explained.

"Oh...anyway, I'm sorry I forgot the kid. I guess I kinda got excited with playing a one-on-one after so long," Chad pulled the binky out of Corbin's mouth, "You're right, Gabriella isn't bad. She's actually a great person to talk to. I can see why Troy choose her."

"I'm still not so crazy with Gabriella going out with Troy. She didn't even say anything while I was here." Taylor looked at the gym door, "I'm glad you feel that way." She walked over to the bleachers and retrieved her bag, looking in it to make sure that everything was in there.

Chad looked on, still holding the baby in one hand and the baby in the other. "She seems distracted today. I wonder why."

"Oh...no...it's not in here!" Taylor started shoving things aside in her bags.

"What's wrong?"

"My Lit. book! It's not here! I need that for tonight. Ms. Owen is making us read Odyssey as our assignment tonight. I must have left it in the library."

"I could get it for you," Chad stated.

"You could?" Taylor turned around and looked skeptically at him.

"I've got to head to the library when the bell rings anyway. Something about doing research for my Social Studies project."

"Thanks Chad. I must have left it by the window behind the bookcases. That's where I was sitting."

"Okay, I'll just give it to you in Health class later today. Good with you?"

"That's good with me. Thank you so much!" Taylor gave him a hug around his neck. Chad looked at her in shock. Never had a girl made this much contact with him. They always told him that he came off as a self-centered snob, but he only came off that way because he was afraid of what they would think of him.

"Umm...Taylor...you're touching me."

Taylor pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away," she answered, blushing.

The bell rang and Chad and Taylor had to go their separate ways. Taylor grabbed her bag and briskly walked out of the gym to her Calc. class. Chad took his time walking out, holding the baby in his hands, and thinking about what Taylor just did.

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As she made her way to her next class, Taylor scolded herself. "Why did you do that, Taylor? Like I said before, he's a jock. You cannot like him in anyway. Unless you want to end up like Gabriella," she turned the corner. "I mean seriously, even if I did like him, which I don't, he isn't interested in anyone like me. He probably has a line of rich snobby girls lined up outside his house, waiting for him to break their hearts. But who can blame them? He's really...different than most jocks." Taylor walked into her Calc. class and took her seat by the front.

"Ms. McKessie, can you pass these papers out?" the teacher asked.

"Sure, I'll be glad to." Taylor got up and took the stack of papers from his hands. She started placing them on each student's desk and continued scolding herself. When she reached the end of the pile, she remembered something, something that could possibly ruin her.

"I wrote some stuff on the cover of my Lit. book. Some things about Chad. Did I write his name on it? What if he finds it?" She started to freak out, worrying whether she wrote Chad's name on that list or not.

As she took her seat, she put her hand in the air.

"Yes, Taylor?" the teacher asked.

"Can I be excused? I really need to...head to the bathroom," Taylor lied, which she had never done before.

"No, we're in the middle of something extremely important right now. You should've gone while you were at lunch."

With this answer, Taylor was really beginning to become worried. How long would it be until Chad found her list on her book? And worst of all, did she write his name on it?

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What happens when Chad find the book? Did Taylor write his name on it? Find out in the next chapter!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With much love,
KAT