Author's Note: Here's chapter four! Enjoy!

Chapter Four: The World Has Stopped

Ryan didn't even get why Haylie thought Mark had changed.

He obviously hadn't.

"You don't even know the dude. How do you know if he's bad or not?" Chad asked as Ryan sat in the beachers to watch the Wildcats practice.

"Because I know so. I knew the minute he talked to Haylie." Ryan explained, and Chad turned to Troy, who could easily talk some sense in to Ryan: if there was any.

"Ryan, what Chad is trying to say is maybe you should try and talk to Mark before you go talking about him." Troy responded.

"I don't think I want too. I made up my mind already, and that is that he is no more than a lying, cheating--"

"Drama geek?" Chad asked helpfully, and Ryan looked at the curly-haired jock.

"No...that wasn't the word I was looking for." Ryan stated.

"Well, it should be. But, it's not that your not a lying, cheating drama geek, Evans. Your the total opposite of that!" Chad explained.

"Thanks, Chad." Ryan mumbled, and Chad gave him a half-smile.

"Don't mention it, Evans."

Troy tried again with reasoning with Ryan.

"Ryan--"

"Troy, I made up my mind. He's the guy who ruined Haylie's life." Ryan said.

"He didn't excately ruin her life, Ryan. He just..." Troy said, trailing off, searching for his next word, but Ryan beat him to it.

"He never defended her when the curtain came up, Troy! How is that for a boyfriend of only two minutes?" Ryan asked.

Troy and Chad looked at each other before looking back at Ryan.

"Man, that was ages ago!" Chad told him, and Ryan shook his head.

"It isn't. Well, not for her."

"Don't you mean, you?" Chad asked.

"Okay, fine. Me, I guess."

Troy shook his head at him, and he frowned.

"It's okay to be protective, Ryan, but wanting to punch someone..."

"I never said I did!" Ryan explained.

"It looks like it, Evans."

Ryan looked down to see his hands turning into fists, and he sighed. Maybe he was abit proective when it came Haylie and her safety, but after what happened with Connor...

He heard snapping of two fingers and he looked at Troy, who was wearing a mask of concern on his face.

"Don't think about any radical, okay, Ryan? Only if it's get bad."

And Troy was the one to talk. He never been in a fight before!

Not that Ryan wanted to be in a fight, of course. He knew what fighting did to people: look at Chad and Demtiri.

Okay, well, he atleast got Taylor.

Ryan wasn't the fighting type of guy, neither.

But, only if it was Haylie.

Yes, that's when he would be willing to fight.

This is sounding like a bad soap opera, like the ones Sharpay and Mrs. Evans used to watch, but don't anymore.

"Okay, Troy. I won't." Ryan said, and the Wildcats smiled, going back to their game.