"If someone loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that's enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars. He tells himself, "My flower's up there somewhere. . . ." But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it's as if, suddenly, all the stars went out. And isn't that important?"

-The Little Prince

Chapter 1

After knocking on the Danforth's door, Troy didn't expect to be brought to the past when a younger version of Chad lets him in.

"Don't open it, Chase!" Chad calls from upstairs, unaware that his warning came too late. Jogging to the doorway, he groans and scolds the child, "What did I say about strangers?"

Confused, Troy says, "Sorry, I must have come to the wrong house. I'm looking for my friend, Chad Danforth, who called me over?"

"Oh, sorry, dude. And thanks for coming. I just can't have him talking to random people who he doesn't know or else my sister's going to kill me." He steps aside to let Troy on to the tiled foyer and closes the door behind him.

"Chandra? She's in Albuquerque? And this is her son?" He marvels at the similarities between Chad and his nephew.

"Yeah, she's visiting." Gesturing to the kid, Chad says, "His name's Chase and I've been stuck babysitting him all day." He turns to the five-year-old and tells him to go get ready.

Seeing a bit of a pattern, Troy questions, "Isn't your dad named Charlie?"

"And my sister's expecting another kid named Chenille." Chad's voice is monotone as he waits for Troy's conclusion.

"Your names ... "

"I know. It's so lame. Don't even talk about it. When I have a kid, I'm naming it Xavier or something."

Troy shrugs and smiles slightly. "Lots of families like similar names."

"It might be cute for twins, but I think my family went overboard," Chad scoffs.

"So what did you need me for? It isn't to choose your outfit for our first day of senior year on Monday, is it?"

"Ha-ha, funny. No, I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the carnival with us. I need to keep Chase busy -- I can't let him near my Wii after what happened this morning -- and Chandra did leave me money to keep him entertained. But I'll go insane with only this kid for company. "

Troy clears his throat and says sarcastically, "Well, I'm always up for spinning teacups on a Monday afternoon."

"Come on, maybe you'll meet a hot girl at a kissing booth or something. Ride into the sunset in a bumper car and all that." He gives him a playful shove and grins suggestively.

Annoyed, Troy gives him a pointed look. "Do you just pretend Sharpay doesn't exist?"

Equally annoyed, Chad cocks an eyebrow. "Do you just pretend your relationship exists?"

Troy adopts a serious expression, warning his friend not to go farther. "Look, man. You just don't under -- "

"I'm ready, I'm ready! Let's go," Chase hollers as he scampers down the stairs with a giant grin.

Chase is having the time of his life, and he tells his uncle and his uncle's nice friend this as they walk by the looming Ferris wheel with its multicoloured, blinking lights. He finishes off his grape-flavoured Popsicle and asks, with dark purple stains on his lips, if he can go on one last ride before they leave.

Chad agrees, and both he and Troy watch as Chase runs to wait in line for a small children's ride, making sure the short five-year-old will still be in view. Turning to face his friend, Chad says, "You know, now's your last chance to find that kissing booth."

Unimpressed, Troy gives him his best, "Are you serious?" expression.

"I am serious! Just get over Sharpay. I don't think she's just going to come back from the Caribbean and all of a sudden take you back after a summer without ever contacting you." Chad shrugs and crosses his arms, unable to picture himself waiting around if he was in Troy's position.

"How do you know she hasn't called?"

"I'd know; you wouldn't be able to stop talking about it."

Troy breathes noisily through his nose, and asks for advice, "How do I prove to her that nothing happened between me and Emily?" Emily was one of Sharpay's friends that tried pushing herself on to him at a party last year, but when he refused, she'd gotten angry and impulsive and lied to Sharpay about the events that night.

"Dunno, but she's more likely to trust one of her ... Sharpettes over you."

Nostalgia softens his voice. "But I was her boyfriend."

"Why do you want her back again? Because she's rich?"

"No, because she was eccentric and independent, not clingy like those cheerleaders you drool over, and perfect for me," he reminisces.

"She also barely acknowledged that you guys were going out while you followed her around like a puppy."

"I'm still hoping I can prove my fidelity to her. And that's not going to happen by kissing a stranger in a booth," Troy states.

Raising both hands defensively, Chad replies, "Okay, but I still cannot see what you see. She's … how do I say this? She's like a mountain lion. Cute, yes. But you don't pet it."

"What the hell, man? What kind of an analogy is that?" Troy jumps immediately to defend Sharpay, but his questions are facetious.

"If she were to say, "I am a Wildcat," to, I don't know, show school spirit for once, everyone -- but you -- would take her literally."

"Hey, maybe you should ease up on her."

Chad gives him a warning look and lets his words of wisdom tumble from his mouth. "But she's self-centered. She knows what she wants, and she'll do whatever it takes to get it, and she won't tolerate anyone dragging her down or possibly getting in her way. I'm sorry, Troy, but I think she was just using you for your popularity status."

Before Troy can speak, Chad interrupts, "Think back. Have you ever felt any genuine appreciation from her? I get that her difference from the cheerleaders has some appeal, but I don't think she's for you."

Then Chase reappears with wind-blown hair, and the debate is dropped because both Troy and Chad come to an unspoken agreement that their different views on teenage love will not ruin the last week of summer vacation. With a sheepish smile, Chase tells his uncle his one last request before they leave.

"You want to get your face painted?" Chad asks, confused. "Why?"

"Because," Chase answers with the one word children use to explain everything. "Please, please, please?"

Giving in, Chad checks if they have enough money, and they survey the area for a face-painting booth. They manage to locate one manned by a blue-haired, teenage girl with a heavy fringe, and Chad is almost reluctant to allow Chase to come anywhere near her, but Troy points out he shouldn't judge someone by their hair, and Chad acquiesces.

While Chase leads Chad to the booth, Troy is stopped by a beautiful girl with friendly brown eyes with a canvas set up between him and the face-painter, and she tells him she will draw a caricature of him free. He quickly scans over her examples: someone dressed as a pirate, a doctor, a lion tamer, even a basketball player, and he is impressed, so he accepts her offer. He tries unsuccessfully to read her signature on the drawings. He deems it illegible and can only make out a G at the beginning and two Ls near the end.

They make conversation, and he remarks that Sharpay has never giggled this way around him before. Around the tenth giggle, however, he is thankful for this.

Troy shares with her his passion for playing basketball, and his number, 14, to help inspire her. She considers this and shuffles around some papers behind her canvas that hides them, but he does catch glimpses of bright coral nail polish. He can identify the shade, of course, thanks to Sharpay, but he does have a brief flashback to his girlfriend asking what position he played in basketball months into their relationship when he thought she already knew and realises that maybe Sharpay hadn't listened to him as much as he had listened intently to her.

They continue talking lightly about various topics. He learns that she has just moved to Albuquerque with her family, and she's starting her first year of college in the fall. Her interest in him hasn't waned since she's found out he's in high school, but with Sharpay at the back of his mind, he tries his best not to lead her on.

When she draws, he notes, her tongue sticks out ungracefully, and he hopes no saliva will drip on to his sheet. "I'll be done in just a bit." She looks up, grinning, and studies his features one last time. "I want to get your eyes right, but it'll be hard to do them justice."

Smiling bashfully, Troy scratches the back of his neck, waiting for the coquettish brunette to finish.

She proudly whips the paper out so he can view it. He hides his disappointment as he discovers it's the same as the original basketball example, as if she's traced over a free template she found on the Internet, except she's changed the hair to look more like his and his number has been added. But whenever she deviated from the original, the lines are chunky and awkward and he can tell they don't belong. He clears his throat and thanks her when she hands him the drawing.

Suddenly, he hears Chase pipe up. "Ow! That hurt!"

Then a female voice growls, "Hold still, kid."

And Chad, clearly frustrated, lashes out, "Don't talk to him like that! You almost poked his eye out. You've been manhandling him!"

"Does he want his fucking spots or not?" Troy sees the blue-haired girl rise out of her seat to stare Chad in the eye.

Chad seethes, "He wants spots, not puncture wounds."

Her frown morphs into teeth-baring grin. "It'll add to his realistic wild, ravaged animal look. Go hard or go home, I always say. You're paying for the best here."

"I'm not paying you a thing." Chad grabs Chase's arm, ready to lead him away, and shouts to Troy, "Let's go. This service is horrible."

Amusement disappears from her face like a ghost. "Where the hell do you think you're going without giving me my money?"

He ignores her and leaves, Troy trailing after them.

Before she can start after Chad, Troy sees, out of the corner of his eye, the illustrator of his caricature grab her arm. "Gabi," she says, "let him go. It's just two dollars. You owe him that much. And what were you thinking, anyway? Why'd you do that?"

"It's only my job, Giselle," she drawls with an undercurrent of anger. "To enlighten the carnival experience with every delicate stroke of the paintbrush."

"I meant being rude to the customers," Giselle sighs, not liking the impression Gabriella had made on them.

-

"What do I look like?" Chase asks as they walk. "I never got to see. Do I look cool?"

Chad looks too furious to respond in a tone that won't make a five-year-old cry, so Troy scrambles to find an animal that resembles the incomplete paint job on Chase's face. "Oh, very cool, buddy. You look just like a -- a leopard." Satisfied with his answer, Troy nods once affirmatively. "A very cool leopard."

"It's a hyena, goddamnit!"

Troy whips his neck around to see Giselle trying to restrain the insulted artist by keeping a firm grip on her once windmilling arms.

Under his breath, Chad mutters the word, "Deranged," as they head towards the parking lot, past the cotton candy stand, the spinning tilt-a-whirl and the distant screams from a roller coaster hurtling into a loop.

Thanks for your support last chapter and I hope you keep reading and reviewing!