I found it kind of ironic how I named this chapter right before Kevin Jonas said that he was getting married…weird…but YAY!!! Congrats, dude! Lol, he deserves to be happy…

Chapter 19 – First Announcements

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

The months sped ahead in a rush, taking the gang along for the ride. The events that occurred during that four-month time span were just the typical actions of high school seniors, some more important than others, but they were still normal. Brick seemed to be the last person on their minds as they went on and lived their lives, the way they were after Troy and Brandon became friends again and before the whole Brick fiasco started in the first place. All was well...

Except for one couple.

"Chad, this is stupid."

"Maybe, but it's the only thing that I can think of that won't get their attention."

Chad and Taylor were still laying low about their relationship. She had been keeping her end of the deal and had been sulking around the house, keeping her façade up and hoping that it would convince her parents that she was truly depressed and not in any kind of denial. So far, there's been no such luck in finding an opening in her parents' state of mind. She had been lying to her parents about being at Gabriella's or Sharpay's during the night when she was really with her boyfriend, sharing romantic dates or actually hanging out with their friends. They made sure to stay out of the public eye, just in case the McKessie's happened to show up somewhere. They kept up that paranoia at all times. They had to. Otherwise, Taylor would be grounded for life and Chad would be locked up behind bars for domestic assault.

Now, more than ever, they were starting to feel the pressure of a secret relationship. Chad's stupid Romeo and Juliet comparison sounded off in her head for what seemed to be the millionth time since it was spoken. This was far, far off from anything Romeo would have suggested to his girlfriend. Probably because Romeo wasn't as big of an idiot as Taylor's.

"Why didn't you just follow our set up and let me do all of the thinking, you idiot?" Taylor scolded him, "Get down from there!"

Chad shook his head and his eyes widened when the action had caused the flimsy tree branch he was standing on to tremble dangerously. He gulped when he heard a sharp crack underneath him and held on tighter to the heavier, more supportive branch above him. Taylor's parents had unfortunately decided to stay home tonight and were watching a movie down in the living room. Chad figured that there was no way to get Taylor out of the house without them seeing him, so he went for Troy's usual way into a house. Not by the door. By any other way that he could think of that would usually ended up in someone getting killed.

Taylor huffed, frustrated. "At least get in before you become molded to my sidewalk."

"Good idea," Chad took a deep breath and, squeezing his eyes shut, lifted himself off of the tiny branch, letting it crash to the ground beneath him and crack into tiny little splinters. He knew it would be a useful tool in killing him if he made a mistake and let go of the heavy branch. Slowly at first, and then picking up speed, he rocked himself back and forth before lurching forward toward the small window.

"No, Chad, don't!"

But it was too late. He had let go of the tree.

His feet hit the side of the windowsill before his hands could grab a hold of anything. Taylor's body wasn't available because she had stiffed up and closed her eyes, a natural reaction of anyone's if their lover was about to fall two stories from a tree trying to be romantic.

But, somehow, Chad managed to grab the wooden ledge and hook his arm around it, giving him just enough leverage to hoist himself up off the side of the house and climb into Taylor's room. He quickly got to his feet and held his breath, listening for any movement downstairs. When he found himself in the clear, he breathed a quick sigh and grinned over at his fuming girlfriend. "See? I'm fine."

"You got lucky," Taylor growled, moving over to her brown bed and crossing her arms while she sat on the edge. "Don't ever do that again, understand?"

Chad smiled, hugging her shoulders and crooning "Aww, did I scare you?"

"Imagine yourself being chased by a wild bore, dangling off of the Empire State Building after eating a bunch of greasy fried chicken, and falling into a pack of hungry wolves all at the same time. Can you see that?"

Chad kept grinning. "Yeah, I'm sorry I scared you so bad."

"Me?" Taylor gave him a you've-got-to-be-crazy look. "That's how scared you're going to be if you ever try that crap again, got me?"

"Yes, ma'am…"

Taylor sighed and turned to him, setting her hand on his knee. "Chad, I'm sick of this. I mean, we've been running around my parents for six months now. It's getting old and extremely tiring. We have to do something about it."

"Like what? Tell them?"

After Taylor raised her eyebrows at him, he jumped off of the bed and raised his voice. "Are you crazy?!"

She pulled him back down. "Shh! They'll hear you!" After giving him a second to calm down, she continued. "You see, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't want to have to keep dodging these common bullets when they're around. It's not healthy for us. If we let it go on like this, it'll just get worse and worse and I don't want us to have to end it like this. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Chad's crestfallen face wasn't enough to change Taylor's mind, so he just groaned "Yeah, I get it. When do you want to tell them?"

"How about right now? They're already downstairs, so-"

"Taylor!"

Taylor gave him a stern look again, commanding "Chad, remember what I said."

Chad looked over at the door and gulped. "But can't we just wait a little bit-"

"Chad."

He sighed and took a few more deep breaths, finally saying "As long as you go first."

Taylor smiled and pecked him on the cheek, getting up with his hand intertwined in hers. She led them down the stairs with him practically quivering behind her and silently praying that her parents were sleeping. He could see it now, "Oh, Tay, we can't wake two very hardworking adults! Do you really think that they would allow us to be together if they're cranky?" Even he didn't believe that it would work.

Before he knew it, Taylor was clearing her throat. "Mom, dad, can we talk?" Chad had to bite down hard on his lip to keep the squeal inside his body. Taylor was hiding him behind the staircase wall, her hand still in his.

"Sure, sweetheart," Mr. McKessie paused the movie and looked up at his daughter, his arm still around his wife lovingly. "What's on your mind?"

Taylor tugged Chad from behind the wall and he stumbled into her body heavily. She would've fallen if it hadn't been for her feet planted into the ground determinedly.

Mr. McKessie jumped to his feet and glowered hard at Chad, leaving his wife just as furious. "What in the hell is he doing here?!" Chad whimpered and hid behind his girlfriend who just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Dad, calm down."

He stepped forward to Taylor and raised his voice even louder so that it retaliated off of the thick walls. "Young lady, how could you bring that…that...monster into this house again?! How could you be so stupid?!" He turned to Mrs. McKessie and ordered "Linda, call the police!"

"No, mom, don't move!" Taylor's tone froze her mother's hands on the silver house phone. She turned back to her father and took a deep breath. "Dad, Chad and I are dating again. For the past six months, actually." Chad gulped as his stomach flipped around in his body, rising to his throat and then plummeting again into his pelvis.

The outraged man's face could only get redder and his fists curled tighter, his eyes fixed on Chad and no one else. Chad cowered away even more, gripping Taylor's arms and squeaking in fear.

Mr. McKessie growled "I want him out of here, Taylor. After he leaves, we're calling the police and having him shipped off to prison before you two have the chance to run off again, do you understand me? I will not allow my daughter to see some abusive street rat if I can have anything to do with it!"

"Street rat?" Chad mumbled absentmindedly. Mr. McKessie returned his heavy stare back to Chad to make him retreat behind Taylor's body.

Taylor shook her head. "No, dad. Chad's not going anywhere."

"Excuse me?"

Taylor repeated herself. "Chad's staying with me until a real issue tests our relationship and possibly breaks us up. I know what I'm doing, so you can just take a deep breath and keep your blood pressure down, okay?"

Mr. McKessie's veins were basically popping out of his forehead and his eyes nearly burst from his sockets. He spoke quickly and full of venom. "Who are you to be telling me what you will or will not do?! You are my daughter, Taylor! I forbid to you see him anymore! I won't allow you to get hurt to any further extent!"

Taylor grabbed Chad's hand and held it tightly, moving to the side to let his trembling frame into view. She kept her voice level. "I'll always be your daughter, dad, but right now, I'm your eighteen-year old daughter. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. You raised me, taught me right from wrong, and now you're not having any faith in your job. Is that right?"

Mr. McKessie didn't say anything. The softening of his eyes was what urged Taylor to continue.

"Dad, I have a boyfriend. One who treats me the way I should be treated."

"What about the bruises?" He finally spoke up, turning his head to look at Chad again. Taylor grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her again.

"Chad has never touched me."

"What?"

Taylor swallowed and dug through her brain quickly, trying to remember how to lie straight. Chad taught her a few tricks for when she desperately needed it, and he said something about it being a little harder in intimidating situations. She never believed him until now. "Chad didn't give me these bruises. He never left a mark on me, ever. Those marks are from my gym class." She could almost sense the proud, satisfied grin that Chad was trying to suppress behind her.

"What about gym class?"

The more she said, the easier Taylor found it to lie. No wonder Chad was so good at it. His words ran over in her head repeatedly: "Just keep it simple. The more complicated it is, the more you'll have to lie later to cover up the first one you told. Don't forget what you said because they might go back to an earlier question and see if they get the same answer…" "We were in our gymnastics unit and I was partnered up with the biggest klutz ever. She was learning how to do a cartwheel and I had to spot her. She almost had it down when she tripped and grabbed onto my arms for support, then knocked us both into the bleachers. That's where I got the bruises on my back from."

"A girl, you said?" He eyed the recovered skin on his daughter's arms as he remembered the massive handprints that had once marked them.

"She's on some medication that caused a huge growth spurt. She has hands as big as Chad's." She held up his left hand as an example. Chad snapped it back after the few seconds that he assumed Mr. McKessie needed to inspect it.

He pursed his lips, thinking through his daughter's words carefully. Mrs. McKessie still had the phone in her hands and was switching her eyes back and forth between her husband and her daughter.

Mr. McKessie sighed and straightened out his back. He glared at Chad again and mumbled "You know that I don't like you, right?"

Chad nodded sharply, still cowering behind his girlfriend. Taylor just rolled her eyes.

Mr. McKessie continued "So if you ever do hurt her in the future, I will not hesitate to end your short life, do you understand me, Danforth?"

"Y-yes, sir." Chad gulped.

He looked back at Taylor, who was grinning slightly. He sighed. "Fine. Your relationship is tolerable to us. But I meant what I said, Taylor. You know that I'm a very straightforward man and I'm telling you, I'm not hoping that this works out."

Taylor had to stop her eyes from showing her annoyance. "I know, dad. But I'm telling you that I'm the happiest I've ever been with Chad. He takes care of me."

"He doesn't seem to show it," He scowled at Chad. "Stand up straight, boy, you look like a little girl." Chad followed orders, but didn't get rid of the stone-cold fear in his eyes. He didn't trust the large man in front of him enough to let his guard down yet.

Mr. McKessie walked back to his wife and started the movie back up again, saying "Now leave before I change my mind."

Chad grabbed Taylor's hand and ran toward the front door, calling back "No problem. Come on, Taylor…"

The gang was ecstatic once they learned of the newly permissible couple's happiness. They had been getting sick and tired of having to change plans around to fit the annoying situation and keep them hidden as an item. Troy was even about ready to just walk right up to the McKessies' and blow their whole cover. Gabriella easily silenced him with a few convincing kisses to the neck, which led to an even further convincing Friday night.

This, however, wasn't the only major romantic event of the time. A month after the Bolton's had returned home from California, spending the weekend with the Johnsons' for Thanksgiving, and Brandon and Gabriella spent the holiday with their father's family, Isabelle's family came down to Albuquerque for the Christmas week off. The week was full of non-stop late nights, movies, sleepovers, and romantic dates. One date, in particular, probably had the most impact on the couple's relationship…

Brandon and Isabelle shuffled along the grassy hill slowly that Christmas night, their hands permanently intertwined together just like they had been when they had their first date there. They traveled in a comfortable silence, each off in their own little daydreams of past times, most likely the first date that was settled on this special hill by the lake. Brandon, however, was a bit tenser and far deeper into his imagination, trying to come up with a way to say what he wanted to his girlfriend of nine months. His body eventually tensed and Isabelle stopped them in their tracks.

"What's wrong?" she asked, squeezing his hand back.

Brandon bit his lip and sighed. "Nothing. Everything's great. I was just wondering why this is so difficult."

"What is?" She cocked her head to the side with her eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest.

Brandon looked down at her and grinned, letting a light chuckle escape his throat. Her sky blue hoodie really brought out her stunning big blue eyes and complimented her shiny blonde curls, falling down her back and shoulders. A hint of a smile pulled at her plump lips and clear cheeks. Still holding her hand, Brandon cupped her face with his free one and kissed her forehead lovingly. He then walked backward toward the bench behind them, where they had sat before they had their first kiss so long ago. He whispered "Come here."

He pulled her onto his lap and rested his head on her shoulder, stroking her arm and allowing her cheek to fall onto the top of his head. He started quietly. "How long have we been dating?"

Isabelle pursed her lips and thought back to the near-perfect night that they had shared together and officially pronounced themselves an item. She guessed "About eight or nine months. Why?"

Brandon took her hand in his again and looked up to meet her eyes. "Because I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I know that it hasn't been as long as some other couples, but they don't know how much I love you with everything I have in me. My heart and soul are yours, you know that, right?"

Blushing furiously, Isabelle nodded and smiled tenderly. "Of course. And I mean it every time I tell you that I love you. What's so difficult about that?"

Brandon took a deep breath and reached into his front pocket, taking out an almost invisible object that the darkness prohibited Isabelle from seeing.

Brandon said "Isabelle, you're amazing. Every night when I'm about to fall asleep, I always wonder what I did to deserve such an incredible, passionate woman like you, especially in the time that we met. You saved me and pulled me through all of the hell I've been through since I met you, and I wanted to thank you for that. I hope that I get the privilege to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Brandon…"

Brandon shook his head. "No, calm down, this isn't what you think it is." He laughed again as he watched her relax. "I'm just saying that we know that we're in love and our friends and family know that we are." She nodded, urging him to continue. He looked down at the object in his hand and opened it, but then closed it again. Isabelle caught a quick flash of a shiny object inside the tiny box. Brandon sighed. "It's official in our minds, but I want it to be official to everyone else, too. I want to show people how serious we are about each other, so I took our conversation seriously."

"Which conversation?" Her stomach was in hysterics, flipping and jumping up and down from the idea that was infecting every thought running through her head.

Brandon grinned. "The one where we talked about forever. I can't really stop thinking about the future and all of the things that we can do when we're together, so…" He held the box up closer to Isabelle's line of vision and heard her breath hitch in her throat and watched her hand come up to her mouth. He opened it slowly, revealing the small matching blue and pink rings on the inside. Brandon finished "I promise that no matter what happens, I'll always be yours and you'll always be my one and only in the world. I love you and nothing – no one – will ever change that. No matter how much distance is put between us, I'll always be faithful to you and only you. You'll never be alone because I will always be here for you when things get hard and complicated. I love you, Isabelle. And if I could tell the world, I would, but I hope that these rings will become a head start."

Isabelle's hand was still firmly planted over her mouth to prevent the loud shriek that she wanted to scream. The rings were beautiful. The blue and pink diamond ovals were right beside each other, tilted to the side, with a small diamond on either side of them. The silver band was what made it personal; Brandon's name in elegant Edwardian script was printed to the left of the blue stone and Isabelle's was to the right of the pink one. They shone as bright as her tears. She looked back up into Brandon's serious, but caring eyes that was enough to make her tears escape. She let out a small sob and nodded, exclaiming "Yes! Oh my God, yes! Thank you, Brandon!"

Brandon, visually relieved, removed a ring from the box and placed it on Isabelle's fourth finger on her left hand, watching her hold out her hand in front of her face and whimper as she noticed that it was a perfect fit and seemed to complete the sight of her hand. She straddled Brandon's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his ear. "Brandon, it's perfect! I love it!"

Brandon stroked her back, replying "I'm glad you do. I saw it and knew that you had to have it."

Isabelle pulled away from him and grinned, reaching down to his lap where the box had been set down. She pulled the other ring from the box and grabbed Brandon's left hand. After finding his ring finger, she slipped the band onto it and kissed it, whispering "I promise to love you forever, no matter what happens." She hugged him again and fixed herself into a more comfortable position, slinging her legs to rest against the side of the bench but still curling up into her boyfriend. "I love you, Brandon. I really do."

Brandon leaned down and held her chin in his hand before finding her lips, muttering "Merry Christmas…"

When they got back to the house an hour later and told Troy, Gabriella, and his parents, Chase took a picture of their hands, simply explaining "Chad got Andy's number."

Now it was Thursday, February 19th, and the gang walked into East High the way they did every day, not expecting anything out of the ordinary to pop up on the announcements that morning. But after the normal, boring events that no one cared about, smiles and shrieks were filled throughout the room because of this one special announcement:

"A date for the East High Senior Spring Fling Dance has been verified for Friday, March 20th in the gymnasium. The dance will last from 7 to 10 PM. Hope to see you all there and looking your best."

Brandon, Troy, and Gabriella all looked at each other in crazed excitement, their minds already going to work on plans and preparations for the night. Troy and Gabriella gave each other warm, loving smiles while Troy raised an eyebrow suggestively. Gabriella nodded and rolled her eyes as if saying "Well, duh!"

When school let out that day, Gabriella jumped on her brother's back and yelled in his ear "Brandon, I'm so excited! I can't wait for next month!"

Brandon laughed and maneuvered his head away from his sister's loud mouth and replied "Me neither, but I don't think that I'll have a chance to be if my hearing's blown out."

Gabriella once again rolled her eyes and felt a warm set of lips set on her neck while a strong pair of arms wrapped around her lower waist. Gabriella smirked and turned in his hold, kissing him and whispering "Sneak up on me again and I'll have to hurt you."

Troy kissed her again, harder this time. "God, I hope you do…"

"Dirty talk in front of your girlfriend's brother won't help you much, Bolton." Brandon sneered, pinching his best friend's arm. "Not unless you want to start dating your computer."

Troy grimaced. "Dude, cut the crap. You know I don't look at that stuff."

Brandon smiled sarcastically in agreement. "Good, because what will porn eventually do?"

"Come back to haunt you later."

"Good boy."

Gabriella shoved Brandon by his shoulder and glared up at him. "Brandon, how many times must I say this? Troy and I's sex life is none of your business. Butt out."

Brandon crossed his arms and retaliated with an evil grin. "I'll stay out of it when you stop making it my business."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know. Or do I have to call you again to remind you?"

Gabriella cringed away in disgust and annoyance. She knew exactly what he was referring to.

A week ago, her and Troy had been exceptionally loud and just as they were about to get to the good part, Gabriella's phone rang. At first she ignored it, but the person just kept calling and calling back. She finally answered it with a sharp hiss.

Brandon, on the other line, said "Can you two please keep it down? I'm trying to sleep over here."

"Brandon, I swear I will kill you if you do not hang up the phone right now!"

"Is that before or after you kill Troy, because I'm hearing lots of threats. I can come and stop you if it's going to get violent."

Gabriella growled and clenched her sweaty fists. "You have an hour to live! After that, I'm smothering you in your sleep!"

"If I can get to sleep."

"Shut up!"

"Take your own advice!" After that, he hung up. Gabriella was true to her word and after covering herself in her robe, stomped over to her brother's bedroom and flattened a pillow over his face. After a few minutes of wrestling, Gina stopped their furious antics and confiscated the pillow from Brandon's hand.

"What's gotten into you two?"

"Brandon's eavesdropping on Troy and I!"

"Are you serious? You two were like wild animals over there! I couldn't sleep, mom!"

"Did you honestly have to call me?!"

"I wasn't going to walk in on you two doing the wheelbarrow or something!"

Gina slapped a hand over both of their mouths and barked "Stop it right now! Gabriella, go back to your room and be sure to keep it down if you decide to go for round 2. Brandon, stay out of their business do not call anybody anymore. You two are too old for this crap. Understand?"

Still glaring at each other, they muttered "Sorry, mom…"

Gabriella hissed "Go to Hell, Brandon."

Brandon shrugged. "If you can keep your hands off of Troy, we'll go on that road trip someday. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go take my virgin self and ask my virgin girlfriend to Spring Fling. Excuse me." He pushed past his fuming twin and whipped out his cell phone, dialing Isabelle's speed dial number. When she picked up, he greeted her happily. "How's the most beautiful girl in the world doing today?"

Isabelle giggled, but then sighed. "Not great. Tori picked today to be the biggest bitch ever, Brooke's out sick, and to top it all off, it's raining cats and dogs and I walked to school this morning. How's it going with you?"

Brandon frowned glumly. "Crappy now that you told me all that. I don't want my baby suffering."

Isabelle smiled. "Sorry. I just need to get home get my hands on some comfort food."

"What if I told you that I've got something better than comfort food?"

Isabelle hesitated, then replied slowly. "I'd worriedly ask what you're up to."

Brandon leaned his head against his car door and grinned. "I'll give you a hint: Troy and I are going to be very busy tux shopping for Spring Fling next month." He finished off his sentence in a sing-song voice.

Isabelle yelped over the phone and quickly asked "Spring Fling?! Are you serious?!"

"That's right, Izzy. I'm hoping that Brooke gets better soon because you, little missy, are going to need a dress shopping partner."

Isabelle squealed and Brandon could hear all of the protests around her that she could care less about. "Brandon, that's amazing! I've never been to a Spring Fling dance before!"

"Never?"

"Nope! I've either been busy or sick. When is it?"

Brandon recalled "March 20th at 7. Nothing going on then, right?"

"Not that I know of! I'll be there, even if I do get sick!"

Brandon stopped himself from saying what he was really thinking. "Unless you're dying, because then I can miss it if that's the case."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Don't jinx anything. You guys are doing a routine, right?"

"Always do. We'll probably get started on it tomorrow.

"Awesome. So I'll see you next month?"

Brandon smiled widely. "Count on it. I can't wait."

"I love you, Brandon."

Brandon replied softly. "Love you too, sweetie. I have to go to work now, so I'll talk to you later."

"If my phone doesn't get ruined from all this rain," Isabelle joked, giggling. "Bye."

"Later, babe."

There! Just a few more chapters before the drama begins! The happy chapters are running low, so appreciate them now if that's your thing :)

REVIEW!!! Thnx :)

~Rachel :)

Trivia:

- The beginning of this chapter was inspired by the part in New Moon right after Edward left (you know what I mean if you read the book)

- I didn't base Chad's jump in the window on Jacob jumping in Bella's window in New Moon. I just noticed that right after it was written

- The link to Brandon and Isabelle's ring is in the Haunting Memories section on my profile (I photoshopped their names onto it)