Summary: Chad's slowly getting things together.

A/N: sorry for leaving y'all in the dirt for a bit! i've been realll busy on my wattpad account…ALSO, i typically update my stories on here when it's cold cuz the colder seasons always carry nostalgia for me :) BUT i occasionally do a summer break update here and there when it's hot so here y'all go!

— — — — — —

The smell of fresh breakfast being served in the cafeteria was usual, as people walked in and ate whatever they wanted. Taylor was with Gabriella, studying for a quiz while eating a parfait.

"If the answer you got the first time is right, then why do they make us do it the other way?!"

"I know it's stupid, Gabby. But that's how it's been with teachers and education. Do you get it, at least?"

"…I do, for the most part."

As the girls gathered their notes, Chad walked in from the rainy weather outside. He was bundled up in a hoodie with jeans but still was cold, of course.

"DAMN, it's cold—"

"AYY, CHAD!"

Troy waved over to Chad from his table, suggesting he come over. The curly-haired boy went over to his best friend, sitting down as he took his backpack off.

"Morning, Chad."

"Mornin' bro."

"What're you doing for you and Taylor's first date? You gotta make sure it's special, bro."

"I know, I know. But I can't spend too much time on it, y'know? She got other important stuff to focus on besides a flimsy date anyway."

"So? Make the date unforgettable so she won't forget it."

"...And how do I do that?"

"You seriously don't know how to plan an unforgettable date for the girl of your damn dreams?!"

"No, bro. You know I'm horrible at this whole 'romance' thing."

"Then get better at it. What does she love to do the most? Her favorite color? Favorite things?"

"Besides loving to help me with studying, she loves having free time for herself or ya girl. I think she loves anything purple but with a specific tone to it. She likes to try new stuff too, like my mom's cooking. When she first met my parents actually, she was amazed at how they were very organized compared to their son..."

Chad was definitely rambling to Troy, but he didn't care. He kept going, and going, and—

"Alright, Chad. That's enough for me. So she likes being by herself or with someone when she's free, loves specific kinds of purple, is not against trying new things, loves having a schedule so she can stay up-to-date on everything, prefers quiet spaces, and a whole bunch of other stuff?!"

"...Pretty much."

"Dude, write all that down. Then put anything else you remember because that alone was a handful for me even to remember..."

Chad grabbed some random piece of paper from his backpack and wrote everything down, (surprisingly) not forgetting anything. Once he finished, he folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket.

"Troy, bro, how do I put all that into a damn date?!"

"That's for you to figure out. Sorry bro, but I can't help you out on everything."

Troy heard the early bell ring, so he got up and left with his backpack. Chad sat there, bewildered at what the hell this date was gonna be.

— — — — — —

First hour was always tiring, said by most high school students. And to top it all off, Chad had Ms. Darbus as his homeroom teacher. At least he was stuck with Troy, Gabriella, Zeke, and the love of his life, Taylor.

"So, students, today the drama club will open its doors for free vocal lessons. Hosted by the talented Sharpay Evans and her brother, Ryan, they will be conducting auditions for our upcoming show..."

Chad zoned out, not paying attention to anything but his girlfriend. He looked back at her with heart eyes, showing affection without saying a word until—

"Chad Danforth, were you not paying attention to a single word I was saying?!"

The brown-eyed boy whipped around in his seat, facing Ms. Darbus with a sheepish grin, "...I totally was, Ms. Darbus."

The lady cocked a brow, not impressed by his excuse at all. She decided to let him off the hook though, but only because she didn't have the energy to go back and forth. Once she went back to talking about the drama club's schedule, Chad turned back around and went back to looking at Taylor.

— — — — — —

After pushing through more tiring classes, lunch was finally here. Chad and Troy decided to hit the gym with Zeke after eating, which made Gabriella sneak into the gym and peek at her boyfriend. Taylor was there too, checking out Chad like it was nothing.

"Troy is so hot when he's in his jersey, oh my gosh!"

"Gabriella, be quiet! Don't be so loud—"

"Why can't she?"

Sharpay appeared out of the blue, spooking Taylor a bit.

"Sharpay? What're you doing here?"

"I'm doing the same as you two, looking at my boyfriend while he's on the court."

The three girls looked at their boyfriends while looking near the bleachers, trying their hardest to avoid getting caught. But when Sharpay's phone went off, it caught the attention of the basketball players of course.

"Ayo, what was that?"

"No clue, Zeke."

Troy decided to take one for the team and investigate what that sound was, let alone where it came from. After looking around the gym for a few minutes, he found the culprits still near the bleachers.

"Gabby? Taylor? SHARPAY?! What're you guys doing here? Did you three even eat?!"

"We did, Troy. Trust me. But we're here to...show some support, yeah!"

"By sneaking around and peeking like some creeps?!"

"Because we weren't trying to cause any trouble or anything!"

While Gabriella and Troy talked, Chad and Zeke looked at their girlfriends. Chad gave Taylor a smirk, while Zeke gave Sharpay a heartfelt smile.

"We didn't mean any harm, we swear—uh...guys?"

The other two couples broke their staring contests with one another, directing their attention to Troy and Gabriella.

"Excuse me?"

"Didn't we mean no harm, Taylor?"

"...Now you know damn well I hate lying, Gabriella."

"But Taylor—"

"We didn't mean anything negative, but we were kinda lookin' creepy near the bleachers."

"Then you two needed to improvise a bit better on where we could've been that wouldn't have been weird."

"Sharpay, ion wanna even hear any advice from you considering the fact that you jump scared me."

"Oh please!"

Before a petty argument ensured, Chad and Zeke pulled their girlfriends apart and walked to opposite sides of the gym, trying to ease tension.

"She's always trying to start stuff with me, Zeke!"

"Sharpay, did you accidentally make her jump?"

"Why do you ask that?!"

"Just answer the question."

"...Maybe I did."

"Then you can't be angry if she felt slightly overwhelmed by you presumably appearing out of the blue."

Sharpay whined, pouting since she couldn't get her way like usual. But to make up for that, Zeke kissed her cheek and hugged her, slowly simmering down anything negative. Back with Chad and Taylor...

"Taylor, chill. I know you get worked up quickly but we don't need another petty argument like last time."

"But she was the one who started that, Chad! At least I tried to end it!"

"By trying to prank her as if it was April Fools."

"So?!"

Chad sighed, feeling slightly stressed but tried to remain calm. He gently grabbed Taylor's hand and kissed her before pulling her into his arms, attempting to calm her down to a minimum.

"If I say I know what to plan for our date, would you calm down?"

Taylor's eyes shot open, making her turn around to face her boyfriend with shock. Her expression softened to a smile, making Chad's heart race.

"Really? You do?"

...Why did Chad do this to himself. He didn't have jack shit ready for their date, not yet anyway. And if he was to lie, he know Taylor picks up on signals too easily.

"...Mhm. I know exactly what we're gonna do. But it's a surprise, Tay."

Taylor initially cocked a brow at his statement, but gave him the benefit of the doubt and nodded; "I'll be anticipating this surprise, then."