She hadn't expected it to last forever. She'd known she and Ryan were a good match but not one that had the strength to go the distance. Hell, she was surprised they made it through their first year at Julliard.

She knew, however, when they got back to Albuquerque that things would change. Mrs. Evans, while nice enough, never considered quiet, mousy Kelsi good enough for her son. (Being less-than-filthy-rich kind of helped her along with that decision.)

So when Darby called her son the day before they flew back home and told him Pricilla Preston would be in town with her family for the summer and he got that smile on his face, she knew the best thing to do would be to make a clean break. She wasn't sure if she loved him or not but she knew that she wouldn't be able to handle his rejection.

She knew she wasn't in love with Jason and when he split with her for Martha it nearly killed her.

So they split on good terms, confident that they'd done the right thing. She knew Mrs. Evans would be more than thrilled.

But apparently Darby wasn't going to take any chances. As soon as Kelsi and Ryan arrived, Mrs. Evans handed the younger woman another plane ticket and told her Julliard had offered her a place in a summer study program. So she'd been turned around and put right back on another plane. Destination, New York City.

About a week into the summer she wasn't completely shocked to get a call from Taylor stating that Ryan and Pricilla were quite an item. She told Taylor that she really didn't mind and she was happy if Ryan was happy.

Taylor told her she was an idiot before proceeding to explain why men were scum.

Kelsi assumed that meant Taylor and Chad hadn't started up again.

And speaking of Chad, she was more than a little shocked when she opened the door to her dorm room and her RA stood beside a sheepish-looking Chad Danforth.

"Hey, Small Person," he greeted unsurely.

She nodded once to her RA and ushered him into her room. She was lucky enough to be in a small enough major (and that's how the rooms were decided) that she wasn't required to have a roommate. Not that many students stayed over the summer anyway.

"Hey, Chad. What're you doing here?"

"My parents wanted to see New York City – Mom won tickets to see Phantom of the Opera … again … and I thought I would trail along. I was wondering how you were."

"I'm just fine," she smiled as she motioned to the bed. "Have a seat. Want something to drink? I have soda and water. And iced tea. Or I could make hot tea. We're not supposed to have hot plates in here but most of us do anyway."

"Kels … you're rambling. Am I the first boy you've had in your room or something?" he joked.

"Yes," she answered with a straight face. "I always went to Ryan's."

"Erm, right. You and Ryan …"

"Chad," she said with a smile at his obvious discomfort, "I broke it off with him before we left to come home. Mrs. Evans, in her infinite wisdom, still considered me a threat so she so nicely arranged it do that I could be in New York for the summer and not meddling in the thoroughly uninteresting love life she has set up for her son. I mean, seriously. If Ryan likes this girl – and by the look on his face he does – then I couldn't be happier for him. Besides," she added with a shrug, "it's not like I would ever be good enough for him. It's just a shame that Zeke and Sharpay didn't stay together either. But I guess he and I are in the same boat."

"I don't think they're better than you," Chad said slowly. "The opposite, I'd say. You're too good for him. Now, I like Ryan," he hastily added when Kelsi looked like she was going to protest, "but he's a bit … I don't know. I just think in some things you guys are a match but in others?" he shrugged. "I think you need someone who isn't like you."

"What do you mean?" she asked him with a perplexed look on her face.

"I mean …" he sighed. "It's like …. Yeah. You and Ryan both like music and pianos and Broadway plays and whatever. But it kind of ends there, doesn't it? I saw the look on your face last year when you were on stage during rehearsals. You hated it. And you sure jumped at the chance to cut that part out."

"You noticed that?"

"I'm not quite the idiot Taylor makes me out to be," Chad chuckled.

"Right," she smiled. "So, what happened there?"

"Oh, you know. Dumb jock, Ivy League genius … she and I weren't a match. It was fun, sure, but as I told Troy, you don't take the girl with you when you leave high school."

"Hmm," she hummed with a nod. "I guess I can agree with that. Maybe that's where Ryan and I went wrong."

"Nah," Chad smiled, "I think you went wrong when you went for a guy who dresses better than Madonna."

"Don't knock it, Basketball Boy. We've gotten into some pretty wicked clubs with his fashion sense."

"How many of them were gay clubs?"

She paused for a moment before defensively answering, "They always have the best music."

Chad couldn't help but smile. "Got anything to eat in here?"

"Triscuits and canned cheese in the closet over there," Kelsi said as she indicated the closet.

"Your underpants aren't in there, are they?"

"Well, yes, Chad, they are, as I frequently hang up my underwear in pantries," she retorted.

"Just checking," he muttered to himself as he stood from the bed and went to retrieve the snack. "You won't imagine the places I've found pairs of my underwear."

"I hope you know I could hear that," Kelsi responded with a smile as she pulled out two waters. "And I don't know where you found them; nor do I care to find out the reason why they were so oddly located."

"It was nothing like that!" Chad screeched as he turned around. "I'm just not as … organized … as some other guys my age."

"AKA even Troy said you're acting like a pig," she smiled.

"He wasn't saying much of anything after all the crow he ate when the Redhawks beat Berkley in November. And March," Chad boasted.

"Yes, yes," she smiled good-naturedly. "We all know you took Troy to town when your teams met."

"Darn right I did," the dark boy smiled. "So, what're we doing tonight?"

"I'm sorry?" Kelsi asked.

"Well, my parents are at some silly musical – no offence – and I don't have my hotel key with me. Entertain me, Nielsen."

"We can go see a show ourselves," she smiled. "I mean, as an aspiring composer, I can get tickets to almost any musical I want … Would you care to join your parents at Phantom?"

"No!" he all but screamed. "Can't we … do something here?"

"I'll get you to a musical before you leave, Danforth," she said with a resigned sigh before motioning to another cabinet. "DVDs are in there. Your pick."

Chad disappeared into the cupboard only to pop back out a moment later. "No way."

"Figured you'd find that one …"

"Why do you have this?"

"It's a good movie," Kelsi defended.

"No kidding. It's one of my favorites," he replied, stunned.

"Well then, put it in, take off your shoes and get on the bed."

"I'm going to ignore how sexual that sounded and put on the DVD now," Chad smiled as he followed her directions. "Now, where are you going to sit?"

"I have a chair right there," she responded with a smile before settling herself into it and preparing to watch Glory Road with the ultimate Basketball Man.