Ok so I know I only got probably one review from the last chapter. XD No big deal, I just hope you guys out there are still keeping in touch with this story and enjoying it. And for all you guys reading my other stories I'm attempting to get past some writer's block for A Week at Lava Springs right now so please be patient with that, if it's not too much trouble to ask. And as for Beauty and the Beast HSM Style I'm very much updating it however the story is about to get to the part where I have to pretty much just drift away from writing the actual scene HSMified and start changing said scene to fit the plot. So moving on to this story we are now officially on the last chapter. In this final, very long chapter, you will see a side to Chad and Taylor that you may or may not have expected to see. You guys have no idea how long I've been working on this so I really hope this final chapter comes out well. Now I have to say this about the story, there are probably like five different other ways it could have gone. lol But just that I was able to write something you guys like and pretty much made it entertaining at points made it all worth it. So now I would like to say thank you to everyone for reviewing and thank you for making it fun to write another story. ^^ Ok, now to say thanks to the actual reviewers: Digigirl02, Xo-kween-dilemma-xo, Iheartchad andtaylor, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, RamandusDaughter23, Let'sJustSing, Chayler lover, RockyShadow, Lilmissmonique, Chaylor lover, HSMroks, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, HSM lover, HSM, Sharpy, and Mzwendy85. Thank you one and all!
I do not own anything.

Chapter Sixteen: The After-Party

It's funny how the entire school can make such a big deal about something and you spend the majority of your time wondering what the big deal is or how everyone can just go with the flow. I never thought highly of athletes to begin with so therefore I never thought winning something as big as the championships would be that big of a deal. So what if our school happened to beat another school at something like basketball? The world of a high school student isn't all based on sports. A majority of it, one would think, has to be centered around academics and grades. But those of us who do focus more on academics than anything else is where we are the least appreciated. We're often labeled as geeks, nerds, etc. In reality, geeks and nerds are just the same and I always believed that there was a little bit of a geek in all of us. That is, until I had originally met Chad. He was so spoiled, arrogant, cocky...need I go on? He was one of the reasons I swore off boys. The dating world never appealed to me before, and Chad gave me more of a reason not to pay attention to it. I always assumed he was the kind of guy who would just use a girl or flirt with one girl and ask her out when he was going out with another girl. So never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined getting ready for the after-party with my date as Chad Danforth.

Now I'm no girlie girl, but I do like to look good when I leave the house, and my absolute best on special occasions. Considering that this is my first date I'd say it's a special enough reason to look my best. i was constantly looking over my apparel to make sure everything was perfect. My red low heels matched my red dress, my only accessories consisted of a couple of bracelets on one of my wrists, my makeup was minimal...maybe more makeup would have been better.... No, I wasn't going to cover myself with lipstick and eyeliner and look like someone I'm not. Remember girls, you do not need an overdose of makeup to look beautiful. But I'll be honest, I don't think all the makeup in the world could make me look my best. This was uncharted territory for me, going on a date. Ok, now for my hair. I didn't exactly go to the salon to get it done, and I swear that if my older sister had it her way and i actually told her about tonight then she'd be on the next plane here to help me look absolutely perfect. But I wasn't going to let that happen. I've seen her help me with my hair when I was younger enough to know what she would consider to be the perfect style. It was combed and washed, and a small portion of my hair was up kind of like in a half ponytail, and for once I didn't have a headband in it. Maybe I should put in a barrette or wear a necklace or something....

"Taylor your date is here."

I groaned and turned to my very giddy mother who was now in my doorway. "It's just Chad, mom. The guy who's head I bite off every day and vise versa." I said as if it were no big deal which was the very opposite.

And as usual, my mother refused to listen. "I can't believe it baby, it's your first date!" she exclaimed. "Oh I so wish your father could see this."

"It's fine, mom." I tried telling her.

"You know, even when you were having that little slap fight during fifth grade graduation I said to him, 'Jermaine that daughter of yours is going to make a very good match with that Danforth boy so don't even try to stop nature from doing that'." she continued.

Oh how I hated those embarrassing child stories...even when she wasn't telling anyone. "Mother can I go?"

"You mean you're actually ready?" my mom gasped. "I thought you'd be up here for hours getting ready for this date."

I shook my head and tried to stop myself from blowing up. "Mother if you want me to stay in here longer than five minutes and change everything I did...."

"Don't be ridiculous, baby, you are going down to that nice young man and you are both going to that after-party and having the time of your lives." mother said, literally pushing me down the stairs. "Oh Chad, Chad honey!" she called. Please can she just shut up? I love my mother dearly but sometimes she just takes things too far. But when I saw Chad standing there...so patiently, I must add...in my living room I was on the verge of begging my mother to take me back up to my room. Chad didn't look like Chad. I mean he did but his style.... Alright, Chad Danforth is often a messy-ish dresser. His shirts don't always match his pants and they say the wackiest things on them. I highly doubt that even his socks match a lot of the time. And even though I'd like to think he combs his hair on a daily basis and watches it every other night, it almost never looked combed. Tonight...that wasn't Chad. His shirt didn't have any kind of sayings on them but instead was just simple bulgy blue stripes of different shades. You know like sky blue, an off shade blue, periwinkle, perhaps some kind of aquamarine...yes, I'm getting off track. His jeans weren't jeans but just plain nice pants which looked like an eggshell shade as well as his jacket which looked just as nice, almost like it could be part of his suit. And his hair...a little on the floppy side but most definitely combed. And yes, both of his shoes matched. There was no way I could have looked as good as he did right now.

"wow Taylor..." he gasped. His eyes were so wide I almost thought they were going to pop out of his head if it were possible. It's like he couldn't believe what he was saying. Something had to be wrong.

"I could always go change if this isn't good enough..." I started, already making assumptions, and I could feel my mom pinching me in the back for even thinking about making that comment.

"No, no. Not at all." Chad said quickly shaking his head. "It's just that...wow Taylor..."

I almost felt myself melt into the ground and I have no idea why. "I'm fairly certain you already said that."

"I know. It's just that.... You look really amazing." he said.

Is that what he was trying to say? Now I know why I was ready to melt. Someone turn down the heat! "Thank look pretty wow yourself."

Chad chuckled. I really hope he knew that came from the two wow's he had given me. "Thanks."

"Alright, photo up. First date you know." mom said eagerly as she rushed to get the camera.

Now my face was red from embarrassment. Mother, not in front of Chad! "We really should be going...."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind." Chad said quickly.

When did he become so...tolerant? I certainly wish I knew. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"He's sure, he's sure." mom said coming back into the living room with the camera before Chad could even answer. "Come on you two, don't be shy. Scooch together."

I gulped and walked over to Chad. We stood probably a foot away from each other. I don't know why he was, but I was doing it from pure nervousness. Mother didn't seem to pleased by this.

"Alright, you both can do better than that." she scolded. Then she actually walked over to us to set us up for 'the perfect picture'. When did my sudden birth of a love life become a photo shop for her? "Alright Chad you move over here...." she said moving him closer to me...on my other side I might add. She placed his arms so they would look like they were folded but then laced his fingers together for him. Then she turned his head to face me. Are all first dates supposed to start this awkward? Oh wait, she wasn't done yet. My mom then took me and put my arm through one of Chad's and then laced my fingers together that way. Of course, then she had to turn my head so I was facing Chad. No, she didn't stop there. She actually instructed me to bend one of my knees slightly so it almost look like it was crossed with my other leg. I honestly hope that's the last of it.

Thank God it was. Mom went back to pick up her camera and turned it on. "Oh come on, at least try to look at each other a little. Don't put all your attention on the camera." she urged.

I gulped. Guess she wasn't done dictating our every action yet. I turned my head slightly towards Chad and he was already facing me. How can he stand this? Didn't I ask someone to turn the heat down in here?

"Perfect!" Mom exclaimed. "Now just give smiles. Come on, smile for each other. And the camera."

I saw Chad smile widely but I just couldn't bring myself to do that with all of this going on. This made me feel like a total...well, girl.

"Taylor Anabelle McKessie..." my mom scolded.

Oh she saw I wasn't giving my best smile. Yes, she used the middle name over that. I hated when she did that. Ok Taylor, just smile and you can get out of here. I did just that and as soon as I gave a satisfying enough smile my mom snapped the picture. "Can we go now please?" I asked when she was finished. "We're going to be late for the after-party."

"Oh alright," she gave in, "go and have yourselves a good time. But not too good ok?"

Please, I'm not that kind of girl. "Understood mother." I nodded. "I'll be back by ten."

"Oh what the heck, make it eleven tonight." my mother giggled.

Wait...she's extending my curfew by an hour? Who is she and what did she do with my real mother?

"Thank you, Ms. McKessie." Chad said before I could open my big mouth. "I'll have her back on time." Then he led me out of my house. That was generous of him, we made it out in one piece. Wait a minute...I'm completely alone with Chad now. Should I be afraid?

"I'm sorry about my mother." I nearly stammered once we were off my lawn. "She can get a little...eccentric."

Chad smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. She's nice."

"She...also happens to be excited that it's my first date." I confessed even though I didn't want Chad to know.

"You too, huh?" Chad asked.

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." he looked away then back at me. Where was he going with this? "...it's sorta kinda my first date, too."

I shook my head. "I don't understand. Haven't you been...?"

"No. I've never been on a date." he told me. "I just never found someone I was really into enough to ask them out."

I moved a loose strand of hair behind me ear. Better than biting my nails at least. How I made it this entire day without doing that, I don't think I'll ever figure it out. "So...are you as nervous as I am?"

He nodded. "A little bit, yeah." Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. It was on a thin gold chain and had a big heart on it. What was he doing with that? "I um...sorta got this for you."

I picked up my head from the necklace and looked at him. "What?"

Chad sighed. He really did look as nervous as I did. "I know I can't make up for all those years of torture I gave you. But I am sorry and I really hope that this can be a start to you forgiving me."

Did he really think that? I can't even describe how I was feeling just hearing those two sentences. It sounded so sweet. I smiled warmly at him. "I do forgive you, Chad. You don't need a piece of jewelry to apologize to me or make me forgive you."

That actually made his face fall. What did I say? "I guess you don't want it then..." he said.

"I never said that." I said quickly. I quickly covered my mouth. I did not mean to sound selfish with that. I looked at Chad and he chuckled. I guess he found it entertaining.

"I thought you'd like it." he replied.

I smiled and ran my hand through my hair to stop myself from biting my nails...again. "Can you help me put it on?"

"Of course." Chad said with a smile. He stood behind me and I moved my hair out of the way. He slipped the necklace on me, then stood to face me. "It looks really good on you."

"Thanks." I said putting my hand over the necklace. I really did like it. I look back at Chad and he was holding his arm out to me like he was waiting for me to put my arm through it and hold on to it. Was he actually going to escort me there? That is so not Chad.

"Ready to go?" he asked still smiling.

"Yeah." I nodded. I slowly took his arm and held onto it and he started walking me to the school. The walk there was pretty quiet, I suppose. I would have said something but I wouldn't know what to say. I bet I looked like an idiot just keeping to myself. Some night this is turning out to be. When we walked to school together we were talking just fine. But now....

"So um...."

I turned to Chad when I heard him speak.

"How did the Decathlon go today?" he asked. "I mean I know you won but..."

"You never seemed interested in that sort of thing. Do you really want to hear it in full detail?" I wondered.

"Well I told you about the game pretty much in full detail." he replied.

That was true. "Well I wish I could say we had some sort of secret weapon but we really didn't." I admitted. "I'm surprised I was able to focus on the competition with Timothy constantly trying to make a move on me."

"Taylor is that guy bugging you?" Chad asked.

"It's no big deal." I shook my head. "I'm sure he won't be around tonight."

"Well if he's bothering you I could always..." Chad started.

"No, nothing is necessary." I shook my head again. "I think he got the hint today."

"Well if that guy steps over the line again then let me know." he told me.

I nodded. "Thanks Chad." We talked about the Decathlon a little more and he actually seemed to be in it. I always thought Chad would fall asleep at the mere mentioning of it. If he was just doing this to impress me...it was actually sort of working. Once we got to the school we followed everyone towards the gym. I guess that's where the after-party was being held, but I overheard some people saying that the cafeteria was opened as well. Maybe I'll just stick with Chad here because if Gabriella is here with Troy, they are most likely going to be spending a lot of time together.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Chad asked when we got into the gym.

I looked over at him. "Just some water, if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not." he said with a smile. "Be right back."

As he left I heard someone calling. "Taylor!"

I turned and saw Gabriella running over to me. "Hey Gabs!" I said with a smile.

She ran over and gave me a big hug. "Oh my God, you look so nice tonight!"

I giggled and hugged her back. "Just be glad you weren't at my house while I was getting ready. My mother went crazy with the pictures."

"Before or after Chad came over?" Gabriella asked.

"After. She was practically forcing me down the stairs to meet him." I admitted.

"But it wasn't too bad right?" she wondered.

"I guess not. Chad didn't seem to mind." I replied.

"He's a good guy, Taylor. I really think you guys would make a good couple." Gabriella urged.

"Gabs this is only my first date. I don't want to rush into anything." I told her.

"Mine, too." she said. Her eyes lit up and she picked up my necklace. "Taylor this is beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

"Chad gave it to me as an apology for all our fighting over the years." I answered. I saw Gabriella smiling widely and pointing to me like she was about to say something...or rub something in my face. "Don't say anything Gabriella."

She sighed and gave in rather easily. "Well it's still a nice thought."

"I know." I nodded. "So where's Troy?"

"He's talking to his dad about something." she replied, pointing to Troy and his father the Coach discussing something near the DJ.

"Must be something important. Either that or he's trying to give last minute girl advice." I guessed.

Gabriella giggled. She tilted her head. "Oh, hey Chad."

I turned my head and saw Chad now standing next to me.

"Gabriella you ruined my sneaking up plan." he whined playfully.

She giggled again. "Sorry."

Chad smiled and rolled his eyes. He turned to me and gave me a bottle of water. He had a can of soda for himself in his other hand. "Here you go."

"Thank you." I replied taking the bottle.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Gabriella said with a sly smile before leaving.

"Have fun making out with Troy!" Chad called after her teasingly.

I covered my mouth to try and not to laugh, especially after just taking a sip of water.

Chad turned to me and chuckled. "There is no way they're gonna get even one kiss in tonight."

"you interrupted something before didn't you?" I assumed.

"Just once." he admitted. He opened up his can. "But they had it coming. And what kind of friend would I be if I let them kiss so easily?"

I giggled. He made it sound so innocent. I liked it. "You so don't want to see your best friend happy." I teased.

"Hey what's right is right." he shrugged his shoulders before taking a sip of his soda.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. I looked around the gym and saw a lot of people were dancing to the music that was playing. "So do you want to dance?" I wondered.

"I don't dance." he told me.

"Oh..." I said. One of the things I was hoping to do was dance tonight.

Chad looked at me and I guess he saw the disappointed look on my face. "Maybe one dance later?"

I smiled and nodded. "I'd really like that." One dance was better than no dance.

Chad returned the smile. "Let's go find the guys. I wanna show you off to them."

I raised an eyebrow at him and put my free hand on my hip. "Do you know how degrading to women that is?"

"But you look so much prettier than everyone else's dates. I wanna rub it in their faces." Chad complained playfully. "Well except for Troy. He can barely take his eyes off Gabriella."

Well he did have a point. "I suppose I can put my opinions on equality for all aside just for ten minutes."

"I'll take that as a good thing." Chad smiled as he led me to some of the other basketball players. The only ones we ran into at the moment were Zeke and Jason. Zeke was on his own and Jason had the red-headed cheerleader Ami by his side...and didn't look too thrilled. Then again, Zeke didn't look to happy either. He seemed really down about something. "Hey guys." Chad told them.

"Hey man." Zeke said right away. "Have you seen Sharpay anywhere?"

"No..." Chad said slowly. "Why did you wanna take that Ice Princess?"

"She said she'd go with me but I can't find her anywhere." Zeke replied.

"Maybe she's just fashionably late. You know how Sharpay is." I stated, trying to lift his spirits a little.

"I guess so." he replied.

Chad smiled and slipped his arm around me. I guess he was glad I was off to a good start with one of his friends. That was good. I wanted to be able to fit in with Chad's friends. But just being who I was. It seemed to be working with someone. But for some reason Ami didn't seem to thrilled about that.

"So I see you really went through with taking this nerd tonight."

I looked at Ami and raised an eyebrow. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but Chad beat me to it. "And I see you convinced Jason to take you."

"Oh it wasn't all that hard. It was part of the deal." Ami said innocently.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Chad. "What deal?"

"Nothing." Chad said quickly.

Ami covered her mouth to try not to giggle. "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I asked Ami.

"Nothing. There's nothing going on." Chad tried saying.

"Oh don't play all innocent Chad. I mean you did have to stop us from telling the whole school you, Zeke, and Jay-Jay were on your way to the science department." Ami said innocently.

"Jay-Jay?" Chad repeated, missing the entire point.

"My petname." Jason muttered, not seeming to happy about it at all. "Ami's idea."

I shook my head. What the heck...? "Wait what is going on?"

"Danielle and I saw Chad and his little group going to the chemistry lab. If the entire school found out it would ruin their sporty reputations. So we made a little deal with them. If they do what we say then we wouldn't tell anyone they're actually big nerds like you." Ami shrugged. "I told Jason he had to take me to the dance and that Chad had to-"

"Ami don't." Chad warned, interrupting her.

I looked at Chad, then back at Ami who had a smirk on her face. Something was telling me I wasn't going to like where this was going.

"That Chad had to take your little nerdy butt to this after-party. And he agreed." Ami finished. "Guess he cares more about what other people think of him than some dorky little nerd crush on him."

My mouth dropped. Not only did she know I liked Chad...but she's the reason that Chad asked me tonight! He didn't want to go out with me. He was forced to. I couldn't believe it. How could he...? I looked at Chad hurt, then let go of his arm and stormed out of the gym. I didn't even want to talk to him.

"Taylor wait!" Chad called following me.

Couldn't he take a hint? I wouldn't want anything to do with him after this. "Don't you dare talk to me." I warned him, turning to face him. I was trying really hard to keep a straight, angry face even though anger was one one of the feelings I had towards him right now.

"Tay I can explain..." he started.

"Don't 'Tay' me!" I snapped. "Don't even try to pull some petname now. How could you do that?"

"Taylor just listen please." he practically begged. "When I asked you out it wasn't because of what Ami said."

"Right, I'm sure you really wanted to go with me." I said sarcastically, not believing him at all.

"That's it exactly!" Chad exclaimed.

"Wrong answer." I shook my head. "Stop lying to me. I'm done with you."

"It's not a lie. Taylor I really like you. A lot." Chad said.

I shook my head. It was getting really hard to keep everything bottled up now. "Stop. Just stop." I insisted, my voice on the verge of cracking. "You know what, you go ask the girl you really like to be with you tonight. I don't want anything to do with you. Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't even think about me. And I'm sure that's all you want."

"No that's not what I want. I wanted to be here with you tonight. I didn't wanna ask anyone else." he insisted.

I can't believe he was still trying to feed me these lies. I couldn't take it anymore. I spilled my entire water bottle on him. That's how furious i was. "Just get out of my life Chad. I mean it this time." And to prove I was serious, I ripped the necklace he gave me off and threw it at him. I turned on my heel and stormed off. I wasn't even sure where to go now. I was angry. I was outraged. I was hurt. I was furious. And I was upset. So I did the only thing I could think of. I ran into the nearest girls bathroom and just leaned up against the wall. I wrapped my arms around myself and slid down, then buried my head in my knees. I couldn't take it. I just broke down. And that's something I hardly ever do. I never cry unless there's a good reason to. I would say this was reason enough. The guy that I had crushed on for a long time...he just used me. He never had any feelings for me. I was just some nerd to him. He didn't care. Everything had been a lie. Everything we had in common, the way we got along...I bet even the speech he gave to the basketball team was a lie. I can't believe I actually liked him. Chad will never change. He's the exact same lunkhead basketball boy he's always been. I was better off with Timothy, I should have said yes to his stupid stalker date. He's not the Neanderthal, Chad is. and he's always going to be. My lucky day, he says, I had a date with him tonight. Wrong, wrong, wrong! It was his stupid attitude. Oh and what a good act he was putting on, actually trying to go after me. Some first date.

"What are you doing sitting in here bawling your eyes out?"

I looked up and saw Sharpay coming out of one of the bathroom stalls. I quickly wiped my eyes trying not to show her I was crying, even though she knew pretty well now. No one wanted Sharpay Evans to see them crying in the bathroom. "Nothing." I said quickly.

"Still looks like something to me. Your mascara's running." she replied.

I shook my head. I didn't care. "what do you want?"

Sharpay walked over to one of the mirrors and fixed her hair a little. "I thought you'd be out there partying for sure. You seemed to be having the time of your life in the gym this afternoon. You were dancing with Danforth like you wanted nothing more."

"That's none of your business." I said still trying to get myself together.

Sharpay didn't seem to get the message. "So why are you in here?"

"Why do you care?" I questioned.

"Hey, you're not the only one hiding in here." she replied.

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sharpay placed a hand on her hip and turned to me, but she didn't seem completely annoyed like she did when she saw Gabriella with Troy instead of her with Troy. "If you tell me why you're in here, I'll tell you why I'm here. No tricks."

While the Ice Queen of East High was the last person I wanted to spill my feelings to, something told me I couldn't keep them inside for much longer. And it's not like I had anyone else to open up to. I sighed and stood up, walking over to the mirror and tried cleaning my face. "Chad was pretty much dared to ask me out. He never wanted to go with me. The cheerleader who dared him said it right in my face and Chad kept trying to convince me that it wasn't the reason he asked me out. Now I know not to trust guys ever again."

"Don't be so dramatic. That's my job." she said simply turning back to face her reflection.

"so why are you in here?" i asked as I wiped my eyes with a paper towel.

She sighed. "Zeke's the guy who asked me to go to the after-party, not Troy. And Troy's the guy that I've been wanting to date since seventh grade and he just won't look at me twice. Zeke's a nice guy and a great cook but he's just the last guy I would have ever pictured myself going on a date with. Or, one of the last guys anyway."

"You two seemed to hit it off. The second you took a bite out of his cookie you were over the moon." I recalled from that afternoon.

"Zeke's no Troy, let's face it." Sharpay shook her head. "What you see in afro-headed Danforth, I'll never know."

"i'll never know either." I admitted. "He totally played with my feelings."

"I've seen the looks he's sent you. That doesn't sound like him." Sharpay replied.

"What are you talking about?" I shook my head not wanting to believe it. I mean, I guess I did want to believe it, but judging from certain circumstances I didn't have much of a good reason to believe it.

"You mean you never noticed?" she raised an eyebrow. "I've seen him drool over you since elementary school."

"There's no decent reason for me to believe you. You're the Ice Princess, Sharpay. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You threatened Troy's and Gabriella's place in the musical. You intimidate girls on a daily basis. You nearly tried kicking Gabriella out of the picture." I replied.

"Gabriella has something that I want and I hold it against her." she said simply. "But while you and I don't get along for beans I don't have anything against you. I'm not totally evil."

"No offense but I have a hard time believing that." I said going for a fresh paper towel.

"Understood." she shrugged. Really, this is a side to Sharpay I never expected to see. "Let me ask you this, McKessie. What do you think of Zeke?"

"Unlike certain lunkheads, he seems like a decent guy." I answered. "I saw him in the gym earlier and he was asking about you. He seemed really worried. Did you stand him up?"

"Not exactly a golden highlight on the Best of Sharpay Evans list." she admitted.

"Honestly, I can't think of many things that are highlighted on your best list." I stated.

"Well, then it looks like I'll have to put at least one thing on that list." Sharpay said confidently. "What would you say to a deal? You give me a diamond and I'll give you one."

I looked at Sharpay and quirked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll give Ryan a call and see if he can get Danforth to spill to him what happened if you make sure no other girls are all over Zeke and bring him to me."

"It's a temporary truce isn't it?" I assumed.

"Yeah." Sharpay nodded. "We go back to hating each other as soon as the first bell rings Monday morning."

I guess it wouldn't hurt to go along with Sharpay for just one night. "Deal." I gave in.

"Good. Now keep cleaning, you missed a spot." she ordered as she dialed her phone.

I rolled my eyes and continued cleaning my face. Yeah, knew that was coming sooner or later. As I continued washing my face I heard Sharpay talk to Ryan. The instant she hung up about three minutes later, she pointed to me and told me all the details. "Ryan's talking to Danforth in the cafeteria. you've got exactly seven minutes to listen in on their conversation, then as soon as those seven minutes are up you go take care of Zeke."

"Those seven minutes start as soon as I'm within earshot of them." I folded my arms.

"Those seven minutes start now." she said sternly.

"Then you give me seven minutes to take care of Zeke when I'm done and my seven minutes commence as soon as I walk out of this room." I replied not giving in.

"Fine, but I'm timing you and calling as soon as your seven minutes are up so you take care of Zeke." she put her hands on her hips.

"Deal." I agreed before leaving the restroom. Now I could tell you what I heard Chad and Ryan talking about. But honestly, and I know this sounds selfish of me, I don't want to talk about it. Hearing what they said hurt enough, especially with the way I acted and misjudged everything. It's enough guilt for me right now. So i knew I had to fix things.I just hope that Chad doesn't leave yet, because then I may never get a chance to work this out. so first thing's first, I have to hold up my end of the bargain. I managed to leave the cafeteria moments before Sharpay called, so thankfully Chad and Ryan didn't hear my cell phone and figure out I was eavesdropping. She told me where to lead Zeke to and I must say, I was shocked. It wasn't anywhere near the gym. But who was I to argue with a temporary truce? I headed back to the gym and saw Zeke talking to Martha. Luckily I knew Martha didn't have a thing for Zeke, so Sharpay had nothing to worry about.

"Hey Martha, can I steal Zeke? I have to talk to him." I said walking over to them.

"sure thing Taylor." Martha replied.

"Later Martha." Zeke said as he and I walked out into the hallway. "so what's up?" he asked me.

"Are you still worried about Sharpay or has another girl in there captured your interest?" I wondered casually.

"Please, no one will ever appeal to me like Sharpay." he replied.

"That's good to know. Because I happened to see her before." I said.

"Really?" Zeke's face lit up.

"Yeah. She's waiting for you. And I'm sure she'll be thrilled to know you don't want to see anyone." I replied.

"where is she?" he asked eagerly.

"Follow me." I said with a smile. I led him over towards the home economics room and while he walked inside I just stayed by the doorway to listen in how things were going. But when I took a peak in there, you won't believe this, I actually saw Sharpay trying to bake!

"Hi Zeke." she said sweetly looking up at him. "I loved your cookies so much I was trying to crack the recipe."

"You really liked them?" he asked happily.

"Of course I did silly." she shrugged.

Zeke rubbed the back of his head before walking towards her. "It's just that...you like Troy. And you've been avoiding me all night. You never seemed interested."

"Troy's not the only fish in the sea. And I'm willing to try other guys. And other than you, I don't happen to like other guys." Sharpay told him.

"Really?" Zeke exclaimed. "So I have a chance?"

"If you get over here and help me bake without getting my dress dirty then you've got the best chance you could ever hope for." she laughed.

"I'm on it!" Zeke agreed more than happily before running over to help.

I smiled and turned away from the door. Things seemed to be working well for Sharpay and Zeke. I guess the Ice Princess does have a heart. It looks like it's going to be a happy ending for their evening. Now I just have hope that mine will turn out the same way. I took a deep breath and headed down the hallway. I hadn't spotted Chad yet so I really hoped he hadn't left. The only other thing that would be worse if he did leave was if he had found another girl and hooked up with her. And I really wanted this to work out. I had to at least apologize. I went into the closet in the hallway where he had dragged me into that one day and...well, that was when I thought it would be us confessing our feelings for each other like some sappy romantic chick flick. I sat down on the floor in there and waited for a while. I listened for footsteps but I barely heard any. Well, I heard a few...but it was just from the janitor. And every time I peaked outside the halls were deserted. I decided to give up and just walk out. I guess he really did leave. So much for this working out. I suppose we just weren't meant to be.

I walked out of the East High entrence and ironically, sitting at the fountain in front of the school I saw Chad. I squinted and saw him drop something into the fountain. I walked in closer to get a better look, even though I nearly ended up looking over his shoulder. When I did look into the fountain I saw that he had dropped the necklace he gave me. And something told me that wasn't the only heart who sunk to rock bottom. I took a deep breath and decided to let me presence be acknowledged. It was now or never.

"Chad can we talk?"

He turned and looked at me for a split second, then faced the fountain again.

"Chad please."

He just shook his head. "You told me not to talk to you, look at you, or think about you." he muttered.

He was right. I did say that. I did take my anger too far this time. I sighed and sat down on the fountain, maybe about a foot away or so from Chad, but I still faced him. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. This was going to be harder than I thought. "I never said anything about not listening to me." I said a couple of minutes later.

All Chad did was nod. he didn't say or do anything else.

"I'm sorry." were the first words that came out of my mouth. "I'm sorry about everything. About all those fights we used to have. And I'm especially sorry about everything I said tonight. I should have believed you."

I looked at him and he still said nothing. Why did he have to be so good at doing what I told him?

I turned to look at the necklace that was now at the bottom of the fountain. I reached in and slowly scooped it out. "This doesn't belong down there." I said. I looked at it, then at Chad. his eyes still weren't on me. I looked back at the necklace, then put it around my neck. "This is where it belongs."

Chad didn't even turn to see what I did. Does he know how much this was hurting to have him ignore me? Or at least make it feel that way?

I sighed, assuming I'd have no other choice. I rubbed my arm and looked away. "I've liked you since third grade." i admitted softly. I think from the corner of my eye I saw him look at me, but I wasn't entirely sure. "Remember when it was recess that one day and and it started raining really hard? I was on the monkey bars and there was a big pile of dirt under where I was hanging from. It started getting all muddy, and I lost my grip on the bars because they got so slippery. I fell into the small mud puddle and everyone laughed at me while they ran back in and none of the teachers did anything. But you came over and helped me out of the puddle, and then took off your sweat jacket and it on me. You ran inside after that, but you were the only one who stayed and helped me. And that's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

As soon as I looked at Chad he looked back at the made me feel even worse. I was on the verge of spilling everything out to him and it felt like he was tuning me out despite what I had told him earlier.

"I overheard you and Ryan talking earlier." I confessed, my voice nearly cracking. "you were saying all those things and how you felt...that you really did want to take me tonight. And that you liked me since grade three."

He nodded. Chad still didn't look at me, but at least he started talking. "I helped you that day because I felt like I owed you. There was that one day I forgot my lunch money and you split your lunch with me. And I thought it was really sweet. Especially since after that you always dropped a few Goldfish crackers on my desk during snack time when my mom packed me something healthy like an apple. I just figured that if I was always mean to you and argued then no one would suspect I liked you. I was ashamed of liking someone who I thought was a boring nerd when I was never supposed to be."

"And I always argued with you to hide my feelings and because you always had to start something with me." I added.

Chad turned and looked at me this time. "When I asked you out it wasn't cause of what Ami said. It was the last thing on my mind. I did wanna go with you. i wanted to impress you. And I wanted to make it a really great night."

"I guess neither of us has made it a great night." I replied quietly.

"Think we can fix that?" he asked.

I looked at Chad. "Only if you can forgive me for being a jerk and spilling my water on you."

"That's ok. I think it just likes getting wet so it stays in my face." he replied almost jokingly. At least I think it was a joke, because it made me giggle a little. Chad smiled and lifted my chin a little. "There's that smile."

I felt my face turn red again. Like it hasn't done that enough tonight. "You do have that effect."

"Yeah well you kinda have that effect on me too, Tay." he replied with a smile.

"I kind of like that." I admitted. "You called me Tay over the phone, too."

"That was sort of an accident." he said sheepishly.

"It's still a really nice nickname." I replied.

He moved in closer to me and reached for my hand, taking it in his. "Maybe I'll call you it more often."

"I'd really like that." I smiled.

"Tay it is then." he said smiling. "and my nickname?"

"I think we'll stick with just Chad." I teased.

"That's it?" he whined playfully.

"Unless you like something more like fuzzy bear." I replied innocently.

"Never mind." he said quickly, which had me giggling some the next thing I knew, he kissed me. It was a brief peck on the lips but it was still a kiss. I only got to return it briefly before he pulled away. I could see the pink in Chad's cheeks. I'm pretty sure mine were just as pink but I didn't care. The kiss may have been short but it was just perfect. Chad smiled in a goofy manner and stood up before helping me off the fountain.

"Ready to go back inside?" he asked. "The after-party's still going on and I owe you a dance."

"I think we have just enough time for one dance." I replied with a smile.

"Must be my lucky night." he smiled back as he held my hand and led me back inside.

But honestly, I didn't know if we did have enough time for one dance. and if I did miss my extended curfew I didn't care. Things had worked out between me and Chad. And I was more than happy about it. I suppose there is such a thing as a happy ending for everyone. And maybe there's a little bit of a girlie girl in all of us.

--change POV--change POv--change POV--

"Chad, you'd better hurry up! You'll be late picking up your date!"

I heard my dad call from downstairs. Oh man did he have to make me even more nervous? I mean it was one thing that I was going with the girl I wanted to, but it was another thing that the stupid cheerleader reminded me that I was practically forced to go with her. Why did I let myself get caught in that situation anyway? I kept wondering if Taylor was gonna find out. No...no, she wouldn't right? And even if she does she'll understand that it wasn't the reason I asked her out tonight, right? Ok I was a dead man walking. I just hope that Taylor never finds out. I like her, I really really like her. And I don't wanna mess things up on the first date. I know, it's pretty stupid. Me, Chad Danforth, never been on a date. It's not exactly something I like to broadcast. It's not that I'm afraid of commitment, it's just that I'm afraid of committing to the wrong girl. At least this time I know it's the right girl. Don't ask how I know, I just do. Even if it's just for the rest of high school I'll be lucky enough to spend that much time with Taylor.

I fixed my jacket a little before putting my wallet in my pants pocket and going down to my dad. "Alright, how do I look?"

"Like a million bucks." Dad chuckled.

"Really, cause I feel more like something the dog spit up." I replied. The whole dressing up thing, it's ot exactly what I do. It always feels weird to dress nicely instead of my usual casual look, y'know?

"The lucky girl's gonna be all over you." my dad told me. "I'm sure your mom wishes she could be here right now too."

Yeah, last minute business call. That's what happens with a lawyer in the family. "You recorded the championship game for her today didn't you?" I chuckled.

"Everything right down to half time." Dad replied.

I nodded. "Mom called earlier."

"She remind you to keep your pants on?" Dad joked.

"No." I said defensively. Then I muttered, "She reminded me to put them on."

My dad looked at me like he was freaking out. I knew exactly where this was going. "I'm very sorry you have to hear that."

"I know." I nodded. "anyway I'll be back when the after-party's done."

"Call me after you drop your little girlfriend off at home." Dad told me.

I groaned. "Dad, she's not my girlfriend." I walked out the front door and closed it behind me. "Yet." I added to myself. gotta keep the hopes up about that. Anyway I headed over to Taylor's house. It wasn't too far of a walk so I got there in a few minutes. I hoped I looked good enough. Maybe my hair still didn't look combed. Should I have put on some cologne?

"Oh Chad honey, come in!"

I looked over and saw Taylor's mom in the door almost as soon as I knocked. "Hi there, Ms. McKessie." I chuckled nervously.

"Come in, come in." she urged, practically pulling me in. "My, don't you look adorable!"

"Um...thank you." I said. Was her mom always this hyper?

"Oh you're very welcome. Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"No thanks, I'm good." I shook my head. "I'm just here to pick up Taylor so we can go to the after-party."

"Right. It's a big deal, I heard. Very close game." Ms. McKessie said.

"Oh yeah. My dad recorded the entire game. As soon as my mom gets back from Chicago the first thing they're gonna do is put up some popcorn and watch the game a good three or four times." I said. "So um by any chance do you know if Taylor's ready yet?"

"Hold on just a minute, I'll go get her for you." she replied going up the stairs.

"Kay, thanks." I nodded. Ok...now I was left alone in their living room. What was I supposed to do? Guess I could play I spy with myself. Alright I spy something...couch. I mean white. Yeah, the couch is white. Ok I spy something....big which is a widescreen TV. Hm, maybe playing a one man game of I Spy wasn't the best idea. But I didn't even have to wait that long...at least I think I didn't. Cause not too long after that Ms. McKessie brought Taylor down. My eyes were probably ready to fall out of my face. I'm telling you, this girl looked gorgeous! Taylor, not her mom. I don't wanna date her mom. But you should see her! Her dress is just...wow! And her hair...so wow! And she's...wowity wow wow!

And guess what the first words that came out of my mouth were. "wow Taylor..." Yeah, not very articulate. Articulate's a word, right?

"I could always go change if this isn't good enough..." she started.

She was not seriously thinking of changing! Not with how amazing she looked tonight! "No, no. Not at all. It's just that...wow Taylor..."

I almost thought I saw Taylor's face turn red. When was the last time I got to witness that? "I'm fairly certain you already said that."

"I know. It's just that.... You look really amazing." I said. Hey it was the best I could come up with on such short notice.

"Thanks. You look pretty wow yourself." she told me.

I chuckled. I guess that must've been payback for me saying wow so many times by now. And thinking it. At least I wasn't the only one losing it. "Thanks."

"Alright, photo up. First date you know." Her mom said as she ran over with a camera.

"We really should be going...." Taylor seemed like she really wanted to get out of here.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind." I replied. Trust me, you have not known the definition of crazy mother until you met mine. She announced to the world when I have fresh clean boxers. Wait...you weren't supposed to know that!

"Are you sure?" Taylor asked looking at me.

"He's sure, he's sure." Ms. McKessie cut me off before I could say anything else. "Now come on you two, don't be shy. Scooch together."

Scooch? Who still says that? Well anyway me and Taylor sort of stood next to each other but I guess that wasn't good enough for her mom. She was practically dictating the entire photo. She was telling us how to stand, where to put our arms, where to look, how to stand.... Hm, maybe she's actually crazier than my mom. Who knew? Well needless to say it took a while before we looked just right for her. I tried to put on my nicest face. I mean, I wanted to impress Taylor tonight so I had to put up with her mom. Plus the sooner we get this picture taken the sooner we can get out of here.

"Oh come on, at least try to look at each other a little. Don't put all your attention on the camera." Ms. McKessie said as soon as we were good enough for the shot.

I turned my head and looked at Taylor trying to give my easiest smile. I would've given her my award winning smile but I guess it ran out the window before I walked into the house. Taylor turned her head to me a few seconds after I did. Aw, she was still red in the face. How adorable is that? No really, I mean it. She looks really good in red.

"Perfect!" her mom exclaimed. "Now just give smiles. Come on, smile for each other. And the camera."

I tried my best to put on my bestest widest smile right away. There now, that wasn't so hard. Taylor's smile was a lot softer but man! Her teeth are really white. Wait a minute, that's not what I'm supposed to be thinking when I look at a girl smiling. Hey does that mean I have bad breath? Oh man I totally have bad breath! I didn't brush my teeth enough times after having those chili burritos my dad made for dinner.

"Taylor Annabelle McKessie..." her mom interrupted my thoughts.

I looked at Taylor and she was trying to give an even better smile. Wow her mom's a perfectionist. So that's where she gets it from. And as soon as the picture was snapped, Taylor had to talk again.

"Can we go now mother? We're going to be late for the after-party."

That is so like Taylor. She's just so punctual. The girl never likes to be late for anything. Remind me that if I make it past this first date to get to the next date ten minutes early.

"Oh alright. Go and have yourselves a good time." Ms. McKessie told us.

"I'll be home by ten." Taylor said.

What, ten? That was so early! That gave us like what, three hours? Ok I'm not counting but it'd probably feel even shorter than three hours.

"Oh what the heck, make it eleven tonight." she replied with a huge smile.

Sweetness? Is it too early to ask for a boo-yeah? "Thanks Ms. M. I'll have her back on time." I said, I guess before Taylor could say anything. I led Taylor out of the house before she could even think about saying anything else. Wait a second...it was just me and Taylor now. On a date. I mean going to our date. Starting our date. Is the hole in the ozone layer making it hot out here, cause I'm almost ready to throw my shirt off!

"I'm…sorry about my mother." Taylor apologized. "She can be a little eccentric sometimes."

I smiled and shook my head. Like I said, I didn't have a problem with it. We've all gotta deal with a crazy mom at some point, right? "Don't worry about it. She's nice." I said.

"She…also happens to be excited that it's my first date." Taylor admitted.

This wasn't exactly something I wanted Taylor knowing, but I decided to go along with it and tell her. I mean, maybe I wouldn't seem like a total moron. And it wasn't like she was in this alone. "yours too, huh?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Here goes nothing. "The thing is…I sorta haven't been on a date before this either."

"I don't understand." Taylor shook her head. "Haven't you been…?"

Did she really think I was like that? No, I wasn't a player. I had to set things right. "I've never been on a date before. I guess I just never met a girl that I was into enough to ask them out."

Taylor seemed to understand that. I mean, I think she did with what she said next. "So…are you as nervous as I am?"

I nodded. "A little bit, yeah." Maybe now this would be the perfect time to do what I wanted to do. See, I had gotten something for Taylor to show her how much I really liked her. I was out searching for it since before I got home after the game today, especially after Ami reminded me the fake reason that I asked Taylor out in the first place. I mean the real reason, but it's not the reason that I really did ask her out. So I took a deep breath and pulled out a necklace I had in my pants pocket. "I um…sorta got this for you."

Taylor just stared at it in surprise. "What?"

Here goes nothing. Just let it all out Chad, let it all out. "I know that just saying sorry won't make up for all those years of torture I gave you with our fighting and everything. But I really am sorry and I hope that this can be a start to forgiving me."

I didn't even believe Taylor with what she said next. I almost thought she was gonna cry. But I don't know if it was the happy kind or the sad kind. "I do forgive you, Chad." She told me. You don't need a piece of jewelry to convince me to do that."

My face fell at that. So I did all that necklace hunting for no reason at all. "Well if you really don't want it…"

"I never said that." She said quickly.

I looked at Taylor and she had her mouth covered fast. I couldn't help but chuckle. Guess I should've expected something like that. "I thought you'd like it."

"Can you help me put it on please?" she asked running a hand through her hair.

"Of course." I smiled. I stood behind Taylor and took the necklace, then hooked it around her neck so it was lying perfectly. As soon as it was on I turned back to face her. The heart necklace looked so nice on her. "It looks really good on you."

I saw her put her hand over the necklace. I hope that meant she really did like it. "Thanks." She said. I'm taking that as a good thing.

"So, you ready to go?" I asked with a smile. I held out my arm so she could take it. Yeah, I was really gonna escort her to the after-party. Like I said I really wanted to impress Taylor. I think this was winning her over. I mean I wanted to be funny and myself but I also wanted her to know that there was more to me than that. I could be sophisticated and gentlemanly if I wanted to…I think. She seemed a little freaked by it at first, but we really got into it on our way there. Sure we had to beat the awkward silence first but I'm just gonna go ahead and guess that it's a typical part of any date. So once we got past that we started talking about her Decathlon. Normally I found it boring but I wanted to know more about it. And hey, she was willing to listen to my entire basketball story before. One thing I didn't like hearing about her competition was this weird stalkerish guy. I really hope we ran into him tonight. I'd like to give that guy a piece of my mind. Wait…that wouldn't impress Taylor. That'd give me a good slap in the face! Ok, I changed my mind. I don't wanna run into the creepy dude that's been bugging her.

When we got into the gym everyone was dancing, talking, or getting food. I would've liked to try and find the guys first but Taylor and I walked from her house to here. Maybe she was thirsty. Hey, I should ask! "Do you want anything to drink?" I wondered turning to her.

"Just some water, if it's not too much trouble?" she asked.

"Of course." I replied. I left Taylor there, hoping that one of her friends would go and talk to her. Besides there was a slight mob by the snack table and I didn't wanna lose her in that. I tried to edge my way around to the table, but then I was surprised to see Small Person behind the table handing out drinks from I guess a cooler behind the table or something with some other people. "Hey Small Person!"

"Kelsi." She corrected.

"I like Small Person." I shrugged.

"I'm good with nicknames." She agreed. I know this girl's usually as quiet as a mouse but we had to talk louder especially with the DJ and music almost right behind the table as well. "What do you need?"

"You got a bottle of water and a can of Coke back there?" I asked.

"Sure thing." She nodded. Small Person turned to get the drinks and handed them to me. "So I heard you guys won the game."

"Yeah. Troy made the last second shot. You should've seen it." I replied.

"Sorry. I was sort of cheering Gabriella and Taylor on at their competition. They were able to leave the room before the audience so that's why they got there before me." She said.

"That's cool. I heard they won, too." I said taking the drinks.

"Yeah. It was a real team effort." She replied. "So you took Taylor tonight?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Just gotta bring over her drink. We got here a few minutes ago. Did you come here with anyone?"

Small Person didn't look like she wanted to answer that right away. "Well there was someone…"

I raised an eyebrow. Guess quiet girls really can get crushes, too. "Who?"

"Just one of the guys on the basketball team. But he's here with someone else." She admitted.

"Party's just begun." I reminded her. "Give it time. You'll get your shot with him."

"Thanks." Small Person said with a shy smile.

"No problem." I smiled back. "I'm gonna get back to Taylor. Maybe I'll catch up with you and the guys later?"

"Definitely." She nodded.

"Cool." I said before trying to get out of the mob and back over to Taylor. I was almost there and saw her talking with Gabriella. I smirked. This would probably be a great time to sneak up on them. I was trying to be all spy like and I almost thought I had it….

"Hey Chad."

Oh man, Gabriella totally blew my cover! "You ruined my sneaky plan." I moaned playfully.

"Sorry." She apologized.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. Oh well, I guess I can't expect Gabs to keep a secret. Better not be sneaky when she's around. I turned to Taylor and gave her the bottle of water. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Taylor said taking it and opening it to take a sip.

"I'll leave you two alone then." Gabriella told us before walking away.

Payback time. "Have fun making out with Troy!" I called teasingly. I chuckled and turned to Taylor. She looked like she was trying really hard not to choke on her water. "They're not even gonna get in one kiss tonight."

"You interrupted something, didn't you?" she guessed.

"Just once…" I admitted opening my can. "But hey, it's what I do. They had it coming. What good is practically having a brother if you can't interrupt their first kiss?"

Taylor giggled. Ha, I was making her laugh! "you do not want to see your best friend happy do you?"

"Hey what's right is right." I shrugged my shoulders, then took a sip of my soda.

Taylor looked around the gym then back at me. "Hey, do you want to dance."

I shook my head. "I don't dance."

"Oh…" she replied. Taylor sounded so disappointed. Oh man is she gonna pull a puppy dog pout?

I just couldn't take it. "Maybe one dance later?"

"I'd really like that." She said with a smile.

I smiled too. I was back in business. "C'mon, I wanna try and find the guys. I'd like to show you off to them."

Taylor gasped. "Do you realize how degrading that is to women?"

"But you look so much prettier than all their dates." Ok I was complaining playfully and saying it innocently, but I was being honest. I didn't see a single girl prettier than Taylor in the room. "I just wanna rub it in their faces. Well, except for Troy's face. His face will probably be too busy looking at Gabriella's."

I almost thought she was gonna laugh again. "I suppose I can put my objections to that aside just for tonight."

"Works for me." I agreed before the two of us walked around the gym. It wasn't long before I saw Jason and Zeke. Jason had Ami practically attached to him and Zeke looked so lonely. "Hey guys."

"Hey man. You seen Sharpay anywhere?" Zeke asked right away. And here I thought he'd be saying something totally different. Yeah, you probably don't wanna know. Temporary dirty mind. No, I'm not kidding. In that mental image Zeke was covered in chocolate dirt and everything. That's how dirty it was. He'd need like five showers after that image.

"No…" I said instead. "Why do you even want the Ice Princess?"

"She said she'd go with me tonight but I can't find her anywhere." Zeke replied.

"Maybe she's fashionably late." Taylor suggested. "you know how Sharpay is."

"I guess so." He sighed.

I smiled and slipped my arm around Taylor. Good, she was getting along with one of my friends. I wanted that to work. I mean, I'd probably have to try and get along with some of her friends after that but I didn't care. I was so proud that Zeke was easily accepting of Taylor. At least there's one good guy in the group. Ok two good guys and a brainless jock…no offense to Jason. We just all say that about him.

"So I see you really went through with taking the nerd tonight."

Taylor and I looked over at Ami. Oh man, she wasn't gonna open her big mouth was she? Not here, not now!

"And I see you convinced Jason to take you." I blurt out before Taylor could say anything.

"Well it was part of the deal." Ami replied innocently.

"What deal?" Taylor raised an eyebrow at me.

I knew this wasn't gonna end good. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

"Nothing." I said quickly.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Ami giggled. I knew she was smirking. No cheerleader, don't say something you'll regret….

"Tell me what?" Taylor asked her.

I had to try and get Taylor away from her. Change the conversation topic. Something. "Nothing. There's nothing to tell."

"Oh don't play all innocent Chad." Ami told me. "I mean, you did do this to protect your reputation as jocks. Danielle and I were the ones who saw you, Zeke, and Jay-Jay getting ready to go to the science lab like the secret nerds you were."

"Jay-Jay?" I repeated. What the heck…?

"Met pet name." Jason muttered. Ouch. He has my sympathy.

"Hold on, will somebody please tell me what is going on?" Taylor insisted.

I knew she wasn't gonna like where this was going. But Ami just kept talking. "We saw Chad and his little posse on their way to the chemistry lab like the secret little nerds they are. Their little sporty reputations were going to be ruined if we actually spread the word around. So we decided to make a deal with them. If Jason went with me and Chad-"

"Ami don't." I warned her. She couldn't finished that. I didn't want her telling Taylor the rest of this. Taylor just couldn't know. I didn't wanna see the ending of this.

But did Ami listen? No, she had to finish what she started. "And Chad would take your little nerdy butt to the after-party. And he agreed."

I looked at Taylor. I couldn't even describe the look she had on her face right now. It was just...just plain hurt. She was probably hating me right now too. That's not what I wanted. I never wanted this. I wanted Taylor to be happy. I wanted her to be happy with me. But that chance was just thrown out the window. No, worse than thrown out the window. It was dropped off the Eiffel Tower, thrown across the ocean to New York, blown up in the Pentagon, then dropped to the bottom of the equator.

"Taylor wait!" I called, running after her as she ran out of the gym.

I don't know if this was a good or a bad thing, but she turned to face me. "Don't you dare talk to me." she snapped.

I know Taylor was upset but I had to fix things. I had to tell her what was going on. I had to let her know how I felt. "Tay I can explain..."

"Don't 'Tay' me!" she yelled. "You can't get out of this with some pet name. How could you do that to me?"

"Taylor can you please just listen to me?" I begged. "I didn't ask you out when I did because of what Ami said. That was the last thing on my mind when I asked you."

"Right, because I'm sure you actually did want to go with me." Taylor replied sarcastically.

"But that's it exactly!" I gasped. I don't care if she didn't believe me about that, I was being completely honest. It was true, even if no one ever believed it in movies when it was true.

"Wrong answer. Stop lying to me because I'm done with you." she shook her head.

I could tell she was still disappointed but we were so close. I wasn't gonna lose her now. "It's not a lie Tay. It never was. I really do like you. I like you a lot."

"Stop. Just stop." she insisted. Oh man Taylor...she almost sounded like she was gonna cry. I didn't wanna see that. Tay please don't.... "You know what, you just go find the girl you really wanted to ask tonight and go be with her. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. You don't talk to me, you don't look at me, you don't even think about me. I'm sure that's exactly what you want."

"No it's not. How could you say that?" I shook my head. "Taylor I want to be here with you tonight. I didn't wanna ask anyone else."

"Just get out of my life Chad. I mean it this time." Taylor said icily before not only spilling her water bottle on me, but storming off too. Yeah, my hair was now completely wet with water. I mean that part was no big deal, it'd dry off eventually. I could deal with being wet. But with Taylor leaving, and as angry and upset as she was.... I had no choice but to watch her go. I couldn't believe it. She was walking out of my life. Taylor hated my guts. She wanted nothing more to do with me. No, no, no!

"Well well well this is such a shame."

I turned to see Ami leaving the gym and coming out to me. "Don't feel so bad. I'm willing to bet Danielle really wanted to come with you. You should go ask her."

"Shut up. Just shut up!" I insisted. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"I think I just set everything pretty much the way it's supposed to be again." Ami said like it was no big deal.

"you're wrong. That's the last thing you did." I shook my head. "you wrecked my chances with a girl that I liked for a really long time. I worked hard to try and win her over as a friend and now it's all been flushed down the toilet cause you had to go open your big fat mouth. And you know what, I would've probably asked her tonight even if you didn't force me to. Because just like Troy likes a nerd, I like a nerd too. No forget nerd, I like the queen fo the nerds. And I don't care what you or anyone else has to say. And I know for a fact that Jason never wanted to go with you tonight in the first place. He likes someone else and we can all see it. So let the guy go and get a life. Cut us out of it and go take care of yourself. Cause just like I'm sure Jason will be done with you after tonight, I'm finished listening to you. So why don't you get out of my life while I wait about sixty-seven years for Taylor to get back into mine!"

I didn't even give her the chance to say anything else. I stormed away. I didn't know where I was going, I just knew I had to get away from there. I didn't wanna be anywhere near the after-party. No scratch that, I didn't wanna be near anything to remind me of the after-party. The only person I wanted to be near now was Taylor and she wasn't even gonna let me within ten feet of her. It was over before it even started. And to make matters worse Taylor didn't just yell at me to prove it. While I was looking all down and watching her leave, Taylor ripped the necklace I have her right off her neck. That had to be a clear sign she didn't want the littlest thing to do with me anymore. Cause now that was all I had to remember any time we had together by.

I ended up in the cafeteria. Yeah, probably the loneliest place ever tonight but I wasn't sure where else to go. I didn't wanna go home this early. It was barely even an hour. I think, anyway. Ok, i wasn't keeping track. I wasn't even sure how long I was just sitting in there twiddling my thumbs or fiddling with the necklace. I know neither of those would accomplish anything but I didn't know what else to do. Cut a guy some slack, please. I never even made it far enough with a girl past the first five minutes of a date before. Ok fine, you all know I never even made it to a date with a girl before tonight. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. If I went after Taylor then she'd ignore me for sure.

"Hey Chad."

I almost jumped when I heard someone else in the cafeteria. Wait a minute, I was supposed to be alone! Who would.... Oh, it's just Ryan. I turned to look at him, then back down to the necklace on the table.

"What do you want Captain Clueless?"

"I was just coming in here to see if anyone else was going solo." he replied.

Yeah like I really believed that. "I wasn't going solo. I'm just solo now."

"What happened?" Ryan asked sitting down.

"Wait a minute, when did I say you could sit down here?" I gasped.

"Sorry..." he said slowly.

I sighed. I wasn't trying to be mean. Yeah, I was really in a bad mood. I knew I couldn't take it out on anyone. Not even Ryan. "No, you can stay. I'm sorry, I'm just...just out of the loop I guess."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

I shook my head. "I came here with this really amazing girl who I liked for a really long time and I completely wrecked everything. One of the cheerleaders pretty much dared me to take her here tonight even though the entire time she was the only girl I wanted to go with."

Ryan sighed and nodded. "Don't worry, man. You're not the only one who isn't with the girl they wanted to be with tonight."

"You got girl trouble too, huh?" I asked.

"I uh...sort of wanted to go with Kelsi." he said.

I raised an eyebrow. Kelsi as in Small Person? He wanted to go with her? But she said the guy she wanted to go with was with someone else. Was I supposed to be confused?

"It doesn't matter anyway." Ryan shook his head. "I know she likes Jason."

So that's who she wanted to go with! "I know you're still pretty much Captain Clueless but who knows, maybe things are gonna turn around. It could be one of those temporary crushes or something."

"Yeah I guess it doesn't hurt to think that." Ryan said. "Besides I don't think my sister would let me date another girl besides Kelsi."

I chuckled. That was probably the only thing that would put me in the slightest good mood now. "Well at least you might still have a chance with your girl." I admitted my laughter dying.

"It's Taylor isn't it?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

"Sharpay always saw those kinds of looks you gave her. She's point them out to me all the time." Ryan answered.

"What?" I gasped.

"Well, she never told anyone. Sharpay may be a gossip queen but she's not totally heartless." Ryan shrugged.

I shook my head quickly. "I'll just take your word for it."

"Well can you fix things with Taylor?"

"I don't think so man. I liked her for a really long time. I thought this was gonna be my night. So much for that."

"The night's still young."

"Young, shmoung."

"Hey if there's one thing that working in the theater world taught me, nothing's over until the clock strikes midnight. And that's about what time the after-party ends isn't it?"

I shook my head, making a slight face. "Dude I think you watched way too many fairy tales when you were little."

"Forget who my sister is? She lived off those princess movies." Ryan stated. Oh yeah, good point.

"I've got till eleven." I replied.

"Then it's not over till the clock strikes double one's." he shrugged. "So what are you gonna do?"

I looked at my watch. "i don't know. Maybe I'll just go home and count my losses. Go outside and get some air, then take the short way home."

"Well good luck with that." he told me.

"Thanks." I muttered before getting up.

"One question?" Ryan asked as I was about to leave, which kinda made me turn back to him. "Any chance you could lay off the Captain Clueless?"

I thought for a minute. "Maybe if tonight somehow works out."

He didn't seem to blame me for that. "Catch the pumpkin carriage. Catch the pumpkin carriage." Ryan told me before walking out of the cafeteria.

What the heck was that supposed to mean? "But I don't like pumpkins! They give me a rash!" I covered my mouth. See this is what happens when I'm all down in the dumps. I say things I'm not supposed to. Like how my hair only looks its best when my mom combs it before I go to school. Dang it! See what I mean? Oh what's the use? I sighed heavily and just left the cafeteria. Maybe I should just clear my head for a few minutes before heading home and explaining to my dad what happened. Without all the messy details. I usually think best when I'm around water so I went out the front doors of the school and over to the fountain. I sat on the edge of it and just stared at the water. First thing's first: water is not blue. Why do they always make it blue in cartoons? This water is clear. A little dirty, but clear. Well I guess the dirt that got in there kinda gives it a brown tint, but it's mostly clear. You know what I mean. Wait, what was I gonna do?

I turned my head to look at the necklace in my hands. Oh yeah, I think I knew what I wanted to do. Or what I should do. I just took the necklace and dropped it in the water. Yeah, just float...float...ok now sink...sink...keep sinking. Yup, right down there to the bottom. Sorry necklace, I guess that's where you belong now. Maybe someone will see you and actually wanna pick you up. Cause obviously I don't have much use for you anymore.

"Chad can we talk?"

I turned my head almost jumping at the sound of the voice. It sounded like Taylor and for a minute I thought I was going crazy. But as soon as I saw her I turned my head back to the water. I wasn't supposed to look at her, talk to her, or think about her. Why was she even bothering talking to me? Taylor hated my guts.

"Chad please."

I don't know why she was so insistent. I mean, I wanted to talk to her. I desperately did. But I wasn't supposed to. "You told me not to talk to you. Or look at you. Or think about you." I reminded her quietly, hoping I wouldn't get a slap for that.

I could see from the corner of my eye that she was sitting down on the fountain. I mean it's not that I was looking at her, i just happened to notice. And Taylor wasn't really sitting next to me, it was more like a couple of feet away. "I never said you couldn't listen to me." she replied.

I guess she did have a point. But I still didn't say anything. I just gave a nod.

"I'm sorry." she told me. "I'm sorry about everything. About all those fights we used to have. And I'm especially sorry about everything I said tonight. I should have believed you."

Yeah, she should have. But I wasn't gonna hold that against Taylor. I couldn't say I blamed her or I heard her move her hand in the water or something.

"This doesn't belong down there. This is where it belongs." she said.

My first guess was that she was putting the necklace back on, but I wasn't expecting her to. She hated my guts. I wanted everything to do with her but she wanted nothing to do with me. Why would Taylor even want the necklace now? But what really threw me off was what she said next.

"I've liked you since third grade." Taylor confessed. And I knew she meant it. I only turned my head slightly to look at her, but I didn't need to. I knew from her voice she was telling the truth. It was just the way she said it. But when I looked at her she wasn't looking at me. What did I do now? "Remember when it was recess that one day and and it started raining really hard? I was on the monkey bars and there was a big pile of dirt under where I was hanging from. It started getting all muddy, and I lost my grip on the bars because they got so slippery. I fell into the small mud puddle and everyone laughed at me while they ran back in and none of the teachers did anything. But you came over and helped me out of the puddle, and then took off your sweat jacket and it on me. You ran inside after that, but you were the only one who stayed and helped me. That' the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

I listened to every word Taylor said. I never knew that. I mean, I guess I had helped her that day cause I sorta liked her. I remembered it perfectly. And I know even then we hated each others' guts but ever since then...I don't know. It was just one of those stupid ways to cover up feelings. And I don't even know why Taylor looked so hurt now. I was listening to her. I knew exactly what she was talking about. Why was she looking at me right now like I wasn't paying any attention?

"I overheard you and Ryan talking earlier. You were saying all those things and how you felt...that you really did want to take me tonight. And that you liked me since grade three." I could hear her voice cracking as she said that. The last thing I wanted was for her to cry, especially in front of me and because of me. I never mentioned directly to Ryan that I liked Taylor since third grade but I guess it was obvious. I mean that was around the time that I started completely biting her head off to hide everything and when she started doing the same thing to me. I didn't even need to say it. But I knew there was something I did need to say. I turned my head away from Taylor cause i wasn't sure how she was gonna react to this.

"I helped you that day because I felt like I owed you. There was that one day I forgot my lunch money and you split your lunch with me. And I thought it was really sweet. Especially since after that you always dropped a few Goldfish crackers on my desk during snack time when my mom packed me something healthy like an apple. I just figured that if I was always mean to you and argued then no one would suspect I liked you. I was ashamed of liking someone who I thought was a boring nerd when I was never supposed to be." Ok yes, I hated apples. Yes, Taylor was the only person besides Troy who'd split their lunch with me when I forgot my money. Alright she technically only did that once, but I'm almost willing to bet that if Troy hadn't helped me out all those other times then Taylor would have because she was a nice girl who cared about other people. I mean yeah, we're all selfish sometimes, but I know that she always means well and just cares about other peoples' well beings.

"And I always argued with you to hide my feelings. And because you always had to pick a fight with me." Taylor continued.

Yeah I guess that was true too. But no more lies. No more beating around the bush. It was time to be honest. Like a hundred and twenty-five percent honest. I turned to face Taylor and looked at her directly in the eyes. "When I asked you out it wasn't cause of what Ami said. It was the last thing on my mind. I did wanna go with you. I wanted to impress you. And I wanted tonight to be really special."

"I guess neither of us made it a great night." she said quietly.

I looked at the ground, then back at Taylor. "Do you think we can fix that?"

"Only if you can forgive me for being a jerk and spilling my water all over you." she replied looking at me.

Come on Chad, now's your chance to win her back. Make her laugh. "That's ok. My hair just enjoys getting wet so it can stick to my face." I joked. I smiled when I saw her giggle. Yes, it was working. And she had a smile back on, too! Oh man please tell me this is working out. Things cannot get screwed up again. "There's that smile." Yeah, corny I know. But I really did like her smile.

"You do have that effect." she said blushing. Still cute.

"You kinda have that effect on me too, Tay." I smiled.

"And I kind of like that. You called me Tay over the phone when you called me, too." Taylor said.

Now my face was turning red. I knew she caught that. I just thought she'd hate it. "That was kind of by accident."

"But it is a really nice nickname." she replied.

Guess that means the accident was a good thing. I know I was taking a bit of a risk here, but I knew something was heating up between us. And I didn't want it to stop. I ended up taking the next move and reaching to take her hand. She let me take it and I held it. I liked it. And it wasn't when our hands sorta accidentally touched in the cafeteria when we were trying to figure out what to do about Troy and Gabriella. We were holding hands on purpose. I liked this feeling.

"Maybe I'll call you that more often."

That made her smile. "I'd really like that."

"Tay it is then." I said with a smile. I was really getting into it now. "So then what's my nickname?"

She giggled. I like her laugh, too. Did I mention that yet? "I think we'll still with Chad."

"That's it?" I whined playfully.

"Unless you'd prefer something like Fuzzy Bear." Taylor said ever so innocently. i'm not joking, that's really how she said it.

Wait a minute, did she say Fuzzy Bear? No, no, no. I do not look like a teddy bear. Chocolate cotton candy on a human body, alright maybe in a cartoon, but not a fuzzy teddy bear. "Never mind." I said quickly.

That made Taylor giggle again. I couldn't help but just smile at her. I was just getting this feeling watching her. Like we were supposed to do something. I felt myself leaning in towards her, but I was thinking in the back of my mind that Troy would pop up any minute to interrupt as revenge for what I did to him and Gabs earlier. So I interrupted one little kiss. Big deal - I could interrupt plenty more of their kisses later on whenever they tried that. But this...I didn't want this to be interrupted. Maybe I should just get it over with. But wouldn't you know it, in the middle of all my thinking I did end up kissing Taylor. I'm in shock about it, too. Let me repeat that for you. I ended up kissing Taylor. Ok one more time so it can really sink in and so I can really feel the heat and excitement from it. I'm kissing Taylor! And what made it even better - she kissed me back! Ok yeah, the kiss was short but it was so worth it. Cause when we pulled away we were both smiling and red and just looking at each other.... Oh man, first date and first kiss all in the same night. If I am dreaming then please, no one pinch me!

Oh wait, better say something so i don't seem like a total goofball. "Ready to go back in?" I asked standing up. "I believe I still owe you a dance."

"I think we have just enough time for one." Taylor said with a smile.

I smiled and remembered what I said to her earlier. I said it was her lucky day cause she had a date with me. But you know something? "Must be my lucky day." I helped her off the fountain and we walked back into the school hand in hand. This was wrapping up so nicely. The school's all together, everything's working out between everyone, we've got ourselves a triple victory, and I got my dream girl. But there was just still one thing on my mind that I couldn't help but smile about. I couldn't help it, I just had to ask.

"So...your middle name's Annabelle, huh?"

Yeah, that's the end of it. ^^' Couldn't really think of what else to say here, I mean it's the end of the story so what else is there to say? XD I've been planning for this chapter so much since I started and like the rest of the story there's a good few different ways it could have happened. And the way that I typed up is the one that after a week is still stuck in my head so I really hope it turned out as well as it did in my head. No really, I do mean that, because my head is so scatterbrained inside. I think there's a walnut sized brain jumping around in there. lol So once again thank you, thank you, and thank you for enjoying the story. And you know what, I'm giving a shout-out to all the reviewers in here cause you all had such nice stuff to say.
Digigirl02: You write the simplest things in your reviews and I absolutely love that because just reading 'I liked it' or 'great chapter' is really one of the things that pushes me to keep going with a story. Very friendly comments and very encouraging. C=
Xo-kween-dilemma-xo:I'm guessing that you were loving this story. lol I don't care if it's just one chapter or one scene that you love or any one thing of it, I'm just glad to know that you loved it and never missed a chance to say so! ^^
Iheartchad andtaylor:I know your review was all the way back in the first chapter and I really hope you've still been keeping in touch with the story. I've read your reviews on other stories that I have and like everyone else's they are so encouraging and it's one more reason to keep on writing. (:
ChaylorTwilightQueen10: lol always so nice to hear from you. Very encouraging as everyone else is and very entertaining to read your reviews. Especially when you mention something specific in the chapter like how funny Jason is I think back to the scene and then I start laughing about it. Always gotta keep the humor with Jason and Chad right? XD Hope you keep on reading and I'm looking forward to your stories as well!
RamandusDaughter23: The one thing I will always remember you saying in your reviews is "Chaylor Rules" and I have to say you're absolutely right! I love reading that at the end of your reviews. Very encouraging, as usual and always enjoying something that one of the characters does. So...what color crowns did we say Chad and Taylor were having, purple and gold? 8)
Chayler lover: Did you really think I would stop writing the story after the middle chapter? lol Sorry, couldn't resist asking! But how did you know I was going to write about the after party anyway? Psychic! And very happy to know you're enjoying this and another story as well. =D
RockyShadow: You alwyas give such insightful reviews and you point out something specific you like and why it's good or just name the little things about each part that you like. I really enjoy reading them especially when you point out things that I don't even notice in my writing right away. Thank you very much! ^_^ I really hope you're able to continue your Reunion at the Zoo story soon and that you're able to add the next chapters whenever you can.
LetsJustSing: I know you only reviewed once and it was just a suggestion for the story, and I thank you for the suggestion, but this story only focused around the first movie. But I have read a nice oneshot about that scene and a nice chapter about it for a story that has been done centering around the deleted scenes in HSM3. But trust me, I try to picture what's going on with those swings every time I watched HSM3.
Lilmissmonique: I'm guessing that you loved the story as well from the reviews. lol So to that I saw thank you very much for the love of the story...if that even made any sense. XDDD Yeah, attempting to be funny over here.
Chaylorxtraylorlover101: Like everyone else, I love hearing from your reviews. Just the fact that you say you like or love a chapter is one of the reasons I do continue stories. Always good to hear 'I liked it' or 'I loved it'. c:
Hsm rocks: Glad that you've been loving the chapters and everything that's been going on.I really hope that this chapter and all the others that took forever to write were woth the way. C=
Hsm lover: Sorry for the wait of all the chapters but the updates have all eventually come and I really hope they were all as enjoyable as the previous updates. n_n
HSM: I know the suspense was well...suspenseful so I don't know what else to say except thanks for dealing with the suspense. xD
Sharpy: Thanks for your suggestion for that one chapter about it being long as opposed to short. I think I went with it being long, even though it was so long ago I don't remember now, but hopefully this chapter was at least long enough if nothing else was. lol I'm glad you enjoyed this chapters and I hope you enjoyed the story overall.
Mzwendy85: I do enjoy hearing from you and I do like the positive reviews you give saying you like it and usually one thing you enjoy in the chapter. Always nice to hear from you and can't wait to hear more! =3

Thank you once again to everyone! Stay tuned for more stories and maybe I'll come up with another version of this story, just maybe. Depends if I have another idea and if you guys would want to read it. There is still a poll on my profile to decide the next story as soon as I am done with Beauty and the Beast. Not many votes have been casted yet and there's currently a tie between two stories. Feel free to vote, and the poll will be up for probably two more weeks. Hope to hear from everyone once again! And once again, thank you for enjoying this story. Big hugs to everyone! C=