Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As Chad hits the home plate, the crowd erupts in a frenzy of roars and applause. He has somehow landed on his back and can feel the little stones poking him in the back. As he lays there for a moment, finally catching a breath and taking in the familiar feeling of victory, he stares at the sky. It is bright, blue and promising. Despite what had been a rather shitty summer, for almost the first time at this resort, he feels at home.

Suddenly, he feels something-  no, someone moving under him. Oh yeah. Ryan disentangles himself from under Chad, blond hair gleaming, and stands up. His pristine white pants are smudged with mud and green stains, but he doesn’t dust them off. He simply picks his striped hat up and walks off, shoulders low, back firmly turned away from the team. For what feels like the first time, Chad questions his previous beliefs about something. He had always thought of Ryan as some sort of shiny extension to his uppity sister, devoid of his own motivations. But there was something about the way that Ryan had played today, with certainty and commitment, that had surprised Chad. He had been a worthy opponent. Having been praised by Coach Bolton for his good sportsmanship, he makes a quick decision to keep him around.

 “Hey Evans?” He shouts out and stands up.

Ryan freezes and turns back to him, looking stunned. What a funny guy.

“I know I said that I don’t dance, but if I did…what would you have me do?” Chad asks with a grin.

Ryan’s expression turns into a slight smile and he shakes his head before turning around, headed to what looks like the locker rooms.

Chad turns back to his team to celebrate, and met with a dozen enthusiastic and somewhat painful  pats on his back. And his arms. And his…head? Before he can shield himself, Zeke Baylor grabs Chad’s hat, in an unfortunate yet characteristic case of the Zeke zoomies. He laughs wildly, sprinting off with his stolen treasure like a rabid raccoon. So far, Chad and the rest of the team have concluded that the sugar from all that baking has gotten into his brain, and that’s why he has these random outbursts.

“Wooo!” Zeke screams as he runs to the opposite side of the field. “Come get it Chad!” He yells, doing a weird little dance and making some questionable thrusting motions. Chad sighs, refusing to take the bait.

“Zeke! You better bring it back right now!” He shouts at the other boy, who seems to be making a celebratory loop around all the bases. The rest of the team erupts in laughter at Zeke’s antics and Chad gives up hope of getting his hat back, simply laughing with the rest of the team.

Liam, a scrawny long-haired kid, one of the outfielders, cackles and screams out:

“Yo Zeke, stop dancing like a little fag and bring the hat back!”

He shoots Chad a squinty, hopeful glance, as the team erupts in laughter at the joke. Chad’s laughter shrivels up and there is a sudden tighteness in his chest. Still, unwillingly, he meets Liam’s eye and shrugs, giving him a tight smile. At this, Liam positively beams and continues, dialling up the comments and earning more breathless laughs from the rest of the team. An oblivious Zeke has now started doing the worm on the third base.

Chad turns to go to the crowd. He is never sure how to feel about guys like Liam, or what they expect from him. It seems like since Troy isn’t around for them to kiss up to anymore, Chad is their new chosen one. He doesn’t know how Troy does it, walks through life like he deserves to be worshipped. But Chad hates it.

Spotting Taylor and Gabriella, he walks to them and Gabriella starts jumping up and down when she sees him. Taylor simply applauds. It’s so much easier with them. Chad basks in the simple joy of their company, while checking the field, waiting until all of his teammates have left.

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Chad says goodbye to the girls, timed perfectly so that he arrives just as the others are leaving. He enters the dressing room to find Ryan alone and shirtless and still in his stripped pants with the stains. He is hunched over the sink, washing his shirt. Chad simply watches him for a while, eyebrows raised.

“So…you mean to tell me that you don’t have some fancy changing room just for you?” Chad teases as he carefully walks into the room, sidling up next to Ryan. Ryan jumps, and turns around to look at him in unhappy surprise, face pale. After a beat, he seems to compose himself, but turns back to his work, eyes and hands glued to his soapy shirt.

“No, there is only one locker room on the resort…unfortunately” Ryan replies, clipped, whispering the last word.

“You know, I thought I saw you headed in this direction earlier, what were you doing this whole time? Thinking about someone, Gabriella maybe?”

The blond boy sighs, “Why are you so nosy?” He snaps with exasperation exasperated.

“Okay, hey now, I was just teasing, bro. There’s need for you to tell me.” Chad says, raising his hands in surrender. “You know, Evan's, you don’t have to be so grumpy.” He says with his ice-breaking teasing tone.

Ryan stops washing and rests his hands on the corner of the sink. Uh-oh. “Chad, you just suggested that I use a different locker room. I mean, I waited for all of you to leave, and it’s your fault that you are late. So, leave me alone, okay?” He states, glaring at Chad through the mirror.

Chad feels uncomfortable again, “Hey, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant i-“ Chad sighs and walks over to the bench and sits down. He seems incapable of saying the right thing at the moment, and resigns himself to undressing in silence. Chad runs his hands through his hair, pushing the curls out of his face. Maybe I should just listen to my old man and cut it. He thinks as he haphazardly pulls at his laces.

After a beat of silence, he hears Ryan sigh. “Okay, fine. I went to the fountain, and waited for you guys to finish up.”

“Why?” Chad asks, genuinely perplexed. “I mean, I know we weren’t friends before, but I think the guys really like you, man. I mean, I think you can play a sick game of basketball, there’s no need to avoid us.” He says.

Ryan, simply looks at him, through the mirror, looking positively stunned.

“What, dude?!” Chad asks.

“You really don’t know, huh?” Ryan says, slowly.

Chad shakes his head.

“Oh, well. I’m gay.”

“Oh.” Oh. That….oh.

Chad isn’t stupid. He knows that gay people exist, and if one were to look at tv and stuff, then yeah, it makes perfect sense that Ryan is gay. Sure, the guys would talk about it in the locker room, but to them, everything and everyone was gay. So, Chad never thought it was true. To be honest, he had simply never thought of Ryan independently of Sharpay. He saw them as a glittery unit. He also didn’t think that gay was something that anyone would be crazy enough to try too be at a place like East High.

He tries to think of why Ryan would avoid hanging out with the rest of the team, but he doesn’t have to ponder for long. Liam’s words echo in his head, the laughter, the way he was complicit. Chad doesn’t really know how to feel. But he knows he somewhat respects Ryan now, and maybe the gay thing shouldn’t matter that much. He thinks of the way Ryan averted his eyes when he walked in, scared of being a creep. It was probably lonely, to be that way. Chad knew the feeling.

He shakes his head and says, “Cool”.

“Cool?” Ryan looks at Chad through the mirror, mocking him. His face and tone soaked with sarcasm as he looks Chad straight in the eyes, through the mirror. “Cool, really?” A question.

Chad shrugs, “Yeah.”

He’s choosing not to think about it, and doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, especially since the moment seems delicate for Ryan.

Ryan’s eyes turn from questioning to tearful, and Chad pretends not to see it. He looks back to the sink and wipes a hand over his face. The silence grows and so does the feeling that Chad owes Ryan something in return. He walks over to the mirror next to Ryan and rests his hands on the sink, feet bouncing up and down. Ryan doesn’t change his position, simply looks at his shirt. Taking a deep breath, he, says-

“My name isn’t Chad” He says it to his reflection. He looks to his left to see that Ryan has turned away from the mirror and is now looking straight at him. He is leaning against the sink now, arms crossed over his naked torso, red-rimmed eyes questioning agin. Chad gives a humourless snort.

“Yea well…it is now. But my first name, my real name, is Amare. My mom named me it, after her grandfather. But ever since she-”

He swallows hard, he doesn’t have to tell him everything. He’s not sure why he is saying all this at all, except it seems like the fair thing to do right now.

“Yea I’m Chad now. Dad said that it’s easier to pronounce. And that it would…make things easier for me. So, yeah.” He glances once more at his reflection. At his skin, pale, yes, but undeniably brown. At his hair, curly and tangled like his mothers, but softer, lighter, like his fathers. Eyes just like his uncle’s, the only other Ethiopian man that he knows. Only his uncle still calls him Amare, the few times he gets to to visit him in Washington D.C. His little cousins, two girls, called him Chad.

They stand in a comforting, companionable silence for a moment. Chad notes that Ryan does not want to bite his head off anymore, which is a win.

Ryan eventually clears his throat, “A-mar-e? It’s… what does it mean?”

Chad shrugs, “Well believe it or not, in Ethiopia…” he grins cockily, “it means handsome boy.” Jumping behind Ryan, he makes several ridiculous poses for effect, flexing in the mirror.

Ryan chortles, body folding in half, “No fucking way!” He shoves Chad and Chad avoids it, still making ridiculous poses.

“Hey, your secret is safe with me.” Chad says sincerely, only to be met with laughter.

“It really wasn’t a secret, you are just deeply oblivious…’bro’” Ryan says and starts laughing again.

“Okay, okay, whatever.” He replies, playfully rolling his eyes. He makes his way back to the bench and starts untying his laces again.

“Danforth?” Ryan says, and Chad looks up. “Your secret is safe with me.” He returns to washing his shirt and they finish getting dressed.

==================================================================================

As the summer winds to a close a little bit like that baseball game, Chad thinks. It’s much better than when it started. Maybe it’s because Troy has finally come to his senses and crawled out of the vice-like grip of Sharpay’s jaw. Maybe its because they got to perform at the showcase, and Gabi came back. Maybe it’s because he actually got to spend the rest of the summer hanging out with people he thought he would never get along with. On the final night of their stay at the resort, everything is quiet except for the sounds of him and his friend quietly celebrating. Sharpay even talked the manager into letting them "loiter"on the large green lawn overlooking the mountains. The air smells like cut grass and earth, and his shorts dampen from the moist bluegrass on which he sits cross-legged, staring at the mountain-view. He knows he will look back at this summer fondly. He lifts the lighter in to the lantern, and wonders exactly how they are supposed to light these lanterns.

“What are you thinking” a voice enquires, and he swivels around to see Ryan. He is wearing his signature fedora, with a blue glitter band this time, and his face is beaming, probably due to the large trophy he was holding earlier. Victory suits him.

He looks around for everyone else, but sees Troy and Gabriella cuddled to his right and Sharpay and Zeke looking strangely cosy under a tree next to them. He shakes his head. His choice if he wants to date an alligator in Prada.

“Where’s- “

“Oh, Taylor wanted to be with Kelsi, so it’s you and me…dude” Ryan says, chuckling at their new inside joke.

“Suits me…bro.” Chad laughs “Hey,” he holds out the lighter, “do you know how to do this?”

“Sure thing Danforth” Every day since the baseball game, Ryan had called him Danforth instead of Chad. It was nice. Ever since then, Chad had made sure too include Ryan in all the team activities. It had only been a week since that day, but it had felt like they had known each other longer. And now?

As they lift the lanterns into the air, Chad feels like a lantern himself. A random seventeen-year-old boy on a hill, with his friend. Just for a sweet moment, free of the persona of Chad Danforth, his father’s son, the star basketball player who dates cheerleaders and has followers. Future senator, or whatever bullshit his Dad has in mind for him. He didn’t want the spell to end, he did not want to go back to school, where they all ignore each other and play the game.

He turns to Ryan, “I have a crazy idea.”

Ryan turns to him, a wide and free smile on his lips, lanterns reflecting in his dark brown eyes as they float away. “Yea?”

“Let’s be friends this year, for real.”

Ryan nods his head, “Okay, jock, let’s be friends.” Chad swings an arm around Ryan, and they watch the lanterns become smaller and smaller, and eventually, indistinguishable from the stars.

Chapter Text

Chad chuckles at the last reply, before yawning, palms rubbing circles into his eyes. Senior year was starting tomorrow, exactly one month from his last day working at the country club. It was a month that had mostly consisted of him hooping with his dad, Chandler, and texting Ryan. Like a dream, the warm closeness of summer together had totally slipped away, as if into a time capsule. The spell had broken, and everyone had retreated onto their own islands. Troy and Gabriella, back together, seemed to spend every waking moment together, while Taylor was at some leadership camp seminar thing. Zeke, together with the rest of the team, were spending time with their respective families. Ryan had only come back from the country club yesterday.

Ryan. The only part of the summer that had managed to bleed into today. He was funnier than Chad had anticipated, but also deeply and disarmingly strange. He knew a lot about music and pop and a bunch of random stuff that Chad had never even thought about. In reality, they hadn't seen each other since the night of the lanterns.

He glanced at the time on his phone. 8 pm. Chandler still wasn't home. He had been working on some case, and he was being weirdly cagey about it. Which was something he only did when he was representing a bad guy. Maybe it's a serial killer or something. Still, the few moments he got with his dad to play basketball in the early evening had now become eclipsed by work. He had also been sterner lately, asking questions about where he went and with who each day. Chad loved Chandler, but sometimes, he was…a lot.

Suddenly restless, he stands up and gazes out of his window into the dark street. It was silent and empty. Oh, the wonders of suburbia, he thinks with a deep sigh. Across the street, a few houses over, he spots a lone figure illuminated by the orange streetlights.

Troy.

Troy alone, cheerlessly bouncing a basketball. He launches it at the hoop, only for it to bounce right off. Chad chuckles. Get a grip man. Ball after ball bounces off the board and back onto the concrete. After the fifth brick he manages to miss the hoop entirely, the ball landing in the neatly trimmed hedge. Hunching over, Troy rests his head in his hands and stands still - way too long to be normal.

Damn, did Gabs dump his ass again? Chad wonders as Troy trails after the ball, now rolling in the street.

Chad hastily grabs his jumper, pulling it on as he bolts down the stairs and across the street towards the house.

"BOLTON!" He screams, scaring the boy so much that he lets out a high-pitched scream. The ball in his hands nearly falls onto the concrete. Chad bursts into laughter.

"I swear it's like your scream has gotten girlier. Wasn't puberty a few years ago, man?"

Troy's face lights up, regardless of the dig, and he passes to Chad. "Hey man, one-on-one?"

"Are you sure you're up to it bro? I just watched you launch like ten air balls in a row. It was painful." Chad clutches his chest theatrically. "Summer make you soft, Captain?"

"Oh, HAHA" Troy deadpans. "You start."

The Boltons have a good stretch of concrete anterior to their house, which was perfect for their late-night one-on-ones. Back in seventh grade, the three of them - Chad, Troy, and Coach Bolton - had painted the court lines together. They were mostly faded now, but Chad and Troy knew them by heart.

The moment Troy checks him the ball, the tempo shifts. They play fast, and instinctively, trash talking in between heavy breathing. Their sneakers quick on the concrete, the ball thumping against it over and over again. Chad tries to hit him with a crossover, but Troy sticks with him.

"Clamps," Troy grins.

Every time Chad goes up for a jumper, Troy is right there, blocking him or cleanly poking the ball away. They're both breathing hard, sweat dripping down their foreheads.

Yup, Chad thinks. Troy was once again confirming the theory that Chad had formed at thirteen, after many a summer spent hooping. To get Troy Bolton to play his best, just piss him off a little.

Sure enough, Troy snatches the ball mid-dribble, drives left, fakes right, and launches the ball straight into the net. Swish.

"Woooooah!" Troy screams as he jumps up and down in celebration, thrusting his hands in the air. Hands folded into a sleeping gesture, he takes a lap around the 'court' like he is Curry and just won the Championship League or something.

Shaking his head, Chad rolls his eyes. He's just so easy.

"Okay, Captain, maybe you still got it, round two come on!" He shouts collecting the ball, "I don't plan on losing this time."

"Sure thing, lemme just…" Troy trails off breathing hard, yet still jumping up and down like an energizer bunny, "Okay, lemme catch my breath first."

Nodding, Chad starts doing crossovers. Thump-thump. After a measured beat of silence, he offers, "You know, the way you were moving out here, I thought that maybe something had happened between you and Gabs…" he trails off, baiting Troy for a conversation in case it's what he needs.

"Oh no, yeah, me and Gabby are fine. It's actually really great, you know?" Troy says, looking skywards, with a small lovestruck smile.

"Okay, but…." Sometimes, getting Troy to talk about his feelings was like trying to get him to pass in the final quarter, basically impossible.

"It's just…it's senior year, you know. And Gabriella is super smart, like a genius-level smart. She has all these big dreams you know? Like going to an Ivy and taking over the world" he trails off chuckling.

It's on account of their friendship that Chad's food stays in his stomach and doesn't splat onto the concrete. It's nice to see Troy happy, but it's hard to get used to Troy's sappiness whenever he talks about Gabriella.

"So, you're scared that she's going to leave you for Harvard or something?" Chad asks, casually passing the ball.

"Yeah man, I guess it's just-" Troy lines up his shot. "I'm thinking that this must be our last year together, you know? What happens next?" The ball goes wide, clanging against the garage door.

When 'Troy and Gabriella' had first happened, it had seemed like an unfortunate mistake to Chad. Up until then, Chad and Troy had been best friends. Then, all of a sudden, nothing had mattered more than her. Not the State Championship. Not going to the University of Kentucky. Not even going Pro and being one of the Greats. To Chad, it had seemed like Troy was losing his way, throwing away his dreams for what? A random girl.

"Listen bro," Chad mutters, while collecting the ball, "I know I was a dick last year. But I gotta say, you and Gabby have something special. And it's changed you. You're different…better."

Chad had to admit it. It was apparent in the way Troy had stood his ground and slammed the door on all the opportunities that Sharpay had enticed him with, all on account of his friendships.

Hell, as hard as Chad had been on Troy, he had to admit. If someone had offered him a full ride to Kentucky? He would have gone in a heartbeat. It seemed that with Gabriella, Troy had found his way, a whole new way. Sometimes, Chad wondered what it was like, to love someone that much.

Chad continues, "Besides, do you really wanna spend the rest of the year moping around instead of enjoying it? Anyways," He proceeds, putting on his best worst Morgan Freeman impression. All gravelly-voiced, "You don't know what the future holds." This draws a snigger out of Troy.

Chad laughs along and they stand for a moment. Listening to the nothingness.

"Hey, did you just trick me into having a conversation?" Troy realizes incredulously.

"Yup" More laughter.

"What's up with you and Taylor anyway, I thought you had something going on for a second there." Troy says, nonchalantly, grabbing the ball from Chad.

"Nah, man." Chad shakes his head," It's not like that with us."

"Oh really? You sure?" With a tone of surprise.

"Yeah man, we're just cool." Chad shrugs and scratches his head.

"Aah, well… I really hope you find someone this year, man." Troy, staring Chad dead in the eye.

"Why, so I can be all disgusting and mushy like you and Gabs?" Chad asks sarcastically.

"Well, yeah." Troy says, strangely serious and moon-eyed. Chad blinks, caught off guard by the shift. For a second, he feels a strange tug in his chest - something like longing. But he shakes it off.

He snatches the ball from Troy, "Okay, enough conversation, bro. Round two?"

"Damn straight."
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School has definitely gotten off to an interesting start, Chad thinks. Today, the basketball team decided to wear their wildcat letterman jackets. Which doesn't make much sense, since technically, the season only begins in two months. According to Coach, it's important to show team spirit right from the jump. Not surprisingly though, people knowing that you were on the varsity team came with its privileges. Sure, some had always been there, but they were beginning to become ridiculously obvious.

The freshmen avoid him at all costs, not even daring to make eye contact with him. Which is a strange contrast to the sophomore and junior boys of all sport codes, who greet him and dap him up wherever he goes. It's a little hilarious how many "sup man's" he has given out by lunch. There is also the increase in appreciative glances from some girls in the hall. Can't pretend that he doesn't like that part.

As he reaches his locker to open it, he makes eye contact with a girl by her locker as well. Blond. She smiles at him shyly and turns back to her friend, giggling. He offers her a nod back. Maybe this is gonna be a better year than I thought.

"Nope, absolutely not. That is a freshman." Taylor McKessie interrupts, appearing spontaneously in his sight line, as she often does.

"Jesus, Taylor!" He flinches, he never gets used to it.

"Yes, exactly. He is watching you Amare." At first, she seems the same, her facial expression one of righteousness, like she is waiting to be tested. But Chad takes a closer look.

Her hair is in long braids, which is quite different for her. And her shoes-

"Whoa, peep the swag!" He hollers, ogling Taylor's sneakers, "Are those Nike Dunks? No way! So, this is how you spent your country club money, huh?"

Taylor mimes brushing dust off her lapels, which are notably absent, and instead replaced with a stylish black top with a woman on it. Solange Knowles.

"Maybe, maybe not" Taylor smiles mysteriously.

"Wow McKessie, I see you are moving differently this year, huh?" Chad teases, "You look good."

"I know, and you look-" her eyes briefly travel up and down his body, "Exactly the same." She concludes with a nod of satisfaction.

"Gee thanks," Chad scoffs, slamming his locker shut. Taylor cackles in glee.

Maybe it was something about being one of the few black kids at East High, but he feels bonded to Taylor in a way that felt more like family than anything. Like a cousin or a long-lost sister. Which is why he let her call him Amare. It just…felt right. They had come to this conclusion in junior year, but mostly just allowed people to draw their own conclusion about their relationship. Besides, she was way too bossy, if they were together, he would probably go insane.

"Let's go!" she said proving his point and leading the way. "You have lunch, right?"

"Yup." he sighs and resignedly matches her brisk pace. "Any chance you've seen Ryan, by the way? He wasn't in any of my classes…" Chad had caught a glimpse of him in homeroom, but hadn't seen him in any other classes.

"Oh, he has AP English with me. Wow, so you guys really are friends now, huh? That's good, I like that for you."

"Okay, Tay. And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Relax, I just mean, that I want you to experience new things this year. You know. Instead of just bro-ing out with your basketball friends all the time. It's healthy. Expanding your horizons. I don't know how to make this clearer Amare." She says, gesturing with her hands.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, don't make it weird."

As they step into the cafeteria, Chad immediately spots Ryan, back turned to the entrance. It's hard not to, as he is dressed in purple from head to toe. It's in his signature style: a neatly pressed shirt, a sweater vest and a matching striped pageboy hat. He looks kind of like a lively little grandpa.

Around the table sit some drama kids he recognizes but can't name, plus Kelsi, Martha, Sharpay (ugh), and Zeke. Zeke?

"Hey, look, it's Gabriella!" Taylor says, pointing to the centre table in the cafeteria. And there they are—Gabriella and Troy sitting with the basketball team. The group matches the cafeteria colour scheme, all white-and-red lettermans. A few cheerleaders surround them, in their red uniforms. So much for breaking the status quo, I guess. Liam, the scrawny junior then makes a joke. It must be seriously hilarious, because the entire table cracks up. One of the junior players even falls to the floor, cackling, earning Liam a dap-up from Troy. Yeah, no.

"Let's go this way!" Chad says, grabbing Taylor by the arm and leading her to the drama kids at the furthermost corner of the cafeteria.

"Hey! Ow! But-"

"Hey, you're the one that said new horizons, remember? You know? Fuck the status quo, down with the patriarchy, all that jazz?" He says with his best Taylor impression. She rolls her eyes.

Zeke spots them first and waves, decidedly not wearing his letterman today.

"Taylor! Hi!" Kelsi greets as she sees her, promptly scooting over and motioning her to sit. Taylor takes her seat, leaving Chad standing for a second.

It's never been in his nature to feel unsure of himself, or rather, it has never been in his nature to show it. But his right leg starts bouncing as he looks at Ryan's head. The last time he had seen him, they had written their names on a lantern and promised to be friends. Things had seemed easier then, when he had told him his name without hesitation. He wondered if it would be the same at East High. Selfishly, he wondered what this friendship would cost him.

"Yo, Chad, long time no see man!" Zeke greets. Ryan turns around at this, and his face lights up as he sees Chad. He moves over to make him a seat with no hesitation.

Accepting the silent offer, he squeezes next to Ryan on the bench. "Sup Zeke!" he returns, and gets a nod.

His attention returns to Ryan, who is eating a baby carrot. "I like your hat." It reminds him of his uncle.

Ryan tips his hat courteously, "Why thank you, Mr Danforth. Today, I decided to tap into my inner newsie."

"Your inner what?!"

"Oh sorry, I forgot you were uncultured" Ryan teases, "it's a musical with a lot of dancing boys, so, suffice to say it's my favourite one."

This catches Chad off guard and he cackles so loud that everyone at the table stares at him.

"Err, why are you here?" Sharpay demands, unfortunately acknowledging him. Naturally, her question is accompanied by a look of deep disdain. To the untrained eye, Sharpay and Ryan are nearly identical, all blond hair and matching purple outfits. But where he looks like sunshine personified, she gives off the impression of a piranha wearing a blond wig.

"To enjoy your company, of course." Chad replies, pulling out his most infuriating smirk. Used sparingly for maximum effect.

"Ugh, whatever." She rolls her eyes, and shifts her attention back to Zeke. They resume talking, a gigantic Troy-ish smile forming on Zeke's face. Jesus, was he blind or what?

"Is she always like this?" Chad whispers to Ryan.

He looks a little apologetic, "Yeah. Don't take it personally, she's just a little…"

"Clinically insane?" Chad offers, and Ryan snickers guiltily.

"Well, no, but sometimes it's hard to defend her." Ryan briefly watches her with a small smile. Her conversation with Zeke starts looking less like a conversation and more like an argument.

"So, what are you doing after school?" Chad enquires.

"Oh I'm probably gonna go to the theatre to practice my routine." He says in between carrot bites.

"Oh, you guys already doing one of those play thingies?"

Ryan slaps his forehead. "You can't be serious bro." he groans, putting on a fake deep voice. They both chuckle this time. It's just as easy as Chad remembers. "No, but seriously, I kind of have this dance competition next month and I have to choreograph. However, I am so far behind it's not even funny." he laments.

There's something about it, Ryan having a problem, that makes Chad blurt-

"Anything I can do to help?" At this, Ryan's eyes widen. His mouth opens and closes, like a fish, but nothing comes out. Oh.

Chad backpedals, "Uh, yeah. It's just that basketball season doesn't start until the winter. And practice only starts in a few weeks soo..so I have a lot of free time, you know?" he adds with record speed. His leg begins to bounce again.

"No yeah, of course, I was just a little surprised is all. That would actually really help." Ryan muses. Chad's leg relaxes. "So, Drama department, at two o'clock?"

"Yeah, let's do it…bro."

Their conversation is broken up by wild laughter from the rest of the group as Zeke does something Zeke-ish. Chad just shakes his head.
==================================================================================
That afternoon, as he walks into the pitch-black theatre, Ryan leading the way, he briefly wonders what exactly he's gotten himself into.

"So it's a one-on-one?" Chad enquires, as he tries to follow Ryan's footsteps.

A chuckle. "Okay, yes, but no, not quite. It's called a dance duet."

"Okay, and who is your partner, then, your sister?" He reaches out in front to avoid bumping into anything.

"Uh, no, it's one of my dancing buddies at the studio school. I offered to choreograph the whole thing by myself, which seemed exciting at the time-ahah!"

With a click, the theatre floods with light. It is entirely empty. And smells like rotting wood and dust. Not even Darbus, who Chad once thought lived here, was anywhere to be seen.

Ryan claps, "You can have a seat, I just have to finish setting up." Obeying, Chad walks downstage and takes a seat in the first row.

As he watches, he realizes just how much time Ryan must spend in this place. He moves from one side of the stage to the other with a confident stride. Opening the curtains, pushing the piano to the centre and moving the equipment around.

Ryan plugs his phone into a hidden socket at the side of the stage and after a beat, switches the speaker on. Bluetooth connected. A robotic voice echoes to the back of the empty theatre.

Ryan then stands centre stage and wipes his hands on his pants a few times. "I'll show you what I have so far. It's a little rough so don't judge." He warns jokingly, although he wrings his hands together a couple of times.

"Who am I to judge Evans? You can dance circles around me in your sleep." he hopes his smile is reassuring.
"Okay then."
The song begins and Chad picks up on Latin guitar strings from the speaker. It sounds familiar. Then Ryan begins to move. He sways his hips fluidly, like a snake. As the singer starts in Spanish, Ryan's arms lift to sway with his hips on rhythm. Then his feet begin to move fast, like tap dancing except his hips are swaying. Chad can't even see his legs anymore as Ryan twists and turns, spinning three times and landing perfectly on beat.

It's transfixing, the way he moves. Fluid yet strong and decisive. Like a cobra, he glides from one end of the stage to the other with incredibly fast footwork, like it's nothing. Chad notices his face is neutral and focused, like he's in his element. The same look Chad knows he has in the middle of a game.

At some point Ryan kicks his leg up to his face, and it's then that Chad realizes he knows this song. Bailando, a popular song Taylor used to love but that he'd never paid much attention to. Ryan finishes centre stage, hands spread to his sides, chest rising and falling heavily.

"Wooooooooooooooo" Chad feels himself holler from somewhere primal. He jumps up and applauds, once again taken aback, by Ryan's raw talent.

"That was amazing Ryan!" He is shouting, though he is not sure why.

Ryan, face red, takes a bow and beams. "Thank you."

"Seriously, how do you move like that?!" Chad exclaims, still standing, still looking up.

"Oh, it's not that hard, I just try to practice," Ryan shrugs abashedly.

He goes to grab water from his bag and sits down cross-legged on stage a few metres from Chad so that they were at eye-level.

Something still seems odd to Chad. "So, how come I never see you dance like this in your Play thingies- I mean your shows?"

Ryan shrugs again, "Well, Sharpay doesn't go to the same dance class. She's more vocally trained, so since we usually play the leads… we focus more on that. You know?"

"Yeah, well I think that's bullshit, I would pay lots of money to watch you dance, man." The words slip out of his mouth before he can catch them.

Ryan freezes for a beat, but carries on.

"Okay, as generous as that is, I don't think very many people at this school share that sentiment." Ryan quips, then punctuates with a sad laugh that pulls at Chad's chest.

"Oh." Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But Chad could not comprehend the unfairness. The athleticism that Ryan just displayed was equal to that of a pro player. It was worthy of an audience larger than the one that they got for away games. But, in lieu of stating the obvious unfairness of it, he diverts.

"I've been wondering—how come you and your sister are so different? You guys look the same, but she's so..." Chad mimes stabbing someone with exaggerated violence. "And you're just... you know."

"I'm what?" Ryan prompts.

"You're…cool." Chad finishes lamely.

Ryan gazes at him for a bit before breaking out into a laugh, "There's no way you're real Danforth. Cool?"

Chad shrugs and laughs awkwardly, unsure what else to do. "So…" he enquires, "how exactly am I needed here. Because as far as I can tell, you've got this down pat."

"No, that was just one, unfinished part of it. I have to choreograph my partner's side of the dance…that's where you come in." Chad says.

Oh. Chad's heart falls to his feet. "Uhm, yeah, don't want to do the girl part." Chad mutters, hands running through his curls. I should really get that haircut.

"I never said my partner was a girl," Ryan says, studying Chad's face. Chad imagines it for a moment—himself dancing like Ryan, hips loose and swinging. Then he sees Coach Bolton in the front row where he'd been sitting. Troy, Zeke, Liam, the whole team, all watching him.

"Uh, yeah, um, I'm not sure man. I don't really dance, anyways…" Chad stutters.

Ryan looks down, and shakes his head, "Yeah, yeah, of course not, you're not like that, I get it. It's okay, um, I can probably do it against a video. Thanks though." He looks around briefly, before going to the speaker and switching it off.

"Hey, we should probably get going anyways, the ghosts get a little aggressive the later it gets." Ryan warns.

Chad blanches, "What!" looking around frantically.

Ryan cackles and motions him upstage, "Oh man, I really wish I was joking."

==================================================================================
As Chad enters the house, he finds Chandler on the couch in front of the TV, clutching a Heineken. He's watching basketball, as usual, suit still on, tie loosened. Fresh from the firm.

"Hey champ!" he calls out. "Come see this, come watch."

Chad plops down next to his dad, who has a plate of takeout. Sometimes Chad wonders how his dad has managed to stay in such good shape.

"What is that, Thai?" Chad asks, trying to make out the food.

"Nope, Ethiopian," he replies, blue eyes filled with just the tiniest bit of guilt.

"Again? Dad!" Chad sighs.

"Hey, I can't help myself. It tastes almost like your mom's cooking." He laughs, but it rings hollow, like it always does. Chad doesn't know why Chandler bothers pretending like he's fine. It's harder to watch than him just being sad.

The TV is playing an old game, Golden State vs Lakers.

"You watching the greats, huh?" Chad asks, leaning back to take it in. Curry versus LeBron, legendary.

"You know it."

"How was your day? How was the trial?" he asks carefully.

"Yeah, uh, it was a shitshow," Chandler admits, wiping his hand over his face.

"Oh?" Still nothing.

Chandler sighs. "It was a kid. A young kid almost your age who got locked up. He was uh... he looked like you." Oh, this.

"The kid was smoking on the street, something me and George used to do all the time back in the day," he says, a hint of nostalgia in his blue eyes. "Basically nothing. Hell, back in the day, the cops would have had a smoke with us." He laughs, breaking into a cough. "But they put that kid away for 10 years. I tried to get them to lighten it but..." Chandler shakes his head and takes a sip of beer.

Chad's heart beats a little faster, betraying him. He doesn't like to feel scared, but...

"Listen champ, I just... I worry about you sometimes. I know that you're smart enough to know that you can't go around doing the same things Troy does sometimes. I just want to make sure that you keep that in mind."

"I know, Dad."

"Now I let you hang out with them for a reason, you know? It gives you good standing. It lets everyone see that you're just a regular kid, like the rest of them, you know?" Chad knows why. Ever since they were young, he's noticed the way Chandler would lump him in with the rest of the kids to make people forget that he stood out. The way he had moved them even further into suburbia after his mom died. But he stood out. And it was beginning to feel more and more like he could no longer pay the price of fitting in.

"I know Dad, I know," he says, and Chandler nods. They watch the game in familiar silence.

"You know, you're a good kid. Like your mom, kind. Always have been."

Chad laughs, scrunching his eyebrows. His father is strange. "Why are you saying this, Dad?"

"It's good to say it every once in a while."

That night as he tries to fall asleep, he thinks of the young man his father represented. Maybe they could have been friends. Or maybe they would have thought that Chad was weird. Then he thinks of Ryan, and his dancing. Chad loves basketball, and he still wants to go pro, but for some reason that he can't put a finger on, he feels like things are about to get more complicated.