Song: Willing to Go (
song list)
Characters: Chad, Gabriella; Chad, Kelsi; Chad, Sharpay; Chad, Taylor
Relationship: Romantic
Rating: K
Chad sighed as he sat on the cement, rolling his basketball in his hands, and stared off into space.
“What’s up with him?” Zeke asked, walking up to where Troy stood a few feet away from the depressed looking Chad.
“I don’t know,” Troy replied. “His mom called me and said he was in a funk and wanted me to talk to him, but he won’t talk.”
“Then let’s not talk, let’s play some ball,” Zeke suggested.
“He doesn’t want to play basketball,” Troy sighed.
“Oh man, that’s means this is bad,” Zeke frowned. “The last time he looked like this -”
“Was after they broke up,” Troy finished.
“Ok, I’m here,” Jason announced, walking over to them. “What’s the emergency?”
“Him,” Troy said, pointing at Chad.
Jason took one look at Chad and shook his head, “Another one bit the dust, eh?” Troy and Zeke nodded. “Well, let’s start doing what we do best.”
Chad looked up as he saw his friends approaching; he was in no mood to deal with them right now. Standing up, he threw the ball to Troy then walked away; he just wanted to be alone to wallow in the ending of another relationship. He thought they were going to last; but in the end, it had ended just like the others.
I’ll travel lady a lotta miles just to find love
I’ll do any and everything for your love
And all I need to do is give you my heart
To show you there’s a deeper side to me
Gabriella had been his first girlfriend, if you could really call her that. They had been in the eighth grade and had “gone out” for a total of six hours. The only reason he had really asked her out was to make Troy jealous and it worked. He had ended up with out a “date” to the school dance, but Troy and Gabriella had been dating ever since then and they were going to be freshman in college in the fall.
They had what Chad wanted; they knew each other like the back of their own hand and they loved each other. They were destined to be together and the stars had aligned for them to be with one another early in life.
‘Cause I’ve been so far and looked so hard
I’ll never stop till I find what I’m looking for
See I been lost several times before
But I will search forever
Kelsi had been his first real girlfriend and they had dated for about six weeks during their freshman year of high school. The saying opposites attract applied to them perfectly: she was quiet and he was loud; she was short and he was taller; she was musical and he was athletic; she liked musicals and he liked horror movies.
Being with Kelsi had been fun for Chad and he had been the dominate member of their relationship-not that he had been bossy or controlling or anything. Kelsi was a very go-with-the-flow type person and let him make the decisions, which was ultimately the reason their relationship ended: he wanted somebody who could make decisions for herself.
I’m willing to go
To the end of the world
Even if it takes all my life
Just to find you girl
I’m willing to go
Willing to go
I’m willing to go
Willing to go
I’m willing to go
I’m willing to go
To the end of the world
That thinking landed him in the hands of Sharpay, his second real girlfriend, who he dated for half of freshman year and the beginning of sophomore year. She had been bossy, sassy, annoying, hot and all the other things that made Chad both love her and hate her. Dating Sharpay had been both exhilarating and terrifying: he never knew what was going to happen next-sometimes their dates consisted of making out in the back of her limo and other times he was following her around the mall, his arms full of her shopping bags.
Early on in the relationship, his friends warned him that he was going to get stuck in the middle of her trap and told him to break up with her before it was too late. But he was already stuck and it wasn’t until she demanded that he stop playing basketball and join the drama club that he realized it. Then within forty-eight hours, he was Sharpay-free.
Listen baby you know I’ll take any transport
Take a train, a car, even a love boat
Baby I would fly across the globe
As long as it leads to you
It was at the party his friends threw for his new singlehood that Chad met Taylor, Gabriella’s new friend. He liked her instantly, but after going through what he did with Sharpay, he was in no mood to start dating another girl. So instead, he and Taylor were “just friends” and stayed that way until the middle of junior year. By that time, they were doing everything together-studying, going to the movies, going out for pizza-and when an old lady at the bowling alley asked if they were dating, neither of them denied it.
He thought things between he and Taylor were like that between Troy and Gabriella. They were definitely opposites like he and Kelsi had been, but she also had a backbone that she used whenever she felt necessarily. She wasn’t afraid to tell him what she really thought about something, but was there to listen if he had something to say, too.
“All good things must come to an end,” she had told him a few hours ago.
She had then gone on and told him that the season for their romance had ended and now it was time for them both to move on.
Now he was all alone and broken hearted.
Oh I don’t mind if it takes all my life
‘Cause girl it’s worth the time
Tryin’ to find your love oh
Shaking his head, Chad continued down the path to the man-made lake. As he was nearing the clearing, he heard a girl scream and spun around to see you flying towards him being pulled on your rollerblades by your dog that is chasing a squirrel.
Thinking fast, he reached out and grabbed your dog’s collar then held his ground as you fell into him.
“Are you ok?” He asked you.
“Yes, thank you,” you nodded. “How can I repay you -”
“Chad, my name is Chad,” he replied. “And you don’t have to repay me.”
“I have to,” you told him after telling him your name.
“Well, I guess an ice cream cone wouldn’t hurt,” he shrugged. “Do you want me to take the leash?”
He walked with you back to your house then waited while you put the dog in the backyard and changed shoes.
While he waited for you, a thought that maybe you’re the one for him passes through his mind, but he shook it off, reasoning that it was too soon for any thoughts of that nature. But only time will tell.