Give love a try. [Chyan]

19. Show me the truth

Chad and Zeke were alone in the kitchen, Taylor was out wiping down tables and cleaning up while the two of them cleaned up the kitchen. Since Zeke helped him figure himself out, he had become something of a diary for Chad, sometimes it just felt good to talk and Zeke usually had some helpful insight on whatever situation was bothering him. "And he was so upset, Sharpay hurt him a lot by dropping him like that. I don't think I've ever seen him that upset, we ended up watching a bunch of Mean Girls style movies to make him feel better, and I guess it kind of worked. By the end of the night we were giggling and we talked about my mom so I guess that was a win." He told his friend while washing the days dishes.

The last bit of his sentence caught Zeke off guard, "Your mom? Why did you guys talk about your mom?" He knew that was not the take away he should be having from everything Chad said but can you blame him, it was a little weird.

Chad shrugged as he stacked plates onto the drying rack, "Yeah, he likes to ask me questions about my life and the people in it. Ryan's a bit of a gossip so I guess he just likes to know stuff, I don't mind though, it's cute that he cares." Zeke had to agree with that, Chad and Ryan were very cute, even rivaling Troy and Gabriella, not that the two of them would ever win that competition thanks to homophobia, but who cares about the homophobes, their opinions especially didn't matter. "And I'm starting to get worried about him because even though we watched the movies and laughed and he got his daily fix of information, he's still quieter than usual. He's not the same sugary weirdo that he was before, and he hasn't even burst out into a single show tune since Saturday which is very unlike him. This shit with Sharpay is affecting way more than I initially thought and I'm not sure what to do about it. I want to help him feel better but there's a lot more going on in his head than just hurt feelings. I can tell that much." Chad sighed as he thought back to breakfast that morning. He had made breakfast that morning with Ryan attached to his back like a koala, neither of them said anything, although there had been a few thoughts and questions that came to mind, he chose to leave those for later and allowed Ryan to take whatever comfort he got from using Chad as a teddy bear/standing body pillow.

Zeke was quiet for a bit as he thought over everything Chad said, "Well, my advice for this is the same as it is for most things. Talk to him, bring it up during one of your bedtime conversations and if he doesn't want to talk about it yet then let him know that you're down to listen whenever he is to talk." It was pretty simple advice in his opinion, but you'd be surprised how far communication can take you.

Chad sent Zeke a small smile, "That's really good advice, as usual. You're a good ass friend for putting up with all my crap. Thanks for that." Him and Zeke were quiet for a moment before breaking out into laughs as the tension lifted a bit from Chad's shoulders.

"Oh and before I forget, Justin and I are organising a game of baseball after work on Saturday since we finish early, we figured it'd be a fun way for us to unwind, you know. So what do you say?" Zeke asked, sliding off of the counter as the oven's timer went off. Since working in the kitchens, one of the chefs, Chef Paulo, had taken him under his wing and it has been fucking awesome. This is the best his cooking game had ever been.

Chad shrugged and nodded, "Sure, I'll see if Ryan wants to come." He claps Zeke on the shoulder before heading out, "Hey Tay, we're having a game of baseball if you want to come, it'll be fun." He poked Taylor in her sides grinning as she snorted.

Their relationship was definitely better now that the two of them weren't together. Dating a guy who was so clearly starting to fall for someone else had been weird and a little saddening but she also knew that Chad was a total himbo who probably would have stayed with her had she not done something. "I'll think about it, maybe Gabs will want to come. Sharpay has been trying to seduce Troy again, but it's starting to look like he's actually falling for it this time." It was all very concerning, and it's not like they can actually confront him on it because of how much Sharpay was isolating Troy from everyone else.