Something Inside

All previous disclaimers apply.

Author’s Note: A very short filler chapter until the real action next chapter. I’m kind of really desperate for reviews, everyone. No one reviews my stuff anymore and I’m wondering if anyone really reads it and if it’s worth continuing. If you have time, please, please, drop a review.



“Are you seeing Ryan tonight?” Jason sighed, already resolving himself to the answer that he knew his best friend would give him. Chad had been seeing Ryan every night for months. He hadn’t even been coming to their pick-up basketball games lately. They’d started them for Chad, after all, because they all cared about him and wanted him to be able to do what he loved without the stress of being on a college team that would push his knee too hard and make him feel like his sexuality was wrong. The other guys were starting to get a little resentful toward both Ryan and Chad. No they weren’t. Jason sighed again. He was the only one getting resentful. His wife was nearing her due date, Chad hadn’t been by to see her lately and she missed him. He missed Chad, too, he could admit it. Chad was the best friend he had, next to Kelsi of course. He missed being able to hang out with him, talk about the things that worried them, play basketball with him. He was glad that Chad had fallen in love, but he just wished that the new relationship wasn’t so all encompassing.

“No,” Chad smiled at the shocked look on Jason’s face, “Ryan’s hanging out with his sister tonight. Besides, we have a game planned, don’t we?”

“We…yeah. Of course we have a game planned tonight. It’s been a while since you’ve been able to be there. You and Ryan sick of each other or something?”

“Hardly,” Chad laughed, “But, we realized we’ve been kind of wrapped up in ourselves these past few…months. We decided that we need to learn to be able to be apart.”

“Sounds smart,” Jason tried to hide a smile behind his hand.

“I saw that,” Chad laughed and threw an arm companionably around Jason’s shoulder as they walked toward the student center, “Seriously, man, I’m sorry I haven’t been around at all lately. This thing with Ryan just kind of took over, it’s been so new, so big, I let it become everything. I let him become everything. Same thing happened with him. And we both know that it’s not healthy.”

“No problem, man,” Jason nudged him in the ribs, “We all get that way sometimes. The fact that you and Ryan recognized it is a good thing.”

It was amazing how easy it could be to forget resentment when the one you were resenting apologized and sounded so sincere about it, Jason mused. And of course, Chad’s next question endeared him to Jason again all the more.

“How’s Kels doing?” Chad asked.

“She’s good. She’s huge, though if you tell her I told you that I’ll deny it completely then kill you myself. We’ve still got a month to her due date, but I swear, I’m on edge all the time. Every time she gets up to go to the bathroom at night, anytime she winces, anytime she does anything I’m so sure it’s time. I’m driving her nuts. I’m driving me nuts. Neither of us are sleeping very well. It kind of sucks,” Jason admitted.

“So, give her a call, I’ll call Tay, and we’ll see if we can arrange a little girl’s night for them. Taylor can go over to your place and they can do…whatever it is women do when they’re spending the night together. I’ll tell her Kelsi needs to relax. You and I will play some ball, order some pizza, drink some beer. You can hang at my place tonight knowing that Tay’s with Kelsi and hopefully you both gets some sleep and chill a little.”

“Man, I’ve missed you,” Jason laughed and pulled Chad into a headlock, “Let’s do it, buddy. Let’s set it up. You might just be saving my life. I think Kelsi’s about ready to kill me.”

“No wonder,” Chad snorted, “You being so ugly and overbearing and all.”

Jason let out a bark of laughter and took Chad to the ground. It was amazing how just like that they could be best friends again.




“Why aren’t you with Chad tonight?”

“What?” Ryan looked up from his book into his sister’s slightly panicked eyes. He blinked at her in confusion.
Wasn’t it Sharpay who had complained, not a week earlier, that he was spending too much time with Chad, that she saw him less now when they were in the same city than she had when they were continents apart? An exaggeration of course, but it had gotten the point across to Ryan that perhaps he and Chad were together too often. They were coming to depend on each other too much. Dependence was not a real relationship. And Chad had not been with his friends lately. Friends would be important through out Chad’s life, Ryan knew. Human friends especially. Chad needed to keep and cultivate those relationships. If he only spent time with Ryan those relationships would suffer. They had realized this together and had decided that at least one night a week, if not more, they would spend with their separate friends or family. Even after they moved in together when Chad finished college they knew that a tradition such as the one they had begun tonight would still be important to their relationship.

“Why do you ask?” Ryan raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior.

“You’re always with him!” Sharpay screeched, “How can you be away from him now when it’s the most important time for you to be with him?”

“Sharpay, what are you talking about?”

“Troy! Gabi!” Sharpay ran to the stairs and yelled up for her lovers, then ran back to Ryan. She took him by the shoulders, “Where’s Chad tonight, Ryan?”

“He’s probably playing basketball at the court with the guys exactly like he said he would be, exactly like he’s been doing for three years. Sharpay, what’s going on?”

“Yes, Sharpay, what is going on?” Gabi tried to act annoyed, but was smiling as she and Troy glided into the room, “What has you yelling…Ryan, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Chad?”

“What is it with you all tonight?” Ryan tore himself away from Sharpay, “Why this sudden interest in Chad?”

“Chad’s alone?” Troy asked, panic spreading across his face to match the panic on his girls’ faces.

“What’s going on?” Ryan asked.

“Tristan’s here. He’s been in America for days, but we didn’t think you had to know. We’ve been tracking him and he’s here!” Sharpay’s voice had reached new levels of screech, but Ryan chose to ignore it.

“So?” Ryan shrugged, “What does that matter?”

“Ryan, we’ve kept a lot from you,” Gabriella said, quietly, “For your own good, of course.”

“Exactly what have you kept from me?” Ryan’s voice had gotten low and dangerous.

“Tristan never got over you,” Troy said quickly, “When he said that you would always be his, he meant it. He’s killed every single one of your lovers since him.”

“Killed?” Ryan sat down hard, “What? Steven?”

“Two months after you left him. Why do you think we encouraged you to go down to Australia?” Sharpay sat on the arm of the chair and put her arm around him.

“Not to seem heartless,” Troy interrupted, “But, unless you want Chad to be added to the list, we have to move now. Explanations can come later.”

“He’s coming after Chad?” Ryan was suddenly on his feet again, his teeth bared and his hands flexing, like he was getting ready to tear something apart.

“It’s the only explanation for his presence here,” Gabriella tore her long skirt so that she could be more free to run. Sharpay was tearing off the corset she had put on earlier in the evening while Troy removed his suit jacket.

“If anything happens to Chad…” Ryan let the threat hang, and none of them were sure if it was meant for Tristan or his sister and her lovers. Without speaking he threw open a the window closest to him and jumped out. Gabriella began to murmur under her breath so fast not even Troy or Sharpay could tell what she was saying.

“Pray for Chad, Gabi, if you’re going to pray,” Sharpay jumped out the window after Ryan. Troy followed her.

“I’m praying for all of us,” Gabriella crossed herself quickly and jumped out the window to follow them.




“I don’t believe what I’m seeing. He’d rather be with you than with me? Puny, insignificant, disgusting human that you are as compared with me? Beautiful and strong and everything he should want.”

Chad froze at the voice that was suddenly in his ear as he packed up his things. He knew instinctively who it was before he even considered turning around. Hadn’t he known this day was coming? For days he had know that the vampire behind him would make a move. But, he hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

“Leave them alone, Tristan,” Chad murmured under his breath, knowing that Tristan would hear him as clear as day, “You want me and you can have me, no fight, no struggle. Just leave them out of it.”

“Of course,” Tristan’s voice was so close to his hear that he could feel the cool breath on his neck, “It’s only you I want, after all. The others mean nothing to me. I thought Ryan would never leave you alone. You’ll be the first of his flings that I’ll kill before he’s ended the relationship. It’s quite exhilarating. You’ll also be the only who will live after I’ve killed them.”

“No!” Chad gasped, and felt Tristan’s hard as stone hand strike him hard across the back of his head. The last thing he saw as he went down was Jason running toward him, a look of horror on his face.