Work This Out (High School Musical)

Three: A World Turned Upside Down

Taylor picked up Chad the next day. He was bringing his skateboard to leave in her car's trunk this time, mostly so he could just head straight to the gym after work. 

"So, I've been thinking." Taylor looked at him before he'd even gotten his seatbelt on. "I wanna know if you guys wind up talking again today." 

"Why?" Chad frowned a little, looking back to her and shifting uncomfortably. "I'm not gonna be some spy for you, if that's what you're gonna ask." 

"That's not at all what I'm gonna ask." Taylor shook her head. "I just...I just wanna know, okay? Research." 

Chad huffed a little. "Alright, alright," he said, waving her off. "I will. What time are you off?"

"Eight. That gonna be good?"

"Yeah, I should be seven, seven-thirty." 

Taylor drove the rest of the way in mostly silence. Maybe she occasionally said something about the radio, and when they got closer she did make small talk about work, but Chad wasn't totally listening. He tried, and he engaged, but small talk is small talk.

Even when he first got to work, it wasn't bad. Fulton told him he'd be caddying again in the afternoon, dining room in the evening. It was a good gig, really. Though, he was surprised to find out he was caddying for the Evans family again. For a second, he was ready to go through the ordeal with Troy again, but upon remembering his friend had gotten a promotion, that excitement fell. 

He wasn't alone, caddying. It was a non-Wildcat who was working alongside him, someone he didn't know, but he probably wouldn't be getting to know the dude. He seemed quiet and withdrawn anyways, Chad didn't want to interact.

But Ryan was there, and open to walking with Chad from hole to hole, which may have been the strangest part. Sometimes they talked, about small, mindless things, and sometimes they didn't. 

The conversations were mostly meaningless, when they did happen, but Chad didn't mind the chats, admittedly. Kept him entertained at least. The extra lifting he was doing on the side was definitely helping carry around the extra bag. Hopefully he wouldn't end the summer looking like a rower now, only one arm being super buff. 

He was back to waiting tables by four, some strange feeling entering his system by the time he was there. Like...some sort of strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, made him feel like he was walking on air. It almost felt like anxiety, but Chad knew he wasn't really super anxious. 

He had a short break, ten minutes, when he could talk a little bit with Taylor when she was on her way between rooms. She hadn't been dismissive, but she had said they'd have to talk about it later in the car, that Fulton would have her neck if she wasn't there in three seconds.

Plus, with Troy gone to be only on the golf course...he was limited on people he could talk to, especially about something that he suspected to be anxiety-related. Maybe Zeke? But he was always busy. Gabriella if she was on break could work too, but she wasn't.

So instead, Chad spent the rest of his shift feeling slightly nauseous, lighter than air and most of the time keeping to himself. He managed to be friendly with members, but he couldn't completely stick around to be his usual charming self for longer than needed. 

They drew straws to deal with the Evans family. Of course, Chad got stuck doing it. All their plastic smiles just seemed to make his nausea worse, and he had to go rest his head against a cold surface once he got a second out of the dining room. At least Sharpay wasn't being difficult tonight, her father was, but that was fine. 

Maybe Chad just needed more water? It was dry out here, he could be dehydrated.

But if he drank anything, he'd certainly wind up gagging.