Sorry for the delay! To make up for that, this chapter is extra long, 'kay?

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never will.

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Ballet: Offensive Defensive

Summary: She loved. But not him. Ballet. He didn't love her either. But . . . can things that drive people apart also push them together?

Those who know that silence is a blessing make sure they value it before it is broken. Tainted. Shattered.

But even though she knew it was coming, it was still a shock for Kelsi when Troy and Chad burst through the door shouting, 'Who's back?'.

Kelsi continued to doodle, drawing each swirl and stroke with precision as she willed her heart to stop beating so fast from the surprise. It was hard to ignore the shouts that were now coming from the 'Jock Side' of the class.

She exhaled tiredly, and watching in interest as Gabriella practically jumped on Troy to greet him, but Taylor laughed and shared a warm hug and kiss from Chad.

More doodling. As the volume increased, Ms Darbus graced the teens with her presence and got straight down to business, clearing her throat.

"When you are quite finished." Ms Darbus added sharply to the Jocks. "Why, thank you." She sat down. "As part of a scheme to get youths to be more active, someone will be coming in to talk to you about dance associated activities."

"Wow, Ms Darbus, that sounds good!" said Sharpay prissily, and Ryan nodded, interested and enthusiastic. Kelsi continued to doodle.

"I'm sure it will benefit many." Ms Darbus said. "The ballet classes will -"

"Ballet?" snorted Chad. "There's no way."

As Kelsi rolled her eyes, and went on doodling again, Ms Darbus sighed, "How can you boys not appreciate the art of Ballet, or Drama, or -"

"There's only two arts I appreciate." Chad paused for effect, and then declared, "My hair, and BASKETBALL!"

The roar from the Jocks was so deafening, Kelsi's annoyance shot up to the Unbearable Point. They're so dumb!

"Are you that idiotic? Basketball isn't an art, it's a stupid sport, so grow up!"

Silence. Heads faced her. Sharpay murmured 'Ohhh' at the idea of something new happening, and Ms Darbus looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Look who's talking. The mouse." Chad said quietly into the silence, on the verge of laughing.

"Shut it, Danforth." demanded Ryan, but Kelsi was already speaking;

"Look who's opened his trap once again to say something dumb. Lion-head."

This caused quite a satisfying reaction from the Jocks, who had their eyebrows raised, waiting for Chad's comeback, like the rest of the class. Even Ms Darbus seemed amused as she stood up slowly.

Chad shrugged, "I'd take that as a compliment if it wasn't coming from you."

"I'm insulted -"

"Damn straight; you should be."

"I wasn't finished." Kelsi hissed, standing up sharply. The atmosphere was so tense, the teens watched with eyes wide, and Ms Darbus was taken aback.

It was weird to see the Joker of the class so annoyed, and the shyest girl speaking up for once.

"It would have been insulting, if it wasn't coming from you," Kelsi mimicked, "After all, everything you say is a joke, right?"

Chad took two sharp strides forward, and Troy warningly put a hand on his shoulder.

Practically the whole class leapt out of their seats. Ryan looked warily at them both, Sharpay squealed with the excitement, and Taylor eyed her good friend and boyfriend uncertainly.

"Take that back."

"Make me, Toilet-brush head."

"Danforth! Nielsen! That s quite enough!" spluttered the appalled Ms Darbus, as the teens sat down, seething. A woman who wasn't there before was standing next to her. She cleared her throat.

"Hello, I'm just quickly going round all the classes to talk about Ballet seminars, a performance at the Red Mill Theatre, and Ballet classes starting from -"

"I don't need classes!" insisted Chad loudly, "I already know Ballet, look!" he stood up, much to everyone's amusement, and said,

"And plié and step. And plié and step. Rond de jambe and step, and elevé, turn. Chassé and step and . . ."

(A.N. Pronunciation: Plié: Plee-ay. Rond de jambe: Ron-de shaumb. Elevé: Ee-ley-vey. Chassé: Sha-say I'll tell you what they mean as well, if you wanna know.)

His arrogance almost made Kelsi explode, but she sat, silent, doodling away, ignoring him and his stupid . . . wait. How could Chad know all those Ballet terms and positions? He wouldn't unless . . .

Kelsi eyes widened. She slowly smiled and rose from her seat.People watched her, knowing something was going to happen. "Wow Chad, you sure know so much about ballet. Too much. You're an expert." She stood up, and Chad crossed him arms. "In fact, only someone who has done ballet would -"

"I wish you'd shut it for two freaking seconds." he said, irritated. "For someone who never says anything, you sure can't shut up now."

Fuming, Kelsi grabbed her stuff and she was gone. The Jocks started to cheer at Chad's triumph, but Sharpay, Ryan, Taylor, Gabriella and Ms Darbus all snarled at them, so they shut up pretty quick.

"Chad!" Taylor put her hands on her hips as the volume returned to normal, and the Ballet Woman left, dazed by unruly teenagers.

"What?!" he snapped. "She's starting to annoy me. A lot. She deserved it."

"No she didn't, and you know it." Taylor said sharply. "Kelsi was a bit brash, yeah, but what you said was worse. What's up with you?"

The bell finally went for class, and she was gone too. Sighing, Chad figured he'd better apologize to Kelsi before he lost his girlfriend.

…HSM…

Chad poked his head into the auditorium, and she was one of the last ones to leave. Now was the perfect time to apologise privately! Everything should go according to plan as long as he remembered not to call her 'Small Person'.

Approaching her on the stage, he cleared his throat. Kelsi took one look at the boy and sniffed, "Go away."

"I just wanted to -"

"Not listening. Bye."

Chad frowned; he didn't think he's ever met a chick so stubborn, but then he thought of Taylor. So he took a breath and tried again.

"Look, to prove to you that I'm not as . . . uncaring as I was, I'll . . . I'll watch ballet from start to finish without laughing once." he declared.

Kelsi snorted, then frowned, suspicious. She opened her mouth to speak, but paused. Chad smiled inward at the fact that at least he had her attention.

"Like . . . a ballet performance?"

Chad shrugged. "I guess. Something of the sort."

Kelsi's lips split into sneaky smile. "Then . . . you can take me to the theatre."

"To the theatre?"

"Yes. To see a ballet performance of 'The Nutcracker'."

"WHAT?!"

Chad jumped back, incredulous at the idea, and the small Kelsi simply sat there, legs crossed, hands in lap, back straight, smiling expectantly.

"This is no way."

"Actually, there is a way." Kelsi said matter of factly, "Surf the net, book the theatre tickets and take the subway there."

Chad raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "Well ha ha, what a funny joke."

"Glad you think so. I learnt from the best . . ." smiled Kelsi, almost saucily, and it was so unlike her that Chad became unnerved.

"Listen," he said quickly but nervously, "I can't. I said that I'd watch ballet without laughing; does it have to go public as well?" Kelsi stopped herself from giggling; that would just make him think he could control her.

"If it's so much of a problem, you might as well just come round to my house." she said sarcastically, "Tomorrow, after school. I'm home, well, let me see, all evening, so come whenever you like!"

With that, Kelsi stormed out of the auditorium, while Chad shook his head in disbelief. She truly didn't believe him. Ha. He'd show her.

He was going to her house. He just needed to get her address.

…HSM…

Ding Dong.

Chad analysed the house as he waited; it was small and dainty, but simple. Front garden was prettily decorated. Flowers, ornaments. The perfect home.

"Oh, hello!" came a voice, and Chad whipped to face a small woman, with a simple but pretty face. She had to be Kelsi's mother.

"Please, come in!" she continued kindly, not even bothering to ask who he was or what he wanted. "Here for Kelsi, are you?"

Chad nodded as he walked alongside her to the living room, looking at photos of young Kelsi's as he passed. Then he noticed a photo of a girl, wearing a pink leotard, tutu, tights, ballet shoes, hair tied in bun, the usual for ballerina's. Chad stopped for a second thinking it was Kelsi, but then realising it was her mother. No wonder she was defensive about people dissing ballet . . .

In the living room, Kelsi was sitting at a piano, studying a handwritten music sheet with doodles around the outside.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she began to play, her fingers fluidly sliding over each note, but then Mrs Nielsen cleared her throat, and Kelsi faltered, turning round.

"Chad! What are you . . . ?"

"Remember?" Chad said tactfully. "You know . . ." he continued pointedly, and both Kelsi and her mother looked at him, confused. Obviously she didn't remember. He really didn't want to say it but now he was here, he had no choice."Ballet . . . ?"

"Oh! Right," Kelsi exclaimed, jumping up. She looked around awkwardly and Mrs Nielsen took the hint.

"Well, you two have a good time!" she said quickly, but as she exited, Mr Nielsen entered, so they bumped into each other.

"Oh, sorry honey,I didn't realise- and you are . . . ?" he shot at Chad. Mr Nielsen was fairly tall compared to his wife, wearing glasses like his daughter.

"Chad Danforth, Mr Nielsen Sir." Chad said quickly, making both Kelsi and Mrs Nielsen laugh. Mr Nielsen sighed.

"So. What will you two be doing this eve -?"

"Bye Dad, thanks for comin', see ya later!" Kelsi said loudly, lightly pushing her parents through the living room door. "We're watching videos so don't disturb us okay bye!" She slammed the door shut.

"That was interesting," Chad chuckled, and Kelsi rolled her eyes.

"He's just nosy. Listen . . ." she whispered. Her parents were talking right outside the door, and the conversation was going like this;

Mr Nielsen: Who's that then?
Mrs Nielsen: A boyfriend, I think. He looks sweet.
Dad: What happened to the other guy?
Mom: What are you talking about?
Dad: You know, the boy who used to come round to practice with Kelsi for some God-forsaken play -
Mom: Oh, Ryan! He's not her boyfriend. Not as far as I know.
Dad: Oh. Hmm . . . what do you think they're doing now?
Mom: I don't know and I don't care. You should know better than to eavesdrop on your own daughter!
Dad: But I just want to know -
Mom: Oh, just stop. Give it up, will you! You're terrible!

"Argh!" cursed Kelsi loudly. "They're so annoying! My God, I'm so sorry. I can't believe you just heard that. I can't believe you came!"

"You told me to," Chad grinned, and Kelsi said exasperatedly,

"Yes, but I didn't think you would actually come. You didn't get my address!"

"You didn't give me the chance to ask for it."

"Oh . . . well . . ." Kelsi flopped onto the couch looking flustered. "The fact that you came proves that you were serious and you are willing, so -"

"Does that mean I don't have to watch Ballet anymore?" interrupted Chad enthusiastically.

"You are so rude . . ." Kelsi shook her head. "I guess not."

"Awesome." And that was that. But what now?

Silence lingered in the room for a few uncomfortable moments before Chad broke the tension.

"Lemme ask you something." he sat down next to her. "Why do you still hang out with the Drama Club when you know they're no good? Even Troy said, they treat you like crap."

"No they don't." Kelsi said quietly, her body tensing. "You don't know them; they're not all bad."

Chad shot her a shrewd look. "You know that when I say 'Drama Club', I mean 'Sharpay', because that's all about her. Like ysterday morning; Ryan defended you, but Shrpay sat on her ass like some royal -"

"She isn't all bad!" Kelsi said quickly.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No, really. It's just hard to connect with her sometimes, that's all."

Chad nodded eagerly, "That's so interesting! Now try the truth."

"That was the truth!" cried Kelsi indignantly. In two seconds they were both standing, waiting to receive an attack so they could lash one straight back. It was just like the day before. The swords of white-hot fury were coming out.

"I don't get it." Chad said loudly, "She treats you the same way she treats her own brother; like a servant. What's wrong with you? Why do you keep defending her?"

"Because she's all I've got!" shouted Kelsi, dropping to the floor and cradling herself. She just suddenly stopped fighting; it was too much.

Chad lowered himself to her level, feeling guilty. "Hey, don't cry. What do you mean?"

"I don't have any skill. Sure, I play the piano, but that's not a skill people value. Sharpay needs my skill. No matter how she treats me, she needs me. I don't have many friends, but -"

"You do have friends," Chad corrected her, "Taylor, Martha, Drama Club People . . . you're just making up stuff to have a reason for feeling crappy."

Kelsi snorted and he went on, "It's true. You can't class Sharpay as a friend. Friends respect you, not use you."

Looking around, he grabbed the nearest tissue he saw, and gave t to her, and she just sat there, wiping her face dry. Chad, not knowing what to do, figured he should comfort her, but he sucked at that. He awkwardly moved forward to put his arm around her or something, but as he did, she turned t ace him in confusion, so their lips pressed against each other gently.

Pulling away sharply, they looked at each other warily. Deep breath. Chill Out. What just happened did NOT happen.

But it did.

Chad tried to say sorry, but he suddeny felt different.The words wouldn't come. Before he knew it,he was kissng her again.

Am I drunk or just stupid? He was neither. He did it because . . . it felt right. Like a burst of emotion that didn't seem to be there before had suddenly revealed itself.

He didn't actually know why he was doing it, but it was like building a link between them, a way to find comfort in each other, amazing in a way he couldn't explain, a rush of emotions with Kelsi –

Stop.

"Chad . . . Chad!" Kelsi gasped. She scrambled to her feet. "Why did we just do that?!"

That was it. The trip was over. Chad fell back to reality with a crash . . . and it hurt. "I don't know . . ."

"I'm sorry. Oh God, this is getting worse and worse." she babbled, while Chad sat in a daze. "What about Taylor?"

Chad began to apologise again, but then he thought, 'What about Taylor?' He instantly felt guilty. She was his girlfriend. What was wrong with him?

"Crap." Chad sighed. He wanted to kick himself. He was a joker, full of determination, who got what he wanted through jokes and charm. But this time he'd gone too far. "I'd better go."

As he got up, Kelsi placed a dainty hand on his shoulder. "Wait," she said softly. "Don't just leave. I mean, we should, if you don't have to go . . . that sounds so desperate. Forget it."

"Kelsi, calm down." Chad laughed warily, and then felt a surge of joy. He'd automatically called her Kelsi without having to think about it! "Wow. My life is turning into a video game that I can't control."

Kelsi snorted, looking down. "Video games are much better than real life; if anything goes wrong, you can go back to the save point."

They both laughed, dissolving the tension that had reformed. Chad studied her closely. She seemed normal. Unaffected by what had happened. Yet she was the first to stop it . . . was she confused about her feelings, like he was?

"Wanna see something?" Kelsi whispered. In a swift moment, she had pushed the couch back, so the space was clear.

Chad got the feeling a performance was coming on, so he sat down. She began by standing in – what was it? – First Position, grinned at him"This is real ballet!" andbegan a smallphrase; a mini routine.

Chad watched her closely; he hadn't actually seen real ballet up close before. And Kelsi moved with such grace and precision, he couldn't help but be intrigued. Every spin, step, and leap was done purely through love of dance; that was clear to see.

He still wasn't big on ballet, but he guessed it wasn't as bad as he had assumed it was. He clapped at the end, pulling the couch back into place. "That was great."

"Really? You're not lying?" Kelsi said hopefully, and Chad nodded. "It was a piece my Mom taught me. She used to be a -"

"I know," Chad said quickly, "I saw the pictures in the hallway. I thought she was you." Kelsi went pink, but smiled happily. "See, it's fine when you do it, but me? Nuh-uh. Not in a million years."

As they shared another laugh, Chad brain started to race again, so fast, it was hard to understand his own thoughts. Arguing. Normal. Arguing. Kissing. Normal. Huh? He did want to kiss her again though. He responded to this feeling by biting his lip.

"Hey Kelsi -"

Ring Ring. Chad's call. Checked the screen; Taylor. Oh no. Not now. His thumb hovered over the green button before pressing red.

"Who was it?" Kelsi said hesitantly. He told her. "Why didn't you answer. She'll only call back."

"Well, I don't want to talk to her. I'm with you, right?" Kelsi blushed as he grinned, but it faded when he saw the guilt on her face. Taylor was her friend.

He stepped forwards. He was gonna say sorry, again, but he was gonna kiss her so there was no point. He hesitated, but his brain urged him; go go go! ringing through his head, skin tingling, never felt that before, the feeling was a drug, no, Kelsi was a drug, so Chad was drunk, right? On her . . . makes sense . . . no sense . . .

As their lips met for the third time, it was natural now. Like they'd been together for ages. Chad held her tightly and Kelsi ran her fingers through his gorgeous hair –

CRASH! They sprang apart, their hearts almost ripped from their bodies in shock, as they heard two voices arguing outside.

"No," Kelsi hissed. "No no no. No!" She stormed out of the room, screeching, "Leave the yelling to me, Mom. DAD! I can't believe you had the nerve to -"

Chad practically choked. Her Dad was listening?! (Cue horrified look)

…HSM…

"Hi Gabriella!" smiled Kelsi, and Gabriella returned the smile as she finished packing books into her locker. "What's the news?"

"Well . . ." Gabriella said grimly, "Chad and Taylor broke up. Well no, Chad broke up with Taylor." Kelsi faked a gasp. "I know. At first I thought she was angry, then upset, but now I don't think she cares. I don't think it was working out –"

"Then I guess she didn't like Chad as much as we though she did." suggested Kelsi, and Gabriella slowly nodded. Not having much else to talk about, they said goodbye.

The bell went for class, but Kelsi wasn't really concentrating; her head was in a spin and her body was on auto-pilot, heading for the notice board.

She had to know if his name was there. Yup, she had to be nuts if she thought a relationship with a jock was gonna work, but she didn't care.

Reaching the notice board, there were three new lists; one for the Ballet taster classes, one for the ballet performance, and one for the ballet seminar.

Kelsi scanned all of them, and found her own name, but Chad's? No such luck – although, the Ballet performance did have two sheets. Chad probably wouldn't sign up, but it couldn't hurt to look . . .

Her heart glowed.

It was so good to know that he'd put his name down because of her.

So whad'ya think? Sorry for taking so long!

To me, this one was a bit weird, but I hope I pulled it off. Ha, plus Chad doesn't actually do ballet XD so yeah.

Star x x x (P.S. Next chapter is Salsa/Tango!)