Title: Radios In Heaven
Summary: Writing was the only way he knew how to let everything out.Unfortunate events lead Ryan Evans to write his most popular song, all to the one who left to early.
Author: remedyofpain
Thanks: Queenie for beta-ing it for me. Where would I be without you?Probably in a better place...but still.
Radios In Heaven
Ryan Evans sat on the couch of his old bedroom. He had made it big in the singing industry, in a way some people might describe purely as "dumb luck"; one minute he was picking up groceries because their maid was sick, singing a jingle to himself as he walked along the aisles, and the next he was shaking hands with a music producer, signing a two year contract. Sharpay had been thrilled for Ryan, because even though she loved acting, singing and dancing, she had grown to prefer to stay behind the camera. The situation worked well, as she majored in bossing people around.
They'd both gone their separate ways: Ryan to Hollywood, Sharpay to New York. Both thousand of miles away from each other, the last time he had seen his sister was in Albuquerque for their mother's birthday, when they decided to surprise her and grace the family with their presences. On hearing his sister was back in Albuquerque he flew back to his hometown, eager to see her again. He heard his cell phone go off as he was taking in his blue room. He looked at the Caller-ID and smiled before he accepted the call and spoke into the phone.
"Ry, meet me in the park will you?" his sister sounded giddy with happiness as her voice filled his ear.
"Now? Why can't you wait 'till tomorrow?"
"Ryan, when last have we gone to the park to play?" Sharpay's voice came echoing back.
"We're twenty-four years old…that would mean we haven't been in the park for eighteen years." Ryan took a moment as he calculated the equation in his mind, trying to think back that far. "There is a reasonable excuse for us not going to the park though, since we are twenty-four."
"Shut up. I was just thinking, we need more twin time."
"Twin time?" Ryan scratched the back of his head, confused.
"Don't ask any questions, just meet me in the park, now!" The dial tone followed Sharpay's demands as Ryan grabbed his jacket and exited the room, heading for the park.
Your time has already come
And I don't know why
The last thing that I had heard
you were doing' just fine.
It seems like just yesterday
I was laughing with you
Playing games at Grandma's house
you taught me well, didn't you?
I hope I'm just like you
"Finally, you came. I was about to leave." Ryan eyed Sharpay before he opened his mouth to speak. She was sitting down on the swing, despite the fact that they were in the middle of a storm.
"Sharpay, it's raining. And let's not forget about the thunder and lightning." Ryan stood five feet in front of her, shaking his head at how child-like she was behaving. "We're going to get sick, you know." Ryan sat down in the mud, taking in the moment and his sister, wishing it would last forever.
"At least it'll be worth it. Do you remember when we were five? You used to eat sand everytime we came here," Sharpay leaned her head back and laughed.
"In my defense, it was the sandbox sand and that usually tasted good because almost everyone used to drop their ice cream in it." Chuckling, Ryan recalled the memory perfectly. He would just sit in the sandbox and as he filled his bucket up with sand, he would tip it into his mouth.
"That's gross, you're gross."
"I thought we established this ten years ago?" He checked the time before he continued to take in his sister's features, "If I remember correctly, I wasn't the nose picker."
"I was three, get over it! Everyone had to go through their stage at one point in time," scoffing, Sharpay twirled a clumpy piece of her hair between her fingers and slowly began to move back and forth on the swing set. "Do you remember the first summer when the East High Wildcats came over to Lava Springs?"
"How could I not? You were bawling in my ears almost everyday for the first week of summer."
Do they have radios in heaven?
I hope they do
'Cause they're playing my song on the radio
And I'm singing it to you
"Everybody all for one, a real summer has just begun," Sharpay sang loudly, making Ryan laugh at her antics. "Let's rock and roll and just let go, feel the rhythm of the drums."
"We're gonna have fun in the sun, now that all the hard work, work is done. Everybody one for all, and all for one." The more they sang, the harder the rain fell. A sharp pain entered Ryan's stomach and he sat still, not wanting to move.
"Ry, are you okay?" Sharpay sent him a worried look.
"I'm fine, let's just go," Ryan breathed out. As sudden as the pain had come, it left, leaving Ryan with a heavy heart. "Something just doesn't feel right."
"Be right there," Sharpay stopped the swing and sat still while Ryan got up and proceeded to exit the park until he felt another pain stab him in his chest, in an instant the pain disappeared. He shook his head dazed before he heard a haunting scream echo throughout the park. A loud, long, shrill scream full of pain. "Sharpay?" he called out groggily. "Sharpay!" Ryan turned around and ran towards his sister, praying she was alright.
He stopped in shock as he saw his sister lying on the dirt, motionless. He sucked in a deep breath and took large, brisk steps towards his sister. He touched her shoulder, ignoring the slight tingle he felt on his fingertips as he did. "Shar? You're okay, right?" he shook her gently then picked her up. "Sharpay, wake up," he whispered.
On noticing the absence of the rise and fall of her chest, Ryan started to tremble with fear. He reached inside his front pocket and took out his cell phone and shakily called 911.
You left before I had a chance to say goodbye
But that's the way life usually is
it just passes you by
But you can't hold on to regrets and you can't look back
So I'll just be thankful for the times that I had with you
I hope I'm just like you
Ryan sat numbly inside his luxurious apartment and stared at the notebook in front of him blankly. Usually, after yoga, he would head up to his bedroom and start to write a song; three weeks had passed and he wasn't getting any better. Sharpay was gone, his mother was a wreck and he wasn't much different. He closed his eyes, willing the memory away: The doctors reporting Sharpay as dead, informing that she had gotten electrocuted as she sat on the swing.
Lightning had flashed and struck the metal swing set, spreading through the chains on her sides, to the hands she had clasped tightly around them. Her hair didn't stick up like it did in the movies, nothing looked or seemed out of the ordinary. She appeared perfectly normal, and it was just the fact that she wasn't breathing, and remained unresponsive to everything he did, that tipped him off.
When Ryan told the doctors of the sharp pain he had received before Sharpay died they did some tests on him. After they reported him as normal, one of the doctors told him that it was common for twins to share everything, including their pain. "It could also be your twin telepathy, your bond. It was just a way for some part of your brain to tell you something was wrong," the middle-aged doctor concluded; he then placed his pen on his clipboard and walked away.
He was in denial for the first week, but as her funeral came around he had learnt to come to terms with her death. Everyone was there, from their family and distant cousins, to even the East High Wildcats. Ryan would hum 'What I've Been Looking For' every night and think of her: her smile, her laugh, her hair, her eyes. Her antics, her voice and her sparkly clothes and shoes swam through his head, too. He even found himself thinking of her dog, Boi, who was now in their mother's possession. He often spent his days digging through his treasure chest of memories, locking himself away from the world. He hardly ever came out of the house anymore, and instead just kept to himself.
He imagined her looking down at him, lying down on a cloud and laughing at what a baby he was being. She would point and show Grandma Evans how sensitive he became. She would show their cousin, Jesie-Maire, how tall he got and she would boast to the other angels how famous he had become. She would flip her hair and shake her head haughtily. She would be upset because he wasn't making any money to take care of their parents, but mostly because he was taking so long to get over her. He smiled at the thought of her twirling her hair around her finger while she listened to the radio, for she couldn't live without music. Ryan opened his eyes, picked up his pen and began scribbling away.
Do they have radios in heaven?
I hope they do
'Cause they're playing my song on the radio
And I'm singing it to you
If they don't have radios in heaven
here's what I'll do
I can bring my guitar when my time is up and I'll play it for you
"And now, Ryan Evans with 'Radios in Heaven.'"
Troy Bolton turned up the volume on his radio, making sure he kept an eye on the road. He looked at his friends in the rearview mirror and exchanged a look with Gabriella Montez, his old friend from his high school days. The four of them were going out for pizza, just for old time's sake. Taylor wasn't there, as she had to take care of her toddler, but somehow Chad managed to come, leaving the both of them at home.
"I can't believe she's gone," Gabriella closed her eyes, seeing Sharpay in her head. 'Each day we'll be together' was what she would always sing. Troy nodded his head, remembering all those times he felt a great dislike for Sharpay, wishing he could take them all back and trade them for more memories of the two of them getting along.
"It's a good song," Kelsi Neilson smiled faintly. She would do anything to hear Sharpay's voice bossing her around, 'You do not offer any direction, suggestion or commentary…' That was one of the first times she had laughed at Sharpay's antics, when she'd replayed the incident at home.
"I heard Ryan wrote it for Sharpay; that must've been hard." Everyone turned to look at the mop-headed Chad, who seemed lost in thought.
"Why's that, man?" Troy stopped at a red light and turned to face his best friend.
"Because, she meant a lot to him and I'm pretty sure it was his way of letting everything out. Imagine putting everything out on paper like that," Chad cleared his throat as everyone marveled at how much he matured. After the whole Lava Springs drama, Sharpay and Chad actually became close friends; she was always there whenever he needed girl advice, and vice versa.
"I hope she can hear it," Gabriella spoke up; she stuck her head outside the window and stared up into the shining sky.
"She can now," Troy replied, turning up the radio some more and smiling faintly as he tucked away his memories of the fiery blonde.
Tell me can you hear me now
if not, then I can try to sing real loud
What's it like up on the other side of the clouds?
I hope I'm just like you
Well, that's it. It's short and hopefully not as confusing as my other stories. Tell me what you think and please review... I wrote this in 10 minutes so it's not my best work but sometimes there's no stopping my fingers. hat's like my last gift before I head off to school.
Reviews anyone?
Ash
