CHAPTER ONE

A/N: So this is my first fanfic, and I don't really know what I am doing, so please leave a review and tell me what's right and what's wrong, and if you like this or hate this or whatever. Enjoy!

The quintet of friends sat in their backyard, which was no longer used for going on fun imaginative adventures, but as a space to catch up on life and each other. Pablo was perched on top of the slide, which he had dragged near the picnic table, while Uniqua was on top of the table, hugging her knees, at one end. The other two, the more refined ones, were sitting on the bench, Tyrone and Tasha facing Austin. The friends were chattering excitedly, as they had just learned that the high school musical for the year was to be Once Upon a Mattress, and, being a very musical crew, they were all very eager to sign up.

"I'd be just perfect for Winifred!" exclaimed Uniqua, trying, and failing to keep her excitement from bubbling over.

"Yeah, you would, but there's no one in the school who could play Queen Aggravain better than me, I make a perfect elegant and classy villain" added Tasha, as she touched up her lipstick and mascara.

"Hey, hey, guys, imagine Tyrone here as Sir Harry, can't you just see him being noble and loving? And Julie is a shoo-in for Lady Larkin, those two have some serious chemistry going on" Replied Pablo, eager to add in his two bits.

"Hey!" An indignant retort flew out Uniqua's mouth before she could stop it; she had a major crush on Tyrone, but, like any teenager, didn't want him to know, lest he didn't reciprocate her feelings.

Tyrone, always willing to put in a good word for his best friend, stated "And Pablo would be great as Dauntless"

"He's certainly childish enough" grumbled Tasha bitterly. She saw Pablo as a pest who was always getting in the way. She then realized that one person had yet to contribute to the conversation. "hey, Austin, who are you gonna try out for?"

"Oh, me, well, I don't think I'm gonna be trying out for the musical this year, I'm going out for the football team, and I won't have time"

Upon hearing that shy declaration, Uniqua was outraged. "Wait, What? How can you not do the musical? You love singing, and dancing, and pretending! A musical is just like all our childhood games, but with people getting to see how awesome we are!"

"Yeah… I know… but I'm a man now, and I can't be seen doing girly things like singing and dancing," replied Austin, lashing out at his friends. Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, and Uniqua all stared at him flabbergasted. They had never seen Austin acting like this, lashing out at them, and dissing the thing they love most. He was such a nice and shy guy, even with his friends, going along with their games, and just being generally amiable. An angry and rude Austin was so foreign they couldn't believe what they had heard.

Austin saw their stares, and his cheeks heated, in anger, but then embarrassment, as he realized how cruel his last comment had been. Not willing to admit he had said something wrong, he stormed off to his house to wallow in his misery.

Austin stormed angrily into his house, muting his frustration for a moment as he passed his mother. He knew better than to involve her in his problems. It was bad enough his friends had to see his outburst, anyone else would just maximize his embarrassment. Once Austin finally made it to the solitude of his bedroom, he flopped onto his bed with a sigh.
"Why are they so nosey? Why can't they just mind their own business?" Austin began to rant to the empty air around him. "Do they really need to know the reasons behind everything I do?" Frustration and anger poured out of the purple kangaroo as he threw a pillow at the wall. He felt a need to let out all his emotions, but, like most pubescent boys was unable to sit down and have a heartfelt discussion about how he felt, nor was he willing to descend to the ultimate shame of keeping a diary. As is, Austin felt his only choice was to chuck everything around his room, or have his head explode from the buildup of raging emotions.

After releasing all of his annoyance fueled adrenaline into the flight of his possessions, Austin realized he did indeed have a means of expression. With a brief face palm, marveling in his stupidity, Austin pulled out his sketchpad, and colored pencils, and began to draw.

Although Austin had gotten the intense burning of anger out of his system, that was still the prominent feeling in his heart, so he picked up his fiery red pencil, and began drawing his friends with a heavy hand. After about ten minutes, he switched to the blue, with more curvy and nondescript lines, as his anger morphed into sadness. Austin realized that he really wasn't that angry at his friends. After all, he thought, they didn't do anything except get excited to audition for the musical. I would be excited too, but there is no way I'm going to be seen doing something so girly and stupid as a school musical. I have my masculinity to keep in mind, I gotta keep up my image. By this time, Austin had once again switched colors, and was doodling random violets. I can't let anyone see any weaknesses. That would be so embarrassing.

On that note of manliness, Austin felt confident enough to go back outside and face the world once more.

On the first day, the friends all scurried to the message board outside the chorus room, scrambling to be the first to sign up for their respective parts. Pablo wanted to sprint to the board, but he was a ninth grader in his first year of high school, and he didn't know the complicated layout of the sprawling school yet. Uniqua was just as eager to reach the sign-ups, but as she was a mature tenth grader, she forced herself to slow down and merely walk at a quick pace. Lagging behind the two, were Tasha and Tyrone watching the younger ones as they gallivanted down the hall, barely containing their excitement. There was an amused smile plastered on both of their faces.

A couple minutes later, the four went off to put their binders in their lockers, and head off to homeroom, leaving the lists with ink still drying. Under Queen Aggravain, was a loopy cursive Tasha. Uniqua was written in girly bubbly letters. Pablo just left his signature (heh, I'm so punny) scrawl, while Tyrone carefully printed each letter clearly and legibly.

Meanwhile, Austin was walking a completely different path toward the gymnasium. He reached the signups for football, and a furious battle arose within him. In a cliché man vs. self argument scene, a devil appears on one shoulder, and an angel on the other, but for Austin, he had a muscleman version of himself wearing a jersey on one shoulder, and a toned one wearing mideval royalty getup on the other.

"Come on! You can do it! Sign that paper!" the jock cheered energetically.

The actor had a different idea "Is that really what you want Austin? Wouldn't you rather be in the play? You know that is what you really want to do."

"Musical?" the jock scoffed, "Musicals are for wimps. Join the football team, you'll meet tons of real men to look up to, and become."

"But is it really worth it to give up what you truly love for 'manliness"? Make sure you really know what you are doing here Austin"

"All right," Austin whispered to himself, hoping no one would hear and question his sanity, "I know what I'm going to do."

With a deep breath, Austin steeled himself, and reluctantly signed the list.