Prologue

You've got to grind, grind, grind

At that grindstone

Though child'ood slips like sand through a sieve

And all too soon they've up grown

And then they've flown

And it's too late for you to give

Just that spoonful of sugar

To 'elp the medicine go down

- "A Man Has Dreams" from Mary Poppins

When I was in the first grade, we watch Mary Poppins for the last day before Winter Break. Everyone stared at me very oddly when I started bawling at the end of the movie, and Mrs. Anderson had to take me out of the classroom. What they didn't realize was that the reason I was crying was because of Mr. Banks in the story. He reminded me very much of my own father; a proud, busy father. However, there was no Mary Poppins in the Evans family. Just like in the song, my twin sister and I were growing up rapidly, but neither of our parents was there to watch it. It was our junior year of high school, and we still had private tutors and teachers scheduling our events. We were in desperate need of something, or someone different. By the looks of things, there wasn't going to be any happy ending Sharpay and Ryan, the drama king and queen. That was before Troy got the idea that we should do a talent show for East High, and Mrs. Darbus announced that we were going to do Oliver Twist for our winter musical……

Chapter One

Inside a deserted auditorium, four high-schoolers stood arguing, waving their papers in each other's faces. Well, technically only three were; the 4th one just stood to the side of the circle and just watched, listening.

"Why should Kelsey not be allowed to play the piano for the talents show; she's really good!" the dark, curly-haired girl shouted pleadingly.

"Because no one wants to listen to slow, boring, piano music for like 10 minutes, Gabbi" the blonde girl shouted, stomping her high-heeled foot. "Ryan, explain to them, don't just stand there!"

The blue-eyed boy, who was the one standing to the side, looked over at her doubtfully and waited a few seconds before opening his mouth, but whatever he was going to say, it never came out;

"He won't be able to because he knows it's a lie! Kelsey's a great pianist, and remember; she is the one who wrote most of the songs you sing!" Troy, the tall, athletic teenager shouted back, his brown hair flopping wildly.

"It's a common fallacy, Sharpay," Gabbi said, calming down now, "It's called 'composition'; when the first party doesn't like the second party, the 1st party assumes—"

"Oh don't you go all smart on me, Gabriella Montez" Sharpay snapped, glaring daggers at the almost couple. "You just jealous because you know how much more talented I am than you." During this part, Sharpay tossed her hair over her shoulders dramatically, putting one hand against her heart. "I am going to be singing both 'It's My Party' and 'My Heart Will Go On'; and do you think people will be happy when they find out they're listening to some slow firchetto instead of my lovely voice?"

"The word is concerto," Gabriella said, losing her patience again, "and if you hate the way we plan things so much, why are you still here?! Go make your own talent show, since you know so much about the way they are run!"

"Fine, I will!!!" Sharpay screeched louder than was necessary, and turned on her heel, marching towards the doors. "Come on, Ryan!" she cried out dramatically. Hearing no response, she turned furiously around, thinking her twin (how in the world were they related at all?) to be daydreaming or asleep again. "I said, come on Ryan, get out of your little dream world.

The blonde was surprised to her blue-eyed bro just staring at the ground, very awake and seemingly in the present day. He mumbled something under his breath.

"Now none of your lame excuses; get over here!" This time Ryan looked up at her straight in face, and said his response softly, but clearly, and everyone heard it—

"No"
Sharpay stared at him as if he was out of his mind.

"No?! What are you thinking? You wouldn't be able to last five minutes without me, and you know it. So stop fooling around and get your tush over here." With that, she walked over to her brother and pulled on his arm, but he pulled strongly- stronger than she had ever seen him- away.

"This isn't a joke! I mean it! I want to stay." Sharpay stared into her brothers eyes (wasn't too hard, they were about the same height). They were very serious, very alive, and very decided. "…Really"

"Fine" Sharpay said in a low hiss that sent shivers of dread up and down Ryan's spine. "Fine!" she repeated louder, stomping over to the doors. "FINE!!" she screamed at the door panel. Turning to Gabbi and Troy, she also yelled, "AND I HOPE YOU TWO ARE ENJOYING THIS, BUT REMEMBER THIS; MY DAD OWNS THIS COUNTRY CLUB, AND IF I SAY 'NO', SO DOES HE!" With that, the drama queen yanked open the sliding door, and slammed it shut behind her. The auditorium, only a few minutes ago filled with laughter and discussion, was quiet as a tomb, except for the sound of a twin dropping down into a bench, with his head in his hands.

"Oh God…" he groaned.

Gabriella and Troy just stared at him. That had to be the first time they had ever seen Ryan speak out against his sister. He never spoke that much as it was. Gabbi felt her heart go out to the confused brother, separated from the one person he had always had right beside him. "He must feel so lost….." she thought sadly, but could not find any words in her huge vocabulary that might cheer him up. None of them were appropriate for the situation.

Troy, on the other hand, was just weirded out by the whole affair. Drama between the drama duo? The duo no longer a duo? Ryan Evans on their side? This was just not right. Ryan needed to snap out of it and get things back to normal. Sure, he himself had "broken free" last year….. but you just don't leave your sister like that! So if sympathy flowed like a fountain from Gabbi, Troy's fountain was full of rusty and moldy pennies of disgust.

Troy coughed uncomfortably, which seemed to bring Ryan a bit back into the world; he now was staring unseeing in front of him. Gabriella opened her mouth, but Troy shushed her.

"It'll all work out," he said, leading her, protesting, away, "he'll be back to his regular thick, silly self soon" Laughing at his own joke, Troy missed a hard glare aimed at his back. Gabbi had to agree with the glare- just because he was quiet didn't mean Ryan couldn't hear.

Troy tugged Gabbi like a pull-toy back to the cluttered planning table, where charts and quick scribbles made it look like an early white Christmas.

Gabbi finally let Troy pull her back into brainstorming. Within 10 minutes, the two were chatting and chuckling as if nothing had happened. In the midst of a particularly loud snicker, Gabriella looked over at the old bench. It was quite empty.

Seeing Gabbi distracted, Troy tried to bring her back in. After 5 minute of Troy making a fool of himself, he banged his head against the table, and then let it rest there.

"What's up, Gab. You haven't spoken 2 words together in the last hour"

"It's just…." Gabriella sighed. "It feels so weird knowing that we're using the EVAN'S auditorium but without the Evans. It just doesn't seem right."

"You won't have to worry about that for long," Troy grumbled, lifting his head up and looking her in the face. "Sharpay probably ran straight to her daddy, with Ryan in following." Gabbi shook her head determinedly.

"I don't think Ryan would do that." Troy stared at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Since when do you have such a strong idea about what kind of person Ryan is?" Gabriella's cheeks were briefly pink, but she spoke with a confidence in her voice.

"I don't. It's just that he just went against his sister, and his sister ran to their parents right afterward. He won't be going over there any time soon." It was Troy's turn to shake his head.

"For once, Sharpay is right; that kid won't last long without her. She's like a right hand to him." Gabbi just frowned. There was an awkward silence.

"Let's just forget about it and move along…" Gabbi finally said, pulling papers towards her.