Chemistry
By: Lawrali
Dedicated to CareBearMioneGabbster
Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any of its characters. I do, however, wish I owned Lucas Grabeel.
Description: With or without Gabriella's help, if Sharpay finds out, Ryan will be six feet under. However, romance blossoms.
Note: This is basically the story of how Gabby and I got our Role Playing characters together. I loved it so much, I decided to share the story. This story started out being called Six Feet Under for the reason listed in the description but as I was writing it, it didn't seem to fit aside from one area where Ryan thinks of it. So Chemistry became the new name, as it is the reason Ryan and Gabriella got together in the first place.
Ryan turned away from the front door with a smile plastered on his face. Nothing had ever been as great as the night he'd just had. Not even performing in the musicals with his sister in school. He went around to the drivers side of his green convertible VW Bug. Climbing into the seat he leaned his head back on the headrest and put his hands behind his head to look up at the stars.
The last two weeks had truly been the best ever.
Flashback
Ryan and the Wildcats sat in Homeroom at the end of a Thursday afternoon. Most of the students were talking quietly with one another while the others were doing homework. Troy was sitting on top of Gabriella's desk and talking animatedly to Chad. Taylor, whose desk Chad was sitting on, was attempting to listen but finding their conversation quite boring. Sharpay was bullying Kelsi into writing her newest composition more for her key and not her brother's. Ryan was looking down at his Chemistry homework in complete confusion.
"Molecular mass is a number equal to the sum of the atomic masses of the atoms in a molecule… What?" Ryan exasperated, throwing his head down onto his Chemistry book.
Gabriella saw Ryan groan and dive into his textbook. She smiled and got up from her desk, gaining a questionable glance from the three friends surrounding her desk. She walked the short distance to Ryan's desk and sat in Sharpay's empty seat.
"Problems Ryan?"
He lifted his head and was slightly surprised to see Gabriella sitting in front of him. He unconsciously glanced in his sisters direction and saw that she had her back to him.
"Chemistry Mid-term, next week and I don't understand a word of it." Ryan groaned. "If I fail, Ms. Darbus won't let me in the musical. Plus my dad would kill me, not to mention my sister."
"Well have you asked Mrs. G for tutoring? I'm sure she'd help you-"
"It doesn't help. If I understood what she was saying than I wouldn't be close to failing."
"So what you mean is that you don't understand her lectures not the material?"
Ryan moaned, "I don't even know what the material is."
Gabriella studied him for a moment. She knew that Sharpay still wasn't interested in befriending her but somehow it seemed that Ryan wasn't holding in hard feelings about losing the Winter Musical to her and Troy.
"Well, I could help you if you like. Maybe go a bit slower until you understand. Wouldn't want you to fail Chemistry and not be able to audition for the Spring show." Gabriella was smiling as she spoke.
"Are you making fun?" Ryan asked, hurt.
"No! I just… want to help a friend." She smiled, sweetly.
Ryan didn't know how to react to her offer. If he did accept it and his sister found out, he'd be six feet under by morning. Although, if he didn't accept her help and failed, he'd still be six feet under by morning. He was screwed either way.
He let out a sigh as he glanced over to his sister before answering Gabriella. "You know if Sharpay finds out you're helping me, I'm dead."
Gabriella smiled and lowered her voice. "Then I guess we better not let her find out. We can meet at my house before school and after. She'll never know who helped you if you just say that you're going to a study group."
Ryan contemplated this for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "Ok. Before and after school. You'll have to give me your address."
Gabriella wrote down her address and cell phone number on a piece of his notebook paper before returning to her desk.
Class finally let out for the day and Gabriella was at her locker taking some books down and putting some books away. Ryan walked up to her and looked behind him to make sure he wasn't followed by his sister. She wasn't to happy that he wasn't staying for rehearsal.
"Hey Gabriella. About that tutoring… uh, is right now to soon to start?" He asked, tentatively.
She was surprised to see Ryan at her locker. She wasn't even aware that he knew where it was. She'd only ever seen him at his own locker or standing between Sharpay's and Kelsi's.
"No rehearsals today?"
"Ah, well. She wasn't happy that I wasn't staying but I told her I had to meet a study group for the Chem test. So she's off torturing Kelsi in the auditorium."
"Oh ok." Gabriella laughed. "Let's go then."
She bent down to pick up her backpack from the floor, throwing her sweater over her shoulders.
"Oh, here, let me get that for you." He took the heavy bag from her and hoisted it over his own shoulder. He held out an arm to allow her to proceed down the hall first and out into the student parking lot.
Ryan threw his bag and hers into the backseat of his car before jumping over the car door to fall into the drivers seat. He smiled as Gabriella laughed at his enthusiasm of leaving school. She opened the door and sat down in the seat next to him before buckling her seat belt and closing the door.
Her mother wouldn't be home for another two hours but Gabriella wasn't worried. Her mother trusted her and would probably be proud that she'd offered to help Ryan understand one of her best subjects.
Ryan parked the car outside of Gabriella's house and they walked up to the front door and Gabriella let them in the front door. She led him into the living room and dropped her bag on the floor.
"Would you like something to drink?" Gabriella offered.
"Uh, sure. That would be great."
Ryan was walking around the living room looking at the many pictures of Gabriella as a younger child. Gabriella walked back into the room with two Coca-Colas and a plate of brownies. She set them down on the coffee table in front of the couch and sat down, Ryan joining her.
They both pulled out their Chemistry books and the study guide they'd been given for the test. She opened her book to Chapter Twelve and her notebook to the notes she'd taken on that chapter.
"Ok…"
The two were off in a long confusing afternoon of trying to understand on Ryan's part.
It was the following Friday before Ryan realized it. The day before he'd taken his Chemistry mid-term. His last class of the day, before Homeroom, was Chemistry and he would be getting his test results back. He knew that if he didn't get at least an A, he'd be failing the class.
He'd just been released from Chem and was walking toward Homeroom with the paper hanging loosely at his side. He saw Gabriella waiting at the door with a smile on her face. Once she saw his face her smile faltered slightly.
"So? Ryan, how did you do on the test?"
Ryan sighed heavily, lowered his head and turned the paper around to show her the bright red A written at the top.
Gabriella squealed and leaped forward, circling her arms around his neck. Other students eyed the duo as they walked into the Homeroom class.
"Ryan! Congratulations. I knew you could do it."
"Well I had a great teacher. Thanks to your explanations that I could actually follow, the test was a cinch. Although I was kinda nervous about how I did." He smiled, as he hugged her back. "Thanks to this A, I passes the semester with a C plus."
Gabriella giggled and pulled herself from his embrace.
"You have to let me thank you." Ryan started.
"You're welcome."
"No, I mean. Let me take you out or something. I want to thank you properly. Why don't I take you out to dinner tonight. Didn't you say your mom was doing some dinner meeting or something?"
"Yea, but you don't have to buy me dinner to thank me."
"No, no. I want to. You didn't have to help me, especially after how my sister has been treating you since you started here. But you did. I'm not gonna take no for an answer, Gabby."
Gabriella smiled at his calling her by her nickname. No one, aside from her mother called her Gabby. She nods her head in agreement, eliciting a smile from Ryan.
They walked inside Mrs. Darbus' room and took their respective desks. Ryan started making a plan for taking her out to thank her. She seemed like more of a simple girl so he thought he should keep the "thank-you" simple. Fancy could be the next date.
Wait, is this a date? I mean, I didn't intend for it to be a date but… I did ask her to dinner and she said yes. Is it a date?
Ryan wanted to ask her but was afraid that she would say no, it was just a friendly dinner to thank her for tutoring him. He finally decided on a quick dinner at a burger joint and then to a movie that had just came out, The Messangers.
A few hours later, Ryan pulled into a parking spot outside the movie theater at the mall. He got out of the car and ran around to open Gabriella's door and offered his hand to help her out.
"Are you sure you want to watch this movie?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah, why? You said you hadn't seen it yet." Ryan said, locking the door.
"Oh, I haven't I just mean, well, it's a horror movie." Gabriella joked.
"I know it is. You think I can't handle a horror movie?" Ryan asked, smiling.
Gabriella shrugged her shoulder and pulled a napkin out of her pocket and handed it to him.
Ryan took it from her and looked at it with confusion. "What is this for?"
Gabriella smiled and innocently stated, "Well, when you get scared you'll have something to cry in."
"Oh, hey!" Ryan dropped the napkin and started chasing after Gabriella, who was already running away from him laughing.
Ryan finally caught up to her and lifted her off the ground causing another fit of laughter from Gabriella. He set her back down on her feet, making sure she was steady before removing his hands from her waist.
"That wasn't funny, Montez." He joked.
"Well it was to easy, Evans." She laughed, wrapping her arm around his and continued to walk toward the movie theater.
Once they got to the ticket window, Ryan asked for two tickets, showing him his students ID. They went inside and got some refreshments before entering the dark theater and finding a seat. He suddenly felt nervous again. He was ultimately on a date with someone else's girl. He suddenly worried that Troy would try to beat him up the following Monday.
"So, uh, what did Troy say about my taking you out tonight?"
"I didn't tell him." Gabriella said, offhandedly.
"You didn't tell him?! He's going to kill me when he finds out."
"Why would he kill you?" Gabriella asked as the light dimmed and the previews started.
"Well you know, guys usually kill the other guys who take their girlfriend on a date."
"Ryan, Troy's not my boyfriend. We're just friends." She whispered back.
Ryan relaxed slightly and a smile played on his lips. He was glad it was still dark and she couldn't really see it. He still wasn't quite sure if it was a date. He didn't know if he was suppose to put his arm around her shoulder or hold her hand or if she even wanted him to. He settled on putting his arm on the rest next to hers. He smiled further when she didn't move her arm away from his.
The movie was an intense one. He'd never heard of it before she suggested it. He had really gotten into the plot of the story and it was killing him wondering where the ghosts in the house had come from and why they seemed to be tormenting this family.
Ryan jumped slightly as the boy sitting on the bed disappeared as the mother made the bed up. He let out a nervous breath and looked sideways to Gabriella.
"Need a blanky?" She joked.
Ryan laughed. "No." Then after a short pause, "Gabby, will you hold me?" He playfully, whined.
Upon realizing what he said, he sat up further and concentrated on the screen, his cheeks growing quite warm.
Gabriella laughed at his question and rested her hand on his. "I'll protect you from the boogyman."
Just then one of the creepy beings in the house jumped up onto the scream. A scream errupted from the audience as a whole and Gabriella practically jumped into Ryan's lap. Her arms flew around his neck and she burried her face in his shoulder.
He smiled. "Now who needs protection from the boogyman?"
"Shut up," she laughed, unwrapping her arms from his neck but leaving her head resting on his shoulder.
He laughed and moved his arm around her shoulder so she wouldn't be so uncomfortable. His nerves had suddenly vanished and he was more relaxed at their teenage intimate touching. Ryan heard Gabriella sigh and he looked down at her.
"You ok?"
"Just happy. I don't think I've had a better time since we moved here."
Ryan let his hand drop down to lay against her upper arm. "Well, I'm glad."
The movie ended. Ryan was still shocked at the ending and couldn't help but talk about it as they left the theater, her hand in his.
He opened the passanger side door and spoke as she sat down, "So, did I do a good job keeping the boogeyman away from you?"
He closed the door and jogged around to the drivers side. "I wasn't scared." Gabriella said.
"So why were you grabbing ahold of him during those scary parts?"
"I was scared… a little."
They shared a laugh as he started the car to drive her home. He pulled up in front of her house, the outside porch light was on signaling that her mother had returned from her meeting. Gabriella made no move to unbuckle her seatbelt as he turned off the ignition.
"So, Ryan, did you enjoy our date?" She asked.
"So this is a date." He let out a breath. "I've been trying to figure it out all night. Was it a date? Was it not?" He paused, seeing her smile at him. "Gabby, I loved our date."
He got out of the car and ran around to open her door for her. As she climbed out, Ryan reached out and took her hand in his once more. They softly spoke as they made their way up that path leading to her front door. Once at the door, Ryan's nerves returned.
"I had a great time tonight, Ryan." Gabriella said turning to face him.
"I did too. We should do it again."
"Did you just ask me out again?"
"Well that depends." Ryan smiled.
"On what?"
"On whether or not you want to go out again."
Gabriella smiled. She looked down at the hands, still laced together. "Does this mean, we're… dating?"
"Uh… that's up to you. Gabriella, would you be my girlfriend?" Ryan asked, nervously.
She smiled and put her arms around his neck to hug him. She pulled away with the smile still in place. Ryan mocked disappointment.
"Oh ok, well, I thought you might say yes…"
"I am saying yes." Gabriella laughed.
Ryan smiled, showing her that he'd been joking. He looked up at the porch light and then back down to Gabriella. "Well, uh… goodnight."
"Night." She said, softly.
He watched as she opened the front door and disappeared inside it. He started to walk back to his car but stopped five feet from the bottom step. He turned around and ran back up, knocking softly on the door, hoping he wasn't waking Gabriella's mother if she was asleep.
The door opened and Gabriella looked at him a little confused. It looked as if she hadn't moved from the door yet. He looked at her sheepishly and felt his heart beating fast.
"Sorry, uh…" He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. Pulling back, he saw a faint smile on her lips. "I didn't want to leave without doing that."
He leaned over to a bush beside the front step and picked a flower off of it and handed it to Gabriella.
"Goodnight, Gabby."
"Goodnight, Ryan."