Okay readers! Decided to do a challenge, which may not have been the most brilliant idea right before the end of the quarter, but whatever. So the concept behind this one is that there are 8 one-shots where the couple gets locked in a room. Seven roooms were assigned, and one is a free choice. The pair in question start out hating each other, but obviously don't end it that way. So here it is: Hate To Classroom Love: Relsi style!!

Art Room

A long arc swooped across the left corner. A shadow was added, then a small circle, followed by more shading. A sharp angle contrasted the smooth curves, cutting into the sketch like a wind trough an open window.

Ryan stopped for a minute to admire the dark, dusty marks the charcoal on his soft skin. His hands were a work of art themselves now, each long digit streaked with delicate smudge of black. Humming a song from the show quietly, he raised his hand to the wide windows that caught the last rays of the early winter sunset. His zebra hand made an even better contrast against the swirling jewel tones of the unusually bright burning ball sinking below the surface for a long sleep. Wishing he had a camera, Ryan memorized the image before him, the found a new sheet of paper and a box of chalk.

Just as he began to flesh out his new inspiration, the door opened with a shocking bang, causing him to topple off of his high stool onto his unsuspecting bottom. A voice followed, one that didn't seem to be using coherent sentences or speaking to anyone in particular.

"'I lost it! I'm soooo sorry' That stupid…son of a…Oh, what I would do if he…" A body soon followed the voice, and the door slammed shut again. Ryan pushed himself up on his elbows, glancing over the top of the table. He was shocked to see a familiar hat bobbing around, shifting through the art supplies.

"Kelsi?" He said, standing up. The girl turned on her heel in spin that would have made any dancer jealous. Her blue-green eyes were narrowed as the found the voice that called her name.

"Oh." She said in a very non-Kelsi voice. "It's you." She returned to her foraging, still mumbling to herself. "Now there has to be something here that he wouldn't lose…"

"What are you looking for?" Ryan asked, unsure of why she seemed so unhappy to see him. True, he had never been particularly nice to her, but he had never joined Sharpay in her torture of the petite composer. He had thought that she would accept him as a friend. He had been hoping for more, but that was just hope.

"Paper." She said shortly. Her hair was now cut to her shoulders, something that had surprised her classmates. "Apparently Troy Bolton needs his music to be some horrendous florescent color in order to keep track of it." She wrinkled her nose as she found a sheet of eye-burning orange paper. She stared at it for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh. "He's no performer." She cried. "He's a pain in the ass, that's what he is."

Ryan felt as though he were intruding upon a private conversation, one that was not meant for his ears. Still, the part of him that had been nurtured by his sister was dying to hear more. "What's going on over there?" He asked, referring to the auditorium across the campus.

"He's just…impossible sometimes." She sighed and, forgetting that he was not a friend of hers, took the seat next to Ryan. "I mean, he can sing, sure. But a show is more than just singing. He has problems reading music. He's not a very good actor. And he learned all his dance steps from Michael Jackson circa 1985." She let out a growl of frustration. "Sometimes I just wish that he would take the time to learn something on his own. But he doesn't. He just asks me and Gabriella for help. And I can't say no. I mean, he is the medium for expressing my work. If he looks bad, then I look bad. And I really do want to help him. I mean, he's nice to me. He doesn't talk about me behind my back. He even got Chad Danforth to call me by my name." She rolled her eyes. "I just wish he would learn to be…well, you." She was suddenly aware of who she was talking to, and blushed Wildcat Red.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. He thought he saw a smile flirt with Kelsi's petal pink lips before she spoke.

"Think about it, Ryan. You can sing, dance, and act all at the same time. You know how to captivate a crowd. You're a natural born performer. Troy isn't." She dropped his gaze suddenly, her blush deepening. "Not that he's bad. He's just…not you."

Ryan shook his head slightly, thinking that his ears must be deceiving him. Did Kelsi just imply that she missed him? No. No way.

"But then why didn't you let me and Sharpay get the leads?" He blurted out.

"It wasn't up to me, Ryan." She said. "Darbus is the one who picks leads, not me."

"But you sure helped Troy and Gabriella beat us!" He pointed out.

She sighed. "I know." She said. "And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have chosen favorites like that. But Sharpay is so mean!! And you haven't been exactly nice." Ryan shifted guiltily on his stool. "I wanted them to get it because of their personalities. But the best decision creatively would have been you and Sharpay." She suddenly seemed even more embarrassed. "Well, I had better go. I've got to photocopy the music onto this, so he doesn't lose it again." She held up the orange paper. There was some awkward laughter, then she crossed to the door. Ryan returned to his drawing, returned to his own world. He didn't realize that she was still in the room until she spoke again.

"That's quite good." She said. Ryan jumped again, but this time stayed on his stool. She was standing behind him, watching him work over his shoulder. She smiled slightly. "I didn't realize Ryan Evans was this multi-talented."

"Thanks." He said, returning the grin. "What happened to photocopying?"

"The door's locked." She shrugged. "It must have closed behind me."

"Yeah, it does that sometimes." He shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to wait until Greg comes up to clean. He's usually here by 3:30."

Kelsi glanced at the clock, shrugging. "Only about ten minutes." She scowled suddenly. "Doubt they'll even miss me down there."

"I would miss you. I always miss you." A shocked silence hung in the air at Ryan's words. Even he wasn't expecting to say them. Once again, his mouth was acting without permission from his brain.

"Ryan, are you serious?" She asked him, her dark lashes cloaking her eyes.

"Well, I…I wouldn't say…" Ryan stuttered for a minute before she walked over, taking his arms and placing them around her waist.

"Because I miss you too." She said softly. Ryan's shock subsided long enough for him to make one more foolish move. Tightening his grip, he pulled her closer, kissing her softly and squarely on the lips. She smiled against his lips for a moment before returning the kiss much more passionately than he expected.

Nine and a half minutes later, an older, scruffy guy opened the door and roared something incomprehensible. Both teens took it as an evacuation call and left, hand in hand and laughing.

"Maybe being locked in wasn't such a bad thing." Kelsi mused as they returned to the auditorium.

"Yeah, maybe not." Ryan said, hiding his grin as his hand closed around the small brass key in his pocket.