A/N: I do not own High School Musical one or two. This is my interpretation of why Kelsi and Jason were never together until the end of HSM2
"You deserve it, Playmaker!"
Kelsi grinned back at Troy, but in the same second he was off celebrating with the rest of the team. She sighed and bounced the ball off her hand a couple of times. She'd come to the game to support her friends but she knew she didn't really belong here. It wasn't going to be too long until she faded back into obscurity, just the short girl who could be heard playing piano in the auditorium sometimes.
She figured she might as well just leave - there wasn't much point in staying, it's not like she was invited to the after party. She took once last glance at the crowd of excited teens and turned back, but was stopped short by a pair of hands pulling off her hat and throwing it away. She turned her head to see Jason, who se knew from homeroom to be a genuinely nice guy, and who she'd always had a bit of a crush on, and couldn't help grinning as he guided her into making a perfect shot.
--
Three trips to the movies, four to the ice cream parlour, and one night at home with a phone and the number for the nearest pizza delivery place, and Kelsi was sure she was the happiest girl on earth. She'd spent every free minute in the last three days holed up at her piano trying the write a song that would express just how she felt. The final product was something that she was sure she'd be happy with for the rest of her life, and she couldn't wait to she Jason.
She pushed the pages back into a pile and smiled, "You Are The Music In Me," she murmured before writing a note on the top - 'Jay's song.'
The door burst open and she looked up to see a slightly red-faced Jason, and grinned, "Jay! I was about to call you! I just-"
"Wrote an amazing song right?" he finished for her and she frowned, something didn't sound right in his voice.
'Not an amazing song.. Our song,' she though but when she opened her mouth all that would come out was "are you alright? You seem a bit off…"
She tried to smile encouragingly but he laughed strangely and she stopped. "Oh, off, right. Sure, whatever I'll tell you in a minute. Tell me about the song, that's what you want to do right?"
She frowned again, wanting to press the subject but he had asked her about the song and when she glanced at the papers and saw the title she felt the familiar feeling of contentedness bubble up in her chest.
"Well… Ok. It's called 'You Are The Music In Me,' and I think it would be perfect for the Lava Springs show! We could do it for the employee number! It sounds exactly the way a imagined it, Troy and Gabby could sing the le-"
She was cut off by him laughing the same laugh again. "Yeah, of course, it's always about Troy and Gabriella isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
He looked at her and he could see desperation in his eyes. The words were coming out like he couldn't stop them/ "I like you, Kels, I really do, but the entire school is talking about Troy and Gabriella, I guess it's hot news or something, but when I went out with you, I wanted to learn about you, not Troy and Gabriella. Every single time I tried to get the conversation about you you'd just go off on a tangent about Twinkle Town again and I'm sorry, but I can't take it anymore. Now you've written them a song? For them? Where do I fit in this, Kels?"
He was already out the door by the time she could talk again. She reached out and picked up the pile of paper, but it didn't bring her the same feeling as before.
"But I didn't write it for them," she whispered, tears starting to fill her eyes. "I wrote it for you."
--
Kelsi let her fingers slide despondently across the keys. Piano didn't bring the same euphoria it used to. It'd been in smaller and smaller amounts since her fight with Jason. He hadn't spoken to her since, but every time he saw her she could feel him staring. The euphoria had come back a little when Troy had said he'd do the show, but then Sharpay stole her song, and she hated it now. It sounded nothing like she'd wanted it to, but then nothing was how she wanted it to be these days anyway. She'd managed to keep a happy face on most of the summer, but she could feel it slipping. Her eyes filled with tears again and she fought in vain to keep from slipping down her cheeks.
"Kelsi?" she recognised the voice, though it was the most hesitant she'd ever heard it.
"Oh.. Hi Jay," she said trying to surreptitiously wipe her tears away, " I was just leaving if you wanted to use the room for… Something, y'know-"
"No, Kelsi… No, I came to see you." She could see him biting his lip as he came a bit closer. He only did that when he was nervous, a habit of his she'd noticed before they'd ever gone out.
"Look, I know what I said earlier, and I really regret it. I was sick of hearing all about Troy and Gabriella from everyone at school 'cause I didn't see what the big deal was and I had nobody to talk to about you. I forgot you guys were friends before I ever spoke to you, and I forgot what that must mean, and I'm sorry.
"Jason it's fine, but I have to go."
"Kelsi, just wait just one minute. I meed to say this. I was a jerk. I've been trying the get the courage to apologise since about two minutes after I was out of your door, and to tell you the truth I probably never would've if it wasn't for this." He handed her a pile of papers. It was the original copy of You Are The Music In Me, the one with the note at the top, the one she'd ended giving Gabriella to practice off because it hurt too much to see it herself.
"I want you back, Kels. I miss you. I need to know if we can have that back." He nodded towards the stack of paper in her hands.
She shook her head "No."
His face fell, and he seemed to deflate a bit. "No? Oh.. Well I'll just be go-"
"No. We can't have this. Sharpay's kind of ruined it for me. We need a new song."
He looked up startled, "A new song?"
"A new song," she nodded decisively. "But first, I want to spend some time with you."
A grin was filled his face, "Well it's summer," he said, "We have everyday."
Suddenly her hands itched for the keys of the piano, and manuscript paper started running through her head, "Everyday? I like it."
Then he walked over and his lips hit hers, and everything was swept out of her mind except the melody.