Watching from the Outside
WARNINGS:- minor mention of suicide, implied slash
Ryan slowly walked to the cafeteria, not really wanting to have to sit amongst the endless sea of couples. Troy and Gabriella, Sharpay and Zeke, Kelsi and Jason, Chad and Taylor. All of them had someone, so why was he alone? True he rarely had crushes, mainly because there was no one to catch his eye, and when he did, he was too insecure to do anything at all.
All his life he had been pinned as homosexual. Even his kindergarten teacher had mentioned it. As such his parents did their best to pretend they only had one, perfect daughter who could do no wrong and who the boy had to follow.
Sharpay never noticed, never noticed anything but her face in the mirror really. She had even ditched him as a drama partner, choosing instead to partner with Zeke, who had two left feet. Ryan didn't care about the drama, he cared his sister had rejected him.
Life began to become a colourless place for Ryan. He just wandered through life, concentrating only on his work. He didn't talk to anyone and everyone was too absorbed in his or her own lives to talk to him. Soon he became a mute.
His thoughts then turned to a more sinister way of thinking. What if he simply didn't exist? If he killed himself, would anyone care?
But Ryan was born optimistic. He desperately clung to the fragile string that connected him to life that he still had. He tried to find new outlets, ways to begin living life once more, and he found art. Something that had never occurred to him until he saw a course advertised.
The first time he put a paintbrush to the canvas he found something akin to magic fly through his body. His art teacher praised him. His work even brought tears to his co-course takers. Soon, art was all he thought about, if he wasn't painting or sketching, he was researching different artists, about their life and about their life's work, and like him, some had been pinned as homosexual, whether they were or weren't was something else. Michelangelo and Da Vinci were only two examples. Ryan also swapped from Drama to Art, which did grab Sharpay's attention. When questioned about it, Ryan simply stared blankly and walked away. And so began his 'Blue Period'.
Three weeks after discovering Art, Ryan won a national competition, which won him a trip to New York, where he was enraptured by 'Guernica' by Picasso.
The others of East High watched the changes in Ryan with astonishment, a photo of his winning picture hung outside the Headmaster's office in pride. They were amazed with all the emotion in the picture, even only a photo. It was then they realised how little they really knew about the boy who they had studied alongside for many years. Even Ryan's family were shocked, they hadn't realised Ryan even had art materials. They were saddened to realise just how badly they had treated their son. But it was too late now. Ryan refused to talk to anyone.
Soon after his national win, he moved on to accomplish an amazing piece, which critics all over cried about, this piece entitled 'Message of the Heart' was made of mostly dark colours which held a faceless boy-child, totally wrapped in darkness, surrounded by bright colours, the boy reached out, but he was unable to touch past the layer of darkness. This piece hung in New York.
Yet, whilst the Art helped ease his sufferance, Ryan was still not happy. He hated it when people tried to talk to him simply because of his newfound fame and fortune, and so, he left.
He studied Art at Cambridge in England, choosing to start an entirely new life, with his and his Art. Many articles were written about him, especially when he began a relationship with a successful, upcoming actor, Joss Jacobs. And so began his 'Romantic Period'
No one from East High ever out-shone Ryan Evans, closet homosexual, romantic, artist, optimist and, above all, determined soldier.
As you can tell, I didn't like the way they cut Ryan out a bit. I thought this was a good way to show Ryan in a different light.
Anyway, what d'you think?
COOKIES!
Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical, the right belongs to Disney and all other partners. No money has been made from this publictaion