A/N: I was inspired to write this by an anonymous prompt sent to me on Tumblr.
Never fear, my dears, my next Tryan (centered) fanfiction is on the way. This is simply a tiny exploration into another relationship dynamic that I have a fondness for. I'm hoping that at least a few of you will find something enjoyable here.
Disclaimer: As always, I have no ownership claims to any recognizable characters or trademarks of the High School Musical universe. © of all related properties belongs to Disney and Peter Barsocchini (you know, that dude with a frustratingly difficult to spell last name).
This Is How It Goes
Kelsi gave a start, looking up from the sheet music for her current piece as the door to her dorm at Juilliard slammed open. The brunette jumped to her feet and turned to the door, unsure of what to expect. She was relieved, however, to find that the intruder was only Sharpay Evans.
How odd that she'd come to find the sight of the blonde, former self-proclaimed queen of East High's drama club a relief. Especially given the girls' tumultuous history together.
"You-you could have called," Kelsi began, warily treading the waters. She hated how her first instinct when addressing Sharpay was still to cower, even after all of the progress that they'd made. Yet, she reasoned that her timidness was at least somewhat called for. The curly-haired brunette was in her pajamas.
The only garments covering her petite body were a thin but incredibly comfortable cotton short-sleeved top, and a pair of equally comfortable pajama pants. The pants were decorated with music notes. Kelsi had fallen in love with them instantly, just as Sharpay had expected she would. And, as the sensation of Sharpay's glittery, pink, and ever-so-soft-they-were-almost-bothersome-in-all-th e-right-ways-lips brushing against select areas that these articles of clothing hid away, hit her at precisely the wrong moment, Kelsi felt quite a bit indecent.
Then, she turned the lamp sitting on her desk on, and got a good look at Sharpay. The girl's golden blonde hair, which was usually immaculately styled in silky waves, was falling out of her rhinestone studded headband, and into her face. As if she had hurried over to Kelsi's dorm room. And, most telling of all, there were visible traces of Sharpay's mascara beginning to run as tears formed in her eyes.
"Sharpay?" Kelsi prompted, unable to conceal her concern, or her own distress. "What happened? Wh-what's wrong?"
"Peyton… Peyton knows!" Sharpay choked out. If she meant to elaborate, the rest of her words were swallowed by a huge sob. Her inflection, however, which was filled with misery and despair, managed to convey enough.
Kelsi's eyes widened. It felt like someone had dropped a massive weight onto her heart that sent it crashing down into the pit of her stomach. "He knows about…?!" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question. Giving a name to whatever was going on between herself and Sharpay could only result in heartbreak, as Sharpay would fervently deny that she had any sort of relationship with the composer.
…Right? Kelsi asked herself. Suddenly, she felt the urge rise to return to her old nervous tic of gnawing on her finger nails. Even though she had nearly broken the habit with Sharpay's assistance.
Much to Kelsi's surprise, Sharpay confirmed, "Yes, he knows about us! …And, about the other girls." She sniffled, tear after tear sliding down her cheeks. "He's not happy about any of it."
Kelsi winced, not knowing what to say. They had expected that Peyton's reaction to Sharpay's polygamy wouldn't be positive. The poor guy was in love with her, after all. That much was undeniable. Kelsi could see the proof every time that Peyton looked at Sharpay. It was in his big, dorky, but still charming smile. The light in his blue eyes. As much as Kelsi didn't want it to be.
Because there was a chance that Sharpay could feel the same way about him…
Being cheated on hurt. That sort of betrayal was what brought Kelsi's dear friend Troy Bolton's relationship with his ex-girlfriend Gabriella Montez, to an end. Still, neither Kelsi or Sharpay had truly anticipated Peyton reacting negatively to his girlfriend's sexuality. His family had a background in Christianity, and he came to New York City from a small town in Indiana, but he was a nice guy. He was completely cool with Troy's openly affectionate relationship with Sharpay's twin brother, Ryan.
While Kelsi didn't want to believe that Peyton had lashed out at Sharpay, and while she more than knew that Sharpay was prone to melodramatics, there was nothing in the blonde girl's face that suggested that she was putting on a show. "Did you try calling Ryan?" Kelsi offered lamely. It was all that she could do for the moment. Ryan would have an idea of what to do in situations like these. Unfortunately, his homosexuality, and his openness about it, tended to inspire an array of ignorant behavior in brash, stupid people. It was the sad truth that he was bound to have some sort of experience in resolving, or at least handling this kind of problem.
More than someone like Kelsi Nielsen would have, anyway.
"I did." Sharpay pushed her hair out of her face, sniffling again. She grabbed her purse, this one a large, silver bag with too many compartments for Kelsi's liking, and began rummaging through it. "He asked if he needed to come beat Peyton's ass. When I told him there was no need for that, he said that had to help Troy get to the kitchen, and then told me to come see you."
Kelsi wanted to squirm with the unwelcome reminder of Troy's debilitating injury. The brunette athlete shattered his knee during the opening game of the season. It was only Troy's sophomore year of college, but his career in basketball was over. For reasons Kelsi and Sharpay both deemed ridiculous, Ryan held himself accountable for Troy's accident. "There were photographers and paparazzi there. Their cameras were constantly going off. Troy probably got distracted- dazed by the flashes, and then he spotted the paparazzi crowding around me, and-"
Then, a sickening snap, a gut-wrenching scream, and just like that- a promising future was out the window.
Kelsi had reminded Ryan while they sat for hours in the waiting room at the hospital that night, that it's Troy's nature to act on impulse. "He lets his heart do his thinking for him."
Ryan had opened his mouth, as if he intended to say something else, but his response ultimately was, "I think I'm going to be sick". With all of the color drained from his fair face, leaving him deathly pale, Kelsi believed him.
Sharpay's search seemed to prove futile. Heaving a sigh, she lowered the bag, and looked to have resigned herself to wiping her face with her hand.
Knowing that that would cause the mascara to smear, which would make Sharpay feel worse, Kelsi quickly grabbed six or seven tissues, and handed them over. "Maybe you should have let Ryan kick Peyton's ass," she muttered.
Sharpay let out a loud, unsteady laugh that turned into a quaking sob faster than Kelsi could process it. Before Kelsi could react, Sharpay's head was buried in Kelsi's chest, the taller girl's body shaking with sobs. Sharpay's soft blonde hair brushed against where the top two buttons of Kelsi's blouse were undone, leaving a bit of the area from the brunette's collar bone to her breast bone exposed.
Kelsi shivered, feeling more indecent than before. She could feel tears dampening the front of her shirt, and decided to do more than just stand there. She wrapped her arms around Sharpay's backside. "It's okay, Sharpay. Peyton will come around. I'm sure of it." She hated how sure of that she was. But, she'd say whatever she needed to in order to make Sharpay happy, again. Ryan had advised Sharpay to come see her, after all.
"You're so jealous, Kelsi." Sharpay said. She attempted to laugh again, but it came out as more sniffling.
"I'm not jealous."
They both knew that was a lie.
It was right about then that Kelsi realized that she wouldn't be getting much sleep, that night. But, she reasoned with herself that this was okay. She knew from songs, and from the precedent that Troy had established, that people do crazy, stupid things when they're in love. She slipped on her shoes and a light sweater, and walked down to the dorm's kitchen to retrieve some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. On the way there, she imagined a younger version of herself; one with longer hair that shyly hid herself under hats, boyish clothing, and glasses with nerdy circular frames, shaking her head in disproval and shame.
She willed the vision away by reminding herself how much Sharpay had changed since high school. And, how much Kelsi, herself, had changed, too.
Kelsi and Sharpay split the container of ice cream between themselves and finished it off while watching Grease. Kelsi commented on how she always thought it "sweet", that Sandy and Danny were willing to change for each other.
Sharpay remarked that Kelsi was "too naive", and that Sandy and Danny were both idiots. "You don't just up and completely transform yourself for the other person, Kelsi. You find someone who already likes you for exactly who you are," she stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Kelsi didn't ask the question that immediately came to mind. Did you already like me for who I was in high school? Because part of me always admired you. Instead, she carefully went about styling Sharpay's hair into two neat braids that rested on the girl's tanned shoulders. People playing with her hair had always had a soothing effect on Sharpay. Kelsi could see evidence of that as Sharpay relaxed, basically becoming putty in the composer's hands.
Her voice thick, sounding vaguely distant, Sharpay remarked, "You know, Kelsi, Peyton is jealous of you."
The petite girl's heart felt like it lodged itself in her throat. "What?!" She wanted to be sure that she hadn't misheard.
"Peyton. He's jealous of you, too."
"Why would he be jealous of me?" Peyton was the handsome director. The charmer. He was Sharpay's biggest and most enthusiastic fan, and he wasn't afraid to let the world know it. He was always open and honest about everything, as if it all came effortlessly to him. The idea that he would be envious of a tiny, soft-spoken girl who struggled to voice her feelings, and was much more comfortable writing songs about other people's lives, refused to compute.
Sharpay turned back to face Kelsi. Her brown eyes bored right into Kelsi's soul, just like they always have. "You really can't think of any reason why?"
Kelsi could only blush and lower her eyes to the floor.
Around two-thirty in the morning, they were finally curled up beneath the covers on Kelsi's twin-sized bed. Kelsi was snug in Sharpay's arms, and Sharpay's pink, ever-so-soft-they-were-bothersome-but-in-all-the-right-ways-lips were pressed to the hollow of Kelsi's pale throat.
They didn't trade "I love you"s, like Kelsi imagined couples did before going to sleep together. No. Sharpay simply murmured, "Remind me to get you a bigger mattress."
But, Kelsi supposed that that was enough. She wasn't in a musical where people held hands and sang songs about being the melody to each other's harmony. She was in a relationship with Sharpay Evans.
The little things, such as giving each other gifts on Valentine's Day, Sharpay preventing Kelsi from destroying her nail beds, Kelsi faithfully attending all of Sharpay's shows, and leaving a single rose in the blonde's dressing room, Sharpay complimenting Kelsi on her new haircut, and Kelsi writing cutesy ballads for Sharpay, had to speak for them.
At least, for now.
Before Kelsi let herself drift off to sleep, she recalled the night that Troy and Ryan had comforted her when the true extent of her feelings for Sharpay slammed into her like a semi truck going one hundred miles on the highway.
"I just- I don't think she'd ever see anything in me", she'd managed to convey, her vision blurred by tears.
Ryan and Troy had looked to each other, and then Troy pulled her into a tight, reassuring hug. His arms were warm and strong, and Kelsi felt safe there."You'd be surprised, Kels. I mean, there's gotta be a reason why she kept you around, even when you guys weren't exactly on great terms with each other. Besides, you're totally awesome. You're Sharpay's playmaker, remember?"
Kelsi thought to herself that Sharpay didn't need anyone else to make her "look good", but Troy had a point.
For whatever reason, Sharpay was intent on keeping Kelsi in her life, and Kelsi knew that she was willing to strap herself in and tag along for the ride as long as she could.
Because seeing Sharpay's perfect smile, especially when it was sincere, hearing her genuine laugh, and cuddling close to her just like this, even if Sharpay's toned arms weren't always inviting, like Troy's were. And, even though nothing was certain. Even if letting herself give into Sharpay was a risk, it was worth it.
In the morning, Kelsi waited patiently while Sharpay made herself "presentable", so they could head down to the kitchen for breakfast.
"It's seven am," Kelsi said as she slid her glasses up the bridge of her nose. These glasses had smaller square frames, which were much more fashionable, stylish, and less "nerdy". Kelsi found that that suited her just fine. "Everyone else is going to be in their pajamas." Besides, she added silently, you're alwaysgorgeous. Even with bed-head.
"Oh, Kelsi. My sweet, naive little Kelsi." Sharpay shook her head. A humoring smile was visible on the face of her reflection. "Stars don't go out in public in their girlfriend's pajamas, okay?"
Girlfriend.
They had to eat, and then, eventually, they'd try to contact Peyton. Sharpay would have to apologize and explain how monogamy just didn't suit her. Peyton would understand, of course, and he'd come right back to Sharpay, apologizing, himself. But, all of the sudden, that was okay.
Kelsi was Sharpay's girlfriend.
For the rest of the morning, while Sharpay had a plate of waffles with a side of fruit, and Kelsi simply ate a small container of yogurt, the composer's blue-green eyes sparkled, and a smile refused to leave her face.