Chapter 1
Troy Bolton was seated in the front of his homeroom class when Sharpay and Ryan walked by, one glaring and one avoiding eye contact as they went by. Darbus came in and, in a general tone, began class.
"Right," she continued, "Now that we've completed the necessaries, I have an announcement. For those of you who auditioned for the winter musicale, the callbacks have been posted. In an interesting twist, those who have been brought to callbacks will be asked to attend a meeting during lunch this afternoon. There are items to address, people."
She continued on to describe the last five years of musicals and the usual procedures that they included. Troy felt himself sink further into his chair until the loud ringing of the school bell released him from his obligations to stay in it any longer. Soon enough, he was rushing away from the classroom at full speed.
Troy spent the day avoiding his friends and their usual spots. He had to figure this out. Do I really want to do this? To risk everything for this...this musical?
He found himself on the roof, trying to give himself space to think. He laid himself on the silvery counter space that was usually covered in plants and stared into the sky. Marshmallows of water were floating above him, and he couldn't help but wonder why he felt so conflicted. He felt the answer should have been easy.
Basketball had always come first...and second...and third. It was his focus, his priority, his life. So why couldn't he just drop this thing?
Just as he was entering a state of full mental breakdown, the roof access door opened. Troy bolted upright and looked to see the intruder. Who he found surprised him.
"Ryan?" Troy asked, confusion evident in his voice.
The shorter teen looked to Troy, startled, "I didn't think anyone else knew about this place."
"Me neither," admitted Troy, unsure why his heart was still racing. It was only Ryan, after all. "What brings you to the roof?"
As Troy asked, he moved to the side of the counter so Ryan could fit beside him. Finally, after a motion from Troy, Ryan came to sit beside him.
"I just needed some space. This whole callback thing is kinda freaking me out and having Sharpay plotting beside me 24/7 can be a little exhausting," Ryan sighed, then blushed.
Troy recognized the intimacy of the comment and nodded quietly.
"I'm here for the same reason. I know that this means a lot to you guys. Logically, I know that Gabriella and I should just drop out. Neither of us want the attention like you guys do. And I have basketball. And she has, you know, whatever… I don't know. I just can't get over the feeling that I'd be giving up something that's more important than I realize. Like accidentally throwing away a Michael Jordan basketball card just because he dipped to baseball for a while," Troy vented.
When he finished, he was blushing too. He looked at his hands and tried to figure out why tears had come to his eyes. He tried to blink them back. Ryan placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, and Troy jerked his head up to look at him.
The movement caused one of the tears to fall. Ryan's face filled with concern and before he knew it, Troy was being held by Ryan in one of the tightest hugs he'd ever had. He calmed himself, managing to wipe his eyes while hugging Ryan back.
"Sorry man. I don't know what's come over me lately," Troy said when they pulled away.
Ryan gave him a real, genuine smile, and Troy felt his heart skip a beat.
"Don't say sorry. I'm stressed too. But uh...do you want some advice?" Ryan asked softly.
Troy looked up patiently into the blond's eyes, "Yeah, man. Whatever you've got."
"You need to listen to your instincts. You've got some good ones, or they wouldn't have made you captain, right?" Ryan asked.
Troy nodded, "I guess you're right. But I haven't even talked to Gabriella about it. What if she wants to drop out?"
"Honestly?" Ryan asked, continuing after Troy's nod, "If she wants to drop out after being good enough for callbacks, maybe she isn't ready for theatre."
Troy swallowed. What Ryan said made sense, but it felt weird to hear it out loud.
"And you think I am?" Troy asked, averting his eyes again.
Ryan placed his hand on Troy's shoulder, holding him at arm's length and causing Troy to look up at him.
"Troy Bolton is ready for anything and everything that he puts his mind to," Ryan said, "That, I know."
When Troy arrived in the theater at lunch, he was surprised to see Gabriella in the hall. She looked hesitant. Troy made eye-contact, smiled, and headed inside, knowing that the decision had to be hers just as much as it was his.
Troy walked in and made his way to sit beside Ryan, nearly making Sharpay jump into his lap. Thankfully, Ryan distracted her with some vocal exercises. By the time that Sharpay had turned her attention back to Troy, he was flanked on his other side by Gabriella and Darbus had made her way to the center of the room.
"As you all know, we are changing callback policies this year on account of Gabriella and Troy's surprise tonight. I'm sure you will all be excited. I have decided to test what I like to call your "Acting Flexibility". I want to see what you young artists can do when presented with a new challenge. So, if we could have a drumroll?"
There was a pause when the four look at her. Seconds later she rolled her eyes and continued on.
"You will be put into groups of two. These groups will be chosen by me, so do not ask. Each duo will need to memorize, practice, breathe, and perform a song chosen by Kelsi from the musical score. There will be no appealing the decisions, whether they be of partner or music. You will be expected to perform these in two weeks time. So, until then, Kelsi will make herself available for practice.
"Now, the pairs will be Troy Bolton with Ryan Evans and Sharpay Evans with Gabriella Montez. Kelsi, if you would give them their songs please?"
The small girl came running from the piano, carrying four pieces of music. "For Sharpay and Gabriella, "Bop to the Top". For Ryan and Troy, "Breaking Free"," said Kelsi timidly.
"Thanks, Kelsi," Troy and Gabriella said together. Ryan followed Troy's lead, while Sharpay was simply skimming through the music, muttering about tempo changes and other alterations.
Troy looked nervously to Ryan, "So, this is awkward, huh?"
"It's showbiz," said Ryan with a smile, "So, when are you free?"
Even though he knew that the context was very different, Troy couldn't help but draw parallels between this invitation and that of a usual date.
"Well," Troy sighed, "I have practice Monday through Friday after school until five. Usually I go home and do homework then, but I could come over? I also have free Saturdays usually. And lunch periods. And free period, too, I guess?"
Ryan nodded, "Yeah, that will work. I'll start by setting everything up at home and then come with the driver to pick you up. Sound like a deal?"
"Oh what for today?" Troy asked, suddenly nauseous.
Ryan's smile faltered, "Are you not comfortable coming over?"
"No, no. I just didn't realize it would happen so fast," Troy said.
Ryan shrugged, "We only have two weeks to make our voices sound better together than my sister's and your girlfriend's."
"Oh, she's not - uh - Gabriella's not my girlfriend," Troy stuttered.
Even Ryan found himself blushing, "Sorry, man, I didn't know. I guess I assumed. Sorry again. But will tonight be good then?"
Troy found himself agreeing. The smile on Ryan's face when he nodded did not help to steady his stomach at all. It was too much for Troy. Lucky for him, the bell rang to indicate that lunch was over. With a polite goodbye and "see you later", Troy made his way out of the theater.
What did I just get myself into?