A/N: Don't ask what prompted this because I have no idea. I don't even support this pairing, but since it has potential basis in canon, I figured I'd better give it some personality.
The Odd Couple
Senior Prom Night: It was the epitome, the zenith, the summit of your high school career. It was a night of breaking barriers and breaking rules. It was the last time the seniors of the school would officially be all together. It was the time to secure your high school sweetheart by holding her in your arms all night long.
Unless you were Ryan Evans.
He gave yet another soft, self-pitying sigh. He and Zeke Baylor were standing in the foyer of the Evans' rather large home. Zeke had come to pick up his girlfriend, Sharpay, and Ryan was waiting because he had promised not to leave before his sister. And as they waited for her to get ready (which, Ryan had concluded by now, would never happen), the awkwardness of the situation settled deeper and deeper.
"So…" Zeke said, trying to ease the tension, "What are you going to do at the dance, Ryan?"
What sort of contrived question was that? "Dance."
Zeke nodded his head slowly, setting his lips into a thin line and trying to think of something else to say. Somehow, he didn't think, "Your sister is hot!" would go over too well.
"Sharpay! Are you ready yet?" Ryan yelled up the stairs to his sister, irritated with the silence.
"Oh, I don't know, Ry! I look so disgusting. Nothing is right!" she whined.
Rolling his eyes, Ryan called back up, "Just come out onto the stairs. Zeke and I will tell you the truth, I promise," he lied.
He heard her mumble something in reply, but then saw her figure appear hesitantly onto the stairs. He could have sworn he heard Zeke's chin hit the ground.
Her ensemble consisted of a dark, glittering, golden dress with matching high-heeled shoes (and that was an understatement) and handbag. Her hair curled into the sort of shape you see celebrities wear and her skin glowed in the evening light.
"Sh-Sharpay, you look…you look…absolutely gorgeous. Stunning. Beautiful. You…you…" Zeke simply shook his head, lost for words.
Sharpay's eyes filled with joy as she gently walked down the stairs and looked at her brother, "Tell me the truth Ry. Is this okay?"
Ryan could feel the tears well up in his eyes, like a sort of brotherly pride overwhelming him. "It's perfect, Shar."
She grinned widely up at him and the twins shared an embrace. Then, Sharpay strutted over to Zeke and hooked her arm in his.
"So…are we ready to go? We're already forty-five minutes fashionably late," she asked impatiently.
Zeke nodded, "Sure, Sweetie. Let's get out of here."
Ryan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you guys go and I'll make sure everything's locked up. I'll be right behind you."
They tilted their heads in acknowledgment and eagerly scampered out the door.
Ryan kept the smile plastered on his face until he was sure they were out of sight. He slowly let his face fall, then gave another sigh and proceeded to lock up the house.
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
He parked his sleek, expensive black car and sat in the driver's seat for a moment. He took a deep breath, put on a brave face and walked toward the rather large building.
Upon entrance, the sight that met his eyes was not at all unexpected. In the corner, couples were kissing intensely, and still others were performing tasks he knew would scar him for life. Similar events were occurring on the dance floor as the hip-hop songs blared throughout the vicinity. He fought the urge to scrunch up his nose in disgust. Most of what these people were doing could be considered an insult to dance. And an insult to dance was an insult to him.
Suddenly, he was poked on the shoulder and he whirled around quickly to see the culprit.
"Ryan! Hey," Gabriella cried. She flung her arms around him happily and he smiled in genuine joy.
"Hey, Gabs. What's up?" he asked, rising his head in greeting to Troy, who was standing behind Gabriella.
"Troy and I were just about to go out on the dance floor," she said, grabbing Troy's hand giddily.
It was then that he caught sight of her. The red dress she wore was less extravagant than his sister's had been, but it fit her personality perfectly…not to mention it stylishly matched the shirt and tie of her boyfriend.
"Oh, alright, then. You two have fun…but not too much fun," he warned.
They all laughed and said they would see each other later, though Ryan doubted greatly that he would be seeing those two again tonight…at least not in a conversational manner.
He traipsed through the humungous room, taking notice of the numerous couples dressed in formal attire. He caught sight of Taylor and Chad, dressed in matching green outfits, arguing over something at the punch bowl. He laughed internally. They always had been the strangest couple. Nothing in common…yet perfect for each other.
Jason and Kelsi looked slightly uncomfortable, trying to steer away from the bodies bumping and grinding around them. He felt bad for them, in a way. Neither was too crazy or outgoing, so he knew this whole situation must be awkward for them. But when they did find a nice, quiet, perfect, open spot, they looked happily at each other and Kelsi leaned into Jason's strong embrace.
He'd spotted his sister's outrageous outfit and dancing almost immediately. She had to be the center of attention constantly, and, unlike him, was willing to throw away her dance philosophies and grind it with the best (or worst) of them. Poor Zeke looked like he was having quite a hard time keeping up with her, but she would pull him closer every now and then, and they seemed sincerely happy with one another.
Another sigh escaped his lips. If he had a dime for every time he had sighed tonight, he would be a rich man. Well…richer, anyway. Deciding that he needed some fresh air, he searched for the door that led outside and left the dance floor in his wake.
It was relatively chilly for almost-summertime in Albuquerque. He guessed that was why virtually no one else was outside. Honestly, he had been expecting to see couples rolling around in the grass. Thank goodness he was wrong.
The night sky was clear and the breeze flowing through the air only heightened his melancholy mood. He took a seat in the grass and stared up at the stars. It was beautiful, but, for some reason, he really didn't care.
He fumbled with his jacket, unbuttoning it to make it more comfortable for him to sit, revealing his dark purple dress shirt and tie. He took off his matching hat and ran his fingers through his hair exasperatedly. He supposed it was his fault, in a way, that he had never had a girlfriend. Perhaps he'd just never asked out a willing female. He'd tried a few cheerleaders and had secured nothing from them but laughs. A few of the girls in drama club had let him down easy, thinking it odd that the "gay guy" would be asking them out. He'd even asked out Kelsi once; that was when he found out she was dating Jason Cross. Thusly went his luck with girls.
He chuckled hollowly as he felt a bitter tear stream down his face. A fine thing to do on your prom night.
He was jostled out of his thoughts by the sound of a choking sob that was not his own. It was obviously female, but he couldn't recognize the voice through the thickness of the bawling. He cautiously rose from his seat in the grass and poked his head around the corner.
There stood Martha Cox. The relatively shy, but brilliant "nerd" of the school. She was dressed in a sparkling, violet dress, but it was quickly staining from her tears. Ryan extended a hand and rested it tenderly on her shoulder. She turned to him in shock, her eyes wide and glistening with fresh tears, but she somehow looked beautiful in the pale moonlight.
"Hey, are you okay?" Ryan asked softly.
She blushed in embarrassment and mumbled, "Oh…yeah, I'm fine Ryan," she laughed hoarsely. "What kind of a fool sits outside and cries on prom night, huh?"
I do, he thought dimly to himself. "Nothing wrong with a little fountain, but I'd call this a full-blown waterfall. What's up?"
"Oh, it's just…it's silly. Just forget it," she whispered.
"No, it's not silly, whatever it is. I promise not to think that," he said solemnly.
She glanced up at him, as though truly seeing him for the first time in her life. "It's just that…all these years of high school…and I've never had a boyfriend. I mean, prom is supposed to be the best night of a high school girl's life and…here I am bawling my eyes out. I know I'm not the smallest girl around, but…"
"Hey, don't you go talking down about yourself. You're voluptuous. And beautifully so," he said charmingly.
She smiled at him skeptically. "That's a pretty big vocabulary you must have, there, Ryan Evans. I'll bet you're up for valedictorian."
He gave a loud guffaw. "Yeah, right! Me and my B-average with some occasional C's. I'm not nearly smart enough to be in the top fifty percent, my dear. You, on the other hand, must be receiving the honor."
She shrugged modestly. "We're not sure yet. It's between me, Gabriella and Taylor, I think. It could be a three-way tie. You never know."
Ryan shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand how you do it. Intelligence does not come naturally to me."
She giggled, "Maybe not, but dancing sure does. I've never seen anybody move like you, Ryan."
He grinned, "You're not so bad yourself, hip-hop girl. Which reminds me, why is an amazing dancer like yourself so far away from the dance floor?"
"I could ask the same of you," she countered.
They stared at each other knowingly and Ryan presented his hand to her in a gentleman-like manner. "Shall we dance?"
Her smile grew fleetingly and she took his hand in hers. "Of course."
They could hear the booming bass through the glass of the doors before they entered and Ryan took one last look at her, realizing that she did, indeed, look quite lovely in the evening light.
"Ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be," she answered sweetly, all traces of sadness wiped away, leaving a clean and hopeful slate.
They entered the room just in time. A hip-hop song began playing, and, though Ryan objected to this dancing for the most part, so long as nothing too vulgar was required, he was fine with it. Immediately, Martha took to the beat of the music and she dragged Ryan in closer to the middle of the dance floor. They stood far enough apart that Ryan was comfortable with it, but also so that they took on the appearance of a couple.
As other bodies came dangerously close to Ryan's comfort zone, Martha pulled him in closer to her and he suddenly realized why people liked the close proximity to their "dance" partners. He pursed his lips and made thrusting gestures and Martha laughed and imitated him. They were so over-the-top that it wasn't vulgar at all, simply amusing and fun.
When the song ended and the next began, a collective groan ran throughout the crowd. It was some sort of Spanish tango, to which no one knew how to dance.
Well…almost no one.
As people dispersed and retreated to corners or the punch bowl, Ryan took Martha's hand and helped her set up for the partner dance. He noticed his sister on the other side of the dance floor attempting to teach Zeke, but the female lead made their dance seem flimsy. This was his moment to shine. This was what prom night was all about.
He grabbed Martha and they made a quick, fluid turn. She followed well. Obviously, she had been dabbling in more than hip-hop. The heat from their bodies emanated from them, but the kept their eyes fiercely on each other, instantly struck.
People began to migrate back when they saw the flash of purple dancing wildly across the floor. Whispers of "I thought he was gay" and "She's too fat for him" could be heard from the crowd gathering, but the two recipients of their taunting found comfort in each other. Eventually, the gossip turned to "When did they start dating?" and "Wow! I wish I could dance like that!" but the two paid them no mind. They were completely immersed in each other.
Sharpay and Zeke had long foregone their attempt at the dance, but Sharpay smiled contentedly to herself upon seeing her brother. He deserved the spotlight for once.
But only for once.
As the music ended, Ryan twirled Martha out and they landed perfectly, confidence boasting from their stance. Cheers came from the crowd and Ryan and Martha humbly acknowledged them with a bow and curtsy respectively. Then, they walked off the floor to escape the stampede herding back in for the next rap song.
They breathed heavily, tired from the attention and the heat of the moment. People were right; there was something strange about the pair. They were the most unlikely couple. The drama dork and the nerdy girl. But, somehow, someway, it just seemed to fit. For once in their high school lives, they felt accepted, needed, and, dare they think it, loved.
They were an odd couple. But they were perfect.
Strange, no? I still don't support the couple, but I must say, in all humbleness, I'm fairly pleased with this one's turn out (though that could just be the effect of writing this late at night). Let me know whether or not you enjoyed it, and if you didn't, let me know why. Thank you.