A/N: Bonjour, my dear readers! I hope that you have all been well since we last met.

This story is a pet project of mine that I've meant to undertake for some time, now. Given that we are now in the month of October, and I find the spirit of the Halloween season infectious, I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to begin spinning this yarn for all of you.

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership claims to any characters or related elements of the High School Musical series. Believe me, if I did, High School Musical 3: Senior Year would have given Troy a satisfying conclusion to his character arc. All recognizable properties are the © of Disney and Peter Barsocchini.

Warnings: As stated in the summary, this story was inspired by the movie, Charlie St. Cloud. Thus, it contains character death. This particular chapter features a potentially disturbing/triggering scene. Discretion is advised. Please, read safely, everyone.

Remnants

- Prologue-

A gust of wind gently rustled the leaves, petals and branches of the various plants residing in the garden located on the roof of East High School. Troy Bolton inhaled, allowing a temporary feeling of peace to settle over him. The physically draining, stress-filled basketball season was over. His only obligation now was getting through the rest of his classes, and then crossing the stage at graduation.

He just had to get through graduation. Then, he could focus on breaking the news to his father and his best friend that he had no intention of continuing on with their beloved sport in college. I need something of my own. I need to start making choices for myself. Troy stared out at the distant mountains lining the horizon. Soon, he would be traveling far beyond those mountains, leaving Albuquerque far behind him. No more pressure to measure up to people's expectations. No more fear of being a huge disappointment to everyone. He would be leaving everything behind, and could start over as a completely blank slate.

Well, maybe he wouldn't leave everything behind.

The faint, shrill ringing of the school bell broke into the seventeen year-old's reverie. The lunch period was over. It was time to return to class.

x-x-x

"Each man me telleth I change most my device,

And on my faith, me think it good reason

To change propose like after the season."

Troy listened intently as the light, dulcet voice of Ryan Evans read one of William Shakespeare's sonnets aloud. While he made good grades with relative ease, the athlete tended to struggle a bit with comprehension of the archaic dialect used in the famous poet and playwright's work. Thankfully, Ryan, with his love of theater, was more than willing to offer Troy tutelage when the brunette boy failed to grasp the meaning of a particular line or stanza.

Like now.

"For in every case, to keep still one guise

Is meet for them that would be taken wise."

Unfortunately, it was all too easy for Troy to lose himself in the alluring cadence of Ryan's voice. That the petite, fair-skinned blond boy with sky blue eyes, bright pink lips, and enticingly curvy hips, was an incredibly gifted performer, was all too obvious to Troy as Ryan read confidently off of the page with near perfect articulation. And, Ryan's voice wasn't the only thing that proved distracting. He smelled very nice, and his wardrobe was filled with eye-catching bright colors. Troy also knew from experience that Ryan's fair skin was very soft to the touch, that Ryan lit up every room that he was in, and that there was a faint flush creeping over the boy's cheeks and a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, almost as if he was aware of how Troy was looking at him… As if-

"Treat ye me well, and keep ye in the same state.

And while with me doth dwell this wearied ghost,

My word nor I shall not be variable,

But always one, your own, both firm and stable," Ryan finished. He looked up from the English text book, his blue eyes meeting Troy's. "Um, basically," he explained, "Shakespeare is declaring that although a change every now and then is commendable, and that he has changed over the years, he vows not to deviate too far from who he truly is and never let his affections stray, as long as his partner also remains faithful."

"Oh!" Troy nodded with sudden understanding. He shifted in closer to his partner to take another look at the sonnet. The previously befuddling words always fell neatly into place for him when he was provided with such a succinct explanation. This time was no exception. Turning back to Ryan, he gave the blond a brilliant smile of gratitude. "Thank you, Ry."

"Don't mention it," Ryan said sweetly. "You're going to ace this test, Troy."

"Only because I've got the greatest tutor in the world," Troy remarked, nudging Ryan lightly.

The bell rang out. All around them, their classmates jumped up to collect their belongings. Troy and Ryan stared into each other's eyes, and for several seconds, neither one of them moved, as though time had suddenly slowed down for only them.

There was a light in Ryan's eyes that tugged hard on the strings of Troy's heart. His mouth opened, like he intended to say something, and Troy found his own mouth opening before his head could catch up to it.

"Ryan, I uh…"

Something like hope filled Ryan's soft features.

Troy's heart missed a beat. He reached up and rubbed at the back of his neck, a feeling of uselessness creeping over him as his cheeks burned."You look really nice, today."

Ryan smiled shyly. "Thank you, Troy. You look great, too. As always."

Troy felt his heart flutter. A smile made its way across his face, briefly displacing the feeling of worthlessness.

"Troy!" A voice suddenly called out.

The spell, or whatever it was, broken, Troy and Ryan both jumped up out of their seats. Simultaneously, they turned to find Troy's bushy-haired best friend, Chad Danforth, standing in the doorway. Chad's basketball that accompanied him just about everywhere was tucked under his arm.

"Let's go man," Chad said, motioning toward the door. "We've got a practice in the gym in five."

"I, um, better get going, too. Don't want to be late to class," Ryan murmured. He paused to give Troy a smile and another longing look.

Troy could have kicked himself as he watched Ryan slip on his messenger bag and walk out of the classroom, dodging around Chad. I wanted to know if maybe you wanted to be my date for your sister's graduation party, he amended silently.

Chad, who followed Troy's line of sight to the departing blond boy, called again, "Troy." He planted his feet and gestured insistently to the hallway.

Troy sighed before stowing his textbook away, slipping his own book bag on, and complying.

As he met up with Chad, the curly-haired athlete gave Troy a playful smack on the shoulder blade. "Hey. Worry about getting dates later, okay? How do you expect to go to college with me if you keep slacking off?"

Troy smiled in spite of himself. "There's more to life than basketball, Chad."

"Uh-huh. Sure there is," Chad chided him lightheartedly. "Now, hurry your butt up. I've got a date, tonight."

Grinning, Troy jogged toward the gym. He knew better than to keep his best friend and former second in command from getting to a date on time. Chad's girlfriend, Taylor McKessie, a lovely, brilliant girl- and their senior class president- was a stickler for punctuality.

x-x-x

"I've taken you to games at U of A since you were a little kid. Troy, it's the only college that the two of us've talked about."

Troy's stomach roiled. His entire life, he had been doing what made someone else happy. Just for once, for once, he wanted to stand up for himself. He wanted to do something for himself. "Dad, I'm going off to college in a few months. I need to start making choices for myself!"

Jack Bolton seemed to tower over his son, his gray eyes filled with an emotion that made Troy's blood run cold. "Chad is going to be disappointed if you guys don't go together."

Disappointed. A disappointment. Is that all that he would ever be? "I think Chad will get over it," Troy murmured, his voice quaking. He was scared to meet his father's eyes.

"And, what about me, huh?" Jack fired back, his eyes dark with bitterness and desperation.

Troy felt like he was being backed into a corner. He needed space. He needed air. He needed everyone to just back. Off. "I don't know, Dad." Troy's breath rate picked up, his heart hammering in his chest. "What about you?"

Jack Bolton's eyes said everything that he couldn't bring himself to say out loud. And, one look into those judgmental gray eyes that had controlled Troy's decisions since he was old enough to hold a basketball, was incentive enough for the brunette boy to grab the keys to his rundown old truck and walk out the front door, ignoring his father's protests.

Troy jammed the key into the ignition, hot tears stinging his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he shifted the gear into drive and pealed off down the road before anyone could move to stop him. Well before he left the residential area, however, he stopped the car and took a moment to adjust his mirrors and run a hand through his hair, both to make sure that his hair wasn't a complete mess, and in an attempt to console himself. He was seventeen years-old, damn it. He couldn't be crying like this. He would never make it out in the world if he let everything get to him like this.

Still… he was only seventeen years-old. His heart aching, Troy wished that Ryan would have been there to hug him and tell him that it was okay to live for yourself, sometimes. Like he always did when Troy's desires conflicted with those of his father, Chad, and the basketball team's.

But, Ryan would be heading to New York, to attend the prestigious University of Juilliard, in the fall, just like he deserved to. And, as happy as he was for Ryan, a part of Troy was certain that all of his hopes of getting out of Albuquerque and getting to live his own life, and a part of his heart, would be vacating the premises along with the pretty blond.

x-x-x

One minute, he and Chad were laughing about something stupid that Jason Cross, one of their former teammates, had done during a game of Truth Or Dare at the graduation party. The next, the mood shifted rather jarringly, and Troy was admitting to a tipsy Chad that he had gotten into a fight with his dad.

"Over what?" Chad asked.

His heart in his throat, Troy suddenly realized his mistake. This wasn't the right time. He didn't want to break it to him like this.

"Over what, man?" Chad repeated.

Troy gripped the steering wheel with enough force to turn his knuckles white. He struggled to keep his heart rate under control. Eyes on the road. "I'm not going to U of A."

"Whaa-at?" Chad's voice was several decibels too loud for the close quarters of the confined cockpit. He moved in, his brown eyes scoring the side of Troy's face. "What the hell are you-?!"

"I don't know!" Troy answered, fighting to keep his volume under control as his panic levels rose. Eyes on the road, Bolton, he reminded himself, again. "I just don't want to spend the rest of my life playing basketball."

"No, no, no. You're joking." Chad smiled incredulously, a laugh in his voice, and Troy felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Right?"

There was no answer.

"So, what? …You just gonna flake out on me?"

"No! Chad, I-"

"We've been going to school together since preschool! I've had your back for so many years, and this is-!"

"It's not even…!" Without even realizing it, Troy took his eyes off of the road.

"I can't believe you would just turn your back on me- on your dad like this," Chad interrupted him.

His knees quaking, Troy had just enough time to say, "I'm sorry, Chad! Okay? I'm sorry!" before the blinding glare of headlights washed over them.

There was a loud crunching of metal as a speeding SUV smashed against the passenger side, and then the truck was skidding. Skidding.

Troy couldn't regain control of the vehicle. He couldn't even control his own body. He was pitched backward violently by the pickup's velocity. Then, in a matter of seconds, everything came to a stop with another gut-wrenching crunch, and he was thrown forward with equal momentum. The seatbelt dug into his collar bone as it just stopped him from smacking his head into the steering wheel. From somewhere far too close for comfort, he could hear the sound of glass cracking, shattering. "Ch-Chad?" He croaked, his voice barely there.

Was there an answer?

Troy couldn't tell. The airbags inflated in that instant, and they were so heavy. They were crushing his chest. Crushing the precious air right out of him even as he gasped desperately to keep the oxygen in his lungs. A horn bleared somewhere in the distance, and a weighty darkness descended on Troy's mind.

He was a disappointment. He'd crashed his truck, let his dad and best friend down, failed to ask Ryan out, and now he couldn't even…