BABY MINE
Alex Katsopolis cocked his head to the right and he cocked his head to the left, checking for a hair that may be out of place. In a sense, he was just like his father Jesse. His brother Nicky Katsopolis, or Nick as they called him now, stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. He heaved a heavy sigh, came over, and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"Alex, come on, let's go! We're gonna be late again!"
"Chill Nick, we're not gonna be late." Nick sighed again.
"That's what you always say and it never comes true! Besides, I thought you wanted to get to school in time to find out what time auditions for the school musical will be." At this Alex jumped out of his chair so fast, he knocked it over.
"Oh shit! That's right, they're today!"
"Watch your language young man!" Becky Katsopolis, the twins' mother said, entering the room. "I don't want to have to wash your mouth out with soap!"
"Sorry mom. Is the car ready? Because I'm ready to get to school!" He grabbed his backpack and hurried out the door. Becky stared after her son in surprise.
"Is your brother feeling okay?" she asked Nick, turning to face her other son.
"He's fine mom. It's just the auditions for the school musical are today and Alex wants to be at school in time to hear what time they're being held at." At this Becky looked even more surprised.
"Alex wants to audition for the school musical?"
"Yeah, well, you know." He grabbed his backpack and started for the door. When he reached it, he turned to face her again. "They're doing "High School Musical", Alex's favortie, so of course he wants to try out." Then, he turned on his heel and headed out of the room. Becky just stood there for a moment in an utter state of shock. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she grabbed her purse and followed her sons out.
About twenty minutes later, the twins were jumping out of the car and hurrying into the school building with the mass of kids that were already crowding the entrance. They barely had much of a chance to wave to their mother as they pushed their way through to get inside. Becky smiled and shook her head before driving off to go meet Danny at the station for another morning show of "Wake Up San Francisco". She sighed in puzzlement, wondering what ever had gotten Alex to decide to try out for the school musical. Even though it was his favorite musical, Becky couldn't see her devil of a son auditioning for it. In fact, she couldn't see Alex ever auditioning for anything. Something must be going on inside Alex's head to make him suddenly want to do this. She began to wonder if perhaps there was a girl involved and after only a moment's thought, decided that that had to be it. A girl that Alex was crushing on was trying out for the show and he wanted to try to get in it so he would have a chance to get closer to her. It seemed like the perfect motivation to get Alex to do something he would never be caught dead doing. Little did she know, she was right about the crushing thing but she was wrong about the girl.
You see, Alex was crushing on someone who was going to be auditioning for the musical but it wasn't a girl, oh no, it wasn't. The person Alex was crushing on was perhaps the equivalent of "High School Musical's" Ryan Evans. His name was Dustin Ridgewood and besides being the captain of the football team, he was the most popular guy in the whole school. Alex was crushing on him hard but there was no way in the hell he would ever tell his parents, at least not at this point. The only person that knew Alex's real reason for auditioning for the school musical, was Nick, and he wasn't about to blow things for his brother either. Nick knew Alex wasn't exactly gay but he wasn't exactly straight either. To put it mildly, Alex was bi-sexual and Nick was okay with that. He knew that you couldn't help how you turned out and as long as Alex was comfortable, he was comfortable. The only thing was, Alex only seemed to be comfortable with his sexuality when he was at school and Nick could tell that's how it was going to be for quite some time. He knew Alex was afraid to tell their parents, especially their father because Alex was afraid that they would disown him if they found out he liked sexual attention from guys. Nick was always telling him that he was stupid for thinking that and that their parents would love him no matter what his sexuality was. After all, neither their mother nor their father had ever mentioned having a phobia or strong dislike of people who were same sex oriented and besides, Alex wasn't fully that way, he liked both, guys and girls and Nick didn't think that would seem to be half as bad as being completely just into guys. But Alex wouldn't hear of it. He kept saying he would tell them one day, when he was ready but Nick was almost certain that day would never come. They were freshman in high school now and Alex had known about this part of his personality since they were in seventh grade. He had kept it a secret from their parents for about two years now and Nick thought it was about time he said something but Nick also knew that he couldn't force his brother and he wasn't about to try. So, he just kept on supporting him and saying that everything was going to be alright and that it didn't matter that Alex liked both girls and guys, he was still his brother. That always made Alex feel better.
As Nick tried to keep up with him, Alex pushed his way through the crowd trying to hurry and get to the bulletin board before the bell rang to go to class. In his rush, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and he ran right into someone, knocking himself down and sending the pen he had in his hand to take down the time of the auditions with, flying into the air and dropping on the floor somewhere amongst the many feet. Alex got on his hands and knees and began frantically looking for the pen when a hand came out in front of him. He followed it up the arm with his eyes and kept raising his head until he was staring right into Dustin's eyes. He smiled weakly and took the hand that was offered to him. Dustin pulled him up.
"Sorry about that, I...I...I wasn't watching where I was going." Dustin just smiled at him.
"No problem, it wasn't your fault. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going either. I was studying my music." He held up a sheet of music with lyrics on it and smiled again. "So I guess we're both at fault." Alex was listening but he wasn't looking at him. Instead, his head was darting back and forth as he glanced all over the floor for his missing pen. "Something wrong? Did you lose something?" Alex looked back at him.
"Sort of. When we ran into each other, my pen flew out of my hand. It landed somewhere but I seem to be having a bit of trouble locating it."
"No worries." He pulled a pen from behind his ear, "You can have mine." Alex blushed and took the pen from him. Dustin laughed a bit and for a moment, the two of them just stood there looking at each other. Alex was in awe, not to mention his hands were sweating, as was the rest of his body. He didn't thing he could contain himself very long as he gazed into the older man's pale baby blues.
Dustin Ridgewood was the picture of perfection. A senior at Bayview High School, he was tall, fit, and had a dazzling smile. Just the kind of guy all the girls fell for. He had semi-long black hair with bleach blonde tips that he always styled spiked up. But the thing that stood out the most for Alex, was his pale baby blue eyes. They made Alex practically melt every time he saw them. This time was no exception and as Alex stood there gazing into those eyes, he could feel himself start to drift away from reality. It was as if he and Dustin were the only two people in the whole world and nothing else mattered. He was so entranced, he didn't notice Dustin smile and walk off again.
"Earth to Alex, come in Alex!" someone said, snapping their fingers in front of his face. Alex jumped and blinked.
"Huh?" he asked stupidly, coming back to reality to see his brother standing in front of him. "Oh, sorry Nick." Nick shook his head and grabbed Alex's hand, pulling him through the crowd and up to the bulletin board. He pointed at a piece of paper that was tacked directly in the middle, on top of some other papers that apparently weren't all that important anymore.
"There's the information you wanted. Now hurry up and take it down, we have to get to class. The bell rang about thirty seconds ago while you were off in lala land." Alex blushed again. He looked at the paper and quickly scrawled the time of the auditions on his hand with Dustin's pen and turned on his heel, hurrying off into the crowd again. Nick rolled his eyes and rushed after him, trying to keep up. They both had the same homeroom so he knew where he was going.
Nick finally caught up with Alex just outside the classroom door. "Alex wait," he said, grabbing his brother's arm. Alex turned to look at him, a confused expression on his face.
"What's the matter Nick?" he asked, puzzled. Nick sighed and glanced down at the floor for a moment. Than he took a deep breath and looked up at Alex again.
"What are you going to sing bro?" Alex looked even more puzzled at this sudden question.
"Huh? Nick, what in the world are you talking about?"
"The audition. It's a musical. You have to sing Alex. It's not like a regular play where you can just pick up a script and audition with a cold read. Miss. Mayhas will be expecting you to sing either a broadway song or more impressive, a song from the actual musical." Alex clapped a hand to his forehead.
"Crap you're right! I totally forgot all about that! Good thing I know all the words to every song in that musical. I'll just sing Get'cha Head in the Game. That sounds easy enough."
"Alex, I noticed on that paper about the auditions, it also gave information about the callbacks."
"So, what's the problem?"
"Alex, when there are going to be callbacks, the director almost always tells anyone who plans to audition, not to use a piece from the actual musical they're auditioning. Singing the music from the show is usually kept for the callback audition. You'll have to sing something else." At this Alex dropped his head into his hands and turned and walked into the classroom.
"Oh no what am I going to do?" he asked in a whiny voice as he sat down in his chair. Nick sat down beside him. He put a comforting hand on his brother's back and Alex looked up at him. Nick looked down at the ground for a moment and twisted up his face. He squinted his eyes trying hard to think. Just then, the bell rang and Nick's eyes lit up.
"I got it! I know what you can sing!" Alex looked at him shocked and so did the teacher and the rest of the class.
"Nicholas, is there something you'd like to share with the whole class?" the teacher asked, raising his eyebrows at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Randy. It's just that my brother was having trouble trying to figure out what he was going to sing for his audition for the school musical today and it just hit me."
"Oh?" Mr. Randy asked in a very curious voice. Nick nodded. "And just what would that be Nicholas?" Nick stood up.
"He can sing THIS IS THE MOMENT from 'Jekyll and Hyde the Musical'," Nick said. "We know that one really well. We saw the broadway production of it live once when it came to the Golden Gate Theater here in San Francisco and we have the soundtrack because we thought the music was just so good. He knows the song by heart and every time he sings it, he sounds perfect! It's almost as if he were playing Dr. Jekyll himself! I know he'll just blow Miss. Mayhas away if he sings it!" Mr. Randy nodded his head in approval and Alex's eyes lit up.
"Hey yeah, I could sing that! Thanks Nick! You're the best! You know, there are a lot of reasons why I am so proud to have a twin brother." Nick beamed.
"Yes well," began Mr. Randy, "As nice as that is, we have a class to get started so you can talk more about that later. Please sit down Nicholas." Nick sat down in his chair again. "And Alexander, I do hope you will pay attention today." He raised his eyebrows and looked down at Alex. Alex smiled weakly and sort of sunk down in his seat. Nick shook his head and looked down at the paper Mr. Randy had just set on his desk.
"Um, Mr. Randy?" Nick said, picking up the paper.
"Yes Nicholas?"
"Don't mean to be rude but what in the world is this?" he replied, holding the paper out. The rest of the class kind of looked up and nodded their agreement.
"That, Nicholas, is a pop quiz on the school curriculum. I told you guys you would want to study the rules because sometime this semester I would be quizzing you on them. It's a common thing I do with all my freshman classes." The whole class groaned, even Nick and he usually was okay with quizzes and things seeing as he was the one who usually paid attention and did his work and got good grades. "Now now, let's have none of that, you knew this was coming. Everybody take out a pen." Alex groaned again but sighed when he looked at the pen he had taken out. It was the one Dustin had given him earlier. Oddly enough, he felt a weird sense of calming from holding that pen and suddenly believed that he was going to do well on the quiz. But hey, isn't that how anyone feels when they are in possession of something that used to belong to their crush? "You have twenty minutes. You may begin now." Alex shook his head to clear away the thoughts that were running through his mind and looked down at the paper. He suddenly felt very sick as he realized he didn't know anything about the school's curriculum. Instead of studying the student handbook with his brother, Alex had been down in the basement with his father watching him and his band play. He glanced at Nick and was not at all surprised to see that he seemed to be having no trouble at all answering the questions on the quiz. Turning back front, he quietly raised his hand. "Yes Alexander?"
"Sorry sir, but I don't feel very well. Do you mind if I get up and go clear my head in the bathroom for a moment?" Mr. Randy folded his arms over his chest.
"Alexander, we've been through this before. The answer is no. I know you're just faking it to try to get out of taking the quiz." Alex shook his head and gulped a huge breath of air. He swallowed hard and grimaced.
"I'm not faking it this time Mr. Randy, honest."
"Well, I can say I haven't actually heard that before." Nick put his pen down and glanced over at his brother. His whole face went green as he realized what was about to happen. He quickly threw his hand into the air. "What is it Nicholas?"
"Please sir, with all do respect, I don't think my brother is playing around this time." But before Mr. Randy could answer, Alex keeled over under his desk and threw up on the white tile floor. He clutched his stomach with both hands and fell limp in his seat. To make matters worse, Nick noticed out of the corner of his eye that Dustin Ridgewood had just entered the room with a note to give to Mr. Randy. He looked at Alex and was relieved to see that he hadn't noticed anything of the sort. Looking back at Dustin, Nick was again relieved to see that rather looking apalled like he had expected him to, Dustin looked concerned. He turned and looked at Nick.
"Is your brother alright?" he asked in a concerned voice. Nick didn't have to ask how he knew Alex was his brother. After all, they were identical twins.
"He's fine. He just got sick for once over a pop quiz." Dustin nodded and looked back at Mr. Randy. "Although I think part of it may be because he was thinking about using the pen you gave him," Nick said under his breath. he would never actually let Dustin know that his brother liked him. He couldn't do that to Alex. This was something Alex had to do on his own and Nick knew he could. Alex was strong and independent, he had never been scared of anything except schoolwork.
"Um, Alexander," Mr. Randy began, "Why don't you go to the bathroom and clean up." Alex nodded and got up out of his seat. Mr. Randy took the note from Dustin. "Would you mind going with him Dustin since you are already out and about and the rest of my students are still taking their quiz?" Dustin shook his head.
"Not at all Mr. Randy. I'd be happy to help out." Come on kid, he said, putting a hand on Alex's back and leading him to the door.
"Oh Alexander?!" Mr. Randy called. Alex turned to look at him. "Why don't you just forget about the quiz for today. You can go home and study the curriculum and I'll give it to you on friday. Sound good?" Alex nodded his head. He wasn't going to let Mr. Randy down this time. He was going to study the school curriculum and he was going to get a good grade on this quiz if it took all the brain power he had to do it. He turned back around and let Dustin proceed to lead him out the door and down the hall to the bathroom.
"That was quite a show you gave back there kid," Dustin said as they entered the bathroom. He helped Alex hop up on the counter then took a paper towel and began to wet it. "Quiz must of really had you nervous." Alex shook his head. "No, it didn't? Than why'd you hurl?" Alex smiled weakly.
"It wasn't the quiz. Quizzes never make me feel sick for real. I usually try to fake it so I can get out of taking them." Dustin smiled and laughed.
"You sound a lot like me when I was your age but then I found out something that changed my whole perspective on school." Alex looked at him curiously and pressed him to go on. "I found out that just like if I was on one of the sports teams, if I wanted to persue partipating in theater, I had to keep my grades up. It's Miss. Mayhas's rule as well as my parents' rule. So, if it wasn't the quiz that made you sick, what did?"
"I don't think I can tell you that," Alex responded, glancing down at the floor as Dustin took the wet paper towel and started to clean him up. He blushed deep red and Dustin smiled.
"You know kid, you're pretty damn cute. What's your name anyway?"
"Alexander Katsopolis."
"Katsopolis huh?" Alex nodded. "That name sounds familiar." He thought for a moment. "Are you Jesse Katsopolis' son?" Alex nodded. "I knew that name sounded familiar! Hey when you get the chance, tell your dad I think his band is awesome." Again, Alex nodded. "So, you can't tell me what made you sick?" This time Alex shook his head. Dustin finished cleaning him up and threw the towel in the trash can. Then, he hopped up on the counter next to Alex. He put a finger under his chin and turned his head to face him. "You like me don't you?" When Dustin spoke the truth, Alex's eyes got really wide and he blushed an even deeper red. Dustin just smiled. "You really are cute Alex. It's the truth though, isn't it?"
"How did you know?"
"Easy, I could tell by the way you were acting. Sometimes Alex, you don't have to say anything, your actions speak for themselves. This is one of those times. If it makes you feel any better, your actions are no different from anyone else who likes me and that's a lot of people. Unfortunately for them, I'm a very picky person and there's another thing about me that they don't know."
"Is it the reason you don't have a girlfriend already?" Dustin nodded. "Than what is it? I mean, if you don't mind me asking." Dustin shook his head.
"No, I don't mind. Mind you, you had better keep this to yourself because I've never told this to anyone, not even my best friend or my parents or my brother and sister."
"I promise, I won't tell anyone." Dustin looked at him and Alex's face showed no signs of intending to break the promise. That was one of the few good things about Alex, when he made a promise to someone, he always kept it. He had always believed it was wrong to break promises. Especially after that phase in his and Nick's life when Jesse seemed to be breaking all the promises he made to Becky and the boys. Dustin nodded his head.
"I believe you Alex." He let out a breath and looked down at the floor for a minute. Alex watched him patiently. "Sorry, I don't mean to take so long but this hard for me to say, even to someone I don't really know." Alex smiled and put a hand on Dustin's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it Dustin, I'm not rushing you. Just take your time, take all the time you need. When you're ready to say it, I'm ready to listen." That was another good thing about Alex, he was a good listener. Neither his parents nor his brother ever understood why he didn't put it to good use while he was in school. For Alex, the answer was simple. School was just way too boring to even bother listening to anything his teachers had to say. Dustin smiled at him and looked back down at the floor. He continued taking breaths.
Alex wasn't sure how long they sat there in silence for, it could've been anywhere from five minutes to fifthteen minutes but he wasn't sure. Anyway, it didn't matter to him, he liked sitting in silence with Dustin. Just sitting there with his crush made him happy no matter if they were together or not. Finally Dustin looked up at him again. "Okay, you see Alex, to put it simply, I'm not attracted to girls, not at all. I never have been. I can't help it, it's just the way I am." Again, Alex put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright, I understand. So, you're gay, so what! I'm bi-sexual so that's not going to make a difference to me. Besides, it's better for me that way because then I know if I get you, I can have you all to myself." Dustin laughed and a wide smile spread across his face again.
"You know, the more and more you do, the cuter I think you are. I like you Alex, I really do and I don't care that you're a freshman. Better to get your experience from someone older anyway. I did." Alex looked at him and went slightly pink. Then, Dustin did something Alex hadn't been expecting. Placing his finger under Alex's chin again, he tilted his head up and leaned down and pressed their lips together firmly. Without knowing why, Alex found himself deepening the kiss and before long, his arms had wound around Dustin's neck. Dustin's hand dropped from Alex's chin and a moment later, Alex felt both his arms winding around his waist. He pulled Alex closer and Alex moaned slightly, parting his lips just a bit for Dustin to slip his tongue into his mouth. Alex caressed Dustin's tongue with his own and he shivered as he felt Dustin's hands slip under his shirt and caress the small of his back. However, Alex didn't care, his eyes were shut and he was in heaven sitting here on the counter and kissing his crush like this. Finally, Dustin pulled away, allowing both of them to breathe and Alex gasped for air. He smiled briefly before taking a few long gulps of air and turning back to face Dustin.
"Wow!" was all Alex could say. Dustin smiled.
"Yeah wow. Have you ever been kissed before Alex?" Alex shook his head. Sure he had hugged and held hands and held another in his arms before but the closest he had ever come to actually getting kissed, was a peck on the cheek. "Than I guess I should feel special, getting to be your first real kiss and all." Alex smiled. "Can I ask you something?" Alex nodded. "Why did you need a pen this morning anyway?" Alex blushed again. "Come on, you can tell me."
"Well, I wanted to take down the time for the auditions today. I was going to try out for the school musical in hopes of getting closer to you. But I guess I don't have to now."
"Awww, how sweet, you were going to try out to get to me?" Alex nodded. "That is the sweetest thing I ever heard. But will you do me a favor?"
"Anything," Alex said softly.
"Will you try out for the show anyway? I'd like to see if you would've been good enough to get in." Alex blushed and nodded. "Great!" At that moment, the bell rang. Dustin jumped off the counter and helped Alex down. Then he took his hand and ran out the door.
By the time they had reached Alex's class again, Nick was standing in the hall waiting for him. He had Alex's backpack and held it out to him as he and Dustin approached. "Thanks," Alex said taking the bag with his free hand. Nick smirked and Alex suddenly realized he was still holding Dustin's hand. He immediately let go and blushed. Taking hold of both straps of his backpack, he looked up a Dustin and smiled. Dustin smiled back and started off for his class to get his stuff. Before he disappeared from sight, he blew Alex a kiss and Alex caught it in his hand. Then he blew one right back, which Dustin caught as well and placed it to his heart. Alex blushed again. "Come on, let's go," he said, turning to his brother. Nick just shook his head and followed Alex off down the hall.
"You mind telling me what that was all about?" Alex blushed a third time and glanced around the hall to make sure the other students were all minding their own business.
"Oh Nick, it was amazing! Dustin and I were just sitting in bathroom talking while he helped me clean up. Then, I don't know how to explain it, it just happened, he kissed me." Nick's eyes went wide. "Yeah, that's right, he kissed me! I didn't kiss him but I did respond by kissing him back. It was the most amazing feeling ever! I felt like I was in heaven! And it wasn't just any kiss, it was a french kiss! Nick, it was perfect, it was destiny, I know it!"
"Wow Alex. It sounds like you might be getting the guy of your dreams. I'm happy for you Alex. Just one thing, does this mean you won't be trying out for the school musical?" Alex shook his head and Nick looked rather confused. "It doesn't?" Alex shook his head again.
"Right, it doesn't. You see, after we kissed, Dustin asked me why I had needed a pen this morning."
"And what did you say?"
"I told him the truth. That I had been planning to audition for the school musical in hopes of a chance of getting closer to him so I wanted to take the time of the auditions down so I wouldn't forget."
"And what did he say?"
"He told me it was the sweetest thing he had ever heard and then he asked me to try out anyway. He wants to see if I would've been good enough to get in. So, because I really like him, I agreed to still audition for the show."
"And then what happened?"
"Well, then the bell rang so we had to leave the bathroom but it was still perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about it."
"I bet you wouldn't," Nick replied and Alex slugged him in the shoulder. "Hey, that hurt!"
"Sorry." Neither of them spoke another word as they turned a corner and split to go to their separate classes. Although they were twins, the school didn't see any reason to stick them together in all their classes, especially since Nick was an honors student. He had graduated middle school with the highest GPA of anyone in his class. Alex had just managed to scrape by with a good enough GPA to pass on into high school. Besides, even if he hadn't, his parents would've made him go to summer school to make up the missing credits just so he and Nick could start high school together. They wanted to see both their boys graduate high school at the same time. It would be a proud moment and Alex knew that. So despite how much he hated school, he always made sure he did just enough to meet the requirements so that he could graduate with his brother and make his parents happy.
Alex was too nervous to sit down in his seat in the auditorium as he waited for his chance to audition. Nick had asked if he wanted him to stay with him but Alex said no so instead Nick had told him to break a leg and headed off to catch a bus home. Alex had called his father at lunchtime to ask him if he could come pick him up when the auditions were over and Jesse had said he would which was good for Alex because unlike his brother, he never bothered to carry enough money on him to catch the bus after school. So here he was pacing in front of his seat rubbing his sweaty palms together. Dustin was watching him go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Finally, he got so tired of it, he put out his hand, grabbed Alex by the arm, and pulled him down into the seat next to him. He took a moment to reassure Alex that everything was going to be alright. Although Alex nodded, he could still feel butterflies in the pit of his stomach. Especially since so far as he could tell, the auditions weren't going very well and already seven people had auditioned. None of them had gotten good remarks from Miss. Mayhas so it didn't look like any of them were going to make it to the callbacks. But there were still like at least forty to fifty people left, Alex and Dustin included who wanted to audition. Alex recognized some of them as students from the drama club. One in particular, he recognized as the younger sister of a student who had been a big name in the drama department when his cousin Michelle had been in high school. He figured she obviously had to be good if her older sister was a star. Here were all these people who probably knew a thing or two at least about acting and he knew nothing. All he really knew was the few things Michelle had taught him when she had taken an acting class during high school. It was because of Michelle that he knew about the other girl's older sister. Michelle had been lucky enough to land a role in the spring musical her sophomore year and that girl had also been in the show. Alex and his family of course had gone to see her perform in it. It was clear to Alex that Michelle had gotten her talent from her older sister DJ as Stephanie had never been bitten by the acting bug.
"Dustin Ridgewood!" Miss. Mayhas called out and Alex snapped out of his zone. He had been thinking about Michelle and her performance in the musical that year. Although, she hadn't been the star because that girl's sister had landed the role, she had had a co-starring role which was one of the second biggest parts in the show and she had done really well. Now Alex put his thoughts about Michelle and her performance aside and settled back in his seat to watch Dustin's audition. He took a deep breath as he saw Dustin walk up the steps to the stage and stand center. "Good afternoon Dustin," Miss. Mayhas went on. "It's nice to see someone I know will present a good audition for once." She turned to looked at the rejected students who sat over on the side of the auditorium and then looked at the remaining hopefuls. "Pay close attention to Dustin here as he will present an example of what I'm looking for in a good audition piece." She turned back to Dustin, "And what will you be singing for us today?"
"I will be singing I GOT TO CROW from the broadway musical 'Peter Pan'," Dustin replied without hesitation. It was obvious to Alex that Dustin was not in the least bit nervous but he wasn't surprised. After all, as far as he had heard, Dustin had played the lead in every production the school had had in his entire high school career. Many students said that he was definitely bound for either broadway, film and television, or both. There was no doubt about it.
"A wonderful choice of song Dustin. Please, do proceed." Dustin cleared his throat and shut his eyes a minute. Than he did a few breathing and vocal exercises before clearing his throat again and beginning his piece. Alex watched with amazement as Dustin smoothly slid through the song, staying on key and in tune the whole time while also dancing and providing facial expressions along with it. Everything seemed to be perfect down to a tee and Alex knew there was no way he could compete with that. Dustin was certain to get the lead role of Troy Bolton but Alex didn't care. He wouldn't have minded what role he got, as long as he got to be in it. After all, even if he was an extra, he was still going to have the opportunity to sing, even if it wasn't a solo because every extra sang in both STICK TO THE STATUS QUO and WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. So it wouldn't matter to Alex if he just got the part of an extra. It would've been just fine. Besides, he would be surprised if he even got into the show, let alone getting a starring role. Before he knew it, Dustin was done and the whole auditorium had erupted into applause. Alex clapped right along with them as Dustin took a bow. "Brava, brava!" Miss. Mayhas called to him and Dustin waved and headed off the stage.
"You were amazing!" Alex said as Dustin sat down beside him again. Dustin just beamed at him, glanced around, and gave Alex a quick peck on the lips. Alex blushed and turned back towards Miss. Mayhas who had stood up again to announce the next auditioner.
"Alexander Katsopolis!" she called and Alex gulped. That was him and he was now more nervous than he had ever been in his life. He had only ever sang for his family so he didn't know if he really sounded good. Dustin patted him on the back, letting him know it was alright and everything was going to be fine. Alex took a few deep breaths and headed up on to the stage. "Good afternoon Alexander, it's nice to meet you. I love seeing new faces at my auditions. Welcome to the world of acting. I am very pleased you decided to audition. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself Alexander." Alex nodded.
"Well, my name is Alex Katsopolis. I'm the son of Jesse Katsopolis whom I'm sure you've all heard of by now. I have a twin brother named Nicholas but everyone always calls him Nick. I've never done anything in the way of acting so this is my first experience and I don't care if I get a small role or whatever, I'll just be happy to be in the show. 'High School Musical' is one of my favorite musicals of all time so it would be a real honor to be a part of this production."
"Oh, well, that's very nice to hear. I'm always happy to hear about a student that doesn't mind what part they get in the show if they get it. I just love it when a student shows that they are unselfish and saying you don't mind what part you get shows that you're just fortunate to get a part. Now, what will you be singing for us today?"
"Um, I've decided to sing THIS IS THE MOMENT from 'Jekyll and Hyde the Musical'."
"Oh, well, I'm sure you will do a very good job. That's a great song by the way and a wonderful musical as well. Please begin when you're ready." Alex nodded. He stood there for a moment just taking in a few deep breaths. He glanced at Dustin who was smiling and nodding which seemed to say 'Go on, you can do it'. Alex nodded to him and took one more deep breath before closing his eyes and starting to sing.
This is the moment
This is the the day
When I send all my doubts and demons
On their way
Every endeavor
I have made, ever
Is coming into play
Is here and now today
This is the moment
This is the time
When the momentum and the moment
Are in rhyme
Give me this moment
This precious chance
I'll gather up my past
And make some sense at last
This is the moment
When all I've done
All of the dreaming, scheming, and screaming
Become one
This is the day
See it sparkle and shine
When all I've lived for
Becomes mine
For all these years
I faced the world alone
And now the time has come, to prove to them
I've made it on my own
This is the moment
My final test
Destiny beckoned
I never reckoned second best
I won't look down
I must not fall
This is the moment
The sweetest moment
Of them all
This is the moment
Damn all the odds
This day or never
I'll sit forever with the Gods
When I look back
I will always recall
Moment for moment
This was the moment
The greatest moment
Of them all
Alex finished the song on a long note just the way he always did and shut his eyes again once it was over. When he heard the burst of applause in the auditiorium, he opened his eyes again and looked around. People were not only applauding him but they were also giving him a standing ovation. He smiled widely and proceeded off the stage. He sat down in his seat again and Dustin leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as a way of congratulating him on a job well done. Misss. Mayhas stood up once again and addressed the auditorium. "Well, I think it's clear that Alex has got his father's good singing voice as well as his good looks too." Alex blushed. "I think it's safe to say that he can expect to get far in the acting world if not the music world." Again Alex blushed and Dustin took hold of his hand. "Well, next we have Virginia Brooklyn." Alex let out another breath as he watched a dark haired girl cautiously ascend the steps to the stage. He could tell she was nervous, maybe even more nervous than he himself had been but after the reaction he had gotten, there were no doubts in his mind that he had actually achieved a callback.
About an hour and a half later they had gotten through the rest of the auditions but only because not everyone had gotten the chance to sing their whole song. Many were stopped part way through and some couldn't even muster up the courage to sing but by the end, Alex was sure Miss. Mayhas had all she needed to post up a good callback list and he knew that his name was bound to be on it. Dustin had offered to walk him out but Alex told him that he had his father waiting for him and he wasn't ready to have to explain to Jesse why on earth he was walking out of the school holding a guy's hand. Dustin thankfully had understood seeing as he still hadn't told his family that he was gay so he gave Alex a quick peck on the lips and hurried off out of the school to the bus stop where he just barely got a bus as it was about to leave. Alex watched him go before hurrying to the front of the school where his dad was waiting in the car.
"Hey champ, how's it going?" Jesse asked as Alex opened the door and climbed in. He smiled at Jesse and Jesse smiled back. "I see the hair's lookin' good. I just don't understand why your brother doesn't take as much time on his hair as you do."
"Nick's the goody-goody dad, he could care less what his hair looks like. Besides, you have twins not two different aged sons. You should've known you were gonna end up with one angel and one reject." He laughed and Jesse joined in. "You know dad, it's great spending time with you but maybe I should start concentrating on my homework a little bit more." Jesse squealed to a stop in front of a red light. He looked over at his son with his eyebrows raised.
"Alright, what happened to my champ? What's going on with you kiddo? One audition and all of a sudden you want to do better in school? Something's not right. What's up Alex?" Again, Alex just laughed. When he finished he looked at his dad again and by that time the light had turned green so Jesse had turned his attention back to the road.
"Dad it's nothing. I just met one of the guys in school who's a drama alumni, meaning he's a senior and he's had the lead in every show they've done since he's been in high school, and he said if you want to make the drama department part of your high school career, you have to get good grades, just as if you were a jock."
"So I'm guessing that means your audition went well?"
"Better than I imagined."
"That's my boy, taking after your old man."
"Dad, you're not that old."
"Awww, thanks kid but you know, I don't know how much longer I'll be on the scene."
"Dad, don't think of that right now, it's heart wrecking. I hate to think that one day you may just be too old to carry on with what you do and then Nick and I will be taking care of you. It's just scary to think about especially seeing how DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle have been starting to have to take care of Uncle Danny. Not to mention, sometimes Nick and I have to help out with it too because they can't always be there if he needs them and Danny doesn't need them all that often yet."
"Yeah well, Danny can hold his own but I'm not quite sure I'll be as strong as that guy when I reach his age."
"But dad, you already are his age!" Jesse laughed as he pulled into a space outside the house.
"No I'm not. His wife, my sister was his age. I'm younger than he is. Why do you think it took me longer to get married and have you and Nick? I mean come on, Danny already had three daughters by the time I even met your mom. But hey, it's alright, I love my nieces very much and they kept me busy while I was waiting for my own little bundles of joy, especially Michelle."
"Yeah but even after Nick and I were born, you didn't start to ignore your little munckin, you divided your time evenly," Alex replied as he got out of the car and shut the door. Jesse laughed again as he lead the way up to the front door of the house. Neither of them said anything as Jesse unlocked the door and pushed it open.
"Surprise!" shouted three voices from the couch. Alex jumped as he followed his dad into the house. DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle were sitting on the couch and Alex had had no idea that they were going to be there. His dad on the other hand, didn't seem surprised to see them at all so they must've shown up before he left to go pick Alex up from school. After getting his breath back, Alex smiled and hurried over to hug his cousins, saving Michelle for last as she was his favorite, although he would never tell DJ and Stephanie that. Nick was sitting in the chair near the fireplace. He wore a silly grin on his face.
"So bro, how did the audition go?" Alex turned to look at his brother and smiled.
"Oh that's right," Michelle began, "Nick was just telling us that you stayed after school to audition for the school musical." Alex nodded. "Oh, my little Alex, following just a bit in my footsteps." Alex smiled and hugged her again. Nick just shook his head. Michelle looked at him for a moment. "What's the matter Nick?" He shook his head again indicating that nothing was wrong. "Well, how did it go?" Michelle asked, turning her attention back to Alex. Alex just smiled again. "Come on Alex, how did it go?"
"Yeah Alex," DJ chimed in, "We want to know, how did the audition go? Did you nail it?" Alex put his hands on his hips and looked down at the floor. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Awww, I'm sorry sweetie, maybe you should just try again next time." Alex pretended to be sad for a moment and then a wide smile spread across his face.
"Nah, just kidding," he said, popping his head back up. "I think, no I KNOW I got a callback. In fact, judging by the response in the auditorium after my audition, I'm sure of it." DJ jumped for joy when she heard this and Michelle threw her arms around Alex and hugged him for the third time in the last ten minutes. Stephanie flat hand popped him in the back of the head.
"You little jerk, you really had us going there!"
"Girls," spoke up Danny Tanner, entering the room from the kitchen, "Stop it. You're all grown adults now. Don't act like kids." The girls shook their heads.
"Sorry dad," Stephanie said, "But as much as you think we need to stop acting like kids, we think you need to stop treating us like kids. I mean come on, you're right, we are adults and that means you need to stop calling us girls." Danny's face fell.
"Well, gee Steph, I'm sorry if you feel insulted when I call you girls but you're still my girls. You're always gonna be my girls no matter how old you get. You're my babies and you're all I have left of your mother." He sighed. "All three of you look so much like her, and you're just as beautiful too. I guess it's just hard for me to grasp the fact that my girls are grown women now. It's like looking at your mother all over again. But if you want me to start treating you like you're all adults which is what you are now, than I guess I can try to stop calling you my girls." Stephanie threw her arms around her father and hugged him tighly. Danny hugged her back.
"Awww, dad, I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way. I didn't mean to make you upset. Please forgive me. I forgot that everytime you see us, you see mom and I know that's hard on you. I don't know about DJ and Michelle but you can call me whatever you like."
"Steph, thanks but you're right, you are an adult and I need to remember that. I also need to remember that while you girls may look like your mother, you're not your mother and I need to treat you like who you are, my daughters." DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle all smiled.
"Well said Uncle Danny," Alex cut in. Danny turned and looked at him.
"Gee thanks Alex. What a perfect way to break a perfect family moment." Alex smirked.
"That's what I'm here for Uncle Danny. I'm supposed to break those things up. Don't forget, I'm not the angel, Nick is."
"Alright Alex, I won't forget that, believe me, I won't." Alex smirked again. He felt another hand hit him in the back of the head. This time it was his brother who had popped him one.
"Ow, hey, what was that for?"
"You little weasel Alex, you aren't supposed to go and do stuff like that! Let Uncle Danny and our cousins have their little family moments. I mean, we have ours with our parents all the time. Just because you aren't involved, doesn't mean you have to break it up. You are so shallow Alex."
"Chill bro, I was just having a little fun. Nothing is supposed to be perfect. If I didn't break up family moments here and there, who would? Besides, it's not something I plan on doing all the time. So just let it go Nick! And I am not shallow! You know what I think it is?" Nick shook his head. "I think you're jealous." Nick's eyes went wide. "Yeah, I think you're jealous! You're just mad because I got ahold of the person I was crushing on and the girl you like doesn't even notice you exist!" Nick narrowed his eyes and shook his head.
"You know what?! I got news for you bro! Dustin never would've noticed you if you didn't bump into him this morning! I mean, come on, he's one of the most popular guys in school! On top of that, he's a senior! You should be happy you had such good luck!" At this, Alex turned bright red. Everyone else in the room gasped. Nick looked around at everyone. "Yeah, that's right people, Alex here is interested in guys! He wasn't planning on telling anyone but you know what, I figure that if you want to know if you're truely accepted by your family, you have to let them know you and the real you not some fake person who's afraid to let his true colors show. If your parents love you, they're not going to care what your sexuality is, they'll just care wether or not you're happy!" Nick was breathing loudly. He stomped his foot, glared at Alex, and stormed out of the room and up the stairs. DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle stared after him wide-eyed. Jesse dropped into a chair and after that, no one dared to move, they all just stood there staring at each other but mostly at Alex like they couldn't believe what they had just heard.
Finally, after several moments, Jesse looked directly at Alex who was staring at the floor, looking as though he was trying not to run from the room or worse, faint. "Alexander Katsopolis?" Jesse said in a quiet voice and Alex was relieved to hear that he didn't sound like he was angry with him. He took a deep breath and looked up at his father.
"Yes dad?" Alex asked in a voice so quiet Jesse had to cup a hand to his ear and lean forward just to hear him.
"Is that true?"
"Is what true?"
"Do you like guys, Alex?" Alex looked back down at the floor and rubbed his hands together, something he commonly did when he was nervous about a conversation with his parents. "Alex?" Alex looked back up at Jesse who now had his eyebrows raised. "Tell me the truth, do you like guys?" Alex didn't look back down at the floor but he continued to rub his hands together and he took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment while he took another deep breath and then opened them again and looked his father in the eye.
"Yes, dad, it's true. Nick was telling the truth. I have a crush on this guy, he's a senior, and he noticed me today because I bumped into him when I was on my way to look at the bulletin board to find out what time the auditions were. That's not all though. This guy, his name is Dustin by the way, he's the reason I planned on auditioning in first place. I thought that if got a part in the show, it would give me a chance to get close to him. You see, he's the guy who always gets casted in the lead role of all the school productions. The thing was, I was running a bit too fast to get to that bulletin board and I ran into him, I ran into Dustin. He was actually nice to me, he gave me his pen. But dad, it's not just guys I like. I do like girls too so it's not like I'm a total gay. I'm bi-sexual and I'm sorry but I'm not going to be able to change that. It's who I am and there's nothing that can be done about it." Alex picked his backpack up from the floor where he had dropped it in order to hug his cousins and started heading towards the stairs.
"Where are you going Alexander?" Jesse asked in a quiet yet harsh voice. Alex paused, his foot halfway raised to the step, and turned to look back at his father.
"I'm going upstairs to pack." Jesse looked at his son with a very confused expression on his face. "After all, I'm going to need my things if I am going to be living on the streets." He turned and continued to proceed up the stairs but Jesse's hand on his shoulder stopped him again.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about you going to live on the streets champ?"
"You're going to kick me out now, aren't you?" Jesse looked at Alex for a moment before pulling him into his arms.
"Alex, I'm not going to kick you out. So you like guys, so what! Alex, it doesn't matter to me, you're still my son. What did you think, that I was homophobic?" Alex looked at him for a moment before slowly nodding his head.
"Alex, that is where I think you're being stupid. I'm your father, your real father and I'm going to love you no matter who you are. You like guys champ, I'm behind you one hundred percent. Besides, you said you still like girls right?" Alex nodded again. "Alright than, we're cool. And even if you didn't like girls, I'd still love you because you're my son, you're my pride and joy, you and Nick both, and that's the way it's going to stay, okay champ?" Alex nodded a third time and Jesse pulled him in for a hug. "Now, tell me more about this boy you like, huh? A senior is he?" Alex nodded yet again and allowed his father to lead him up the stairs. "You know something? I think you're right about your brother."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I think you were right when you said you thought that Nick was jealous. Let me ask you something."
"Anything dad."
"Is there someone at school that Nick likes?" Alex thought for a moment before nodding. At this point they had reached the upstairs hallway and were heading to the stairs that lead up to the attic where their apartment was. "Oh there is, is there?" Alex nodded again. "Well, can you tell me a little about the girl?" Alex smiled and thought again while they headed up the stairs to the attic.
"Well, first of all, I have to admit, Nick does have good taste in girls, she's a very beautiful girl. Secondly, his standards in age are not as high as mine as she's a sophomore, just one year older than us but that's alright, I don't think it really matters how old they are as long as they aren't in middle school now or something." Jesse laughed and Alex smiled again as the two of them sat down on the couch in their apartment. Alex glanced at the door to the room he shared with his brother. It was shut which meant Nick was inside and it was probably best that he wasn't bothered. Alex turned back to his father and went on. "Anyway, her name is Jalyssa and she's quite popular with everyone in the school, very nice too. The thing is, she doesn't even know Nick exists which is pretty bad considering she knows me." Jesse looked surprised.
"Wait a minute son, how does she know you but not Nick? Aren't you two always together?" Alex shook his head.
"No. Nick has his friends and I have mine. Just because we're twins doesn't mean we spend every waking moment together. I mean, we are still two completely different people."
"Hmm, that's funny because when you boys were toddlers you wouldn't play with anyone but each other. Your mother and I had a difficult time trying to get you boys to learn to play with other children and now you guys prefer to spend your time apart?" Alex just shrugged. "I'm sorry champ, it's just it's weird hearing that you guys lead different lives at school when I can remember a time when you two were inseparable. It's really a blast of reality, you know?" Alex nodded. "Anyway, you were explaining how this Jalyssa girl knows you exist but not him."
"Right, well, Jalyssa's in my art class and you know, it being an elective, there are all sorts of students from the different grades in there. We did a project recently and she was my partner. We got to know each other pretty well and I sometimes hang out with her and her friends at lunch but I never once mentioned Nick. When he found out I was in with her, he asked me not to tell her anything, not even his name. He didn't want to be faced with trying to talk to her when he knew he would just get all choked up. So, the fact that she doesn't know he exists stays because it's pretty much what he wanted. I told Nick if he just let me do some talking, I could get him in with her easily but he wouldn't hear of it. What can I say dad? I tried to help him because I care but he didn't want it. That's not my problem."
"Yeah well, sometimes I'm not so sure about your brother Alex, he's a bit on the confusing side but that doesn't mean I don't love him. He's my other champ and he's still my son. I just wish he were less confusing is all. Maybe he'd have it easier if we could understand him once in a while." Alex nodded for like the gazillionth time in the last half hour. After that, nothing more was said on the subject and soon Nick calmed down enough to rejoin the family for the rest of the evening.
The next day at school, Alex once again found himself running for the bulletin board but this time it was at lunch because that's when Miss. Mayhas had said she would have the callback list up by. He was anxious to find out if his name was on it and if it was, it meant that he had a clear chance of getting into the show. Miss. Mayhas had been wowed by his performance the day before, there was almost no way he wouldn't be casted. Alex didn't like to brag but he was pretty sure of that. So, here he was, racing for the bulletin board, Nick once again on his heels and trying to keep up with him. Although Nick was shaking his head about his brother's sense of urgency, he didn't say anything and Alex hardly seemed to know he was even following him. The truth was, although they had had an argument the night before, Nick still cared whether or not Alex got a callback. He wanted, no he knew, that one day, he would see his brother's name in lights and this musical was the right way to get things started.
Finally, Alex made his way up to the bulletin board where a few students he recognized from the audition the day before, stood studying the callback list. Dustin was among them so Nick thought maybe it was better that he hang back and wait for Alex to come and bring him the news. He didn't want to interfere on Alex's chances with the guy of his dreams even if he knew Alex had been right about him being jealous. Of course, he would never admit to Alex that he had been right. So, Nick stood back as he watched his brother push his way to the front of the group. The callback list read:
Amanda Billings
Carlos Fernandez
Jessica Wholebrook
Michael Dashale
Virginia Brooklyn
Dustin Ridgewood
Megan Fine
Justin Parkson
Lilah Brown
Jason Farnsworth
Tonya Jenson
Brian Nework
Ashley Hernandez
Dylan Marks
Brittany Davis
Trevor Norwood
Heidi Prescott
Sean Morgan
Lilly Mason
Cameron Thomas
Rachel Addams
Cole Cauldwell
Nancy Kaligan
Daniel Wen
Karlee Topher
Ray Watson
Emily Hauser
Alexander Katsopolis
Alex jumped for joy when he saw that his name was there at the bottom of the list. It may have been at the bottom but it was there. He couldn't wait to do the callbacks that afternoon, he was so ready for them. He was still jumping for joy when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Alex spun around, startled to see Dustin staring down at him. "See, I knew you had potential right from the start and you seem to be happy about it too." Alex nodded. "Congrats, maybe we'll get to be in the show together. Now, won't that be fun frosh?" Alex nodded again. "Good, I can't wait to see how you pull things off today at callbacks. It will be fun to do, don't you think?" Alex nodded a third time. "What's with all the nodding? Too stunned say anything?" This time Alex shook his head.
"No, I just guess it's been a habit lately but I have to tell you something Dustin." He reached a hand up to Dustin's shoulder and led him away from the bulletin board. Alex took a deep breath before looking Dustin straight in the eyes. "My dad knows about me and how I feel about you." Dustin looked at him for a moment.
"Oh, he does, does he?"
"Yes. My brother Nick and I got into an argument last night not long after I got home and Nick spilled everything. But you know what?"
"What?"
"It's alright. My dad wasn't mad. He said I was his son and that he loved no matter what I was. Then, he asked me to tell him more about you. So, I told him a bit and then we got into a conversation about this girl that Nick likes. I told my dad that since I know the girl, I could easily fix Nick up with her but Nick didn't hear of it. In fact, he told me not even to ever mention him to her. It's just kind of weird. I mean, he's my twin and I just want him to be happy but I guess he just wants to try and do it on his own or something, I don't know. Sometimes I will never understand my brother's actions and we're identical twins! He really confuses me." Dustin laughed. "Well, I'll see you at callbacks later, I gotta go tell Nick that I made the list. I hope he'll be happy." Dustin nodded and Alex ran off to find his brother which didn't take long because he soon spotted him standing against the wall near and classroom door, apparently waiting for him. Alex ran up to him with a big smile on his face.
"Well?" Nick asked. Alex could tell he was trying not to act anxious.
"I made it! I got a callback! I have a chance to be in the show!" Nick threw his arms around him.
"That's great Alex! I can't wait to see if you get casted. Break a leg at the callbacks today." Alex beamed and hugged him back. He knew he could pull it off now, he just knew it. "I'll see you a bit later, I want to do some research in the library."
"Alright bro, see you at home. Make sure to tell dad that he will need to pick me up again today."
"I will. I'm sure he'll be happy for you. I know the girls will." Alex smiled after his brother as Nick waved and ran off. Alex turned to head off to the cafeteria and bumped right into Dustin again.
"Whoa! You know kid, we gotta stop running into each other like this," Dustin said with a wide smile on his face. Alex blushed. "Why young Mr. Katsopolis, I do believe you are blushing." Alex didn't have time to respond as Dustin swooped down and captured his lips with his own. Alex's eyes fluttered shut and his arms wound around Dustin's neck. He could feel the temperature rising as Dustin's own arms wrapped tightly around Alex's waist. Alex worried for a moment about all the people around them in the hallway but soon relaxed as he found himself lost in the kiss. It was like there was no else in the world but the two of them. It was even more amazing than the first time they had kissed. Alex couldn't believe what he was feeling and to be honest it kind of scared him but he thought he would be brave and take his chances. Something told him, it was going to be alright and that it was the right thing to do to be with Dustin. He pressed his lips more firmly against Dustin's to deepen the kiss and Dustin responded with a soft moan. Alex was so entranced by the kiss that he didn't realize that Dustin had slipped his hands down to his ass. He tightened his grip on Dustin's neck and allowed Dustin to turn him and push him up against the wall. Finally, after several more moments of kissing, Dustin pulled away and Alex started gasping for breath. He looked around to see if anyone had been watching them but there were barely any students in the hall and what students there were in the hall didn't seem to have been there long enough to notice anything. Alex started to let out a sigh of relief when he realized that he didn't really care what people thought, it felt right to be standing there in Dustin's arms kissing him. "Well kid, what do you say you come over to my house tonight? My parents won't be home, they're going to be away for the weekend so we could have some privacy." Alex thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No? Why not?" Dustin asked, sounding a bit disappointed.
"I don't really feel comfortable going over to your house if your parents don't know the real you, even if they won't be there." Dustin nodded.
"I understand but I'm not ready to tell them yet. I'm just really afraid."
"Don't be. The only thing that can happen is that they won't really approve but if your parents love you as much as you think they do, they shouldn't care whether or not you're gay. They would love you no matter what you are. Besides, I also think it's a bit too soon to be bringing each other home." Dustin sighed.
"You know what, you're right about both of those things. First, I'm going to get up the courage to tell my parents and thankfully I'll have all weekend to do it. Then, I'll take my time with you. I keep forgetting about that. I have a bit of a problem with rushing into things and that's why my relationships have never really gone that well. It's something I've been trying to work on but I really like you a lot Alex and I don't want to mess this up again. I really really will try hard not move too fast. I don't want to scare you off." Alex put a hand on his shoulder.
"You won't scare me off. I really like you a lot too so I'm going to stand by you as long as it takes and I'm going to keep encouraging you to keep working at it. I'm not like those other guys you may have dated Dustin. I don't get frightened and run off when I see one little flaw. I may not show it but I'm really a lot smarter than I look. I know that no one's perfect and no matter how hard you work, no one can ever be perfect. If someone's perfect, it's because someone else thinks so. And you know what?"
"What?"
"Regardless of that little flaw, I think you're perfect." Dustin smiled and gave Alex a small but sweet peck.
"I'll see you this afternoon sweetheart." Alex nodded and Dustin gave him one more quick kiss. Then he shouldered his bag and headed off down the hall.
That afternoon, when Alex entered the auditorium for the callbacks, he noticed that Dustin was already there. He was sitting in a seat in the front row and when he saw Alex he waved and patted the seat next to him. Alex smiled, walked over, and sat down, putting his backpack on the floor and giving Dustin a kiss on the cheek. Miss. Mayhas was sitting at the table that had been set up in the middle of the third row going over her notes which indicated to Alex that the callbacks hadn't even begun yet. He waited patiently for them to start and watched all the other hopefuls enter the auditorium and sit down. Finally, Miss. Mayhas straightened her papers and stood up. She walked up onto the stage and cleared her throat. Any conversation immediately deceased and all attention turned to the drama teacher.
"Well, good afternoon, it's a pleasure to see you all again," Miss. Mayhas began. "If you are sitting in this room right now, it means that I have seen the potential in you to take part in this year's musical." The whole auditorium errupted into cheers and she smiled. She waited patiently for the cheers to recede before going on. "Now you will be happy to know that I intend on casting all of you in the musical." Again, the auditorium errupted into cheers. "However, not all of you will have a speaking role. Some will be casted as extras but not to worry, the extras still get to sing in songs such as GET'CHA HEAD IN THE GAME, STICK TO THE STATUS QUO, and WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. It's just a matter of which of you will play which extras. Mind you, when it comes to the sequence for GET'CHA HEAD IN THE GAME, eight of you guys besides whomever will be playing Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason will also appear in that scene, even if you are casted in a specific role. That means if you are casted as Ryan, you may appear in that scene but I'm am thinking that the two guys who will not appear in that scene will be the ones who are playing either Ryan or Coach Bolton. Am I clear?" They all nodded. "Alright, good. Remember, this audition is strictly to see where I believe you will work best in the cast. I am going to tell you now, please do not be disappointed if you do not get a major role. Might I remind you that some of the biggest stars today started out as extras and with commercials. Do you all understand?" They all nodded again. "Okay then, without further ado, let the auditions begin!" They all applauded. "May I see Dustin and Karlee please?" Dustin gave Alex a quick kiss and headed up the stairs to the stage where he was soon joined by Karlee. "Alright," said Miss. Mayhas, I would like to see the two of you perform THE START OF SOMETHING NEW." Dustin and Karlee both prepared themselves and once they began, callbacks were underway.
For a little while, Alex sat there watching everyone and was astounded at how much better they all were than the day before and they had been outstanding in his mind the day before. Finally, just when he was wondering if he was going to get his chance, he heard it. "May I please have Alexander and Heidi on stage." Alex got up out of his seat and headed up the stairs to the stage where Heidi joined him. "Okay, I would like you two to sing for me WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR, Ryan and Sharpay style."
"So you want us to sing it as if we're Ryan and Sharpay?" Heidi asked and Alex couldn't help but roll his eyes. He knew that's what Miss. Mayhas had meant and he was a blonde. Miss. Mayhas nodded. and Heidi seemed a bit on the disappointed side. "Alright," she said finally. Alex sighed, counted a beat, and then began the song as Ryan would do.
ALEX:
It's hard to believe
That I couldn't see
BOTH:
You were always there beside me
Thought I was alone
With no one to hold
But you were always right beside me
HEIDI:
This feeling's like no other
BOTH:
I want you to know
That I've never had someone
That knows me like you do
The way you do
And I've never had someone
As good for me as you
No one like you
So lonely before
I finally found
What I've been looking for
HEIDI:
So good to be seen
So good to heard
BOTH:
Don't have to say a word
ALEX:
For so long I was lost
So good to found
BOTH:
I'm lovin' having you around
ALEX:
This feeling's like no other
BOTH:
I want you to know
That I've never had someone
That knows me like you do
The way you do
And I've never had someone
As good for me as you
No one like you
So lonely before
I finally found
What I've been looking for
Do, do, do,
Do, do, do, do, do, do
Whoooooooa
Do, do, do, do,
Do, do, do, do, do, do
Whoooooooa
The auditorium burst into applause as the two of them finished the song. Alex had to admit, despite being dumb, when it came down to it, Heidi was determined to get what she wanted. He wouldn't be surprised if she got a major part in the show. The only thing was, regardless of how well they complimented each other, he didn't think they would be casted together as Ryan and Sharpay Evans because he was a blonde and she was a brunette and the two characters were supposed to be twins. So, if either of them was casted in one of those roles, it was likely in Alex's mind that the other wouldn't be. He bowed politely and sat back down in his seat. Dustin patted him on the back to congratulate him on a job well done. He told Alex he was certain to get a major role now.
Alex was very relaxed and relieved as he watched the rest of the callbacks. Some people did better than others and some people didn't do so good at all but it didn't matter as long as Alex thought he had been good enough for a big role in the show. He was ready for anything and when it came to memorizing something, he was pretty good at doing that too so he didn't think he'd have any problem memorizing his lines. He hoped everything would go well and that he would get a good role in the show. The problem was he wasn't sure when he would find out but before he got up to leave, his prayers were answered. Miss. Mayhas once again took the stage and cleared her throat.
"I'd like to thank all of you for coming to callbacks and making your best effort for a part in the show. Now remember, sometimes big things come in small packages. I have enough to decide who will be casted in which role. I would very much appreciate it if you would all kindly wait outside the auditorium while I make my final decisions. The cast list will be posted on the door shortly and whomever is casted in a lead role, be advised that you will be expected to be at every rehearsal. Those who have minor roles and extra parts have the option of choosing whether or not they would like to come to the rehearsal and they will make that decision based on what we will be working on that day. If we will not be rehearsing anything that has to do with the extras, than there will be no reason for you to show up. Information on how the rehearsal schedule will look will be given to you at the first rehearsal on monday. Thank you and please remember to wait outside the gym to see what part you will be playing." The entire auditorium got up and exited the room.
For a little while, they all stood out in the hallway just talking to one another to pass the time. Alex leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. He was exhausted and couldn't wait to go home, flop down in front of the TV, and watch some friday afternoon after school specials. He loved fridays, seeing as a lot of his favorite shows came on on fridays. He couldn't wait to see the brand new episodes that would be premiering that night. Suddenly somebody's lips pressed against his and Alex's eyes popped open in surprise but they shut again when he saw it was only Dustin and he leaned into the embrace. Nobody seemed too notice, they were all too busy trying to occupy themselves while waiting nervously for the cast list to be posted. And just as Dustin was pulling away, as if on cue, Miss. Mayhas pushed open the door to the auditorium and everyone gathered around so they could read the list she was pinning up. It took a bit of work but Alex managed to push his way up to the front so that he could see and this is what the list read.
TROY...Dustin Ridgewood
GABRIELLA...Lilah Brown
RYAN...Alexander Katsopolis
SHARPAY...Karlee Topher
CHAD...Cameron Thomas
TAYLOR...Heidi Prescott
ZEKE...Trevor Norwood
KELSIE...Rachel Addams
COACH BOLTON...Justin Parkson
MISS. DARBUS...Amanda Billings
PRINCIPAL MATSUI...Daniel Wen
MRS. BOLTON...Ashley Hernandez
MRS. MONTEZ...Brittany Davis
MARTHA COX...Jessica Wholebrook
SKATER DUDE...Jason Farnsworth
JASON...Carlos Fernandez
ALAN...Dylan Marks
SINDRA...Nancy Kaligan
STUDENTS/AUDITIONERS...Virginia Brooklyn, Cole Cauldwell, Michael Dashale, Megan Fine, Emily Hauser, Tonya Jenson, Lilly Mason, Sean Morgan, Brian Nework, Ray Watson
BASKETBALL TEAM...Cole Cauldwell, Michael Dashale, Jason Farnsworth, Dylan Marks, Sean Morgan, Brian Nework, Ray Watson, Daniel Wen
TEENS AT LODGE...Virgina Brooklyn, Cole Cauldwell, Michael Dashale, Megan Fine, Emily Hauser, Tonya Jenson, Lilly Mason, Sean Morgan, Brian Nework, Ray Watson
Alex was just about to exclaim with joy at getting one of the lead roles when he noticed a second piece of paper that had been taped under the first. This sheet was entitled UNDERSTUDIES. Alex knew it would be important for him to read this list too so he scanned it with his eyes.
TROY...Alexander Katsopolis
GABRIELLA...Heidi Prescott
RYAN...Cameron Thomas
SHARPAY...Rachel Addams
CHAD...Sean Morgan
TAYLOR...Lilly Mason
ZEKE...Michael Dashale
KELSIE...Emily Hauser
COACH BOLTON...Brian Nework
MISS DARBUS...Tonya Jenson
This was an even bigger surprise to Alex. This meant that he would also have to learn Troy's lines as well because if for some reason, Dustin was unable to perform, Alex would have to take on the role. And if Alex had to play Troy, both his character Ryan and the character of Chad would have to be understudied as well because the student who was casted as Chad was casted as Alex's understudy. Alex couldn't believe that Miss. Mayhas had actually seen him as having potential to play Troy. Dustin wrapped his arms around him from behind and Alex jumped.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Alex looked up at him and shook his head. "It means Miss. Mayhas had an awfully difficult time deciding between me and you to play Troy so when she finally did, whomever she didn't cast as Troy, she decided to cast as the understudy for Troy. You must be really good sweetheart, no one's ever come that close to beating me out for a lead role before. Looks like I finally got some competition. Never expected it to be my own boyfriend though." Alex laughed and Dustin swooped down on him again, kissing him fully. Alex gratefully returned the kiss, entangling his hands in Dustin's hair. Dustin pulled away temporarily and said, "Imagine everyones' surprise if they found out that Troy Bolton was secretly seeing Ryan Evans behind Gabriella's back." Alex laughed again and Dustin resumed the kiss. It was practically an eternity before the two of them finally broke apart. Everyone else had gone and they were the only ones left in the hallway. Suddenly realizing they were alone, they both burst out laughing and hand in hand, ran for the door.