Freaky Friday -- Part 1 by kelbebop and phoebenpiper

The morning bell rang and Ms. Darbus swept into the room with a grand flourish, her fringed scarf trailing behind her. "Cell phones away! It's time to embark on today's learning adventure."

Taylor saw Ryan sigh and flip his cell phone shut. Leaning over to slip the phone back into his messenger bag, he grinned at the boy seated next to him. "Guess we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way," Taylor heard the blond boy whisper before scribbling a quick message on a scrap of paper and sliding it onto Chad's desk.

"I'll take that, Mr. Evans," Ms. Darbus declared, snatching the note and crumpling it in her hand. "And that'll be 30 minutes detention for you and Mr. Danforth." She raised a hand, cutting off Chad's sound of protest. "Unless you'd rather make it 45 minutes, Mr. Danforth? No passing notes in my class. You know better than that. Both of you." She gave Ryan a pointed look, causing him to blush and mumble sheepishly, "Sorry, Ms. Darbus."

Satisfied she'd made her point, Ms. Darbus turned on her heel to walk back to the front of the classroom. Ryan glanced over at Chad, offering him an apologetic smile, and Taylor couldn't help but smile herself -- how could she have been so blind for so long, she wondered.

Tossing the crumpled paper into the trash can next to her desk, Ms. Darbus continued, "Now, class, as you are no doubt aware, this coming Friday is the 13th day of October. While many view Friday the 13th as the unluckiest day, we're going to use the occasion for a special learning exercise."

There was a collective groan, which was quickly quelled by a loud clap of Ms. Darbus's hands. "Now, now…"

"Yeah. C'mon, guys, learning can be fun!" Taylor burst out excitedly. After all, she'd been dying to tell her friends about this Friday's activities for WEEKS, but the administration had sworn the Student Council to secrecy -- Taylor hadn't even told GABRIELLA! But now her fellow students were finally going to know what she'd fought so hard for.

Only her classmates didn't look excited. Instead, they all were staring doubtfully at her. Taylor suddenly remembered that not all her classmates enjoyed learning the way she did, so she added, "This learning involves costumes."

"COSTUMES!?!" Ryan and Sharpay squealed excitedly, and Taylor knew they'd be on her side.

Ms. Darbus looked happy as well. "That's right. Thanks to Ms. McKessie's efforts, the school board has decided to let this Friday be...," she paused for dramatic effect before declaiming, "Freaky Friday."

The classroom buzzed with curious speculation for a moment before Jason raised his hand to ask, "So does that mean we have to dress like Lindsay Lohan this Friday?"

Chad laughed. "What kind of learning experience is that?"

Ryan winked at his boyfriend. "You'd learn how to walk in heels."

"And how to dress like a skank," Sharpay added with a roll of her eyes.

Taylor huffed a sigh of frustration. If everyone would just let Ms. D explain…

"No, Freaky Friday does NOT involve dressing up like a character from a Disney film," Ms. Darbus clarified. "It involves dressing up like one of your fellow classmates. You will switch places with someone, and for the entire day you will essentially BE that person -- you'll wear their clothes, go to their classes, and EMBRACE their lives for the day. It's a great learning experience...and the ultimate method acting exercise," she added directly to the Evans twins, who seemed to eat it up.

Now that the other students knew what Freaky Friday meant, they were excitedly discussing their plans with each other. Taylor was relieved -- this was the response she'd been hoping for.

Leaning over to Taylor, Gabriella asked, "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I'm sorry! I was sworn to secrecy! The administration didn't want--"

Gab giggled. "No worries! I'm not upset with you...I'm just surprised you were able to keep it from me."

Taylor smiled. "Oh, I learned to keep secrets from a master -- you," she said, nodding towards where Ryan and Chad were sharing looks across the aisle.

"I'm sorry!" Now it was Gab's turn to frantically apologize. "Ryan didn't want anyone to know, and I--"

"No worries!" Taylor insisted -- she knew how hard it must've been on Gab, trying to keep Ryan's secret all the while Taylor kept going on and on about her date with Chad! "Besides, I meant it as a compliment."

Gab blushed and coyly changed the subject. "So…do you wanna switch with me for Freaky Friday?"

"Who else?!"

"Students!" Ms. Darbus clapped her hands to bring some order back to the room. "I know this is an exciting opportunity, and I want you to make the most of it. This is your chance to be someone new for the day, to shed your own skin and step into someone else's. Now, are there any among you who are considering cross-dressing for our Freaky Friday? This would be a wonderful chance to expand your horizons and see how the other sex lives."

Sharpay and Ryan instantly raised their hands but slowly began to lower them at the sound of sniggering laughter from their classmates.

"Ah, of course, the Evans twins. Just like Viola and Sebastian in Twelfth Night." Ms. Darbus clapped her hands delightedly.

Ryan raised his hand again, more confidently this time. "Oh, but Ms. D?"

"Yes, Ryan?"

"Viola dressed as Sebastian, but Sebastian never dressed as Viola. So it wouldn't really be like Twelfth Night."

"Oh, whatever, Ryan!" Sharpay sighed, rolling her eyes. "So you'll be drag-queen Mercutio from the Baz Luhrmann Romeo and Juliet instead. You happy now?"

Chad turned to Ryan and said, "So you really WILL learn how to walk in heels!"

Ryan smiled smugly back. "I already KNOW!"

Taylor couldn't help but laugh at Chad's shocked expression.

----

Ryan walked from the shower back into his bedroom, a towel slung low around his waist. Shutting the door behind him, he made his way over to his dresser and rifled through his underwear drawer. Realizing that these were going to be the only clothes of his own that he would be wearing today, he took his time deciding.

Finally settling on a classic pair of white Calvin Klein briefs -- not only comfy, but also unlikely to show through the pink cotton twill skirt he'd be wearing -- Ryan casually tossed the wet towel onto his bed.

"A little cold this morning, Ryan?"

Ryan yelped and self-consciously held the briefs in front of his naked body. "Shar! What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I'm picking out what to wear at school today," she said matter-of-factly, adjusting the tie of her bathrobe.

Ryan heaved a sigh. "Didn't you decide that last night? Several times?"

"I changed my mind. I decided the skinny jeans were a bad idea. I'm feeling all bloated today."

"Eww! Too much information, Shar!"

"Look who's talking," Sharpay quipped, arching an eyebrow at her naked brother.

"It's MY bedroom. I'm allowed to be naked in here!" he argued, taking a moment to pull on his briefs anyway.

"Oh, is THAT why Chad always wants to hang out in your room?" Sharpay grinned wickedly. "Silly me, thinking you were talking about video games when you said you two would be up in your room playing with your Wii."

"Oh, ha ha, Shar," Ryan said as he felt his cheeks burn.

Sharpay merely smiled knowingly and turned back to scrutinizing her brother's wardrobe. "You know, Ryan," she said, holding up a pair of flower-print trousers, "if I wore these today, no one would believe they were men's pants."

"Hey!" Ryan said defensively, snatching the hanger from her. "Yes they would! These pants totally go with my new hat!"

"My point exactly," Sharpay smirked as she grabbed the pants from her brother to hang them back in the closet.

Her voice was muffled as she buried her head in a rack of shirts. "Ryan, your wardrobe is out of control. I think it's time for an intervention."

She re-emerged, holding aloft a black and white cow-print western shirt, complete with fringe. "Why do you even own this...this monstrosity?"

"YOU made me get it!" Ryan exclaimed indignantly, his voice rising in pitch.

"You take that back! I would never!"

"You did so! You said it would go with your outfits back when you got that crazy idea to enter the Miss Rodeo New Mexico Princess pageant!"

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don't remind me. That was before I found out that cocktail dresses were 'unacceptable.' What kind of pageant doesn't have an evening gown competition?" She looked disdainfully at the shirt in her hand before tossing it to the floor. "We'll have a ritual burning later to destroy all the evidence of that debacle."

"Oh, here you are, Kitten. I've been looking for you."

Ryan flushed and attempted to hide his near-nudity from the new arrival in his bedroom. "Moooooommmm!"

Mrs. Evans laughed as she ruffled her son's hair affectionately. "Oh sweetheart, it's not like I've never seen you in your underwear before!"

Ryan knew this was true but couldn't help feeling embarrassed. "What do you want, Mom?" His voice sounded much harsher than he'd intended.

Mrs. Evans smiled warmly. "I just wanted to let you both know that your breakfasts are getting cold. And shouldn't you be dressed for school by now?"

Sharpay groaned. "How can I possibly get dressed in this disaster area?" she wailed, gesturing to the neatly-hung racks of designer clothing in Ryan's closet. "The governor should declare a State of Emergency."

Ryan had finally had enough. "That's it, Shar! Get out! Go get dressed in your own room!"

"But I need an outfit!"

"Just wear the stupid outfit you picked out last night!"

"Now, my darlings," Mrs. Evans said soothingly, "It's much too early to fight." She laid a hand on Sharpay's shoulder, gently leading her towards the door. "Let's give Ducky some privacy and you can show me what you're going to wear."

Ryan followed his mother and sister to the door and shut it behind them. With a glance at the alarm clock on his nightstand, he realized he'd better hurry. After all, he still had to put on pantyhose!

---

Exiting the bus, Kelsi self-consciously pulled down on the basketball uniform she was wearing, having second thoughts about choosing Zeke as her Freaky Friday partner. Of course, it was too late to turn back now, so she reached into her bag and pulled out the folded piece of paper with Zeke's schedule on it.

Perusing it, she realized she couldn't wait until she was a senior so her schedule could be filled with electives. Not that she'd pick the same ones as Zeke: Weight Lifting, Advanced Home Ec, Theatre Shop. Kelsi smiled, guessing that Zeke had only signed up for that last one so he could spend more time near Sharpay.

Kelsi sighed -- if only there was a class that would let her spend more time near Jason.

"Hey, Zeke!"

Kelsi heard a voice calling across the lawn and looked up, eager to see how the clothes she'd picked for her partner looked, before realizing the call hadn't been to the REAL Zeke but to her instead.

"Yo, 'Zeke'!" Jason greeted as he and Kim hurried up to her, each wearing the other's basketball uniform. "Gimme five!"

Jason held up his hand as he would for the REAL Zeke, which meant that Kelsi had to jump up in the air to hit it.

Jason laughed. "Man, I never realized how SHORT you are, Kels! Zeke's uniform looks like a DRESS on you!"

Kelsi blushed and stared down at her feet, not knowing what to say.

Meanwhile, Kim smacked Jason on the shoulder. "It doesn't look bad," she scolded her boyfriend before turning and smiling at Kelsi. "You look cute, Kelsi. Really."

But Jason had turned to Kim, a confused look on his face. "I didn't say it looked 'bad'; I just said it looks like a dress."

Kim shook her head, rolling her eyes.

Desperate to get away from the couple, Kelsi asked, "Where'd you get the nametags?"

"Oh, you mean these?" Jason asked, pointing to the sticker on his shirt that boldly announced "KIM KLAPP" in thick red marker. "We got them inside."

"There's a StuCo table where you have to sign up," Kim explained, helpfully pointing up the steps to the front door. "Gabri--I mean 'Taylor'," Kim corrected with a smile, "will give you the paperwork you need."

Kelsi had no idea what sort of paperwork would be needed, but she didn't want to wait around and ask. "Oh, I better go, then," she said quickly, thankful for an excuse to get away from her crush and his girlfriend. "See you later."

"Yeah, see you…'Zeke'," Jason called after her, laughing as he added the name.

Kelsi rushed up the stairs to East High. The sign-up table was hard to miss -- it was practically blocking the door! Above the table hung a large banner proclaiming "Freaky Friday -- Sign Up Here" and behind the table sat several students, all wearing nametags similar to Jason's and Kim's.

"Hey, 'Zeke'." Kelsi was cheerfully greeted by a girl in a blazer and short tie, sitting at the table holding a clipboard. "Looking good!"

This was followed by a very un-Taylor-like giggle and a thumbs-up.

Kelsi smiled. "Thanks...uh...'Taylor'," she laughed, finding it hard to call her friend by the name on her nametag. "So Jason and Kim told me that I had to come here and sign up?"

Gabriella nodded and passed some paperwork to Kelsi. "You can start filling this out, but you'll have to come back with Zeke in order to turn it in."

Kelsi glanced down the at forms, wondering what exactly they were for.

Gabi must've noticed her perplexed look for she quickly explained, "The last time they had a Freaky Friday, which was long before WE were at East High, half the students used the excuse of 'switching schedules' to skip the entire afternoon. So in order to get the administration to go along with another Freaky Friday, Student Council promised they'd get all the participants to sign an agreement, saying that if either partner skips class, they'll BOTH get detention."

"Phew!" Kelsi said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad Zeke's my partner so I won't have to worry about that."

"Won't have to worry about what?" Zeke asked cheerfully, bounding up behind Kelsi.

She turned to look at her partner and smiled. She'd known that none of her clothes would fit the buff athlete, so she'd raided the theatre costume shop for clothes that looked like something she'd wear. Zeke now stood before her in a maroon velvet suit jacket, a white tuxedo shirt, army green cargo pants, and a black bowler hat. Kelsi smiled at the effect, glad that the outfit mostly fit.

"Hey, 'Kels' -- love the hat!" Gabi enthused, smiling up at the new arrival to the table.

"That's the only thing that's actually mine," Kelsi confessed with a grin.

Zeke nodded. "And the Converse are mine -- surprisingly, the costume shop didn't have any shoes in size 13."

Gabi giggled. "Yeah -- SURPRISINGLY."

Kelsi handed the paperwork to Zeke, explaining, "We've got to fill this out."

As he took the form from her, the first bell rang.

"You better hurry," Gabi suggested. "You don't want to be late for homeroom -- Ms. Darbus makes Zeke wear the 'Dunce' cap when he's late."

Kelsi looked up at Zeke, who shrugged and nodded. Suddenly Kelsi found herself dreading the day ahead!

---

END OF PART 1 – TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II