Ryan didn't let go of her hand, she noticed, as they walked to the designated tour starting point (which was just outside the main reception). She also noticed that he looked quite nice today. He was just wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, a welcome change from the extravagant outfits he used to wear in high school (she suspected that his sister, Sharpay, had picked out most of his outfits). His blonde hair, which was normally hidden under a hat, was shorter than she had imagined, but long enough that it could be spiked up with gel, which was how he had styled it that day.

"So how come you never made it to the party that Sharpay organised after graduation?" Ryan suddenly asked out of the blue, and Kelsi stared down at the floor. Was he honestly just asking or was he accusing her of something?

"I had to go and see my grandparents the next day. We had to get up really early." She mumbled.

"Of course." He answered almost sarcastically. "So it was nothing to do with a certain person being there with their other half?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied, not really believing that he would take that for an answer. If there was one thing she'd learned about Ryan Evans since she'd met him, it was that he was persistent.

"Kelsi, give it up. Everyone knows that you had an uber crush on Gabriella." He smiled and she let go of his hand.

"Everyone?! Does she know?"
"Possibly, I never asked. But I know that Taylor knew, and so did Sharpay, and Martha. I think the guys were clueless about it, though." Great, no wonder Gabriella had been a bit off with her after the final show. She'd spent the whole night clinging to Troy and had hardly spoken to Kelsi all evening apart to congratulate her.

"So is it just girls, or...?" Ryan asked as they walked towards the gathering of people in the hallway outside the reception.

"You're still in with a chance." She winked at him before walking over to a group of girls whom she recognised from her dorm, while Ryan stared after her. She had become so different over the summer break, more outgoing, flirty...there was no doubting that she had grown up a lot over the past few years and now that she didn't have Sharpay to bark orders at her and generally shoot down her every suggestion, comment or critique, she had come out of her shell a lot. And Ryan was sure he was going to like this new Kelsi Neilsen.