A/N: This is my first songfic of the series. I struggled a bit because I'm used to writing about Troyella but I hope you like it :) I've managed to start a chapter of 'royalty meets reality' so you should have that in a little while :) Ummm...HSMandChelseaFCfan has sent me part of 'Troy and Gabriella' so I'll finish that right now.

I got the results for the two ASs I sat early yesterday (if that made sense) I got a C in film studies and a D in English. But, bearing in mind I wasn't supposed to sit ASs until this year and I was doing the rest of my GCSEs at the same time, I was very proud of myself :)

Title: Acting out
Artist: Ashley Tisdale
Requested by: WhyDoesItHaveToRainOnMyParade
Centre: Kelsi

Kelsi strolled through the halls of East High, glancing at the groups of students. She reached up and pushed her glasses up her nose and sighed. It was all so predictable. She'd woken up, had a breakfast of cereal and orange juice with her parents, got dressed in an outfit of some pants, a shirt of some kind, a neat jacket and a hat, then caught the bus to school and was now making her way towards her locker.

Life in Albuquerque didn't seem to change. Not for her, anyway. Even though she wanted it to. She wanted to be seen as more than the school's composer. She wanted to be truly recognised as a person. She was expected to be everybody's friend. Troy Bolton even claimed that she was his little sister! She could stand up on her own two feet without someone having to help her!

Up above the surface I was just a perfect child
But underneath it all I was craving to be wild
Don't you judge by the cover it's so far from what you see
I'm losing all my patience waiting on ya to believe

Kelsi finished playing the new composition and smiled as she finished it. "What did you think, Sharpay?"

Sharpay looked uncertain. "Hmmmm…It's not the right key. Don't you think it would sound better with a new tempo, too?"

The young composer reached for her pencil and nodded. "Of course it would," she muttered. It was so insulting. It was the fifth song the two girls had gone through for the upcoming musical and Sharpay had found a fault in each one. Her patience was running thin. She was a moment away from telling Sharpay to write the whole musical herself. But, she didn't.

She'd continue to be suffocated by everyone else.

I'm suffocating, I can't breathe
Let me out this cage, I'm not gonna hold back
Gonna break these chains, i'm taking control now
Gonna give ya something to talk about
It's another side of me
I'm acting out

Kelsi patted Gabriella's back gently. "Gabi, I'm sure he meant nothing by it."

Gabriella laughed sarcastically. "He meant something by it, alright. He practically admitted that he's cheating on me!"

"He won't, though," Kelsi dismissed. "You're his world."

"Yeah, until she swans in and flashes her chest to him," she cried.

Kelsi held her friend close. She honestly couldn't care less what was going wrong in Gabriella's relationship with Troy. She had no doubt that Troy wasn't cheating on Gabriella. Gabriella could be so stupid! She wanted to scream and shout and prove that Troy wasn't unfaithful and that she was being an idiot to even consider it. She wanted a time machine to prove that Gabriella was wrong. She wanted to smack the girl out of her wrong assumptions.

But she didn't.

Set me free, I'm ready to show you
This is what I need, it's time to get dirty
Imma show you what I'm talking about
It's another side of me
I'm acting out

Kelsi forced a smile at Ryan as he continued to choreograph a dance routine. She felt a pang of guilt. She couldn't even tell her own boyfriend how she felt. He was oblivious as to how she felt completely locked up. She felt obliged to do the same thing everyday without appearing like it was exactly that: an obligation.

She felt trapped, here in Albuquerque. She felt like she was living inside a trap, like there was something better outside. She wanted to be able to be treated as a person, not just someone people came to when they had a problem. Sure, Ryan treated her as more than that, but even his opinion was lacking what she wanted.

She was tired of being seen as the timorous, shy composer.

Her mind flicked through the memories of 'Twinkle Towne' and of Troy and Gabriella singing 'breaking free'.

That's what she wanted.

Welcome to a new beginning, it's time to start the show
No I don't think it matters if it's real or just a role
Once you get a taste of it you'll be begging me for more
I'll give ya something to remember once I hit the floor
I'm letting go of what you know

Her fingers glided effortlessly along the ivory keys and she sighed wistfully. If she could do it, if she could get to Broadway…or at least to Juilliard, she'd be recognised for who she was because that's what her music was. When she composed a piece of music, it screamed to the audience that she was Kelsi Nielson. She could tell them whatever she wanted depending on how she arranged the notes and chords on the manuscript.

She could make herself a new beginning.

Let me out this cage, I'm not gonna hold back
Gonna break these chains, i'm taking control now
Gonna give ya something to talk about
It's another side of me
I'm acting out

Set me free, i'm ready to show you
This is what i need, it's time to get dirty
Imma show you what i'm talking about
It's another side of me
I'm acting out

Kelsi's thoughts were far away from the algebraic equations in front of her. Her thoughts were in her future. In ten, fifteen years' time, she'd be ready. She wanted to drive everyone crazy with the shock when she was performing on Broadway, composing shows that thousands of people would see. Thousands of people would hear her music.

She smiled to herself when she pictured the looks on everyone's faces when she won, or was at least nominated for, an Oscar or academy award for the best music score. They would be so shocked when she finally made a life for herself. She'd never have to take 'advice' from Sharpay ever again or listen to Gabriella when something went wrong in her relationship.

She could just…live.

I've been waiting just to drive you crazy
Now it's my time and yes it feels amazing
There's nothing left of what you've seen before
Life's too short just to do what you're told

Just to do what you're told, just to do what you're told
Do what you're told
Just to do what you're told
Do what... do what you're told

Kelsi sat quietly on the piano as Sharpay and Ryan rehearsed the song that Sharpay had been so critical about. Kelsi had pictured it much slower and with more feeling than the stupid cookie-cutter pop star version that their rehearsal pianist had composed. She hated it. It didn't fit the scene at all. In fact, Sharpay was turning the entire show into a pop concert.

She sighed and turned to the piano, knowing she wouldn't need it for practically the entire show. She could take Sharpay's advice. She could change the composition and play live. But, that isn't what she wanted. If she was going to play live, she wanted to play the song that she wrote. But, she wouldn't. It would just be another Sharpay show.

She jumped when she heard a loud scream and rushed away from her piano onto centre stage. She saw Sharpay collapsed on the floor, clutching her ankle. She was cursing and demanding ice. Kelsi smiled to herself. She wasn't a first aid expert but the swelling and the small lump on the side of her ankle didn't give Sharpay many chances to perform anymore.

Kelsi hid a smile. If Sharpay couldn't perform, it was more than likely that Ms Darbus would ask Gabriella to replace her. That would mean no complaints or advice. People would hear her music.

Let me out this cage, i'm not gonna hold back
Gonna break these chains, i'm taking control now
Gonna give ya something to talk about
It's another side of me
I'm acting out

Kelsi leaned against her locker and watched the scene unfold before her. Troy handed one rose to Gabriella and then whispered something in her ear which made her nod into his shoulder and wrap her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Kelsi's eyes moved over to Sharpay;s locker to see her in a passionate kiss with her boyfriend, Zeke Baylor. It was clear to the entire school that the couple weren't fazed by public displays of affection, a stark contrast to Troy and Gabriella whose public displays of affection only went as far as pecks on cheeks.

She smiled as she pushed off her locker and headed to her homeroom.

Set me free, i'm ready to show you
This is what i need, it's time to get dirty
Imma show you what i'm talking about
It's another side of me
I'm acting out

Kelsi finished the song she was playing and turned to Ryan. "Be brutal. What did you think?"

Ryan wrapped an arm around her waist. "I think it was amazing."

She raised an eyebrow. "Ry…"

"Okay, I'm biased," he exclaimed. "Everything you compose is amazing to me. But, I have no doubt you'll win an Oscar for this piece. Honestly."

Kelsi looked at him in surprise. She kissed him softly.

Life's too short just to do what you're told, i'm acting out
Life's too short just to do what you're told, i'm acting out
Life's too short just to do what you're told, i'm acting out
Yeah yeah, i'm acting out

Kelsi lay back on her bed and stared at her ceiling. Considering her day had started out like every other day and had first appeared crap, it had ended rather well. Sharpay was no longer in her musical, meaning it could be whatever she wanted it to be. Gabriella was finally convinced that Troy wasn't, nor had he ever been, cheating on her with Sharpay. And, just to make it even better, Ryan had said that she'd win an Oscar.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you can be acting out and not even know it.