Disclaimer ; I still don't own High School Musical or we would have had more Ryelsi .

" Ryan , I had no idea you liked Kelsi ! ' gushed a shocked Gabriella Montez , staring at the blonde haired choreographer who looked as if he wanted to crawl up in his hat ," Why haven't you asked her out yet ? "

Ryan bowed his head then glanced at Troy and Chad hoping for some moral support .

Granted they only just recently had become friends but guys were supposed to have your back . Gabriella was a sweetheart and she meant well but he couldn't put his feelings for Kelsi into words just yet as he was still working through them himself .

" The timing hasn't been right ' stammered Ryan, weakly .

" Timing ? ' questioned a baffled Gabriella , " Don't you have three classes with her ? '

Before he could find a suitable answer, Ryan was blessedly saved by the bell and despite the fact he had first hour with Gabriella , he gestured to the sound and ran as fast as his legs could carry him into class , all the while wondering if she had been right .

Would Kelsi prefer another musician much like herself ?

It had taken him almost two weeks into the summer before he had inquired and found out that Kelsi hadn't dated nor was she interested in dating Jason Cross , another Wildcat basketball player who had flirted with her the previous year .

Ryan had never been so relieved and he liked to think that he and Kelsi were getting closer and spending more time together . He didn't want to rush into anything or push her into a romance if it wasn't something she wanted with him .

Maybe Kelsi wouldn't hit it off with Mr. Wonderful …..he hoped .

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" Girl , are you blind ? " Taylor addressed her best friend as the group ambled down the hallway ," That boy has been making goo goo eyes at our Kelsi since the summer though I don't know if she realizes it .'

" Well, now I feel awful ," bemoaned Gabriella ," Ryan really is very nice . Kelsi couldn't be any more sweeter ….I was just trying to be a good friend ."

" You meant well, " Troy pressed a kiss against her dark black hair ," Besides Kelsi is a big girl , if she isn't interested in Maxwell, I'm sure nothing will happen and Ryan can take his shot asking her out . Don't know why he's taking his time at it ."

Chad slung an arm around Taylor , nodded his head, sagely ." She isn't approved by his evil twin sister ."

Taylor whacked him in the side with her books while Gabriella glared at him .

" That's mean ! "

" What a horrible thing to say ! "

In a huff the best friends joined ranks and deserted their boyfriends for class as Chad stared glumly at Troy for the answer . His best friend just shrugged , carelessly .

" You shouldn't have said it , dude ," said Troy, knowingly ," Now I'm like guilty by association of your big mouth ." He punched his shoulder ," Look I don't want dragged into whatever those two are now thinking about this thing so maybe the best way for us to do that is to give Ryan some dating pointers ."

" Help him out with Kelsi ? That's still matchmaking '

" No , its pointers ' replied Troy, knowingly ," has he dated anyone ? '

" Allison , wait , wasn't it Alicia ? One of Sharpay's little wannabes ? Didn't the dude date her last year for like a week ? " asked Chad , searching the recesses of his mind for the gossip of who went out with who and who was an item .

" Maybe, " Troy shrugged ,not helping much ," I was into Gabriella so not really paying much attention to Evans . Anyway Kelsi isn't anything like that …she's quiet ."

" We should talk about free throws ," Chad felt uncomfortable and changed the subject ," this isn't cool . Let's leave it to the ladies to figure out, man ."

" Yeah, " Troy grinned at his best friend ," Or you groveling for Taylor's forgiveness ."

Chad weighed that carefully ." Taylor cant stay mad at me about this ..its ridiculous ."

" She's your girlfriend "

" Aw crap, knowing Taylor she'll take it as me taking some stupid offense to Kelsi and Ryan that I never even meant to in the first place ' groaned Chad in defeat .

" Follow my lead " offered Troy, helpfully ," if we work together with Ryan, the girls wont drag us into their matchmaking ."

" You better hope not " agreed Chad , as they entered the classroom where Taylor made a point to shoot him a dirty look and Gabriella shook her head at him .

Girls didn't make any sense at all !

This day was going to suck if things didn't go as planned and it was Monday which made it worse .

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Once Kelsi got over her initial shyness, she found herself listening to Maxwell talk about the city , the bright lights and the Broadway shows , and of his life as a student as the School of Arts . He went to the Fame school and that was exciting !

He was a music major and loathed the mandatory classes such as dance and drama that he was forced to attend but his talent was recognized there . He wasn't just another student lost in the crowd but a rising star in the midst .

" Do you compose your own scores for production numbers ? Or were you not involved in musical theatre , Maxwell ? ' inquired Kelsi , curiously . She glanced at the door to the classroom , waved as her friend and cheerleader Martha Cox joined the class and still no Ryan ," I spend a lot of time in the theatre myself ."

" I composed a many number of scores ," replied Maxwell, shooting a winning smile at her ," I do like to see my vision unfold before me , the music and the lyrics must go together ." He laid his hand on top of hers and felt her eyes upon his ," I don't mean to talk your ear off, Gabriella tells me you've composed beautiful pieces ."

Kelsi swallowed a lump in her throat and wondered if it would be rude if she moved her hand from his , it didn't feel right .

" Gabriella and Troy inspire me …." murmured Kelsi, softly ," love inspires me .'

" Ah you're a secret romantic ' said Maxwell, pleased at this information ," as am I '

" I suppose …maybe " muttered the composer as Ryan walked into class, his eyes immediately falling to Kelsi and the fact she was already holding hands with the new guy , his heart sank a little bit .

Kelsi sat up and tried to catch his eye ." Ry, are you alright ? Your hardly ever late ."

Ryan managed a small smile ." I'm fine ..had to ask Gabriella some questions about my math test that I tanked . "

" I'm sure you didn't tank it , Kelsi tried to reassure him," You studied really hard on that . If you wanted , we could go back over it together later ."

Ryan couldn't help but smile at her kindness towards him. " Sure , Kelsi, sounds good ."

Maxwell sized up the dancer sensing an undercurrent between him and Kelsi , wondered if the blonde haired guy was in the way of his own pursuit of the utterly delightful pixie girl . Ryan seemed to lack the machismo in that department whereas he felt as if he was bold and direct . If he wanted to make waves at the new school, he just had to go for it .

A pretty new girlfriend would be a good start towards getting what he wanted .

" I think I'm going to really like East high ," Max sent a semi smile towards Ryan ," Kelsi and I have been talking and we really do have a lot in common ."

" Oh ….that's nice ," said Ryan, finding his seat and plopping down , bummed .

Kelsi pasted a friendly smile on her face and tried to listen as Maxwell explained his preference in composing music and lyrics and his entire process which was very different from her own methods . Which was nothing wrong with and all musicians had their different processes and he was incredibly confident that was the truth .

She recognized that Maxwell was flirting with her and he was very good looking but she was slightly taken a back by how fast he was moving and they had only met an hour ago.

He really enjoyed talking about himself too and not in that stupid guy way either or maybe she was overexaming it all too much .

Gabriella seemed to think highly of Max , she was her friend, and she had good judgment .

" Kelsi ," hissed Martha , hanging over her desk and looking in her direction , gesturing at Max ," girl, what are you doing ? "

" Just talking " whispered an exasperated Kelsi back to her friend .

Martha gave her a fixed look and pointed at Ryan . Kelsi wanted to kill her friend but resisted the urge knowing that her friend meant well and there was simply nothing to tell .

Over the summer , Martha had confided in her that she was interested in Jason Cross but refused to do anything about it unless she knew for sure Kelsi wasn't into him .

Kelsi had assured her that she and Jason were merely friends and encouraged her to ask the basketball player out . Martha had also caught her mooning over Ryan after dance practice and called her on it though there was nothing to tell . She and Ryan were getting to know each other better , she enjoyed his company, and he listened to her and she discovered he was much more than what he appeared to be and so much more than just the brother of Sharpay .

If anything romantic were to happen between her and Ryan, it would happen naturally .

Mr. Phillips entered the classroom , conversations ceased as the discussion on the Civil War began and matters of the heart were momentarily forgotten as Kelsi frantically scribbled notes on the fiery abolitionists and the issues leading up to the war .

Lunchtime meant freedom and fun and though there wasn't a hot lunch jam session breaking down in the crowded cafeteria , Kelsi was grateful for it to escape the attentions of her new admirer . She had grabbed an apple and a juice and made a beeline for a table where Martha , Taylor, and Gabriella were holding court and took a seat , sighing .

" Hi guys " Kelsi dropped her notebook on the table , pulled out a pen, and scribbled a verse that had been playing in her mind on repeat all morning ," what are you doing ? "

Martha pointed a finger at Gabriella and Taylor ." Those two are plotting a study session schedule for the finer points of the Civil War, I'm over it at the moment and waiting for the boyfriend ." She cocked her head towards the lunch line ," Jason is stocking up on carbs to burn off in practice this afternoon ."

Kelsi laughed as did the other girls ." Well, you all are dating basketball players so I guess it goes with the territory "

" I think the guys are just running late as usual " sighed Taylor , " Chad occasionally has been known to lose track of time "

Gabriella nudged her best friend ." Be nice " warned Gabriella , " Listen, Kelsi, about Maxwell, I hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable asking you to show him around . He talked my ear off about his love of music and I just thought you and he might be suited for you but …."

Taylor kicked her foot under the table and sent her a warning look ." Gabriella is in love and just wants all of us to join her in her happy love filled bubble ! So is hunky Maxwell your possible soul mate or what , Kelsi ? "

Martha leaned forward , interested in hearing the response . " He seems kind of stuck up to me "

" Martha ! " admonished Gabriella , " It's difficult getting to know new people and be yourself . I am sure New Mexico is a huge adjustment from New York , it has to be so vastly different ."

" Where is he anyhow ? " inquired Taylor, curiously .

Kelsi took a drink of her juice and shrugged her shoulders ." I have no idea ,' answered the musician ," we don't have all our classes together ."

Taylor dropped her own pen down on the composers and caught her gaze ." You never answered the question, Kelsi. Soul mate or not ? "

" I barely know him " answered Kelsi, shyly .

" So no sparks , no connection ? " prodded Martha, knowingly .

" I don't know .." muttered Kelsi , wishing they would stop barraging her with questions she couldn't answer ," Max is brazen and the attention is flattering but it's hardly private .I don't even know if we're that alike musically …."

Taylor got it and gave her a warm , encouraging smile ." Oh he's one of those - just tell Mr. New Hot Guy your not interested , Kelsi '

Kelsi smiled , thankful they let the subject drop . " Maybe he'll think I'm too shy for him "

Sharpay glanced furtively down the hall, wincing at the sharp, click of her bright pink heels as she crossed the hallway to the locker belonging to Zeke Baylor , timing it right to find the basketball player pulling a lunchbox out of his locker and crossed over to him .

It was a little after five minutes into lunch and the halls were relatively empty which suited her just fine as the gorgeous blonde approached him, a tentative smile across her glossy pink lips just for him .

" Zeke , hi "

Zeke looked up, caught her gaze, and couldn't help the grin spreading across his face .

" Hey Sharpay " It was best to play it casual until he discovered her mood for the day . The guys gave him grief for being into the diva but he knew there was more to her than the attitude and the bad behavior and he intended to find the real Sharpay Evans .

If that meant he liked difficult women then so be it , Zeke kept it honest and real.

She leaned forward and her perfume drifted to him causing him to sigh, pleased .

" Thank you for the muffin , " replied Sharpay, sincerely ," it was wonderful . It might have been the best blueberry muffin I've ever had so thanks for making it for me ."

This day just got much better ." I'm glad you enjoyed it ," Zeke stood up a little straighter ," So, I was thinking , Sharpay, maybe you could come and watch me at basketball practice ? "

He'd tried before but maybe this time might be different .

Sharpay considered briefly taking in the hopeful smile on his handsome face .

" Well….I don't know , maybe " hesitated Sharpay, considering her options . Dating Troy Bolton would have made them the it couple, the power couple of the school, but she was beginning to see that he only had eyes for Gabriella Montez .

Maybe Ryan was right - it was never going to happen .

She might be a big star but sometimes it was a lonely place to be and Zeke was cute .

Before Sharpay could continue her musings and take poor Zeke out of his misery , someone cleared his throat and tapped her on her shoulder .

" Sharpay Evans ? " inquired Maxwell, turning up his million dollar smile on the blonde bombshell ," I'm Maxwell Evans transplanted from New York. I understand you're the sole talent and star of East High and I thought you and I should talk ."

Zeke recoiled back ," Dude ? "

Max chose to ignore him and lifted Sharpay's hands to his lips ." I'm a composer and I thought you and I should combine our talents . I have ideas ."

Never one to turn down a situation to showcase her talent , Sharpay found herself intrigued by the handsome albeit cocky newcomer .

" You'll have to show me what you've got as I'm very particular " stated Sharpay , pointedly ," I believe the music room is open right now , come along ."

" Sharpay , what about me ? ' demanded Zeke as Chad, Troy, Jason, and Ryan rounded the corner and caught the drama unfolding in front of their eyes , aghast .

" We'll chat later ," Sharpay waved a hand ," Toodles "

" Damn "

" He's fast " this came from Jason .

" He's making a play for Kelsi and my sister ," muttered an astounded Ryan, " say it isn't so "