YOU AND ME

SEVEN

The final week of preparations for Bye Bye Birdie flew by, with collective energy channelled into the preparations for one amazing show, a one time only event. There were final vocal rehearsals, scene rehearsals, technical rehearsals with the equipment. There was last minute work being done on sets and props and costumes. The world of everyone involved in the production was solely focused on ensuring that the final production for the school year – and the final production for the Class of 2008 - could be as perfect as possible. It was a sold out show; they'd succeeded in filling one of the biggest auditoriums in Albuquerque. The marketing team from the student council had gone crazy, and by getting a clip of their dress rehearsal on the local news and advertising in newspapers, they'd extended their reach far beyond the East High School community.

Show night arrived, and nerves were rife. Everyone had their own way of dealing with their anxiety - some had breathing techniques, others resorted to distracting themselves by having fun with their friends.

Ryan, Theodore and Troy were all sharing a dressing room which was similar to the one that Gabriella and Sharpay were sharing, but a little smaller – the claim was that none of them had costume changes as complicated as the girls, especially with some of their hair changes, and the girls had an assistant who needed room to move around. Gabriella had slipped out of her dressing room to visit Troy, who was sitting at the dressing table having his stage make-up applied by, grumbling good naturedly every step of the way. Ryan took his opportunity to head down the corridor. He smiled at the pink and gold star which his sister had affixed to the door, and knocked.

"If you're here for Gabriella, she's with Troy!" Sharpay's voice called back.

Ryan couldn't help but laugh. "No, but I am looking for a fabulous future Oscar award winner Sharpay Evans?" he called back.

He heard her giggle and then call, "In that case, come in!"

He entered the room, and found himself blinking in confusion, and then remembering. Sharpay's dedication to the role of Rosie had been greater than any that she'd previously had – to the point that during the week, she'd her hair dyed a rich chocolate brown. For her it felt a lot more authentic than a wig. To everyone's surprise, it was a look which actually suited Sharpay beautifully, and she'd received second looks of approval from just about all of the guys at school. She was doing final touches with a curling iron, reaching awkwardly behind her to fix up a tendril of hair at the back. Ryan pulled up the second chair, and wordlessly took the curling iron from her hand to assist her with the task.

"Can you believe we're finally here?" he said quietly. "Our final musical at East High School."

She shook her head slightly. "Feels like yesterday we were auditioning for our first musical in freshman year."

"We've come a long way."

Ryan was watching Sharpay in the mirror, and thought he detected a glistening in her eyes. "Shar! No crying! You've got your make-up perfect."

She nodded, taking a series of deep breaths, willing the tears back. He finished with the curling iron and flicked the switch off and set it down on the dresser. She turned to look at him.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Spectacular," Ryan declared, without a single drop of insincerity.

She smiled a radiant smile, and then picked up Ryan's hand in her own. "I'm really proud of you, Ryan," she said softly. "I've always admired you and your talent and your dedication. You deserve to be going to Juilliard, and to have an amazing life in New York City. You don't need to worry about me, because I'm going to figure out a way to work all this out. I promise."

It was Ryan's turn to feel a slight tear forming in his eyes. Sharpay was so very rarely completely genuine – and when she was, it never failed to touch him.

"I'm so proud to be a part of this final show with you, Shar," Ryan said. "We're going out with a bang, and I feel like tonight is going to be something truly brilliant." He cleared his throat. "Okay, I didn't come in here to get sappy."

She laughed. "Then what do you want?"

"Vocal warm-up?" Ryan asked.

Sharpay nodded. With long standing tradition, the Evans' twins joined together with their pre-show ritual.

"Brrrr..."

There was nothing quite like the feeling of a standing ovation. Sharpay had received standing ovations previously, but somehow, the standing ovation for Bye Bye Birdie was worth a whole lot more. Her cast mates had come out before her for the curtain call – first the general chorus, then the various supporting and lead characters. After Troy, Gabriella and Ryan's bows, they stepped back leaving Sharpay and Theodore to come out together, as the leads of Rose and Albert. She and Theodore received a massive applause together, but it was when Theodore stood back, holding his arm out to present Sharpay for an individual curtsy that the crowd erupted into even louder applause and rose to their feet.

The blood, sweat and tears had all been worth it.

With all of the hugs and kisses and celebration of the show being such a success, Troy was a little behind in his section of the clean up. He'd spent time with classmates and family coming back stage to see he and his friends. He'd even had a moment with his dad, receiving a genuine hug and congratulations from him. He finally had time to get himself organised. Normally, they'd be able to come back the next morning to deal with the sets and props but because of the time restrictions and a booking the next morning, they actually needed to get it all done the night of the show. There were professional cleaners coming in the next morning but all of their props and belongings needed to be cleared out. Troy was on the team responsible for the larger props – desks and chairs and other larger items which were being loaded into the truck be taken back to East High. The girls were mostly responsible for smaller props and costume collection.

After everything was squared away, Troy returned to his dressing room to tidy up his corner – his costumes had already been collected, all that remained was his bag and a few bits and pieces he had around, like his script and some of the props which had been his own personal contributions.

A knock came at the open door and he looked up to see Ms. Darbus standing there smiling at him.

"Hey Ms. D," he greeted her, being the first time he'd had the chance to see her since the show had closed. "I think it went really well! Don't you?"

She nodded, a beam on her face. "I'm very proud of all of you. It really came together quite beautifully. Very inspirational."

"I'm really glad I was a part of it, even a small part."

Ms. Darbus smiled. The idea that Troy Bolton played a 'small part' in the production was flawed. The statistics were there – since Troy and Gabriella had become involved in the musical theatre community at East High, ticket sales had steadily been about 30 percent higher than previously. Coincidence, perhaps, but Ms. Darbus didn't believe too much in coincidence.

"You, Troy Bolton, even playing a supporting role are never a mere small part of the production. I know you don't quite understand it, but you have a certain... charisma, that is untouchable."

He felt a little embarrassed by her words, but they pleased him nonetheless. It was good to hear, it always felt great to be praised by someone, especially someone who he'd come to respect a lot.

"Thank you."

"I'm pleased we were able to modify the script to incorporate bits of the film version, I suppose in a similar way to them wanting to showcase Bobby Rydell, that's what we had the opportunity to do with you."

"I just had fun being a part of it," he responded truthfully.

"Do you have a minute? I'm sure you're anxious to get to the party."

Troy shrugged. "Nah, it's okay."

She closed the door behind her and pulled up one of the chairs. Troy too sat down at the chair in front of his dressing room mirror.

"Short of pulling you aside after class I haven't had the opportunity to... well... I suppose I'm more curious than anything. I wanted to ask you about your plans for college," she asked carefully. "Obviously there's your basketball scholarship but... have you thought about what you're going to major in?"

Troy paused. "I've looked through my options but haven't decided anything," he said honestly. "I guess the good thing about Cal is that it isn't just a sports school, there's lots of great opportunities there, so many great programs, heaps of cool majors."

"I understand that basketball is your passion, but when I am in the position of being honoured to watch you perform... I know Troy, that it's all still relatively new to you, but you have such a talent. There are plenty of talented people who just enjoy the arts for the joy of it, and nothing more. If that's what it is for you then I feel privileged to have been a part of that, because the joy that comes from being involved in creative endeavours is nothing like anything else in life. Whether you go on to do community theatre for fun, or to go to karaoke bars in your spare time – when you're a performer, it soothes the soul. But if you ever did think that maybe it could be more, don't be afraid to explore that because I think you have a really raw talent which you're only just beginning to tap into."

Troy was listening to her every word – he related to the joy, he related to her explanation of how performing made him feel happy.

"Two years ago... I just remember feeling all this pressure," he confessed. "We were first starting to get those talks about the last two years of high school flying, about how your college applications are largely based on junior year, those sorts of things... I just remember feeling like someone else had already decided my whole path. Go to college, play basketball, aim for the NBA if I'm good enough and if I'm not, probably get involved in coaching in some way. It's like... I had no option in it."

"Following in your father's footsteps," she observed.

Troy shrugged. "Not such a bad thing. My dad and my mom, they're still really happy. My friends, some of them have parents who have broken up or fight all the time. My dad, his life turned out pretty well. Seemed there was nothing wrong with following in his footsteps. But... I'm not him."

"No, you're not. You're your own person."

"Right. And... I guess. Two years ago I was scared to admit that. But now... yeah, I'm still doing the basketball scholarship but I'm doing it because I want to. I don't know if I'll make the NBA, I don't even know yet if I want to. I don't know what I'll major in yet at college, but I know that I'm not scared to make that decision for me. I might decide to study education, I might decide to do physio or something... something that'lll allow me to keep basketball in my life. But maybe I won't. Maybe I'll study music, or theatre, or hell who knows, I could be a doctor or a lawyer- if I get some sort of smart gene implanted into me."

Ms. Darbus laughed. "No need for a smart gene, perhaps more of a 'pay attention and actually study' gene."

Troy laughed and smiled wryly. "Or that. But the point is... I'm not scared to take the path that is right for me. And I guess... I owe a lot of that to you."

"Not really. You were the one who wanted to audition for Twinkle Towne. If anything, I didn't believe you."

Ms. Darbus, to that very day, felt a little embarrassed of some of her reactions and behaviour at the Twinkle Towne auditions.

"But somehow that helped. It was like... people were so surprised that I could want to be something other than the basketball guy that it pushed me to want to prove it to them, to show them. And then... since then, you've been so supportive of me. I didn't want to be a part of the spring show last year, and I was hesitant to be a part of the showcase this year. And you helped with that. And so... I guess I wanna say thank you, in case I forget to at some other point."

Ms. Darbus couldn't help but become a little misty eyed. "Damn you Troy Bolton, for putting a tear in my eye."

He laughed, and gave her a wink. "You're a superstar actress yourself, you can cover it up with a laugh, can't you?"

She laughed in response, and patted his dresser. "Finish up. Get to the party and celebrate. You deserve it."

Everything was under control with the clean-up on stage and behind the scenes. Ryan had moved on to make sure everything was squared away in the front of house area with all of the student council sponsored elements – the refreshment stand, the programs, the pre-sale of the video. Taylor had everyone whipped into shape, leaving Ryan with little to worry about. She'd swept in with her organisational skills and everything was all sorted and packed away. She was doing a final double check of the money count before handing it over to Ms. Darbus who was to see that it was safe guarded prior to being banked on Monday.

"How did we go?" Ryan asked. They had a target figure to make sure they turned a profit to help sponsor the program to return to its former glory, channelling funds into the new East High Performing Arts Centre.

"It's looking promising. I haven't touched the donations box, either," Taylor pointed out. "Once this is done, I think we'll be done out here."

This left Ryan to head for a final wander backstage, under the guise that he was making sure that there weren't any props or personal belongings left behind. The truth was that he wanted to soak up the atmosphere. Ryan loved the stage, he loved performing, he loved everything about it – and that included all of the behind the scenes of a big theatre. He loved looking in all of the nooks and crannies, examining the equipment. Nearly everyone had cleared out, headed to the after party at his house for everyone – the kids, the families, the teachers, all set to gather and enjoy some snacks and celebrate that they'd successfully pulled off the show, despite everything that had been against them. Sharpay had tried to pull him out earlier, insisting that they couldn't be late to a party at their own house, however Ryan didn't care too much.

He came across a handful of items, gathering them together to sort through later and figure out if they were lost property of if they were a part of the East High drama department costume and prop collection. Upon peeking into one of the backstage rooms, he came across something far more precious – Kelsi Nielsen, sitting at a piano. Her fingers were lightly running over the keys, but she wasn't playing the instrument. He smiled – there was something serene about Kelsi sitting at a piano. Even not playing, she always looked more at ease than she did in any other setting.

"Hey you," he greeted her softly.

She looked up, smiling at seeing him. "Hey. Has nearly everyone left?"

"There's a few people hanging around outside. Did you still want a lift to my place?"

Kelsi nodded. "Yeah, I saw my parents, they said their congratulations but didn't want to come to the party."

"Okay. I'll be leaving soon. Unless... you were doing something here?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm done. I'm just thinking."

He slid into the piano bench beside her. "Care to share?"

Kelsi was quiet a moment, but then began to speak. "Ever since I got my acceptance into Juilliard, I've been so focused on making sure we can pull this show together. Even though I've been involved in a whole different way this time around, less responsibility since I'm not the writer, I've made sure to pick up the slack and do more of the backstage side of things. We've all thrown ourselves into this, and it's now done and it was amazing and now... it's over."

Ryan more than understood the sentiment. It was a surreal feeling, every time that a show finished.

"Normally we start to focus on the next show but this time, it's back to the real world. Accepting that... this will be the last show that we're all doing together. Getting ready to move on, thinking about packing up and moving to New York, whether I'll be good enough there."

"We all have those same fears. Going from being the big fish in the small pond to just another fish in a huge pond... a pond that's filled with bright lights and lots of yellow cabs," Ryan said wryly.

Kelsi laughed. "Yeah."

"If you want to distract yourself, I'm sure we can put you to work. The Prom committee might need help with last minute details."

She groaned. "Don't even talk to me about Prom."

There was something venomous in her tone which shocked Ryan.

"What have you got against Prom? You're not planning on organising an Anti-Prom or something, are you?"

"No. I just..." she trailed off and rolled her eyes. "It's so silly."

"Nothing is silly, you can tell me anything," he insisted.

"I guess I just... for a while I thought that maybe I'd be going with a date and I could do the whole, you know, Princess at the Prom thing. Which I don't care about at all, not really, but..."

"Now that you're not doing it, you care about?" Ryan supplied.

Kelsi nodded. "I heard that Jason is taking a cheerleader."

"Oh come on. It's not serious, you know that! And she's also in his film class."

"I do, and I have no right to judge, I'm the one that broke up with him. But it still hurts. Everyone is going with someone, but me."

Ryan raised his eyebrows, gesturing to himself. "Hello?"

"Yeah but... you're not alone. You've got someone in your life."

"I'm not sure for how long," Ryan admitted.

"College?"

"Yeah."

She gave him a tight smile. The subject of college and how it was going to affect their friendships and relationships was one which no one really wanted to talk about.

"Hey, I just got an idea!" Ryan said, perking up.

"Oh yeah?"

He grinned. "So... on Friday night... what time should I pick you up?"

"Huh?"

"For prom!"

Kelsi rolled her eyes. "Hilarious, Ryan."

"No, really! We always have fun. We'll be hanging out anyway! Why not?"

Kelsi pondered his proposition. "You're not asking me out of pity?"

"Never. I'm asking you because it'll be fun. And let's face it, you're going to be my fag hag next year so it's time you get some more practice," Ryan teased, nudging her.

Kelsi broke into laughter. "I'll have to get pointers from Gabriella."

"So you're in?" Ryan asked.

She nodded. "I'm in."

Troy emerged outside of the theatre, finding a group consisting of his parents, Gabriella, Ms. Montez and Chad. He grinned and waved to them all, slinging his red and white bag over his shoulder and heading over to join them. He'd already caught up briefly with them all in the flurry of congratulations that had immediately followed the show.

"Where have you been?" Jack asked.

"Sorry, I got held up," Troy responded, falling into their huddle between Gabriella and his mom. "I was chatting with Darbus. We kinda had this deep and meaningful. It was really weird, but awesome."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Lame."

Gabriella looped her arm around Troy's waist, squeezing his side lightly in silent support. She knew how much Troy admired and appreciated Ms. Darbus, even if he had been the target of her detention wrath on numerous occasions.

"Has everyone else headed to the party?" Troy asked.

"Martha, Zeke, Jason and Sharpay left a while ago," Chad reported. "Taylor is just coming out now; I talked to her like, a minute ago."

"I just talked to Ryan; he and Kelsi are in there and will be leaving soon, he's giving her a ride," Gabriella added.

"Speaking of the party, us old folks need to make an appearance and leave before the car turns into a pumpkin," Elena declared.

"Oh Ms. Montez, surely you're talking about my parents and not yourself," Troy said, with a half cheeky half flirtatious tone.

Lucille gave Troy a playful thwack on the arm. The banter was broken up by Taylor's voice calling out. "Could I borrow a muscular basketball player, please?"

"On it!" Chad announced, jogging in her direction.

"Oh, I actually wanted Troy," Taylor joked, causing Chad to gasp and run toward her faster. The pair disappeared back inside the foyer.

"You kids all have your transport arranged to the Evans' place? Did Chad and Taylor drive here together?" Jack asked.

Troy nodded. "Yup. We're all good."

"Then I think we'll head over there and see you there," Lucille said with a nod, agreeing with Elena's earlier sentiment.

"Okay, we'll leave soon, I'll just make sure Taylor doesn't need any more help with anything," Troy told them.

"Gabriella, do you want to come with me or go with Troy?" Elena asked, somewhat redundantly.

"I'll go with Troy," she said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

They waved their farewells, promising that they wouldn't be long and would see them there shortly. Troy and Gabriella were fairly exhausted themselves, just as most of the cast were. The party wouldn't go for hours, just an hour or two of snacks, wine for the adults and celebration. Gabriella waited until both cars had pulled away from the parking area before turning to Troy and wrapping her arms around the back of his neck.

"Troy, you were so good tonight," she sighed. "Seriously."

"I had a small part," he said dismissively.

"A small part in which you stole the scene every time you were on stage."

Troy didn't respond immediately, but then revealed to Gabriella, "That's what Darbus and I were talking about. She congratulated me, wanted to know about what I was planning to major in."

"She thinks you should major in theatre?"

"She thinks that if I wanted to, then I could. I don't know if I want to but... it's a good feeling to know that I have the option, you know? That she thinks I wouldn't be laughed off the stage."

"Have you thought about it much? What you want to major in?"

Troy shrugged. "Playing college ball has been my focus. It kind of overtakes everything. But lately I guess... I just need to be realistic. College athletes go to college, you spend four years living and breathing your training and you spend so much time playing and travelling that if you weren't given special consideration, you'd flunk out. And at the end of it all... how many really have what it takes to perform on a professional level?"

"If I know anyone who is capable of proving the system wrong; of achieving both academically - in whatever you want to study - and in giving basketball all of your heart... then it's you."

"I can only hope."

"Sounds like your heart and mind have run ahead of your body and are already in California," Gabriella observed.

Troy shook his head. "Wrong. My mind is in California. My body is here. And my heart..." he trailed off, his index finger tracing a circle just above her left breast. "Is here."

Her lips curved into a smile as his lips descended down to meet hers, their kiss soft and tender. She pulled back just slightly, her breath tickling against his lips.

"That was so corny but so sweet," she murmured.

He kissed her again, light and playful. "You love it."

"You know one of the things I love most about you?"

"My hair?"

She giggled. "No, it's getting too long."

He rolled his eyes. "You sound like my mom."

She turned serious. "I love that you're not afraid to dream. I know that you don't know what you're dreaming about yet... but you dream about dreaming."

"Sometimes I think I dream too much, too big. I'm just... trying to find the balance. A touch of reality among the dream, you know?"

"When did we start growing up, focusing on reality?" Gabriella questioned with a frown. "I prefer to ignore reality. At least... for a little while longer."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about the reality of majors?"

She gave him a small smile. "Sorry."

"Don't apologise."

"We graduate in two weeks."

"That thing you said about ignoring reality? I suggest we do that."

Gabriella took a deep breath, forcing back the wave of emotion that was overcoming her. "Okay. I can do that. The present is for dreaming. And the future is for..." she trailed off, not knowing how to end to sentence.

Troy smiled, nudging his nose against hers. "Living."

Here's to you free souls, you firefly chasers

Tree climbers, porch swingers, air guitar players

Here's to you fearless dancers, shakin' walls in your bedrooms

There's a lot of wonder left inside of me and you

Thank God, even crazy dreams come true

Megan Hilty, 'Crazy Dreams'