Ok so finally, the next chapter of my Deleted HSM Scenes. I have had a faint idea of where to go with this so let's see how this goes, shall we? Sorry for not updating this in like weeks, but I've been having major writer's block with like everything and was lucky enough to get two oneshots up. Hopefully it'll all pass soon and I'll be ready to write some more. I'm thinking of putting up a poll for a future story but I'm not sure yet - just saying in advance. Now, enough waiting!
And HSM is still not mine, but the DVD is! xD


Chapter Seven: Lunchtime (After "Stick to the Status Quo")

I pulled Troy over to the side as fast as I could. Luckily we were outta Darbus' sight and could only hear Sharpay's screeching. What was that chick's problem? I already told Troy that he couldn't get involved. There was just too much drama - even for high school. And lemme tell you, this was just gettin ridiculous! The brainiacs loved to dance, the skaters played some musical instrument...and Zeke was baking! Baking, I tell ya! Tell me that doesn't sound right. I and the rest of the team tried tellin him that he should stick to the hoops cause it was what he was good at. Not some creamed gruel or whatever he called it!

I stole a quick glance from Taylor, who luckily, was dragging her new friend to the other side of the cafeteria. That was good; it'd give us a chance to knock some sense into these two. As soon as Troy and I stopped where we were, my head shot over to him when I heard him ask something.

"What's up?"

"What's up?" I repeated. "Oh let's see...you missed free period workout yesterday to try out for some heinous musical. And now suddenly people are...confessing." My eyes were wide and everythin. All of this that we went through for like two years already was bein thrown way off balance. But Troy...oh Troy...he didn't look like he believed a word of it! From me, his best friend! Can it get any more stupid? What is his deal all of a sudden? If it was proof he needed, I was gonna give him proof. And my proof was walkin right by me. I grabbed Zeke by the shoulder and pulled him over. "Zeke is baking...créme brulée!"

But Troy didn't seem surprised at all. He just turned to Zeke like nothin was even wrong. "Oh, what's that?"

I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes. Was he that delusional?

Zeke seemed more than happy to answer, "Oh it's a creamy custardlike filling with a caramelized surface. It's very satisfying."

"Shut up Zeke!" I yelled. I don't care how interested he was in this or anything. I didn't care about his stupid creamed gruel or whatever he said it was! I pushed Zeke away and pulled Troy over to an empty table. I sat down in the seat beside him, ready to get some sense knocked into him. "Do you even see what's happening? Our team is coming apart because of your singing thing. Even the drama geeks and the brainiacs suddenly think that they can...talk to us!" Ok, so maybe I didn't completely mind about the brainiacs, so long as the main brainiac talking to us was Taylor. Ok, so maybe we mainly communicated by arguing, but I really think that if this is gonna happen like this...oh what the firetruck am I sayin? Focus, Chad! Focus on getting Troy to see the big picture! I pointed to the skaters for extra emphasis. "The skater dudes are mingling. People suddenly think that they can do other stuff. Ok? Stuff that's not their stuff!" I knew Troy was ready to counter, but I wasn't about to let him convince me otherwise. I opened my mouth again before he could say anything. I pointed to the drama kids table before pushing an empty food tray away from me. "They've got you thinking about show tunes when we've got a playoff game next week!"

Not even givin it another minute, I stormed outta the cafeteria. I wasn't even hungry anymore after all that went down. I'm serious. Baking basketball players? Musical skaters? Dancing nerds? What was this, some cheesy Disney movie with a message? I just couldn't take it anymore! Somethin had to be done, and at this rate there was only one other person to turn to. Cause now the sad part is that I don't even think I can rely on my best friend. Not with the truth or whatever's goin down or anything. He's got his mind focused on somethin musical instead of somethin athletic and suddenly that's all he cares about! Troy had to be reminded of his place. As soon as possible.

So, I waited a couple of classes to put my plan into action. And with the halls bein completely deserted it was perfect. All I had to do was making sure no one was watchin, and then slip away. So I got next to a janitor's closet and quietly got in. All I had to do then was wait, just as soon as that bell rang. Now you know me, I'm not some kinda impatient person. Ok fine, maybe sometimes I am, but that's not the point. I kept the door open just a crack so I could see what - or rather who - I was lookin for. Then I spotted her. I squinted, then a few seconds later...BAM! Grabbed her and pulled her right into the closet! I turned on the light switch and tried to keep myself from laughin at her reaction. She was just pretendin to be angry. How cute was that? No wait...no, that face was not cute and she was not cute! C'mon, you're not really buyin all that stuff I said before, are ya? Oh just forget it!

"What are you doing, Danforth?" she demanded. "We are locked in a closet!"

"I can see that, captain obvious." I told her, rollin my eyes. "And we got a good reason to be locked in here. And before you say anythin, no, it's not to start kissing and sayin how we secretly like each other for years." Oh snap...I did not just say that. I mean, I didn't...well, not completely....

Taylor blinked, almost like she was caught of guard. And trust me, that girl's never got her guard down. "Good...because that's the last thing on my mind." she said almost too quickly. Then she shook her head and got all cold on me again. "Look whatever it is you want, you're not getting it. I have a class to get to." She tried to leave, but I grabbed her wrist and kept her in her place.

"Ok did you not see the madness in the cafeteria before?" I demanded. looking her dead in the eyes. Oh man, those eyes were even browner than I thought! No wait, getting back to business! "Clearly we gotta do somethin. And if we don't do whatever that somethin is soon then everything goes down the drain. The basketball team's chance of winning the championships, your school decathy-thingy's chance of winning, and you losin your only friend."

"I resent that!" she retorted, soundin angry. "The Decathlon team is my friends. And it's Scholastic Decathlon, lunkhead. Get it right for once." Taylor sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. Dang she did that a lot around me! "Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again. We are not doing anything. This does not involve the both of us. If it gets worse than this, then come talk to me. And I doubt it'll become more urgent than it is now. So you take care of Troy, I'll take care of Gabriella. Before we know it everything will be back to normal and you can get out of my life."

I let go of her wrist and took a step back. So that's what she thought of me? She didn't want me in her life? Then why was she even botherin to argue with me...? Oh wait, I think I get it. That's exactly why she argues with me all the time. Cause she wants nothing to do with me. And after I went to all the trouble to apologize to her last time for opening my mouth in the first place. I just couldn't believe it. So much for thinkin she ever wanted me. Or anything like that. So you can stop rubbin everythin I say in my face now.

"Chad wait. That's not what-" she started.

"You know what, forget it McKessie." I shook my head, goin back to the last names. "I'll remember what you said. Only go to you if it gets worse from here. Got it. See ya then." I didn't even give her the chance to say anythin else before I walked out and closed the door behind me. The halls were pretty quiet now, and I didn't even care that I was probably late for class again. I just kept playin everythin in my head, and it wasn't pretty.

Then from the corner of my eye I could see that new girl, the one that was so much trouble, walkin past me. But I didn't even bother to find out what was goin on.

--change POV--change POV--change POV--

"Is Sharpay really, really mad?" Gabriella wondered. "I said I was sorry."

I removed my attention from my sandwich and looked at Gabriella. The commotion had finally calmed down in the cafeteria and we were eating like normal students. Lucky for me, I got Gabriella away from Sharpay before too much of the explosion could catch up with us. But then again, that was just the drama queen for you.

"No one has beaten Sharpay for a musical since kindergarten." I told her. And it was true. I do admire Gabriella's modestly, I'll admit to that, but she still had so much to learn. And one of the most important things to learn was to never get in Sharpay's way. She enjoyed the limelight, she desired center stage, she craved attention, and she despised competition. And Gabriella was violating everything Sharpay stood for.

"I wasn't trying to beat anyone out." she replied. "We weren't even auditioning. We were just...singing."

A bit hard to believe. Coincidentally singing in the auditorium around the time of auditions? Not very likely. But she did seem honest about it. The only thing that could mean was...wait a minute.... Could it be possible that when I was walking past the auditorium that day it was Troy and Gabriella I had heard singing? That couldn't be possible. It was quite impossible. Jocks don't sing. They can't sing. And brainiacs...we don't belong on stage, that's not our area of expertise. That's not our place. Maybe singing in the shower, alright. But never on stage, for a musical of all things.

I gathered myself together fairly quickly and politely shook my head, knowing I had to get it through to Gabriella's head somehow. "You won't convince Sharpay of that. I'm telling you, if that girl could play Romeo and Juliet, her own brother would be hissed out of the job." Yes, hisssed out of the job. Like a snake pushing another creature out of her territory. Although the correct term would be 'aced out of a job'. But I'm sure you know what I mean.

"I told you, it just...happened." Gabriella confessed. "But I like it. A lot."

I looked at her doubtfully and shook my head. To like something that much...I can't even describe what level that would be taken to. But then she continued, as though it was something that had been eating away at her at least all day.

"Do you ever feel like there's this whole other person inside of you, just looking for a way to come out?" she wondered.

I thought about it for a minute. Now I would never admit to it out loud, but sometimes I have wondered what it would be like to shine in something other than academics. And if I could actually do it alongside...Danforth. But I said I wouldn't admit it out loud. And I didn't. So that secret goes straight into the vault, understand?

I just shook my head in response to her. "Not really, no." I couldn't help but giggle at the thought, just stringing her along so she'd assume I gave her me decisive answer. I looked up to hear the bell ringing, meaning we had to get to our next class. "Let's go." I told Gabriella, picking up the remainder of my bagged lunch and heading out of the cafeteria.

Now I had assumed that lunch would be the worst of everything. But unfortunately, I was incorrect. It only got worse from there. And I'm not talking about the callbacks dilemma. It was a few classes later, about a fourth of the day left to go through. On the bright side I did have gym class, which meant that I would merely have to go to the locker room and chance into my gym attire and then meet the rest of the class in the gym, where we would start ten or so minutes into the period. The down side to that was that it was gym. In other words, we could be late stepping into the locker room, but if gym weren't a pass/fail class it would be my lowest mark.

Like I was saying, I was on my way towards the gym. I was going through the crowded hallway, like any other day, until something out of the ordinary happened. A hand came from out of nowhere and grabbed me by the shoulder. And before I could say or do anything else, I was literally dragged out of the hallway and into a janitor's closet. And wouldn't you know it...I came nearly face to face with Danforth! The two of us...locked in a closet...a very small space together...in near darkness.... This had secret love scene written all over it!

But I wasn't about to let him know I was hoping - I mean thinking - that was the case. "What are you doing, Danforth? We are locked in a closet!"

"I can see that, captain obvious." Was his reply as he turned on the light switch. And with that small amount of light I could see him rolling his eyes. Such a deep shade of brown, perhaps somewhere in the shade of sierra or terra cotta, or were they a dark hazel...? Oh snap out of it, McKessie! "And we got a good reason to be locker in here." he continued. "And before you say anythin, no, it's not to start kissing and sayin how we secretly liked each other for years."

I nearly froze right where I was. How did he know I was...? No, he couldn't know! Why on Earth would I even think that about him? I had to make him think...scratch that, let him know...that was nowhere near what I thought it would be. "Good, because that was the furthest thing from my mind." I lied a little too quickly. I was hoping that he didn't catch on. And I didn't give him the chance to. The only way to prove that I was serious was to give him my McKessie Ice once more. "Look whatever it is you want, you're not getting it. I have a class to go to." I tried to make a getaway, but before I knew it Chad took me by the wrist and spun me back to face him. And right into his hazel-brown eyes of all other places! That was worse than getting wrapped in his curls like usual.

"Ok did you not see the madness in the cafeteria?" he insisted. "Clearly we gotta do somethin. And if we don't do thatever that somethin is soon then everything goes down the drain. The basketball team loses the championships, your school decathy-thingy's chance of winning, and you losing your only friend."

Oh he did not just say that!

"I resent that!" I argued, ready to pull away from him...you know, if his grip wasn't so tight. "My friends are the ones on the Decathlon. And it's Scholastic Decathlon, lunkhead. Can you ever get it right?" I rolled my eyes, knowing I had to set Chad straight once and for all. "Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again. We are not doing anything. This does not involve the both of us. If things get worse than they currently are, then come talk to me. But I doubt it'll even become slightly more urgent than it is now. So you take care of Troy and I'll take care of Gabriella. Before you know it everything will be back to normal and you can get out of my life."

At that instant, Chad let go of my arm and took a step back. I didn't even take the time, at least for the moment, to notice his look. All I could think of was the look I must have had on my face. Or at least what I was feeling. There was no way I just told him I wanted him out of my life...that was nowhere near the truth...that was the absolute last thing on my mind. Chad may be an annoying lunkheaded jock but I would never want him out of my life, even if I completely despised the boy. And now what was I making him think? Did he even have the same thoughts about me? Was he thinking that he wanted me out of his life now? I took one second to look at him and I instantly knew I said the wrong thing. Even if I couldn't see his exact face, I knew I said the worst thing at the wrost time. I had to set things right.

"Chad wait." I said, trying to stop him from doing anything or going anywhere. "That's not what-"

I tried to be soft and gentle, but he didn't even give me a chance to be. Chad just shook his head. "You know what, forget it McKessie." he told me. And that's when I knew it was going downhill. Very rarely would we ever call each other by our first names. So now any chance of us doing that more than once in a blue moon was gone. "I'll remember what you said. Only go back to you if it gets worse from here. Got it. See ya then."

And before I had the chance to try and say anything else he was gone. He walked out. He left me alone in the now dark janitor's closet. Never have I been less grateful for my icy family trait. I sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall. So now I had to sit back and wait until things went completely downhill with the callbacks and the status quo...I had to wait until the whole school was inches away from rock bottom just to have another chance to have an actual conversation with Chad. And now I didn't even care that I might actually be late to class for once in my life. There was only one thing I was thinking about now.

Please just let everything get worse!


A little more drama in this chapter than I planned. But you probably know what comes after this part, right? Oh yeah, it gets worse. Bad enough for them to make their super secret plan. So I'm not sure how I'm going to do that yet, if it's making the plan in one chapter and then implementing the plan in the next or if it'll all be mushed into one chapter. So again, sorry for the wait with this story. But, this is all from the first movie, right? So keep remembering how it all ends! It's only a matter of time before they become C&T. And if I can't combine their names by the end of this year, I'm gonna make it a new year's resolution to make sure I do!