A/N: So, busy, busy week! Holidays are always busy, and when you feel obligated to go to the bars the night before Turkey day… Anyway, I was totally not sure if I could finish this chapter in any sort of reasonable time… but the chapter just flowed. Do let me know what you thought of it!

Also… I keep saying that these chapters can't all be long, that some of them would be shorter. This is not one of those. Once again, I knew where I wanted to end it, I knew how I was going to get there…. It just took a while, especially when Chad decided to talk. So enjoy! And sooner or later, the chapters will go back down in size… in theory.

Disclaimer: This story is pure fiction, and thus is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality of any and all celebrities mentioned. If you are underage, or if you are offended by such stories, leave now!! Also, High School Musical is the property of Disney. It's not mine!

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Picking Up the Pieces of a Lost Night

By Squall Thrawn

Chapter 10: Why Don't We Dance a While?

"What the hell was I thinking, Chad?" Troy complained, as he and Chad lay on the grass near the basketball hoop. He and Chad had spent Saturday morning playing a little game of one-on-one on the court behind Troy's house, and were now lounging on the soft grass near the court. Zeke had pleaded prior commitments; something about a meeting with some people from a culinary school. Once he heard about Troy's playing, though, he'd kick himself for not coming along; Troy's abilities that day would've been a free meal ticket for Zeke. And as it was, Chad was going to cash it in.

Troy sighed. "Things are still sorta tense between Ryan and me, we're still trying to figure out our friendship, and then I have to go and rock the boat like that! I mean, taking him to a movie? I might as well have said, 'hey, Ryan, wanna go on a date with me?' I've got to cancel, somehow. Argh!"

"No, you don't," Chad disagreed. "If Ryan didn't want to go to the movie, he would've said so. So far, Evans hasn't hesitated to tell you if he wanted you to back off."

"Unless he's just trying to force himself to say yes, even when he doesn't want to," Troy pointed out. "He said just yesterday that he was trying to put his own feelings aside to give me a chance."

"And you'd be a fool not to use that chance to prove to him that you deserved it," Chad countered. "Sorry, Troy, but I am not going to let you cancel on Ryan."

Troy regarded his friend for a moment. "How do you feel about all this, honestly, Chad?" Troy asked, directly. "I know you've said you support me, but I know it's gotta be a shock to know that your best friend has a crush on another guy."

Chad was quiet; practically a first for the boy. "I guess I'd never really thought about it, before," he finally said, his voice low. "I guess I'd always assumed that you were completely straight, considering how much you'd talk about Gabriella, or some of the other girls you thought were cute. But when you started hanging out with Evans, I did start picking up some weird vibes from ya. Like the two of you had some sort of chemistry or something." Chad shrugged. "I didn't really give it much thought, though. I mean, you were still with Gabi, so I figured I was imagining things. Then, these last few months, I watched you and Gabriella implode, and then you started hanging out with Evans even more."

Chad chuckled. "Do you remember when a bunch of us went to the movies that one time? Zeke and Jason were monopolizing the air hockey tables, and Taylor and Gabi were… I forget where. Well, they were somewhere. You and Ryan were at the DDR machines, and Evans was dancin' up a storm. I remember that Kelsi and I were over there too, watching the both of you. You're not that good, by the way, Troy," Chad added, helpfully. "Anyway, Kelsi and I were trying to make conversation with you, and we might as well have been talking to the DDR machines. You and Evans were chatting away, about the game, about anything, as if you two were the only ones there." Chad held his hands up. "I mean, I'm not saying you were just deliberately ignoring us or anything, it's just that you were so focussed on Evans that you didn't really hear us. Ryan was the exact same way. Well, except he was focussed on you, instead of Evans. Because he's Evans. And I'll always remember what Kelsi said to me after we watched the two of you for a while. She said 'those two make you feel like a third wheel sometimes, don't they? That's how they make me feel.'"

Shaking his head, Chad continued. "It's true, though. As you and Gabi started growing farther apart, you and Evans got closer, and whenever I hung out with the two of you, I did feel like a third wheel, sometimes."

Troy was stunned. "Are you saying that you figured out that I had feelings for Ryan before I did?" he asked, surprised.

"Not really," Chad replied, sheepishly. "Like I said, I always thought you were straight. But when I saw that picture of the two of you… I think maybe I finally got a little clue." His tone turned guilty. "Maybe that's why I pushed you to put the blame on Evans; I was afraid that maybe there was something going on between the two of you, or maybe something was going to happen." Chad reached over and patted Troy on the shoulder. "Sorry, bud."

Troy shrugged. "I don't think any of us were thinking clearly, that morning. We all fucked up, pretty much. I can't exactly stay mad at you for that." Troy smiled. "Besides, you've already shown me that you're a good friend. It's water under the bridge, dude."

"Thanks, Troy," Chad said, relief in his voice. "I guess what I was getting at, was that when I came to my senses, I realized that you having a crush on Evans wasn't so out there. And I could see that you actually care about him a lot. So, while I don't know if I could've handled it as easily if you told me you were completely gay, I think I can handle you and Evans together. As long as you don't do any nasty stuff in front of me," Chad said, warningly. "Kissing's ok, but nothing beyond that, buddy. I don't want a repeat of last December, when I found you and Gabi doing… well, you get what I'm saying, right?"

"Chad, I don't want a repeat of that day, either," Troy said, blushing crimson. "I don't think Ryan's nearly as much of an exhibitionist as Gabi was, though." Troy thought about it, for a minute. "I can't believe I didn't realize then how wild she could be."

"Well, I always thought those brainiac-type people were wound awfully tight," Chad said, grinning. "That's why Taylor and I never worked out. If I'd known that she might've done something as wild and crazy as Gabi did, though, I might've thought twice." Then Chad's grin turned positively evil. "So, you're bringing protection, right?"

"Chad!"

"Sorry, sorry," Chad apologized, not sounding at all sorry. "I just want to make sure my best friend practices safe sex."

"Keep laughing it up, Danforth," Troy said, glaring at his bushy-haired friend. "I'll remember this when you finally get a girlfriend. Or should I see if Ryan has any gay friends we could hook you up with?" Troy raised his eyebrow. "Then we can go on some fun double dates!"

"Hell… no… Bolton," Chad ground out. "You may be a pillow-kisser now, but I still like pussy. And I am not double-dating with you and Evans; my girlfriend- and notice I said girlfriend, not boyfriend- my girlfriend would probably gush on and on about what a cute couple you and Ryan make, and Evans would mock me for what he's called 'my lack of culture.' Thanks, but no thanks, Troy."

"I see you've put thought into this," Troy said, amusement in his tone.

"I don't put anything past you, Troy," Chad said. "After all, you convinced me to go on that double date when you were with Gabi. That was awkward enough, even with two straight couples. Double-dating with a gay couple?" Chad shuddered.

Troy laughed at Chad's statement, but sobered up as he thought about the night's events, events that would be starting in only a few hours. Jumping up, he started pacing up and down the court, nervously. "I'm still nervous about tonight," Troy confessed. "To Ryan, it's not a date, but to me, it really is. It's a first date, where we try to build the foundation of a relationship; or, in our case, we try to rebuild it. And if I fuck this one up, there's not likely to be a 'second date.' Damn!" Troy was gesticulating wildly while he was talking, and looked to be psyching himself out. "And what do I do about the end? Do we kiss? No! We're just friends, this isn't a date, and he'd hit me if I kissed him! But what if I want to kiss him?"

In the end, Chad knew there was but one thing to do: he picked up the basketball from where it was lying on the grass, and chucked it right at Troy's stomach.

"Fuck! What was that for?" Troy asked, grimacing as he hunched over, his hands clenched and holding his abdomen.

"To shut you up," Chad stated, simply. "You're freaking out about this, and over thinking it all. I don't think you've got anything to worry about." Chad looked confident. "You and Ryan have a chemistry together, and you'll see when you pick him up. From what I've seen of you two lately, and what you've told me about your exchanges since the incident, I honestly don't think anything has changed in that, either. The only time it gets weird is when Evans throws you off with his cryptic messages that really don't give you an opportunity to respond, and you've said that he usually breaks the awkward situation, himself. Just be yourself, Troy, don't hold yourself back, and be honest with yourself and with Ryan. If kissing him feels right tonight, go for it. If it doesn't feel quite right, hold off."

Troy looked at Chad, amazed. "That was… really great advice, Chad." Left unsaid was the fact that it was probably the first bit of useful advice that Chad had given him during the entire Ryan crisis. "I think I really needed to hear that." Troy then rubbed his stomach, tenderly. "I think I really didn't need to have a basketball thrown in my stomach, though. I do need to eat, today, and you've got one helluva arm on you."

"That'll teach you not to freak out around me," Chad advised him. "You don't want to know what would've happened if I had Zeke here, too."

"Well, I only have one more problem about tonight," Troy said, still holding his midsection. "What the hell am I going to wear? Do I dress like I'm on a date, or like I was hanging out with you or Zeke? What if I give off the wrong impression with my outfit?"

"Troy?" Chad said, mock severely. "That was really gay." Then Chad smiled. "But I support you and your unconventional lifestyle, anyway."

"Where did you even learn that phrase?" Troy asked, sourly.

"Kelsi," Chad replied. "She gave me a list of words to say and words not to say." Chad grinned. "I'm saving the other list for a rainy day. Should be fun! Hey, isn't it supposed to storm on Sunday?" Troy rushed at Chad, intent on revenging himself on his friend. "Hey! Stop that, Bolton! Get your perverted hands off me!"

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Troy took a deep breath before he opened the door of his truck. He had pulled up in front of the Evans estate only a few minutes til six. Walking towards the front door, Troy couldn't help but remember the last time he'd been here, soaked to the bone and mud all over his pants. Trying not to lose control of his stomach and vomit all over the rhododendrons, Troy steeled himself and rang the bell. After just a moment or two, the door was opened by the same butler who had been there to witness Troy's rather pitiful state a week ago.

"Yes? Can I help you?" The butler didn't seem to be sneering as much today; then again, Troy looked a lot better tonight.

"I'm here to pick up Ryan Evans; he's expecting me," Troy replied.

"Very well. Master Ryan has been expecting you, and will be down presently. He has also requested that you wait for him in the foyer. If you'll please come in?" With that, the butler stood back and allowed Troy to enter. Yep, the butler seemed much nicer now that Troy was more properly attired. Plus, obviously being expected by Ryan would cause him to shape up his act. Troy was a guest now, not an uninvited hooligan showing up after dark.

As Troy stood there in the foyer, waiting for Ryan to appear, he gave a quick glance to the contents of the room. Troy was fairly certain that the decorative elements contained in just this room alone probably cost as much as most of the contents of Troy's entire house. The Evanes were filthy rich, and it showed. Would Ryan hold Troy's lack of weath against him if they did ever date? Troy shook his head; Sharpay definitely would have, but Troy felt that her brother wasn't that shallow.

"Well, well. Troy Bolton," said a voice coming from the top of the stairs. It was, naturally, Sharpay. Truth be told, Troy was rather expecting her, this time. After all, since she more than likely knew about the night's events, Sharpay probably couldn't resist trying to threaten Troy again.

"Well, well. Sharpay Evans," Troy responded in kind.

"I don't know how you did it, Bolton," Sharpay said, as she walked down the stairs. "Ryan usually sees through phonies right away. He's not some blind idiot like Danforth or Cross."

"Ryan is smart," Troy acknowledged. "Smarter than me, probably. But I'll thank you not to use Jason's name in connection with the rest of us; he's not a friend."

Sharpay laughed, though her voice held no humour in it. "You don't get it Troy, do you? You can tell how a person is by the company they keep. You may be pretending to not be friends with Jason Cross any more, but all four of you, Chad and Zeke included, are all cut from the same cloth. Ignorant and close-minded."

"I've always heard that you can tell a person by who his enemies are," Troy countered. "And unless you've been completely blind, you know who they are. Jason Cross is not my friend, because he wouldn't be friends with somebody who stands up for your brother. And those homophobic four jocks are definitely not my friends. So, what does that tell you about me, Sharpay? Because I know you're not completely blind. Just selectively blind. You see what you want to see, ignore what you don't want to see, and believe that everybody should just follow what you say."

"Troy, stop this farce right now, before you hurt my brother," Sharpay warned, her voice dead serious. She moved forward until she only a foot away from him. "He's talking about you more and more around the house, like he did before you betrayed him. I know you're leading him on, and I do not want to see my brother hurt, ever again. Not while I have the ability to stop it. Please, Troy, if you have a shred of decency in you, you'll leave him alone before you hurt him even worse than before."

"What's going on, here?" Ryan Evans asked. Troy turned around. Ryan was only a few feet away from the two of them, his arms crossed. Troy was momentarily speechless as he glanced over Ryan's outfit. Ryan was wearing camel-hair coloured khakis and a light-blue button-up shirt, with royal blue vertical stripes blended into it. To complete the emsemble, Ryan had chosen to wear a trilby hat that matched the light-blue in his shirt. Troy had always admired Ryan's embrace of fashions that he'd never have the guts to wear himself, as well as even having the innate ability to coordinate his clothes; even when he was trying, Troy still had problems at times. Case in point- about half of Troy's wardrobe was lying on his bed, the result of his frenzied search for the Holy Grail of outfits, that one outfit that would be the perfect compromise between date clothes and casual hanging out clothes. Or, as it had ended up, the outfit that Troy had finally picked out after he'd reached the point of tearing out his own hair. After all, Ryan would never go for a guy with bald patches in his hair. The final result had been a pair of blue jeans coupled with a maroon button-up. No hat, of course.

Sharpay's demeanor had changed dramatically upon hearing Ryan's voice. Turning towards him with a fake smile on her face, she replied "I'm just making sure Troy here's not going to have a relapse and leave you at the theatre."

"Your concern is noted," Ryan said, his voice expressionless. He turned towards Troy. "I'm ready to go. Unless you'd prefer to continue your conversation with my sister?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can pick this up some other time," Troy said, forcing himself to sound calm and unconcerned. "It isn't anything of any particular importance."

Troy could tell Ryan was amused by his comment, though his facial expression didn't change so much as a hair; Troy was getting a lot better at picking up on Ryan's moods through his body language and eyes. "Then let's go," Ryan said, gesturing with his hand towards the front door. As he and Troy approached it, however, the butler appeared from out of nowhere and quickly opened it for them. Troy was surprised, and impressed at the man's speed. He and Ryan walked out of the house, and before the butler had the door all the way closed Ryan had placed his hand on Troy's shoulder as they walked. Though he didn't dare look back, Troy knew for a fact that Sharpay was watching. Then the door closed, and a moment later Ryan took his hand from Troy's shoulder.

"That should give Sharpay something to fume about for tonight," Ryan observed, his mouth now showing the slightest traces of a smirk.

"Is everything between the two of you this cutthroat and competitive?" Troy asked, as he opened Ryan's door for him. "I thought the two of you were a little better."

"Oh, Troy," Ryan sighed. "Being an only child has blinded you to the dynamics and intricacies of a brother-sister relationship. Especially the dynamics between two twins who enjoy and thrive on drama." Troy quickly shut Ryan's door and hurried over to his side; he wasn't going to miss this one.

"Enlighten me then, Mr. Evans," Troy said, smiling as he began pulling out of the Evanses rather large driveway.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather learn about astrophysics?" Ryan asked, eyebrow cocked. "That might be easier to explain than my relationship with Sharpay."

"Well, let's narrow it down," Troy said quickly, trying to keep Ryan on the subject. "I've been picking up weird vibes from her lately, and I'm not sure I know where she's coming from."

"When do you?" Ryan countered, shaking his head. "As for you… you're a complicated subject, Troy." Ryan shook his head. "I'm not even sure where I'm at, in your case. As for Sharpay… she's afraid you'll hurt me again, and she's worried that you might not hurt me again."

"Come again?" Troy asked, knowing he must've misheard that.

"Troy, you know how my sister is," Ryan said, with almost a note of pity in his voice since Troy seemed so helplessly lost. "She cares about some people, including myself. But all that is secondary to caring about herself. And in your case, you made it clear you weren't interested in Sharpay, and the two of you still don't really get along that well. The friendship we formed between the two of us was a win in my column, and Sharpay didn't like that."

"That's all it was?" Troy asked, rather hurt by the implication that Ryan had made.

"Troy, I'm explaining to you how Sharpay views the world, and you," Ryan said, exasperated. "But I'm not sure how many times I have to tell you that I'm not like Sharpay until you get it. You've never been just a triumph over my sister, to me. That's how she views it, though, and that's why she always made it difficult for us to spend more time together. Why do you think she kissed you that night? That was her last gambit, and she actually told me that I'd won." Ryan chuckled. "She said that she wasn't going to pursue you any more, that I'd won you. I told her that you weren't a prize to be won… but Zeke probably wouldn't mind being a prize. She was right beside him like five minutes later. Man, was she drunk."

"Well, then what's going on with her now?" Troy asked, still confused.

"Because of what you did to me, Sharpay considers the win erased," Ryan said, his voice a little hard as he mentioned what Troy considered his greatest regret. "She might even view herself a little ahead, now. But if we patched things up? I'm back to being on top. Sharpay doesn't take too well to that," Ryan finished.

"Thus why you put your hand on my shoulder," Troy surmised, feeling a little bummed out. He should've known there was an ulterior motive.

"Or perhaps this entire date," Ryan observed, almost idly. "Perhaps it's all just to tweak my sister." Troy gave him a really hurt look. Ryan shook his head. "Once again, not my sister, Bolton. If I didn't actually want to be here, I wouldn't be. I wouldn't pretend to accept your friendship again just to one-up Sharpay. Our friendship meant something to me, and I guess I'm hoping we can fix it. That, Troy, is why I'm here tonight. That, and only that. Happy that you got me to admit that?" Ryan sighed.

"I was just afraid that this didn't mean anything to you," Troy confessed. "Because this means a lot to me."

"I know it does," was Ryan's only response. There was silence in the car for a little while, as they drove along towards the movie theatre. "How did you get the bruise on your face, Troy?"

Troy flushed. "I… umm… I was roughhousing with Chad," he confessed in a low tone. "I was trying to get him back for something he said, and I caught an elbow in the jaw. We never figured out if it was his elbow or my elbow, actually."

"Smooth move, Bolton," Ryan replied, shaking his head.

"That's nothing compared to the other bruise," Troy added, grimacing.

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "And just how did you get that one? Where is it?"

"Chad lobbed a basketball at my stomach," Troy said, rubbing the aforementioned place. It still hurt. "I deserved that one, though."

"I'm not even going to ask," Ryan said, rolling his eyes. "That probably did make a fairly large bruise, though."

"Yeah, it did," Troy said, lamely. That was it for that particular conversation. Troy felt silly for even mentioning it, since it wasn't that interesting. If it'd been Chad or Zeke, Troy would've lifted up his shirt to show them. But there were so many reasons why Troy was unwilling to show Ryan Evans.

"I'm actually a little surprised you didn't use something to cover the bruise on your jaw up," Ryan said, almost idly. "You seem nervous enough about making a good impression, tonight."

"What?" Troy was now doing an excellent interpretation of a guppy, wide-eyed and mouth gaping. "What do you mean? I'm not nervous. We're just hanging out, right?"

"Yeah, you're not nervous," Ryan said, disbelief in his tone. "Troy, you're so tightly strung I could pluck you and hear music. I don't know why; I mean, I'm a little apprehensive that we could fuck this up, somehow, but that's it. You, on the other hand…" Troy couldn't explain, though; not now, possibly not ever. "You know, Troy," Ryan continued on, his voice light, "you're almost acting like somebody on a first date." At this point, Troy was having to restrain himself from freaking out and running out of the truck, never mind the fact that he was doing forty-five miles an hour down the road. Had he been that obvious? Well, it was Ryan Evans, after all. "But it's not a first date," Ryan stated, "since you yourself said we were just hanging out. So calm down, Troy."

Troy was indeed calming down, if calming down meant no longer on the verge of throwing up. It was too much, too soon. Did Ryan realize what he was doing to Troy? With his eyes on the road, Troy couldn't read Ryan's expressions as well as he usually could.

They soon reached the movie theatre, Troy having to force himself to get out of the truck, slowly. He had had no idea that being in cramped conditions with Evans could be so torturous. Ryan, on the other hand, looked none the worse for wear. 'Of course,' Troy grumped to himself. 'He wasn't the one whose stomach was doing cartwheels.'

"So, which movie do we want to see?" Ryan asked, his lips pursed as he looked up at the boards. "I'm not a big fan of horror movies, and Sharpay has dragged me along to one chick flick too many. Not that I'd expect you to pick that. Too bad there aren't any musicals."

Troy couldn't help but chuckle. He should've known Ryan would gravitate towards those. "What about that one?" Troy asked, pointing to the movie poster of the newest Hollywood blockbuster. "I hear it's entertaining."

Ryan sighed, theatrically. "It's because of people like you, that the studios continue to make rubbish like that. That one's a perfect example of the drivel that comes out of Hollywood, a mindless movie with little plot, sub-par acting, a clichéd script, and an overabundance of computer animation." He looked over at Troy's grinning, still-hopeful face. "But I guess it'll do. There doesn't seem to be anything else playing that looks even remotely good, and it's showing in forty-five minutes. Plenty of time to play DDR, buy our popcorn, and find good seats."

Troy had grinned wildly when Ryan had gone with his movie choice. He had been going to see it with Chad, but going with Ryan was way better. Troy lost his smile at the mention of DDR, though. He knew he'd promised to play it, but he wasn't going to enjoy it. It always frustrated him, and Ryan had usually just shook his head and chuckled at him. Ryan was never mean-spirited about it, luckily. Quickly stepping to the ticket window, Troy bought both of their tickets to the movie, without giving Ryan a chance to protest. When he handed Ryan's ticket to him, though, expecting an argument, Ryan took it silently, raising his eyebrow. Troy inwardly sighed. Even on an issue like this, Ryan wasn't doing the predictable thing. Troy had felt sure Ryan would insist on buying his own ticket.

Ryan was the one who changed his dollar bills for quarters to feed the DDR machine, though. Troy watched him, amused at his enthuisasm for playing DDR. That amusement quickly came to an end when it was time for Troy to join him up there. Troy put himself on Easy Mode, but was surprised when Ryan chose only Medium Mode.

"We're playing this together, Troy," Ryan responded to his unspoken question. "I don't feel the need to show off; I just want to have some fun." Troy felt a little better after his answer; at least Ryan wouldn't be making him look quite as bad.

The first song Ryan selected was a familiar one, a techno remix of "We're in Heaven" that Troy had actually heard on the radio before. As Troy watched the moving arrows appear, he realized there was no way he was going to get out of making himself look completely foolish.

How right he was. Three arrows into the song, and Troy had already come close to tripping himself. Ryan's screen was more complicated than Troy's, but Ryan seemed to be moving easily to the beat. Troy persevered, though, continuing to try to hit the right parts of the DDR pad at the right time. Emphasis on try. Just then, Troy could hear laughing behind him. Figuring it really wouldn't matter if he stopped dancing for a minute, Troy turned around and saw three little kids watching him, laughing at his performance.

"Man, you suck at that, dude," one of the kids said.

"Well, I didn't ask for your fucking opinion, did I, kid?" Troy exploded, all the nervousness from before bursting out as anger. He was trying, dammit, trying his best to keep things cool and make it up to Ryan. For chrissakes, he was playing DDR, a game he sucked at, just because Ryan liked it! He didn't need a little kid taunting him. "Fuck off!"

Troy immediately felt bad when he saw the kids run off, obviously upset. He hadn't meant to cuss out the little kids. And what would Ryan think? Troy turned around, to see his blonde-haired friend regarding him, silently. Apparently the song had stopped, too. Troy hadn't even noticed.

"I… I didn't mean to go off on him like that," Troy muttered, feeling put on the spot.

Ryan was silent for a moment. "Do you want me to show you how to do it, properly?" he finally said. "You never seemed interested in learning, and obviously you never watched my feet when I played." Troy's mouth went dry at that comment. It was completely true; even when he had been claiming to be completely straight, he had watched the rest of Ryan's body, moving with the beat. And his ass.

"Could you?" Troy asked, pushing those thoughts out of his head. "I know that I'm never going to be good at it, but I don't want to look like a complete fool."

Ryan smiled. "You've come to the right person, then. If I can teach Danforth to dance, I can show you how to DDR." He leaned forward and selected the next song on the machine. "Your biggest problem is that you stand in the middle, hit the arrows, and go back to the middle. You have to stay on whatever arrow you're on, and then just move as needed."

"Ok," Troy said, adjusting his feet appropriately.

"Also, listen to the beat of the song," Ryan advised. "That'll give you an idea of when to hit the arrows. That'll stop you from hitting the arrows too soon." The song started, yet another familiar song. Troy found it oddly appropriate, too, considering the original artist. It was 'In the Navy 2000.' "One last piece of advice," Ryan said, as the arrows started appearing. "Have fun with it! If you miss a note, you miss a note. You get better with practice, but if you're not having fun, what's the point?"

Even with Ryan's advice, Troy's performance was far from flawless. He did do better, with his feet positioned correctly- Troy found it easier to find the other arrows that way. More importantly, though, Troy was having a good time- something that had never happened before while playing DDR. There was no pressure for him to do it flawless; it was just two boys having a good time. Troy smiled even wider at that thought. It was him and Ryan, having a good time. Troy looked over and grinned at Evans, who gave him an encouraging smile in return.

"Well, look who we have here," a voice said, from off to the side. Troy looked over to see Jason Cross and about three other members of the Wildcats basketball team.

"Cross," Troy acknowledged, stepping down from the DDR machine. Ryan did the same, standing next to Troy.

"You look like you're having fun," Jason said, a neutral look on his face. Then an evil smirk crossed his face. "Are you two on a date?"

"We're here as friends, hanging out," Ryan replied. "Though it's none of your business, Cross."

Jason smiled. "You know, Evans, before that day in the shower rooms, Troy wouldn't shut up about you. Ryan this, Ryan that. I'd say Troy has a major crush on you, Evans. Has he mentioned that to you, yet?"

Troy's face turned white as a sheet.

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So, what do you think Troy's gonna say? Is he going to tell the truth? Or is he going to lie to Ryan? What do you think he should do?

Sorry for the overabundance of DDR in here; It just seems like a game that Ryan would really get into. Both songs are from DDRMax2. The first by DJ Sammy, the second by Captain Jack, based on the Village People song.

I will confess, though, the confrontation with the little kids… that's based on real life. I was on a first date with a guy named Trevor. Movie and DDR, we decided. I told him I liked the game; I had just forgotten the fact that I really wasn't any good at it. And I did have little kids laughing at me, so I did tell them to fuck off. I felt really stupid, though, I mean, first impressions are me cussing out little kids? My excuse is that it was a first date, my first proper date with a guy, and I was damned nervous. The DDR lessons didn't occur til later, but Trevor was indeed the one who taught me how to dance better, and got me hooked on the game.

I found it hard to describe Ryan's shirt, though I know precisely what it looks like, since I own it. It looks like the shirt he wore when he and Sharpay found out about the callbacks and when they were in the lunch room. Except instead of dark royal blue with some black stripes, It's a light blue with some royal blue stripes.

Plz review! It was a busy week for me, but I did my best, and got the chapter out!

Squall