Disclaimer : I still don't own High School Musical just playing around New Mexico .
The Evans family lived in the North Valley of Alberquere , with their stately mansion tucked in between the mountain vistas and nearby horse stables , and had been considered on the historical register when Vance and Derby had bought the home before the twins had been born . Josie had been to visit here a lot as she had been growing up but it was still always a sight to behold in its own majestic sort of old school kind of way , it was lovely . Not as modern with high ceilings and glass windows like so many of the homes in L.A . but the different ambiance was always welcoming or maybe it was that her friends mother was always the perfect host .
" I still cannot believe you actually enrolled at East High, Josie ," said Sharpay as she drove her pink convertible into the carport ,' I've heard of researching a role but I would have thought binge watching like Smallville might have been the better choice .'
" Well , I think it will be perfect, Shar, and it has the bonus that I will get to spend time with you and Ryan ' said Josie , darting a wistful glance beside her at Ryan who had sat in stony silence the entire way here and looked as if he had been gutted .
It looked like her work was cut out for her on the romantic front .
" You should talk to Miss. Darbus about that role ," said Ryan, collecting his backpack and jumping out of the car ," I bet she will be glad to help, Jo.'
He wasn't in the mood to gossip with his sister and Josie and escaping to his room was the plan for tonight . It had been the most confusing day and other than the incredible kiss with Kelsi, she had him completely baffled by her weird un-Kelsi like behavior .
Not to mention her obvious jealousy over Josie . Again no sense there , his head was going to explode with the hundred and one mind boggling events of this day .
Ryan honestly didn't think he could endure anything else at all .
" Oh good idea, Ryan ," agreed his sister missing his look of surprise ,' Hmm, I was thinking I ought to introduce you to Gabriella Montez . She isn't a native here but no one girl in our class has small town written all over her like Gabriella .'
This time when she said it , there was no snark or malice behind it , just truth .
Josie followed the twins into the oversized kitchen with gleaming wood cabinets , marble countertops , and shiny high end appliances through the elegant dining room with the chandelier sparkling beneath a antique cherry dining table and matching chairs and finally into a smaller room off of the living room and den .A gleaming wood bar stood in the corner , elegant but comfortable seating was arranged ideally for conversation and a large television hung on the wall .
' Is that the girl who stole your part and the stud you were into a while ago, Shari ? '
Sharpay tossed her pink bag on the ottoman and settled into a comfortable gold settee as Ryan wondered behind the juice bar to whip up his own concoction of fruits and veggies while Josie lifted a delicate brow in question . This was new since the last time she visited and wasn't it curious that Ryan knew his way around a blender .
Sharpay had the grace to color at the mention of the past ." Oh it wasn't that much drama ," insisted the blonde , ignoring Ryan's pointed look ," I suppose Gabriella isn't that horrible , just too nice but I'm sure she'd be glad to offer up suggestions on the small town good girl thing . That is exactly who she is , after all .'
Behind the bar, Ryan opened up the mini fridge and began tossing berries into the blender as well as a banana . He contemplated calling Zeke or Chad to talk about him and Kelsi but figured they would rag on him since she had turned him down flat after he laid his heart on the line with her . He was a fool and a coward .
Ryan wouldn't be able to disagree with them on his idiot behavior , either .
" I don't know about that but I'm sure Gabriella would be glad to help you if she thought she could '
Ryan placed the lid on the blender and hit the buttons glad that it drowned out the girls yammering on about East High and the fictional high school Josie's character would be going to . It'd be easy enough to let his sister entertain Jo without him .
The sound of clicking heels tapped against the floor as Derby Evans swept into the room with grace and calm. Derby was a slim , willowy woman with straight blonde hair that grazed just above her neck in a flattering style and she was dressed casually in a pair of taupe colored pants and a light cream and red blouse and a smile bloomed across her face as she noticed that her children were home .
' Sharpay, Ryan , how was school today ? " asked Derby , squeezing her daughters shoulders in a sign of affection then pressed a kiss across her sons cheek ,' I was upstairs preparing your room , Josie . I put you in the Yellow room which is just down the hall from Sharpay and I believe you will be very comfortable .'
Josie flashed the older woman a gracious smile .' Thank you so much, Derby '
' Of course , dear ,' replied Derby as Ryan handed a glass of juice to Josie ,' Vance and Randolph have taken to conducting the rest of their business on the golf course it would seem so we are to eat supper without them . Rosa is preparing something light to go with the chicken and we should be ready to dine in or around six or so I imagine .'
" Great ," Ryan slung his backpack over his shoulder ,' I have some homework I should get started which I need to go do. I'm not really hungry right now , Mom …."
Annoyance rippled across Sharpay's face as she dug her cell out of her bag ." Ryan , we have company ! I can't believe you would be this rude .'
" I am sure Josie is probably tired from the flight from L.A. ,' replied Ryan , with a nod at his redheaded friend ," I don't mean to be rude but I forgot about my Biology assignment and I cant afford a bad grade .'
" I understand, Ryan , really I do. I wouldn't want you to fail .' Josie thought she added the perfect mixture of sincerity and warmth to convey that she wasn't insulted by his lack of attention . This was a new side of her old friend she was seeing - a bit more on the quiet side along with a new maturity . He wasn't careless of her feelings either .
Derby caught her sons arm and her blue eyes stared curiously into the depths of his as she sensed that Ryan was troubled by something .
" Kelsi is your partner in Biology , isn't she ," inquired Derby , " will she be coming over to help you with the assignment , pumpkin ? We can sat another place at the table for her and she can eat with us .'
Hurt flashed briefly in his eyes along with doubt then it was gone ." No , Mom, " answered Ryan, briskly ,' Kelsi wont be coming over . I am sure her new boyfriend is helping her with homework ..she doesn't need me .'
With a sulk , Ryan disappeared upstairs to the privacy of his own bedroom , leaving the women to puzzle out his own stupid, immature , and churlish behavior .
Derby tapped a manicured finger against her lip. " Have I missed something , Sharpay ? Did your brother and Kelsi have a disagreement ? What is this about her having a boyfriend , young lady ? '
Josie feigned a sound of distress and plopped as prettily as she could , her L.A. version of a southern belle , bemoaning her wounded heart, as she lay on an antique fainting sofa .
" Ah the tiny brunette that spit nails at me ! So, I have competition for dear Ryan '
Sharpay finished her text to Zeke who had a study session at Jason's house this evening and gave her mom a pat on the hand .
' Mother , you need to keep up in this ridiculous Will they or will they not get together little thing Ryan and Kelsi have between them . It is true Kelsi is showing poor taste by dating that new musician Maxwell ..I told you he composed the songs for me . Except the Heart one , Kelsi wrote it ..anyhow, they've both been acting weird and prickly .'
She gave a little shrug ." I can only assume since Ryan is acting like a immature ten year old , something must have happened between them .'
" What a shame ," sighed Derby, folding her arms across her chest ," Kelsi is a lovely young woman . I know how much Ryan cares for her ." She heaved a mothers worried sigh ," Perhaps I'll make Ryan a French soda and take it up to him to cheer him up .'
Sharpay made a face behind her mothers back ." Whatever '
She loved her Mother dearly but Ryan had inherited his sensitivity from her . Sometimes her twin forgot he needed to be tough to make it in the show biz world and a French soda and moping over Kelsi Nielsen wasn't helping him. Where was the confident Ryan that could choreograph the best dance number since Busby Berkeley on a whim ?
There had to be a way to reach him and stop this ridiculous sulking of his before it reached epic proportions .
Realizing that she wasn't actually paying any attention to their guest, Sharpay managed a semblance of an apologetic look and fluffed her bangs , crossed her legs, and fixed the actress with a demanding look .
' You've been dating bad boy actors since last year , Josie , and now your putting the moves on Ryan . What gives ? My brother is multi talented and well, much too kind for his own good, but you've never wanted to date him even when he had a mad crush on you back in the day '
Josie took a drink of the fruity juice Ryan had made for her as she contemplated answering Sharpay. This wasn't suppose to be drama filled , it wasn't a rocket scientist kind of thing, and it was only suppose to be as it was , a pleasant diversion , fun during her stay in New Mexico . Sharpay wasn't supposed to be giving her the inquisition .
' Maybe I'm done with those kind of guys ,' declared Josie , trying to keep the edge of defense out of her tone ,' I thought Ryan and I could have fun together until I return home .'
Sharpay's brows furrowed together in a frown .' I wont speak for Ryan this one time ,' said the blonde, wearily ,' but I wouldn't even try , Jo. Whatever happens or doesn't happen , my brother is all the way in deep big time in love with Kelsi Nielsen .'
Josie's red lips curved just so , a mysterious look there .' Then I am just the distraction that Ryan needs right now '
This was going to be much more exciting than she had even expected !
********************************Wildcats *******************************
The bowling alley wasn't busy for a weeknight as the last of the leagues had been heading home when the Wildcats and their dates stormed it as a relief from the pressures of basketball, Coach Bolton's expectations, the daily grind of school, and blow off some steam at the same time . Most of the gang had shown up except for Ryan and Sharpay and Kelsi were noticeably absent as Taylor and Gabi found them an empty lane .
Taylor dressed in her idea of casual - pressed khakis and a crisp red button down shirt blanched as she slipped her feet into the bowling shoes .
" Ew, I get so disgusted when I think of all the possible fungus in this re-used bowling shoes ," muttered the conservative young woman ,' maybe I should buy my own pair rather than renting .'
Gabriella shook her head , laughing at her best friends observations .' Thanks for putting that image in my head now, Tay .' She gave her elbow a nudge ," I am sure the shoes are thoroughly cleaned ….'
Taylor arched a brow ." We don't know this '
Chad bouncing on the balls of his feet slid into the vacant seat beside his girlfriend and gave her a playful squeeze around her waist ." Honey , are you sucking the fun right out of bowling ? '
" Only the bowling wear and the foot fungus in these shoes '
' Have a heart , Taylor ' said Chad , moving in to steal a kiss from her .
Troy bounded over with his own shoes and a diet drink for his own girlfriend as he joined them while the others waited in line for their shoes . Journey was singing a classic song from the eighties , the sounds of the arcade drifted through the center as well as the sound of clanging balls and the scent of cheesy nachos and greasy burgers welcomed them .
It was familiar and relaxing . Just what the doctor had ordered .
Gabriella took a sip of her cola and placed a hand on her boyfriends knee .' Are we going to talk about this disaster between Kelsi, Ryan, and Max that I helped create ? I still cant help but feel responsible and despite Max's insistence of how perfect he and Kelsi are together , I cant help but notice how miserable Kelsi looks like , you guys .'
Gabriella had tried to let it be as Troy had suggested but the more she watched Ryan and Kelsi, the worse , she felt . She was trying to be supportive of her friends choices but it was becoming difficult to bear without wanting to do something to help them .
' Max is a real douche ," said Troy, not mincing words ,' The guys and I tried to run interference for Ryan , the dude isn't cool . I wanted to punch him for how he talked like Kelsi was his personal property ..'
Gabriella relaxed against Troy, sighing her distress .' I don't understand why Kelsi just doesn't break up with Maxwell .'
Taylor bit the inside of her cheek ." I know , right ,' agreed Taylor , empathetically ,' lets add in that both Ryan and Kelsi skipped Biology together and our Kelsi went all red faced jealous when that redhead threw herself at Ryan at lunch today . '
" Okay we all agree it sucks ,' voiced Chad , ' we can run interference till the cows come home but its not our call. Evans has to fight for Kelsi if he wants her ..'
Taylor elbowed him in the ribs ." Ryan isn't a fighter , Mr. Macho Man '
" Which is part of the problem ! '
Gabriella fixed them with a stern look ." Maybe we should table this discussion since we seem to be at some sort of impasse and maybe play a practice game .'
As much as she wanted to fix the problem , arguing over it together was pointless.
She stood , moved to the lane, picked up a pale pink bowling ball and with a grin, tossed it down the lane . The ball wobbled a bit cantered left and somehow miraculously finished by taking out three pins as she smiled ruefully at her friends .
' Your up, Wildcat '
Troy kissed her cheek and went to show her how the pros bowled .
********************************Wildcats ********************************
Zeke hung up his phone , plopped down on the seat beside Jason and Martha , and eyed the French fries in front of him with a flat stare . He had been hoping to talk Sharpay into joining them tonight but she wouldn't budge from the family dinner and she insisted that their guest wouldn't enjoy bowling on her first night in town .What a bummer !
Jason shoved a handful of fries in his mouth, gulped down a drink of coke, and mumbled ,' Bowling too below your girlfriends status quo ? "
Zeke ignored him .' Naw , I probably could have gotten Sharpay to join us if her Mom wasn't doing some welcome dinner for Josie tonight . Ryan isn't answering his phone at all so I don't know what is going on there ….I tried to get them here '
Martha was thoughtful as she dunked a fry in ketchup .' Kelsi isn't really talking . I did get excited when I thought she was going to throw down in a fight with the chick who put the lip lock on her Ryan today and yet she still wont break up with Max '
Jason grew unusually quiet ." Max is sort of bossy with Kelsi. Don't you think ?'
' I would have said a possessive jerk , Jason , but yeah, that works too '
Zeke nodded, thoughtful. " We cant force them to be together if they don't want to be '
Martha made a frustrated sound in her throat ." That's the thing, Zeke , I know Ryan and Kelsi want to be together , I don't understand why they are putting up the roadblocks '
Kelsi was feeling more like herself as she stepped into the bowling alley, her blue and red plaid hat firmly in place , knots unfurling in her stomach as she spotted her friends chatting at the snack bar . It was true that Max's threatening behavior frightened her but he didn't own her and she really needed to spend time with the people who mattered .
Kelsi bit down on her lip , stared at them through the hurt .' Are you done talking about me or did I miss the really juicy stuff ? '
' Damn '
' Kelsi, you're here ! ' surprised Martha reached to stop the composer from running away ,' Please don't be mad , we are just worried about you and Ryan . Don't go '
The composer shook off her hand and frowned .' Martha , give it a rest '
Martha conceded ." Fine so where is your boyfriend ? Max hate the idea of mixing it up with us lowlifes or is it bowling in general ? '
Despite or maybe because it struck Kelsi as humorous , she giggled at the thought . Maxwell probably was too pretentious for bowling and she couldn't imagine him ever having it to be something to do for fun . Her head and heart were swimming with feelings for Ryan and the last thing she wanted to do was think about Max tonight .
Maybe if she broke away from him, Max would take her serious for once and break up with her . Even if he hurt her a little , Kelsi had to keep on trying and her wonderful kiss with Ryan today had only made her realize her prison she had trapped herself in with Max which was why she was taking this step tonight .
.
Could she break free ? Was protecting Ryan from Max's wrath only making it worse ?
Now Kelsi wasn't so sure anymore and she needed to think about what she wanted and to stand up for herself . She had worked past some of her hurdles of being naturally shy and Kelsi felt as if she had taken a giant leap backwards lately . She didn't much like it .
" I don't know where Max is ," stated the pianist, firmly ,' He does his thing and I ..I wanted to come bowling with my friends .'
Martha beamed happily at her .' Good for you . You wanna split some fries with me ? You can tell me about the your Ryan again , Kels '
" Yes, about the French fries ," agreed Kelsi,' settling beside her friend ,' and I don't know why I said that today . Ryan can kiss whomever he wants to kiss . I don't care , we're friends, and ….if he wants to be with some gorgeous , glamorous actress who knows his favorite movies then well, that is his business .'
Zeke chuckled and handed her a iced tea .' Are we supposed to be convinced , Kelsi or was that like a motivational talk for yourself, girl ? '
Kelsi blushed and drank her tea .' Oh be quiet , Zeke '
Down at lane four , Chad and Taylor were in full competitive mode playing against their best friends , taunts and laughter adding to the fun of the game . Gabi played more for fun than for winning and she wasn't the consummate bowler her boyfriend was and her bowling sucked only slightly . Still, they were all having a blast !
When Zeke went behind the counter to make his special request on how he wanted his hamburger made to the cook and while Martha had taken off to let the others know that Kelsi had showed up now, Jason decided it was the opportunity he needed to speak alone with the shy girl .
" Kelsi, can I ask you something and you wont get mad at me ? '
The brunette wiped her hands on a napkin as the yummy fries had been loaded with salt and nodded , curious .Jason was a sweetheart . It would be impossible to be mad at him .
" Sure . Why would I be mad at you, Jason ? '
" Are you alright ? I..see I was trying to find Martha and thought maybe she was hanging out in the theatre with you only she wasn't ,' babbled an uncomfortable Jason ,' Max pushed you down . I saw it , Kelsi . Is he hurting you ? '
Color drained right out of Kelsi's face at the innocence behind Jason's question . She didn't want to put her friends in the cross fire of her own personal hell .
Kelsi pasted a rueful look on her face .' No , Jason ," lied Kelsi , determined to handle her problem on her own ,' Max and I had an argument and I fell off the bench . See he , um, moved the piano closer to the wall than I realized and you know how clumsy I can be ..'
Jason appeared doubtful .' Not really , Kelsi , I thought I was the klutz '
" It was nothing , Jason, really . You didn't mention it to Martha or anyone else . Did you ? Cause I am really fine , more , um, embarrassed than anything '
" Nah, I wanted to check with you first '
The composer breathed a sigh of relief .' Thanks , Jason, and lets just keep it that way . '
Jason paused , hesitant , but nodded .' Maxwell isn't a very nice , Kelsi '
Kelsi straightened her glasses and smoothed her lips .' Isn't your three month anniversary coming up with Martha , Jason ? You should totally plan something romantic for her '
Jason got that his friend didn't want to discuss Max anymore and dropped it .' Yeah , I thought I'd see if I could find like a club that plays hip hop to take her out too '
Kelsi listened intently turning her head every so often towards the door hoping and longing to see Ryan . She handled things poorly after their kiss and desperately wanted to talk to him face to face and try to fix it , if she could .
***************Wildcats ************************************************
Ryan laid backwards on his bed , his copy of' I'll Be Seeing You' playing low on his television , as he tried to tune out the stupid sounds of his sisters yippy dog coming from downstairs and stared forlornly at the framed picture of him and Kelsi taken during one of their first practices together at the country club .
He couldn't help but to think of their first real conversation that summer as his sister had a scheme set in motion without him and he was feeling incredibly bored and lonely .
It had been a glorious sunny day outside and all of the fellow Wildcats were busy working , all of the clubs guests were soaking up the sun or golfing or even taking advantage of the spa . Spying for Sharpay hadn't sounded like a way to spend his day so he had wondered into the empty dining room and found Kelsi at the piano, playing .
' Hi Ryan '
Surprised by her greeting, Ryan tucked his hands in the pockets of his pants as he ambled over to lean against the piano , meeting her kind eyes with a warm smile of his own .
' Hi Kelsi , that sounds really amazing . You write that ? ' It was a lame question because the song just sounded like her , full of fun, heart, whimsy, and energy .
Kelsi blushed and nodded .' It just came to me a few days ago ,' says Kelsi, excitedly ,' I thought the lyrics and the right arrangement would make an incredible duet '
" Its amazing ," Ryan glanced at her sheet music ,' you know it just calls for a dance that is sort of playful - come here , retreat , swing into the romance of the lyrics .'
Seeing his vision in her own head, Kelsi smiled up at him ." Exactly ! So, why aren't you out practicing for the show or golfing with your family ? Chad mentioned he and Troy caddied for your family the other day .'
Ryan scratched at his brow and let out a rueful chuckle .' Sharpay has her own agenda right now and I'm not really wanting to spend my whole summer at her bidding ,' admitted the dancer , nut sure why he felt like confiding in the quiet girl but that he could ,' Kinda lonely I guess . As for golfing , not exactly my thing but Dad loves it ….its expected we golf as an Evans family thing .'
Kelsi flashed him a sympathetic smile .' If it makes you feel better my only golfing skills extend to the mini golf kind which I still really suck at '
Ryan laughed and moved closer to her , feeling a sudden connection between them .
' Have you had your lunch break yet , Kelsi ? '
Kelsi stopped playing , blinked ." Its in five more minutes ..I don't get lunch until noon because I sometimes have to play for the ladies groups here .'
" You maybe want to have lunch with me ? I'll buy and we can talk some more '
Her smile was sweet and vibrant and something caught in his heart ."I'd like that , Ryan '
Derby knocked lightly once and when her son didn't respond , she stepped into his bedroom , noted the old movie playing on the TV, and the dreamy yet pained look playing across Ryan's face and knew she had to try to fix it .
' Duckie , want to tell Mommy about it '
Ryan sat up, placed the picture on the nightstand, and gave her a look .' Mom, I'm not 6'
Derby handed him the French soda and sat down on the bed beside him, marveling how much her youngest had grown and changed since the summer . He was becoming his own man and moving away and out of his sisters shadow which was how it should be .
" Indulge your mother . Your sister has informed me that Kelsi is currently dating the musical director of the show you both are a part of .'
A fierce look raged across his features .' Maxwell the slick git '
Aha I understand ,' surmised Derby , because she knew her son and because he always wore his tender heart for all to see unlike her daughter who was so much like her father ,' you care very deeply for Kelsi'
Ryan nodded , sagely .' I'm crazy for that girl '
' Is this Maxwell person worthy of Kelsi ? '
Ryan stood , moved from one end of his room to the other , irritated .' He's a smooth talking snake that makes Rhett Butler look like a prince charming, Mom '
Looks like her sons confidence had been shaken so a little push might be useful . It really wasn't meddling as she prided herself off letting her children learn on their own unlike Vance who preferred the opposite where the twins were concerned .
" Certainly not Kelsi's type then ,' went on Derby ,' frankly I'm quite surprised by your behavior , Ryan, sulking about and whining is more your sisters thing ' she rolled her eyes ," Well if I must be honest , both of you get it naturally from your father as he does the same . Quite unbecoming by all three of you '
Ryan took a long drink of his soda and touched his heart .' I feel like my head and my heart are being crushed by one of those heavy cartoon anvils '
Derby brushed a tender hand through his blonde hair and kissed his cheek .' I didn't raise you to sit around and pout , I raised you to get out there and go after what your heart desires . Moping and whining isn't going to make Kelsi come to you, Ryan Evans , and you know that as well as I do '
Ryan knew his mother spoke the truth just as his friends had . ' She wont break up with the jerk , Mom ! For the life of me , I don't understand why ! I know Kelsi feels for me ,I felt it when we kissed ! '
" Then stop feeling sorry for yourself , Ryan ," ordered Derby, watching the fighting spirit come back into his clear blue eyes ,' You go out there , you be yourself , and you steal Kelsi's heart right back to you where it belongs '
" Kelsi and I are meant to be ," replied Ryan , determination lighting the fire in his soul ,' No Clark Gable fake is going to come between me and my gal '
