Here's the next part; with a little help and inspiration from Keirah (thanks a lot) I managed to move on with the story. And I'm sorry if the first part seems a bit unimportant for the bigger plot but I felt the need to explain why the Principal reacted so unusually calm and friendly to seeing two male students kiss.
Chapter Fourteen
"So this will be your kind of detention, Gentlemen!"
Principal Dave Matsui watched the two students opposite his desk in silence. One was gaping back at him like a fish (not a look that suited Chad Danforth very well) and the other one kept his eyes downcast looking at the hands in his lap.
He'd never seen two boys more opposite (not only in appearance but in character as well) and the Principal briefly wondered how they had managed to see past their differences long enough to take an interest in each other.
And taken an interest they had; if the scene he'd involuntarily witnessed earlier was any indication. The Wildcat's second best basketball crack and East High's poster boy for the Drama Club were obviously an item (or pretty much on their way to becoming one).
And although the thought of those two boys having a homosexual relationship didn't exactly please the rather conservative Principal there was absolutely nothing he intended to do about it.
Quite the opposite.
Though Dave Matsui had more than 400 students under his care he'd never failed to watch the personal development of each and every one of them. And over the last year or so these two boys had given him reason for serious concern regarding their independence.
There had been practically none.
Chad Danforth had depended on his friend Troy Bolton a bit too much for the Principal's liking and after the Coach's son had gotten a girlfriend Chad had seemed to be lost somehow. And as for Ryan Evans…
… well, he didn't like to think about the countless times he'd worried about the nature of the Evans' twins' connection. He'd feared that it might have developed into some sort of unhealthy more-than-siblings-relationship.
But now it seemed as if the Principal might be able to throw his concerns out of the window and for that he was grateful.
If the right way to get those two boys away from the one's they'd been vehemently clinging to would lead them onto a new path altogether, a path they were to walk side by side, then… well, so be it!
Who was he to judge?
That's why Dave Matsui intended to not only look the other way and let the scene from the gym go scot-free but he'd even come up with a punishment for them missing classes that could be seen as secret support.
Though regarding the two boys' shocked expressions now they didn't seem to see it like that.
"Gentlemen," Principal Matsui eventually addressed them again, "are we clear on what your detention is going to consist of?"
Two identical automatic nods were the only reply he got from the pair. They were obviously still trying to process what he'd forced upon them.
"Good. Mr. Evans," he addressed the blond boy, "you are free to leave now. I'd like to have a word with Mr. Danforth alone."
Ryan finally came out of his stupor and threw a desperate glance at Chad but the other boy was still gaping at the Principal open-mouthed. So he turned his head back to the man across the desk and mumbled:
"Okay, ahem… thanks, Principal." He stood up from the chair and walked over to the door. Reaching for the handle he threw over his shoulder:
"Chad, I'm gonna wait for you outside, okay?"
"Yeah, okay," came the quick reply and Ryan threw one last look back before he left the office.
Chad was alone with the Principal.
"So, Mr. Danforth…" he heard the older man say, "and now I'd like to talk to you about your plans for the future. Have you even started on applying for some colleges?"
Chad groaned silently. College talk, oh fuck!
When Ryan had left the Principal's office he noticed that the school was very quiet. He threw a look at the clock in the hall and cursed inwardly.
It was nearly half past three, damn!
That meant lessons were over and the students had already gone home. And so had Sharpay obviously.
Just like the day before Ryan would be forced to either walk home six miles or call someone to pick him up. He was still undecided on what would be the worse option when he reached his locker to pick up his schoolbag and noticed a small pink note stuck to it.
He pulled it off and recognized his sister's unique handwriting immediately.
"Ry, if your ass hasn't made it to my car by three-thirty I'll be off and you can walk home again for all I care! Get moving! NOW!"
Sharpay waiting for him? Actually… waiting for anyone? That was definitely a first!
Ryan threw another glance at the clock and then started running. He slithered around corners and flew down flights in a neck-breaking speed, his briefcase bumping against his leg every now and then, and sprinted out of the school to reach the front steps at exactly three-thirty.
Sharpay's pink car was just about to speed past but when Ryan threw his panting self in front of it the brakes screeched and the convertible stopped inches from his trembling legs.
Ryan all but fell onto the hood from exhaustion; he braced his hands flat against it and gasped for air.
"Ryan!"
Sharpay's head came sticking out above the windscreen, over-dimensional sunglasses not quite hiding the shocked expression on her face.
"What the hell… where have you been? Get in!"
"Shar," Ryan breathed and climbed onto the passenger seat, "please wait a second."
"Wait? What for?" the blonde replied and slipped the gear in place. "We're already late!"
"I know, but…" Ryan pulled off his newsboy cap and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Then he put the cap back onto his tousled hair, checking out the right angle with a quick look in the tiny mirror, and went on:
"I don't know how Chad's gonna come home. He still doesn't have a car and…"
"Chad Danforth?" Sharpay frowned and with a slight headshake she got the car moving again. "Why should I care for that… basketball-gorilla?"
"Stop," Ryan shouted when the car set into motion against his will, "Shar, please! I promised to wait for him!"
"You also promised to get a manicure today. Tanya will be there at four!" She replied and indifferently steered the car onto the street.
'Shit, she's right!' Ryan thought. He'd made the date with their personal hair- and nail-designer a few days ago when he'd felt like the only thing to cheer him up would be a perfect manicure.
But what about Chad? He'd said he would wait for him outside and… well, they really needed to talk about what had happened, right?
What would the jock think if he wasn't there?
Ryan looked away from his sister and his eyes fell onto the hands in his lap. On the other hand… his fingernails really could use some tending to.
Maybe he could call Chad later to talk to him? Or even meet the other boy after his hands had been taken care of?
Chad would understand, wouldn't he?
Sure he would, he was his friend after all. More than a friend actually, he was… well, did he dare to call him his boyfriend?
"What's with the cheesy grin?"
Sharpay's annoyingly curious voice broke through Ryan's happy thoughts of his perhaps-hopefully-new-boyfriend.
"Nothing," Ryan quickly tried to hide his smile but Sharpay knew her twin long enough to know something was definitely going on.
Something she didn't know yet but would soon enough, if she had a say in this. And of course she had; she would drag it out of her brother no matter what.
"Ryan," she commanded in true Sharpay-mode, "come on! Spill already! You should know by now that you can't hide anything from me."
Ryan sighed half-heartedly. His sister could be a pest sometimes but… at the same time he knew if he didn't tell her he would probably burst from happiness.
"You really won't like this," he started.
"Then you have to let me know so that I can talk you out of it!" Sharpay threw back with a grin.
"Oh no, sister! Not this time. You won't be able to!"
Ryan was sure that nothing his sister would come up with would be enough to convince him that Chad Danforth wasn't worth it.
The jock was exactly what he'd been waiting for and nothing would sway him from that!
"Okay, okay! Now spill already!" Sharpay demanded.
"I'm… that is…" Ryan stumbled over how to phrase it best, "… me and Chad, we were, I mean we are, sort of…" he trailed off when he saw his sister's shocked face.
"You and Chad?" the blond girl cried. "Don't tell me there's a 'you-and-Chad' now! When did this happen? And what about that… the other one, that what's-his-name?"
"Alan?" Ryan offered tentatively.
"Yeah, him! Only a day ago you were all over him doing whatever it is you guys do…"
"Hey!" Ryan threw in but his sister went on:
"… And now it's suddenly YOU AND CHAD?"
"I told you, you wouldn't like it!" Ryan stated calmly. "Oh, and for the record… I wouldn't have been with Alan if YOU hadn't ordered him to jump me! I didn't do anything, I just… went along for the ride!"
Ryan blushed when he thought about his last words and added:
"Maybe I should rephrase that last part."
"Yes, gladly! I really don't need that image inside my head!" Sharpay shuddered at the mere thought of what those two had been doing.
"But, Ryan!" the Drama Queen went on, "back to the matter at hand: Chad Danforth? I mean… CHAD DANFORTH??"
Ryan backed away and put a finger in his left ear to loose the tingling his sister's high-pitched shrieking left. "Calm down, okay? And stop sounding like I committed a crime or I won't tell you anything! There's nothing wrong with Chad!"
"Apart from the hair and the stupid shirts you mean!" Sharpay scoffed.
"Hey, I like his hair! And the shirts… well," Ryan shrugged, "okay, I guess you got a point. But that's just looks. It doesn't matter… much."
Sharpay blinked surprised and then stared at her twin.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done to my brother?" she half-joked. "Really, Ry. Looks don't matter much?"
Ryan let out a desperate sigh. He knew that Sharpay wouldn't understand. Nevertheless he tried to make her see it.
"Sharpay, I really like him. And I think he likes me back."
"Well, he'd better!" Sharpay forced out. "Otherwise he should start making his last wish for if he hurts you…"
She left the threat unfinished and gave a true smile to her brother who smiled back in return. He couldn't help but once again be grateful to have a sister like her.
The next few minutes passed in companionable silence but when Sharpay had steered the convertible into their home's driveway and the twins made their way up to the front door she couldn't take it any longer.
"So, Ry…" she asked, "are you gonna come forth with the sordid little details voluntarily or do I have to make the manicurist torture you first?"
Ryan simply laughed out loud and winked at her before he vanished inside.
"You know I will make her do it!" Sharpay threatened teasingly and followed him.
When Chad was finally let out of Principal Matsui's clutches he wasn't too surprised that Ryan was nowhere to be seen. A bit disappointed, yes… but not surprised at all.
After all, who would hang around the otherwise deserted school for a full hour?
Chad strolled through the empty halls, picked up his knapsack on the way and left the building to finally breathe in some well-deserved fresh air.
College talk with the Principal, really! Could there be anything worse?
Okay, Chad imagined college talk with Ms. Darbus would be even more of a nightmare but he wouldn't know. Thank God he only had Ms. Darbus for homeroom this year.
'Well, that's gonna change now, isn't it?' Chad thought sourly.
He would spend a lot more time with the eccentric Drama teacher than before; and certainly a hell of a lot more than he'd ever wished for.
The jock still couldn't believe the cruel punishment Principal Matsui had come up with for him.
And for him alone; Ryan had been let off the hook easily in Chad's eyes.
All the blond boy had to do was promise to take another after-school activity, no matter what, as long as it would be something to do with sports.
As if that would be a punishment for the baseball crack Ryan had secretly turned out to be. And hadn't he been thinking about joining the team after all?
Okay, after that fateful afternoon in first week, when he had ditched the try-outs out of fear of some stupid homophobic assholes, Ryan had never again mentioned wanting to play baseball at all. And Chad's secret plan to talk Ryan into it had somehow not really made any kind of progress so far.
But now Ryan simply had to try out for the team he'd secretly wished to join all along and Chad couldn't really see what kind of punishment that should be!
It was nothing compared to what he'd have to endure!
The winter musical!
He, Chad Danforth, basketball crack and well-known musical-hater, was expected, no… FORCED to be part of the damn winter musical!
"To broaden your horizon and open your eyes to something other than basketball. And maybe even discover hidden talents!" the Principal had said with a smirk.
Hidden talents, my ass!
What hidden talents could he ever discover on a ridiculously decorated theater stage, hopping around in tights to the sound of stupid show tunes?
Not that he would even wear tights, ever! No way, not over his dead body! Or preferably the Principal's dead body.
But still… musicals! That was Troy's thing, not his! Or the ice-princess' job and …
Ryan!
It was Ryan's thing, too. Of course the blonde would also be partaking in the damn winter musical! The two of them would spend a lot of time together, rehearsing and probably dancing…
Chad grinned and thought: 'Well, maybe it won't be so much of a punishment after all!'
But he still wouldn't wear tights, not even for Ryan!
A low buzzing sound coming from his back pocket pulled Chad back from his thoughts and he fished for his cell quickly.
Not sparing a glance at the displayed number he answered:
"Yeah?"
"Chad? What's up with you, man?"
"Hey Troy!" Chad replied subdued.
"Where have you been? You ditched afternoon-classes! Again!"
Chad rolled his eyes and wondered since when Troy had started to sound like a teacher. He forced his voice to sound not too annoyed when he answered:
"I wasn't feeling well, so…"
"Oh, so you're home?" Troy asked sympathetic.
"Ugh, no… actually I'm still at school. I had a talk with Principal Matsui."
"What about?"
"Don't ask!" Chad groaned. "We're gonna be stage partners, dude! Looks like the Lava Springs' Talent Show wasn't the last time I had to show off my dancing skills."
"Huh?" Troy asked flabbergasted, "Dude, what're you talking about?"
"If you come and pick me up I'm gonna tell you!" Chad replied. After all, he needed a ride home and having Troy pick him up would be ten times better than having to call his mom. And Chad felt he needed to talk to Troy anyway.
Troy had been his best friend since kindergarten and he deserved to know about certain changes in Chad's life, didn't he?
So why wait with what you could do today? It wouldn't do to put things off to Doomsday, and certainly no such things like meaning-of-life-stuff.
And discovering that you're gay definitely counted as such, didn't it?
"Okay, sure thing! I'll be there in a minute!" Chad heard Troy answer before he hung up.
Chad put his cell back into his pants and breathed deeply.
'Time to spill the beans I guess!' he thought and plopped down onto the front steps to wait for his friend.
TBC
Okay, I don't know if a Principal is authorized to order students to take certain activities but I thought it would be cool if he could. So now I've set the base for Chad joining the winter musical and Ryan playing baseball and that's all that matters.
I hope you liked reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this chapter; it was really… fun I guess! Please tell me whether you still like it and what you want to happen next. I'm always open for suggestions.