Ryan

Ryan took a few deep breaths. This was it. The first rehearsal of the prom number. The biggest dance number in the show. The number that would probably determine whether he got into Julliard or not. He looked around the stage, transferring the image of the dancing in his head onto the stage in front of him. It was empty apart from the old battered piano and the large group of students in the centre. Ryan knew exactly what he wanted, he just had to assign people to places. First, everyone had to be partnered up. Ryan had been dreading this. It was going to be so awkward.

"Ok. This number is obviously all going to be with partners." he explained. As he predicted everyone suddenly looked nervous. "Troy and Gabriella. Chad and Taylor…" Ok that had been easy enough. They had been official couples for ages. He looked around at the principles in his show and caught Martha's eye. Giving her a wicked grin he said, "Martha I'll partner you up with Jason because he'll probably need your help." He smiled as he saw the couple's faces light up. When were they going to get together?!

"Sharpay, you can go with Zeke…"

His sister gave him a confused look.

"I'm not with you? We're always dance partners!" she exclaimed.

"I don't think Mr Evans expects you to go to the prom with your own brother Miss Evans." Ms Darbus said severely. Everyone laughed and Sharpay tried to brush off her mistake by strutting over to Zeke, throwing him a look of contempt and flicking her hair over he shoulder. Despite this, Zeke looked like the happiest man on earth. Ryan grinned. Seven dancers happy so far. Eight if he included his sister who was clearly in denial. He quickly went round the room and partnered up the rest of the dancers. Most of them had managed to professionally partner themselves up already so there were no scruples.

"Right." said Ryan, clapping his hands together and standing in front of everyone again. "Let's get started then…"

"Aren't you forgetting someone Ryan." Ms Darbus said sharply. "YOU are in this number."

"Oh." said Ryan, taken off guard. He'd been so worried about partnering everyone without any drama that he hadn't even thought about his partner. Now there wasn't anyone left! Except…oh how convenient!

"Kelsi!" he called. Kelsi was beside the piano and scribbling something on her score for 'A night to remember' a.k.a the prom number. She looked up, looking puzzled as to why she had been asked for.

"Yes." she said uncertainly. He saw her eyes look around the room, clearly worried that everyone in the room had turned to stare at her.

"I need you to be my partner in this number." Ryan said calmly. Or at least he was trying to be calm. He could feel his palms sweating and his throat had suddenly become dry.

"How am I going to ask her to the real prom if I can't even ask her to the fake one!" he thought agitatedly.

"Me?!" Kelsi squeaked, looking at him fearfully. "Oh no, I really can't dance I…"

"You'll be fine Kels, technically you're a principle and I have no partner." he explained kindly. "Remember when you danced with me at lava springs? You were great then!"

Everyone in the room besides him and Kelsi gave them a puzzled look. They had no idea what time at lava springs Ryan was referring too. A ripple of curious whispers travelled around the room and Ryan distinctively heard Martha giggle. He tried to ignore this and waited on Kelsi's reply.

"Come Miss Nielson! The piano is not even required for this number!" Ms Darbus encouraged her.

"But I need to conduct the…"

"I'm sure the orchestra will manage without you for one number Kelsi." Ms Darbus cut in decisively. Kelsi took a last look at her classmate's hopeful faces, and at Ms Darbus' stern one, then stood up from the piano bench, her face beetroot.

"Good, now that's everyone." Ms Darbus said happily, clapping her hands together. As Kelsi shuffled towards him, Ms Darbus strode across the room and met Ryan first.

"Make sure Miss Nielson gets a taste of the spotlight Ryan." she said in an undertone. "It will do her some good." As she walked away Ryan could have sworn she winked at him.

Shaking off his drama teacher's unusual behaviour, he focussed on Kelsi's nervous form. Ryan felt for her as she walked towards him, looking incredibly self-conscious, but couldn't repress a Cheshire cat-like grin.

He got to dance with Kelsi Nielson.

Kelsi

She was chewing her lip, her palms were sweating and she could feel her face getting hotter by the minute. This was going to be so embarrassing! Dancing with everyone watching! Even the encouraging smile Ryan gave her couldn't settle her nerves.

"Don't worry." he said in an undertone as she stood beside him. "I'll make sure you're fine." he said comfortingly. She managed to give him a weak smile.

"Have you done any dancing besides what we did at lava springs Anything at all?" he checked with her.

"No not really. Well… besides ballet when I was tiny." she replied timidly, thinking this was of little importance. However, Ryan raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I can just imagine you as a little ballerina." he remarked. Kelsi, predictably, blushed.

And so Ryan began to teach the group the choreography he had planned out. Kelsi hadn't even considered that since Ryan was the choreographer, she was being used in all the examples for the partner movements. However, despite herself her embarrassment ebbed away by the minute. Ryan was such a fluid dancer that it was hard not to feel graceful while he took her through the movements. There was also the fact that whenever his hands clasped hers it was pure bliss! She didn't think she had been this close to him for this long before! Every time he brought her in closer she felt the butterflies fluttering around her stomach. With Ryan's expertise she managed to pick up the moves fairly quickly but Ryan kept having to tell her to be more confident.

"Kelsi, for the last time keep your head up." he laughed. "You can't shrink away this time."

"I could still try." she mumbled hopefully. After that comment Ryan stopped mid dance.

"I won't let you." he said softly, looking into her eyes intently. Kelsi gulped. Her knees suddenly felt weaker. "People need to see how amazing you can be Kelsi." he finished.

"Guys! What's up?!" yelled Jason. The pair looked away from each other to see everyone else was standing around, wondering why they had stopped.

"N-Nothing…" Ryan stuttered. "I made a mistake, that's all." Sharpay let out a disbelieving laugh.

"You made a mistake in your own choreography Ryan? Yeah that's…"

"From the top!" Ryan said sharply. Kelsi was sure she saw Ryan give his sister a meaningful look. Whatever it meant, Sharpay smirked. Kelsi couldn't help but let her eyes drop to the floor. She got it. He didn't want people getting the wrong idea about them. Despite Kelsi's low self-esteem she probably would have thought Ryan was giving her some signs if she wasn't completely certain she WASN'T his type. Ryan was outgoing, dramatic, charismatic, funny, lively… It didn't make sense for him to go for a mouse like her. Kelsi looked around the room at the rehearsing students and couldn't help but compare herself to her friends. Why couldn't she be as strong and as witty as Taylor? Or as fun and sweet as Gabriella? Why couldn't she be as comfortable in her own skin as Martha or have Sharpay's confidence?

"Hey! What did I tell you about looking down?" Kelsi felt a hand tilt her chin back up and she was looking at Ryan's smiling face. "I think everyone's got this bit." he said quietly and let go of her.

"Right, so all of us bar one couple are through the door." Ryan explained to the group.

"Guys, you're all stage right. Girls stage left." Everyone moved as appropriate.

"Now for 'Who's that girl? She's so fine.' etc I need a couple to come through the door." he frowned slightly as he looked around the group, as if he wasn't sure what to do for this part. Eventually he looked to Kelsi.

"What did you have in mind when you wrote this?" he asked her.

"Well… I imagined it would be a couple that were extraordinary or unexpected or something. Two people that have been over-looked maybe…." Kelsi trailed off shyly. She hadn't really thought about it whilst writing it. Only that she wanted it to be someone's time to shine.

"I know just the right people!" Ms Darbus announced dramatically. She strode over to Ryan and Kelsi and took both their hands. The two students exchanged a worried glance.

"Who better than the composer and choreographer of the show?!" she stated joyfully. Kelsi felt her jaw drop. She looked at Ryan fearfully and felt herself panic as his eyes lit up.

"What do you say Kels?" he asked. Oh no! She couldn't! She couldn't have people singing that about her unless she wanted to die of embarrassment. Plus it would look so big-headed because she wrote it!

"I dunno Ryan… I never meant for that to be about me." she murmured nervously. "I don't wanna look…"

"You won't look big-headed Kelsi." Gabriella walked over to Kelsi and gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Anyway, the composer and the choreographer has a nice ring to it." she said with a knowing smile at Ryan. Ryan looked back at her confusedly.

"Oh great." Kelsi thought. "Gabriella has the wrong idea too and Ryan is obviously oblivious! Could this be any more awkward!"

"You never really noticed but you probably should…" she heard Ryan sing softly. "I think that'd be great for you Kels." he said kindly, a pleading look in his eyes. Poor Kelsi was gone.

"Ok." she agreed vacantly. "I'll do it."

Ryan's face broke out into a grin and he started to lead her to the stairs. As Kelsi walked past the rest of the cast she caught Jason's eye and he smirked at her knowingly. Kelsi gave him a look of warning and carried on, hoping that her infatuation with Ryan wasn't known or noticed by anyone else.

Martha

Martha looked suspiciously at her dance partner and the look he and Kelsi had just exchanged. She followed his gaze to the composer and choreographer of the show as they ran through their dance steps.

"You know something." she said to Jason in an undertone. Jason jumped slightly and Martha had to suppress a giggle at the adorable startled look on his face.

"What? Know what?" he stammered. Martha smirked.

"Nothing at all?" she asked. Jason shook his head violently. Martha let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Shame… I thought you might know something about Kelsi that might interest Ryan… but never mind." she said sweetly, turning away from the awkward looking boy. Martha grinned as she heard Jason shuffling his feet nervously behind her.

"Does he like her?" he eventually blurted out. Martha started at his loud voice and spun round.

"Ssssh!"

"Sorry… does she?" Jason asked curiously. Martha smiled and inclined her head at the couple on the stairs. Ryan was twirling Kelsi across him and she was blushing madly. She looked back at Jason who was grinning widely.

"Cool." he said simply, with a nod of his head. "I knew it." Martha frowned.

"How?" she asked. "I had no idea before someone told me."

"Let's just say I had some pretty interesting pictures from lava springs." Jason smirked. Martha laughed, imagining Jason rubbing his hands together evilly over his camera.

"So how did you find out?" Jason asked her.

"Well, no offence, but I thought YOU liked her." Martha began sheepishly. Jason grimaced.

"Yeah… that rumour was annoying." he said dryly.

"Anyway…" Martha continued hastily. "Me and Ryan were talking about how that wasn't true and Ryan said you didn't like her like that because you like…" Martha stopped dead.

"Oh God… word vomit." she thought, mentally kicking herself. Jason's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"W-what?" he asked, still looking dumb-founded.

"Um… I forget." Martha replied quickly and looked back at Ryan and Kelsi. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard Zeke engage him in conversation and concentrated on the couple on the stairs. They looked finished and were coming to the front again.

"Ryan! Can you help me a second? I can't get this move." Martha called. As she predicted, everyone stared. She never needed help with the dances.

"Sure." Ryan said uncertainly and walked over. They started going over the end of the dance sequence together, and Martha made some accidentally on purpose mistakes.

"Martha, you had these yesterday…"

"Why haven't you made your move?" Martha hissed.

"I'm working on it." Ryan muttered back as he spun her round. "Why haven't you made yours?"

"Well… we're talking about you." Martha snapped back. "Are you asking her to prom?"

"Well yeah, I just haven't figured out how yet." Ryan whispered. "And one, two, three four, back front." he said loudly, so it looked like he really was helping Martha.

"Come on Ryan use your brain. What does Kelsi love most? Apart from you." she joked as he dipped her. Ryan looked at her in concentration for a moment then let her back up.

"The piano." he said simply, as a look of comprehension covered his face. "You got it?" Ryan asked her loudly. Martha nodded and walked back to Jason.

Kelsi

"Ugh! I CANNOT believe him!"

The owner of this loud and annoyed voice dumped her lunch tray onto the table with a bang that Kelsi and Martha jumped in their seats. Taylor slumped down into her chair looking livid. Gabriella looked like she was trying not to laugh as she sat down gently next to her best friend.

"He's probably just nervous Tay." she said comfortingly. Taylor snorted.

"Easy for you to say. Your boyfriend danced with you on the roof when he asked you to prom!" she said angrily.

"Wait! Chad asked you to prom!" Martha said excitedly. Taylor shrugged.

"He said he was going to buy a tux after school. And he thinks that's a decent invitation." she said sulkily. All four girls rolled their eyes. Some guys just didn't have a clue.

"How romantic." Martha said sarcastically.

"Well he's probably thinking up some amazing scheme to ask you right now." Gabriella said cheerily. "If he values his life." she added with a wicked grin.

"So what about you guys?" Taylor asked, looking at Kelsi and Martha. Kelsi cursed inside her head. She knew this was coming.

"I dunno… I'm just taking it as it comes." Martha said shyly. Taylor and Gabriella raised their eyebrows but didn't comment. They knew fine well who Martha wanted to be invited by.

"Kelsi?"

"I dunno…" Kelsi murmured, trying to sound off-hand as she pretended to write on the score she had in front of her. "I might be too busy to even go to…"

"WHAT?!"

Kelsi winced as the three girls' shriek made her ears ring.

"You have to come Kels!" Gabriella said, looking shocked. "Everyone will be there!"

"I'm gonna be so busy. It's two days before the show and I'll probably still have loads to do…" Kelsi explained. This was true. She WAS going to be really busy. But Kelsi couldn't deny to herself that she just didn't expect anyone to ask her. This way she didn't get hurt right? She didn't think she'd be able to live down being the only one in her group of friends without a date. Kelsi saw Taylor open her mouth to argue again, but then it snapped shut. Kelsi instantly saw why. Chad and Troy were approaching their table, looking very determined. Chad wasn't even holding his basketball!

"Look normal!" Taylor hissed to the group and they all tried to appear as non-chalant as possible as the boys approached. Kelsi quickly looked back down at her music, Martha grabbed a book out her bag and Gabriella started rifling through some yearbook pages and pretended to show Taylor.

"So… hey." Chad began. Kelsi looked up at him and had to try very hard to hold back a laugh. Firstly, he looked absolutely terrified. Secondly he was holding a bunch of flowers she was SURE had come from the school garden. Smooth Chad. Very smooth.

"I was kind of wondering if you'd maybe go with me…" he said nervously.

"Oh hey Chad!" Taylor said, as if she hadn't heard him. "They have tuna surprise on the menu. It's good, really good." Kelsi, Gabriella and Martha giggled quietly. This was so cruel but Chad's look of confusion was priceless.

"Taylor… hey I'm asking you to Prom." Chad said, sounding quite scared now.

"Oh I'm sorry. I can't hear you because it's so loud in here." Taylor said with a false smile. "Did you hear something?" Taylor asked her.

"No." Kelsi said, trying not to laugh.

"Excuse me! Excuse me everybody!" Troy yelled. The whole cafeteria ignored him.

"Yo!" Troy eventually yelled. All four of the girls jumped.

"My friend has something to say." Troy said, indicating Chad and stepping back. The girls all shared a grin. This was Chad's moment of truth. He stood on top of the table behind him and spread his arms.

"Taylor McKessie. Will you please be my date to the senior prom?" he asked nervously. Everyone in the cafeteria gasped or aaaawed. The four girls struggled to keep in character and leaned over the table pretending to debate.

"1, 2, 3, now!" Gabriella whispered and Taylor stood up to face Chad, pretending to think hard. Eventually she dropped the charade and her face broke into a grin.

"I'd be honoured!" she squealed and hugged her boyfriend tightly. Once Chad had let go of her, Kelsi, Gabriella and Martha instantly sprung from their seats to congratulate her.

"That was so sweet!" Martha crooned as they all hugged her. Although Jason was quite shy, Kelsi knew he would probably think of a really sweet way to ask Martha to the prom. She sighed. Shame the most romantic guy she knew wasn't interested in her…

"Hey." Martha said quietly. Kelsi turned to face her friend as Gabriella and Taylor hugged. "Don't worry, I promise that you'll have a prom date." she said kindly. Kelsi rolled her eyes.

"You don't know that." she said with a half-hearted smile. Martha just smiled.

"I do, let's call it woman's intuition." she said. Kelsi smiled at her friend's kind words but knew they were meaningless. Ryan Evans could take any single girl in the year to prom if he wanted. Why would he choose her?

Ryan

Ryan watched Chad's display from his usual lunch spot with an amused smile on his face. How hard could it be?

"Thinking about how you're going to get my duet?"

Ryan closed his eyes tight in agitation then opened them again before slowly turning to face his sibling. She looked at him expectantly. Oh, she wanted an answer…

"Oh… well…"

Luckily for Ryan, Zeke chose that very moment to wander over to their table. Ryan automatically grinned. If anything could distract his sister…

"What?" Sharpay asked, frowning. Sharpay had her back to the stairs and hadn't noticed him yet.

"Hey Sharpay!" Zeke called cheerily. Sharpay's eyes widened and Ryan was sure she actually jumped off the ground.

"Hey Zeke! Come eat lunch with us!" Ryan said enthusiastically, making his way back to the table where Tiara was drawing up a schedule for Sharpay's rehearsals and classes. Sharpay glared at him as she strutted after him.

"What do you want Zeke?" she asked crisply, purposely not looking at the taller boy and sitting down her chair moodily. Zeke nervously sat down next to Sharpay.

"Hey… I was just wondering if you could help me with some of the dancing at some point. I'm having some trouble and I thought since we're dance partners…"

"Zeke, I can't make basketball players dancers." Sharpay said sharply, taking a sip from her sugar free latte.

"Oh that's a shame." Zeke said in a defeated voice as he got up from the table. "I guess I'll speak to someone more capable. Maybe Gabriella…"

Ryan snapped his head round to look at his sister's reaction. As he predicted, her eyes were flashing. Tiara was staring at Zeke in disbelief. It was clear she thought the boy had a death wish but Ryan knew better. Zeke wasn't stupid and knew exactly what buttons to press with Sharpay. However, he had managed to keep his face completely emotionless.

"We will meet in the auditorium free period Baylor." Sharpay said in a dangerous voice. Despite her tone, Zeke grinned ecstatically.

"Thanks Sharpay! See you later Sharpay, Ryan."

With that Zeke jogged down the stairs, most likely to an awaiting Jason. Ryan watched the boy go curiously. Surely if Zeke could make a move on the most demanding girl in the school, then he could ask the sweetest girl in the school to prom.