Besar

By Jeune Ecrivain

Rating: K+

Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers.

A/N: This is it, the chapter that contains a complete Spanish version of an HSM song! Monica7725, you've been so complimentary of my work so far, I'm a little nervous. I hope this translation lives up to the hype. If not, let me know so I can improve it. I take constructive criticism really well. Anyway, here goes…

"Hey," Troy greeted with a smile as he opened the door to Gabriela and Kelsi, "c'mon in. Thanks for coming."

Gabriela stepped into the house and kicked off her shoes. Kelsi followed behind her and did the same. "Hey, I'm just anxious to hear what your plan is," said the former. "I'm kind of excited."

"Me too," Kelsi supplemented. "I want to see you throw Ryan and Sharpay's plans right back in their faces!"

Troy laughed. "Well, don't get too excited. After all, I think this is going to take some real thought and wordplay, at least for me and Gabi."

Gabriela's interest was peaked. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, it's kind of funny how things worked out, because we did something rather interesting in Spanish class." Troy went on to describe the events that had transpired in his mother's classroom that day and the intriguing ideas she had introduced to the class. "So,…" he concluded, "…what do you say you and I put our heads together and give this pro canendo thing a shot?"

Gabriela smiled in much the same way as she had when she, Troy, and their other friends had piled their hands together to initiate their first conspiracy to foil the Evans' plans. "Let's do it," she said.

Troy nodded. "Kelsi, I talked my dad into hauling our old piano out of the attic. Did you bring all your music?"

Kelsi nodded proudly, indicating the small bookbag she had slung over her shoulder. "Got it right here."

"Great," Troy said. "Let's get to work. Too bad my Mom had to step out for the evening. She maybe could've helped us. But I think we'll manage okay without her."

For the next couple of hours, Kelsi sat at the piano while Troy and Gabriela translated, paraphrased, rewrote, and compromised. Whenever Kelsi wasn't playing certain pieces of the song they had chosen as directed by the two young songbirds to help them test for musical-lyrical compatibility, she watched them in interest as one of them sat on the couch with a notepad, scribbling tentative lyrics and then crossing some out as the other paced across the floor, humming certain parts of the melody or singing softly as they experimented with different words and syntactical arrangements. Which one did which varied from time to time, and there were a few instances in which they were both standing next to the piano as they tried out their latest attempt at a particularly stubborn section of verse. They took a rather playful break about halfway through as they crumpled up pages of discarded lyrics and chucked them at each other. Kelsi's neutrality was brought to an abrupt halt when she had to duck to avoid a stray paper wad.

Towards the end of the evening, their excitement grew as the Spanish lyrics they were writing finally seemed to fall into place. Meanwhile, Kelsi marveled not only at their shared knowledge of Spanish but also at how well they interacted with each other. She knew there was no such thing as an absolutely perfect couple, but Troy and Gabriela were about as close to it as was humanly possible. Kelsi silently wished that one day she would find a boy who would be for her what Troy was for Gabriela.

"Alright, Kelsi," Troy said after a few hours of hard work. "I think we just may have it here. Take it from the top, playmaker."

Kelsi obliged with a smile. Troy and Gabriela positioned themselves beside the piano as the opening notes of "What I've Been Looking For" filled the room. Troy set the page containing their new lyrics next to Kelsi's sheet music and, at the right moment, started to sing.

No puedo creer
Que no logré ver
Que estabas a mi lado.

Gabriela then joined in.

Pues mi soledad
No era verdad.
Siempre estabas a mi lado.

Their voices then blended with a harmony that made Kelsi smile with pride.

¡Qué raro sentimiento!
Tú debes saber
Que como nadie más
Ya me conoces tú,
-¡Y sólo tú!-
Que como nadie más
Me reconfortas tú
-¡Y eres tú!-

Por fin sucedió.
Sé que hoy hallé
Lo que buscaba yo

Although they were singing it the same way they had on the empty stage at East High, this time they sang both verses and the second chorus.

GABRIELA
Hoy me puedo oír,
Hoy me puedo ver,
Y es un gran placer.

TROY
Tan perdido ayer,
Hoy me encontré.
¿Cómo te agradeceré?

BOTH
¡Qué raro sentimiento!
Tú debes saber
Que como nadie más
Ya me conoces tú,
-¡Y sólo tú!-
Que como nadie más
Me reconfortas tú
-¡Y eres tú!-

Por fin sucedió.
Sé que hoy hallé
Lo que buscaba yo

As Kelsi played the last dwindling notes, Troy and Gabriela looked at each other, somewhat in awe of what they had done. "Kelsi, be honest…" Troy said. "Did that really sound as good as it did in our heads?"

"Are you kidding? That was amazing!" replied Kelsi. "Could you guys BE any more talented?"

Troy chuckled as Gabriela blushed. "Look who's talking, Miss Composer," Troy shot back. "I'm just glad I discovered whatever talent I may have in the performing arts," he admitted, turning to Gabriela. "But not quite as glad as I am that I met you."

"Right back at you," Gabriela replied with a sweet smile.

Kelsi rolled her eyes, although an amused smile betrayed her. "Do the words 'get a room' mean anything to you?"