New Friends… Maybe
A/N: So… I have nothing to say, except that this is where the story starts to veer away from the 'real' High School Musical… the chapter is mainly Ryan-centric… as is the story, but still, if you don't mind reading about Ryan a lot, then you'll like it… flames are welcome, as long as they are in detail about why you don't like it… here it is! Oh, yeah, a lot of brother-sister fluff towards the beginning, just niceness I guess you would say.
New Friends… Maybe
"Wait… Shar… It's not you… It's me, please, I'm sorry… I'm just… pathetic…" he said, his eyes watering up. Suddenly, he ran to the park, which was across the street, and sat on one of the many benches spread around the small Community Park.
"Ryan…"
Sharpay ran after her brother, ashamed at herself that she made her brother feel so bad about himself… she was supposed to be supportive, not so discouraging. She finally got to her brother and said, " What's wrong?"
"Go away" he replied firmly, despite the tears running down his pale cheeks.
"What is your problem?" She said angrily. She was mad that she was having to be nice. In public! That is not what she does, even for her brother, It could ruin her reputation!
"Just leave me alone!"
"So you're not going to tell me what's wrong?" she said in an annoyed tone.
"You… wouldn't… under… under… stand…" he said, wiping away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks.
"Well, duh, because you won't tell me!" She said, returning to her sister side. Deep down in her heart, she knew that her brother was very depressed and she was the only one who could make him feel better.
" What do you want to hear?" he asked, giving in to his sister's bribes.
"Well, what's wrong?" She asked, sitting down on the bench next to Ryan.
"That's what I'm saying, which part do you want to hear?"
"Why did you act like a jerk in front of students"
"Because of all the stress"
"From what? Who?" She asked. She was concerned with her brother's health, especially his state of mind.
"Mom and dad… and Ms. Darbus and…" he said, surprised that he could get all of that out. But he didn't have the heart to say what else was on his mind.
"Me?" Sharpay asked, slightly crestfallen. She did understand where that came from.
Ryan didn't reply for a while, but then said softly, "Yeah…"
Sharpay sighed then said, "Well, how did we stress you?"
"I mean, I love you and all, but I feel like I have to be extraordinary to stand out and not be shoved into the shadows. I mean, I'm known as 'Sharpay's brother' and not Ryan. And I don't like that." He said, standing up.
"Well, then I'll just have to straighten them up…" Sharpay said, also standing.
"NO! I mean, I think I should do this by myself" he said, heading towards the school. He didn't want to be late for class."Ok…" she said, following Ryan into the school.
"Are we still up for pair auditions?" Ryan asked, before he opened the door to their homeroom classroom, Ms. Darbus' class. They still had about 30 seconds before the bell rang.
"Sure… as long as you want to, Ryan."
"I do." He said simply, opening the door and walking into the classroom.
Sharpay made sure to give Ms. Darbus her candle, then she herself sat down.
The bell rang, then Ms. Darbus gave her long speech as usual, with half of the class not listening, Ryan one of them.
"… singles and pairs" Ms. Darbus said, and as the words came out of her mouth, Sharpay turned in her seat to face Ryan, who smiled in response, then turned back around.
The bell rang, dismissing the class, and when Ryan saw Troy leaving the room, he had an idea.
"Troy…" Ryan said, running towards him.
Sharpay scoffed. She wasn't a different person, just had a different opinion at this point.
"Troy, can I talk to you… alone?" Ryan asked. He was very nervous…would he reject his call for friendship?
"Huh? Um… all right…" Troy said, confused. What did Ryan Evans want with him?
"Here…" Ryan led Troy into a janitor's closet, which was filthy, there were rags and mops everywhere. " Troy, I need to ask you something really important." He said.
" Um…"
"Well, it's more of a favor, actually"
"Depends on what it is" Troy said, confused at what Ryan was getting at.
" Well, I've never exactly been nice to you, right?" Ryan asked, hoping to give him a base to work on.
"I guess not…"
"Can I just… you know… hang out with you… to get away from Sharpay… be my own person, other than 'Sharpay's brother' that is"
"Oh" was all Troy could manage to say. This wasn't what he was expecting to hear. He wasn't expecting to hear this at all, truth be told. "Well, if you want to hang out with me and the guys I can try to talk with the team…"
"Will you?" Ryan asked desperately.
"I'll try"
"Thanks, I really appreciate it, and I owe you"
" Hey, don't sweat it"
"Ok… if you want to get out first, then I suggest you go now"
"Right…" Troy said, walking out the door.
Sharpay spotted Troy walking out of a closet, and down the hall. "So, Troy, you're gonna watch me in the musical like you promised?" She asked in her sweet voice.
"Um… yeah…" he said, hurrying his pace. He'd had enough of the Evans' for a while. Especially Sharpay.
Ryan stepped out of the closet just in time for Sharpay to see him do so.
"Um… what were you doing in a closet?" She asked. Her brother could be so strange sometimes.
"Don't ask…" He said, heading to biology.
Auditions
Sharpay and Ryan were eagerly waiting for Ms. Darbus to start auditions. Sharpay was dressed in her costume, as was Ryan. She was holding her special pink microphone, and Ryan was holding his sparkling green hat.
Ryan and Sharpay didn't really pay attention to Ms. Darbus' speech…
And they were surprised to hear a very bad singer:
It's hard to belie-eve
That I couldn't see-ee
You were always there beside me
Thought I was a-lone
With no-one to hold
But you were always right besi-de me
This feel-ings like no other
I want you to know!
The rest were even worse. Cindra was diffinently the worse.
What I've been looking Foooooooooooorrrrrrrrr
Both Sharpay and Ryan had to cover their ears, she was 'singing' so high.
"And for the lead roles of Arnold and Minnie, we only have one couple signed up… Sharpay and Ryan, I think it might be useful to give us a sense of why we gather in this hallowed hall.
The two stood up, but Sharpay, being the drama queen that she is, had to go first, so Ryan just let her pass, rolling his eyes as he followed her onto the stage.
Kelsi asked, " What key?"
"Oh, we had our rehearsal pianist do an arrangement" Ryan said, smiling. He walked behind where the curtain was supposed to be, just in time for Sharpay to snap, signaling the backstage workers to pull the curtain closed.
The two did their exercises, then Sharpay queued the music.
It's hard to believe
That I couldn't see
You were always there beside me
Thought I was alone
With no one to hold
But you were always right beside me
This feeling's like no other
I want you to know
That I've never had someone
That knows me like you do
The way you do
And I've never had someone
As good for me as you
No one like you
So lonely before
I finally found
What I've been looking for
So good to be seen
So good to be heard
Don't have to say a word
For so long I was lost
So good to be found
I'm loving having you around
This feeling's like no other
I want you to know
That I've never had someone
That knows me like you do
The way you do
I've never had someone
As good for me as you
No one like you
So lonely before
I finally found
What I've been looking for
Do do do
Do do do do do do
A whoa oh oh oh
Do do do do
Do do do do do do
Whoa oh oh oh
The two posed and Sharpay muttered out of the corner of her mouth, " I told you not to do the jazz squares"
But Ryan muttered back, " It's a crowd favorite, everybody loves a good jazz square"
Sharpay ignored his response and shot a ferocious glare at Kelsi, who was just staring at the two as if they had morphed into an alien. Kelsi, shaking out of her daze, started to clap, which signaled everybody else to.
The twins bowed, and Sharpay was going to her dressing room, but Kelsi had a question that she was dying to ask, "Actually, if you do the part, with that particular song, I imagined it much slower…"
"If we do the part?" Sharpay asked, offended. She placed a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder, and said, "Kelsi… my sod off Sondheim… I've been in 17 school productions, and how many times have your compositions been selected?"
"This would be the first…" Kelsi said, scared out of her mind.
"Which tells us what?" Sharpay asked, trying to make it clear for the young composer.
"That… I should write you more solos…?" She asked, confused at what the Drama club co-captain was getting at.
"It means that you do not offer direction, suggestion, or commentary," Sharpay said menacingly.
Kelsi, meanwhile, was cowering back towards the piano.
"Are we clear?" Sharpay barked.
"Yes, ma'am!" Kelsi said, not realizing whom she was talking to. "I mean Sharpay…"
Sharpay smiled sweetly and said into her sparkling pink microphone, "Nice talking to you!"
Ryan, meanwhile, was trying to comfort some of the actors and actresses who were rejected rather quickly, and were now too distraught to speak. "The Theatre Club needs more than actors, it needs fans too, buy tickets!"
Sharpay led the way out of the auditorium, changed, and was walking down the halls when she said to her brother, " Ha. Neither of them showed up. The musical is as good as ours…"
"Yeah, the show is in the bag" Ryan told his sister, happy to talk again.
A/N: So…how was that? A small twist that may lead to more… hehe, only Josh and I know for sure… Do you like it? Your opinion matters… and I don't mind flames, like I said, as long as there is a lot of detail… and constructive reviews are appreciated (actually, any review is appreciated…) Oh, and by the way, depending on how many reviews I get, will determine how long it takes for the next chapter to appear, so: REVIEW!