Wow, I wasn't expecting such a huge response. Thanks for all the reviews!! Here's another update, sorry for the wait but I was so unsure of this chapter it took me awhile to write it. And you can also thank tryanforever91 for making me update quicker than I would have.
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The Problem with Ryan
Chapter 4: The Problem.
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As Ryan walked down the path of Troy's house to the sidewalk he gazed down at his feet, feeling slightly deflated.
'It figures he wouldn't like me, I can get annoying, Sharpay tells me that all the time,' he kicked a pebble out of the way, 'No wonder he wanted to get me out of there so fast.'
He walked down the block to where his sleek convertible was parked. As he unlocked the door he caught his reflection in the car door window, he looked depressed he thought, so he tried smiling at himself but then he looked strained.
He shook his head, "Maybe I'm going crazy," he spoke to himself as he opened the door and got into his car.
His car whizzed by Troy's grand brown-bricked house and green yard. Ryan glanced at the brunet's house from his rearview mirror briefly before focusing on getting home as quick as possible. He didn't want to deal with his sister's questions.
He tried focusing on anything but what happen in the brunet's house as walked from the garage to the front of the Evans Mansion.
Those roses are coming along nicely.
He decided to clear his head of all thoughts that were quickly overwhelming him, burdening his chest and prickling at the corner of his eyes. He took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh air as the sun shone him. It was really a beautiful day, he thought, why not enjoy it?
Ryan walked up the path to the back of the large house, through the kitchen, the cooks smiled at the blond, familiar with the teen they've known since he was a mere little boy.
He liked to go through the back to avoid his parents and their friends and sometimes his sister, the staircase in the kitchen led to his room without passing his sister's room, unlike the main staircase in front of the front door, which he not only had to pass his sister's room but the living room and dinning room.
When he went to his room he went straight to his desk. Taking out his musical playbook and notebook, he looked through his notes and shook his, "Kelsi is getting way too bold," he said aloud, reading the list of different types of songs she wrote and were woven into the play. Mrs. Darbus planned choreography that was more intense than last year's. He looked through his notes on the different dance numbers. A bold scene 3 caught his eye, he remembered Troy's trouble.
He sighed, closing his notebook, his thoughts went back to what happened in the brunet's house, 'maybe he was really tired,' he thought, 'and I was just bothering him.'
He couldn't get the gnawing feeling off his chest, Troy felt off, as if Ryan's presence was bothering him. Or was it just him? Ryan shook his head. He didn't know, he didn't really have experience with friends or at least he thought Troy was his friend. Now, he didn't know what to think.
A knock at the door interrupted his spiraling thoughts, "Yes?"
The butler opened the door slightly, his head peaking in, "Mr. Evans, Ms. Evans would like to speak to you," he said.
Ryan sighed, his sister's room was right next to his and she couldn't come over herself? He shook his head, "Alright," he got up and walked to her room, "And how many times have I told you to call me Ryan?" he asked the butler.
He smiled, "Your farther requested me not to be so informal," he stepped back, allowing Ryan to walk ahead of him. He bid his good-bye and left through the back staircase.
Ryan knocked on Sharpay's door, after he heard 'enter' he walked in, feeling slight dread. He thought her actions this summer proved she cared about him or at least realized the errors of her ways but the summer passed and she was back to being the usual, demanding princess. And her annoyance of him befriending Gabriella and Chad has made itself known again and again.
"So, I hear you had Troy's book bag," she said as she applied a bit of foundation near her nose, for what, Ryan wasn't sure.
"Yeah," he said, not really understanding the meeting, "He left it at practice, after you left early," he said pointedly, not happy that she didn't practice with them further.
"Well, you should have told me, I should have been the one to give it to him," she said annoyed. Ryan sighed, she obviously wasn't letting the brunet go, and it felt odd to Ryan, who thought he knew his sister well enough to figure she was over him.
"Troy was smart to break up with Gabriella," she continued, "She was really an anchor."
Ryan's gaze hardened as he heard his sister talk about Gabriella rudely, "She wasn't an anchor, and she was the one who broke up with him," he said, feeling protective of the brunette girl for a moment. She was his first real friend at East High other than Kelsi, but she mostly kept to herself much like Ryan, well other than following his sister of course.
Sharpay's gaze shifted to Ryan, setting down her makeup brush, "Excuse me," she said, waiting for whatever excuse Ryan better have for contradicting her.
He, however, stood his ground, "She broke up with him, and if you're so concerned with Troy why don't you just go over there instead of having some lame excuse," he said, feeling a little annoyed.
"Because I'd look desperate," she replied, feeling irritated when Ryan scoffed. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," he said evenly, "I'll be sure to remember next time I happen to have something of Troy's," he said on his way out.
He exhaled, after he closed her door, feeling relieved after leaving her room. He couldn't handle arguing with his sister and he's realized that she's not always right. This summer taught him that Sharpay's interest has never been for the both of them, it's only been for herself. And without her to depend on he didn't know what to do but wander around hoping to find himself, trying to figure out his own identity, trying to figure out just who the hell he was without his sister.
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'I don't have many friends'
How come?
'I don't know'
A distant ringing came closer and closer. As a blue-eyed fair-haired boy withered away into a blank white ceiling, the ringing intensified.
Troy awoke still curled up after Ryan left, it turns out he was more tired than he realized. He groaned as the phone kept ringing, reaching over his side table for his cell, dropping it on the floor he groaned again, stretching his sore muscles to reach the annoying little device.
"Hello," Troy groaned into the phone, waking from a wonderfully deep slumber made one very grumpy.
"Troy? Are you alright?" Came Gabriella's worried voice.
He sat up on the bed and sighed, "Yeah, I'm sick," he said as he reached for more tissues to blow his nose.
"Oh no, your voice sounds different too," she said, "Get better and don't worry I made sure to get all your homework down and I made Chad get it from your other classes too,"
"Great," Troy drawled, not really keen on getting more work to do.
"Did Ryan give you your book bag?" She asked.
Troy stayed quiet for a while, a little thrown off by the question, "Yeah," he said slowly.
"That's good, we were worried about you," she said, Troy felt a bit lifted hearing that the blond worried about him, he wanted to ask Gabriella more about it but realized how odd it would sound ...he really said he worried about me? He shook his head at his own thoughts. "Well, I'll let you get your rest, you sound so tired," she said.
"Yeah," he said, still thinking about the blond, "Bye," he closed his cell after she said bye as well.
He lay on his bed, thoughts of the blond swirling around in his brain.
He felt his odd dream rush though him but he couldn't remember it. All he could remember was Ryan and he felt sad, Troy didn't know why.
…I wonder…Troy turned on his side, his mind overwhelmed with fair-haired teen …What'd it be like…He shook his head, he can't think like that. This wasn't what he was feeling because… because he didn't like Ryan like that …If I could kiss him…
This was a problem, Troy resolved, a problem that just happen to involve Ryan.
Maybe it's hormones, maybe it's a phase, maybe it's…
Maybe it's Ryan.
Maybe it's a problem with Ryan.
Troy nodded his head firmly, and that was the only reason he needed, to keep the confusion and panic at bay, to hold on to his normal and plain but wonderful life he's had for so long safe, to not worry about change or love or life altering events because nothing is happening, because everything is the same, because today was like yesterday which was like the day before.
For tonight anyway.
x x x TBC x x x
A/N: I don't want to rush things right now, Troy has to deal or not deal, in his case, with his feelings for Ryan and Ryan has to deal with his conflicting emotions with Sharpay. Still don't have any idea how this will go but I'll think of something :D