Later that night, Zeke and Gabriella were laughing in Gabriella's bunk. She was pulling random clothing items out of her bag, trying to decide what to wear, and Zeke was finding some reason to diss everything she took out.
"None of it's that bad," Zeke said, as Gabriella threw the last piece of clothes at his head. He caught the shirt (as it was) and tossed it onto the pile. "Why can't you just wear what you're wearing? It's not like anyone really cares."
"See, only you would think that," Gabriella said. "I care, though."
"Fine," Zeke said. "But I'd wear what you're wearing. Not that I'd wear it…what I mean is if I were you I would wear it, because then I'd be you, and not me, because really, I'd look pretty dumb in your clothes…you know what I mean?" Zeke stopped rambling to look at Gabriella, who just smiled.
"Yes," she said. "Okay then, let's go to this stupid open mic thing."
"And you're going to sing," Zeke said.
"No, I'm not," Gabriella said.
Across the camp, Ryan and Sharpay were having a similar conversation.
"Come on, why can't you just wear what you're wearing?" Sharpay asked.
"Because something fell out of a tree and onto this hat, and you can still see the dirt," Ryan said. He tore through his suitcase, looking for a similar hat.
"No, you can't," Sharpay said. "There is no dirt on this hat."
"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there," Ryan said.
"Yes, it does," Sharpay said. "Now, we're going to be late. Do you have the song we're singing?"
"Yes, Shar," Ryan said, giving up on his hat search and following his sister out the door.
"Now, remember, I said no jazz squares! This is all about image," Sharpay said. "This is the first time a lot of these people will have seen us perform."
"I know," Ryan said. "But why do you have to ruin Kelsi's songs all the time? She works really hard on those."
"You can whine about your girlfriend some other time," Sharpay said. "Right now, we've got a show to do."
"She's not my girlfriend," Ryan mumbled. He and Sharpay passed an arguing threesome of boys, but didn't take notice.
"Troy, how do you think I maintain this fro?" Troy's best friend, Chad, was saying. He played a guitarlike instrument. (Whether it was an actually guitar or a bass, he didn't know. All he knew was that he could play it.)
"I don't know!" Troy said. "I don't care! Now, I want to perform tonight, so just get your instruments."
"But Troy," Jason, the other guy in the band, said, "we haven't really rehearsed enough. I mean, can we do it without Zeke?"
"Of course we can do it without Zeke," Troy said.
"I'm telling you man. I showered in cold water today, which, by the way, I'm sure your blond princess doesn't have to do, and I looked at a tree," Chad said. "It's been six hours since we got here. I need hair product. Can we go home yet?"
"No!" Troy said.
"And I really want to build a birdhouse," Jason said. "Just putting that out there."
"Can we solve one ridiculous problem at a time, please?!" Troy said. All three boys had reached their cabin. "Chad, I don't care what you do with your hair, but no you cannot go home. And she isn't a blond little princess."
"Dude, she was wearing a tiara at dinner!" Chad said.
"I. Don't. Care," Troy said. "And Jason, yes, you can build a birdhouse. But not right now. We have open mic."
"What in the world are we going to sing?" Chad asked. "We don't have anything particularly original yet."
"We'll do…um…" Troy began. He thought. "We'll do…um…"
"See, we aren't ready for this," Chad said.
"So when do I get to build a birdhouse?" Jason asked, not really keeping up with the topic at hand.
"Okay, fine, we aren't ready for this. Maybe on Friday," Troy said.
"I get to build a birdhouse on Friday?" Jason asked, hopefully.
"No, that's when we'll have the band ready by," Troy said.
"So when do I get to build my birdhouse?" Jason asked.
"Will you stop it with the birdhouse?" Chad yelled. "God, it was the only thing he could talk about at dinner. Although you wouldn't know, because you were all cozied up to Princess Fabulous."
"Fine, she was wearing a tiara," Troy said. "Now, will you drop the princess thing?"
"Fine," Chad said. "Can we at least go and watch the open mic? Since you say we can't perform anything?"
"Ugh," Troy said. He had half a mind to swat both Jason and Chad upside the head, but that wouldn't do any good.
Taylor and Martha were waiting patiently for Gabriella and Zeke to arrive. Zeke and Gabriella hurried over to them.
"Are either of you going to sing?" Gabriella asked. "Or…something?" Taylor nodded, shrugged, and pointed at Martha.
"We are making a debut of sorts," Martha said.
"Oh, that's awesome," Gabriella said.
Suddenly, Ricki stood up on the stage and called, "Next up, Taylor McKessie and Martha Cox!"
"That's us," Martha said, taking the microphone and handing it to Taylor. They walked to the center of the floor that was serving as a stage. Taylor sang through some of a song that she and Martha had written themselves entitled "Sneakernight". (It actually belongs to Vanessa Hudgens. Sorry V.) Martha had a cool dance routine to go with it. Mostly hip-hop. Everyone applauded when they was finished. They took a bow and went to rejoin Gabriella and Zeke. Sharpay glared after them, mostly unnoticed.
"And next we have our very own camp singing legend: Sharpay Evans!" Ryan cleared his throat from next to Ricki. "And Ryan Evans!" There was applause, and Ryan and Sharpay went into an elaborate dance number entitled "What I've Been Looking For". When it had finished, everyone in the room applauded more out of fear that Sharpay would kill them if they didn't than actually wanting to applaud.
"I told you not to do the jazz squares!" Sharpay hissed to Ryan as they left the performing area.
"It's a crowd favorite. Everybody loves a good jazz square," Ryan said.
"I love a good jazz square," Kelsi piped up.
"Yes, well," Sharpay said. She looked at a loss for words. "I have to go rehearse with Emma, Jackie, Lea, Alicia, and Charlotte. Join me?"
"No," Ryan and Kelsi said, after Sharpay went across the room without an answer. She hadn't wanted them to join her anyway.
"So, you want to come back to my bunk and hear my song?" Kelsi asked, but she didn't receive an answer, because Sharpay was causing a commotion across the room. She'd spotted Gabriella.
"Hello, I don't think I recognize you," Sharpay said, with her most sweetly innocent smile. "You must be new."
"Actually, I'm Gabriella Montez," Gabriella said. "I just transferred to Albuquerque from San Diego."
"What a change," Sharpay said. "Now, do you have any special talents that I should know about?"
"She can sing," Zeke interjected.
"Was I talking to you, kitchen boy?" Sharpay asked. Zeke looked at the ground. "So, can you sing?"
"Oh, a little," Gabriella said. "Nothing much."
"Sing something for me," Sharpay said.
"Okay, well, um," Gabriella said. She began to sing.
I thought you were a fairytale
A dream when I'm not sleeping
A wish upon a star that's coming true…
But everybody else could tell
That I confused my feeling with the truth
When there was me and you…
"Yeah, it's not that great," Gabriella said. "I sort of wrote it when I broke up with my last boyfriend."
"So sad," Sharpay said. "Are you by chance related to the great Christopher Montez?"
"Who?" Gabriella asked.
"Guess not," Sharpay said, whipping her hair over her shoulder.
"But, I mean, my dad…" Gabriella said. Taylor hid her face in her hands. Gabriella was about to do something really stupid.
"Yes?" Sharpay asked.
"Well, he's the president," Gabriella said. Sharpay raised an eyebrow. "Of Montez Videos Inc." Sharpay raised her other eyebrow. "They publish smalltime bands' videos and stuff. I was in one last year. But, yeah, you couldn't even see me at all. I was disappointed really." It was taking all the self control Taylor had not to burst out laughing.
"Oh, well, in that case," Sharpay said. "I have an extra bed in my cabin. Do you want to bunk with me?"
"Well, actually, I was going to…" Gabriella began, but she trailed off by a look from Sharpay. "I mean of course."
"Well, then, you'll have to come over immediately," Sharpay said. "It's Cabin 6. Be there or…" She paused dramatically. "…beware." She flipped her hair around again and was gone in a blink of an eye.
"And exactly what else does Montez Videos Inc. do?" Zeke whispered to Gabriella as they rushed across camp to her cabin.
"I don't know, okay? I made it up!" Gabriella said. "I don't even have a dad!"
"Ah, so it's not technically lying?" Zeke said. "That's clever."
"You cannot tell anyone, got that?" Gabriella ordered, stuffing all her stuff into her one small bag.
"Oh, cross my heart and hope not to be killed by Sharpay," Zeke said. "That woman is scary."
"Yeah, well, I'm the new girl. This is different," Gabriella said. "So, lunch tomorrow?"
"Between breakfast and dinner, right where I always wanted it," Zeke joked. Gabriella gave him a hug and proceeded across the camp to Cabin 6. Without realizing it, she passed the cabin where Kelsi, Taylor, and Martha were staying, along with Alicia and Charlotte, the other two Sharpettes.
"So, as I was saying, there's no way she can steal this song," Kelsi said to Ryan. They were the only two in the cabin. The song was entitled Just Wanna Be With You. "Because I wrote her these songs." She pointed at the other songs, entitled Too Cool, Fabulous, and I Want It All.
"And they're practically made for her," Ryan said. "I love the song, Kels. Good job."
"So, you had that look on your face again earlier," Kelsi said.
"No, I didn't," Ryan said. The look in particular that Kelsi was talking about was the one that Ryan donned whenever someone (usually Sharpay) accused Kelsi of being his girlfriend.
"Was is Sharpay again, or someone else?" Kelsi asked.
"Just Shar," Ryan said. "It's no big deal. It's not even a little deal. It's nothing at all. In fact it's so nothing, that there's no need to talk about it." Kelsi silently mhm-ed to herself, wondering why Ryan wouldn't just get over himself already. He liked her, and she really liked him.
"Every day someone comes up to me and asks me if we're dating," Kelsi said. It was Ryan's turn to mhm. "And I always say no." Ryan looked at her. "But you know one of these days the answer is going to be yes."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Ryan asked, looking at her.
"Ryan, you know I am," Kelsi said, sighing. "We have this conversation at least once a week."
"Answer's still no," Ryan said. Kelsi rolled her eyes back down to her paper. Taylor and Martha walked in laughing at that moment.
"Oh, hey, guys," Taylor said.
"Hi," Kelsi said. "Ryan and I were just–"
"Making out?" Martha joked. Ryan frowned. "I mean…singing?"
"Yeah, we were singing," Ryan said. "I gotta go Kels. See you later." He left the cabin in an awful hurry.
"So, answer's still no?" Martha concluded. Kelsi rolled her eyes and stashed her music folder in her bag. "It'll be yes eventually, just hold out on it."
"Oh, let's get real," Kelsi said. "He's never gonna say yes. He's probably interested in someone else."
"I've seen the way he looks at you, Kels," Taylor said. "Granted I don't know either of you that well, but it's there. Don't worry."
"Sure," Kelsi said. "Great job tonight, you guys."
"Thanks," Martha said. "You too."
"I didn't do anything," Kelsi said.
"Au contraire," Taylor said. "You wrote the song that Sharpay and Ryan sang."
"Sort of," Kelsi said.
"The sun will always shine, that's how you make me feel, we're gonna be alright, cuz what we have, it's real…and we will always be together," Ryan sang to the night, once out of earshot of the cabin. "Oh, Kelsi, Kelsi, Kelsi. Why do you do this to me?"
A/N: Not the world's worst updater, I promise. Please, please, please, leave a review so that I write this faster, because if I take too long, I'll forget my ideas, and it'll take even longer.
Samantha.
(Oh, and I don't own anything, least of all the songs.)