i find it a bit ironic that i was hyping this chapter so much and it wasn't even finished yet.
this is was an interesting chapter, because i wrote it, and then i made some major revisions and ended up re-writing like, 1,000 words. i actually liked the original version a bit better, but it didn't fit in with the plot i had in my mind so i had to do away with it.
but the main reason i wanted to post this chapter hasn't changed yet. i'll give you all a hint now: we get to see some Tryan stuff.
and uhh, i guess thats all there is to say for now. hope you enjoy this chapter!
Rehearsal
The weatherman's promise of the temperature rising held true (for once), and people were happy to finally rid themselves of their bulky winter wear. Including Ryan. Monday rolled along, and Ryan came to school wearing jeans for the first time since autumn. It was still a bit cool for a shirt, so he had a light sweater on, adorned in East High colours. Walking down the halls, he caught a glimpse of Gabriella, who still looked a bit grumpy. He decided against talking to her, and continued walking to homeroom. He was the first there, as always.
"Good morning Ms. Darbus." Ryan chirped.
"And to you Mr. Evans." She replied, as she straightened a stack of papers. Ryan took his seat and pulled out his books.
"When are auditions for the play?" He asked.
"Thursday." Ms. Darbus answered, with a sigh. "Such a tedious task. Every year we get the same bunch of talentless wannabes. One more song from Cyndra and I'll go deaf." Ryan laughed. "Maybe I should just skip auditions this year. You and Bolton are as good as in anyway." Ryan's eyes widened.
"Me and Troy?"
"Of course." Ms. Darbus said. "You and your sister are the only reason I do musicals. But seeing how our second lead is male too, I'd say Troy has more talent than the rest of the boys in our school combined."
This bit of information was a mixed bag for Ryan. He fully expected to land the lead role, as usual, and was pleased to hear it. But the prospect of sharing the spotlight with Troy put a damper on things. The stage was one of the few sanctioned, Troy-free places where Ryan could find solace. If he couldn't escape him in class or the hallways, he could at least retreat to the stage. Now, partly thanks to that girlfriend of his, another square of the school had been invaded and conquered.
Still, it wasn't the end of the world. Troy had some talent with theatre. That much was true. And he had a few redeeming qualities, which seemed to be more prominent as of late. Ryan thought back to the previous Friday. Dancing with Troy had actually been fun, and Ryan got to know even more about Troy's liking toward musicals. And seeing how Troy had had a hand in deciding the genre of this year's musical (one that didn't exist in Gabriella's mind), Ryan thought it was only fair that he have some part in it. Even if it had to be the lead part. Ryan would cope somehow.
The first bell sounded, and students slowly started filtering into the classroom. To Ryan's surprise and annoyance, Gabriella strode in with Troy by the hand. She was happily gabbing away with him, but Troy pulled away in the middle of one of her sentences.
"Hey Ryan." Troy said, hopping onto Ryan's desk. Gabriella looked quite offended standing on the spot Troy abandoned her on.
"Hey Troy." Ryan said, smirking at Gabriella's reaction. Troy's smile faltered slightly when he opened his mouth to speak again.
"About free period today…" He said in a hushed voice. "I—"
But Troy was interrupted by a loud clap "Everyone take your seats!" Ms. Darbus called. Knowing not to defy his drama teacher, Troy reluctantly slid off Ryan's desk.
Ryan frowned. He tried to ask Troy to finish what he was saying, but Troy had already taken his seat at his own desk beside Gabriella. What was Troy going to say about free period? Was he going to call off the rehearsal? Ryan sighed and faced the front, where Ms. Darbus stood to address the class. He would just have to find out later.
"Now as you all know," She started, "Auditions for the spring musicale will be this Thursday, during free period. Any of those daring enough to join us on this exciting journey are welcome to come, but only those who posses the spirit of the theatre shall be cast." She cast a glance at Troy and Ryan. "So… good luck!"
Ryan snorted as he heard Ms Darbus add "You'll need it" under her breath. The rest of the class was spent sitting though a well-rehearsed tirade against cell phones. At the sound of the bell, Ryan sprinted out of the room for the auditorium. He pushed past the crowds of people in a fashion befitting Sharpay, but Ryan wanted to get there as soon as possible. He ducked through a shop class, much to the teacher's annoyance, and finally found the auditorium. Pushing through the doors, Ryan hoped he would see Troy there. The door swung open slowly, and Ryan followed the dimly lit aisle down to the stage. Troy wasn't there… He blew Ryan off. Ryan's disappointment was soon replaced by frustration.
It figures. Ryan thought spitefully. Obviously Gabriella's more important than me. Obviously Troy's not going to do the musical because of her anymore. Obviously—
"Hey Ryan!"
…I'm wrong… Ryan blinked his eyes to make sure it was actually Troy entering the room and not a Troy shaped speck of dust on his eye. A square of light shone through the open auditorium doors as Troy made his way down the aisle. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. Troy hadn't blown him off. As Troy neared the stage Ryan was standing on, he spoke again.
"Sorry I'm late."
Ryan shook his head. "It's fine. But what were you trying to tell me this morning?"
"Oh…" Troy said, looking down. Ryan looked at him questioningly, but his query was answered by another person entering the room.
"There you are Troy!"
Ryan's face fell. It was her. Why was she here? Ryan let out a groan as he watched Gabriella enter the auditorium and join the two boys on the stage.
"What are you doing here?" Ryan blurted. Gabriella looked up at Ryan.
"Oh, didn't Troy tell you? He invited me to rehearse with you." She gave Ryan a sweet smile.
Ryan's eyes met Troy's. "Did he now?"
Troy shook his head vigorously and mouthed the word 'NO!' repeatedly. Ryan got the message.
"Umm, okay then. I guess we can get this rehearsal started then." Ryan said awkwardly. He lined Troy and Gabriella up, standing in front of them. They started with Troy's favourite, the Mashed Potato. Troy and Ryan were perfectly fine doing that step, but Gabriella was having some trouble.
"I can't get it!" She sighed. She looked helplessly at Ryan.
"Just keep practicing." Ryan said, spotting a million different things wrong with Gabriella's Mashed Potato, but he kept them to himself. It was a bit amusing as he watched Gabriella struggle. "It'll come eventually." They tried a few more steps before coming to the Twist. Again, Troy had a hard time following along. Instead of telling Troy to keep practicing, Ryan thought he'd step in and do what his dance teacher liked to call, physical manipulation. He stood behind and placed his hands on Troy's hips. Troy gasped softly at Ryan's touch, but didn't protest.
"Why don't I help you." Ryan suggested. Troy nodded.
Gabriella looked in their direction and a grin stretched across her face. "Getting a little cozy are we boys?"
Ryan rolled his eyes. " I'm just helping him with the dance."
Gabriella snickered. "Okay then, if you say so." She pulled her gaze away from Troy and Ryan and focused on the back of the auditorium as she practiced her Mashed Potato.
Ryan turned back to Troy. "Ready?"
"Yeah, let's do this." Ryan nodded, and rested his hands on Troy's hips again.
"Right foot forward." Ryan instructed as Troy followed. "Now pivot on your toe as you swing your heel left and right." Troy did as Ryan said. "Now, for your hips…" Ryan grasped Troy a bit tighter and moved his body in the direction he wanted. "Move this way…" Ryan pulled Troy in the opposite direction. "…then that way." Ryan directed Troy's hips back and forth.
As he did, Troy had the weirdest feeling inside of him. This was probably the closest another guy had ever gotten to him, including his best friends like Chad and Zeke. And Ryan had his hands on Troy's waist, usually where Gabriella kept her hands when they made out.
"But," Troy mumbled to himself. "This is totally different. It's not like we're making out or anything."
"Did you say something Troy?" Ryan asked from behind him.
"Ah, no!" Troy said. He mentally slapped his head. He was talking to himself again. How embarrassing. Troy sighed. He shouldn't feel like this at all. All Ryan was doing was helping him with his Twist. That's all there was to it, and Troy was making a huge deal out of it. But Ryan's hot breath against his neck served as a constant reminder of his close proximity to the Evans boy. He felt so vulnerable in this position. Is this how people felt when they got raped?
Ryan wondered what Troy was muttering to himself as he guided him through the dance. Probably about how gay it felt right now to have another guy rocking his hips back and forth. He breathed in deeply. Good respiration was vital for dancing. As he did, he caught a whiff of some strange smell. It was subtle, but at the same time it grabbed Ryan's attention immediately. Ryan let it fill his lungs. It was a very alluring scent indeed. Is this how Troy always smelled? Ryan never noticed it before, but then again, this was the first time he had ever been so close to Troy.
Troy could almost hear every breath Ryan was taking in. They were barely moving at all and Ryan sounded like he was running a marathon. Troy thought perhaps a break was in order. Maybe Ryan needed to catch his breath? His mouthed opened to speak, but the words caught in his throat, somewhere near where Ryan's breath hit it. Why was he feeling like this? Every time Ryan exhaled, it sent shivers down Troy's spine. Now, Troy knew he was ticklish, but he never knew he was that ticklish. It was such a strange and pleasant feeling all at the same time. Was Ryan pulling him backwards, or was it him?
Ryan and Troy had been twisting for what seemed like hours now. Wasn't Gabriella getting suspicious? But Ryan could not even pull his face away to check. Whatever Troy was wearing was having some weird effects on Ryan. He was suddenly feeling very lightheaded and unsteady. He was also starting to get a lot warmer, or was it that Troy's warm body was moving closer? Ryan couldn't tell anymore. All he could smell was the beautiful fragrance of Troy, and all he could see was the brown of his hair, inches from his nose…
Something was tickling the end of Ryan's nose. Was it that smell again? Or had he found something else?
Troy felt something graze against his neck. Was that still Ryan's breath? Or was it…
Ryan heard Gabriella shriek, and he pulled away from Troy, scared she had caught them so close. To his relief, Gabriella was still not looking at them, but she had fallen over. He and Troy ran over to her to help her up. She groaned
"Oh, it's useless. I'll never get it." She sighed. As Troy consoled her, Ryan lost himself in his thoughts. What had just happened? One minute he was helping Troy with his Twist, the next he was practically on top of him smelling him like a scratch-n-sniff sticker. What came over Ryan? Was it normal for people to do that? Probably not.
"Ryan?"
"Huh?!" Ryan blinked his eyes and let reality wash over him. "Sorry, what?"
It was Gabriella who spoke. "I said I'm going now. I'll just try again later." She sounded a bit disappointed as she waved at the two boys and hopped off the stage. Ryan looked at Troy.
"You're not going with her?"
"Oh, well if you want me too I guess…" Troy said
"Oh no!" Ryan exclaimed. "That's not what I meant. I just thought that you'd want to go with her."
Troy shook his head. "Nah, I'll stay." Ryan nodded
The two continued to practice different dance moves, making a point to not try the Twist again.
i didn't really know how to end this chapter, so sorry if it kinda sucked...
hope you all enjoyed that little bit of Tryan-ness in there. thanks all of you for your kind reviews! ill try to update as soon as i can.
oh, and if you're bored, check out my profile. i have a poll up right now for best love song in HSM/HSM2. i also made myself a cute little avatar, photoshopping a pic of Troy and Ryan to make it look like they're cuddling :D
anywyas, that's all there is for now. thanks so much for reading!