props to Tertiary Genesis for getting jacob into tryan. y'all should check out his Tryan, its really great stuff.
this, and the next few chapters, will be on the longer side. which is good (at least in my mind), because the longer the better, right? ;)
ive taken jacob's advice to heart, and i've really tried to improve on the things he's pointed out. if you think my writing's imrpoved at all, some feedback would be lovely :) regarding the chapter, it's crunch time for everyone, and they're all working hard to prepare for some of East High's biggest events. first on the agenda iiiis... The Scholastic Decathlon!
enjoy.
Scholastic Decathlon Day
Ms. Darbus, Coach Bolton, and Principal Matsui all had a very important meeting to discuss the impending list of events on the calendar. Ms. Darbus made it quite clear that nothing would get in the way of her show. The theatre, as she has often pointed out, waits for no one. She required a whole week for her production, so other events would have to be planned around it. Coach Bolton strongly emphasized the fact that East High was going for its second championship, and they needed not only a free day for the game, but time enough to practice beforehand. There was also the matter of the Scholastic Decathlon, which was of particular importance to Principal Matsui, as another victory would qualify the school for additional funding. The three teachers were also aware of the fact that, once again, students were participating in more than just one event apiece. They would have to plan everything so that no one missed out on one event for another. The three argued well into the night until they could all come to an agreement…
-o-O-O-O-o-
The dates were set for all the big events lined up for East High. Both Ryan and Troy promised Taylor they would go to the Scholastic Decathlon as a token of their undying gratitude. Ryan, of course, was going to Troy's basketball game. Troy was going to get Ryan and Sharpay (she was going for Zeke) the best seats in the house. Chad and Taylor were also going to the Spring Musical, along with all their other friends. The end to all the madness was inching closer with each day. However, that also meant everyone had to work harder in preparation. Ryan and Sharpay practically lived in the auditorium now. Taylor came to school early everyday, and left well after the school closed. Chad was practicing his game 24/7, running the plays in his head. Things were especially tough for Troy and Gabriella, as they were both involved in the play, as well as the basketball game and Scholastic Decathlon respectively. With a lot of help from Ryan (and a little Red Bull in his cereal), Troy was able to keep himself alert enough to push through. Taylor was coaching Gabriella through not only their chemistry formulas, but also with coping with Troy and Ryan. Everyone was praying that, when everything was finally over, things would be a LOT easier, physically, mentally, and most of all, emotionally.
The Scholastic Decathlon was the first to arrive. After school, the Chem club bussed down to West High, where the Decathlon was taking place. Ryan was driving Troy and Chad, and they would be meeting some of their parents there as well. When they all arrived, tension was thick in the air. West High was determined to come back from their fall from the previous year, and East High was aiming to continue their winning streak. As Gabriella, Taylor, and the rest of the team prepared, Troy and Ryan joined everyone else to watch.
Troy and Ryan were sitting beside each other. Space was tight, as more people came to watch this time. Troy had a funny feeling he and Gabriella had something to do with it. It suited him just fine, as it gave him an excuse to squeeze closer to Ryan. The teams were assembling in front of the panel of judges. Taylor was up first for team East High, going against some dorky-looking Knight. They assumed their positions as the rest of the teams stood aside to watch. A buzzer went off, and Taylor's hand raced across the whiteboard, leaving in its wake the most indistinct jumble of letters and numbers Troy had ever seen.
"What the hell are they writing?" Troy asked incredulously.
"The entire Chemistry 12 textbook it looks like," Ryan said in awe. The crowd watched in silence as Taylor and Dork-Knight battled it out. When Taylor reached the bottom of her whiteboard, she dropped her pen and stumbled over to the timer, dropping a hand onto the stop button. Her opponent stopped writing immediately, averting his gaze to Taylor's work, which was currently under the scrutiny of the judges. He was about 4 lines behind Taylor. As the judges read off their cards, Ryan and Troy marveled at Taylor.
"How does she write so fast without her hand falling off?" Troy said, clutching his wrist unconsciously.
One of the judges nodded, and Taylor let out a small whoop as East High won their first point. Applause broke out, and team East High congratulated Taylor as Dork-Knight retreated dejectedly to his own team.
Martha was up next, her opponent some snobby looking girl with frizzy blonde hair. Martha looked confident as she uncapped her pen and readied herself for the question. At the sound of the buzzer, the two girls took off at lightning speed. If it were possible, Martha finished even faster than Taylor, and West High had barely even made it halfway before she stopped the timer. Unfortunately, Martha had made a mistake. The clock was started again, and the Knights were given a chance to catch up as Martha scrambled to find her error.
Ryan bounced his leg anxiously as his eyes scanned Martha's equation.
"You're not seriously trying to solve that, are you?" Troy asked.
"No," Ryan said. "I'm trying to see if I can find the whole alphabet in there."
Troy let out a laugh, which punctuated the silence. He ignored the annoyed glances as he too tried to seek out the alphabet in Martha's equation. He reached the bottom of the board, and was disappointed when he was one letter short.
"Darn," Troy said. "There's no—"
"Q!" Martha exclaimed loudly. She wiped out part of her answer and wrote in a new string of letters and numbers, which started with the mentioned letter. Once again, she stopped the timer, and this time East High garnered its second point. Once again, the Wildcats in the audience burst out in cheer, drowning out the groans from the Knights.
Martha wiped her brow and rejoined her fellow teammates. She gave Gabriella a high five. Troy caught this, and leaned in to take a closer look. Something about Gabriella seemed different. Was she wearing a new bow? Nah, maybe it was a haircut? Then it hit Troy. Gabriella was smiling. Troy cocked his head as he continued to look at his ex-girlfriend. That beautiful upward curve that revealed her pearly white teeth almost looked out of place on her face. Gabriella had been so upset lately, Troy had forgotten what she looked like when she was happy. Ryan nudged Troy.
"Hey, did Gabriella get a haircut or something?" Ryan asked.
"No," Troy said distractedly. It was weird, but Troy actually liked seeing Gabriella smile. After all the yelling and screaming she had done, just seeing her smiling and enjoying herself made Troy feel good too. Gabriella might not have been in the best position right now, but for her to have a brief moment when she cold forget all her troubles and just be happy… it must be a good feeling.
Troy shook his head of all his deep thinking. By the time he had returned to his senses, Gabriella and her opponent were already started. Troy sighed and took Ryan's hand. At least for today, Troy could be certain that Gabriella would not try to get in their way.
Ryan was surprised at the contact and looked at Troy. There was something serene and beautiful about Troy when he was just sitting quietly and watching something. Ryan leaned his head toward Troy and rested it on Troy's shoulder. A few seconds later, Ryan felt something hit the back of his head. He looked down to see a ball of crumpled up paper. Turning around, he saw Chad a few rows back, shaking his head and making slashing movements with his hands. Ryan gave him a grin and turned around again.
Naturally, Gabriella won the third round. As everyone cheered for her, it was looking like East High would be bringing home the gold for this Decathlon. Three contestants remained on each team. The best West High could do was tie up the Decathlon. Round four meant East High's first loss, beaten by a millisecond. By some fluke, West High won round five as well, and suspense started to build as the final two competitors readied for the game-deciding final round. The buzzer went off, and the race began. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Troy was biting his nails, another bad habit of his.
Everyone let out a loud groan when West High was the first to stop the clock. The panel of judges inspected his work as East High waited in anticipation. They lit up when the judges shook their heads and the clock was restarted. East High had a good lead, and it looked like they were going to win. Suddenly, the Wildcat braniac stopped in mid-formula. Everyone held their breath all at once, and the tension was so thick you could taste it.
Sweat dripped down the Wildcat's face as he strained to remember the answer. The seconds ticked by, and West High was surpassing East High. Things were starting to look bleak. What was this kid doing? His Knight rival had just about finished his answer, and he was about to write the last section, when suddenly the delicate silence was shattered.
"IT'S 16 OVER PI!" There was a loud gasp, and the whole room directed its attention to the cause of the interruption. With eyes wide and hands clasped over her mouth, Gabriella stood under the burning gaze of her peers. She just blew it.
A judge stood up, redirecting some of the room's attention. "Calling out an answer is against regulations. East High has been disqualified for this round. West High wins the final round."
The applause was weak and muddled with whispering and murmurs. East High had lost the Scholastic Decathlon, but West High had not won it either.
Troy shook his head. "She's gonna hate herself for this."
Ryan sighed. "Well, at least West High didn't win." Both Ryan and Troy knew that would be a weak consolation for Gabriella, but maybe that was the price to be paid for having such a big mouth. Hanging their heads, everyone got up from their seats and emptied the room. Technically, it was a tie. But for the Wildcats, if it wasn't a victory, it was a loss. Their only hope now was for Troy to step up and lead the basketball team to win the championships.
Ryan held Troy tight and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "It's up to you now, love."
:( poor Gabriella.
yes, i feel sorry for Gabriella.
anyways, that's all there is for now. oh, but before i go, i have something very important to ask all of you. you know Ryan and Sharpay's warm up, the one they do before every performance? well, how exactly would you put that into words? especially the part that comes before "MAH!". why this is so important is a bit of a surprise, but if anyone can help, that would be totally awesome. thanks!
i hope you all enjoyed that chapter. as always, reviews are welcome. thanks so much for reading!
ciao.