Sorry for the late update...again. We don't have school this week so even though the week's almost over I'll try to get another chapter finished. Again all I can say is sorry.
I've never been deaf (partially deaf in my left ear yes but completely deaf? No, never). In fact up until I found myself hunched over in the back of the auditorium (next to Troy I might add) I'd never really considered it. But I really have to say, if I ever have to listen to some of those people sing again I may just bust my eardrums myself. Trust me, that was not an exaggeration.
"IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE!" Even as far back as we were (I could hear the girl better than I could see her and I have twenty-twenty vision) the girl that was on the stage was too loud, way too loud. She was like one of those sirens from Greek mythology but instead of luring men to her she would probably drive them as far away as possible. Ms. Darbus apparently agreed with me quickly assuring the girl that her audition was over and no, she really didn't need to hear another song.
"See Troy you really couldn't be worse than her." I turned to him in an attempt to give him some means of comfort. If the way his face paled slightly I'd say that I probably failed. It was funny; I'd never pegged him for someone with stage fright. That was kinda my thing after all, see this one time I got a solo in church choir and when I went on stage to sing… Well it started out fine but then a quarter of the way through I actually opened my eyes, it all kind of went downhill from there. Yet I'm the one who wanted to try out for this thing? I was beginning to feel that it might be a good time to rethink this.
Which of course meant I needed to weigh the good against the bad. Okay good: More time to spend with Troy, possibly show up Sharpay, if not the leads then at least smaller parts (which is what I want anyway), and I really want to do this. Bad: Troy might really suck at singing, I might faint/throw up, Sharpay will probably kill/maim me, Ms. Darbus is pretty scary, and then of course there's the whole probably setting the stage on fire thing. The bad outweighed the good but then again I really did want to try out. But I really didn't want to set the stage on fire. I guess I'm right back where I started. So that was pretty useless.
"Uh Troy. I was thinking, maybe we…" I started but I found that I couldn't continue. I still couldn't decide what I wanted to do.
"Should skip this?" He asked hopefully.
"Well…" I was usually so decisive I had no idea what was wrong with me. I mean usually I know exactly what I want for dinner (Chinese takeout or my mom's homemade casserole, which would you choose?) when I want to go to sleep, who I want to hang out with…just everything. And Troy was just…screwing everything up (what did you think I was going to be swooning over him? Please I wasn't that far gone).
"C'mon let's go." Troy stood up and offered me his hand. I took it (because hello? I wasn't just going to pass up on an offer to hold his hand…oh God, maybe I really was that far gone) and he led me out of the room. Now our auditorium is a little weird, there's a big archway that you have to go through to get to the doors. We had just turned the corner when Sharpay and Ryan took the stage.
I had turned around because I had heard snapping and thought that someone had seen us leaving. It turned out that it was just Sharpay and Ryan, they had a whole dance and microphones and everything. Troy and I didn't have microphones; did that mean we were automatically disqualified?
"Troy? We don't have microphones."
"Gabriella...? We're not even trying out. Remember?" Troy sounded worried like he thought I'd changed my mind. As it turned out, I had. I crept back to my seat praying that Troy would follow me and he did…but only to persuade me to leave.
"Come on Gabriella, look at them. There good, they deserve this." Alright, they were good. Really good in fact (except that Ryan kept doing these weird dance moves and when he did that cartwheel, well I thought he was going down). But they did not deserve this. Sharpay was way to mean to deserve anything. Not that you know, I had done anything to deserve being cast either (except miraculously survive a detention). I guess I never answered Troy because he kept talking.
"I don't sing, so even if we did try out I'd give up my part." Was that a threat? Before I had more time to ponder that thought it was time. Sharpay and Ryan were bowing and then Ms. Darbus was calling for any last minute auditions. It was time, the moment of truth, would we audition? My mind was a whirlwind of confusion. Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no…no. No it was I guess.
"YES! I'd like to audition Ms. Darbus." Whoa, was that me? I thought I had decided not to audition; didn't my brain get the memo? Apparently not. I could only imagine the heart attack that Troy was having right now.
"Miss Montez? The singles auditions have come and gone and you don't seem to have a partner to audition with..." Shit. Where was Troy? That boy was going to get a serious verbal invective (was that redundant? Should it have been just invective would that have made sense? Curse my lack of knowledge).
"I'll-I'll audition with her Ms. Darbus." Aw, I could've kissed Troy right then but that might have stilted our relationship a little bit. I mean Troy's hot and all but the last thing I want is for him to think of us as friends with benefits. No matter how beneficial that relationship could be (and believe me I could definitely imagine the benefits).
"Troy Bolton? Where's your sports posse or whatever you call it?" Silly Ms. Darbus, they were obviously…
"Hey yeah, where is you sports posse?" I thought he was glued to them. Now that I thought about it I'd never actually seen Troy without some basketball player or another around him.
"Gabriella, Ms. Darbus," he turned to us respectively, "It's called a team, not a posse. And I'm here to…" He stopped as if unable to go on.
"He's actually my singing partner." I smiled at Ms. Darbus hoping that she would believe me (I wouldn't in her shoes).
"Can he sing?" I wasn't actually sure of that, Troy and I never really discussed his singing ability. When I told her so she made a strange noise (kind of like that noise that most people make before they say, 'I told you so') and threw her hands in the air.
"Well then!" I thought she was going to continue and tell me that we couldn't audition (Troy was already on stage, I'm not quite sure when he got up there but since Ms. Darbus was ignoring him and I was talking for him I'm sure that he had the time) but she just sat back down. So I went up the stairs; and tripped. So much for being cool around Troy (but looking back I don't think I ever managed to be cool around Troy).
"Are you alright?" The pianist, a (nerdy) small and what I took to be shy girl helped me up. Taylor had told me that her name was Kelsi and that she followed Sharpay around, she also said that she was stuck up but she seemed nice enough to me. Actually she seemed kind of dorky (do I sense a kindred spirit?).
"I'm fine, I really should go do my audition though. Sorry." Stage fright aside I realized that I'd never memorized the words, but it was a catchy tune (but so slooooow, I hate to say it but I liked Ryan and Sharpay's version better) so I thought I'd manage. Kelsi began to play the opening tune (or whatever the professionals call it).
"It's hard to believe that I couldn't see, you were always there beside me." Guess what? Troy could sing, can I pick 'em or what? Unfortunately I don't think he had much faith in me (ok just because I trip over things and can't string together a coherent sentence at times doesn't mean I can't sing) because he looked like he was getting ready to walk off the stage.
"Thought I was alone with no one to hold," Well, I can assure you that stopped him in his tracks. Yep Troy whirled right around and joined in with me, "But you were always there beside me. This feeling's like no other. I want you to know…" We sounded amazing together, I mean I'm not trying to brag or anything but we were so much better than Sharpay and Ryan. Until I hit a little snag.
"Ummm actually I forgot the rest. Sorry." I seemed to be apologizing a lot lately. I need to stop that (my mom says that too much apologizing can signal weakness, so I should only apologize to my elders and to people who can potentially beat me up, don't laugh that logic has served me well over the years).
"Fine, you both have call-backs. I'll post the time and date tomorrow." Ms. Darbus got up and walked out of the auditorium. Not so much as a 'good job' or a 'see you later'. Not much of a people person that one (well at least not a normal people person).
"Callbacks!? Where do you," Sharpay stormed onto the stage and thrust her manicured spear of a fingernail into my shoulder, "get off having a callback?"
"Did you hear them Sharpay? They were good." Ryan (seriously even though we're on like opposing sides I was still starting to love this guy) followed Sharpay on stage.
"Troy, you were fabulous-like I knew you would be-but Gabriella, well darling you should stick to stage crew. C'mon Kelsi, we're leaving." She strutted off stage again with Ryan trailing behind her…again.
"I just have to grab my stuff, I'll be right there!" Kelsi called at Sharpay's back, who responded with an ever caring, 'well make it quick'.
"Kelsi? Why do you even hang out with her? She's such a bitch to you." This was the first thing that Troy had said against Sharpay, and I'm not gonna lie, it gave me hope.
"Sharpay? No she's just…just like that I guess. I think she's kind of lonely." Aw Kelsi was so nice, not at all standoffish like Taylor had said.
"Well I'd better go but just so you know if you need to rehearse you can meet with me anytime, before school or after, or even during lunch or chemistry."
"Chemistry sounds good to me." Troy started, who knew he was such a shirker? The boy's breaking school rules left and right (granted they're only little ones like skipping biology and not doing homework but still, that could lead to jail or drug dealing and then jail).
"Oh no, we're staying in our classes. How about everyday during our ninth period study halls?"
Everyone agreed (Troy somewhat grudgingly) and we departed to get our stuff from our lockers and head home (well actually I think Troy goes to basketball practice after school and I'm not sure about Kelsi but I was going home).
While at my locker I picked up my science binder and dropped it in its place with a shudder. Reliving that experience was not on my to-do list. Now that I though a little more about it skipping science was a small price to pay for missing out on another lovely little chat with Sharpay.
Where was Kelsi when I needed her?