Just a quick note, "If You Love Me For Me," doesn't belong to me. So whoever the rights go to, there you go.
Once she was out of sight, Kelsi ducked behind a tree in the courtyard to read Ryan's text.
"Hey beautiful, how was your day?" the message asked. The girl couldn't help but smile before she thought for a minute and sent a reply.
"Ugh; fell asleep in Pre-Cal, got threatened with detention, and had to deal with a huge brat who can't get over herself."
"Sounds like she and my sister would along just fine. Shar threw a hissy fit at our pianist just because she was having an off day."
"Jeez, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that temper tantrum."
"Yeah, Kelsi's pretty quiet, but she has a lot of guts to stick around for this long. Anyone else I know would have already quit after dealing with my sister."
"Either that or she's too intimidated by her to speak up for herself."
"Maybe a little of that too..."
Ryan and Kelsi continued to text back and forth for the rest of the week until finally he asked the question that had been on his mind for so long.
"When can I see you again?"
"I don't know yet, when do you want to see me?"
"Do you have plans on Thursday?"
"I don't think so, why?"
"Meet me in the music room at four o' clock tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you at the piano."
Gabriella sat at the desk in her room with Taylor, finishing their AP Calculus homework when suddenly her cell phone rang. She quickly crossed the room and answered, only to be greeted by a cry of desperation.
"Hello to you too, Kelsi," Gabriella laughed.
"Come on Gabbie, this is serious!" Kelsi squeaked.
"Who's on the other end?" Taylor called across the room.
"It's Kelsi," Gabriella replied, "Hold on, I'm putting it on speaker...So what's the matter Kels? And why the urgency?
"It's Ryan," Kelsi breathed into the receiver, "He wants to meet me tomorrow after school!"
"Only you would think that was a problem," Taylor rolled her eyes.
"What if he finds out who I am? Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Would that really be so terrible? I mean, he's got to find out sooner or later."
"Taylor, you just don't understand, I'm not what he thinks I am. Ryan probably wants some brunette version of Sharpay; perky, outgoing, and pretty. The minute he finds out about me he'll leave as quickly as he came and-"
"Get a grip on yourself, Kels! Why shouldn't he like you? . If he turns you down just because you're his pianist, then he's a bigger bimbo than Sharpay, which is saying something." There was a long pause before Kelsi spoke again
"I promise I'll tell him soon, but please not now," she said quietly, "I have something I need to do first."
That Thursday, Ryan practically skipped into the music room. A smile grew across his face and he gazed at his mystery girl, her fingers dancing across the black and white keys of the piano. Kelsi had purposely worn a flowered sundress she borrowed from Gabriella, ensuring he wouldn't recognize her by her clothing. Ryan felt his heart sink a little when he realized she was still wearing her mask. The girl turned around and smiled at him warmly.
"I give up," Ryan sighed, sitting down beside her, "Will I ever know who you are?"
"Soon," Kelsi whispered, "Hey, I was wondering if you could help me with this duet I wrote up with last night, it's still really rough so-"
"I know it'll be amazing," he interrupted, kissing her in the forehead and flipping to the first page of music. Kelsi looked at him nervously, but began to play the opening notes.
"Once a lass, met a lad. 'You're a gentle one,' said she. In my heart, I'd be glad, if you loved me for me." she sang with a voice as clear as mountain air, "You say your love is true, and I hope that it will be."
"I'd be sure if I knew, that you loved me for me," the boy joined in, pouring emotion into every word.
"Could I be the one you're seeking? Will I be the one you choose? Can you tell my heart is speaking? My eyes will give you clues."
"What you see may be deceiving, truth lies underneath the skin."
"Hope will blossom by believing-"
"The heart that lies within," they harmonized.
"I'll be yours. Together, we shall always be as one. If you love me for me," Ryan gazed at her lovingly.
"Who can say, where we'll go," Kelsi began the descant.
"I'll be yours, together," Ryan continued.
"Who can promise what will be?"
"We shall always be as one."
"But I'll stay, by your side,"
"If you love me for me. If you love me for me..." the two finished. Kelsi bit her lower lip anxiously and her hands moved to untie the mask when suddenly, a voice was heard down the hall.
"RYAAAANN!" Sharpay shrieked, "I just broke a nail!"
"It must be Halloween," Kelsi rolled her eyes, "Because the Wicked Witch of East High has just entered the building."
"You've got that right," Ryan laughed, "And I get to put up with it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, in stereo surround sound."
"Lucky you," Kelsi giggled, but as the click-clack of heels came closer, she grew more nervous, "I should go, I'll text you tonight." The pianist gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and left the room as quickly as possible. Little did she she know, Sharpay was waiting for her a few steps outside the door. The blonde roughly grabbed Kelsi by the wrist and dragged her down the hall into the janitors' closet. Slamming the door behind her, Sharpay rounded on the tiny girl with her eyes flashing menacingly.
"Who do you think you're fooling?" the blonde spat furiously.
"I, I don't know what you're talking ab-" Kelsi stammered.
"Cut the act pipsqueak. I'm so over this whole, 'aren't I so pristine act.' My brother may think that you're little miss perfect, but I know better. I may not have figured out who you are, but I do know that you are a worthless little nobody. Do you really think Ryan would like someone as pathetic as you? The only reason you're doing this is to try to get to me! Why else would you-" At that moment, something inside Kelsi finally snapped.
"Trying to get to you? You really are a brat, aren't you? The whole world doesn't revolve around you and it never has! You know why I would like Ryan? He's smart, compassionate, handsome, and talented. In fact, he's ten times the person you'll ever be. I honestly can't believe you; you're willing to insult your twin brother just to stay on top. I bet you don't even know that he doesn't want to be a supporting character in the Sharpay show anymore; he wants to be a choreographer and go to Julliard. Maybe if you listened to anyone besides yourself you would know that. Maybe if you looked somewhere other than your mirror, you could see how much hurt you've caused. I'll admit that some of it was my fault, for letting you be a power-hungry diva by not speaking up. But I'm through with doing that; through my ups and downs, I'm proud of who I am. You've stepped on almost every student in this school, but you're done stepping on me."
Leaving Sharpay speechless, Kelsi stormed out of the janitor's closet and slammed the door behind her. She stalked all the way to her family's car and climbed into the driver's seat. The tiny pianist pulled the mask from her face and threw it on to the passenger side. Once her adrenaline rush faded and her heart rate slowed considerably, she considered what she had just done.
"I just told off Sharpay Evans," Kelsi realized all at once and gave a a small laugh, "That felt good. No wait, it didn't feel good, it felt fantastic!" Once she got home, the girl decided that if she could stand up to Demon Barbie, she could do anything. Pulling out her phone, Kelsi composed a quick text and sent it before she lost her nerve.
