Okay, time to thank all the people who reviewed last chapter: mondlering moonfoot, C Campss104, xxAnnaxx, and Tatie. Also big thanks to you if you made this story a favorite or put it on alert. It makes me so happy! Hey, and if you review for the next chapter, you get to have your name written in the beginning of the next chapter (wow that's cool right?) along with my undying gratitude. Now that is cool, so you'd better review.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. I know, it's very sad, but it is a fact of life.
Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. I have been having writer's block. I hope the wait was worth it!
Chapter Seven
The auditorium wasn't very full, but it had a lot more people trying out than last year.
"Good turn out this year, huh Sharpay?" Ryan asked his sister.
"I guess," Sharpay said. She was busy scanning the crowd of people for people that she actually recognized.
"Hey Shar, Ryan, Katrina!" Sharpay turned around. Gabi Montez and Troy Bolton had just walked into the auditorium. She had the sweet smile that she always had plastered on her face. Troy was smiling too, but he was looking directly at Sharpay.
"Hey guys," Katrina said merrily. Ryan just waved to the two of them.
"Hi you two. I know I keep forgetting to say this, but good luck today," Sharpay said happily. Katrina and Ryan just stared at her in awe.
"Um, yeah, good luck guys," Ryan managed to say, not taking his eyes off of his sister. Sharpay glared at the two of them and they looked away.
"Aw… thanks guys. Good luck to you too," Gabriella said with the same smile still on her face. "Come on, we should find seats."
As Katrina Ryan and Gabi made their way down the isle, Sharpay and Troy tagged along behind them.
"Hey Sharpay," Troy said, grinning at her.
"Bolton," Sharpay replied as usual, attempting not to look directly at his face. She knew that if she did, seeing him smile would make her smile too. "Did you tell anyone about the whole gym incident?"
"Oh, you mean the time that you actually had fun playing a sport, not to mention, playing a sport with me."
"Can you thing of any other time?" Sharpay asked sarcastically. "And answer the question!"
Troy laughed at her impatience. "For your information, Sharpay, I didn't tell anyone. Not even Gabriella. After all, I wouldn't want to ruin your reputation as our school's Ice Queen, now would I?"
"Maybe I don't want to be the Ice Queen," Sharpay mumbled.
"What did you say?" Troy asked.
"I said thanks, we'd better catch up to everyone else," Sharpay said quickly.
"Did not…" Troy whispered to himself.
Ryan, Katrina, Sharpay, Troy and Gabriella all decided to sit in the front rows instead of the back as usual. This was mostly because Katrina was complaining to Ryan about being too far back, and he couldn't stand it, so he moved and everyone else followed.
"Geez, Ryan, no need to take what I say so seriously," Katrina said to Ryan as he sat there sulking.
"You annoy me," he stated.
Katrina pretended to sigh dreamily. "You make my heart skip a beat every time I heard you whisper those three little words in my ear," Katrina said jovially. She laughed as Ryan gave her a look of disgust. Then he turned to Sharpay.
"Why does your best friend have such a trait for sarcasm?"
"Sarcasm is not a trait," Katrina replied, "It's a way of life."
"Whatever you say, Trina," Ryan sighed.
"Alright everybody, your attention is needed up here," Ms. Darbus said from the stage. The small crowd of people auditioning instantly became silent, and all attention was directed to Ms. Darbus.
"As you all know, this is the auditions for our musical. If you aren't here for that, then leave." Ms. Darbus waited to see if anyone left. When no one did, she continued.
"This year's musical was composed, once again, by Ms. Kelsi Neilson." Ms. Darbus motioned over to Kelsi who was sitting at the piano. She smiled when she heard the applause coming from the audience, and turned back around to look at her music to hide the fact that she was blushing.
"Anyway," Ms. Darbus continued, "you all should know how this is going work by now. I will call you up one by one to audition. And the end of the audition, I will give you a small bit of criticism. Your roles will be posted on the bulletin board outside of my room tomorrow."
All of a sudden, someone's cell phone began to ring.
"WAS THAT A CELLPHONE?" Ms. Darbus yelled.
Sharpay looked over at Katrina. She was slowly moving her hand into her purse, so she wouldn't attract any attention from Ms. Darbus. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly turned it off.
"If I find out who that was…" Ms. Darbus began.
"Um, Ms. Darbus," Kelsi interrupted, "we should really begin the auditions. We don't want to run late." She gave her a nervous smile.
"Oh, I suppose you're right, Kelsi," Ms. Darbus said, disappointed at the fact that her ranting was cut off. "Okay, first to the stage is…"
Sharpay managed to avoid the sound of Ms. Darbus's voice, as she glanced over at her brother. He was just barely managing to hold back his laughter. Katrina sat next to him, her face red from embarrassment.
"I really need to thank Kelsi for saving me there," Katrina whispered to Sharpay. Sharpay smiled.
"That would have completely ruined your chances of getting a good part for the musical for sure. Ms. Darbus would have kicked you out."
"I bet your brother would have just loved that," Katrina said, glaring in Ryan's direction. He smiled smugly at her. She gave him a look that could kill and turned back to Sharpay. "Oh yeah," she said, "He would have loved that."
After an hour of some very painful auditions, (and three good ones from Troy, Ryan, and Gabriella) the only auditions that remained were Sharpay and Katrina.
"Katrina Taylors," Ms. Darbus said, "you're on stage, now." Then she turned to the crowd. "Now you can all see why the theatre can be so wonderful."
Katrina walked casually up to the stage, as if performing in front of a crowd was what she did everyday for a living. When she got up on the stage she smiled, and it seemed to make everyone calm down. Sharpay realized that Katrina had that effect on people when she performed.
"Ready?" Kelsi asked her. Katrina nodded and Kelsi began playing the song.
Dancing bears,
Painted wings,
Things I almost remember,
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December.
Someone holds me safe and warm.
Horses prance through a silver storm.
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory...
Sharpay instantly recognized the song, Once Upon a December. She had remembered singing the song many times; for auditions, for practice, or just because she felt like singing at the moment. She hummed the song to herself as Katrina sang on.
Someone holds me safe and warm.
Horses prance through a silver storm.
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory...
Far away, long ago,
Glowing dim as an ember,
Things my heart
Used to know,
Things it yearns to remember...
And a song
Someone sings
Once upon a December
When she stopped, everyone in the whole auditorium applauded.
"Brava, Miss Taylors, Brava," Ms. Darbus said above the applause. Katrina smiled and walked back to her seat. The applause didn't stop until Ms. Darbus made it stop.
"Alright, alright, I think Miss Taylors gets the point, you all liked her. But before we go, we have one last audition, Sharpay Evans."
After last year, Sharpay wasn't as confident as she used to be. For the first time in her life, Sharpay Evans was scared of auditioning. Get it together, Sharpay, she told herself. It's just an audition, who cares if Gabriella, or anyone else for that matter, beats you for the leading role. But Sharpay already knew the answer to that; she cared.
She stepped on the stage, and when her music began to play, she sang better than she ever had before.
Think of me
think of me fondly,
when we've said goodbye.
Remember me
once in a while -
please promise me
you'll try.
When you find
that, once
again, you long
to take your heart back
and be free -
if you
ever find
a moment,
spare a thought
for me
We never said
our love
was evergreen,
or as unchanging
as the sea -
but if
you can still
remember
stop and think
of me . . .
Think of all the things
we've shared and seen -
don't think about the things
which might have been . . .
Think of me,
think of me waking,
silent and
resigned.
Imagine me,
trying too hard
to put you
from my mind.
Recall those days
look back
on all those times,
think of the things
we'll never do -
there will
never be
a day, when
I won't think
of you. .
We never said
our love
was evergreen,
or as unchanging
as the sea -
but please
promise me,
that sometimes
you will think of me!
Sharpay sighed with relief. She was so glad that that was over with. She walked down the isle, back to her seat. She was thrilled with the amount of applause she was getting. It was more than she usually got. That was either because there were more people or she did really well, she convinced herself.
"Sharpay," Katrina said when she sat down next to her, "that was great! How long have you been practicing for this?"
"As long as you have," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why?"
"Well, it just seems like you've been practicing a lot longer than me, that's all," Katrina said quietly. "And if it makes you feel any better, you did way better then Gabriella." Sharpay smiled with satisfaction.
"Out of my way," Sharpay said to a freshman as she walked down the hallway. Katrina frowned at her rudeness. "Well, she was in my way," Sharpay told Katrina when she saw the look on her face.
"You sleep at all last night?" Katrina asked, trying to change the subject.
"No," Sharpay said, shaking her head. "What about you?"
"Not at all."
All of a sudden, Ryan came running down the hall.
"Guys," he said, "Ms. Darbus posted our roles." He grabbed their arms and dragged them down the hallway. Katrina got there first. Her mouth dropped open in shock.
"What is it Katrina?" Ryan said, as he came running up behind her.
"You and I are one of the pairs," she said slowly, her eyes wide with shock. Ryan stared blankly at her, and they both broke out laughing.
"God, I am going to be so sick of you by the time this is over," Ryan said. Katrina nodded in agreement.
"Um, what part did I get," Sharpay said nervously.
"Take a look for your self," Ryan and Katrina said in unison. Sharpay hesitantly moved over to the bulletin board, and within a few seconds was jumping up and down.
"I got the leading role!" she shouted. Then she froze. "But, if Ryan doesn't have the leading male role, then who does?" she asked, attempting to figure out the situation out loud.
"I did," said a voice from behind her. Sharpay turned around only to find Troy Bolton standing behind her.
Well, I hope that was worth the wait. Please Review!