Back to School -- Act II
"So what do you think?"
Taylor was hoping for an excited thumbs-up from her best friend, but instead Gabriella merely gave an unenthusiastic shrug.
"It's cute -- but don't you think it's too dressy?" Gab asked as Taylor twirled around in front of the dressing room mirror. "I mean it's just a back-to-school dance, it's not a formal. In fact, I don't think most of the girls are even wearing dresses."
Taylor shot her best friend a doubtful look.
Gabriella giggled. "Okay, so I'm probably gonna wear a dress. But not a fancy one like that."
Taylor sighed, shutting the dressing room door so she could start changing out of this gorgeous dress she still had her heart set on.
"Besides," Gab continued from behind the door, "I totally think you should get those capris you tried on back at Macy's -- I think you looked really cute in them."
"Yeah…but will CHAD think I look cute in them?"
Her best friend didn't answer right away, which was exactly what Taylor was afraid of.
"I knew it!" she said, standing on her toes so she could peer over the dressing room door at her friend. "They made my hips look big, didn't they?"
Gabriella shook her head. "No, not at all!"
Although Gab was the smartest girl Taylor knew, besides herself of course, Gab wasn't a very good liar.
Taylor dropped back down to continue undressing. "Capris ALWAYS make my hips look big," she complained.
That was the only disadvantage of clothes shopping with her best friend -- Gabriella was so petite that she made Taylor feel like a heifer.
Not that it was her fault -- Gabriella couldn't help being tiny and perfect.
And other than the few twinges of jealousy Taylor sometimes felt, she couldn't have asked for a better best friend.
"That's not true," Gab insisted. "You look cute in capris."
She giggled before adding, "Besides, if your sister's Boy Rules have taught you anything, you should know that guys don't even NOTICE what you wear, especially guys like Chad."
"I guess that's true," Taylor conceded, hanging up the discarded dress and slipping on her shoes before opening up the dressing room door.
"Of course it's true," Gab said as they started to walk out. "When was the last time you heard Chad comment on someone's outfit?"
Taylor laughed. "Never. Except maybe a snarky comment or two about some of Ryan's ensembles."
And he didn't even do that anymore, Taylor realized as she handed the unwanted clothes back to the attendant.
"And could you hold this one for me?" she sheepishly asked the girl, holding out the fancy dress she'd just tried on.
"Taylor!" Gab scolded good-naturedly.
Taylor shrugged. "I have to think about it. NOT for the dance -- just for…whatever."
To be honest, Taylor was thinking it might be good to have a nice dress around for any future dates she might have.
After all, Chad had really changed since their disastrous date at the drive-in.
And Taylor felt it was definitely a change for the better.
"How about we get some coffee?" Gab suggested. "I want to sit down 'cuz my feet are killing me."
"Yeah, it sucks to be back in shoes, doesn't it?" Taylor observed, knowing that her best friend had spent the last three months barefoot out at the pool.
"And coffee sounds great…of course!" she added, and the two girls laughed -- Gab knew full well that Taylor NEVER turned down a chance for lattes.
As they headed down the mall, Gab asked, "So about the dance -- are we gonna double?"
Taylor shook her head. "I've gotta be there early to help set up."
"That's too bad."
Taylor shrugged. "It's okay -- I convinced Chad to come early with me and help with the decorations."
Gabriella laughed. "Chad Danforth hanging streamers? This I gotta see!"
"Yeah, I figured it'd help to have someone tall to stand on the ladder."
Gab playfully shoved her friend. "You're just using the poor boy."
Taylor shrugged. "Maybe a little," she admitted. "But don't worry -- I'll make it up to him."
Gabriella looked stricken, and now it was Taylor's turn to give a playful shove.
"Not like THAT! They're just streamers, for goodness sake. I just meant a goodnight kiss or something."
Taylor smiled dreamily -- she was definitely looking forward to him driving her home after the dance. She momentarily got lost in the happy thought…until the smell of fresh-roasted coffee brought her out of her reverie.
Amazingly, there was no line at Starbucks. The two girls ordered and then stood by the counter, waiting for their drinks.
"So, about Chad?" Gabriella said as they waited. "Uh…does he seem…different to you?"
Taylor smiled. "Of course -- why else do you think I said yes?"
She thought back to this summer, to how nervous Chad had seemed on their date. But now he seemed so comfortable around her, like he wasn't trying to prove anything.
The barista set two drinks on the counter, reading off, "A skinny latte for…Tyler? And a mocha for…uh…Babs?"
Taylor and Gabriella shared amused looks as they picked up what they assumed were their drinks and went to find an empty table.
Sitting down in the back corner, Taylor continued to reflect on the change in Chad. "You know, I think hanging out with Ryan has been really good for him."
Gab choked on her mocha, spitting it all over the table.
"Too hot?" Taylor sympathized, quickly grabbing up some napkins to help her friend clean up.
"No, I…." Gabriella merely shook her head, obviously embarrassed.
Taylor tentatively took a sip of her own latte before continuing. "So as I was saying, I think Ryan's been a really good influence on Chad. He's kinda…smoothed over Chad's rough edges, if you know what I mean." Taylor laughed. "Maybe Chad'll even start dressing better."
"Uh…yeah…maybe," Gabriella said, taking a huge swig of her mocha.
---
"So what do you think?"
Gabriella looked up as her friend exited the dressing room. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't plaid pants in turquoise and lime green.
She couldn't help but laugh. "I think a 70-year-old golfer somewhere is missing his pants," she teased.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Well, I think they're cute. And they totally go with that hat we saw earlier."
Gabriella snorted. "I'd hardly call that an endorsement."
"Whatever," Ryan said in a sing-songy voice as he turned around and headed back into the dressing room.
Today had certainly been an eye-opening experience for Gabriella. She never could've imagined how much fun it could be to go shopping with a boy. The only store Troy was ever willing to go in was Target, and he'd always disappear into the sporting goods section, never to be seen again until she dragged him away.
In addition, even though Gabriella had lived in Albuquerque for eight months now, she'd never known that stores existed underneath the Convention and Visitor's Center. Of course, the stores at First Plaza Galleria were way too pricey for her to actually buy anything, but it was fun to see how the other half lived.
Gabriella had also learned that how the other half lived and how they dressed seemed to go hand in hand. Ryan apparently dressed the way he did not solely because of his sexuality but also as a result of his social class. Gabriella had never seen so much pink in the men's section before today. She guessed the reason was that rich men didn't have to prove their masculinity by looking tough -- they already had the power that comes with money.
Either that, or the color-blind gene was common in the upper class!
Although clearly Ryan wasn't color-blind -- he had an innate color sense that his sister clearly lacked. Gabriella enjoyed hearing stories of Sharpay's disastrous clothing choices and wondered if the blonde girl knew just how lucky she was to have a brother like Ryan, who wouldn't let her leave the house clashing.
"Alrighty, then," Ryan said, walking out of the dressing room with the plaid pants slung over his arm. Putting his other arm around Gabriella's shoulders, he started to lead her towards the checkout lines. "After I pay for these, we can grab some chocolate croissants, my treat, before going back to buy the hat."
"We just had Starbucks an hour ago," Gabriella pointed out, realizing that shopping with Ryan was dangerous to her waistline.
Ryan shook his head like a teacher disappointed with his student. "You've got to learn, Gabs, that shopping is all about the eating."
Gabriella raised a doubtful eyebrow, grinning at her friend until he relented.
"Okay, it's also about the clothes. But the eating is very important. My mom and I have been known to stop for food five different times during a shopping trip."
Gabriella couldn't help but smile -- Ryan's relationship with his mom reminded her of the close bond she shared with her own mother.
"So why didn't you go shopping with HER today?" Gabriella asked as Ryan paid for the atrocious pants with his credit card.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "She and Sharpay had a D.A.R. meeting this afternoon."
Gabriella could tell that he was disappointed that his sister was getting to spend quality time with their mom when he was clearly in need of some retail therapy.
"Well, I know I'm not your mom," she said, patting him sympathetically on the back, "but at least you have me today, right?"
Ryan nodded, smiling, as he picked up the shopping bag and they headed out.
"So how come you weren't busy this afternoon?" he asked. "I figured you'd be hanging out with Troy today, or…."
He stopped mid-sentence, obviously not wanting to say her name aloud, so Gabriella finished for him, "Taylor?"
She watched Ryan's face fall into a serious pout. However, she'd been wanting to bring up the subject of Taylor all afternoon, and she was relieved that she could finally discuss it.
"About Taylor, Ryan -- you really need to talk to her."
"Me?! Why do I need to talk to her? She's not MY date!"
Ryan had gone from cheerful to pouty to angry so quickly, he reminded Gabriella of his twin sister -- but she wasn't about to tell HIM that.
"I know Taylor's not your date," she said, "but she is my best friend, Ryan. And I don't want to see her get hurt. I think she's starting to fall for Chad, and someone really should tell her--"
"Tell her what?!" Ryan snapped. "There's nothing to tell. Chad asked HER to the dance, not me -- it's obvious he's not interested in ME anymore."
"Oh Ryan, don't be ridiculous. He's called at least four times this afternoon." The advantage of personalized ringtones was that Gabriella had been able to tell whose calls Ryan had been avoiding.
As if on cue, Ryan's cell started playing "SexyBack".
"Just answer it," Gabriella encouraged. "What can it hurt?"
Ryan pulled the phone out of his pocket and turned off the ringer. "You mean, what MORE can he hurt?"
There was such pain in his voice, Gabriella wasn't sure how to answer him.
Clearly Ryan was devastated by Chad's recent actions, and she couldn't blame him -- she knew what it was like to be abandoned by someone you loved.
While Gabriella wasn't sure what had made Chad ask Taylor to the dance, she figured it probably had to do with him being scared…or selfish…or just plain stupid.
Of course, Chad was a teenage boy -- behaving stupidly was what they did.
And despite being a great shopper, Ryan was one, too.
Which explained a lot.
So Gabriella was going to have to lay out the facts for her friend.
"Chad likes you," she said simply. Ryan opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a finger and continued, "AND…I'm sure he'd like a chance to talk to you so he can explain."
Ryan sighed, clearly depressed. "What's to explain?" he asked, dragging his feet as he walked, his shoulders now slumped, his expression gloomy. "It's obvious he doesn't want to be seen with me on a date. And if he doesn't want to be seen with me, then what's the point?"
"The point is: you like each other."
Ryan shrugged, as if he doubted this statement.
"Well, I like HIM," Ryan admitted, "but…who knows. And I…I don't think I can go back to just being friends. Not after…."
He trailed off into a depressed sigh.
Gabs patted him encouragingly on the back. "It'll be okay, Ry. You'll see."
But Ryan wasn't buying it. Instead, he looked sadder than she'd ever seen him.
"C'mon," she said cheerfully, taking his hand. "Let's go eat some croissants and then buy that hat. Okay?"
Ryan shrugged. "What's the point?" he asked, moping. "Buying a hat won't make things better."
Gabriella stifled a startled gasp -- clearly this was more serious than she'd thought.
---
Weekends were supposed to be relaxing, but by Monday morning, Chad was exhausted from the seesaw of emotions he'd been experiencing since Friday afternoon's detention.
At first he'd felt extremely guilty about upsetting Ryan. But then he'd remembered that over the summer he'd promised Taylor he'd go dancing with her -- this made Chad feel vindicated and pissed off that Ryan was being so melodramatic about the whole thing.
But when Chad had tried to call Ryan to tell him off, the phone had just rung and rung. It didn't even go straight to voicemail, so Chad knew Ryan's phone was on -- which meant that Ryan simply didn't want to talk to him. At first this made him even angrier, but the more he called, and the more he was ignored, the more upset Chad got. He liked Ryan -- a LOT. And even though he wasn't ready to broadcast that fact to the entire East High student body, he hated to think that he might lose Ryan's friendship -- and whatever else they had -- all over some stupid dance.
Chad was determined to patch things up with Ryan, so he got up early Monday morning and rushed to get ready for school. Once there, he headed straight for Darbus's classroom. Ryan often hung out there before school, and Chad hoped to have a few moments alone with him before their classmates arrived.
But as Chad rushed through the classroom door, he found his homeroom practically empty, with only some emo boy, dressed in black from head to toe, sitting with his head down at Ryan's desk. Upon second glance, though, Chad noticed the wisp of blond hair peaking out from under the black hat and realized the emo boy was none other than Ryan himself.
"Yo, dude, what's with the black?" Chad asked cheerfully, walking over and perching on top of his own desk.
As Ryan slowly raised his head, glowering coldly, Chad let out a surprised, "Whoa, dude!"
He'd never seen Ryan in eyeliner before, and after the initial shock wore off, he realized just how sexy Ryan's blue eyes looked outlined in black.
The tight-fitting black shirt Ryan was wearing wasn't hard on the eyes either, outlining the lean muscles underneath. Chad took a moment to admire the view, forgetting for the time being what he'd been longing to discuss with his friend all weekend.
Finally, Chad leaned close to Ryan, whispering, "You look really hot like that!"
Ryan said nothing in reply -- instead, he tossed his head back defiantly and immediately started to rub the eyeliner off with his fingers.
Ryan's cold haughtiness reminded Chad of the silences at the other end of his cell phone.
"So why didn't you answer your phone this weekend, dude? I called, like, a zillion times. I really wanted to talk to you about the dance, to, you know, explain." Chad glanced around the classroom, making sure they were still alone before adding, "And I'd kinda hoped we could get together yesterday to…you know…hang out?"
"Make-out" was more like it, but Chad didn't dare risk having a fellow student walk in on THAT conversation!
"'Hang out'?" It was the first time Ryan had spoken, and his voice dripped with bitterness as the blond continued trying to rub off his eyeliner. "Is that what the Republican senators are calling it these days? You know, I'm sure you could've found an appropriate airport bathroom if you were desperate."
"Whoa, dude!" Chad exclaimed, shocked at Ryan's words. "You know that's not what I meant."
Actually, it kind of WAS what he'd meant, but he wasn't going to admit that now.
"I meant I wanted to hang out with my FRIEND, who I've barely seen since school started."
"Oh, 'friend' is it now?" Ryan was starting to look like a raccoon -- his eyeliner wasn't coming off but was merely getting smeared everywhere. "Careful, you know -- someone might hear and SUSPECT."
"Why you gotta be that way?" he asked frustratedly, knowing full well that Ryan had a point.
Things had been so easy this summer -- Chad never had to worry about what other people might think of his "friendship" with Ryan. But now that they were back at school, he was starting to feel paranoid. What might someone think if they saw the two of them talking? Would they jump to the wrong conclusion?
Which, of course, was really the right conclusion?
Chad just wasn't ready to deal with that -- at least not right now. Yet he felt guilty about hurting Ryan, especially because he'd never even CONSIDERED asking him. Not because he was holding on to that promise he'd made to take Taylor dancing -- just because he was supposed to date girls. That's what guys did.
So maybe Ryan did have the right to be a little put off.
But he didn't have to be so cruel about it.
"What's your problem, dude?"
"'What's MY problem'?" Ryan echoed caustically. "That's easy -- it's a four-letter word that starts with a 'C'."
Chad couldn't help but snort at Ryan's answer, thinking of that OTHER four-letter "C" word and knowing that THOSE were the least of Ryan's problems.
But laughing didn't help the situation. In fact, it seemed to piss off Ryan even more.
"Oh, so now you think it's FUNNY?!"
Ryan's eyeliner was now smeared all over his eyes, making him look like a raccoon -- which made Chad laugh even harder.
But the more he laughed, the more furious and hurtful Ryan got.
"Of course, you're just a jock -- what else do you do besides laugh and throw your stupid basketball around?" Ryan nodded his head at Taylor as she walked past them to her seat, waving and giggling at Chad. "Oh, and talk to your BEARD."
For the first time, Chad noticed that other students had arrived in the room, and he instantly stopped laughing, wondering if Ryan had said anything that might've been overheard and misinterpreted.
And then, suddenly, Chad just didn't care anymore. Being with Ryan simply wasn't worth all this drama.
Screw him!
"Whatever, Drama Queen!" Chad said, jumping off his desk and turning to go find Troy, eager to tell him what a douchebag Ryan was being.
And crashing straight into Sharpay.
"What did you just call my brother?"
Her voice was furious, and she gave Chad the same glare as Ryan.
And despite her being half a foot shorter than him, Chad was suddenly scared. Because Sharpay had a big mouth, and she KNEW things.
Things she could use to destroy him.
"I…uh…," Chad stammered lamely, automatically backing up as the angry blonde bore down on him.
Sharpay must've caught sight of Ryan from the corner of her glare for she suddenly did a double-take, her angry expression melting into one of sisterly annoyance.
"Ryan!" she snapped before sighing and rolling her eyes. She then turned back to Chad, saying, "I'll deal with YOU later," before grabbing Ryan's hand and dragging him out into the hallway, mumbling, "I TOLD you to use the liquid instead of the pencil -- you're a MESS!"
After the Evanses were gone, Chad suddenly felt very exposed, standing in the aisle in front of his fellow classmates.
But looking around, everyone seemed to be talking amongst themselves, totally oblivious to what had just happened.
Everyone except Taylor, who grinned and waved at Chad from her seat near the back.
Chad nodded and smiled smugly back at his date.
"Dude, what's up with Ryan?" Troy asked, pointing back out into the hallway as he entered the classroom. "Sharpay's giving him a spitbath in the hallway."
Chad rolled his eyes, no longer worried about Sharpay spreading "fake" rumors about him -- who was gonna believe her anyway?
Especially when he was taking a total hottie to the dance.
---
Zeke decided Tuesday morning that he'd wait until lunchtime to ask Sharpay to the dance. After all, he didn't want to seem too eager.
Which was why he was limiting himself to only asking her once a day.
Over the weekend, though, he'd been unclear as to whether leaving voice messages should really COUNT as asking, since she didn't have the chance to actually ANSWER. So he'd ended up leaving three messages on Saturday and two on Sunday.
And Zeke had almost broken his self-imposed limit yesterday. After being away from Sharpay for two entire days, which seemed more like an eternity to Zeke, he'd asked her first thing Monday morning. Unfortunately, she'd been busy scrubbing Ryan's face at the time and had barely acknowledged Zeke's question. He'd debated asking her again later in the day but had finally decided against it. After all, he didn't want to annoy her so much that she'd answer "no" just to get him to go away.
But he was starting to get nervous. The dance was approaching fast, and Sharpay had yet to give him any sort of definitive answer.
So he'd gone home after school yesterday and baked chocolate éclairs -- the kind with the chocolate custard inside that Sharpay loved. Chad had teased him mercilessly about his "bribe", but Zeke didn't see it that way. He simply liked Sharpay, and he liked to see her happy -- and éclairs made her happy.
And if they also made her say "yes", Zeke wouldn't exactly complain.
So the moment the lunch bell rang, Zeke rushed to his locker to retrieve the tin of éclairs from the insulated cooler that Troy had given him for his last birthday. Since Troy's unfortunate after-school encounter with one of Zeke's banana cream pies had no-doubt inspired the gift, Zeke was grateful that, thanks to the cooler, he wouldn't have to worry about the éclairs making Sharpay sick.
She was easy to find in the cafeteria. As usual, she was sitting up at the Drama Club table, holding court. Ryan sat next to her, dressed all in black and sighing heavily into his box of sushi. Yesterday Zeke had just assumed that it was laundry day and Ryan had run out of clean shirts, but when the blond boy had showed up in homeroom again this morning dressed all in black, Zeke suddenly wondered if black was the new pink.
Zeke stood quietly next to the table, waiting for a break in the conversation so that he wouldn't have to interrupt. Finally, Sharpay took a sip of her VitaminWater, and Zeke jumped at the opportunity.
"Hey, Sharpay?" he said, opening up the tin and setting it down in front of her. "I made these last night and I thought you might--"
Sharpay's happy gasp interrupted him.
"Are they the ones with the chocolate inside?" Sharpay asked excitedly.
"Yep." Zeke smiled, pleased with himself that he'd picked the right thing to bake. "Just the way you like them."
Sharpay didn't need any more encouragement and quickly dove into one of the éclairs. Zeke watched as she smiled and closed her eyes, clearly savoring the flavor of the choux pastry and rich chocolately custard. It made him so happy to know that he could bring her such joy.
And maybe she'd be willing to return to the favor by saying yes?
"So, uh, Sharpay," Zeke began tentatively, not wanting to interrupt her enjoyment of the pastry but also not wanting to miss his opportunity to ask her. "I was wondering, you know, about the dance on Friday?"
"Oh that's right!"
Zeke breathed a sigh of relief -- clearly she hadn't been putting him off, she'd just forgotten about it.
But instead of turning to Zeke and declaring that yes, she'd LOVE to go to the dance with him, she turned to her brother.
"I told Ms. Darbus we'd meet with her on Friday to discuss next week's auditions -- I guess we'll need to reschedule with her."
Ryan shrugged, clearly not caring. "Why bother? It's not like I'M going to the stupid dance."
Sharpay smacked her brother on the arm. "Stop moping. You're SO pissing me off this week!" She stood up from the table, grabbing Ryan's wrist and dragging him to his feet as well. "C'mon, we've gotta go find Ms. Darbus."
Ryan was reluctant to leave. "Why do I have to go?" he whined.
"Because you're one of the co-presidents of the Drama Club, and you know as well as I do that being a co-president has its responsibilities as well as its privileges."
Ryan sighed, slumping his shoulders and dragging his feet as he started to follow Sharpay.
"Uh…Sharpay?" Zeke asked hopefully as he watched the Evans twins start to go.
"Oh, I almost forgot!"
Zeke prepared himself for the answer that he was certain was finally coming.
But instead Sharpay returned to the table and grabbed up the tin of éclairs. "Thanks for reminding me, Zeke!" she said, smiling sweetly at him as she headed towards the stairs.
Zeke watched the blond twins leave. He was still so stunned that he didn't even crack a smile when Sharpay slapped Ryan's hand away when he reached for an éclair.
Zeke just didn't know what he was doing wrong. Somehow he'd blown it AGAIN, and now he had to wait until tomorrow before he could ask her again -- and he wasn't sure he could WAIT that long.
"Are you okay?"
Zeke turned and glanced down to see little Kelsi looking up at him with her big blue eyes.
Zeke shrugged, flopping down in Sharpay's vacated seat. "Every time I ask Sharpay to the dance, she somehow avoids answering the question. It's like she barely even notices me." Zeke looked at Kelsi, wondering if the short girl might have some insight. "What am I doing wrong?"
Kelsi shrugged. "You're not Sharpay," she pointed out.
"That's true," Zeke laughed, admitting how self-obsessed Sharpay truly was. "So you think if I wore a blonde wig and heels she'd pay more attention to me?" he joked.
"Maybe so," Kelsi teased back. "At the very least, you'd definitely get everyone ELSE'S attention."
"Then maybe that's what I should try next," Zeke said, only half joking -- after all, he WAS getting desperate. "I mean, I've tried flowers, cookies, balloons, and now éclairs. Maybe my next step SHOULD be high heels."
"They're definitely worth a try…though they might be dangerous to your health."
When Zeke gave her a confused look, Kelsi continued: "Add four inches to your height, and you might start hitting your head on doorframes."
"Good point."
Catching sight of Ryan's leftover sushi out of the corner of his eye, Zeke suddenly realized how hungry he was. He also realized he didn't have any money for lunch because he'd spent his last cash on the cocoa powder for the éclairs.
"Hey, do you think Ryan would mind if I ate his lunch?" Zeke asked, grabbing for the strange box of food. He'd never really tried sushi, but he was so hungry, he didn't even care how gross it sounded.
Kelsi shook her head. "I don't think Ryan would even noticed -- he's been so depressed all week."
"Depressed?" So THAT explained the black clothes! "What about?"
Kelsi shrugged. "He hasn't said. But I think it might have something to do with the dance?" she suggested tentatively.
"Yeah, I might be depressed, too, if Sharpay doesn't answer me soon."
Zeke sighed, popping one of the sushi things into his mouth and realizing that sushi was actually quite tasty.
Maybe he'd have to look up some recipes for it online!
---
The Evans twins were already sitting at the table center stage when Eleanor Darbus arrived for the Drama Club meeting. Sharpay looked eager to begin, but Ryan sat slumped in the chair opposite his sister, dressed all in black.
Of course, dressing all in black was nothing unusual for the theatre kids -- but it WAS for the musical theatre ones. Eleanor was used to seeing Ryan dressed in wonderfully colorful outfits, and any black he DID wear always had natty pinstripes.
She might've worried that this sudden change in clothes and demeanor meant something was wrong. But if there was, surely Ryan would've told her. And since he hadn't, she could only assume that he was merely preparing for a role.
"Good afternoon," Eleanor said grandly as she swept onto the stage, her scarf flowing behind her like Isadora Duncan.
Taking a seat between the two twins, she adjusted her glasses to glance at the paperwork in front of her, adding, "Are we all ready to get this spectacular year in the Drama Club underway?"
"Of course, Ms. Darbus," Sharpay said, smiling brightly. "We're eager to get things started." Her smile faltered for a moment as she glared at her brother.
"Ow," Ryan mumbled before sitting up straighter, saying without much conviction, "Yeah, we're ready, Ms. Darbus."
Sharpay rolled her eyes before smiling back at her teacher. "The first order of business should be organizing the auditions for the fall play next week."
"Shouldn't we pick a play first?" Ryan asked.
"Whatever, Ry -- setting up the auditions is more important."
"Actually," Eleanor interjected, "we probably SHOULD finalize our play choice first."
Ryan smiled smugly at his sister -- the first smile Eleanor had seen from him all week.
"Fine!" Sharpay snapped, obviously upset at having been overruled. "We'll pick a play then."
Eleanor started sorting through the pile of scribbled notes the other Drama Club students had placed on her desk over the past week. "I've had lots of suggestions so far: Death of a Salesman. The Cherry Orchard. Mother Courage. A Doll's House."
At each suggestion, the Evans twins made faces and shook their heads. Eleanor didn't blame them -- it was like she was reading the Intro to Theatre reading list out loud.
Eleanor continued. "Oedipus Rex. Medea."
She heard an excited gasp from Sharpay and a decisive "No" from Ryan, so she went on.
"Long Day's Journey into Night. No Exit."
"That's appropriate," Ryan mumbled. "'Hell IS other people.'"
Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Just ignore him, Ms. Darbus."
Ryan glared at his sister before suggesting, "How about something more modern, like Tragedy: a tragedy?"
Sharpay sighed frustratedly. "No, Ryan," she stated firmly.
"Why not?" Ryan whined. "According to the New York Times, 'Will Eno is a Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation.'"
"I don't care if he's 'a Shakespeare for the Steven Colbert generation', I'm not doing a play with such a retarded title."
"Yet you would've been happy to do Twinkle Towne."
Sharpay gasped, and Ryan emitted another "Ow."
Eleanor realized she should probably interrupt this sibling argument sooner rather than later. "Speaking of Shakespeare, I have a surprise for you two."
The Evans twins had matching twinkles in their eyes as they both leaned in towards their teacher eagerly.
"Are we doing Hamlet?" Ryan asked excitedly.
"As You Like It?"
"Twelfth Night?"
"Oh, the twins -- good thinking, Ryan!"
Eleanor held up her hands. "No, we're not doing any of those."
Both twins sighed disappointedly.
"But I've decided that we're going to do an extra play this year, AFTER the spring musicale. It'll be a brilliant adieu to my two talented seniors."
The twins leaned in expectantly once again, and Eleanor milked the moment for as long as she could.
Unfortunately, Sharpay was a bit impatient. "So what's the play?" she demanded.
Eleanor smiled as she grandly announced, "The Scottish play."
"Yes!"
Ryan and Sharpay shared an excited grin across the table.
Eleanor smiled. "I thought you might like that."
"'Like' it?" Ryan asked.
"More like 'LOVE' it!" Sharpay corrected. She started rubbing her hand: "'Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!'"
Not to be outdone, Ryan proclaimed, "'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from--'"
"Yes, yes," Eleanor interrupted, realizing they would get nothing done if the two sat here quoting lines all afternoon. "There'll be time enough for that this spring. But for now, we need to pick another play."
Ryan nodded. "If we're going to do Macbeth later on…."
Eleanor gasped as Ryan said the name of the cursed play aloud, but he merely continued, "maybe we should do something lighter this fall."
"How about Hedda Gabler?" Sharpay eagerly suggested.
"I said 'lighter'!" Ryan snapped.
"Yeah, but I'd be a FABULOUS Hedda."
Eleanor agreed -- Sharpay WOULD be wonderful as the strong-willed heroine who gets what she wants through whatever means possible.
But Ryan wouldn't hear of it. "But there isn't a decent part for ME in Hedda. And if you want to play caustic, why not go all the way and do Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
"Ooh -- 'Fun and Games'!" Sharpay clapped her hands together, obviously thrilled with his suggestion.
Although the Evans twins would be fabulous as George and Martha, Eleanor wanted a production with a larger cast to start off the year, something that could allow the in-coming freshmen a chance to tip their toes in the creative waters of the theatre program.
Ryan and Sharpay, though, were clearly only thinking of themselves. Eleanor naturally approved of this -- in order to succeed in the theatre, one had to be assertive.
But it wasn't exactly helping her make a good decision.
"Perhaps we should decide on a play later," Eleanor suggested. "I can go through my scripts and find something that will be perfect for the drama department as a whole -- and you two in particular."
Ryan and Sharpay shared a smile.
"So let's discuss the auditions, shall we?" Eleanor began.
Sharpay flashed her brother a smug look before saying, "Yes, as I was going to say at the BEGINNING of this meeting, I think we should do the auditions next Tuesday. AFTER school, not during free period. And then we can have callbacks on Thursday, same time."
Eleanor nodded. "That sounds reasonable. What do you think, Ryan?"
Ryan shrugged, his earlier glum mood starting to return. "Whatever. It's not like I have anything BETTER to do after school."
Sharpay sighed frustratedly. "Why do you have to start moping again, Ry? You're so BORING when you mope."
"I'm not moping."
"Pouting. sulking, brooding -- take your pick."
"Well, not everyone can be eternally happy when they're dissed, sis. I'm not Zeke, you know."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"The poor guy is practically throwing himself at your feet asking you to the dance. You either need to throw him a bone or send him running. And stop waiting around for someone better because clearly he would've asked you by now."
Sharpay gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
"So, auditions," Eleanor quickly interjected, finding it hard to keep the twins on topic today. "After school Tuesday and Thursday sounds good to me." Turning to Sharpay, she added, "And I suppose you'd like to do couple auditions as usual?"
Before Sharpay could agree, Ryan mumbled, "Couple auditions are stupid."
Eleanor and Sharpay both turned to look at Ryan, who had slumped down in his seat again.
"Repeat?" Sharpay demanded.
"You heard me -- they're stupid. Because couples don't always go well together. And sometimes one person in the couple is committed and the other isn't, and then the whole…play gets thrown out-of-whack." Ryan crossed his arms across his chest as he added, "I think we should just have singles auditions. We're all really alone in this world anyway -- shouldn't we be for auditions as well?"
Although Ryan had a good point, Sharpay shook his head like her brother was insane.
"Will you get over it already, Ryan? MOVE ON! You had some fun this summer, but it's over. Now just get on with your life and stop dwelling on it."
"Well, maybe I don't WANT to move on. Maybe I want some time to mourn my broken heart -- you ever think about that?"
"Mourning is useless, Ry. It's not gonna bring him back, it's just gonna make you miserable. And YOU aren't the one who should be miserable right now -- HE is! And the best way to do THAT is to make him realize what a mistake he's made. Get out there and have some fun. Rub it in his face that you don't need him. Either he'll come crawling back…or he'll have to just lie in that miserable little bed he's made for himself. And either way, you win."
Eleanor wondered what -- or at least who -- they were talking about. It certainly made Ryan's wardrobe choices over the last few days make more sense. Poor boy -- she knew what it was like to have your heart broken.
Sharpay's lecture slowly began to have an effect on her brother -- after a moment of stony glaring, he uncrossed his arms and sat up straighter in his chair.
"Maybe you're right," he reluctantly agreed.
"And?" Sharpay prodded.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "And I still think couples auditions are stupid, but I'm sure I'll be overruled, so I guess I'll have to live with it."
Sharpay smiled. "Good. Now let's get back to our meeting, shall we?"
As Ryan nodded, Eleanor gently patted the boy's hand -- she hated to see her little birds so sad. But once he started play rehearsals, he'd forget all about his broken heart -- that's what Eleanor had always done.
So the sooner the play could get underway, the better.
---
Martha stared down at her textbook and sighed. She knew she needed to get her assignment done before 2nd period calc, but she just wasn't in the mood for math at 7:30 in the morning. This was definitely one of those times that dancing seemed cooler than homework!
Truth be told, dancing had been foremost on Martha's mind for the past week, ever since the signs for the back-to-school dance had been posted. At first, she'd been totally excited -- she loved to dance and jumped at any opportunity to do so. But then she'd learned that all her friends had paired off and were going as couples to the dance, leaving Martha as the odd girl out.
So now she was the only one of her friends NOT going to the dance, even though she was the only one who LOVED to dance -- life was so unfair!
Martha sighed as a gaggle of freshmen girls giggled up the front steps past her. It had been so easy when she'd been a freshman -- the chess club had all just gone to the school dances together as a group, with none of this stupid "dating" stuff. Martha wished it could be that simple again.
'Ah, the joys of growing up,' Martha thought wistfully.
She began to return her attention back to her math homework when something bright caught her eye. She looked up to see Ryan Evans ascending the stairs to East High, his bedazzled lime green hat sparkling brightly as its many jewels caught the light.
Martha smiled -- no one dressed quite like Ryan.
And no one danced quite like him, either.
A slow smile began to cross Martha's face as she realized that the answer to all her problems had just walked by.
"Ryan!" Martha called out, scrabbling ungracefully to her feet and hurrying after him.
Luckily, Ryan heard her and stopped, a haughty eyebrow raised in question.
"Hey, Ryan," Martha said breathlessly, winded from leaping up the stairs two at a time. "Can we…uh…I mean…can I ask you a question?"
As Martha stammered awkwardly, she suddenly realized that, while she and Ryan had worked together for the Star Dazzle show and had even danced together at the big end-of-summer pool party, the two of them had never had an actual conversation. This fact flustered her -- she wasn't good under pressure, which was exactly why she hadn't gone out for the debate team.
Not that the blond boy was particularly intimidating, standing there in his sparkly hat and penny loafers. Martha wondered if the petite boy even weighed a hundred pounds wet!
But physically intimidating or not, Martha realized she'd better ask him quick before he turned and walked into the school.
The trick was where to begin. She hadn't really thought this through, so she wasn't sure exactly what to say.
"I…I know you're not interested in me," Martha began, "or ANY g--." She stopped herself midword. Although she knew Ryan was gay, she also was fairly certain that he wouldn't want that fact broadcast all over the steps of East High.
"I…uh…I mean…." She could feel her face flushing with embarrassment and decided to just get it over with as quickly as possible: "You wanna go to the dance with me?"
Ryan raised both eyebrows as he echoed skeptically, "'Go to the dance with you'?"
Martha nodded enthusiastically. "Not as a date, per se. We could just go together -- as dance partners. You know, like Fred and Ginger. Or Mel B and Maksim."
"Who?"
"You know…Dancing with the Stars?"
Seeing Ryan's blank expression, Martha was appalled to realize that Ryan had no idea what she was talking about. "Oh my god, Ryan, you SO need to start watching it -- you'd LOVE it." Then, realizing she'd gone way off-topic, she said, "But anyways, I just thought that YOU like to dance, I like to dance, and there's a dance tomorrow -- we should just go and have fun and dance the night away togeth--"
"I'm in," Ryan interrupted, a slow smile starting to light up his pale face. "I'm so in."
Martha practically jumped up and down with excitement. "Oh my god, this is gonna be so much fun! We're gonna be the fiercest couple on the dance floor."
Thinking more about it, she added, "Oh, and do you want to get dinner beforehand, or is that too date-like?"
Ryan shrugged. "Everyone has to eat. And we'll need energy if we're gonna 'shake our booty' and 'get down tonight'."
Martha laughed as Ryan spontaneously broke into an impromptu disco spin. This was going to be the best dance EVER!
---
Sharpay could tell before breakfast that today was going to be a great day, in spite of the whole having-to-go-to-school thing. That was because, instead of being forced to sit across the breakfast table from her black-clad depressive brother, he'd instead come into her room early, dressed in an appropriately bright ensemble, and suggested they get Starbucks on the way to school, his treat.
She was so happy to see that her brother had actually listened to her and come to his senses. His moping had been really getting on her nerves, and she was glad that he was finally moving on.
And Sharpay had actually thought about what HE'D said as well and realized he was right -- she HAD been putting off Zeke in the hopes that "someone better" might ask.
Thinking about it last night, she'd been horrified to realize that she was treating Zeke the same way Chad had treated Ryan -- being nice to him over the summer and then dropping him like a hot potato the moment school began again. And in Sharpay's eyes, behaving like Chad was not a thing to be proud of, especially considering how pissed she'd been at the stupid jock all week.
So she'd come to the decision that she was going to accept Zeke's invitation first thing Thursday morning -- she knew that would make his day!
Sharpay caught up with Zeke at his locker before homeroom.
"Hey Zeke," she said, flashing her cutest smile.
"Hey Sharpay."
Zeke smiled brightly at her as he pulled something out of his locker -- Sharpay hoped it was something edible, but it turned out just to be his history book.
He must've noticed her disappointed look because he quickly explained, "I'm sorry, Sharpay -- I didn't bake anything last night. But Ms. Cavanass sometimes lets me use the home ec room during lunch, so I could bake you some cookies then or something."
The offer was tempting, but Sharpay wanted to stay on track and not cloud the issue by thinking about warm, fresh-baked cookies.
"So," Sharpay started. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject of the dance, since he'd been the one bringing it up all week.
Until yesterday, that is.
"I didn't see you yesterday," Sharpay blurted out as the thought hit her.
"You didn't?" Zeke sounded disappointed. "We have three classes together, not to mention homeroom."
"Oh." Sharpay hadn't known that. "Well then, I didn't TALK to you yesterday."
"Actually, you asked me if I had any more éclairs," Zeke pointed out. "Several times, in fact."
The tall lunkhead was not making this any easier for her.
"Oh, whatever!" she snapped frustratedly. Then she quickly smiled, looking coyly up at Zeke through her mascara-coated lashes. "I MEAN, wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?"
When she was met with a blank stare, she prompted, "You know -- about the DANCE?"
Sharpay watched as the color drained from Zeke's face.
"Oh god, Sharpay -- I thought -- I mean, when you didn't -- I'm going with someone else!"
Sharpay felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach.
"REPEAT?!"
"I'm so sorry, Sharpay. I just thought -- well, you kept putting me off, so I thought you just didn't want to go with me. But I'd definitely be interested in sharing a dance or two with you -- I'm sure Kelsi won't mind."
"You're going with KELSI?!"
Sharpay could hear how shrill her voice was getting, but she didn't care -- she couldn't believe she'd been jilted for that…that RUNT!
"You know what?" Zeke said, clearly trying to appease her. "I won't wait for lunch -- I'll go bake you some cookies right now. Okay, Sharpay?"
And Zeke was off.
All Sharpay could think to holler after him was, "They better have chocolate!"
Long after Zeke had disappeared into the crowd of students, Sharpay continued to stand there, leaning against the lockers, trying to get her bearings. She -- Sharpay Evans -- star of East High's Drama Club -- a SENIOR -- did not have a date for the back-to-school dance.
Which was now less than 48 hours away!
Could this day get any worse?!
"Hey, Shar," Ryan said cheerfully, bounding up to her. "Guess what? I just got a date for -- hey, did you know you spilled coffee down your shirt?"
As Sharpay glanced down to see the offending brown stain, the bell sounded, making her late for homeroom.
"Aaaah!" She screamed, stomping her foot angrily.
Today was turning out to be a hideous day -- just like she'd predicted!
END OF ACT II
INTERMISSION