a/n: Firstly, thanks very much for the reviews, and, yes, I swear, no one in this fic is gay... Slash kind of freaks me out... Eurgh. Just so ya'll know, the party actually starts in this chapter. It's a bit long-ish (Is long-ish a word?), but you'll see why in a minute. It's actually a two-part thing... Oh, and I'm NOT a Jelsi shipper, so, in this fic, Jason doesn't even exist... Enjoy...

Kelsi stepped into the light. Her hair fell loosely onto her shoulders and she wore a black dress that reached her knees. She had put matching black sandals on her petite feet and thrown on a coat on before leaving the house.

"Wow," Ryan breathed, unable to stop himself. "I've...never seen you in a dress before."

Kelsi's face fell almost instantly. "It looks terrible, doesn't it?"

"No! No, no, really – you look amazing." Ryan felt the sudden urge to slap himself. "Uhm – you look good in black."

"Thanks," she replied, looking away pointedly. She had raided her entire closet in search of something to wear – it was a relief for her to know that her efforts weren't pointless.

"Let's go?" Ryan said, biting his lip. Kelsi nodded.

Another awkward silence followed his words. Together they walked further down the block, avoiding each other's eyes but still glancing sideways every now and then to get a better look. Ryan could barely recognize the composer who had written Twinkle Towne now – firstly because she rarely ever let her hair down and secondly because he had never seen her looking so stunning.

Kelsi, meanwhile, was mentally arguing with herself.

It's Ryan. Stop being so nervous. You've known him for, like, forever.

It's Ryan. You're crazy for him. He makes your heart beat double time. He makes the screwed-up version of What I've Been Looking For sound good. You can't resist him. You have every right to be nervous.

Yeah, but you shouldn't be. Ryan's just a friend...a friend that asks you out on a date after one of your most major successes...even though someone else beat him out...for something he – well, his sister – wanted so bad...

That's ironic. You're madly in love with the Drama King. Admit it.

I won't because I'm not...Am I?

You are. Hell yes, you are.

Damn it!

"...here, I think. I'm pretty sure she said – Kelsi?" Ryan's voice brought her sharply back to earth.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We're here," Ryan gestured towards the house to their left.

"Oh." The familiar nervous feeling came back to Kelsi. "Uhm, Ryan?"

Ryan turned around. "Yeah?"

"I...don't think I should stay long," Kelsi looked away and started wringing her hands. "Or at all, for that matter."

"Why not?" Ryan's face was full of concern as he took a step toward Kelsi and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just – can't. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't."

"Come on," Ryan smiled encouragingly. "You know you can tell me anything."

Kelsi considered him for a moment. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"I'll try my best."

"Well," Kelsi began, "I have a phobia. O-Of parties. I mean. I know it sounds stupid, and I haven't quite figured out why yet but they just scare me. I guess it's because I'm always thinking of what could go wrong next. I always expect the worst. Then I panic when something bad actually does happen – and believe me, I am not the most pleasant person to be around when I'm a nervous wreck."

Ryan closed his eyes, taking in what she had just said. "Don't worry," he replied simply.

"Why not?" Kelsi asked in surprise.

"Because I can tell you right now that you'll be alright."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Kels, I'm sure because...I'll be there." Ryan said, his hand still on her shoulder. "Even if one thing doesn't feel right, tell me. We'll work it out, I'll bring you home, no harm done. You'll be fine. And besides," he tilted his head slightly. "So what if you're afraid of parties? Everyone's afraid of something. Troy worries about what people think of him, Gabriella gets nervous in front of big audiences, Sharpay will never come near deep water, Chad is scared of Taylor when she's mad..." Kelsi laughed despite her uneasy feelings.

"And there are...other things...that scare me," he finished, shrugging.

Kelsi turned towards him, apparently interested. "Like what?"

"Just – things."

"If I can tell you anything, you can tell me anything."

"No, it's stupid, really. It doesn't matter."

Without thinking, Kelsi took his hand in hers. "It matters to me."

"Just promise you won't tell anyone," Ryan said, looking straight into her eyes.

"I promise."

"I'm afraid of the dark."

"The dark?"

"Yeah."

"What's so stupid about that?"

"I don't know, it's just – stupid. Seriously, no one is afraid of the dark."

"A lot of people are afraid of the dark," Kelsi protested.

"Really?" Ryan looked up in surprise. Kelsi nodded. As they walked inside, neither of them were aware that a small group of people had been watching them from above.

a/n: On to part two! Haha!

Oh, and I'm not sure how to make it so people don't have to log in to review. Will someone please tell me how? Thanks!