a/n: First off, I'd like to make it clear that this story is NOT going to be one of those "after years apart, they meet again, blah, blah, blah, old love, new love, someone else, something's changed, will he/she remember, let's start over" things. Those take way too long. Oh, and I just thought you should all know that I've decided to start a separate story from this one with a couple one-shots – just glimpses of what's in the future for Ryan and Kelsi after this story ends. Now where did we leave the Evanses...? Oh, yes...
"CAN'T YOU GO ANY FASTER?" Sharpay shrieked from the back seat. Ryan covered his ears and the poor taxi driver shook slightly in fear.
"I – I'm sorry, but – but the speed limit – "
"Fine!" She crossed her arms and leaned back. Huffing in frustration, she decided that it was time to put her acting skills to use. She took out her phone and put it on vibrate, then held it up to her ear to pretend to make a call.
"Hello, doctor?" She spoke just loudly enough for her brother and the driver to hear. "Please tell my aunt that we're really sorry," she sniffed and sighed dramatically. "And that we might not make it and – and we love her very much! And she was always wonderful and if we ever seemed ungrateful, it's not her fault!" It had come to a point where crocodile tears were running down her cheeks and Ryan had to bite his tongue so that the driver couldn't tell he was laughing.
"Is she there? Let – let me speak to her! Please, this might be the last time! Hello? Hello, are you there? No, no, please no..." Sharpay dropped the phone into her purse and pulled out a handkerchief, then blew her nose loudly. Ryan played along, putting a sympathetic arm around her. "How is she?"
"I – I don't know!" Sharpay wailed, shaking her head. "I was about to talk to her and then – and then – the line was cut!"
"Uhm, miss?" The driver looker back, extremely pale in the face. "We can hurry it up, I'm sure the police will understand."
Both of them sighed in relief. The driver hadn't asked why they were visiting their dying aunt in an airport.
- - - - -
((Meanwhile, somewhere in Florida...))
"Mrs. Swann?" A tall secretary looked across the room at the Asian woman who was her boss of four years. "You have a call from a Miss Brierrose."
Gashaya Yin-Swann thanked the secretary and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Hi, this is Angelese from the conference last year around mid-November."
A smile met her lips as she remembered the meeting. "Ah, yes, the charming, influential girl with the funny colored hair – I thought I knew that voice. What can I do for you?"
"I was just wondering if you could look through your records and rethink one of your employees' current promotions. A friend of a friend gave me access to her information and I personally think she deserves a better position. And, really – putting a worker through the hassle of moving – it's just not necessary. I assure you, she's very capable of such a workload. You've met Mrs. Nielson, right?"
- - - - -
((Somewhere on the street of the airport...))
"That wasn't bad."
"No, not really. Could've been better. The service was just so slow..."
Troy and Gabi stood outside a restaurant that was just put up a week ago next to the airport. After having lunch, they left the building and waited to cross the street.
"Hey," Troy tilted his head slightly, looking over Gabi's shoulder. "Isn't that Sharpay and Ryan?"
"Where?" Gabi turned around and noticed two blonde people sprinting across the street. "Oh, you mean those two lunatics running for the airport like their tails are on fire?"
"Yeah, them."
She thought for a moment. "There's a good chance..."
Without another word, they started running as well – rather, half running, half stumbling because they were in such a rush – toward the airport.
- - - - -
"Done like a true professional." Angie smiled, feeling a great sense of accomplishment. The deal was made. All she had to do was wait.
That was when the first miracle happened. The board layered with electronic lights that showed the time of arrivals and departures of the different flights beeped and flickered slightly. The first line, which showed their flight number, flashed several times until one of the columns changed from "on time" to "delayed".
Kelsi didn't seem to be affected by the extra waiting time. Angie frowned slightly. Her second cousin was barely registering the construction going on next door.
The second miracle followed shortly afterwards. Mrs. Nielson's phone rang loudly. After glancing briefly at the screen, she stood up and walked to a quieter area, leaving her daughter in a separate, dark, scary world filled with taxis and letters and ridiculous excuses for not speaking up.
- - - - -
"Don't – worry – Ryan – we're – almost – there," Sharpay panted, running alongside her brother.
"Are – are you – keeping – track – of time?" he asked. "We left – with – I think – less than twenty minutes..."
"Sharpay! Ryan!" They looked up. Troy and Gabi were racing towards them. "Have you –"
With a loud crash, all four of them ran straight into the doors of the terminal. They slid smoothly open, making the group collapse onto the floor.
"We ran into automatic doors," Gabi giggled, apparently dizzy. "Hah, how stupid are we?"
Troy stood up just in time to catch her. Ryan and Sharpay, however, got up quickly and brushed off their clothes, prepared to continue running.
"Where are you guys headed in such a hurry?" Troy asked, still supporting Gabi, who hadn't quite regained balance.
"Oh, look, there are stars on the ceiling, how pretty...I wonder if...if the, uhm, wow, my head really hurts..." They stared at the Einsteinette for a while.
"We're going after Kelsi," Sharpay explained as she started to walk.
Troy gave her a puzzled look. "Why is Kelsi here?"
"No time to explain, just come on," she insisted, breaking into a run with Ryan right behind her. The pair followed with difficulty, since Gabi still wasn't walking straight and she hadn't stopped marveling at the stars on the ceiling that didn't exist.
- - - - -
"KELSI!"
The stunned composer jumped slightly. Her mother was still on the phone when rushed, heavy footsteps filled the room.
"Oh my god," she whispered. Troy, Gabi, Sharpay and Ryan were running towards them.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Angie muttered.
"Kelsi," Ryan whispered, hardly able to breathe, "I have to tell you something." She nodded mutely.
"Uhm," he hesitated for a moment. Sharpay nodded encouragingly while Troy and Gabi watched from beside her, wondering what to expect.
"I – I'm not sure how to say this, but...I mean, well, the – how am I supposed to put this in words? I guess, I think, uhm..." An awkward silence arose while Ryan thought hard of how to tell her how he felt.
Troy, since he was there, impulsively decided to help. "I don't want another pretty face, I don't want just anyone to hold, I don't want my love to go to waste, I want you and your beautiful soul."
"This is when the ink starts flowing," Sharpay sang after she had finished applauding. "This is where my heart is going; this is when my hands belong to you."
"True to your heart – you must be true to your heart," Gabi added when she finally started thinking straight again. "That's when the heavens will part; and baby, shower you with my love; open your eyes – your heart can't tell you no lies; and when you're true to your heart, I know it's gonna lead you straight to me..." she finished beautifully, smiling the way she usually did instead of how she did when the stars on the ceiling seemed so pretty.
Ryan sighed. "There are no words for how I feel for you."
Finally deciding to forget denial, forget the right words and just go right on ahead with instinct, he took Kelsi by the hand, pulled her close and, without thinking, kissed her.
Kelsi, who was still petrified, could just barely feel the ground beneath her. In an instant, her mind started racing and something in the distance seemed to explode while the rest of the world disappeared.
Several seconds, or days, or years, or eternities later, they broke apart. Sharpay, Troy, Gabi, Angie and even a few strangers were cheering.
Sharpay grinned at her brother. "It's about time."
a/n: I seriously regret bringing this chapter to an end here, but wasn't it awesome? They are just too cute...Anyway, the songs in this chapter are Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney, Don't Stop by Saving Jane and True to Your Heart from the Disney movie Mulan. I own none of them. In the next chapter you'll find out what went on with Angie's phone call as well as Kelsi's mom's and – gasp – are they still moving?
Ahem. I repeat, they are TOO CUTE...let's focus on that for now...
Muhahahaha. - - - Nina