Series: 23 for 23
Title: Two: Singing in the Rain?
Author: Jmaria
Rating: FR-15
Disclaimer: I own the World Walker, Joss Whedon owns BtVS, Disney owns High School Musical.
Spoilers: Series and High School Musical
Series Summary: Twenty-three stories and crossings of worlds (read: insanity) to celebrate twenty-three years.
Part Summary: Are we sure theres not a magical demon summoning amulet involved?
Words: 1,059
A/N: First quote comes from the into, second comes from One Day by The Verve. Also - does anyone know what grade the HSM cast is supposed to be in? I figure tenth or eleventh - and they are in this but hell if I really know. (It took me three years after the series to figure out that Dawn must be in the tenth grade in season 7 - Joss never really mentioned what grade she was in did he?) But hell if I actually know. In HSM theres talk of college (Troy knows where hes going to apply in the first one I think? His dads alma mater.) Anywho - they're all in the eleventh for fic purposes.
Dedication: To fufumira for the fandoms and prompt.

23 for 23


Two: Singing in the Rain?

Behind them she saw the worlds that had so briefly intersected with hers.

One day maybe we will dance again under violet skies.

"Why are we here?"

"Its a high school. For us that means continuing your education and a normal means of employment for me."

"Okay, but you do know you're technically not qualified to be a counselor, right?" Dawn Summers groaned as she slid out of the passenger seat of the new car the NWC had provided her older sister. Dawn was just grateful that it was a sturdy and dependable vehicle that was likely not going to be totaled easily. It helped that Xander had actually picked out the car for the accident prone slayer. "So I'll repeat, why are we here again?"

'Here' wasn't technically the middle of nowhere, but then it was eerily similar to Sunnydale. It was almost too good to be true. It was sunny and bright and way too cheerful. Obviously, it must be the next gathering place for evil to spawn and multiply. To top it off, it was freakishly bright and cheery out for March. And apparently none of the town residents needed even a jacket to keep them warm.

"I need a job and you need a school. Its perfect, safe and of the non-Hellmouth variety."

"Rome wasn't of the particularly Hellmouth-y variety either," Dawn muttered. "And you really don't need a job either, seeing as you're the head of the Watchers Council."

"I get bored stopping the end of the world and listening to Andrew drone on about the slayer of the vampyres," Buffy huffed, taking the steps two at a time.

"You're the one who hired him, Buffy. And its so not Andrew that you're running away from, and you so know it."

By then Buffy had already reached the doors and her listening point, so Dawn's comment got lost in the and bustle of hundreds of students pouring out of the doorways that lined the corridor. Jerseys and (oddly enough) lab coat covered teens stood at the end of the corridor singing out an argument. And a girl dressed flamboyantly in hot pink was pushing past them, followed by a lanky young man also oddly dressed in pink.

"Okay, I was so right about this place being a nexus of evil, Buffy."

"I'll pay you the ten bucks later," Buffy grumbled before plastering a cheery grin on her face and stepping forward to catch the attention of the girl in pink. "Excuse me, could you point me -"

"No, I don't have time to sign anything for you right now. We've got important things to do," the girl brushed past her, a big pink and silver blur. The boy only sniffed derisively in Buffy's direction. "Ryan, get over here now."

Dawn gave an unladylike snort of laughter at both the scene and her sister's face. Buffy glared at her again before going up to the arguing/singing group. Dawn wasn't sure even her sister could make herself be heard over the singing. A tall, jerseyed boy beside her gave a forlorn sigh, startling her from her thoughts. He held a bag of cookies in his hand out to her. Dawn cautiously took one, wondering if this fell into the whole candy/strangers portion of her mini-training.

"She's really not that bad," the boy smiled sadly after the pink blur.

"Really? That's kinda hard to believe."

"Its the musical and the fact that she and Ryan aren't the leads like usual."

"Ryan would be the human lapdog?" Dawn asked.

"Her twin."

"And she is?"

"Sharpay Evans. President of the Drama Club."

"And you've got it bad for her?"

"Yeah, but she's crushing hard on Troy, who's totally hooked on Gabriella."

"Love square. I am sadly overly familiar with those," Dawn paused. "And sadly, they never seem to involve me. What's with the jocks and brains singing with each other?"

"More fallout from the musical."

"Fallout from the musical? I'm lost."

"Remember how I said Sharpay and Ryan aren't the leads in the musical? Well, it doesn't help that Troy and Gabriella beat them out for the leads."

"Wait - the twins tried out for the romantic leads in a play?"

"Theyv'e had the parts rewritten before," the boy shrugged.

"Okay - back to the singing in the halls?"

The boy sighed again and just bit into one of his cookies. Dawn took his cue and ate her own cookie. It was surprisingly delicious, and she was a Guilt-Cookie connoisseur from years back. Willow still tended to make guilt cookies, and nobody made guilt taste as yummy as the uber-witch.

"Simple enough," the boy answered. "Troy's the captain of the basketball and baseball teams, and Gabriella is the heart and brain of the Science and Math clubs. He's athletically stacked while she's academically stacked."

"And the Jets' are pissed off because their boy is being drawn away by the Sharks' princess?" Dawn guessed, half watching Buffy push her way through the singing group.

"We've all been song-fighting since January. It gets a little tiring, but the faculty and staff have been nice enough to pipe in background music through the PA system round the clock."

"Are you kidding me?" But as soon as the words left her mouth, Dawn could hear the faint music coming down the hall. She stared in utter shock at the boy as he handed her another cookie. "East High is definitely nothing like Sunnydale High. I've got two more questions."

"Fire away."

"One, what's your name?"

"Zeke. And you?"

"Dawn. Don't try and distract me," Dawn smiled up at him. Oddly enough, the formerly forlorn boy smiled back. "Two, did you make these cookies?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Flour on your collar. Can I have another one?"

"Sure."

"Thanks. You know, Zeke, my sister dragging me here might not be such a bad thing after all. I think this could be the start of a very interesting cookie-laden friendship."

"Dawn, I think you may be right. C'mon, I'll show you to the cafeteria."

"Crap, I'm supposed to go the office - where did Buffy go?"

"Buffy?"

"It's alright, I'm a trained school counselor!"

"That would be Buffy. She's my sister," Dawn sighed as Buffy's words ricocheted off the walls.

"The counselor?"

"She's not really."

"Your sister?"

"A counselor. I think I'll take you up on lunch. Will there be singing?"

"Most definitely."

"As long as no one catches on fire, I'm actually kind of cool with the singing."

"You get used to it," Zeke nodded as they started off down the hallway.