Dear Video Diary,

I am so confused. Ever since Troy and I kissed during spin-the-bottle, he's been flirting with me non-stop. At first, it was just little things, like winking a lot, but then it escalated into more physical stuff, like sliding his hand over mine, and playing with my hair much more than strictly necessary. Then there was the ice-cream thing, and now this. I really, really want to respond to his flirting, but I can't, because I know that he's just messing with my mind. This is just some sick, twisted game that he plays; trying to draw me in, and make me fall in love with him, and then he'll embarrass me in front of all of his friends or something. I know that if I ignore him, he'll eventually leave me alone, but… I really don't want him to. It's not fair. I know he's straight- he has a girlfriend, for god's sake, and she's probably in on it too. Still, I can't help but enjoy what he does to me. And, he did seem very…excited today, when we said goodbye. I don't understand anything anymore. And I'm fairly certain my dreams will be very interesting tonight, so I bid you adieu. Ryan crawled into his bed, and as he fell asleep, he was greeted with the dreams he had predicted. The next morning, he awoke in a cold sweat, with somewhat soggy boxers. After showering and dressing, Ryan slid into his new car, and drove to Lava Springs. Ryan was greeted overenthusiastically by his sister as he made his way to yoga, just like every day. The next few hours passed normally, only because Ryan hadn't seen Troy yet. Maybe Troy had discovered that Ryan knew all about his game, and had taken the day off. It wasn't until employee lunch that he heard a familiar voice speak his name.

"There you are, Ry." Troy Bolton had walked silently up behind Ryan and murmured into his ear. While Ryan recovered from the encounter, wondering why Troy kept insisting on doing that, Troy had taken his hand. They walked together to the lunch line quietly.

"Stop it." Ryan finally said, pulling his hand away. Troy looked over to Ryan, confused.

"Why?" he asked, reaching out to stroke Ryan's face. Ryan grabbed his hand and threw it down.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing! For you, this is all a big joke!" Ryan's voice grew louder each passing moment, and the dining room became hushed. "You're playing around with my emotions, and you get some sick satisfaction out of it! I'm ending it right now, Troy Bolton, because this is not fair!" Ryan was glaring up at him, choosing to ignore all of his classmate's stares.

"Ryan, I don't know what you're talking about--" Troy began loudly.

"Shut up!" Ryan yelled, aiming a punch at Troy's head. Troy was too fast, however, and he caught Ryan's fist easily. With a strong hand, Troy pulled Ryan in towards him, and before Ryan could say anything more, Troy kissed him passionately. Ryan kissed him back for a few moments, before he remembered that he was angry. He jerked away from Troy's lips, breathing heavily.

"What is your problem!?!" Ryan yelled furiously. Troy chuckled, and spoke in a now-silent dining room.

"My problem is that I'm in love with you, Ryan." Upon hearing these words, Ryan anger dissipated. He looked out to his classmates, most of which staring directly at him. He didn't care about being embarrassed now.

"Troy…I'm-" Ryan began, but Troy cut him off.

"Don't say that you're sorry. Say that you love me." Troy looked down at Ryan's fist, which was still being held by his hand. He relinquished his grip, and laced his fingers through Ryan's. "Please."

"Troy, I love you. I always have." Ryan whispered, unable to speak anything but the truth. Troy smiled softly, and leaned in to kiss him. Ryan, however, was faster this time, and entwined his arms around the back of Troy's neck, kissing him harder than ever before. Troy laughed into Ryan's mouth, and kissed him back. Neither of them noticed Gabriella staring at them coldly as lunch break ended, and the employees filed out of the dining room, chattering excitedly. By the time they broke apart, there was no one left in the dining room. This made Ryan laugh, and Troy pulled him into another kiss.

"So…now that we've confessed our love for each other," Troy began, pausing as Ryan laughed softly, "Would it be right for me to ask you to the movies tomorrow?"

"Even if it wasn't right, I'd say yes." Ryan answered. After writing Ryan's address and screen-name down on a napkin, Troy kissed Ryan again, his fingers brushing the skin above Ryan's pants.

"I'll pick you up at six" Troy promised, as he slid out of Ryan's grip and ran off.