Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical….shocked, no?

A/N: I hardly need to remind you that this fiction is rated M, so keep that in mind as you read ahead.

Special thanks to:

I do not own High School Musical….shocked, no?I hardly need to remind you that this fiction is rated M, so keep that in mind as you read ahead.

Egyptian-Fire

sharpayxevans

Disney-Kid

G3nk1

Diana Shra

Braids21

MyFictionalAnnihilation

Crimsonred1989

pollypocket911

ZacEfronLuver

theferretmenace

FallingWithGrace

Mondler4EvEr

I'm sorry I didn't write personal thanks but I am in a rush, I'll do it in the next chapter. Warning: angst lies ahead. I love you guys! Much Love!

Dreams

Troy was dreaming, or at least he believed he was dreaming. He was standing in the center of the school stage and to his relief he wasn't naked and the audience wasn't throwing tomatoes at him. On the contrary, he wasn't even sure if there was and audience. He squinted out into the rows of seats as the blinding stage lights clouded his vision. At first, he could barely make out a single silhouette, however, as he continued to look, he saw 5 people, then 20, then 60,until everywhere he looked there was a full seat. So there was an audience. In fact the house was packed. He couldn't see their eyes but Troy was sure that every one of them was planted on him.

The heat from the stage lights continued to beam down on him and it started to become unbearable. As he stood there in silence, sweat began to pour from his forehead and underarms. Soon his shirt was clinging to his skin. He tried to fan himself with his hands but to no avail. He couldn't stand it any longer. All spotlights and all eyes were on him and the heat from it all was killing him. Before he could stop himself he began to strip. First his shirt, then his shoes, next his pants and, to his horror, his boxers. He knew he should stop but he couldn't, he had to get away from the confides of his clothes. Soon he was standing there in front of hundreds of people completely naked.

He waited for the laughs to come but they never did. It was as silent as ever, the only sounds came from Troy's own harsh breathing. As he stood there, Troy began to take in his surroundings. Behind him, he vaguely noticed a dark blue syke with thousands of little shining stars scattered on it. Then to his left he saw a single piano sitting off to the side. He recognized this, it was the same set from when he had sung Breaking Free with Gabriella. As if on cue, he heard his own voice fill his ears. It was distant and muffled but it was there.

We're soarin', flyin'

There's not a star in heaven

That we can't reach.

He waited for Gabriella's voice to follow his own but it never did. In place of where Gabriella's singing was supposed to be a male voice was there instead. It was a voice that Troy recognized all too well. It was Ryan's. Beautiful, strong, and so much more clear than his own.

If we're tryin',

So we're breaking free.

He saw Ryan then, he stepped out from behind the shadows of the curtains and started to walk towards him. Now the audience began to respond. As they saw Ryan approach, Troy heard protests and shouts of outrage, but still their voices rang together in perfect harmony above the insults from the crowd. Ryan seemed to appear as an angel in Troy's dreams. He had a glow about him, where the rest of the world was cast in shadow and hate. As he stared into the face that belonged to Ryan, Troy also noticed that the unbearable heat was gone. With Ryan came relief.

Ryan spoke to him then. His voice was soft but clear. "You are stripped of your past." He said indicating towards Troy's discarded clothing. "those represent your fear, your pain…your denial. Now you are left bare. Free of your restraints." Ryan leaned in so close to Troy that his blonde hair brushed against Troy's skin. "The world used to see you in a way that was different than who you are." he whispered next to Troy's ear, his words ringing true to the song.

Ryan then turned towards the audience. His voice was firm. "But now you stand before them as yourself, untainted by the lies that have bound you for so long." He shouted the words so everyone could hear. More shouts rose up from the audience. Ryan turned back to face Troy, his blue eyes bring into him. "They will not accept me, but they trust you…….for now… but I warn you, if you choose me they will turn you away. They choose to deny what they do not understand."

the cries from the audience began to rise in magnitude, louder and louder. Troy clutched at his ears, the fiery heat was back. There was so much pain, so much fear, but most of all there was hate. Troy could feel all of these things, magnified by the people that surrounded him. He began to buckle at the knees and cry out in pain. He heard the voices from the audience yell out in unison. "CHOOSE HIM, LOSE US!" Troy was drowning, suffocating in their rage. It was all to much, but just as he was about to black out, a soft hand took his own and it all stopped. He looked up into the face of his broken angel and once again Ryan brought him relief. There was silence now as Ryan gently pulled him to his feet once more. Ryan reached out slowly and placed a light hand on Troy's face, running his fingertips along his cheeks.

"What do you choose?"

Troy awoke with a start. His breath came out in ragged puffs and he was dripping with cold sweat. He could feel the tingle as the blood rushed back into his fingers as he let go of the sheets that he had been gripping. It had all seemed so real. Even though the entire time he had known he was dreaming, he could still feel everything. The guilt, the rage, the life as his fingertips had touched Ryan's. Ryan…….

"What do you choose?"

He could still hear Ryan's voice as the words repeated in his head. They haunted him. How could he choose between the people that he had loved for years 's and the person who……

His thoughts trailed off, he would not let his mind go there. Not there. "Oh, God……."

He was surprised he made it to school on time. He had slept through his alarm and had barely walked through the front doors as the bell rang. He rushed down the hall and didn't even stop to get the books out of his locker. He turned down the corridor that led to his first period class and what he saw made his heart stop. He saw the large figure first, he was holding a smaller person up against a locker. It took him only a second to realize that the second person was Ryan.

"Hey fudge packer, fuck any ass last night?" The boy holding Ryan said in a crude voice, shoving Ryan against the locker even harder for good measure. Ryan let out a small whimper but other than that he remained silent.

God, where were the teachers? Where were the fucking teachers?

"It's your kind that makes the world so fucked up." Your kind , he said it like he thought Ryan was a completely different race. The boy holding Ryan moved his hand until he was gripping at Ryan's crotch. Ryan closed his eyes tightly shut and a single tear slipped out from the corner. "Yeah, you like that don't you, you sick shit." Troy felt his stomach churn. The boy laughed cruelly as his hands left Ryan's private areas and returned to gripping his collar. The boy had to be at least twice Ryan's size….he didn't stand a chance.

The boy holding Ryan didn't notice Troy behind him, but Ryan did. He peered over the boy's shoulder and his eyes flooded with relief. Troy was there. Troy would protect him…he had promised. Ryan's eyes pleaded with him. Stop this, please stop this.

What do you choose?

He looked over at Ryan, into those blue pools that he had become so accustomed to, and shook his head. "I'm sorry" he mouthed, and Ryan's eyes widened in disbelief. He began to walk away from his tormented friend. I have made my choice.