I'm sorry for taking so long, homework's been dragging me down. I've finally planned the end of the story(!), I just need to write it down properly.

I hope you like this Chapter; it took a while to get inspiration for it.

Checklist: Sharpay, Kelsi, Zeke, Taylor, The Adults, Troy, Ryan, and Martha. Not many people left now . . .

Disclaimer: Do I own it yet? (checks) nope.

Recap

Leaping up, she snatched her cell out of her jacket pocket (it was in there from when she went to see Ryan, remember?) and called Ryan.

"Hello?"

Kelsi cut off the call, and slammed the phone down. Her cell rang but she didn't answer it. Dammit!

Why was Sharpay always around when she wasn't wanted?!

Kelsi walked through the auditorium door, and people looked her way. It was weird, being noticed; she'd always been one of the background people.

She decided to seek out the main cast of the show first. Wednesday morning meant rehearsal before School started, so she knew they'd be there. She found a debate going on inside.

"What are we going to do?" stressed Suzy. "The show is in two weeks!"

"Huh, what?" frowned Ryan. "No it's not. Is it? When is it again?"

"Today is Wednesday, so it's not next Wednesday, but the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after." calculated Gabriella, clutching her bag.

At the same time, Ally caught sight of Kelsi walking in, and her face hardened. "Well. Look who it is."

Everyone in that little group turned to face her, apart from Sharpay who couldn't meet her eye.

"Yep." said Kelsi coolly, "The girl who 'let you down'. Cut me the bull, per-lease. I'm just here because I had an idea."

"Oh wow! An idea!" said Ally mockingly.

"What if we don't want to listen to your idea?" Suzy raised an eyebrow. Kelsi shrugged.

"Your loss. Like you said, the show's in two weeks."

Silence.

"What do you propose?" asked Sharpay. She had suddenly become interested.

"Look. I want to be in the show, I really do." sighed Kelsi.

"But you need to understand that most of you sing, and act, and dance, but playing the piano is the only thing I'm good at. Now that the it's been smashed, I can't really do anything! Can't you see that?"

Most of them looked at the ground awkwardly, ashamed. They never bothered to look at it that way before.

"You still have your voices, all we need is musical accompaniment." continued Kelsi.

"What, like guitars and stuff?" said Ryan excitedly. "My Dad can help with that!"

"And my Mom plays the violin," said Sharpay slowly. "We could use her to replace the piano in the scene where the orphan runs away! You know, after the-"

"My brother plays the drums!" hissed Suzy, enthusiastically. "Now I see where you're going with this!" Kelsi nodded with a smile.

"If we can get those people to come in for rehearsals, we can totally turn this thing around!" whispered Kelsi, and everyone became silent.

"We can only make this work if we work together." Said Ryan confidently with a nod. Everyone grinned as they left the auditorium for Home Room, but one person remained anxious.

Gabriella.

"You okay, Gabriella?" asked Sharpay, seeing as they were close buddies now. She nodded, and also left, with Kelsi's eyes lingering curiously on her.

HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM

The days flew by, after that.

Kelsi discovered that on the same day that she forgot to go to Candi's house, Candi had an accident, and wouldn't be in school for a while. Kelsi became suspicious and anxious. How was she supposed to ask about the piano now?

Well anyway, things were really coming together.

By the Friday of the same week, Most of their Musical arrangements had been set, thanks to Kelsi. She decided to use the school Orchestra for most of the songs, but got other people to do certain parts as well, when she could.

Of course, after the plans had been made, she had to go and tell Ms Darbus, as she was the 'Director' of the play after all. Thankfully, she was immensely pleased with Kelsi, and so they got the show on the road.

Tickets were rapidly selling, and it was a lot of Students from East High that were buying them. Troy, Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Taylor bought tickets too.

By the next Monday, the programmes had been made, and fliers went up. On Tuesday, the costumes came in, so there were more costume rehearsals.

Yep, the show was looking good.

HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM

On Wednesday, Kelsi went to the cafeteria, and people actually moved out of her way. It made her feel really weird. I bet Sharpay doesn't feel this way when people do this for her, Kelsi thought.

She sat down at a table, and opened her Navy book to write another story. She had to remember to make it descriptive too, and she'd show Ryan after.

Gabriella's 'Star' Sickness

Gabriella was sick.

Sick and tired of being ignored.

She was special, and she knew it.

But nobody saw what she saw. Friends, family, all the same.

At School, she breathed out 'talent' on the window next to her table, and wrote her name in the mist.

At Drama Rehearsals, she acted her heart out, but her part was given to another. She sang to her full ability, but it did not suit the part. She danced like an angel, but not well enough.

And so she was rejected.

Oh, she was so sick of not being recognised as somebody. Didn't anybody understand?

Taylor McKessie, the new girl on the block, full of Logic.

Sharpay Evans, the renowned teenage actor, full of Beauty.

Kelsi Nielsen, the unique pianist, full of Kindness.

But did any of them have talent?

Huh, no

Gabriella didn't think so.

X

Today.

Everything in her life would change today. She knew it.

The feeling seeped in and out of her body, flowing from bone to bone until she was shaking, unable to keep still.

She was a Star, but nobody saw her talent.

Today, that would change.

X

Yes.

A Star.

Locked up. Why?

This asylum reeked of cleaning detergents, as Gabriella shivered in the corner of her white room.

She refused to eat, sleep, think.

Stars with so much talent shouldn't be treated this way.

But never mind.

She was special, and she knew it.

But nobody saw what she saw. Friends, family, all the same.

Maybe that was why she was locked up here.

They were just jealous of her. Maybe they thought she had no talent at all.

Today, that was going to change.

Reading back through her work, she wondered if she'd made it clear enough that Gabriella was crazy, without actually writing it. And the title was a bit corny too.

Maybe she was losing her touch . . . ?

She'd just ask Ryan when she saw him.

HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM

She talked to Ryan again, after school. They were passing each other in the corridor; he was going to rehearsals in the auditorium; she was heading to her locker, and then home.

"Hey, Ryan!" Ryan turned, and smiled.

"Hey!"

"How're rehearsals going?"

"Nuh. So-so." Ryan shrugged, and Kelsi laughed.

"Hey, I took your advice, and wrote two more stories with more description. Why don't you read it and tell me what you think?"

"Okay sure, I'll borrow the book, like, on Monday or something; I'm going to this Young Actor's Award thing with my parents from tomorrow to Sunday." Kelsi raised her eyebrows.

"Sharpay's not going is because she's been getting bad grades recently. I think something's been bothering her. She's probably run out of clothes." He said, and Kelsi giggled again.

"I told Ms Darbus I wouldn't go so I could come to rehearsals, and she was like, 'Absolutely not! This is a fantastic opportunity' blah blah blah. So yeah, she's cool with it."

Kelsi continued to laugh hysterically, as Ryan imitated the middle aged woman.

"Everyone is really hyper in rehearsals. Our first performance is this time next week, after all! Oh, speaking of which, I'd better go." He continued, checking his watch.

"I know . . ." Kelsi fidgeted, lost in thought. "Well, good luck!"

"You too." And he left.

Still smiling, she stared after him. He made her laugh a lot.

And she noticed that just then, he'd said more in one go than she'd ever heard him say before, not even realising that he might have been purposely making her laugh.

She stuffed the A5, Navy-Blue notebook in her locker, and shut the locker door before going home.

HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM

"Pick up . . . Pick up . . ." uttered Kelsi, as the phone continued to ring.

"(cough cough) . . . hello?"

"Candi!" cried Kelsi, with a sigh of relief. "Thank God I got you!"

"You were lucky to get me," Candi wheezed, with a few more coughs. "I feel like death."

"What happened?" Candi took a breath, and Kelsi knew a long story was coming on.

"Last Tuesday, as in NOT yesterday which was also Tuesday, you promised to come round my house." Kelsi bit her lip, glad that Candi couldn't see her ashamed face.

"Charzard locked himself out, God knows how, so when he rang the doorbell, I thought it was you. I stupidly ran downstairs, instead of walking, and I slipped and fell all the way down."

"My God . . ." whispered Kelsi.

"I know." said Candi, her voice wistful. "I only sprained my ankle, but if that wasn't bad enough, I caught a chill, which really just sucks ass."

"Mom called Ms Darbus to say that I probably will be in the show, and I'll come back to school tomorrow, or Friday. But the show's next Wednesday; I'd rather not bother and stay in bed. At least I haven't got a Major part."

"Well, I hope you get better, Can." said Kelsi sympathetically. "So much has been going on . . . it's just nuts." Suddenly, Kelsi remembered the broken piano thing, and was about to ask her when Candi said she had to go.

"Damn." Grumbled Kelsi. Flopping on her bed, she decided to make another story, but then remembered the book was at school, and groaned.

HSM HSM HSM HSM HSM

On Thursday, when Kelsi went to school, nothing seemed out of place. She went straight to her locker, wanting to get her Notebook.

Her locker was open . . . and empty.

Then she had a flashback of something Candi had said before;

I ran into Adam from the soccer team. He said that Mickey, Dave, and Kennedy are doing a locker raid, and that I should get out anything valuable.

Mickey, Dave and Kennedy.

Locker raid.

"Sonuva . . . " Kelsi gasped.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Ooooooh, who stole the Book? LOL, find out in the next Chapter!

(Sonuva is as in 'son of a', by the way.)

Star x x x