Hiatus over!
Hey guys, I am finally back. School has been hell.
I have not really been reading any new Tryans recently. I have been getting… distracted. If you know of a good new Tryan, tell me about it. If you have written a new Tryan, I will definitely try to read it, as long as I know it exists.
This story goes to Cryaesion as an early birthday present. He is such a great influence, and has managed to get me back on the horse, so everybody go thank him.
This chapter includes lyrics of the song, "Worth a Try" by tryanforever91. The song was written by tryanforever91 for his fic, "Sing with Me". It remains his property and I use it with no commercial intent.
The final stretch… who knew? Sorry... I was just getting so frustrated with this story, that I just ended it...
Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis
Chapter 11: Let's Talk
"I broke up with her."
"Gabriella?"
"Yes, I told her about us. I even told my parents about us."
"I thought we were supposed to be secret…"
"We are… I just… I'm sorry."
"That still doesn't change the fact that you were ready and willing to leave me for her. How do I know you won't do that again?"
"I'm sorry…"
"You should probably go…"
------------XxXxX------------
Ryan arrived at school very early Monday morning. He was pretty much the only student there at the time. It was most unusual for him to enter school before everyone else. He would commonly enter school with Sharpay and she had always insisted on coming just early enough so that there was time to accomplish before school activities, but late enough so that they maximize the amount of students witnessing their entrance. With the Evans', entrance was key. Ryan decided to go against this convention that day and came to school well before almost all of his peers.
Empty schools always seemed creepy. There was just something about the lack of students in a place usually teeming with them that gave off an ominous vibe. It was as if the absence of bustling teens was due to some horrendous tragedy and even the lack of blood splattered on the walls posed a more sinister notion of a silent killer. Ryan should probably ease up on the suspense/thriller movies. Anything empty could easily set the scene for a psychotic killer rampage.
The Drama king continued to walk the familiar halls, still very much aware of how devoid the school was of bodies. He felt quite alone, but savored the silence caused by the lack of noise making mouths. There were few times when Ryan could be alone at school. He liked school. It was a place where he could be somebody. It was different to being at home. At home, you are already somebody, and you were only ever somebody to a handful of people. At school, being somebody took effort, which made it so much better when achieved. There was also the added fact that he had made friends with the Wildcats over the summer. Ryan really liked coming to school but there were times when he just wanted to be alone in his home away from home.
A few other students had arrived during the time Ryan was wandering East High's halls, so Ryan sought a quiet location to do what he had come in early to do. He had come into East especially early to fit in some last minute Richard III practice. Sharpay was bugging him at home about the relationship status of him and Troy.
"So what is happening with you and Troy?"
"Ryan, why won't you talk to me?"
"Ryan?"
"I do not like being ignored. Ryan?"
"Answer me!"
Ryan meandered through the Arts block. A drama room was the ideal place for his task. Ryan checked the drama rooms and was finding each one, in turn, locked. The custodian or somebody else must have locked the rooms after he left on Saturday or maybe even on Sunday. He reached the only unlocked drama room. It was D17.
"I didn't think anyone comes into the school on weekends."
"Well, I needed to practice for my English assignment… How about you?"
"I'm here to help with the new security system."
That room was probably not suitable. Ryan had barely set foot in it and his brain was already bombarding him with memories of two days past. He continued his search, already deciding that he was not going to use that room, but as he walked passed it, he noticed the room already occupied.
Ms. Darbus, Ryan found, was in the room, rummaging through a large cardboard box seemingly full of books. If one were to take a closer inspection, they would see that the books were The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, but Ryan did not need a closer look to see that. He had a copy at home and had recognized the cover, even from a distance, on the book in Ms. Darbus' hands. She seemed to be searching for something inside the box. It was probably the teacher's handbook so that she knew the proper answers to the questions. Too many teachers use the "cheat sheet" these days.
Ryan continued his search for a secluded rehearsal stage and settled for an out-of-the-way stairwell in the back corner of the school, a location which students seldom used guaranteeing minimum distraction. Ryan easily snapped into character, a skill picked up from his numerous experiences on stage, and quickly became Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
"But I, that am not shap'd for sportive tricks, nor made to court an amorous looking-glass; I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty…"
Loves majesty; I want loves majesty. Ryan found himself pausing, thoughts whirling inside his head, stimulated by his recital of Richard's soliloquy. His wants and needs were flashing before his eyes, as if his mind were trying to sort through them, rummaging through his desires in search for something, like Ms. Darbus was rummaging through that box.
"I'm so sorry. I did not want to pull away. I wanted to stay. I wanted to kiss you."
Troy's words echoed inside Ryan's head. I wanted to stay. I wanted to kiss you. The separation of the wants and needs of an Evans was arbitrary at best but even in the muddle of necessities and desires in Ryan's mind, he managed to find the want he did not want. I wanted to stay. I wanted to kiss you. They were Troy's words, but did Ryan reflect them? He chose not to dwell on it further and force himself to continue his rehearsal.
"…To strut before a wanton ambling nymph; I that am curtail'd of this fair proportion, cheated of feature by dissembling nature, deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time…"
Sent before my time… So many things were happening in Ryan's life in such a short period of time. He felt as if the huge rush of the fast life, which he expected when he entered the "real" world after high school, had come about a year early. So much was happening. There were huge decisions presented to him, things concerning his future, and he felt that he was in no way prepared or mature enough to deal with it all. Ryan's life had turned into some huge whirlwind of emotion that was threatening to wreak havoc upon his entire being. He was so lost.
"… Into this breathing world, scarce half made up, and that so lamely and unfashionable that dogs bark at me, as I halt by them; why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, gave no delight to pass away the time…"
There were times that Ryan himself hated watching time pass. Most of the time, he would wish that it just stop in a moment, or skip ahead to when things were better again; but time remained constant, moving at the slow pace it has moved since time began. Einstein once said that time was relative; if only Ryan had the ability to shift gravity enough so that he could slow things down or speed it up. The world was never turning his way.
"… Unless to see my shadow in the sun and descant on mine own deformity: and therefore, since I cannot prove a lover…"
A lover… Ryan clearly could not prove a lover. He was someone's boyfriend for just one day and he had already broken off the relationship. There must have been something wrong with him if he could not sustain a relationship for more than a day. Maybe he was "deform'd" like Richard. Something was definitely wrong with him, but then again, it was not entirely his fault the relationship fell apart. He did not exactly have strong feelings for Troy, did he? Ryan had never really had strong feelings towards anyone before.
"… To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain…"
Ryan thought he saw some movement in the lower hall, down the stairs from the landing which he was practicing on. For a moment, Ryan's heart stopped. Images reflecting his earlier thoughts were racing through his head. Maybe there really was some psychotic killer moving through the halls of East High. Ryan could picture some creepy, loner, pertinacious old man with a carving knife in tattered rags that used to a janitor's uniform. The East High Slayer, Ryan mused, trying to joke with himself and alleviate some of the fear rising within his chest.
Human beings are curious creatures, and even with the idea that the movement Ryan had noticed was by some crazy murderer, human instinct took over and made Ryan investigate the disturbance. When he got to the lower hall, he met, not a homicidal maniac, but the face of Troy Bolton, which seemed to posses the ability to kill him nonetheless.
The wall of the hallway, opposite Ryan's position at the foot of the stairs, adorned with a large "Wildcats" poster, had a larger-than-life image of the face belonging to the Wildcats' captain. With this provocative stimulus, memories of two days past once again bombarded Ryan's brain.
"Will they be able to open the door?"
"Don't you want them to open the door anymore?"
"Well… I guess I would prefer it if they opened the door later instead of now."
"Oh really… and why is that?"
"There's something I still wanna do…"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I guess I should do it now in case they manage to get the door open."
"Wait. So you're saying that we won't be doing this when we're out of here?"
"Troy, I don't think I am ready to come out yet. Especially since I am only now realizing I have something to come out of. I don't know if I am ready for a gay relationship."
"Not even just as friends who occasionally make-out?"
"Troy, I just… I don't think I can."
"Can you just give it a chance? We can keep it to ourselves if you want. Just don't say no until you try."
"I dunno…"
"Come on Ry. Please. For me?"
"Fine."
"Really? So you will be my secret boyfriend?"
"Yes, I will be your secret boyfriend. Now kiss me before I change my mind."
Ryan had never really had strong feelings towards anyone before. Clearly, that was no longer the case.
------------XxXxX------------
Suburban Albuquerque looked as though it was zooming by to Troy who was riding shotgun with his father on their way to East High. There were younger children and older children making their way to their respective schools on foot, and on bicycles. Troy just sat in silence, occasionally adjusting his seatbelt while staring out of the passenger side window.
Troy would usually take the bus, since his dad usually needed to be at the school much earlier than Troy could be bothered being awake for, but Troy's father offered to wait and give him a lift to school that day.
Jack Bolton never liked awkward silences. The conversation he had with his son the previous day was plenty awkward for the week. He could tell that there was something troubling his son. He wanted to reassure his offspring that he was there to talk to, so he chose to break the silence. "Troy?"
Troy turned his head to face his father who was still watching the road but intent on talking to him.
"Let's talk."
"Talk about what, dad?"
"What's happening with you and Ryan?" Troy's father did not know it at first, but he had hit the nail on the head.
Troy did not even respond to his father's question. He merely turned back around to watch suburban Albuquerque pass him by.
"Troy?"
No response.
"Troy? Did something happen between you and Ryan?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Troy replied with a tone of finality. He decided to turn the radio on to further emphasize that he did not want a conversation and Jesse McCartney's "Anybody" played through the car speakers, already half-way through the song.
"Has anybody ever felt this way? Has anybody been ripped apart? Anybody give everything to the one they love? Am I the only one left behind? Am I the only one who hates goodbyes? God I know this can't go on forever…"
How appropriate, Troy thought before turning the radio off again.
"Is there something you want to talk about, son?"
"I said, 'I don't want to talk about it'."
"Okay."
A few moments of silence returned between the paternal pair as they continued to travel towards the school. The prevailing awkward silence proved to, once again, be too much for elder Bolton.
"Troy, you know you can talk to me about anything. I'm here if you need me."
Only silence met Jack's statement.
"Troy, I want to assure you that I accept… your lifestyle." Troy's father paused after the word "accept", considering what he should say it was that he was accepting in case it upset Troy even more.
Troy did not even seem to react, positively or negatively, to the remark. He had once again retreated into his inner mind's personal cocoon where the evils of the world around him could not harm his consciousness.
At this same time two days before, Troy was happy, with a girlfriend and straight. This time the day before, Troy was relieved, with a boyfriend and gay. At that moment, Troy had no clue what he was anymore, except alone.
After just one weekend, his entire life had turned upside-down. Things were moving so fast, it was surreal.
In the time he spent locked in the room with Ryan, Troy had discovered feelings that were so strong, it scared him. These feeling were not "developed" because development implies time and there was absolutely no time involved in the coming about of these feelings. Troy discovered the strong feelings and every discovery has its frightening elements. Troy's discovery had left him vulnerable and so soon after he made his discovery, he was hurt in the very weak-spot it created.
Troy never thought he could feel this way. The sheer strength of these emotions changed Troy, inside and out. His entire world was something completely alien to him now. Even his body and mind seemed foreign. After just spending time in that room with Ryan, he was prepared to come out to his parents and dump his girlfriend.
Ryan was like a drug. He had Troy doing things he would normally never do. Troy was hooked on Ryan after the first taste and was feeling the painful withdrawal symptoms one experiences when quitting Ryan. He was not even the one who made the choice to quit.
His father called Troy out of his mental shell where he contemplated his hectic life.
"Troy, I can tell you are hurting. It's no good to just stew in your pain, son."
"I'll be fine, dad," Troy responded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
The two male Boltons arrived at the parking lot of East High School. Troy's father bade farewell to his son before walking towards the side door on the school which lead to the teacher's lounge, leaving Troy to make his own way to the main entrance of the school. He was just walking out of the parking lot when he noticed the Sharpay driving in and parking her car. Ryan was not with her.
Troy approached the blonde and tentatively asked about where Ryan was. Sharpay looked at the boy curiously before informing him that Ryan went to school ahead of her for some reason. Troy took a moment to take this in, then headed for the front entrance, with Sharpay walking somewhere behind him, not following him but merely headed in the same direction.
------------XxXxX------------
Ryan tried to put away the homework for his later subjects in his locker and retrieve the necessary equipment for his first subjects. This was quite a routine action which he enacted everyday but on that particular day he seemed to have forgotten his timetable and just stood before his open locker, trying to recall his Monday morning lesson line-up.
This was common for most students as it was only a few weeks into the new school year but through years of stage training and having to learn lines and lyrics, Ryan had developed outstanding memory acuity and could confidently discard his physical timetable in lieu of his mental one. Ryan no longer had his paper schedule to refer to and scanned his locker, trying to find something that may remind him of what his first lesson of the week was.
The educational institution was quickly filling up with students because the first few school buses had just arrived to deposit their payload of teenagers. People were now milling around and bustling past Ryan. A few recognized him, members of the Drama club, or a Wildcat, and waved in greeting. He waved back politely before burying his head in his locker again, trying to remember which books he needed.
The students could hear Principal Matsui's voice over the PA system as he addressed the entire school population, or at least those who had already arrived, about the new Lockdown Protocol.
"…where all the doors will automatically lock restricting movement around the school. Even if a door malfunctions and does not lock properly or unlocks too soon, you are not to leave your location until you hear the 'All Clear' alarm. This will be explained in further detail during Homeroom."
Ryan noticed some freshmen examining one of the new keypads on a nearby door, daring each other to press a button. One boy surrendered to peer-pressure and pushed a button, earning a beep from the keypad, causing them all to run away. Ryan chuckled at their behavior before noticing a certain brunet walking down the hallway. He quickly buried his head into his locker once again hoping that the boy did not notice him there. As he heard Troy continue right past him without even stopping, he chanced a peek outside his locker and found his sister's face, just an inch from his.
"You know, now that we are out of the womb, we don't actually have to be so close to each other," Ryan joked.
"Even back then, you used to follow me around you know. That's why the left side of mother's placenta was always so crowded," Sharpay responded in kind and received with an eye-roll from her fraternal twin.
"Anyway, I did not come here to reminisce on our wonderful times inside mother; let's talk about Troy."
"Well I don't want to talk about Troy."
"Ryan?" Sharpay pleaded, "Come on, talk to me."
"No," Ryan said definitively.
"Look, just tell me why you dumped Troy Bolton, because for the life of me, I cannot fathom why any sane person would do that." Sharpay was really searching her brother for a response now.
"Sharpay…" Ryan began.
"Was he a bad kisser, or isn't he that big?" Sharpay offered, trying to understand her brother's actions.
Ryan gave her a look that told her he could not understand what she was getting at.
"You know, down there?" Sharpay completed while trying to discreetly indicate just where "there" was.
"What? No, Sharpay."
"Then tell me." She was practically begging now. Well, as close as Sharpay Evans ever got to begging.
"I told you, I don't want to talk about it."
"Fine," Sharpay conceded, "We won't talk about Troy Bolton. How about we talk about how you turned gay, because I did not know anything about this until this weekend. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other." Sharpay finished with an expectant look, and a slightly aggressive stance.
"Shar, I'm not gay."
"Really?" Sharpay questioned skeptically, "Because this whole weekend would seem to indicate…"
"Sharpay," Ryan cut in, "I'm not gay, and I never will be." He used all the body language he knew to communicate that their conversation was over, but Sharpay always had to have the final word.
"Never say 'never', Ry," and with that, Sharpay turned heel and walked away from her brother.
------------XxXxX------------
Gabriella found Troy slumped against one of the many walls East High possessed. The wall Troy seemed to have chosen to support his frame was decorated by posters advertising the upcoming Spring Musicale.
"Troy, what's wrong?" Gabriella inquired as she approached.
"Huh?" Troy had barely registered the presence of other people, let alone the fact that he was being talked to by one of these 'other people'.
"You look like how I felt yesterday," Gabriella observed, noticing his beaten expression.
Troy gave no indication that he had heard somebody speak, but continued to stare vacantly at nothing, looking extremely crestfallen.
"You know, after you broke up with me," offered the brunette.
Troy finally clued into the conversation and spoke up, "oh, yeah, sorry about that."
Gabriella could see Troy was in a bad state and chose to be the selfless person her mother raised her to be. "I know you are Troy, and I'm coping, but what is wrong with you."
"Ryan broke up with me," Troy simply responded.
"You two were dating? Since when…?" Gabriella's surprise showed.
"Saturday," Troy continued with his simple answers, not being bothered to elaborate.
"But we only broke up yesterday…"
Troy knew that a simple answer here would not be fair to Gabriella. He owed her a lot more than 'I forgot'.
"Yeah, I know, and I am so sorry about that. We were just caught up in the moment, and I had forgotten I was with you," he reasoned.
"Oh," Gabriella now mirrored the crestfallen expression Troy had donned since that morning.
"Gabi…" Troy tried.
"No I get it Troy," Gabriella cut in, "When you are with that one person, the entire world just seems to melt away." She was talking about Troy, but Troy was clearly thinking about someone other than her.
"Yeah…" Troy let out, reminiscing on the past Saturday.
There was a pregnant pause between them. On several occasions, both tried to start a sentence but never got passed opening their mouth. Gabriella finally stepped up to the plate and spoke.
"Troy, I spent most of yesterday thinking and I am willing for us to stay friends and all, and support you with whatever." She really did mean it.
"Thanks Gabs."
"I can tell you really love Ryan, so I am not going to try and win you back. Instead, I will tell you what my plan was and maybe you can use it to get Ryan back."
Troy was still processing the thought that Gabriella was going to try and win him back when he heard the rest of his statement. Knowing that Gabriella was a smart girl, he knew that her plan would have definitely worked, so he leaned in for this generous piece of advice.
"Just take him back. Don't try to take him back, just take him back," she offered simply.
"That was your plan?" Troy was surprised by the plan's simplicity and now doubted the brunette's prowess.
"Well, the simplest plans are usually the most effective," Gabriella shrugged.
"I guess I'll give it a try, thanks."
"No, don't try, just do."
With that, Gabriella begins to walk off, thinking to herself that she has done her good deed for the day. Accepting that Troy is no longer with her was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but now she felt that all the weight that had been piled on to her, being the brainy new girl who won the eye of the school's head jock, was lifted off of her. She was a new person, who had a fresh start once again.
"Hey Gabriella," Troy stopped her, suddenly remembering something he was meaning to as her before, "why were you gonna break up with me?"
Gabriella turned around, "Pardon?"
"Yesterday, you said you were gonna break up with me when I broke up with you. Why?" the boy clarified.
Gabriella paused for a moment, as if trying to recall the apparently already forgotten incident.
"I wasn't actually gonna break up with you," she replied.
Troy just stood there with a bewildered look. He was genuinely confused by her response.
"I just made that up to give you a reason as to why I was laughing," Gabriella continued.
"Well, then why were you laughing?"
"I was trying to lessen the blow for myself," Gabriella shrugged.
"Oh," realization suddenly dawned on Troy, freezing his epiphany expression, leaving him with his mouth agape.
Gabriella found this expression amusing and giggled slightly before turning to leave.
"See you later, Troy."
------------XxXxX------------
Kelsi found Ryan banging his head against the back wall of his locker.
"You know, most kids stopped fitting in their lockers after freshman year, so you should really stop trying," Kelsi joked.
Ryan pulled his head out of his locker and gave her a bemused look.
"Mind you, I can still fit in my locker and I'm already a senior," Kelsi continued.
Ryan found that funny and allowed himself a chuckle. A little happiness in an otherwise unhappy day was a welcome relief.
"So why are you trying to go through the back wall of your locker?"
"I can't remember what class I have first."
"That's easy, Homeroom"
"I meant after that."
"Well you have drama with me"
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"See, easy."
"Thanks Kelsi."
"You're welcome. Now what is this really about?"
Ryan gave no reply; he just placed his head back into his locker. Having been reminded of his schedule, he could now continue his original task.
"Is this about you and Troy?"
"…"
"Yeah, I'm sorry about eavesdropping. Your sister made me do it."
Ryan chuckled, "Yeah, she can be like that sometimes." He buried his head in his locker once again, mindful of the fact that he had not actually answered her question.
"So…" Kelsi began expectantly.
"So…" Ryan countered, not really wanting to elaborate on anything.
"Look Ryan, I am not going to pry. I know this is a very personal subject, and I respect that, but as your friend, I can see that this issue is really getting to you."
Ryan conceded to the conversation. He pulled his head out of his locker and kept it out. Leaning on the door of the adjacent locker, while leaving his open, he looked at Kelsi.
"You want my advice?" she asked.
Ryan did not say yes but his face kind of screamed it.
"Listen to this song," Kelsi handed Ryan a burned CD with the words 'Worth a Try' written on the top with black permanent marker, "It's the song Sharpay was complaining about yesterday."
Ryan recalled the incident the evening before. It was what Sharpay was ranting about, just before he noticed Troy at the door.
"She probably would have shut up if I had told her that it was actually Troy who wrote it," she mused.
"What?" Ryan was surprised by this revelation, "Troy wrote a song?"
"Yes he did, over the summer, while he was working at Lava Springs," Kelsi informed the blond.
"I didn't even know he could play an instrument," Ryan admitted.
"He plays the guitar," Kelsi affirmed.
Ryan rummaged through his locker and located the Discman he kept in there. He placed the disc into the apparatus, put one ear bud into his left ear, and hit play.
Ryan heard the music start to play in his ear. It had a simple melody, but sounded beautiful nonetheless.
"I helped add the piano accompaniment. I have no clue how Sharpay did not recognize Troy's voice," Kelsi quipped.
Ryan put a finger to his lips, hushing the pianist as the lyrics began. It was unmistakably Troy, and Ryan hung onto every word.
"Everything I'll ever need, I found in you. When you're standing next to me, I know it's true."
Ryan placed the other bud into his right ear, wanting to hear the song completely.
"Together you and I, we'll soar up to the sky…"
The music intensified for the chorus. Ryan unintentionally held his breath.
"Now that I've found you, I know how it feels to fly. I don't feel afraid, something tells me deep inside. You and I was worth a try. "
Ryan could hear why Kelsi wanted him to listen to this song. It was a beautiful song. Ryan continued listening to the song as Kelsi smiled, knowing her point had gotten across.
The warning bell rang, and the movement around Ryan increased but he remained rooted to the spot. Kelsi turned and walked toward Homeroom but waited at the door for Ryan. Ryan's locker was conveniently quite close to their Homeroom.
"… We'll face the world as one, and we'll show everyone…"
Troy walked passed on his way to Homeroom. Ryan noticed him and decided that it was time he should be heading off too. He put the song on repeat and continued to listen to it as he made his way over to Kelsi. The song had definitely opened up his mind, but was being with Troy really worth a try?
"… You and I was worth a try."
------------XxXxX------------
Troy was already sitting in his usual seat at the front of the classroom when Kelsi and Ryan walked in. It was not that he was one of those teacher's pets, who love to sit at the front. If it were up to him, he would be somewhere at the back with Jason, but it was his permanent seat in Darbus' room and he had the unfortunate luck of having her again for Homeroom senior year.
Ryan crossed the room to his desk on the far side, away from the door, behind his sister. She looked at him expectantly as he passed her on his way to his desk but he did not offer up any explanation. As he sat down, he looked over to Troy, who just stared right back at him. Troy did not even attempt to avert his gaze when he realized his staring was noticed. Ryan was so engrossed with Troy's behavior that he did not notice Ms. Darbus trying to catch his attention.
"Mr. Evans!"
Ryan was naturally startled by the exclamation of his surname, and snapped forward, to pay attention to Ms. Darbus.
"As I was trying to tell you, could you please remove those things from your ears?" asked the teacher, referring to the earphones Ryan was still wearing.
Ryan was quite embarrassed and slowly took the buds out of his ears and stowed away the Discman into his messenger bag.
Ms. Darbus continued with the talk she was giving before having to stop to get Ryan's attention. "As I was saying, the Lockdown Protocol has been set up as a safety procedure, bringing the schools OHS codes up to standard. The locking doors were donated to the school to be included in the new protocol. In case of special circumstances in which the normal Fire protocol should not be used, the Lockdown Protocol will be enacted. This will mean that you must stay in the room you are in and remain calm. The doors will automatically lock…"
Ryan did not hear the rest of the announcement, having blocked Ms. Darbus' voice. He already knew the things she was trying to explain. The entire school had been explained this new procedure numerous times in the past few weeks. Everybody had been anticipating a Lockdown drill to happen soon, especially now that the doors had been installed properly.
"Mr. Evans! Are you not paying attention again?"
Ryan looked up and gave a non-committal, "Huh?" to which the class laughed.
Ms. Darbus gave an exasperated sigh and resigned to her chair behind the teacher's desk. She began to look around in search of something then came to the realization that her quandary was not with her.
"It seems I have forgotten my…" she said to no one in particular, trailing off as she looked around the class for someone to run her errand.
"Ryan," she spotted, "Since you haven't been paying good attention today, could you go to D17 and get the box of books in there."
Ryan stood up to do this task that was set of him, but when he reached the door, he was stopped.
"Wait; let me get someone to help you." She scanned the room for any other troublemakers she felt deserving of this errand but conceded to ask, "Any volunteers?"
Troy quickly stood up in his seat, but then looked like he was regretting his rash motion.
"Ah! Troy, yes, you go help Ryan."
"What? Do I have to go with him? Can't I just do this on my own?" Ryan complained.
Troy was slightly hurt that Ryan was doing this. He at least thought they could remain friends or something.
"No, the box is heavy, you need somebody to help you," Ms. Darbus replied.
"Can't Chad come instead?"
"What, no!" exclaimed Chad, cringing at the very thought of manual labor.
"Troy is going and that is that. You're being very difficult today Ryan," said Ms. Darbus.
Ryan gave up and stalked out the door with Troy moving silently in tow.
They made their way to the room quickly and quietly, neither one turning to talk to the other. Troy did not even notice any of his friends waving at him through open homeroom doors.
When they got into the room, they easily located the box they had come for and went to lift it. Ms. Darbus was right in that it required them both, especially to take it all the way back to her room. As they were lifting, the alarm went off.
Ryan was startled and immediately dropped the box, which landed on Troy's foot. Troy gave out a pained howl as Ryan ran to the door, but it shut in his face. He attempted the knob but was met with resistance. He was locked in the room again, with the same person as before.
Keeping his body facing the door, Ryan called back to Troy over his shoulder. "You don't happen to remember that master code thing... do you?" he asked before turning to face Troy.
Troy released his injured foot and just stared at Ryan.
"Troy…" Ryan started.
Troy moved towards Ryan, maneuvering around the box and only lightly stepping on his injured foot, giving his stride a sort of limp.
"Let's talk…" the blond began.
Troy was right in front of him. He did not respond but merely leaned in and gave Ryan a kiss.
Ryan was caught off guard, stunned by the unexpectedness of the kiss, and the longing familiarity bubbling in his stomach. He responded to the kiss, kissing the brunet back. He had lost all inhibitions. He no longer cared about anything in the world other than Troy.
Troy felt the entire world fall away. He did not attempt to deepen the kiss. He did not need to. It was perfect just the way it was.
The 'all clear' alarm sounded and the door swung open, but was ignored. As was Ryan's phone, which began to ring from his pocket.
"This life is way too short to get caught up in all this stuff, when I just want you to love me back…"
The phone stopped ringing. The two boys slowly pulled apart and just looked at each other.
"I want to be secret boyfriends again," Ryan said leaning his head on Troy's chest.
"I don't," Troy replied.
Ryan suddenly pulled away, "You don't?"
"I want to be your boyfriend, I just don't want it to be a secret," explained Troy.
"Oh," Ryan said, leaning against Troy once again, letting the brunet wrap his arms around his figure, "okay."
"Okay."
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THE END
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Sorry if the ending was crap.
With most films, after the climactic ending, there is a sort of epilogue, set a little into the future, showing the surviving characters to be happy and enjoying life in some light and fluffy scene, as well as having some sort of lead in for a potential sequel. This story is not over yet so expect the epilogue in the very near future and the sequel soon.
For those who do not like sequels, or that cheesy part at the end of the movie, I guess you can stop here… if you want.
Shout outs… you all know I love all of you for reading this… and putting up with this huge gap between updates… but some people get special mention…
To all my reviewers Sorry for not mentioning you all. There are just so many of you. I promise to put you all in the AN of the epilogue… so look out for that. If you want a mention, this is your last chance to review...
Jacob… thanks so much for reviewing… and writing a Tryan too…
Old Fiat… who dedicated a story to me a while ago… thank you… you also said you did not get a mention before so you get a special one now…
Tryanforever91…who still going strong… a lot better than me… I remember writing chapter 9 as you were ending Sing with Me and now I'm just getting chapter 11 out and you already have almost finished It's Not You Anymore… I hope you do not mind me using your original song…
BitterGrin… your story was great, I cannot wait till you come back with more…
Spectator101… you have updated since my last one several times and even ended a story… thank you so much…
Joel-Garay… who I did not know mentioned me in his story… because I had not read it till now… thank you so much…
Xbabycakessxox… I want to mention her because she is quite new to Tryan and her stories are nice and promising… kind of like what Tryanforever91 was like when he was still Zeldaforever91… so read her stories and get her to continue them…
Cryaesion… happy birthday!! For next week… yeah…
Next update will be soon. I have gotten back in the groove.
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