Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Hope you like it 3

Ryan headed to the canteen, in front of him Sharpay continued to scare a couple of first years as she walked past. Ryan sighed, he knew his sister wasn't really the 'ice queen' she had made herself to be. He sat down at his normal table. "You going to have something to eat, Ry?" Sharpay asked. Ryan wondered why she never showed this caring side more when people were around to hear.

"Not feeling very hungry." Ryan answered honestly.

"You're doing that not eating thing again aren't you?" She sounded genuinely concerned. Ryan frowned at how his sister had put it. "You promised you weren't going to do this again."

"I said I'd try, and it sort of just happens..." Ryan had never been so glad to have more people sit at their table. He was extra glad that Troy was one of the three people to sit with them. The other two being Chad and Taylor.

"Look." Sharpay stated, ignoring the fact that they now had company. "Just go and get an apple, or something Ry. Humour me, just this once?"

"Just this once?" Ryan laughed bitterly. "I've been humouring you my whole life." With that Ryan pushed himself away from the table and left the three new comers extremely confused.

"Great." Sharpay muttered to herself. Chad looked at her and she glared straight back, giving the impression that the air around them had gone cold, Chad exchanged looks with his friends.

"I'm going to see if he's okay." Troy offered and went to leave but Sharpay stopped him.

"He'll be in the theatre, and take him this." She handed him the red apple from her tray. Troy nodded silently and then headed to the theatre.

All the lights were turned off and he was pretty sure that there was no one around but then he heard the faint sound of singing, and he recognised the voice straight away. "When you walk into a room I am drawn uncontrollably to you, How the music starts to rise when I look into your eyes..."

Troy wanted to call to Ryan to let him know he wasn't alone in the quiet theatre but he couldn't stop listening. The music stopped and Ryan let out a shaky breath, and Troy felt the need to let him know he was there. "You okay. Ry?"

Silence filled the room and through the dark Troy could actually feel Ryans eyes on him. He wanted it to unnerve him, but it didn't. "What do you want, Troy?" There was pain in his voice and Troy edged forward carefully. He came closer to the stage and noticed how the larger than life boy was huddled in a corner of the stage. He seemed so small and lifeless that it scared him. "Well?"

"I was worried." Troy replied honestly. He jumped up onto the stage and sat next to Ryan, there was a respectable distance between them, and Troy felt the need to question why he wanted to move a little closer to him. But shrugged it off deciding he just wanted to comfort his new friend.

"Did Sharpay send you?" Ryan asked. He had rested his head on his knees and was staring at Troy with confused eyes.

"No." Troy said. "Though she did tell me to give you this." He handed him the apple. Ryan rolled his eyes and placed the apple on the stage. "I've never heard you speak like that before."

"What the truth?" Ryan laughed.

"No, I mean to your sister. You're always so..."

"False?"

"Ryan stop it." Troy sighed in frustration. "You're never spiteful, especially not to your sister."

"You don't know anything about me, Troy." Ryan spat. Troy didn't say anything he was just stunned that Ryan could act this way. "I'm sorry." Ryan sighed after a few minutes. He had turned his head away from Troy and was now staring at the apple.

"Are you going to eat it?" Troy asked. Ryan just shrugged. "What's wrong?"

"Doesn't matter." Ryan said bluntly as he picked up the apple.

"You can talk to me you know that right."

"Troy, I hardly know you." Ryan laughed. "I mean we've known each other for forever but you've only just noticed me."

"I've always noticed you." Troy said quietly. "I'm not asking you to spill your heart out if you don't want to. But at least know that I'm here if you ever want to." Ryan looked up at Troy he could see the concern in his eyes. "Please."

"I can't," Ryan whispered. "I really, really can't."

"I wont tell anyone," Troy added.

"Just leave it, please." Ryan begged. "I'm fine, just having a bad morning. I'll go and say sorry to Sharapy and everything will be fine."

"How about you just stay here with me, and I can try and cheer you up?" Troy suggested.

"Why?" Ryan asked. He wasn't use to the all star basketball player to be so nice and caring towards him.

"Because I don't like seeing you sad." Troy smiled. "Now. That apple doesn't look very nice does it?"

"No, not really." Ryan laughed.

"How about a brownie?" Troy dug through his bag and pulled out a packet of small brownies. He had brought them from the canteen earlier. Ryan stared at the food for a few seconds, and when Troy handed him one he took it.

"I didn't mean what I said before," Ryan said quietly as he broke a piece off the brownie and held it between his fingers. Troy looked at him, he had done the same thing to his brownie at the coffee shop yesterday and only ate half of it. "About you not knowing me." Troy smiled at him, waiting for the blond boy to continue. "It's scary that I think yesterday you saw the real me, and I've been hiding him away for the past sixteen years."

"Why?" Troy wasn't sure whether or not he was asking Ryan why he was real in front of Troy, or why he felt the need to be fake around everyone else. He just wanted whatever answer Ryan would give him.

"Because a lot of people around here don't want to know a fag like me." Ryan replied quietly. Troy just stared at him in shock. He knew Ryan was gay, hell, everyone knew Ryan was gay. Doing the only thing Troy could do, he moved closer and wrapped his arms around the boys arms pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Who ever wouldn't want to know you are idiots, because you're amazing." Troy promised in his ear. Ryan smiled into Troy's shoulder as he held onto him tightly, scared that if Troy would let go it would all be a dream and he would wake up alone.