Special thanks to digigirl02, Winter Sapphire, Dramione x3 and ryelsi_fans at LJ for your reviews. Please review – I heart constructive criticism! If you like it/don't like it/characters acting weird/characters acting good, let me know! :)
After changing into her frog pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt, Kelsi crashed on the bouncy hotel bed with a sigh. She stared at the white popcorn ceiling for a second, and removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Then, rolling onto her stomach, she glanced at the nightstand clock. 9:02 PM.
Kelsi, are you actually considering calling Sharpay? The drama club diva had been on speed dial – number 4, to be precise – ever since Twinkle Towne, when they were working through Bop to the Top and What I've Been Looking For. But seriously... Sharpay dictating song 'ideas' was not the way Kelsi wanted to spend her last days of summer. She would get her regular fill during the school year.
But Ryan's cell number was there too. Sharpay had Kelsi program it in when his sister announced he would be choreographing all their parts. And wasn't synchronization between the choreographer and the composer crucial to any musical?
Maybe I'll just call him instead and ask to talk to Sharpay... at the end of our conversation. She still smiled at how he'd motioned for her to call him right before they went their separate ways at the airport earlier that day.
Kelsi put the phone to her ear and listened to two rings. Then three.
... Maybe Ryan wouldn't pick up. I'd be fine with that, she insisted to herself, tapping her fingers on the scratchy hotel comforter. I mean, we should just go on with our original plans. He and Sharpay can do whatever they want, and I'll work on the songs for our next musical without Sharpay's "help". Why disturb the waters?
But it would be nice to spend time with a friendly face.
"Hello?"
Kelsi jumped at the sudden voice on the other end. "Oh, hi Ryan. It's Kelsi. How's it going?"
"Hey! How strange was it to run into each other at the airport? All the way out here?"
"Very strange," Kelsi laughed. "What are you doing in California?"
"It's this thing we do at the end of every summer. We go to Disneyland, just Sharpay and me. She's... pretty particular about which rides we go on."
Sharpay at Disneyland? Part of Kelsi couldn't see it; the other part was stunned at how well the two fit together. She tried to stifle her laughter.
"So your mom isn't in town after all?" were Ryan's next words.
"No-- but that's okay; the hotel's already paid for. I'm going to work on an idea for the next musical while I can. That reminds me, Sharpay wanted to talk about--"
"Oh yeah. She's still in the shower, though, so hang on. Y'know, the offer to come with us to Disneyland is still open as far as I'm concerned."
Sharpay's life-threatening glare was still fresh in Kelsi's mind. "Well..." C'mon Kels, don't let the Drama Queen intimidate you! Another image of Sharpay replaced the death-glare. "Transpose!"
Kelsi rolled her eyes. That was enough to make her accept Ryan's offer.
"Okay, if it's really not that much trouble."
"Trouble?" Ryan's incredulous tone made Kelsi grin. "Look, after you've been to Disneyland with Sharpay, the word trouble takes on a new definition."
Kelsi barely heard his next words over her giggles. "I mean--" He suddenly broke into a stage voice. "Of course Kelsi, here's Sharpay!"
"Kelsi?"
She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "Hi Sharpay. Um, you wanted to talk about some songs for the musical...?"
"Not just some songs. My songs. I mean, Ryan's and my songs," she added quickly after Kelsi heard Ryan clear his throat in the background. Stifling a sigh, but with a smile lingering on her face, she grabbed her notebook and a pen.
Truth: Kelsi had never been to Disneyland, even though she visited Mom in California every year since she was 14. She had no idea what to expect other than giant costumed characters posing for pictures with little kids, like she'd seen on the billboards on her way to Mom's house. And some ride called Pirates of the Caribbean.
After a few more text messages swapped between her and Ryan (where to meet? what time? what hat will you be wearing?), the next morning Kelsi dressed in a red, comfortable t-shirt, a black vest, and jeans. Hopefully her Converse sneakers would hold up against all the walking that would be ahead of them. Topping it all off, she fitted a crocheted red beret over her curls. Wonder what hat Ryan'll wear, she found herself thinking. He never really got back to me on that text.
The hotel shuttle whisked her away to the front gates of Disneyland, and soon Kelsi walked slowly up the driveway, families and couples streaming past her. The crowd came to a head just outside the ticket huts.
Here's where he told me to meet them. As she glanced around to find her classmates, Kelsi just hoped Ryan had forewarned Sharpay.
Then her jaw dropped as she spotted them towards the front of the ticket line.
Perched on top of Ryan's head was a towering green Mad Hatter top hat. The brim shaded his eyes, which were already covered by a pair of slim sunglasses. He was analyzing a map of the park and tapping a pen against his chin, the same serious expression on his face as the one Taylor McKessie got when studying for a math exam.
If Kelsi's mouth wasn't open far enough already, she had to put physical effort into closing it when she saw Sharpay next to him. The blond wore a full-blown pout and every so often glanced at Ryan with disdain behind large pink-tinted sunglasses. But topping her head was the most blinged-out pair of Mickey Mouse ears ever known to man: covered in pink rhinestones, it seemed perfectly at home on Sharpay's head.
Summoning up all her strength, Kelsi sucked in a breath and headed towards them.
"Oh my gosh," Sharpay uttered the instant her eyes snapped onto Kelsi. "You really did invite her."
Kelsi sent a panicked glance to Ryan.
"C'mon Shar, she's all alone-- we're here-- why not?"
Kelsi appreciated his attempt to reason with his sister. But Sharpay wasn't buying it.
"Listen," Kelsi said, squinting to avoid being blinded by Sharpay's mouse ears, "I'm just gonna come back another time..."
Blowing her off, Sharpay was instead staring at Ryan. "This is our vacation! You and me; not you, me and Little Miss Mozart. This is an Evans family tradition." She enunciated each word like Ms. Darbus would while teaching freshmen the basics of acting. "We go to Disneyland, we ride Small World first, you get a new hat each year – Ryan, you can't invite an outsider!"
"What if I wanted to ride something else first? So what if I break tradition this year? Besides, one year you wanted to go on the Jungle Cruise first."
Sharpay waved a hand in the air. "That was like, six years ago!"
"And Kelsi's not an outsider. She's a Wildcat." The last words were said so matter-of-factly. He grinned at Kelsi and took one step to stand next to her. Arms folded, Ryan looked at Sharpay and cocked his head.
From Sharpay's expression, Kelsi got the feeling he'd just crossed an invisible line. But she had other things to worry about: controlling the blush which developed from his warm words.
By their great fortune, the trio was next in line. After slapping her credit card down at the ticket booth, Sharpay narrowed her eyes at them.
"Then you can be together... alone." she huffed.
Yanking her ticket from the booth, Sharpay shot a final frown over her shoulder and stormed off into the park.
"So, um... I didn't realize this was such a big thing for you guys." Kelsi said, after she and Ryan paid for their tickets and followed slowly in Sharpay's high-heeled footsteps.
"I'm starting to think it'll be more fun without the Pineapple Princess breathing fire down our necks."
"Me too. Where to first, leader?" Kelsi grinned and nodded at the map tucked in Ryan's arm.
"Anywhere but Small World."