Year 16: Tinsel

Despite kissing the christmas the year before, by the next year Kelsi and Ryan were more distant than they had ever been. Kelsi spent all of her time in the music room working on the play she was writing, and Sharpay and Ryan, when they weren't climbing the ranks of the drama club, were rehearsing and practising for the next show. Auditions would take place in January for the next school production, and Sharpay and Ryan had to make sure they were on form. Sharpay stormed over to the CD player, and turned it off.
"What. Are. You. Doing?" She snapped.
"A jazz square. Why." Said Ryan, calmly, stretching. Sharpay slapped his arm.
"We are NOT putting jazz squares in our routine! Just do what we decided.."
"YOU decided!" He snapped. "Why do we always have to do what you want!"
"Because I'm the one who understands what our fans want! Don't you want to get the parts!" She snapped. Ryan stared forward. "Well?"
"Of course I do." He snapped. "Let's just carry on, okay? We can start from the top if you want..."

By the time free period had finished, Ryan was in an extremely bad mood. Sharpay had spent the whole of lunch and their free period afterwards complaining about his stage presence, and how he didn't deserve any part in the show. Sitting in his English class, he glared forward at the board.
"Merry Christmas!" Said Kelsi giggling, throwing a piece of tinsel at him from behind his back. Ryan grabbed at it, and threw it back.
"Just stop it Kelsi, seriously." He snapped. Kelsi blinked at him, hurt.
"Ryan..."
"Kelsi, move. That's my seat." Sharpay said, stomping into the classroom. Kelsi stood there for a second waiting for Ryan to defend her, but he just turned to face the board again. Glaring at the back of his head, she shook her head.
"Fine...Whatever." She muttered, going to the other side of the classroom. Sharpay tutted at the piece of tinsel she had left behind.
"What's eating her?" She said, sitting down, and Ryan shrugged.
"Don't talk to me."
"Oh Ryan, don't be like that, you know that I only tell you the things I tell you because I care about you..."
"I'd just like to go through one practise without you complaining about me. I just can't wait until Kelsi's finished her show. She'll get picked for sure."
"What's that about anyway?" Sniffed Sharpay. Ryan shrugged.
"She's only shown me a few male solos...I don't see her much anymore, so--"
"Male solos? But what about me?" Sharpay asked, sticking her bottom lip out. "Ryan, fix it. Whenever she writes this little show, I wanna be the star of it, correct?" Ryan looked over at Kelsi across the room, who quickly turned away so she wasn't looking at him. Ryan sighed.
"It's Kelsi's piece, she can write what she wants..."
"She'll write whatever you suggest, and you know it." Said Sharpay, smiling. Ryan looked between Kelsi and Sharpay, and sighed. No matter how many times he said no, he knew he'd end up helping Sharpay.

A few days later, Ryan entered the music room where as normal, Kelsi was sitting at the piano, holding a pencil between her teeth, and occasionally changing notes, and scribbling things on her well used music pad.
"Hey." He said.
"What do you want?" She muttered, placing the pencil on the piano. "Come to snap at me some more?"
"No and...I'm really sorry about that." He said, taking her hat off her head.
"Hey!"
"What?" He asked, returning it a few seconds later, tinsel around the brim of it. "If you can spread the christmas joy, why can't I?"
"Point taken." She smiled, moving over so he could share the stool. "Like the song? It's the final song in the show. I was writing it for you."
"...Well...I dunno maybe it should be a duet." Said Ryan, awkwardly. Kelsi looked at him weirdly. "Well it wouldn't be fair if there's two leads, and only one of them got to sing the finale. It's just right."
"Well...I suppose it would sound better if the female came in after the first line....Kinda like it's being sung between them. Every other line, something like that..." Kelsi muttered, thinking outloud. She looked up at the sheet music, and began making notes. "And they could sing the chorus together as....that'd make sense." She looked at Ryan. "Would you....sing the chorus through with me? So I can see if that sounds okay?" Ryan nodded, and moved the sheet music in between the two of them;

We're breaking free
We're soaring, flying
There's not a star in heaven we can't reach
If we're trying
Yeah, we're breaking free

When Ryan got home after school, Sharpay quickly pulled him aside.
"I didn't want to talk to you about it at school in case Kelsi heard. So? Did you get me a bigger part in the show?"
"....I got you a part in the finale?"
"But what about my part in the rest of the show!" Said Sharpay, stomping her foot. "This is important for me! Don't my feelings matter at all!"
"It's not that Sharpay..."
"No, you don't care about me! If you did you wouldn't.....betray me like that!" Ryan sighed, head in hands.
"Fine, fine. I'll speak to her again..." Sighed Ryan. Sharpay smiled satisfied, and went up to her room, practising her scales.

The next day, Ryan found Kelsi in the theatre, practising on the piano there. She looked up when she saw Ryan, and smiled.
"Hey. I was just practising the song we wrote. Wanted to see if it worked in a big theatre."
"And?" Asked Ryan. Kelsi nodded.
"Yeah, it works. I mean, it'll be a while yet until it's finished....I'm not as good on dialogue between scenes and stuff, and the plotline is still a little rough but--" Ryan silenced her by kissing her. Kelsi kissed back gently, and pulled away with a smile on her face. Ryan was smiling too.
"You know...Sharpay really really wants to be famous. I just think...maybe her part should be bigger."
"Yeah but you want it too." Said Kelsi, turning to face him. "I really wanted to write a part that was perfect for you."
"And it still will be. Just give Sharpay a few more scenes?" Kelsi smiled.
"If that's what you want, sure. I'll get working on it." She grabbed up her music sheets, and walked out of the theatre. From behind the curtain, Sharpay rushed up and hugged Ryan tightly.
"Oh my god, that was so good! Thank you so much!" She gushed. "I knew you could do it, Ryan."
"Yeah...Well now you can leave Kelsi's show alone. You've got what you want."
"Yeah, she has, hasn't she?" Ryan gulped as he saw Kelsi walk out from behind the wall she had been hiding. She was holding her music sheets to her chest, but she was clearly crying.
"Kelsi, I--"
"DON'T you dare talk to me Ryan! EVER again!" She sobbed, running out of the theatre, leaving behind only the red tinsle that Ryan had attached to her hat only a few days before.

Ryan wasn't surprised to receive no christmas present from Kelsi, or Christmas day phonecall thanking him for the gift he left outside her door.