AN: Spoilers for HSM3, but I'm sure you've all seen it by now.
Year 19: Candles
"Kelsi!" Ryan called, following her out of the auditorium in the middle of practising the senior year musical. Inwardly, Ryan was cursing Jason. It had only been a few weeks earlier that Sharpay had asked Ryan to invite Kelsi to prom in order to steal one of her songs. Through previous experience, there was no way Ryan was going to mess around with any of Kelsi's songs, but he took Sharpay's suggestion as a blessing to take Kelsi to prom, and he had been pleased when she didn't say no when he suggested it. Working side by side, as composer and choreographer of the show had only served to bring them closer, and now neither Ryan nor Kelsi were afraid of Sharpay anymore, it was only a matter of who was going to ask who out when it came to them dating. However, all this had gone wrong a few minutes earlier when Jason asked a question about where he needed to be during I Just Wanna Be With You.
"You're behind the door with everyone else, while Troy and Gabriella are singing it."
"What? Troy and Gabriella are singing it?" Asked Jason, confused. "But I thought Sharpay and Troy were singing it?" Kelsi laughed.
"What? What made you think that?"
"Well, Sharpay asked Ryan to take you to prom so he could get the song. And since he's taking you to prom I just figured--" Kelsi glared at Ryan, and pushed past him, storming out.
And that was how they were where they were now, Ryan following Kelsi down the abandoned halls.
"Kelsi, Jason doesn't know what he's saying, he's an idiot! You know he wants you for himself, that's the only reason he said that! That is not the reason I invited you to prom!"
"You know I would believe that if I didn't remember how you used me to get Sharpay a bigger role in Twinkle Towne! And anyway, just because me and Jason went on one date last year doesn't mean we're joined at the hip"
"I didn't say it was. And that thing about Twinkle Towne....That was before! I don't care what Sharpay says anymore! I asked you to prom because I want to go with you!"
"Just be honest with me Ryan, please." Said Kelsi, trying to remain calm. "Did Sharpay ask you to get the song from me by taking me to prom?" Ryan stayed silent instead of answering for a second.
"Yes, but--"
"That's all I needed to hear." Said Kelsi, storming out of the doors of the school. Ryan shook his head at himself, and headed back to the auditorium. Everyone looked up at him from the stage, expectantly.
"...Rehearsals over, you can go home..." He muttered, grabbing his hat, and the sheet music Kelsi had left behind. The auditiorium soon emptied out, and Ryan jumped when he realised he wasn't alone.
"Hey, you wanna talk?" Smiled Gabriella, motioning to the edge of the stage. Ryan shrugged, and sat next to her. Next to Kelsi, Gabriella was the closest thing Ryan had ever had to a real friend. Though he had tried flirting with her and winning her over during the summer, that had mainly been to help Gabriella make Troy jealous, and because he thought Kelsi and Jason were together, even though they had only been on one date. Ryan lay back on the dusty stage.
"Why do girls have to give me a headache?" He said, and Gabriella laughed.
"You mean why does Kelsi have to give you a headache?" She said, smiling. "Ryan, you can see it from how she feels. I mean, even I didn't like you when I first came to East High--"
"Gee, thanks pal." Said Ryan, sarcastically, and Gabriella giggled.
"When I first got here. But now you're a cool guy. You really helped me and Troy out in the summer, and you're a real Wildcat now. Kelsi knows that too she just....doesn't want to get hurt."
"She told you all this?"
"She didn't need to, you can see it in her face. She needs to know you're still the same guy who apologised for hitting her with snowballs, and wanted to help her keep the penguins warm, and told her that santa still existed, and bought her a candy cane." Ryan looked at her shocked that she knew all that. "....Okay Martha has a big mouth." Shrugged Gabriella. Ryan smiled.
"I sent her roses last year, but that doesn't seem to have worked. I'm all out of ideas, Gabs."
"Don't worry." Said Gabriella. "I've got an idea that I'm pretty sure will work."
Kelsi arrived home on Christmas Day, exhausted. Her and her mom had spent the day at her aunt's house, and Kelsi had spent the day running around after her cousin's children. They had had her play christmas carols on the piano to occupy the children, and her fingers ached from all their requests. All Kelsi wanted now was a hot bath, and her bed. As her and her mom unloaded the unwrapped presents from the car, Kelsi froze as she reached her front door. There stood Ryan, having been waiting for her for an hour.
"Ryan, what are you--"
"Kelsi, what's wro--Oh Ryan, hi, it's nice too see you again." Said Kelsi's mom, coming over to them. "Here Kelsi, I'll take those."
"No mom, it's fine, I--"
"I'll see you both later." Smiled her mom, taking the bags from Kelsi, and going inside. Ryan and Kelsi stood silent in the hall for a while.
"Merry christmas?" He said, smiling.
"Seriously Ryan, what do you want?" She yawned.
"....I want to show you that I'm the same Ryan you fell for all those years ago." He said, grabbing hold of her hand and leading her to Sharpay's car. Kelsi raised an eyebrow. "What? The vespa would've been less romantic. And hey, Sharpay owes me at least one ride." Kelsi laughed, and got in.
She got confused as Ryan drove her to the school.
"Ryan, the schools locked up." She said, confused.
"Not with Troy's dad's key it's not." He smiled, producing the key from his pocket. It would open the door to the gym. Once inside, Kelsi noticed a set of candles placed in the middle of the basketball court.
"Ryan, what are you--"
"We're having a romantic christmas dinner." He smiled. He lead her over to the candles, and sat her down, before going over to the bleachers where two plates of turkey, potatoes and vegetables sat.
"How did you do all this?" She asked, picking up her potato with her knife and fork, and placing it on Ryan's plate.
"Got the candles from Gabriella, got the car from Sharpay, got the keys from Troy, got the meal from Zeke." Smiled Ryan, as he spooned his peas over to Kelsi's plate. "Got a candle safety lecture from Taylor, got relationship advice from Chad..."
"Hey, don't joke about Chad's advice, your first kiss wouldn't have been half as good if it wasn't for his tips." Laughed Kelsi. "....Thank you Ryan. For all of this. And I'm sorry I flipped out at you during rehearsal."
"...You're special to me, Kelsi. You always will be. And I don't want us to go to prom together as friends."
"...Oh." Said Kelsi, sadly.
"...I want us to go to prom together as boyfriend and girlfriend." He leaned in, and kissed her. Kelsi kissed back, and quickly the meal got forgotten, and they were rolling around in the basketball court, kissing. It was only when Ryan nearly knocked over a candle they came to their senses.
"...Guess you should listen to Taylor's candle safety lecture." Laughed Kelsi, sitting up. "And we should finish the dinner before it goes cold." In the darkness, Ryan blushed, and agreed.
By the end of their senior year, Ryan and Kelsi were the hottest new couple at East High, and everyone was happy when they discovered they wouldn't be going to college apart - they would be going to Julliard together.