A/N: Warnings: Homophobic slurs This story contains slash, as you've all been aware of since the plot summary. If the idea of two boys combating homophobia in their school to be together makes your boat sink, please look up something else to entertain your foolishly ideal fantasies.

Disclaimer: Although it prominently dominates my thoughts, my writing and my artwork, I do not own anything pertaining to the colorful and vibrant universe of HSM. The original idea is © of Peter Barosschini and all other rights belong to Disney. I DO however own anything unrecognizable, including the song "Sensationalistic Vanity Affair". Now onward!

Chapter 17: Sensationalism

Back in school, there was a shift in the overall atmosphere. Although Troy and Ryan had made no attempts to conceal their intimate relationship from their schoolmates, they weren't excessively flaunting it either. Still, it seemed as though those who wished them well and those whom bore ill tidings alike had caught wind of something non-conformist in the social ladder.

As Troy and Ryan strolled through the hallways that visibly displayed school spirit through the use of red and white décor, both of them could hear the all too audible whispers of their peers.

"What's up with Bolton? Why's he been hangin' out with Evans?"

"Which one?"

"The fag."

"Maybe Evans got him to suck his dick."

"Yeah, maybe the fag's sucking Troy's dick."

"Sucking who?"

"I heard Bolton's a fairy."

"Oh no, not Troy!"

"Oh look, here they come."

Noticing the unwanted attention they were getting, Troy's brows furrowed. "What the fuck is their problem?'

Ryan gave the inexperienced boy a look of apprehension. "Welcome to my life. If you want to date someone that has the same thing in their pants as you, this is generally the kind of degrading ignorance that you have to put up with."

Revulsion hardened golden boy's tanned visage. "They treat you like this… and no one does anything?"

Ryan averted his gaze, not wanting to burden his lover with the knowledge of the sob story of his life. "It's a difficult subject for most people to deal with, Troy. Adults aren't always sure how to go about punishing the assailants and protecting the victims. And…" He looked up, sniggers meeting the simple action. He tossed a glare in the direction the sound originated from and feeling heat graze the top of his hat adorned head, he turned to find Troy doing the same to the offender. There was a momentary break in the whispering before it started up once more. Speaking from personal experience, Ryan made sure to lower his voice so he was assured that Troy and Troy alone heard his words. "Sometimes, the teachers can be as bad as the students."

Troy swallowed nervously. His father, East High basketball coach and physical education instructor Jack Bolton had yet to learn of his son's current relationship and sexuality. What if he's one of those teachers? What if he disowns me when he finds out?

Spotting a look of steadily building dread on his lover's face, Ryan knew he had to get the boy's mind off of the manner in which his father would handle the corruption of his son, the sole successor to the Bolton legacy. Even though he himself was dreading it. "Troy?" He called gently.

"Yes?" The light, even voice always had a way of comforting Troy, even when all others failed to do so.

Ryan took the boy's larger hand into his own once more. He managed a reassuring smile even in light of the bleak situation. I need to be there for Troy. After all that he's done for me, I owe him that much. "When the time comes, and you're ready to tell him, I'll be right there with you, okay?"

Troy smiled in return. "Thank you, Ry. That means the world to me."

Ryan's heart was lighter than air. Squeezing one another's hands, they continued down the hallways ignoring the whispers their interaction had earned.

"Did you see that?" A boy hissed.

"It's true!" A massive male stated.

"Oh no!" The cheerleaders chorused in unison.

"Troy Bolton likes dick!"

"Bolton and the Evans fag!"

"East High's golden boy!" One kid jeered.

"Yeah, more like East High's golden cocksucker!"

"That Evans is such a slut!" A girl whispered to one of her friends.

"He's turned Troy into a fag!" Her friend lamented.

The two males that were the topic of heated discussion entered homeroom and got into their seats. Even there they could not escape the whispers, stares and flying rumors of their classmates.

Troy looked to Chad for justification. His bushy-haired friend could only give him a helpless shrug.

Ryan scanned for Gabriella and when he caught her gaze, he noted a triumphant, spiteful gleam in her pools of liquid brown. Kelsi and Martha Cox, the brainiac with a flair for busting a move to hip-hop gave him sympathetic looks, but neither was willing to betray their friendship with the "It" girl.

Scowling, Ryan informed Troy, "It looks like we know who to thank for all of this."

Rage darkened Troy's features. "That miserable little fuck-!" He was cut off by the sharp tolling of the bell and the entrance of Ms. Darbus, accentuated by her tossing one of her scarves over her shoulder. Her arrival silenced most of the chatter, but there were a few who missed the memo.

"I think it's time for all of this gossip to end," the woman chided, disdain evident in her voice. "Class has started and it's quite rude to discuss Mr. Evans and Mr. Bolton's private lives when they can hear what you're saying."

There was a chuckle but whoever let it slip was instantly shushed by a glare from the drama teacher.

Ryan stared at his sister's head in front of him, unnerved to find the girl uncharacteristically stoic. Usually when there's gossip, she's right there in the middle of it, either spreading the rumor or adding to it. Unlike me, she lives for sensationalism. This is so unlike her and it's starting to eat at me. In his mind, thoughts began to form. And with his theatrical background, the thoughts became words, and the words, lyrics. Lyrics capable of expressing everything he felt at the moment.

Riddle me this

When the direction of your life goes awry

And people begin to notice the invisible

Boy

Is it so wrong to ponder why?

Troy, rankled by the attitudes that had been displayed but for the moment unable to do anything in his own defense or in Ryan's vented his frustrations, forcing himself to focus on the wall before him in place of the solution that evaded his grasp.

Popularity, like all good things

Is not without its quirks

The object of the worship's independence

Is met with shirks

Meeting one another's gaze, Troy and Ryan drew strength and resolve. Their relationship was going to put the social ladder and its ranks in shambles. It was a union that was dividing the school, pitting friends and partners with contrasting viewpoints against one another.

As the pair left the classroom, the whispering crescendoed, accompanied by sniggers as people strode past, their eyes glued to the school newspaper.

"Troy! Ryan!" A female voice called. Turning in the direction of the sound, the two males found an uncharacteristically frantic Taylor McKessie running toward them, her brown eyes stretched wide. "I'm so sorry!" She blurted hastily.

"About what?" Troy's brows knitted into a scowl. Ryan could read anger, frustration and weakness rolling off of him.

"The paper!" Taylor had never been one for sugarcoating things. "Gabriella and her boyfriend Chace snuck the article in and I didn't realize it until the papers were being delivered." She held out her hand, offering a paper as proof of her words.

Troy stared at the headline, and Ryan could feel his blood run cold. With a look of dismay, he read the headline to himself.

"East High Golden Boy Comes Out Of Closet."

The subtitle beneath it was just as horrific: "Troy Bolton dumps girlfriend and hooks up with Ryan Evans."

A black and white picture of Troy dominated the front page, the boy's eyes averted from the camera making the shot candid. A smaller, less likely to seize attention picture of Ryan in a sultry pose from one of his dance routines served as a break between sections of the article, which spanned a good three pages. Rage boiled, Fire in the pit of Ryan' stomach. He clenched his fists until his nails made dents on his palms, his body shaking with outrage. How dare she have the fucking nerve to do this to Troy? His pink upper-lip pulled back from his glistening white teeth, curling into a snarl of defiance against what Fate was dishing out. He was apoplectic; teetering on the brink of unleashing his feelings in a bout of fury that would make his sister's icy wrath seems as docile as a rabbit.

"What's his deal?' A boy with dark hair asked, his upper-lip curled into a hideous sneer.

A red haze took form before Ryan's eyes. The soft sky color hardened into piercing frightening ice.

"What's the matter with your fag, Bolton, did you break him?"

He wasn't sure who the speaker was, he couldn't pinpoint him, but Ryan could hear Troy beside him.

"He's pissed at you people, and I share the feeling!"

"Oooh…" Someone called mockingly, attempting to goad the golden boy with his pristine reputation into a fight. Well, it had been pristine up until his ex-girlfriend had marred it irreparably with the story in the school paper, detailing how he had "savagely assaulted" her through the use of degrading profanities and left her crying in the crowded mall, people staring at her tear-stained cheeks.

The account was inaccurate, depicting Gabriella, the cheat, the unfaithful one in a heroic light, turning to Chace for comfort after enduring such "brutality".

And people call Sharpay a drama queen. Troy thought, wrinkling his nose with repulsion. He had always thought of Gabriella as a sweet, funny, considerate person. That view of her had been shattered and she could only hold herself accountable.

Ryan had not been able to read any further before his contempt began to build to at a rate faster than his moderation techniques could control. Bullshit! Complete fucking bullshit! These thoughts fed the fire of his rage, letting it consume him, the hungrily lapping flames slowly devouring him form the inside out.

"Hey Bolton, you do any ass pounding lately?" A male voice called out.

Stop it. Stop it!

"I'd be scared to join the basketball team if I were you! Daddy's little queer might be staring at your dick in the shower."

"It's not even like that!" Troy protested, only to be drowned out by an obnoxious voice that shouted:

"Don't drop the soap," soliciting laughter from the crowd that had gathered in prospect of a fight. The energy level was high, as all of them were jittery. They were itching for a confrontation, the electric pulses of their excitement lacing the air.

The last comment was all that was needed to push the fury and indignation of Ryan Evans over the edge. Anger surged through him, boiling in his chest. A cry rose up in his throat. No longer would he subject Troy or himself to this harassment. Now, he would voice his disapproval. The cry swelled, finally bursting out of him with harsh resonance as it filled the hallways. He spoke on behalf of the oppressed everywhere. "Shut the fuck up! What we do is none of your fucking business! Just leave us alone!" He glowered with undisguised abhor at the crowd that had formed.

His outburst had stunned them all into silence. Even the most brash and pig-headed were unable to recover their tongues.

With a last scathing glare, Ryan looked back to Troy and Taylor. Troy's blue eyes were glowing with pride and admiration. Taylor's expression was one of surprise. Chad, Kelsi, Martha, Jason and Zeke stared in awe at the lesser twin.

Troy stepped forward, shattering the silence. "Come on baby." He slid an arm around Ryan's shoulders, steering him away.

The very moment the golden boy's appendage made contact with his clothed body, Ryan felt his anger begin to ebb away. He felt so weak around Troy. He was so empowered. His resolve crumbled under that intense ocean colored gaze and warm strong touch. Yet, he drew resolve from them in exactly the same way. He wanted to do the same for Troy, this god on earth, and glancing at him, he wondered if he did so.

Of course, whether he did or not would become no one's business other than their own.

Whispers in the hall

Stares every time you walk by

The kind of attention that makes you want

To curl up and die

Ryan's voice continued with the solo, letting out a dry, humorless laugh. "Ha! The type of fame that everyone wants!"

As he and Troy continued en route to class, they passed Sharpay. Ryan caught her eyes as she had her head raised as always. Once again, he could detect something amiss with his sister. He searched her eyes in hope of uncovering some sort of knowledge about her stance in the situation. She was keeping her expression blank and unreadable.

Heat searing the side of his face, he turned to see Try glaring at the elder twin.

Troy's voice joined his in the chorus of their self-expressive song.

You turn your head away

And so do the people designated to care

So it goes in the game of love

Detachment, deceit

It's a sensationalistic

Vanity affair

A/N: Reviews please?