"Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez!" Roger called out.
Nothing. The small crowd of audience stood up and started to fade out of the theatre room.
"Troy? Gabriella?"
Kelsi turned to Ms Darbus.
"They´ll be here!" She said. The high schooler pleaded desperately that for once, Ms Darbus overlook the fact that her stars are late.
"The theatre, as I have often pointed out, waits for no one. I´m sorry."
The pianist stared at her teacher with bitter shock, before running out.
Sharpay winked at her brother, who grinned back.
"Well, we are done here. Congratulations to all. The cast list will be posted." Roger checked off the event of the night on his clipboard.
"No, wait! Ms Darbus, wait!" Troy ran into the theatre. "We´re ready, we can sing!"
"I called your names, twice!"
"Ms Darbus, please! Please!" Gabriella pleaded, joining them on the stage.
"Rules are rules!"
Then a loud murmur filled the large room. Everyone from the gym piled through the theatre doors and searched for seats.
"We´ll be happy to do it again for our fellow students!" Julian suggested. He eyed the large crowd with delight.
The dramatic arts teacher looked around her in bewilderment. "I don´t know what´s going on here, but in any event it´s far too late and we have not got a pianist."
"Well, that´s show biz!" Ryan smirked.
"We´ll sing without piano!" Troy said, taking Gabriella´s hand. He was not going to let everything they´ve worked for just crash and burn like that. Not him.
"Oh no, you won´t!" Kelsi appeared behind them. "Pianist here, Ms Darbus!"
The dazzle lemur stepped up. "You really don´t want to do that!" She hissed.
"Oh yes," Private stepped up and glared back. "I really do. READY ON STAGE!" She called over her shoulder, while running to the piano.
Sharpay gasped and stepped back.
"Now that´s show biz." Roger said to Ryan.
The otter looked away.
The twins had no choice but to follow the teacher off stage.
Troy squeezed Gabriella´s hand tightly and gave her a microphone.
His temporary excitement caused him to miss the anxious look on the girl´s face.
Everyone settled down and it got quiet.
Kelsi started playing and even the long chatters shut up.
Marlene froze on her place, the microphone in front of her and her mind blank. She could feel all those sets of eyes, looking at her, analyzing every flaw, every detail.
Suddenly, doubts drifted through her mind.
What if she wasn´t good enough? What if she forgot all of the lines and ruined the night of her friends? If she failed now, she is going to disappoint her friends. Including Troy.
She then realized she missed her intro.
Troy´s grin had now disappeared. He signaled Kelsi to stop playing and quickly went over to Gabriella.
"I can´t do it, Troy. No with all of these people staring at me." The girl´s eyes reflected pure fear and she started off towards the exit.
The other immediately grabbed her hand. "Hey, just look at me. Right at me…" He turned her around to face him.
"Like the first time we sang together. Remember?"
She nodded.
"Like kindergarten."
Something about his composed features and the way he talked soothed her flaming nerves.
Troy didn´t let go, just gently pulled her to the center of the stage.
Kelsi repeated the intro again. The painted set of New York was lowered down behind them.
Troy held up the microphone and began singing.
"We´re soarin´. Flyin´. There´s not a star in heaven that we can´t reach."
His voice echoed strongly around the room. Hearing him made Gabriella´s jitteriness fade away. She imagined they were back in the music room. Just her and Troy and Kelsi in the background.
She opened her mouth.
"If we´re tryin´. So we´re breaking free."
The captain released her hand. But he grabbed her other one and turned toward the crowd.
At first Gabriella stared to panic again. Then he began singing and even they melted away again.
"You know the world can see us. In a way that´s different then who we are."
"Creating space between us. Till we´re separate hearts." Suddenly it wasn´t all too bad. So everyone was staring at them. So everyone was listening. So what?
They signed up because they wanted to sing together. So that´s exactly what they will do. Even if the school burns down and the world ended. They´re going to perform this number no matter what.
Skipper smirked slightly at the defiant glint in the otter´s eyes. It also made him wonder what she was thinking. If it weren´t for the crushing silence (despite their singing), Skipper would´ve forgotten his name and the lyrics to the song and just stare at the girl.
Was it just his eyes playing tricks or did Marlene look so gorgeous in the white lights shining from above? No, it was definitely not a trick.
He felt her squeeze his flipper and remembered just in time to sing.
"But your faith, it gives me strength. Strength to beli~eve."
Skipper and Marlene grinned at each other and the tension broke completely.
"We´re breaking free!"
"We´re soarin´!"
"Flyin´!"
"There´s not a star in heaven that we can´t reach!"
"So we´re breaking free!"
"Yeah, we´re breaking free."
"Oooh…"
Skipper couldn´t believe how well their voices fit together. And that he´d ever enjoy being on stage and singing.
´Singing is for girls.´ He always said.
But right now, he couldn´t think of any place he´d rather be than right here.
"Can you feel it building? Like a wave the ocean just can´t control?"
"Connected by a feeling, ooh, in our very soul."
"Very soul…"
Their voices rejoined again.
"Rising till it lifts us up! So everyone can see~!"
"We´re breaking free!"
"We´re soarin!"
"Flyin´!"
Marlene had started dancing long time ago. Skipper just kinda swayed to the music. Despite singing here with his crush, it was still pretty awkward to start dancing.
"There´s not a star in heaven that we can´t reach!"
Then he looked up and saw AT. She was silently encouraging him to dance.
At first Skipper tried to shake his head at her. There´s no way he´d dance. Especially not in front of her, Julian and his team! But she stayed firm.
"If we´re trying!"
"Yeah, we´re breaking free!"
"Oh we´re breaking free!"
"Ooohh…"
The penguin looked over to Marlene, dancing away and grinning at him the entire time. AT pointed to the otter and mouthed something.
Skipper sighed inwardly and focused back on the song. Fine. He was going to try dancing. But if anything goes wrong, it wasn´t his fault.
"Runnin´!"
"Climbin´!" The penguin had no idea how to start, so he just copied what Marlene had done earlier.
According to the pleasantly surprised look on his girl´s face, he was doing well.
Even the crowd cheered much to his embarrassment.
"To get to the place to be all that we can be!"
"Now´s the time!"
"So we´re breaking free."
"We´re breaking free!"
"Ooh, yeah!"
He was doing good and he could feel it. So the two danced. All over the stage, singing their heart out.
Kelsi got so into it, she kicked her stool away and played standing up.
"More than hope, more than faith!"
"This is true, this is fate!"
Now people were standing up, clapping and dancing along.
"And together we see it coming!"
"More than you, more than me!"
"Not a want, not a need!"
"Both of us, breaking free!"
Skipper grabbed Marlene´s paw and twirled her over the stage.
"Soarin!"
"Flyin´!"
"There´s not a star in heaven that we can´t reach! If we´re trying!"
"So we´re breaking free."
"Breaking free!"
"We´re runnin´!"
"Ooh, climbin!"
"To get to the place to be all that we can be!"
"Now´s the time!"
"Now´s the time!"
"We´re breaking free."
"Oohhh, we´re breaking free!"
The music became slower with the end of the song.
"You know the world can see us…" Skipper turned away from the crowd to gaze into the otter´s eyes. "In a world that´s different than who we…are~."
Their voice faded and Skipper felt another feeling. Dread. He didn´t want this to end! He wanted to sing with Marlene forever!
Then the bomb exploded. Everyone jumped out of their seats and cheered out their lungs.
Gabriella realized what just happened. She performed in front of her whole school…and loved it.
Cuz she did it with the one guy she loved.
Speaking of which, Skipper smiled down at her, locking eyes.
For a moment, he seemed to hesitate with something.
Then he bent over and kissed her.
Marlene swore her heart stopped at that moment.
They pulled away and everything they ever wanted to say to each other was suddenly said.
Kelsi bowed and the singers broke away from their magical moment to applause for their amazing pianist.
88
"And West High pushing the ball. Fast break! Looking for an open man. Oh, but it´s stolen by number 14 and heading the other way!"
The announcer shouted excitedly into the microphone, trying to make himself heard over the cheers.
"East High has the ball! Time is running down on the clock! Looking for an open man! Fake. Swing to the outside. Ball on the perimeter. Looks for a man on the inside. Nice screen. Shot´s up…and it´s good!"
All the Wildcats, Wildcat cheerleaders and fans rushed out to embrace the winners. The mascot danced around on the outside of the party, yelling through his big stuffed head.
"Troy! Troy! Troy!" Chants made themselves heard over the noise.
"Congratulations!" The manager said giving Mr Bolton the prize.
"Thanks!" Coach took the trophy and pushed through the kids, who quickly made way for him.
"Coming through!"
Troy was lifted on two player´s shoulders.
"WAT TEAM?"
"WILDCATS!"
The response to Rico´s question shot back like a cannon.
"WAT TEAM?"
"WILDCATS!"
"WAT TEAM?"
"WILDCATS!"
"WILDCATS!"
"GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!"
Troy was put back on the ground and hugged by Maurice.
"I´m so proud of you, son!"
"Aw thanks, Dad!"
Roger pushed over to the two.
"Bravo!"
"Brava!" Bolton said, winking.
"Troy, you´re the man!" A fan shouted.
"No, you are! Thanks!"
A pair of arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders.
"Congratulations, Wildcat!" Marlene shouted.
"What about your team?"
"We won too!"
"So," Rico took Kowalski into his arms. "Yu´r going with me to tha after-party, right?"
"Like on a date?"
"Mussed be yu luky day!"
Taylor pulled her girl friend aside. "Chad just asked me out!"
The other gasped.
Then a familiar lemur drowning in perfume walked over.
"Well, congratulations. I am being the study in case you can´t make a show, so…be breaking your leg."
Gabriella stared at her.
Sharpay laughed. "In theatre that means good luck."
She strode off, but was stopped by something small and furry.
Mort stared up at his king with big sad eyes.
"What is it, Mort?" The lemur sighed.
"I-I just wanted you to have this…I took these for you…" He handed his king pink, fuzzy slippers.
Julian gasped. "You stole this? For me?"
"Yes I did…" the tiny mouse lemur said shyly.
"I am thanking you Mort so much! These are perfect!"
"You are thinking so?"
"I´m knowing so!"
Suddenly music started.
"Together, together, together everyone! Together, together, together, come on, let´s have some fun!"
"GOOD JOB EVERYONE!"
AT jumped down from her stool and turned off the camera. "We are finished!"
Skipper stared at her for a second before shouting, "FINALLY!"
The rest of the animals cheered and joined the others on the stage.
"DANCE PARTY!" Julian cried and started dancing.
Some lost their costumes and joined him.
"So, can I stop being a girl now?" Kowalski asked hopefully.
"Sure." AT laughed then handed him the phone. The genius immediately grabbed it and dialed a number.
"Fey! We´re done!…of course…" He walked away, chattering excitedly.
"BRAVA EVERYONE!" Roger shouted, throwing off his tight Ms Darbus clothes.
"I´m so glad this torture is over with!" Skipper said with relief.
"Torture?" Marlene asked laughing and kissed him.
Rico smirked at his blushing leader and AT took a picture.
"Aww!"
Hans struggled over to them. "I called the Hoboken Zoo!" He said excitedly. "They´re going to come for the next movie too!"
"WHAT?!"
"Next movie…" AT thought out loud. Skipper´s eyes widened. "Noo!" He grabbed Marlene´s paw and fled into the crowd.
They found a quiet corner away from the turbulence and told each other all the things they wanted to say.
A\N: Yay! We reached the end! Final chapter is still coming, though. xD Review and criticize please! X)