Room 402, Tuesday Evening
Troy had contemplated going by the April Fool's Party he'd seen advertised, but just as he was starting to get ready to go, his computer announced an arriving email.
From: Ryan Evans
To: Troy Bolton
Subject: FWD [April Update]
Hey, Troy,
I just realised that I didn't have you on my monthly update list. I dunno, I guess it's 'cause I think of you as being a friend from around here? Sorry! Anyway, here's the latest email I sent out, and you should be getting them now as they come out.
Love and kisses!
Ryan Evans
--Forwarded Message Follows--
> Hey, everyone!
> March was a good month. The winter musical -- Kelsi's latest show, it's about these people
> who get stuck in the school library for the weekend and end up having to fight zombies --
> went really well at the beginning of the month, with yours truly in the starring role opposite
> Gabriella Montez. Sharpay was livid, of course, but when isn't she? Besides, she got to play
> the antagonist, and I think she hadn't realised how much fun that could be.
> In other news, I'm seeing someone new. He's not really out yet, so I'm keeping pretty quiet
> about who he is, but it's not like any of you know him anyway. He's a basketball player here
> at East High, and he's got this great scholarship for the fall. He's planning to tell people
> soon, so I'll have more details for you all before long, I hope.
> Anyway, that's pretty much all that's new right now. Hopefully next month's update will be
> more exciting!
> Love and kisses!
> Ryan Evans
--Forwarded Message Ends--
A basketball player at East High? With a scholarship? ... That didn't leave many people, Troy realised. He wondered who it could be. Which is when the phone rang, Chad's number coming up on the caller ID.
"This is Troy!" he answered, grinning. "Speak to me!"
"Troy, hey," came Chad's voice. "It's Chad."
Troy nodded, sitting down in his spinny desk chair and twirling around. "Hey, Chad! What's up!"
... It couldn't be. Could it?
"Oh, not much," Chad said. "It's just been a while since we talked, and y'know, I wanted to see if you were going to be home any time soon so I can kick your out-of-shape ass on the court."
Laughing, Troy retorted, "Oh, like that's going to happen. Who got voted captain in his sophomore year?"
Chad snorted. "Hey, who got voted captain when he left? Oh, hey, so I just found out -- I got a full ride to UNM Albuquerque. Still waiting to hear back from some of the other schools, but I think I'll probably end up going here, anyway. Unless one of the New York schools wants me."
"Oh?" Troy said. "Why New York?"
There was a brief hesitation from the other end of the line, leaving Troy wondering if this really was happening, before Chad replied, "Well, uh, that's the other reason I called. I'm seeing someone new. Someone who's going to a school in New York."
"What? Chad, don't tell me that Sharpay got her claws into you." Okay, so it was a little evil, hitting so close to what he suspected was the mark.
Chad's choking could probably be heard by Troy without benefit of the phone to carry the sound. "Oh, God, no! Not if she were the last person on Earth-"
"-and there were no sheep," Troy finished. "Are there sheep?!" He grinned. "But seriously, who is it?"
Another hesitation. "Uh... Promise not to freak out?"
"Of course. You're my friend."
"Well," Chad began, "I'm... kinda seeing Ryan."
Troy almost broke out laughing, but instead he just said, "Oh, hey, cool, he's a good kisser. And a great guy."
He could almost see Chad's face at that. "... He's a what? How the Hell do you know that? I mean, not that you're wrong, but how...?"
"Oh, he didn't mention? We kissed at New Year's."
"Yeah, but he's a guy."
Troy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I noticed, Chad. What with the whole kissing him thing. And the whole part where I like guys."
"You what?"
"... Chad, you're dating Ryan."
"Oh, right. But why didn't you tell me?"
Troy shrugged, even though Chad couldn't see it. "I dunno," he said, going on to explain, "I guess I just... wasn't sure how you'd react. It wasn't like we'd ever talked about it or anything. And I didn't really figure it out until I got to Fandom, and then..."
There was a moment of silence. "And then we drifted apart," Chad finished.
"... Yeah. It's probably my fault." Troy worried a bit at his lip. "Sorry about that."
"No," Chad replied. "It takes two for a friendship, and two to let it fall apart. We'll just have to do better, right?"
That put a grin back on Troy's face. "Right! So, tell me about you and Ryan -- how'd you two get together?"
The phone call went on for some time; after he hung up, with a promise to call Chad on the weekend, Troy lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A year ago, even after doing Kelsi's show, he'd never have dreamed that he'd be where he was, or that he'd have the kind of conversation he'd just had.
Look where he was now.
He couldn't help but wonder where he'd be a year from now. There were so many possibilities...
[Door's ajar, post is open! Post may have been inspired by a conversation earlier. Chad/Ryan is canon, dammit! They switch hats!]
From: Ryan Evans
To: Troy Bolton
Subject: FWD [April Update]
Hey, Troy,
I just realised that I didn't have you on my monthly update list. I dunno, I guess it's 'cause I think of you as being a friend from around here? Sorry! Anyway, here's the latest email I sent out, and you should be getting them now as they come out.
Love and kisses!
Ryan Evans
--Forwarded Message Follows--
> Hey, everyone!
> March was a good month. The winter musical -- Kelsi's latest show, it's about these people
> who get stuck in the school library for the weekend and end up having to fight zombies --
> went really well at the beginning of the month, with yours truly in the starring role opposite
> Gabriella Montez. Sharpay was livid, of course, but when isn't she? Besides, she got to play
> the antagonist, and I think she hadn't realised how much fun that could be.
> In other news, I'm seeing someone new. He's not really out yet, so I'm keeping pretty quiet
> about who he is, but it's not like any of you know him anyway. He's a basketball player here
> at East High, and he's got this great scholarship for the fall. He's planning to tell people
> soon, so I'll have more details for you all before long, I hope.
> Anyway, that's pretty much all that's new right now. Hopefully next month's update will be
> more exciting!
> Love and kisses!
> Ryan Evans
--Forwarded Message Ends--
A basketball player at East High? With a scholarship? ... That didn't leave many people, Troy realised. He wondered who it could be. Which is when the phone rang, Chad's number coming up on the caller ID.
"This is Troy!" he answered, grinning. "Speak to me!"
"Troy, hey," came Chad's voice. "It's Chad."
Troy nodded, sitting down in his spinny desk chair and twirling around. "Hey, Chad! What's up!"
... It couldn't be. Could it?
"Oh, not much," Chad said. "It's just been a while since we talked, and y'know, I wanted to see if you were going to be home any time soon so I can kick your out-of-shape ass on the court."
Laughing, Troy retorted, "Oh, like that's going to happen. Who got voted captain in his sophomore year?"
Chad snorted. "Hey, who got voted captain when he left? Oh, hey, so I just found out -- I got a full ride to UNM Albuquerque. Still waiting to hear back from some of the other schools, but I think I'll probably end up going here, anyway. Unless one of the New York schools wants me."
"Oh?" Troy said. "Why New York?"
There was a brief hesitation from the other end of the line, leaving Troy wondering if this really was happening, before Chad replied, "Well, uh, that's the other reason I called. I'm seeing someone new. Someone who's going to a school in New York."
"What? Chad, don't tell me that Sharpay got her claws into you." Okay, so it was a little evil, hitting so close to what he suspected was the mark.
Chad's choking could probably be heard by Troy without benefit of the phone to carry the sound. "Oh, God, no! Not if she were the last person on Earth-"
"-and there were no sheep," Troy finished. "Are there sheep?!" He grinned. "But seriously, who is it?"
Another hesitation. "Uh... Promise not to freak out?"
"Of course. You're my friend."
"Well," Chad began, "I'm... kinda seeing Ryan."
Troy almost broke out laughing, but instead he just said, "Oh, hey, cool, he's a good kisser. And a great guy."
He could almost see Chad's face at that. "... He's a what? How the Hell do you know that? I mean, not that you're wrong, but how...?"
"Oh, he didn't mention? We kissed at New Year's."
"Yeah, but he's a guy."
Troy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I noticed, Chad. What with the whole kissing him thing. And the whole part where I like guys."
"You what?"
"... Chad, you're dating Ryan."
"Oh, right. But why didn't you tell me?"
Troy shrugged, even though Chad couldn't see it. "I dunno," he said, going on to explain, "I guess I just... wasn't sure how you'd react. It wasn't like we'd ever talked about it or anything. And I didn't really figure it out until I got to Fandom, and then..."
There was a moment of silence. "And then we drifted apart," Chad finished.
"... Yeah. It's probably my fault." Troy worried a bit at his lip. "Sorry about that."
"No," Chad replied. "It takes two for a friendship, and two to let it fall apart. We'll just have to do better, right?"
That put a grin back on Troy's face. "Right! So, tell me about you and Ryan -- how'd you two get together?"
The phone call went on for some time; after he hung up, with a promise to call Chad on the weekend, Troy lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. A year ago, even after doing Kelsi's show, he'd never have dreamed that he'd be where he was, or that he'd have the kind of conversation he'd just had.
Look where he was now.
He couldn't help but wonder where he'd be a year from now. There were so many possibilities...
[Door's ajar, post is open! Post may have been inspired by a conversation earlier. Chad/Ryan is canon, dammit! They switch hats!]