Binary (High School Musical, shortfic)
Title: Binary
Day/Theme: theme 3. I loved you most theme list
Series: High School Musical
Character/Pairing: Ryan
Rating: G
Wordcount: 900
Summary: Ryan has always been pulled by his sister's gravity. A story of interdependent stars and twin roles.
For his entire life, Ryan Evans had been pulled by his twin's gravity.
Ryan wasn't the brightest bulb, but he was a specialist when it came to twins. He knew all about the theories about twin sibling relationships, and recognized quite readily that he was the submissive twin. It never really bothered him, because no matter what, he always had Sharpay. It was a peculiar sort of aloneness, he supposed. As long as Sharpay was there, he wasn't allowed to have any others friends, because he had to be ready whenever she snapped her fingers.
He knew that worried his mother. Although parents weren't supposed to have favorites, he knew he was closer to his mother than Sharpay was. His mother, whose calm personality mirrored his own, sometimes found Sharpay too strident and just caved into her commands instead of trying to curb her diva-like behavior.
Ryan was very much like mother. He, too, always chose the path of least resistance.
Once, while sitting in ninth grade science class, his instructor managed to get his attention by mentioning the word "stars." Since "stars" was one of Sharpay's top-ten most frequently used words, he had a Pavlovian at hearing that. He lifted his head curiously, for once intrigued by the boorish Mrs. Nelson, who should have retired years ago.
"A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star or secondary," Mrs. Nelson said, her voice old and tired. The tenured teacher was well past the point when she actually tried to engage her students.
Ryan hadn't remembered any other part of that lesson, but the concept of binary stars had somehow struck a bone. It described him and Sharpay perfectly. Somehow it made it easier to think of being twins like that, rather than dominant or submissive. They could both be stars that way.
That was until Sharpay decided she had to have Troy Bolton as her very own. Ryan was used to his sister charting their course, and while he didn't think it was a good idea (anyone with eyes could see that Troy was head-over-heels in puppy love with Gabriella Montez), he agreed to help her with her plotting.
Only to have her shove him out of the spotlight, and get Troy to take his place. A part of him had always known that at some point, Sharpay would fall in love and that Ryan would no longer be her most important person, but it still stung.
That hadn't been the worst, either. For his entire life, Ryan was well-aware that he wasn't the son his father wanted. The only time they'd ever been close had been when Ryan played Little League baseball, but Ryan had quit after deciding that he wanted to devote his life to the theater. So it really shouldn't have surprised him to see his father take an interest in Troy as well; Troy, East High's basketball and golf star, the golden boy who was everything a man could want in a son.
Ryan knew jealousy wasn't attractive, but he couldn't look at Troy without wanting to punch him (okay, he wanted to scratch his eyes out, but that would just be too flaming, even for him). All he could do was sulk, wondering if there was a way he could upstage his sister. He'd always been content to be a supporting player to her lead, but he refused to just left his star die out because Sharpay decided it was convenient for her. Sharpay wasn't the only Evans with a propensity for selfishness.
It was very lucky for him that Gabriella decided to include him in her circle of friends. While he didn't intend to manipulate them outright, if their goals and his coincided, there was no reason they shouldn't work together. It was even better after he learned that hanging out as "one of the guys" could be a lot of fun.
And to his shock, he found that he could live without his sister.
Suddenly he was teaching Gabriella how to dance, and jerking on Chad's chain in a friendly way. He took the time to read Kelsi's lyrics and listen to her vision, discovering that she really did know better than Sharpay when it music. His world expanded exponentially, and part of the ache caused by his sister's abandonment ebbed. He would rather have her on his side, but he didn't need her.
For the first time in his life, he was standing on his own, declining her pull. Then Sharpay's plans fell through (like they always seemed to), and he was able to turn her down when she begged for him to return to his prior orbit.
Ryan Evans had always known about twin theory, about how one twin would become dominant and the other would be submissive. Everyone had always assumed that he would be the clingy one, the one who was most dependent... but despite their personalities, all of them had been wrong.
It was an epiphany. He wasn't the one who needed her; she needed him more. Without an audience, Sharpay was nothing but a screeching, spoiled little girl who didn't have anyone. She couldn't be fabulous without people to admire her. And that was why Ryan returned to her side, because despite it all, there was no one in the world he loved more.
Day/Theme: theme 3. I loved you most theme list
Series: High School Musical
Character/Pairing: Ryan
Rating: G
Wordcount: 900
Summary: Ryan has always been pulled by his sister's gravity. A story of interdependent stars and twin roles.
For his entire life, Ryan Evans had been pulled by his twin's gravity.
Ryan wasn't the brightest bulb, but he was a specialist when it came to twins. He knew all about the theories about twin sibling relationships, and recognized quite readily that he was the submissive twin. It never really bothered him, because no matter what, he always had Sharpay. It was a peculiar sort of aloneness, he supposed. As long as Sharpay was there, he wasn't allowed to have any others friends, because he had to be ready whenever she snapped her fingers.
He knew that worried his mother. Although parents weren't supposed to have favorites, he knew he was closer to his mother than Sharpay was. His mother, whose calm personality mirrored his own, sometimes found Sharpay too strident and just caved into her commands instead of trying to curb her diva-like behavior.
Ryan was very much like mother. He, too, always chose the path of least resistance.
Once, while sitting in ninth grade science class, his instructor managed to get his attention by mentioning the word "stars." Since "stars" was one of Sharpay's top-ten most frequently used words, he had a Pavlovian at hearing that. He lifted his head curiously, for once intrigued by the boorish Mrs. Nelson, who should have retired years ago.
"A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star or secondary," Mrs. Nelson said, her voice old and tired. The tenured teacher was well past the point when she actually tried to engage her students.
Ryan hadn't remembered any other part of that lesson, but the concept of binary stars had somehow struck a bone. It described him and Sharpay perfectly. Somehow it made it easier to think of being twins like that, rather than dominant or submissive. They could both be stars that way.
That was until Sharpay decided she had to have Troy Bolton as her very own. Ryan was used to his sister charting their course, and while he didn't think it was a good idea (anyone with eyes could see that Troy was head-over-heels in puppy love with Gabriella Montez), he agreed to help her with her plotting.
Only to have her shove him out of the spotlight, and get Troy to take his place. A part of him had always known that at some point, Sharpay would fall in love and that Ryan would no longer be her most important person, but it still stung.
That hadn't been the worst, either. For his entire life, Ryan was well-aware that he wasn't the son his father wanted. The only time they'd ever been close had been when Ryan played Little League baseball, but Ryan had quit after deciding that he wanted to devote his life to the theater. So it really shouldn't have surprised him to see his father take an interest in Troy as well; Troy, East High's basketball and golf star, the golden boy who was everything a man could want in a son.
Ryan knew jealousy wasn't attractive, but he couldn't look at Troy without wanting to punch him (okay, he wanted to scratch his eyes out, but that would just be too flaming, even for him). All he could do was sulk, wondering if there was a way he could upstage his sister. He'd always been content to be a supporting player to her lead, but he refused to just left his star die out because Sharpay decided it was convenient for her. Sharpay wasn't the only Evans with a propensity for selfishness.
It was very lucky for him that Gabriella decided to include him in her circle of friends. While he didn't intend to manipulate them outright, if their goals and his coincided, there was no reason they shouldn't work together. It was even better after he learned that hanging out as "one of the guys" could be a lot of fun.
And to his shock, he found that he could live without his sister.
Suddenly he was teaching Gabriella how to dance, and jerking on Chad's chain in a friendly way. He took the time to read Kelsi's lyrics and listen to her vision, discovering that she really did know better than Sharpay when it music. His world expanded exponentially, and part of the ache caused by his sister's abandonment ebbed. He would rather have her on his side, but he didn't need her.
For the first time in his life, he was standing on his own, declining her pull. Then Sharpay's plans fell through (like they always seemed to), and he was able to turn her down when she begged for him to return to his prior orbit.
Ryan Evans had always known about twin theory, about how one twin would become dominant and the other would be submissive. Everyone had always assumed that he would be the clingy one, the one who was most dependent... but despite their personalities, all of them had been wrong.
It was an epiphany. He wasn't the one who needed her; she needed him more. Without an audience, Sharpay was nothing but a screeching, spoiled little girl who didn't have anyone. She couldn't be fabulous without people to admire her. And that was why Ryan returned to her side, because despite it all, there was no one in the world he loved more.