Part Four: Practiced

“No, we need a tighter spin there.”

I groaned, pushing her away from me, “If I spin you any tighter, it’ll look jerky.”

Sharpay fisted her hands on her hips, “And whose fault would that be?”

“Look, come here.” I motioned her over, took her left hand, and spun her into me gracefully. “That’s how I did it just now.” I spun her out again, then repeated the manoeuvre, but this time she stumbled against me. “And that’s what would happen if I made it tighter.”

“But it wouldn’t fit the music otherwise.” She pointed a finger at me as the doorbell rang, “Hang on. We’ll sort this out when I get back.”

“Yes, master.” I rolled my eyes towards Kelsi as Sharpay flounced out, and the pianist chuckled. Then I crossed to the piano, “By the way, my first few lines in the long, does it end on a high or low note?”

“Hm?”

“My starting lines,” I prompted. “Is it: ‘I’m breaking out of this shell and going for the gold’?” I sang the line, going up at the end. “Or:-?” I repeated the line, going down instead.

“Oh. Up on that one,” she told me. “‘Cause this is the hope. It’s positive. But for the next line, you go down.” She played the intro easily, and sang Sharpay’s opening part, before nodding at me to go.

I’m breaking out of this shell and going for the gold

But you restrain me, I’m secure in your hold.

I paused, cocked my head to the side, “She chose a pretty bleak song, didn’t she?”

“It’s a bleak show, Ry,” Sharpay reminded me as she strode in. “We need to sound the part. And you’re meant to be singing with me, not Kelsi.”

“Well, maybe if you didn’t take so long answering the door, I wouldn’t have to,” I retorted. “Who was it, anyway?” I looked round, saw Troy standing behind her in the archway. “Oh.” I turned away again, muttering to myself: “Great…”

“So, this spin…”

I rolled my eyes, turning my gaze to hers again, “Shar, it’s not going to work.”

“Well, we’ll have to make it work,” she told me haughtily. “Because your way completely disturbs the timing.”

“Well, can’t we just elongate the next three moves and cut out your swoop?”

She stared at me like I’d just suggested that she shave off all her hair and dye her scalp maroon. “Are you insane?!” she squawked. “The swoop is vital!”

“It’s only there so you can flash your cleavage at the judges!”

She patted me on the shoulder condescendingly, “Therefore increasing our chances! You’re so naïve…”

I gave a snort of derision, “They’d have to be to fall for that.”

“The swoop stays- end of discussion,” she told me matter-of-factly.

I stared at him evenly, “Are you gonna go through life on sex-appeal?”

She gave me a bright smile, “It’s working for me so far. And I’m glad you respect me enough to acknowledge that it would be sex appeal, not the actual act.”

“You’re a tease, Shar, not a whore,” I said mildly. Then groaned as the doorbell rang again, “This rehearsal isn’t happening, is it?”

“Probably not right now,” she agreed as I headed through the archway and into the front hall. I pulled open the door easily, and my mood instantly brightened.

“Hey.”

Chad grinned at me, “Hey. What’s up?”

“Sharpay’s not playing fair,” I remarked, shooting a look over my shoulder.

He shrugged, “What else is new?”

My eyes narrowed, “Watch it, Danforth. We twins can get very protective of one another.” Grabbing a fistful of his top, I pulled his mouth onto mine. The kiss was short and heated as I tugged him inside and closed the door.

“Right,” I heard Kelsi announce loudly. “I’m going before I turn into a fifth wheel.”

I grinned at her as I pulled back, “Shut the door on your way out, yeah?”

She whacked me playfully with her manuscripts on the way out, “Cheeky. Call me when you need me.”

“Kelsi,” I said in a mock-serious tone that had her looking back as she pulled open the door. “I always need you.”

She laughed, holding her folder up at the side of her face and pointing through it at Chad in a purposefully unsly manner. “Don’t let him know,” she said in a stage whisper, before backing out and closing the door.

“Chad!” Troy greeted, appearing in the arch Kelsi had just walked under.

“Troy,” Chad moved over to him. “What’re you doing here?”

Troy smiled as I moved past both of them to help Sharpay move the couch back into place. We’d shoved all the furniture aside so we could dance. We had a studio down in the private gym, but be preferred the living room. “Just came to see Sharpay,” Troy said as we heaved.

“Shove that chair back into place, Ryan?” Sharpay said, alerting them to what we were doing as we each pushed a piece of furniture across the room.

“Don’t you two have, like, servants to do that for you?” Troy asked in amazement as we arranged the furniture appropriately.

Sharpay rolled her eyes, “Normally, we do. But whenever we’re in the house alone, we dismiss them. Ryan can’t quite understand the point of letting them do their job.”

I shrugged off her narrow look, “I just think it’s a little demeaning that I’m expected to be so lazy that I can’t open a door by myself.”

“Need any help there?” Chad asked. I leaned on the back of my chair.

“He asks just as we finish…”

“Typical,” Sharpay agreed.

Chad walked over to me, “We can’t help if we don’t know what you’re doing.”

I chuckled as I looped my arms around his neck, “You’re meant to be psychic… Want a drink?”

“You’re meant to know that already with your psychic abilities,” he responded.

“Mm… Clever…” I gave him a quick kiss and pushed him down onto the sofa. “Wait here.” I looked at Sharpay- who looked like she was holding in a coo- and Troy- who looked like he was about to puke, “Want anything?”

“The usual,” Sharpay told me.

“I’ll come and help you,” Troy offered. I shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving him to follow.

“You don’t like me,” he observed, shutting the door behind him as he entered the kitchen.

“Go figure.”

He watched me as I walked to the fridge, “You’re still mad that I told you to break it off with Chad. I was only trying to help.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked in irritation as I pulled out a bottle of juice for Sharpay, water for me and a soda for Chad- the one he always had when he was over. “And how did you work that one out?”

“You’re not right for each other.”

I slammed the fridge door closed, “That’s not your concern, thank you very much.” Moving round the counter, I glared at him, “Look, I know you don’t like me going out with Chad because you think I’m going to break him or something, but-”

He cut me off with a soft laugh that had me frowning, “You’re so dense, Ryan…” I backed off as he reached for me, but my back knocked up against the breakfast counter, and he had me trapped. “I don’t think you’re going to break him. I only said that to get you to back off. Can you really not see what’s going on here…?”

“Why did you want me to back off?” I asked him coldly. And, with his eyes boring into mine, he moved a hand up to drag a ghost of a finger across my cheekbone lazily. Then he inclined his head and touched his lips to mine gently, leaving me rigid with shock.