Ariel (music_dreamer) wrote in mundus_district, @ 2008-09-18 21:46:00 |
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Entry tags: | kelsi nielsen, ryan evans |
Who: Kelsi & Ryan
What: High School Reunion
When: September 15th, afternoon
Where: On the streets of Mundus
Rating: PG
Open: Just Kelsi & Ryan
Kelsi's mind was racing after she parted ways with Troy and Gabriella. When she had once felt alone and confused, she felt happy and even comforted. She hadn't reached graduation yet and she didn't have to say good-bye...not yet. With the random appearances from her friends, she began to hope that her other friends would show up as well, especially a certain blonde haired, hat loving boy.
As she walked back to her apartment, she began to think back to their times during their senior year. She had never thought about them together, but as they continued their work for their last musical of their high school career, she found that she loved spending time with him. While they were apart, all she could think about was when she could see him again.
And then there was prom. She felt like the world tilted when he had asked her.
She wasn't sure where the future would take them together, especially since high school was ending, but she had a sense that they would still be together. And she was looking forward to that.
Ryan was, understandably, still extremely confused about his current living situation. Sure, he'd been planning on leaving Albuquerque for school, but he'd thought he'd have months to get used to that idea. All of a sudden he found himself dropped in the middle of nowhere (alright, it was a decent city, but it was not home) with people he'd never seen before. Sure, the apartment was nice and most of the people he'd met seemed friendly enough. But the fact of the matter was, he should have been at home helping to choreograph the last musical of the year, finishing his college entrance essay, and studying for that chemistry test.
Overall, though? It wasn't so bad there. He even thought he'd caught sight of the shaggy brownish-blond hair of one Troy Bolton, so maybe all hope wasn't lost. Either that or everyone had that haircut and he refused to believe that one. He had taken a walk, trying to get a feel for his new surroundings. One thing he knew immediately was that it was a lot colder than home. By January he'd be frozen.
He was almost back home...if he could call it home, when he caught a rather small person in front of him. For a moment, he smiled. She reminded him of Kelsi. He'd miss her... A little more than he might've thought before this happened. And then he blinked. And grinned. "Kelsi?" It couldn't actually be her, could it? But if he was there, who was to say the rest of East High wasn't? Why shouldn't they be? He called a little bit louder. "Kelsi?"
"Yes?" Kelsi turned around, wondering who it could be. It took her a moment to fully comprehend who it was, before the biggest smile spread across her face. "RYAN!" She ran the rest of the way towards him, throwing her arms to wrap around him. Could it really have been that easy? To wish for someone so badly and have them appear? She didn't realize how hard she was squeezing for awhile, before blushing and stepping back. "Sorry," she said, pushing her glasses back up and adjusting her hat. "It's just...well, I was hoping you'd be here." She hoped it didn't sound that straight forward and began to wonder what time he came from. After speaking to Gabriella and Troy, it seemed like they had all come from different times, even if they were kind of close together.
That wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting, but it was nice, at least. Ryan grinned as she nearly knocked him off balance and he blushed a little as he straightened up. If everyone here was that happy to see him...well, they wouldn't be Kelsi, would they? That familiar warmth in his stomach on being around her flared up all over again, and he was happy to see that not everything was going to be different in this strange new place. "Were you?" he asked, glancing down at her with an almost-shy smile. "I... Well, I was sort of hoping the same about you." Realizing that his words might make him sound a bit, well, desperate, he backtracked quickly. "And everyone else. Gabriela and Chad and everyone." And Sharpay. The thought had occurred to him that he might not see his sister again. As many times as he'd secretly wished it, he didn't think he actually had the power to make that come true.
She smiled and nodded her head, her curls bouncing slightly. "And they're here! Well, like I said, Troy and Gabriella. This is so great! There are only a few more to come and we have the old gang back! We don't have to graduate and be away from each other!" She grinned, hoping she would get the answer to her question in this instance. If he had come from a different time, then his response would show. She stood back a little and tried to study him. He looked the way she remembered him...the sandy blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and that great smile...how had she been so oblivious about it before?
"I was just heading back to my apartment, but I want to hear more about you! When you got here, what you're thinking about..." She looked between him and the apartment building. "Would you like to come up? Or we could wander around and talk..."
There'd been a really long time that he had hoped to get to spend that sort of alone time with Kelsi. The fact that she was offering was pretty amazing, and he could hardly turn it down. "Sure," Ryan told her, sticking his hands in his pockets to keep from hugging her again. It wasn't anything, he reminded himself. Just him being incredibly grateful to see someone he knew in a really, really mixed up world. That's all. Nothing to worry about, nothing to make her think anything was off. Though she had held on for a terribly long time.
Anyway, he could deal with that. "Whichever," he continued. "I mean, I'm trying to get to know the place, so if you want to go on walking, fine, sure. But, you know, if you're tired... Small legs and all..." Grinning, Ryan gave her a wink before automatically walking in no particular direction. "You know, I wasn't really looking forward to packing up and leaving and everyone splitting up, but this? I don't know, this wasn't what I had in mind."
Kelsi rolled her eyes and shoved him in the shoulder. "It can't be helped that I'm short!" she said, grinning. "Just like it can't be helped that you're so tall!" She followed his lead though, not wanting to leave his side. He seemed to be acting kind of stand-offish, but she hadn't gotten the answer she had wanted. She didn't want to come out and ask him what time he came from, because that would have seemed a bit too strange.
Arms swinging at her sides, she glanced over at him, the wink he had given her still in her mind. "It is strange," she said. "The three of us were talking about the situation and it doesn't make sense! What was the last thing you remember before coming here?" There, that was a safe way to ask.
It seemed a strange question when she asked it, but Ryan stopped to consider. "Well, there was that big test in English the next day--can't say I'm sorry I'm missing that right now. And I think we'd planned on finishing painting the set, but we'd been talking about doing that for weeks." What day had it been? He'd only been...there, wherever there was, for a couple of days, but it felt like way too long. He supposed that might happen when you were that confused.
Kelsi was smiling, at least. If she could smile through this, so could he. He'd just feel better if he knew Shar was okay, and he imagined once the taste of freedom wore of he'd miss his parents, but that could all be dealt with in time. At least he wasn't alone, not if Troy and Gabriella and of course Kelsi were there. Especially Kelsi, who apparently didn't hold Sharpay's demanding behaviour against him. "I don't know...April's always a pretty busy month."
Kelsi's eyes went wide and she felt her heart sink. English test? And painting the set? No way...he came from an earlier time that she hadn't considered. And it was a time before they were together...if they had ever been together. She hoped her shock would translate into confusion and she wondered how she could explain it to him. "Pretty strange just randomly waking up here, huh," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "But...well, it gets a little more complicated." She went on to tell him about the time difference, explaining how she and Troy figured it out when they first conversed over the journals.
"It's so strange!" she said, shaking her head. "Troy was ready to go to college, while I was anxiously anticipating graduation! And here you come, saying that you're still in your senior year! Makes me wish I had come from the same time!" She grinned up at him, not realizing the other meaning behind those words.
Ryan's face flickered, his usual expression slipping enough to reveal his confusion. "Troy graduated?" he asked, a little jealous. "And you haven't yet. Wait, anticipating? Like, how close anticipating, are we talking the week of or something?" His friends had done so much that he hadn't. Graduation for Troy and all those senior parties for them both. And the show, God, he'd missed the show but they hadn't. "So--I was there, wasn't I? All those events? And as far as Troy knows, we both graduated? So it's not like... It isn't like we just up and disappeared, we were there."
It didn't make sense. What had been confusing only grew more so with everything Kelsi said. At least she was there. And Troy and Gabriella, of course, and hopefully they'd run into the others soon, but her being there... Well. It hardly seemed the right time to think about all of that. "What day is it, then? If it's not...wait, is it April? Can that... No, because you thought it was graduation..." None of it made any sense at all.
"I know, it's confusing!" she said, shaking her head. "I still don't quite understand that part, but it seems that I was there at the graduation ceremony, when I don't remember going through! I don't want to think that there are two of me out in the world, but..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm trying not to think about it too much and just accept the fact I'm here. I don't think I would have been able to do that without knowing some people here."
The smile she turned to give him was a little sad. "It was the night before graduation," she said. "I don't know if I should be thankful or upset that I wound up here!" She laughed a little, looking to either side of her to take in her surroundings. "It's September 15th, 2008," she said. "Strange, isn't it?"
September 15. At some point, he'd turned 18 and didn't even know it. But what good was that when he didn't even remember graduating high school? "Wow," was all Ryan said for a long moment, letting the idea sink in. "So we're...stuck here?" She seemed to know more about it than he did, and he needed all the help he could get. The fact that it was Kelsi giving him that help made all the difference.
"The night before graduation?" Ryan asked, switching topics. Sort of. It was a bit easier to be conversational then to try and understand what had happened. "Were you trying the robe on over and over again? I would have, I bet." That sounded so weird. He sounded like a high school drop out, but he hadn't. "Oh, and wasn't there supposed to be some senior picnic or something? Did you go?" And then there was prom. He'd been considering asking her since Christmas. Had he? Did he even go? The outfit he'd picked out had been, dare he say it, fabulous, of course he'd have gone. Right?
She nodded her head, slowly. "It seems that way," she said. "But...I'm sure we'll find a way. I mean...it can't be that bad! I mean, I walked into the living area of my apartment and there was a piano! Plus, everything I need is in my room." Kelsi was sounding a lot more positive than she felt. It was a new experience, sure, but she felt like she was missing out on her life back at home. According to Troy, she had gone through graduation, but she didn't remember it.
She looked up at Ryan and smiled. "No, definitely not trying on the robe. I was actually kind of dreading the day." She blushed a little, knowing it sounded silly. Graduation was what they had dreamed of forever and it had finally come! To be dreading it seemed almost blasphemous. "I just didn't want to think about being away from yo-- everyone," she quickly corrected. "The last two years of high school were amazing and I had never had a group of friends that close before. I didn't want to think about leaving it and having to start all over again." She was surprised how truthful she was being with him. But then again, she had always felt comfortable talking to Ryan. "Yeah, we all went to the senior picnic. It was great! Zeke made a lot of great desserts and brought those to share." She smiled, thinking of the whip cream attack that followed.
He could almost picture it in his head. Everyone spread out on blankets, talking. Sharpay would have been talking up the cutest guys she could find. Troy and Gabriella had probably been snuggling almost nauseatingly for everyone to joke about. And Zeke would have been describing everything he'd made.
And Ryan? What would he have been doing? He knew what he would like to have done. Maybe it wasn't entirely impossible. Got the other guys in on a pick-up baseball game and then--well, exactly what he was doing just then. Talked to Kelsi. It sounded nearly perfect. Especially when she talked about how good it had felt to have such a great group of friends. "I know what you mean," he admitted. "I don't know if you know this," he confided in a joking whisper, "but tagging along with Sharpay doesn't exactly leave room for a lot of friends. She can be a little intimidating." He was still worried about his twin, but Kelsi said life apparently went on back home, so it was likely she had no idea anything had changed. "Things are going to be pretty different now, though, aren't they?"
"I suppose," she said. "Although...things could work out. We have each other and we can make a clean start. Although, I haven't explored this area very much to see what they have to offer. Do they have a school to attend? And if not, what kind of jobs are there?" She shrugged, but now her mind was racing. What would she do with this time? With this experience?
She laughed, thinking about Sharpay. She knew how she treated people (as she had been one of them) and had always hated how she had treated Ryan. But he had really stepped into his own spotlight the summer before senior year and she had seen it grow bigger and bigger. She was happy that Sharpay, in her own way, had acknowledged that and allowed it.
"Maybe we can go exploring together sometime," she said, looking back at him. "And maybe we can get Gaby and Troy to come with us! We could all get something to eat and just look around. I'd be interested to see what kind of establishment they have here! Maybe they have a small theatre that I could help with..."
"Or that we could help with," Ryan supplied, inviting himself along without even a second thought. "Like old times, right?" Not long ago, he probably would have wrapped a casual arm around her shoulders, or at least linked his through hers. Now he wasn't sure that was allowed. They'd obviously stayed friends till graduation, or she wouldn't have been quite so pleased to see him. But he didn't know how close they'd been and maybe this somewhat new Kelsi would want more space than he tended to give.
"All I ask is a good Mexican restaurant and a coffee shop. If this place can provide those, I might forgive it for snatching me up before I even got to wear my new red and white pageboy hat." He tried to smile, then, and found it easier than he'd expected. Maybe Kelsi was right. Maybe there were schools or jobs to be had, and entirely new hobbies. Plus, she had a piano. Truthfully, that was all he needed. As pathetic as that sounded. "We should get together soon. If we wind up bored here, you'll have to teach me to play."
She saw his smile and couldn't help but laugh a little. "I'm sure you can wear it soon enough," she said, grinning. "And help you learn the piano? From what I remember, you were able to pluck out a few tunes when we practiced for our last musical." She thought how sad that must be for him, not being able to see the finish work of his musical. "You know...after our stroll, if you want to stop by, I could look and see if I have any pictures from Senior Year. Pictures from the musical, picnic, and everything in between. I thought I saw the box I kept everything in, but I can't be sure. But it might be nice to see how things turned out."
She thought of the pictures she had of them at prom and wondered if that would be the best to show him. She was curious to know how he felt, but couldn't come right out and say anything. Plus, she didn't want him to think that she was trying to make him like her or anything like that. Frustrating as it was, she knew she had to take it slow for him, as there was a lot to take in.
Ryan's smile as she mentioned the last musical was small and sheepish. "Maybe, but I'm hardly Mozart or Alicia Keys or anything here. And I'll never be as good as you are." It wasn't meant to be flattery, exactly, though he'd always liked making her smile. But Ryan honestly didn't know anyone who could play or compose as well as Kelsi. He tried, he really did. But he couldn't compete and he didn't want to. That was her thing. He'd have to stick to choreography, singing, and dancing.
"That...would be really great," he decided a moment later. And it really would be, even if it might be a little hard to see himself participating in things he didn't remember participating in. "And it would be sort of cool to see your place. Piano and everything." He'd just realized that might not have sounded very gentlemanly at all. "How did the musical go, by the way? Sharpay didn't scare off the entire cast and crew at the last minute, did she?" He laughed, then, starting to feel a little more comfortable with the idea of everything that was going on around them.
She shrugged and smiled. "Well, I'm not as good as Mozart or Alicia Keys either! I just play what comes naturally, I suppose." It was a nice compliment all the same and she could feel herself blushing. She wished she had a hood on so she could hide behind it. She felt silly getting excited over the little things, knowing he didn't mean much behind it. To him, it was just how it was.
"The musical was great!" she said, smiling. "There were a few...difficulties, but as usual, we were able to get through them. Everyone had a great time and it just looked amazing!" When she felt her face cool down, she looked over at him and smiled. "You did an amazing job with the choreography. I wish I had some video of it to show you! I could show you but you know I'm a horrible dancer..." The sentence kind of trailed off, because he didn't know that. He hadn't come to that part of his life yet...
"Well, since Troy and Gabriella are here, they'll probably be able to show you some of the stuff!" She changed it quickly, a grin on her face.
Was she a horrible dancer? Had he ever really seen her dance? Maybe bobbing along with the rest of them while they did. Ryan wished he'd paid more attention now. It would've been nice to know those sorts of things. If he'd known the next few months were going to be taken from him, he'd have worked harder to memorize all the little details. "I'll have to talk them into it. You know Troy, though, he'll probably hate to show off." He hoped his friend would change his mind, at least this once. Ryan was dying to see how that big duet had turned out.
Ryan sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. The whole thing was still weird and creepy and maybe they'd all died at some point and this was some crazy version of the afterlife, whatever how did he know? But he figured there was hope to get used to it. After all, he wasn't here alone and he even had a state of the art video and stereo system in his room...thing. "We'll have to get together. I mean," he added quickly, "hang out and all. I've got a movie collection in that room that you wouldn't believe! All the old classics, Bogart, Gable, Tracy... Um, that is, if you like that sort of thing." Oh good grief he was making a total fool of himself. If he'd just asked her to a movie when the idea had first come to him months ago, he wouldn't be in this mess.
"I'm sure he will, for you and Gaby," she said, smiling. "Maybe there's a dance studio around here that we could check out? Or, I'm sure we could just go over to someone's apartment, like you said." She smiled, thinking how they could have the "good times" back. They would be able to hang out again and bond...all over again. Maybe Ryan would still like her? She supposed she could only let time tell...she was still the same Kelsi he liked before, right? If he really had liked her...
"Oh, I love classics!" she said, smiling. "My favorite is 'Roman Holiday'. Although, for musicals, you can't beat 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'West Side Story'!"
"Singin in the Rain, oh man, you do know how to win a man over, don't you?" Ryan teased with a grin, though he wasn't...well, entirely joking. Any girl who knew Singin' in the Rain had the potential to make him get that gushy feeling, and since he already thought she was adorable and talented and really pretty, too... Well. "And West Side Story's not bad, either, I'll admit, even if it's only the most depressing thing I've ever watched. I almost cried, Kels. Cried! So humiliating." He shook his head with a playful sigh, then glanced sideways at her. "So does this mean if I were up for a black and white classic movie marathon, you'd join me?"
He was tempted to add that it wasn't a date. Except the part where he sort of wanted it to be but couldn't really say so. And he wouldn't. Would he? No. Not happening. Except, maybe. Oh, geez, when had he gotten so wishy-washy? What he needed was a dash of Sharpay confidence, and it hit him again that he was now on his own in that department.
If she wasn't blushing enough, she certainly was now. "I try," she mumbled, although she wasn't sure if words were actually coming out of her mouth. Did he mean it? He said it with that great smile of his and she couldn't tell if he was just teasing or if there was some truth behind it. If he had liked her before, he might still have a little of those feelings now, right? April...it wasn't that far from prom...
"But it's the story of Romeo & Juliet! Of course it will be depressing. But the choreography was simply amazing! And the score..oh, the music was amazing!" She smiled, trying to picture Ryan crying...which she actually could. And that was one of the many things she liked about him. He was honest and wasn't afraid of what other people thought to show it.
The same thought automatically jumped to Kelsi's mind. Was he asking her out? On a date? "Just us?" she couldn't help but ask, but quickly covered it. "I mean, I would love to! It would be great to just sit back and watch them, with a bowl of popcorn!" She smiled, hoping she wasn't looking desperate.
Just them. Just them worked. No interfering sister, no wild and rambunctious Wildcats, not even Taylor and Gaby telling them to study for exams or anything. Just the two of them. Which did sound awfully date like, but he liked it. A lot. A surprising lot. "Yeah, just us," he said encouragingly. Every time he got to a perfect moment like that, something always went wrong. Always. An interruption or something. Not this time. Maybe, just maybe, this little switch thing wasn't entirely bad. Not if it gave him a bit of extra daring.
"I might even let you pull out West Side Story," Ryan added with a grin. Gently, he nudged her with his elbow. "You might even get to see me cry after all! Especially if you throw in Casablanca. Besides, there's nothing wrong with it, real men cry, you know." Maybe. Sort of? Oh, who was he kidding, it was no wonder he'd been single his entire senior year. He should consider himself lucky if a girl even looked at him for more than a minute or two. How pathetic was that?
But he attempted to push all of that to the side as he gave her that almost shy expression he could sometimes get. He wasn't known for it. He was known for the Evans charm and flare. But sometimes, and only sometimes, he let it out. "We'll do it soon," he confirmed. "Not like I know anyone else here really, but you guys. Yet, anyway. No school, no job yet... Why not?"
It took everything within Kelsi not to lean on him, especially after he nudged her. She wanted his arm around her shoulders or her hand in his. But that was definitely crossing the line and she gave an external sigh. Not very audible, but she was surprised that she had let it slip. "I hope you have it!" she said, grinning. "I don't think I do! But we'll just have to pull out all the stops and make a day of it! Oh, I can't wait! I can't remember just really hanging out, not having to worry about school or the musical or anything else!"
Kelsi stopped suddenly and looked behind her. "Well, why don't we head back to my place and I can show you the pictures now? And we can figure out our movie day. And, maybe we can order out? I'm getting kind of hungry..." She put a hand over her stomach, hoping it wouldn't start growling or anything embarrassing like that. She was excited to be with Ryan, and truthfully, didn't want to share him at the moment. It was strange to admit to herself, but she was afraid being outside would allow the possibility of running into Troy and Gabriella...and possibly Sharpay? Yeah, best to go back inside and get as much time with Ryan as she could.
Even if he couldn't remember just hanging out, he did remember worrying about school and the musical and he remembered doing a lot of that with her. He remembered all the time spent at her piano listening to her work on the show and he remembered just silly moments in classes. And maybe, just maybe, that might be enough, even if he couldn't remember going to his own senior prom or graduating high school or packing for college. Ryan didn't even know for sure what school he'd chosen. And while that part sort of burned, maybe he'd get the chance here to do entirely different things, and that wasn't so bad, right?
Smiling a little more brightly than he had since arriving, Ryan turned his gaze in the direction her eyes had gone. "You're back there, then? Perfect. If you're not busy... Well, what would you be busy with here? Not that you--I mean you might have met--" Was he actually babbling? That was sort of pathetic, wasn't it? Taking a deep breath, he dipped his head bashfully and nodded. "What I'm trying to say is, I'd love to. If you want." There. Not too dorky, not too desperate, and hopefully, not too whiny.
Kelsi smiled as he fumbled with his words and shook her head. "Just ran into Gabriella and Troy, but I figured it would be best to let them have their time together. So I decided to head back to my place to try out the piano and ran into you!" She was thrilled that Ryan had agreed to go back with her...although, he had added that 'if you want' to the end.
Kelsi turned and headed in the opposite direction, back to her apartment. "So, what do you feel like for dinner?"
Ryan gave a dramatic turn on his heel, spinning himself in the opposite direction in order to follow her. "No idea," he admitted with a shrug. "I don't even know what all's around here, really. This is the first time I've been outside much, to be honest. I kept going back to sleep to try and wake up from the dream that wasn't, you know?" By that point, though, he was laughing looking back on it. Maybe in the end it all would be a dream. Though he still didn't want to do anything totally stupid. Not in front of her, at least. Just in case he wasn't and he was stuck living with that forever. "It's weird, I guess, but I haven't even been that hungry since I got here."
"I'm sure they have a little of everything," she said, shrugging and walking a little bit faster, as her apartment came into view. It was getting darker out and the temperature had dropped, causing her to shiver a little. At his last comment, she turned to look at him and smiled. "Things have just been happening so fast! I'm sure, now that some things are understood and you're able to slow down, you'll find that you're actually hungry!" She grinned up at him, before producing a key to the front gate and walking in.