Escaping the "In" Crowd (Ryan and Sharpay)

[Sharpay Evans]

Sharpay nodded and smiled as she listened to Ryan, placing the summer dresses back into the rack when he picked the top and shorts ensemble. She was quite surprised that Ryan had decided quickly this time, the full outfit and the color. "Wow Ry, that was fast," she gave him a weird and surprised look, "normally it would take you a long time to decide, like until my arms would hurt from holding the hangers for too long." She jested him lightly, relieved that she was starting to feel calmer, even though her thoughts weren't. In fact, the more they spend time together, the more thoughts ran through her head and they were confusing her even more. She took the pink and sparkly top and white shorts ensemble from him then flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ry. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get dressed," she pushed him out of her closet and closed the door immediately. "Wait for me," she said as she leaned on the door.

She stayed standing there as she thought about everything that was happening. It was just so weird to feel awkward around Ryan...they were never awkward around each other, and the talk they had with their mother once when they were just barely teens did not count either since that was just really awkward all because of their mother not realizing what was coming out of her mouth that time. This time, it was different. There was no clear cause, they couldn't blame anyone or anything for it. It was just between the two of them. Or just her, she wasn't sure. And this was the kind of awkward that she knew she only had felt when around her crush, or someone she really really likes. Surely, she couldn't feel that with Ryan, could she? He is her twin brother. It is impossible, and is just not right.

She let out a sigh as she pushed herself off the door, and finally started to change into the outfit that Ryan picked for her. And as she was doing that, she remembered another thing she had noticed - he didn't look her over like he did before. Though she wasn't sure if it was just her, or Ryan did really seem to avoid looking at her the way he did before. No, maybe I'm just thinking too much. When she was fully dressed already, she opened the door to her closet and stood in front of Ryan. "So, what do you think?" She turned around, then faced him fully again. "Like it?" She asked, ignoring the way her stomach flipped when her eyes met his.

[Ryan Evans]

Ryan kept his gaze away from Sharpay, looking past her almost as he tried to get a hang out what was going on with him. He knew that she was speaking to him, of that much he could be certain, but all he could hear was the light rush in his ears. It was unsettling for him to feel like this, and he didn't even know what this was. He forced a slight smile onto his face, worried that he was going to become sick from all the thoughts circulating in his head.

When she kicked him out of the closet, he gave a feeble chuckle and slumped down on the bed, keeping his eyes fixed aimlessly on the dull carpeted floor. He placed his head in his hands and let out a pained sigh, there was no good excuse for what he was feeling. He was playing over all the things he was feeling in his head; nervous,sweating, avoiding eye contact. Ryan shook his head, not knowing what that all meant exactly, at least not what it could mean in context of Sharpay, he couldn't even admit to himself what it added up to. Is it possible could I be--, his own train of thoughts was interrupted by Sharpay leaving the closet.

Watching her spin around and face him, he let out a soft laugh, his head still in his hands, swallowing softly as he tried to push the thoughts in his head away, but they just kept creeping up on him. It wasn't like he had never seen Sharpay like this before, he had probably hundreds of times, but it was as if right now he was really seeing. He had never doubted she was beautiful, after all it was all he seemed to be able to hear from anyone, so it must be true. Seeing her here now, he now understood what they were talking about, but the problem was that he shouldn't and that was what was troubling him.

"I love it," He said softly, coughing slightly at his own word choice, and then clearing his throat trying to play it off all the times he had before. "So," He started, looking up at her, trying to scarcely look in her eyes. "Now that you're changed what do you want to do?" He asked, hoping that he could distract himself from the looming question he was trying not to let himself ask.

Could I be--, he stopped the question again and shook his head, hoping to god these feeling would go away, tomorrow would be better, tomorrow he could forget all about this, but god help him for the rest of today.

[Sharpay Evans]

Sharpay smiled shyly at Ryan's answer, of course she was expecting that, but hearing it coming out straight from his mouth was a different case. "Thanks, Ry," she said before she knew she could blush, then all of a sudden she leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. Mistake. She was not prepared for it either. It was just something that came to mind, and it just seemed proper, if only today was not so weird. But somehow, that used to be simple and normal action shared between them now seemed to be something that is so wrong, and yet so right at the same time. So wrong in the sense that she shouldn't be feeling anything towards him, and so right because it didn't feel like anything she had felt before, it felt wonderful.

She tried to look as calm as she could, it was like putting all of her acting skills to test. There was something she has noticed though, it was not only her who was avoiding as much eye contact as possible. Could he be--no, that can't be. She fought with her own thoughts, and tried to focus on what she should be focusing on instead. "Right, um...what do I want to do?" She started gathering her own thoughts again, reminding herself not to look at him for a while. "Well I told Troy I'd get back to the party after I change clothes, but I don't care about that now," she nodded, grinning as she realized that Troy does not mean anything to her now. Ryan, on the other hand...she stopped her train of thoughts again and went back to her main point. "We need to do something we used to do before," she tapped her chin as she thought about something fun to do. She could still hear the music from the party below as she thought...that's it! "I know what I want to do," she beamed at Ryan, finally looking at him again.

She went towards her closet again, and grabbed a new pair of comfortable heels, perfect for dancing. "You know, we haven't danced for quite a long time now, and that dance we did at the party just about an hour ago was really short." She grinned at him, still holding her strappy heels in her hand. "You still got your groove on, Jazzsquare?"

[Ryan Evans]

Ryan felt that he was doing a good job acting calm and collected, he'd had years of acting training, and therefore it seemed only natural that he could act his way out of whatever this thing bugging him at the moment was. His calm however was broken by the sudden feeling of Sharpay's lips on his skin, causing him to heat up and redden so fast, he was wondering if he had blood anywhere else anymore with how red he felt. It wasn't like she hadn't done it before, it was something typical between them, so why now did it feel so...different.

Different, that was the real word for how everything felt right now, the slow blush causing him to sweat lightly, he could feel his heart racing in his chest, and was hoping to god that Sharpay would just ignore these oddities. Then again, at the moment it seemed like she was coping with her own issues. He tried to disguise the shake of his head, he had seen this same preoccupied look on her face before, it didn't take a genius to know that she was already back thinking about Troy. As much as he loved his sister, he couldn't help but feel she missed the subtleties, he was hoping that in time she'd learn that Troy Bolton wasn't nearly good enough for her.

Once they got back to discussing something to do, anything hopefully at this point to distract himself from his palms sweating again as he wiped his hands on his shorts, he couldn't help but feel the slight twinge of ironic laughter when she mentioned Troy again. It was like clockwork sometimes, he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy, and he couldn't quite understand why. He shook his head again, focusing more on the face value of her words, trying to keep his own thoughts from crushing him. He could already hear the looming suggestion, they'd go back to the party and it would be just like it always was, making him worry that everything they had discussed so intensely would be slightly all for not.

However, when Sharpay brushed off the idea of returning to the party, and ultimately Troy, he felt his heart skip a beat, as he dared to look at her, the smile crossing his face slowly again. Maybe she really was going to make a change, she had said it before and he'd believed it then fruitlessly, but watching as the beaming smile crossed her face, he couldn't help but feel this time she meant it. He chuckled softly as he watched her subtle reactions, the excited glow on her face. He couldn't even deny it she just looked so cu--, he could feel the frown forming on his face again, the same thoughts coming back in a slightly painful cycle, knowing what questions were looming even to him. He could just deny them, they'd go away, he had just really missed her and it was manifesting in weird ways.

He looked down for a moment and sighed before turning his attention to her fully, his gaze following her to the closet with genuine curiosity for what had her so excited, the amused look on his face growing when he saw the pair of shoes she had in her hand. This would be the perfect thing, it would a) be something they could do together, and b) hopefully get him back into a normal routine so he could stop feeling these...things. He stood slowly from the bed and gave her a nod, feeling the slightly competive edge resurfacing. "Oh, I've still got my groove, I was practicing," He said with a slightly cocky face. "However, you're the one that has some redeeming to do." He said as he chuckled again. " I don't know if you've still got it in you, I think all that Troy chasing may have taken it all out of you." He added as he crossed his arms and smirked slightly.

Normal brother-sister routine, that's how everything would get back to normal, everything will be fine soon. He was just going to keep repeating that until it was true.

[Sharpay Evans]

Sharpay, as much as she didn't want to look at Ryan for a long time, couldn't really help observing his reactions. When a while ago he said she was jumpy, now he looks worse than she had imagined her to look like. She couldn't help noticing how red he turned after kissing him on the cheek, he almost looked like how Zeke blushes whenever she smiles at the basketball player-slash-baker. But could it be possible that...But that's just not right. Ryan and I...we should know that. But then again, she couldn't help the way she was feeling, she almost felt like smiling as she thought about Ryan blushing because of that simple action. She felt like she should feel anything but excitement and joy, but she couldn't push them away no matter how much she wanted to. She was probably weaker than she thought.

She continued to watch his reactions, to her it felt as if every simple change of his expressions could mean something. She might not know and understand what they mean exactly, but being slightly sure that they mean something and that they are real and not just acting is enough for her at that moment. When he smiled after she had disregarded the party and Troy, she felt her own smile growing, he just looked as happy as he did when she gave him the Star Dazzle award, only now he seemed really excited as well. He looked as if he loved that she had completely forgotten that she used to have a thing for Troy, and that was exactly how she had imagined Zeke to react if ever he finds out, but she never did imagine that it would be Ryan's reaction as well. Is it even possible that he was jealous of Troy...and why?

Her focus was brought back to the present when Ryan stood and nodded at her suggestion, the old competitive Ryan coming back again. She smirked back at him, and placed her free hand on her hip. "Actually, chasing Troy had made me more flexible, I feel as if I'm lighter now. And you're not the only one practicing. But there's only one way to find out," she said, moving past him towards her bed, her arms brushing against his, and even that simple contact made her shudder slightly. "But first I need to put these on," she sat on her bed, and started to put on one of the heels on her foot. She looked up at Ryan as she tied the straps of her heels, "Ry," she called in a slightly small voice and looked at him with her famous puppy-dog pout on her face, "can you help me with the other shoe?" She asked him, and at that moment it was as if they were kids again when she used to ask him for help on tying her shoelaces. And she couldn't help but smile, she missed their being brother and sister, terribly. And that's the cause of these...that's it. But even in her thoughts, she couldn't deny that she was still unsure.

[Ryan Evans]

Ryan felt a shudder creep up his spine when Sharpay brushed past him, feeling the goosebumps raise on his arm slightly. He frowned slightly into a sigh as he rubs his hands over his arms, knowing that deep down that reaction was not a normal one, and there was no proper excuse for what had caused him to react that way. He shook his head again, running his hand through his hair and looking down at his shoes instead of at her. No matter how much an actor he professed to be, Sharpay knew him better than anyone else and all it would take is one look at him, and he didn't even know how he'd explain his behaviors to her if asked.

He turned his gaze up to her, trying to collect his thoughts, trying to rationalize everything that was happening but soon he was going to run out of excuses. The only thing he could focus on now was the proverbial soon, soon enough they would be back to normal, right now that was the one excuse that he could rely on. This was just day one back into a routine of being around each other, soon it would be like no time had passed. He nodded softly to himself, he'd be able to push these thoughts aside in no time, whatever these thoughts were.

He snapped to full attention when he heard Sharpay call to him softly, a smile crossing his face when he noticed the expression on her face, the dreaded puppy-dog pout. He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head slightly as he neared her, knowing that they were slowly already making their way back to a routine that he could recognize as a typical one. "Don't think I'm doing this because you pouted at me," He quipped as he pointed at her before kneeling down in front of her. "I'm doing it only because I feel like it." He stated, stressing his words playfully as grabbed the straps of her shoes lightly as he fumbled slightly trying to lace carefully around her ankle. "I don't want you thinking I'm your--" His thoughts were interrupted when he brushed his hands over his skin slightly, twitching slightly as he noticed how warm her skin was. And the thoughts were back now, and all he could think was that he really was not normal and even the most arbitrary actions was affecting him. "Umm, your poodle." He mumbled out making on last tie in her shoe as he stood up, realizing stupidly that he had left another sentence uncompleted due to his own distraction.

"So umm," He started as he scratched the back of his head and looked off slightly. "You want to head to the rehearsal room now?" He asked trying to push all the awkwardness aside and focus on getting back to feeling how he used to around her.

[Sharpay Evans]

Sharpay giggled as Ryan knelt down in front of her, obliging to her request. "Whatever," she said with a wave of a hand as she rolled her eyes. "I know you just couldn't resist my puppy-dog pout," she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. She watched his face carefully as he proceeded to lace the straps of her shoes around her ankle, her breathing suddenly stopping when his hand brushed against her skin. It was just so simple, his hand had just made contact with her leg, that should be normal. Her reaction, however, was not. She shouldn't even react to it in the first place, but her own body had betrayed her. Her heart skipped a beat, her breathing had stopped, and there was a small part of her that was getting so intrigued by how it would feel if Ryan holds her more.

She frowned slightly, her own thoughts and reactions were starting to freak her out. Of all the guys surrounding her, she was feeling this way towards her own brother. She knew what this all adds up to, it could only add up to one thing but she just couldn't get herself to think about that one thing just yet. It was just totally weird. There must be another reason for all of these, there must be, and hopefully she would find out what it was pretty soon. She was counting on before tonight since they would share her bed later that night, she couldn't think about how awkward that would be if this doesn't stop.

When Ryan had finished tying the straps of her shoes and his sentence that he had left hanging for a while that it had caused her to wonder what had distracted him, she gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, poodle." She giggled as she looked down at her feet, moving them a little. She stood up as well, so she was face to face with Ryan, her heels giving her a few more inches, but still not enough to level with him. Her heartbeat was suddenly racing again as she suddenly noticed how close they were standing face to face. She was originally going to tell him she was ready to go, but as their eyes met, all thoughts were robbed from mind.

She was starting to get lost in his blue eyes, she was not even this bad with Troy, she knew it. She was crushing on him for years, and yet she didn't feel this much intensity with him, not once. Crush. Is that what this is?

Sharpay forced herself to focus on right now, she would have a lot of thinking time later anyway. "Um, right...rehearsal room," she said stupidly, as she tried to recall what he was asking her. "Let's go," she reached for his hand, and unlike before when she just used to grab his wrist, she took his hand instead and had made sure to turn away quickly from him, she couldn't let him see her face right now.