The Start of Something New (Editing)

Chapter Five

Alana
East High
Albuquerque, New Mexico

   Sharpay yelled, "Callbacks?!" She then screamed. I cringed at the sound of her ear-bleeding shrieking. I hurried down the hall to see her and Ryan standing at the main bulletin.
"Ryan and Sharpay Evans. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez. Alana Mason and Ryan Evans."
    Sharpay looked like a mess. She paced a little. "But they didn't even audition! You said that Alana was a terrible singer! How did she get a callback?!"
   I stood behind Ryan. I was shocked. He called me a terrible singer? I breathed slowly, taking it all in. Callbacks... Me and Ryan...
"I'm a terrible singer?" I asked, hurt.
   Ryan spun around, taking a step back as he saw me. "Lana...I didn't mean that."
   Tears welled in my eyes. After all this time, I thought I had a great voice. "So none of this meant anything to you? When we sang karaoke at Lava Springs? When we sang  yesterday? You always think you're better than me. Ever since elementary, you pushed me out of the spotlight."
   I allowed myself to cry. I ran down the hallway, burying my face in my hands and sobbing.
   After I thought that Ryan and I were getting closer after the auditions. Every chance I get, he always has to ruin it.
"Lana!" I heard Ryan shout my name, but I wasn't listening.

*Ryan*

   I sighed. I closed my eyes, choking back my tears. I never wanted for this to happen. All I did was lie to my sister just to protect Alana. Now my loudmouth sister has to scream everything I say to her.
"Is this some kind of joke?!" Sharpay was still shrieking. I blocked her out. This is all my fault...

   I went up to Alana's locker later that day after a talk with my sister. I managed a smile.
"Hey, I was thinking about the callbacks-" I was stopped short in my sentence. She was putting away textbooks, not meeting eye-to-eye.
"I don't want to do them either, Ryan." She said, broken.
"What-?" I was confused.
   Sharpay made me promised not to talk to Alana nor to do the callbacks with her. I wanted to continue being with my best friend, secretly, so my sister wouldn't suspect anything.
"I get it. You have the auditions, your sister and I have the scholastic decathlon. It doesn't matter anymore. You said so yourself: you don't want to do the callbacks and neither do I."
   She stood, lost in thought for a moment. I grabbed her hand, but she jerked away.  Alana closed her locker.
"You treat this like a game
But it's my heart and it's breaking all because of you"

She turned to face me, holding her arms in her hands.

"The hourglass is running out
And you're trying to fill it up
But I lost hope, you should too"

I followed Alana as she sang to me, stressing.

"But this situation we're repeating
Overrated is what you made it
I'm all done and I'm all out of time

What can I say?
What can I say?
When all you do is push me away
What will I say to you?
When it all comes down to it
Seems like with every word we say
We're slowly fading away

You acted like you care
But you don't stop pretending
Cause you're hurting me (ooh)
My first impressions disappear
Your tongue-tied words so insincere
You always do as you please

And this situation we're repeating
Overrated is what you made it
I'm all done and now I'm all out of time

What can I say?
What can I say?
When all you do is push me away
What will I say to you?
When it all comes down to it
Seems like with every word we say
We're slowly fading away

I can't talk to you
You never see my point of view, no (ooh)
Like I want you to
Feels like I always go unheard
Because your actions speak louder than my words
That's what I always comes back to

What can I say?
What can I say?
When all you do is push me away
What will I say to you?
When it all comes down to it
Seems like with every word we say
We're slowly fading away"

   Alana took off her necklace. A silver 'R' that stood for my name. I gave it to her the day she left for California several years ago. Tears streamed down my face as I felt the chain in my hand. Alana closed my hand with gentle fingers. She was crying, too.

"What can I say?
I'm fading away
What can I say?
I'm fading away
Away... (Ohh)
Cause it's my heart and it's breaking all because of you
What can I say?"

   With that, Lana walked away from me, leaving me alone in the hallway. I stared down at the necklace she gave back.
   The block letter 'R' brought back memories of that early Saturday morning in May. I had just came over to play with Alana, but she was standing in her driveway. That's when I asked her what was wrong.
   It also had to colored diamonds adorned on it. My birthstone and Alana's.

I never saw Lana again.