The Start of Something New [boyxboy]

Chapter One

I stepped off my motorcycle and pocketed the key. I took my helmet off and let it dangle from my left hand as I walked towards the school.
East High.
And before you ask, yes, the one that High School Musical itself was filmed in.
      "First day of junior year, here we go." Dani said.
I looked over to where she was standing.
"I guess so."
I shrugged, and we fell into the crowd and walked up the stairs to the main doors.
      I walked up the stairs and to my locker. Somewhere along the way Dani had abandoned my side. I walked up to my locker and began to enter my combination, once I had opened it I slid my black book bag off my shoulders and set it down.
      I looked down the hallway where we people were, as usual, taking pictures around the infamous pink Sharpay lockers, only three down from mine.
      I took my books out of my bag and began to get my stuff ready for the day.
      As I stood up I caught sight of four people standing by some lockers, who appeared to be arguing. Kourtney, Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen, and his best friend, commonly known as Big Red.
      Ricky and Nini had been dating for almost a year, but rumor has it they broke up over the summer.
      I gathered my stuff and made my way to homeroom.

      After lunch an assembly was called and everyone made their way to the gym. I climbed the bleachers and sat on the top row near the back corner.
      I plugged earbuds in and began my music.
      I saw a woman come up to the podium after someone announced her and she began to speak, she was the new drama teacher.
      "Hello, everyone, I'm Jennifer, you can all call me Miss Jen." she said. There was an awkward beat of silence. Then she reached behind the podium and pulled out what looked like a canon. "East High!"
      She shot a shirt out of the canon, it soared through the air and crashed into a student's face.
      "Ooh, sorry." she said, lowering the canon.
      I cringed at the awkward event, then I turned my music up, tuning her out and averting my gaze to the clock.
      A few moments later, she began to point in my direction, saying something. I took out an ear bud.
      "Yeah, you there, earbuds, dressed in black? Am
I boring you?"
      She clearly was mad that I had earbuds in during her grand debut.
      Everyone turned to look at me, I caught Ricky and Big Red's eyes on me.
      "Honestly?" I asked.
      "Sure." she said.
      "Kinda."
      "Mr. Jorden!" the principal snapped.
      I winced, not realizing he was listening.
      "In my office, now."
      I began to gather my things as he left for his office.
      Everyone turned back to Miss Jen as she carried on with her announcement. But there was one set of eyes that were still lingering on me, Ricky Bowen.
      He was still watching me as I gathered my stuff and tucked my earbuds away.
"Way to go, dumbass." Dani said from the row in front of me. I rolled my eyes.
      Ricky raised his eyebrows a little in surprise as I began to walk down the bleachers, I could've sworn he mouthed 'good luck' but I wasn't sure.
      See, Ricky and I, believe it or not, used to be friends, way back in the day. Around fifth grade. We used to skate together and hang out at each other's places, but when my dad died, I sort of dropped off the grid. It changed me and I stopped talking to everyone, including Ricky.
      And do I regret it?
      Not one bit. Having too many friends just brings drama and stress into your life.
      But do I, on some level, miss Ricky?
      Definitely.
      I walked down the hallway and towards the office. I stepped inside and followed him right to his office, then sat down across from him.
      "That was very rude, Mr. Jorden." he said.
"I'm well aware."
"I don't appreciate the attitude. Listen, I know you don't have the best past, and I understand. But this king of behavior is not acceptable, and on the first day at that."
I sighed and smacked my lips, not meeting his eyes.
"What did you have in mind, Mr, Gutierrez?" I said slowly.
"I want you to audition for Miss Jen's musical."
I paused.
"You what?"
"You heard me. You need to audition and play nice with her. You messed up your first impression, now make a new one."
"You're not serious, right?"
"Deadly."
I sighed, "Fine. I'll audition."
"Oh, and I'm going to talk to her. Even if she doesn't think you are good enough to have a spot on the stage, I'll make sure she puts you somewhere."
I sighed again, looking up, "Okay."
"And if you choose to disobey. Your option is a week ISS."
"Okay."
He looked at me a moment longer.
"Dismissed."
I got up and made my way into the hallways. People began to exit the gym as I walked by.
"Good going. What's your punishment?" Dani said.
"Auditioning for Miss Jen's stupid musical."
"Well, I wouldn't call it stupid." a voice said.
I turned around to see Miss Jen.
Are you serious, universe?
"Stupid? Who called it stupid?"
"Uh-huh. Well, whether you want to or not, it looks like your auditioning, from what I heard, when you were talking to-" she looked behind me. Dani was gone. "whomever."
She handed me a flyer.
"See you there." she said chuckling a bit.
I chuckled sarcastically back, before my laugh became a long, drawn out, frustrated groan.
      "What's wrong with you?" Dani asked.
      "What do you think?"
      "It's just a musical."
      "Exactly."
"Besides you might get to spend a little time with 'you know who'." she wiggled her eyebrows.
"No, actually, I don't know who."
"Let's see...his name starts with an 'R' and ends with 'icky'."
"Ricky? Why would I want to spend more time with Ricky?"
"You said it yourself, you miss him. And besides I've seen him looking at you, he misses you too."
"You act like he would even audition, he hates musicals, he thinks they're unrealistic." I said walking into my next class.

I pulled into the driveway and stepped off my bike, pulling my bag tighter around my shoulders. I snatched the key and made my way to the front door. I took my helmet off and set it on the entryway table.
"Hi, honey!" my mom said from the living room.
I didn't respond and headed up the stairs to my room. I flopped down onto my bed and pulled out my phone, scrolling through Instagram.
After a while I got bored and opened my backpack, I pulled out my laptop and as I did something was accidentally pulled out with it, it fell to the ground.
      I bent down to pick it up and realized that it was the flyer Miss Jenn had handed to me.
      I scoffed and crumpled up the paper. I tossed it into my trash can.
      My phone started to ring.
      I picked it up, a random number was on the screen.
      "Hello?" I said.
      "Hey, Skyler." the guy on the other side said.
      "Hi? Who is this?"
      "Ricky? Don't you have my number?"
      "I do now?"
      "You deleted my contact, didn't you?"
      I didn't say anything.
      He sighed, "Anyway, I'm trying out for the musical."
      I laughed.
      "Shut up."
      "You? Trying out for the musical? You hate musicals."
      "No. This is the new me. I love musicals."
      I laughed harder this time.
      "Shut up."
      I couldn't stop.
      "Why are you doing this, Ricky?"
      "For Nini. She's supposedly with someone else, but I'm not over her. I miss her."
      "Uh huh. I told you that was doomed from the moment you developed a crush on her."
      "Yeah, yeah, I know. Will you help me or not?"
      "I don't know, Ricky...I'm being forced to try out and I'm really not even going to try, so she gives me a bad part."
      "No, no, come on, you've gotta try, I can't be there all alone with Nini and EJ!"
      "I'll help you, but I'm not gonna try to get a good part."
      "Please, you have to. Come on, Sky..."
      Sky. He hadn't called me that in a while.
      I almost missed hearing it.
      "Okay, okay. I'll try a little more than I was planning. What do you need?"
      "What should I sing?"
      "She gives you a song, dipshit."
      "Well, I can't sing that, it has to be something that will make Nini impressed, make her remember the good times."
      "The good times, huh?" I said, thinking.
      "Yeah. What do you have planned?"
      "Remember that song she wrote for you, over the summer?"
      I could practically hear the smile in his voice, "Yeah, why?"