High School Musical [H.S.]

End Up Here

All was quiet until the next morning. Then, Luke walked into school. He checked out the sheet that Mr. Clifford has posted, listing who had to take part in a second round of auditions. And he saw the dreaded phrase . . .

"CALLBACKS!!!" His scream echoed through the halls of East High.

Ben rushed to his side and read aloud from the sheet. "Callbacks for the role of Arnold and Minnie, next Thursday, 3:30 p.m. Ben and Luke Hemmings. Becca Irwin and Harry Payne."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Luke demanded angrily. "They didn't even audition."

"Maybe we're being punked?" Ben suggested. "Maybe we're being filmed right now. Maybe we get to meet Ashton!"

"Shut up Ben!" Luke snarled.

By this time, a crowd of students had gathered. Harry's teammates Louis, Niall and Zayn were among the students staring at the list.

Louis saw Harry's name. An expression and utter horror crossed his face. "WHAT?!!!!!" He yelled.
———————
At lunchtime, the news that Harry and Becca had tried out for the musical has spread throughout the school. As students entered the cafeteria, they took their usual seats. Jocks sat with jocks. Brainiacs sat with brainiacs. Drama kids sat with drama kids. Skater dudes, cheerleaders, punks . . . each sat with their own kind.

That was the way the world was meant to be. Orderly. Predictable.

Luke held court at the head of the drama kids table. Calum sat at the table far end, listening to every word, but keeping quiet, as usual.

"How dare she sign up," Luke said. "I've already picked out the colors for my dressing room."

"And she didn't even ask our permission to join the Drama Club," Ben pointed out supportively.

"Someone's got to tell her the rules," Luke decided.

"Exactly," his brother agreed. He thought for a moment, then asked. "What are the rules?"

As if he was just waiting for that cue, Niall, a tall burly basketball player with a killer smile, began singing.

Niall:

You walked in everyone was asking for your name
You just smiled and told them "Trouble"
My head spins, I'm pressed against the wall
Just watching your every move
You're way too cool and you're coming this way, coming this way

The other jocks gathered around, curious. Niall looked at them, took a deep breath, and admitted. "If Harry admits he sings, then I can tell my secret." He whispered to them. "I bake."

"What?" Louis couldn't believe what he had heard.

But now that he had confessed, Niall felt that he had been set free. "I love to bake," he said. "Scones, strudels, even apple pandowdy." He was the too caught up in his enthusiasm to stop. "I dream of making the perfect crème brûlée," he said as Louis buried his face in his hands.

The jocks were horrified. Urgently, they sang:

Jocks:

How did we end up talking in the first place?
You said you liked my Cobain shirt
Now we're walking, back to your place
You're telling me how you love that song about
Living like a prayer
I'm pretty sure that
We're halfway there
But when I wake up next to you
I wonder how
How did we end up here?
How did we end up
How did we end up here?

Niall had started something. Over at the brainiacs table, Jade Thirlwall, a students girl who wore glasses and a plaid skirt and sweater, suddenly jumped from the table, threw her arms wide and exclaimed. "Hip-hop is my passion! I love to pop, lock, jam, and break."