A/N: This work was very very loosely based on the 1985 film classic, The Breakfast Club. Though, Troy and Ryan are absolutely Andrew and Allison.

I won't lie to you guys; I've been struggling tremendously, as of late, to convince myself that my creative ideas have any value and are worth transferring from my brain to a more concrete form. But, this was already basically finished, and just required a bit of polish before posting.

This story takes place between the first and second movies. Feel free to come up with your own reasons for why Troy, Chad, and Taylor are in detention.

Simple Terms and Convenient Defintions

While Chad and Sharpay are bickering, and Taylor McKessie is half-mediating, half-rolling her eyes, grimacing, and looking like she'd rather be anywhere else in the world, Troy turns to the fifth person serving the ungodly Saturday detention.

Ryan Evans, who has been quiet all morning, sitting at a table by himself.

Troy never would have picked up on the withdrawn nature of the male half of the Evans twins with Chad chattering in his ear, but, now that Chad is otherwise preoccupied, Troy can't help noticing… and feeling a twisting sensation low in his stomach. A sensation somewhere between concern and guilt.

Concern that Sharpay seemingly has no issue ignoring her brother. And, guilt over never paying Ryan much mind, himself.

Vacating his own seat, Troy moves to the chair closest to Ryan's isolated table. "So, what are you in for?" He asks.

Ryan starts, like he wasn't expecting conversation. "Oh, uh… me?"

"Yeah." Troy gives him a friendly, encouraging smile.

Ryan's finger trails absently along the crease in the book sitting open on his table. Troy can't fully make out the words printed on the pages, but the book doesn't seem to be a textbook.

According to some of the "jokes" Troy has overheard Chad cracking with the rest of the team, Ryan can't read.

"Sharpay was talking to me in History," Ryan says.

"Wait. She was talking to you? You didn't reply?"

Ryan lifts his shoulders in a meek shrug. "I guess it was easier for Mr. Torff to say 'Sharpay and Ryan, detention', instead of… you know. We've always kind of been a package deal."

The twisting sensation returns with a vengeance. "That sucks, man," Troy says, wishing there was something he could do about it.

Ryan simply nods and, with a slight frown tugging at his very pink mouth, falls back into his, now oddly discomfiting, silence.

Troy is trying to think of something to say; another conversation starter, perhaps even offer his sympathies, as Mrs. Falstaff emerges from an aisle, hissing, "SHHHHHH!" His heart nearly explodes. He quickly grabs the nearest book off a cart and pretends to be engrossed in a passage somewhere near the middle of it.

Out of his peripheral, he sees Chad, Sharpay, and Taylor freeze, and with a glare at Chad from Sharpay, a snort from Chad directed at Sharpay, and a suffering look from Taylor, clamp their mouths shut.

Troy waits for Mrs. Falstaff to head back to her desk before sneaking a glance at Ryan, who meets his stare with a strangely dejected expression filling his soft- that really is the only fitting description for them- features, then returns to his book.

Sitting back, Troy sets the book aside and tries to focus on his homework, but can't shake Ryan's sad expression, or his equally sad confession that everyone automatically lumps him in with Sharpay without a second thought. His pulse quickens with the sudden resolve to change this. He and Gabriella didn't break up the status quo at East High for its limitations and restrictions to still apply to the Evans twins.

Checking that Chad is preoccupied- he's attempting to twirl his basketball on his pinkie finger- Troy steals another sidelong glance at Ryan. Rehearsals for the winter musical don't start up, again, until Monday. But, for now, Troy leans toward Ryan and relays quietly, "Just so you know, you're way easier to talk to than your sister is."

A light illuminates Ryan's eyes, a shy smile spreading across his face. "Really?"

"Totally," Troy confirms. A smile finds its way onto his own face and pleasant flutters start up in the vicinity of his stomach. He had no idea Ryan had such a nice, contagious smile.

He's definitely going to have to get to know Ryan better if he wants to challenge (and shatter) the rest of the misconceptions surrounding him. If, Troy tells himself, I got a chance to be "just a guy", Ryan deserves the chance to simply be "Ryan".