The CD player whirred into life again as Sharpay positioned herself in the middle of the Evans' rehearsal studio.

"Come on, Ryan. From the top. 5, 6, 7, 8....."

Her brother sighed but corrected his posture, ready to run through their already faultless routine for the upcoming auditions.

The music finished on a triumphant note and with a flourish Sharpay accepted the applause of an invisible audience. She turned to face Ryan who was gulping down mouthfuls of water from the fountain in the corner.

"Well, that was pretty good but I think you should speed up your turns and support me more when I'm lifted up. There's no point me performing that sequence if you don't get the balance right. Let's run it again."

Ryan wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Shar, we've run it at least eight times already today. It's perfect and you know it. Besides, Darbus'll pick us anyway – we're co-presidents of the Drama Club."

"Of course she'll pick us. How could she not when she knows we're the most accomplished performers in the school? But if Troy and Gabriella decide to infiltrate the Drama Club again, Darbus may well cast East High's Golden Couple and I won't be pushed aside by that Montez girl. I won't."

Anyone else would quail under Sharpay's furious glare but Ryan was used to it by now.

"If Troy and Gabriella win the parts, so be it. We can still choreograph the routines and play the supporting roles. Stop making it into such a huge competition. It might be fun to create the whole production and watch it be performed."

Sharpay was, for once, rendered completely speechless. Ryan would have enjoyed causing this unusual occurrence if she hadn't recovered her senses so quickly.

"But that's not enough. I want it all; the fame, the fortune. Everything. We could have all that, Ry. Think bigger. You know that you want it just as much as I do."

Ryan shook his head.

"Don't you see? It's always been about what you want. You've got to have that star on your door every time. Do you never stop to consider what I want? Where do I fit into this fantasy future you've created? I'm not doing it anymore. Find yourself some other brainless accomplice who you can toss aside when they're no longer needed."

"Think about it; our names in lights on Carnage Hall! Paris, London, Rome...."

The door swung shut behind Ryan as he left. He had to get away from all the material dreams of his sister and find somewhere to think about what he himself really wanted. He flipped open his phone and sent a quick message.

****

Perspiration dripped into Chad's eyes as he dribbled the ball towards the hoop on the Bolton's backyard court. He lifted the ball up to shoot when Troy leapt out of nowhere and knocked it out of his hand. Chad leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, and watched as Troy executed a perfect shot and looked round.

"Dude, what just happened? You could've easily feinted to the left and taken that shot."

Chad nodded and flopped down on the side of the court.

"Yeah, I probably could've, but I was thinking about –"

"Well come on then. Get up and defend the hoop, I want to practice more drop shots."

"We've done enough, man. It's team practice tomorrow anyway."

Troy dribbled the ball around the court, dodging invisible opponents, before shooting.

"We can still be even better, though. Look at who we are; Troy and Chad – Wildcat Champions."

Chad sat up and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Exactly. Troy......and Chad. Look at who you are; Captain of the team, coach's son. You've got it made. I'm only there to set up the shots for you and let you shine."

Frowning, as though this was an entirely new concept, Troy stopped bouncing the ball.

"Why are the game tactics bothering you all of a sudden? You've never had a problem with them before."

Chad sprang to his feet.

"That's the thing, Troy. They have bothered me. Is last summer ringing any bells? There doesn't seem to be any space left in the Bolton universe for me, and that's fine. I've accepted that and got over it. But here you are, with your big dreams of basketball stardom and Broadway success, and just expecting me to bend over backwards in helping you achieve them"

As always with Troy, his thinking processes were etched all over his face. Chad could practically see the cogs turning as he tried to comprehend that someone has actually disagreed with him for once.

"Dude, the scholarship – "

" – is for you, not me. I'm not going to leave East High and become the 'dude-with-cool-hair" who happens to know Troy Bolton. I don't want all that."

Chad's phone started to vibrate and, turning away from Troy, he pulled it out of his pocket to read the message. Still with his back to Troy he muttered,

"I gotta go, dude. See you later."

As he left the Bolton's yard he heard the ball smack against the ground as Troy continued to practice by himself.

***

Chad turned the corner into his road and immediately noticed the blue Vespa parked outside his house with its owner leaning against his fence.

Ryan looked round at the sound of footsteps and his face split into a grin.

"You better watch your back. That fence has only just been painted."

Ryan leapt away from the fence and tried to contort himself enough to check if his clothes had been damaged. At the sounded of laughter he faced Chad and scowled.

"Dude, you're too easy! That was priceless."

Chad wiped tears from his eyes and stepped closer to Ryan, arms outstretched.

"C'mon, man. You gotta admit that was funny."

Ryan could feel his mouth twitching so he bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from smiling. Summoning every ounce of the Evans disdain he looked down his nose (or tried to; Chad was an inch or two taller).

"Have you not heard of such a thing called a shower? You positively reek of 'after practice jock'. I refuse to take you anywhere if you look like that and I will not tolerate sweaty hands all over my clothes."

Chad lifted his arm and sniffed.

"S'not that bad."

"It offends my nostrils."

"Oh I am sorry your highness. If my hygiene is not to your satisfaction I will proceed to the washing chamber."

Ryan waved his hand.

"You are dismissed. I'll wait here."

Chad walked up the path to his house but couldn't resist yelling over his shoulder,

"I said, mind that wet paint!"

****

"So, where are we going?"

"Somewhere quiet, you'll see."

"Well shift forward a bit, I need more room than that."

Ryan smiled, thinking back to the first time Chad had ridden the Vespa with him and the fuss he'd made about 'being the girl'.

"Do you remember – "

"Yes," Chad interrupted. "I was just thinking about it."

He covered Ryan's mouth with his own before hopping on the back.

"Take it away, Evans."

****

The sky had darkened by the time the boys had arrived at Lava Springs. The country club was eerily deserted and silent, except for the soft lapping of the water against the sides of the pool.

Ryan took Chad's hand in his and led him away from the main building.

"Dude, I don't like this. It's creepy."

"Don't worry, it's not far now."

"But where......oh!"

Chad's eyes widened as he realised where Ryan had taken him.

The baseball diamond was lit on all sides by the floodlights and their shadows stretched out at their feet into the darkness.

"Catch me if you can!"

Ryan raced off towards the centre, the sound of his feet hitting the ground ringing out into the night.

Chad caught him around the middle and felt the smaller boy relax into him and tilt his head back.

"Don't the stars make you feel so insignificant; as if everything that worries us here on Earth is meaningless when compared to the burning gas and black holes trillions of miles away?"

"Can't say I know too much about that kinda stuff, really. Taylor's more into astrology and all that. You could ask here about it. I daresay your sister knows a thing or two about 'being a star'."

Ryan exhaled angrily.

"Why must it always come back to Sharpay? People automatically assume that because we're twins we can't be seen as individuals."

"I'm sorry, Ry, I didn't mean it like that. Has anything happened between you two? You seem really tense."

"I just not......, it's ok. Everything's normal."

Chad twisted Ryan's hips around so they were facing each other, barely an inch apart.

"You can tell me," he whispered.

In an equally quiet voice Ryan replied,

"Everything is normal, the way it always has been. But I can't help wondering if this is what I really want."

"You mean the whole 'glitz and glamour' future Sharpay has planned out for you?"

Ryan nodded slightly.

"She wants you to follow her, wherever she goes. She needs you to support her, because every star needs a confidante."

"I used to treasure that connection with her, the fact that I, and only I, was privy to the innermost thoughts of Sharpay Evans, Queen of the school. I guess it's a bit like you and Troy."

Chad looked over Ryan's shoulder and stared, unseeingly, into the distance.

"I never was Troy's 'confidante', just his best mate, the one who was always there if needed but never really trusted with anything private. I realised recently that there isn't a lot inside Troy's head that's not basketball or Gabriella, so his 'secrets' would be just passing anxieties, nothing I could really help him with."

"Chad," Ryan stroked his cheek. "You shouldn't feel second best to Troy. Whatever you decide to do after high school is your choice, you don't have to follow his lead."

Chad looked back into Ryan's eyes.

"Oh, Ry. How do you always manage to find the right words? That's exactly what I wanted to tell you about Sharpay. For me, you're the star, and you always will be. Besides, Julliard is only offering one scholarship so you'll be separated from her eventually."

"We'll be free of Troy and Shar soon enough, and only then will we realise how much they influenced us. It scares me, Chad; the idea that everything will change."

"I know," Chad rested his chin on Ryan's shoulder and pulled him closer, "I know."