Didn't Know It Before( An EJ Caswell/HSMTMTS Fanfiction)

Chapter Five: First Time For Everything

Have you ever been so excited about something that was coming up that literally everything else seems like the worst thing ever in comparison?

That's how I felt all day as I sat through class in anticipation of our first High School Musical rehearsal. It was ridiculously painful waiting, but I also found that just the auditions had opened me up to something I'd never had before...friends.

"Hey!" Ashlyn exclaimed, sitting down beside me at the Lunch table I usually occupied by myself.

"Oh, um...hi." I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Am I allowed to sit here?" She asked warily. I nodded.

"Yeah! Yeah of course you can sit there its just, no one ever, you know...does." She looked kind of saddened by this.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," She said, "And I have no doubt that by the end of the musical, we are going to be really great friends, so you'd better start getting used to it." I smiled at this. "So, have you thought anymore about our duet?"

"Its basically all I've thought about actually," I told her, "So, its a power ballad, right?"

"Right."

"And the thing is, despite the fact that Ms. Darbus is a lot more outgoing and dramatic than Kelsey, I think deep down, Ms. Darbus sees some of herself in her. So, lets say we write a power ballad about all of the things that Ms. Darbus regrets in her life, trying to warn Kelsey not to make the same mistakes she did, which also introduces more of a character arc to explain why Kelsey stands up to Sharpay at the end." I finished talking and she just stared at me with her mouth open, making me feel self-conscious. "Or not, you know, it wasn't that good an idea. We can figure something else out-"

"Are you kidding?!" She exclaimed. "That sounds amazing! Its a Power Ballad that give a closer look at, in my personal opinion, two of the must underrated characters in the High School Musical franchise. I think its an incredible idea, and we have to start writing it ASAP." I smiled at this, taking out my song book.

"Ok. I've also been playing around with the musical arrangements and-"

"Hey Ash." My eyes widened as EJ sat down beside her, Nini and Courtney trailing them.

"Hi?" She said questioningly, furrowing her eyebrows. "You never sit with me at lunch."

"Yeah, well Miss Jenn says Theater is a community, so we're just trying to make good on that." Nini stated, looking at me. I quickly pushed my song book shut and averted my eyes to my tray. "Hi Megan." 

"Hey." I said quietly.

"What's that?" She asked, nodding at my notebook.

"Oh, nothing." I said, quickly putting it back in my bag.

"Oh, ok." She said, nodding awkwardly.

"Megan and I were just work-shopping our song." Ashlyn told them.

"That's so cool that you guys get to write a song," Nini said, taking a bite of a carrot stick, "and you both have written songs?"

"Well I mean, we know Megan has." EJ chimed in. "You had a great performance at the auditions. Your song has been stuck in my head ever since." I laughed nervously.

"I-well-that's really-I appreciate-Its um...cool. Thanks." Everyone was looking at me now. "I'm gonna go." I went to stand up and leave the cafeteria, so I could go sit in the bathroom and cry, but Ashlyn grabbed my arm, pulling me back down.

"Miss Jenn is right," She said, "Theater is a community, so you better get used to it." I sighed.

"But-"