Chad's POV
This plan seemed much more fun before I realized the entire population of Albuquerque is attending this party. Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but only slightly! The streets leading into the neighbourhood are lined with cars on both sides and I don't believe even a quarter of them belong to people that actually live out here. The Evans' home is large, but not nearly the mansion I was expecting to walk up to. The whole pathway is decorated with signs and orange lights hiding in the bushes to look like eyes. I am shocked by how normal it is, the front porch has seemingly hand carved jack o' lanterns, a couple patio chairs, I was expecting worse.
The inside on the other hand, it's like a club. Not that I have ever been inside a club, but the ones from movies where you buy designer drugs and meet up with high power mob bosses. What do Sharpay's parents do for work anyway?
"This is crazy!" Troy yells over the music, some techno dance beat. Maybe I won't get to hear the classics tonight. That's okay, at least my friends are here wi.... Troy's gone already. I can't see him through the throngs of people so I am assuming he's already working up some girl. Maybe Zeke and Jason are here somewhere? I try to push my way through the dancing crowd with no luck, the space is just getting tighter. Until I trip and now everyone can quickly jump out of my way, but only for a second. The next song starts and I scoot to the nearest wall to avoid being trampled.
"Hey," someone starts from above me, I can barely hear them over the music, "need a hand." A glove pops in front of my face and I grab it thankfully. The force that yanks me up is surprisingly forceful. Greeting me as I stand is a large circular pair of white sunglasses and a tophat.
"Are you alright?" the only feature of their face I can see is the lips, persing into a small frown. The cupids bow a definingly pink line against the pale white behind it, noticeable even in the changing hue of lights swirling around us. They part softly to... "Hello?"
"Oh, yeah, it's just a little crowded. I didn't expect so many people to be here." I laugh, I suppose I should have been expecting this but I have never been to anything quite like it.
Oh, well imagine...
"Hell yes!" They grab my arm and pull me away from the wall.
"What ar-"
"You can't not dance to Panic!" They interrupt.
"Oh I don't..." but it's not worth trying to finish the sentence. They're leading me into the mass of bodies.
I wouldn't call what I am doing dancing, awkwardly bouncing around. Every so often they reach out and grab my arm jostling me to move a little more or a little more on beat. It's fun, watching them smile, bouncing around with everyone else.
A few songs pass before they are leading me through the crowd again. Entering a mostly empty kitchen they drop my arm, "Water?"
"Please," I pant it but I don't think I've really been dancing hard enough for my mouth to be this dry.
They hand me the bottle and in the normal lighting I can finally see the full costume. A long maroon coat, a gold pocket watch chain over a black vest, purple gloves.
"Willy Wonka." Why am I saying it out loud? Do I think they don't know who they are dressed as?
"A Jedi." They respond with the same deadpan tone before laughing at me.
"Obi Wan, hard to pull off without the beard." Explaining it makes it feel so much more nerdy. I could have just let them keep believing I am a generic Jedi.
"Seems like it'd be hard to see out there with those sunglasses." I laugh and they start to take them off.
"It is extremely hard." They catch my eyes. The lightest grey eyes I may have ever seen. It's difficult to tell if they are more blue or green, like the sky before a tornado. "Don't think my face shape suits the character though, so the glasses really make the costume."
"I think you have a good face." What is that?? I didn't actually say that out loud, there is no way.
"Thank you? You have a...good face too." They laugh and it clicks for me who I'm talking to. Somehow despite being told exactly what he'd be wearing I've been overlooking it this whole time.
"I need air." I turn heading for the nearest exit, gratefully there is a patio off the side of the kitchen.
I just need to regain myself a little bit so I can stop being so weird.
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Ryan's POV
"If the house gets destroyed it's your fault." I glare at Sharpay pinning the big pink flower into her hair.
"Yes, Ryan, you have said that everyday since I came up with this plan. Can you, perhaps, chill the hell out and just enjoy the party that's about to start?" she's smiling in a way that says if I ruin this for her she will kill me. I can't blame her, she is doing this to try and be nice. She isn't even planning on trapping Troy in a corner or anything, though it is still to prove something to him.
"One condition," I hold out my iPod, "That is full, one thousand songs, you have some veto power. Since I didn't get to plan anything else, you'll give this to the DJ." Now it's her turn to glare at me, but I can see her swallowing whatever protest she wants to make.
"Hhrng, fine." She yanks the device from my hand.
"Thank you, love you," she scoffs again, "are you sure about my costume? I don't look weird?" I spin in front of her.
"Isn't Willy Wonka supposed to look weird?" She's teasing, I know it, but I pout anyway. "You look great Ry. Just don't take the hat off, I won't claim you as my sibling with that middle part."
People file in and music starts playing and I join in on dancing. After the first twenty or so people show up I give up on counting. I can't put it past Sharpay to have invited the entire southwest so I can save myself the anxiety by not focusing on the number.
The music is starting to get really good and I can't possibly give up the chance to dance. I'm just getting really into it when I see some dude topple to the ground. I start pushing my way towards where he fell and he is scooting across the ground like a scared puppy. I catch him up and the wall and stick out my hand to help him up.
"Hey," He grabs it and I pull him up to his feet but judging by how he is staring at me I may have pulled a little too hard. I can't see too well through my sunglasses so his eyes must be really wide if I can see them. "Are you alright?"
He seems to be staring at my mouth, I can have anything on it I haven't eaten since getting dressed. So what has him so intently looking at my lips. "Hello?"
"Oh, yeah, it's just a little crowded. I didn't expect so many people to be here." He laughs and glances around the packed room.
Oh, well imagine...
"Hell yes!" I grab his arm and start pulling him onto the floor.
"What ar-"
"You can't not dance to Panic!" I cut him off, I mean I practically just saved his life, he can repay me by dancing with me.
"Oh I don't..." he trails off. I don't want to know how he was going to finish the sentence anyway, I am going to have fun tonight.
We are having fun, though his dancing is more swaying without moving his feet. I start reaching out during songs to try and get him to match my energy but it isn't quite working.
After a few songs I think I may drop, I grab his arm again and we head through the crowd to the kitchen. Now that we are in the kitchen I realize I could have left him on the dancefloor instead of holding him hostage. I drop his arm and go to the fridge, "Water?"
"Please," at least he seems like he's also thirsty so I can't feel as bad. Just practicing dance safety.
I hand him the bottle and he gives me the up and down.
"Willy Wonka." He isn't confirming that's the correct answer, just telling me who I am?
"A Jedi." I say back in the same tone.
"Obi Wan, hard to pull off without the beard." I have an easy time getting that, fake beards are itchy and real beards are hard to grow.
"Seems like it'd be hard to see out there with those sunglasses." I take them off because he's right.
"It is extremely hard." He catches my eyes. Now that I can see him clearly I realize that I've been dragging around Troy's right hand man all night. He looks like he isn't breathing."Don't think my face shape suits the character though, so the glasses really make the costume."
"I think you have a good face." That gets me, I think I know what he's trying to say.
"Thank you? You have a...good face too." I laugh. He looks really nervous.
"I need air." He runs out the patio door. Should I be following him? I am nervous that this was all some set up. What are the chances that at a party this big I would just happen to run into the one person that could keep my sister's claws out of Troy.
Clearly something is going on and I intend on finding out what.