Categories > Movies > High School Musical > Start of Something New
Chapter 4 - A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
0 reviewsThe continuing romantic adventures of Zanessa.
0Unrated
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the HSM characters or anything. Also, though this story involves the names of real people, it is a complete work of fiction in terms of characterization and plot.
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Chapter 4 - A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
Something about my room looks... different.
Standing in front of her door, Vanessa cast a wary eye on the place. The sweater. It wasn't on the chair before. The TV unit door wasn't usually open either. She didn't remember putting the pillows on the floor either. And maybe she was crazy, but the bedspread looked ruffled.... and indeed, she definitely didn't remember a pair of feet sticking out from under the end of the bed before, either.
She did, however, recognize the argyle socks on those feet.
Oh.... you are so going to get it.
Quietly, she picked up the flower vase on a nearby table and crept to the end of the bed. Pulling the flowers carefully out of the vase, Vanessa doused the water all over the two socks poking out from under the bedskirt.
"Ahhh!" The feet flailed, and disappeared under the bed. Then suddenly, a body wriggled out from under the bed, topped by a blond head. Lucas.
He sat up, trying to look natural. "Oh hey, Nessa." He cleared his throat. "How's it going?"
"Lucas!" she said, indignant. "What are you doing in my /room/?"
A sheepish look spread on his face. But as he opened his mouth to answer, another voice rang out.
"Ohhh.... it's not all his fault."
The closet door banged open and out came Monique, looking just as guilty. She looked at Lucas and sighed.
Uh... what?
"Nessa, I promise you, we didn't touch anything in your room, and we weren't sneaking around to find things either," said Monique, sitting down on the bed. "We heard you coming and we were just going to get out when you went to the bathroom or something." She paused. "Oh God, you're gonna think we are so dumb..."
"But you guys were filming, and everyone else had disappeared." Lucas jumped in. "And... well... we knew Corbin brought a PS2 with him..."
"And he had this huge CD case filled with a million games!" cried Monique.
"And he's out at a theatre production tonight, so we knew he wouldn't be back until 11..." said Lucas, starting to peel the soggy socks off his feet
"And we knew that you and Zac were working together today, which of course meant you wouldn't be back until late either," Monique added. "We didn't think you'd be back until midnight, at least."
"What makes you say that?" Vanessa blurted out. Oh, too defensive, Ness. "And anyway, what on earth does this have to do with you guys being in my room?"
Monique and Lucas exchanged another agonized look.
"Well," said Lucas. "You've got the biggest TV out of all of us."
Idiots. Vanessa stared at them both.
"Wow," she said. "I think you guys just pulled the nerdiest break-in job of all time."
She started to laugh. Relieved, Lucas and Monique laughed, too. Monique reached over and hugged Vanessa. "Oh, Ness. Thanks for not freaking out at us."
"Over what? The scandalous game-playing going on in my room?" She waved a hand. "Whatever, it's fine. Next time, just let me know and I can leave you my room key. Anyway, I think you guys actually have bigger problems to deal with right now."
The two looked confused. "Like what?"
"Didn't you say Corbin would be back at 11? It's 10:55 now."
"What?" shouted Monique. "Grabeel, you SAID we would have everything back in time! You know how finicky Corbin gets over his things. He is going to kill us if he finds out"
"Stay calm!" said Lucas, panic audibly rising in his voice. He shoved the socks in his pocket and jumped to his feet. "Stay calm! We've just... got to get back into his room somehow..."
"In the next five minutes, Luke!" said Monique.
"How did you get in the first time?" asked Vanessa.
"Well, Lucas pretended he had forgotten his key, and the maid let him in. It's how we got into your room too."
Lucas opened the door and stuck his head out into the hallway. "Well, there doesn't seem to be a maid in sight, so that's no use to us..."
Suddenly, the elevator dinged in the hallway. The doors opened, and Corbin stepped out, heading towards his room immediately across from Vanessa's. Eyes wide, Lucas mouthed back at them. He's here.
Without thinking, Vanessa catapulted herself out of the room. Walking towards Corbin, she plastered the most sincere smile she could muster onto her face and waved hello.
Oh God, what am I doing? How did I get involved in this stupid--
"Hey, Corbin!" she said, pretending to be surprised to run into him. She stood in front of his door, forcefully turning him away from her door. Please buy it. "How was the play?"
Corbin turned. "Hey Nessa," he said, breaking out in a grin. "Yeah, it was an improv show, actually. The group was phenomenal. You should check them out sometime. Take Zac with you, make an evening of it."
"Zac?" Vanessa felt a flush rising on her neck. What does he mean? "Oh-well, I should really invite everyone. If they're as phenomenal as you say they are, I'm sure everybody else would love to see it too."
Over his shoulder, she could see Monique at her door, holding the PS2 and game case in her arms.
"Oh, really? I thought you two..." He shook his head, and smiled again. "OK then, whatever you say." He yawned. "I'm pretty tired, though, so I'm headed to bed. Gotta be at the van at 5:30-the basketball number is tomorrow. My time to shine, right."
Corbin went around her and swiped his key card, pushing the door open. Behind him, Vanessa motioned to Monique to run toward it. As Monique dashed forward, Vanessa grabbed Corbin by the upper arms and spun him around to face Vanessa's door and away from Monique.
Yikes--now I've crossed a line.
"Vanessa, what is going on?" Corbin looked seriously annoyed.
"Uhhhh..." Her mind flailed for an answer. Something smart, something smart. "I was going to ask you... for your help."
"With what?"
"It's not for me," she said. "But it is pretty embarrassing... and I'm hoping I can trust you to be discreet."
This better work.
She grabbed him and took him over to her door.
"What is it?" said Corbin.
"Uh... it's Lucas." She swiped her key at the card reader and swung the door open. Inside, Lucas jumped back, and Vanessa let out an internal sigh of relief-and a tiny giggle. Just as she had been hoping, the wet socks in Lucas's pocket had formed a giant, soaking wet spot on the front of his pants.
"Well, me and Monique were hanging out with him and it turned out he just had too much water to drink today," said Vanessa, unable to stop. "And his room's almost six floors away..."
Lucas's eyes shot daggers at Vanessa. /I cannot believe you are doing this to me/, they said. Then suddenly, he switched it off completely, and gave Corbin a beseeching look.
"OK," said Corbin, his face crumpling with concern. "I gotcha, buddy." He put his arm around Lucas. "You can borrow a spare pair of my pants, and then head back to your room upstairs. All right?"
Cheeks burning, Lucas nodded, as Corbin led him from the room and shut the door behind him.
Sorry, Lucas.
She hoped the walls were well insulated. If it wasn't, she thought, the way she was laughing, the whole of Salt Lake City could probably hear her.
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Author's Note: Yow-so much longer! I just wanted to set up the fact that Vanessa has pals, and see them in action a bit, plus have a bit of a break from the melodrama. Hope it's not too wild a diversion.
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Chapter 4 - A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
Something about my room looks... different.
Standing in front of her door, Vanessa cast a wary eye on the place. The sweater. It wasn't on the chair before. The TV unit door wasn't usually open either. She didn't remember putting the pillows on the floor either. And maybe she was crazy, but the bedspread looked ruffled.... and indeed, she definitely didn't remember a pair of feet sticking out from under the end of the bed before, either.
She did, however, recognize the argyle socks on those feet.
Oh.... you are so going to get it.
Quietly, she picked up the flower vase on a nearby table and crept to the end of the bed. Pulling the flowers carefully out of the vase, Vanessa doused the water all over the two socks poking out from under the bedskirt.
"Ahhh!" The feet flailed, and disappeared under the bed. Then suddenly, a body wriggled out from under the bed, topped by a blond head. Lucas.
He sat up, trying to look natural. "Oh hey, Nessa." He cleared his throat. "How's it going?"
"Lucas!" she said, indignant. "What are you doing in my /room/?"
A sheepish look spread on his face. But as he opened his mouth to answer, another voice rang out.
"Ohhh.... it's not all his fault."
The closet door banged open and out came Monique, looking just as guilty. She looked at Lucas and sighed.
Uh... what?
"Nessa, I promise you, we didn't touch anything in your room, and we weren't sneaking around to find things either," said Monique, sitting down on the bed. "We heard you coming and we were just going to get out when you went to the bathroom or something." She paused. "Oh God, you're gonna think we are so dumb..."
"But you guys were filming, and everyone else had disappeared." Lucas jumped in. "And... well... we knew Corbin brought a PS2 with him..."
"And he had this huge CD case filled with a million games!" cried Monique.
"And he's out at a theatre production tonight, so we knew he wouldn't be back until 11..." said Lucas, starting to peel the soggy socks off his feet
"And we knew that you and Zac were working together today, which of course meant you wouldn't be back until late either," Monique added. "We didn't think you'd be back until midnight, at least."
"What makes you say that?" Vanessa blurted out. Oh, too defensive, Ness. "And anyway, what on earth does this have to do with you guys being in my room?"
Monique and Lucas exchanged another agonized look.
"Well," said Lucas. "You've got the biggest TV out of all of us."
Idiots. Vanessa stared at them both.
"Wow," she said. "I think you guys just pulled the nerdiest break-in job of all time."
She started to laugh. Relieved, Lucas and Monique laughed, too. Monique reached over and hugged Vanessa. "Oh, Ness. Thanks for not freaking out at us."
"Over what? The scandalous game-playing going on in my room?" She waved a hand. "Whatever, it's fine. Next time, just let me know and I can leave you my room key. Anyway, I think you guys actually have bigger problems to deal with right now."
The two looked confused. "Like what?"
"Didn't you say Corbin would be back at 11? It's 10:55 now."
"What?" shouted Monique. "Grabeel, you SAID we would have everything back in time! You know how finicky Corbin gets over his things. He is going to kill us if he finds out"
"Stay calm!" said Lucas, panic audibly rising in his voice. He shoved the socks in his pocket and jumped to his feet. "Stay calm! We've just... got to get back into his room somehow..."
"In the next five minutes, Luke!" said Monique.
"How did you get in the first time?" asked Vanessa.
"Well, Lucas pretended he had forgotten his key, and the maid let him in. It's how we got into your room too."
Lucas opened the door and stuck his head out into the hallway. "Well, there doesn't seem to be a maid in sight, so that's no use to us..."
Suddenly, the elevator dinged in the hallway. The doors opened, and Corbin stepped out, heading towards his room immediately across from Vanessa's. Eyes wide, Lucas mouthed back at them. He's here.
Without thinking, Vanessa catapulted herself out of the room. Walking towards Corbin, she plastered the most sincere smile she could muster onto her face and waved hello.
Oh God, what am I doing? How did I get involved in this stupid--
"Hey, Corbin!" she said, pretending to be surprised to run into him. She stood in front of his door, forcefully turning him away from her door. Please buy it. "How was the play?"
Corbin turned. "Hey Nessa," he said, breaking out in a grin. "Yeah, it was an improv show, actually. The group was phenomenal. You should check them out sometime. Take Zac with you, make an evening of it."
"Zac?" Vanessa felt a flush rising on her neck. What does he mean? "Oh-well, I should really invite everyone. If they're as phenomenal as you say they are, I'm sure everybody else would love to see it too."
Over his shoulder, she could see Monique at her door, holding the PS2 and game case in her arms.
"Oh, really? I thought you two..." He shook his head, and smiled again. "OK then, whatever you say." He yawned. "I'm pretty tired, though, so I'm headed to bed. Gotta be at the van at 5:30-the basketball number is tomorrow. My time to shine, right."
Corbin went around her and swiped his key card, pushing the door open. Behind him, Vanessa motioned to Monique to run toward it. As Monique dashed forward, Vanessa grabbed Corbin by the upper arms and spun him around to face Vanessa's door and away from Monique.
Yikes--now I've crossed a line.
"Vanessa, what is going on?" Corbin looked seriously annoyed.
"Uhhhh..." Her mind flailed for an answer. Something smart, something smart. "I was going to ask you... for your help."
"With what?"
"It's not for me," she said. "But it is pretty embarrassing... and I'm hoping I can trust you to be discreet."
This better work.
She grabbed him and took him over to her door.
"What is it?" said Corbin.
"Uh... it's Lucas." She swiped her key at the card reader and swung the door open. Inside, Lucas jumped back, and Vanessa let out an internal sigh of relief-and a tiny giggle. Just as she had been hoping, the wet socks in Lucas's pocket had formed a giant, soaking wet spot on the front of his pants.
"Well, me and Monique were hanging out with him and it turned out he just had too much water to drink today," said Vanessa, unable to stop. "And his room's almost six floors away..."
Lucas's eyes shot daggers at Vanessa. /I cannot believe you are doing this to me/, they said. Then suddenly, he switched it off completely, and gave Corbin a beseeching look.
"OK," said Corbin, his face crumpling with concern. "I gotcha, buddy." He put his arm around Lucas. "You can borrow a spare pair of my pants, and then head back to your room upstairs. All right?"
Cheeks burning, Lucas nodded, as Corbin led him from the room and shut the door behind him.
Sorry, Lucas.
She hoped the walls were well insulated. If it wasn't, she thought, the way she was laughing, the whole of Salt Lake City could probably hear her.
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Author's Note: Yow-so much longer! I just wanted to set up the fact that Vanessa has pals, and see them in action a bit, plus have a bit of a break from the melodrama. Hope it's not too wild a diversion.
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