High School Musical the Musical

by Disney Books

  “I need a volunteer to sing into the microphone for sound check,” Miss Jenn called out.

  “Kourtney’s an amazing singer,” one of the dancers said.

  “Singer, not actor,” Kourtney said. “This voice is for church.”

  After professing that this was a safe space, Miss Jenn got Kourtney up onstage. She sang “Bop to the Top” a cappella and shocked everyone with her amazing voice.

  “Kourtney, honey,” Miss Jenn gushed, “that was a wow.” She looked around at the rest of the cast. “Unfortunately, it seems we have now broken the sound system, the lights, and possibly me. Carlos, could you please clear the theater right now?”

  “Miss Jenn, are you okay?” Carlos asked. He saw Miss Jenn’s face and knew he had to obey her orders. “Everyone follow me. We’re on a long five.”

  Ashlyn went back into the theater and saw Miss Jenn stroking a theater seat. “Miss Jenn,” she said carefully, “I don’t think I’m alone in noticing that you seem fully freaked out.”

  Miss Jenn smiled at Ashlyn. “This is where I was sitting,” she said. “The Utah premiere of High School Musical.” She remembered that the whole row was filled with family and friends. “I only cared about Lucas Grabeel,” she said with a sigh. “He played Ryan.” He had called her Jessica instead of Jennifer, but she didn’t have the heart to tell him her real name. Miss Jenn went on to explain she’d had one line in the cafeteria scene. “Is that the last apple?” was her big moment, but it was cut from the movie. Lucas was the only lead who told her she’d nailed it. “That night set me back seven years,” Miss Jenn said. “My confidence was shattered.”

  Ashlyn nodded. “Wow, that’s terrible,” she said. She wanted to boost her teacher up. “You know, you inspired me to write a whole song about regrets.”

  “I know,” Miss Jenn said. “And nobody will ever hear it, because our PA system died faster than my career in New York.”

  Knowing she had to do something, Ashlyn handed her teacher a set of three crystals. “Use them,” she said. “Trust yourself the way we all trust you.”

  Miss Jenn held the crystals in her hand. She did some positive affirmations and walked up onstage. “I can still pull off this show,” she said to herself. “Somehow.” She lifted a tarp and saw a mannequin resembling Ryan from the original movie. She felt dizzy and fainted. When she opened her eyes, she was face to face with the real Lucas Grabeel! He looked like her guardian angel. He told her to let the cut line memory go and move on. And he had a song for her…and the inspired idea to have the show in the East High gym.

  In the storage room, Nini and Ricky were warming up their voices. Nini told Ricky she was thinking about a drama school in Denver, though the school was very hard to get into and she didn’t think they’d take her.

  “But you’re, like, one-in-a-million talented,” Ricky told her.

  Nini laughed. “You don’t know how much talent is out there.”

  When Ricky began to praise Nini, she felt a little uncomfortable and tried to change the subject.

  “That’s not fair,” Ricky joked. “My parents took me to Disneyland once, and I met a very talented Minnie Mouse.”

  “Ah, yes, your first crush,” Nini said.

  “Actually, she was my second,” Ricky admitted. The two looked at each other, and just as they were about to kiss, Big Red pushed the door open and asked if they wanted pizza. The moment surprised them both—and then it passed. They joined Big Red and the others in the lobby.

  Kourtney spotted Nini and sensed something was up with her. Nini was about to tell her about the almost kiss, but just confessed she had almost done something really stupid. She changed the subject and praised Kourtney for singing onstage. She knew her friend had the best voice at school. Kourtney admitted to liking the applause, and she understood why Nini loved performing. When Nini walked away, Kourtney took out her phone and called Youth Actors Conservatory. If Nini wasn’t going to put herself out there, then Kourtney would do it for her.

  Carlos was stress-eating popcorn from the concession stand when E.J. found him.

  “Hey, it’s been a long time since we went on break,” E.J. said. “Should we go ask what’s going on?”

  “She’s having a moment,” Carlos said. “Maybe you can go and ask her.”

  “I don’t want to freak her out more with my lifeless eyes,” E.J. joked.

  “You were right, by the way,” Carlos told E.J. “Forest of Boys was a mess, and coming here was a huge mistake. I have no business taking charge of anything.”

  E.J. disagreed. “You stepped up, dude,” he told him. “You always do, and if I’m being honest, it’s admirable.”

  “E.J., was that a compliment?” Carlos asked.

  “Don’t make me start emoting,” he joked.

  “Okay, well, the words were a four, but the sentiment was a solid ten,” Carlos told him.

  E.J. grinned and walked away.

  Carlos went into the theater and panicked when he saw Miss Jenn lying on the stage. He rushed over to her and slapped her awake. “Miss Jenn! Say something!” he begged.

  Miss Jenn came to, realized where she was, and sighed. “I’m the teacher, and we’re making history,” she said. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

  “We can’t use the theater,” he told her. “The principal said we can’t use an outside facility for a school event.”

  “I know where we have to go,” Miss Jenn said, sitting up. “Back to East High.”

  Big Red got Ricky’s message and rushed over to his house. He found Ricky singing a song that he had written about falling in love. Only Big Red wasn’t sure if Ricky had written the song for Nini or Gina. Big Red thought the song was great, but he had been working nonstop to re-create the sets for the show and was exhausted. Ricky confessed that he had almost kissed Nini and had written her the song for opening night.

  Ricky didn’t know that Nini was also thinking of giving him an opening night gift. Nini showed Kourtney engraved dog tags that she had made for Ricky. And she also confessed to almost kissing him.

  Kourtney had some news, too. Miss Jenn had asked her to take on the role of Taylor now that Gina was gone. Nini was thrilled for her friend to join her onstage. But she was still nervous about opening night. She went early to East High and was surprised to find Ricky there, too.

  “Let me guess,” Ricky said when he saw her. “Jitters?”

  “A little bit,” Nini replied. “I realized this morning that this is the first time I’ve been cast as the lead on purpose.”

  Miss Jenn came up behind her and put her hand on Nini’s shoulder. “But it won’t be the last,” she said. She encouraged her two leads to soak in the stillness before the opening.

  However, Natalie and Big Red were making lots of noise trying to finish setting the stage. Nini and Ricky ducked out into the hallway to get some quiet.

  “Um, the other night, when we were in that room at the theater,” Nini began. She was hesitant about bringing up the almost kiss. And Ricky took her comment the wrong way. He suddenly felt as if he had to backtrack his plan.

  “Oh, listen,” he said, trying to act cool, “that was a tough day. We were all in a really weird place.”

  “Yeah,” Nini agreed. “Totally weird.”

  “We’re cool, right?” Ricky asked.

  Nini thought about the gift she had for him. Maybe it was all show-mance and nothing more.

  Later, the cast gathered for hair and makeup. Carlos was carrying a large bouquet of flowers. “We’ve got mystery flowers, people!” he called. There was no card, and no one took credit for sending them. “We’ll have to share them,” Miss Jenn said. Then she shared some other news. She told the cast that Gina sent her love and support but was already on the East Coast. “And so I have asked Kourtney to fill in,” she said.

  Everyone cheered for Kourtney. She held a bound script in her hand and grinned at Nini.

  “Please think of a word or phrase from the show that expresses where your
head is or your goals for tonight,” Miss Jenn told the cast.

  Big Red went first. “‘You’re my guys, and this is our team,’” he said.

  “‘What if you wanna try something really new and it’s a total disaster and all your friends laugh at you?’” Ricky said, quoting Troy.

  “‘Did you ever feel like there’s this whole other person inside of you just looking for a way to come out?’” Nini offered. She appreciated Gabriella’s line even more right now.

  Seb stepped forward. “‘Sharpay’s kinda cute, too,’” he said.

  The whole cast gave the response: “‘So is a mountain lion, but you don’t pet it!’”

  Miss Jenn laughed and beamed proudly at the cast and crew. “And I’ll just say, no matter what happens today, ‘we’re all in this together.’ Okay, Wildcats, take a moment to settle your nerves. If we had a curtain, it would be up in twenty minutes!”

  Nini glanced over at Ricky. She couldn’t deny she had feelings for him, but was she just being the Gabriella to his Troy? Ricky caught Nini’s eye and had similar feelings. Was this feeling, at this moment, part of the show or was it real?

  The lights flashed in the hallway. Showtime!

  Miss Jenn was handing out programs when she saw Ricky’s dad. He came over to ask how his son was doing.

  “I think he’s gonna surprise you,” she said.

  “I’ve learned to stop being surprised by him,” Mike said. He smiled at her. “I owe that to you.”

  Miss Jenn blushed, and she would have cherished the compliment if Ricky’s mom hadn’t walked up at that moment. They seemed to have come to the show together, and Miss Jenn backed out of the conversation quickly.

  The show started and Ricky and Nini began their song, “Start of Something New.” Miss Jenn found Mr. Mazzara in the back of the gym. “I need your engineering genius,” she said.

  Mr. Mazzara knew how to work the school gym tech console. He was willing to help, but he had a favor to ask, too. He wanted her to distribute robotics club stickers to the crowd and get some community interest.

  “Done!” Miss Jenn exclaimed.

  Down in the wings, Kourtney was freaking out about going on as Taylor. Nini gave her the prop Treo phone. “Trust the process,” she said, quoting Miss Jenn.

  Their first scenes went off well, as did Ricky and E.J.’s. Miss Jenn joined the cast backstage before the big “Stick to the Status Quo” number.

  “How is the Taylor dance break going to work?” Seb asked. “Gina’s tray-ography is really complex.”

  Carlos offered to tell the orchestra to cut that part, but Kourtney stood up. “Or we could just have Gina do it.”

  Gina was in the doorway holding a tray of cupcakes. “A friend bought me a last-minute flight back. I was gonna drop off these cupcakes and then hide in the gym and cheer you guys on.”

  Kourtney was not going to let Gina hide in the audience. “I was Taylor, and it was nice,” she said. “But now it’s your turn to save my butt for the dance.” She held out the bedazzled tray. “Please, I’m asking you.”

  Gina turned to Miss Jenn. “Can I?” she asked.

  “Of course,” Miss Jenn told Gina. But she let Kourtney know she wasn’t done with her yet. “You come see me after Christmas break,” she told her.

  Gina’s number was a showstopper. She nailed the dance. The show continued on without a hitch and the crowd really seemed to be enjoying it.

  Ricky saw Gina backstage and went over to her. “I still can’t believe you’re actually back,” he said.

  “Yeah.” She grinned. “Don’t blink or you’ll miss me.”

  Ricky smiled. It was confusing seeing Gina. So much had happened in the week she was gone. “I don’t know what to say,” he said.

  “It’s time to ‘get’cha head in the game,’” she told him. “Go fly, dude!”

  Ricky put on his harness and was high above the audience when he spotted Todd, his mother’s new boyfriend. The hope of his parents getting back together came crashing down. He lost his focus and felt a little out of sync with the dance, too. His head was definitely not in the game. He needed to talk to Nini, but she was out onstage.

  “Nini seems a little nervous,” Carlos said as he stood in the wings.

  “Why? What happened?” Ricky asked.

  Kourtney pointed out to the audience. “See that lady with the clipboard? That’s the dean of that performing arts school she was looking at.”

  “You invited her?” Ricky asked. His face went white as he looked out into the audience at the dean and Todd. Suddenly, he really didn’t feel well. Ricky found E.J. in the dressing room and threw him Troy’s tank top. “You need to do the second act as Troy,” he said.

  E.J. was shocked. “Are you sick?” he asked.

  “No, I’m good,” Ricky said. “Good enough to help Nini get where she wants to go.”

  E.J. didn’t really understand what Ricky was talking about.

  “I’m screwing up out there,” Ricky went on. “I can’t blow this for Nini. There’s someone in the audience who can change Nini’s life, and she needs her best shot to impress him.” He held out the shirt. “Will you do it?”

  Taking the shirt, E.J. wasn’t sure what to think. But he slid the tank on and was ready to play Troy.

  Just as act two was about to begin, Ashlyn spotted E.J. in the dressing room wearing Troy Bolton’s basketball tank. “What did you do to Ricky?” she asked, panicked.

  “I didn’t do anything,” E.J. told her. “He asked me to fill in.”

  “I guess a certain part of me wants to say congratulations,” said Ashlyn. Then she had a thought. “Wait, if you’re playing Troy, then who’s playing Chad?”

  Carlos walked in from the side stage, dressed in a super-baggy Wildcats tank. “Buckle up, Wildcats,” he said awkwardly. He held up his hand to fist-bump E.J. “You ready, bro?”

  He then turned to Ashlyn and looked at her pleadingly. “Pray for me!” he said in a slight panic.

  Onstage, Nini looked out in the audience and saw the dean of Youth Actors Conservatory jotting down notes. Was she writing good things about her performance? Nini couldn’t believe her dream of going to drama school might actually become a reality.

  After their scene, Nini and Gina headed back to the dressing room, excited by how well it had gone. Nini admired Gina’s confidence. She always seemed to be sure of herself and her performance.

  “You’ve played a lot more leading roles than I have,” Nini told her. “What do you do when there’s someone in the audience who could change your life?”

  “Nini, listen, you’re a great actor,” Gina said. “So just act like someone who knows what she’s doing.”

  “Does that ever work?” Nini asked.

  “Works for me everywhere I go,” Gina said. “It’s my greatest trick. Also sort of my only trick.”

  Nini gave Gina a hug. She was happy Gina had come back for the show—and actually sad that she would be leaving again.

  Outside in the hallway, Ricky was pacing. He texted Nini to tell her why he was bailing out on the show. He also sent a text to his parents.

  On her cue, Nini walked back onstage. She was surprised to see E.J.—not Ricky. She covered her microphone. “Where’s Ricky?” she asked. E.J. pushed on with the scene. Nini was so confused—and hurt.

  Next Ashlyn sang her big number, with Big Red watching admiringly. Backstage, Nini sat with Kourtney in the dressing room wondering why Ricky would just leave in the middle of the show.

  “You haven’t heard from him?” Kourtney asked.

  Nini went to get her phone and saw Ricky’s text.

  S.O.S., he wrote. Don’t freak out but E.J. is going on as Troy. I am so sorry. My mom’s boyfriend showed up and I’m a mess. You deserve a real leading man in front of that scout.

  “Well, I guess that’s sort of sweet…in a really dumb way,” Kourtney said.

  This was definitely not how Nini had pictured opening night.

  Ricky�
�s mom found her son in the hallway. She was worried about him. Was it just stage fright? “You’ve made a commitment to this,” she told him. “People are counting on you.”

  “You’re one to talk about commitment,” Ricky mumbled. He glared at his mom. “It’s not about nerves. It’s about doing something for somebody I care about.”

  Knowing there was something else bothering Ricky, his mom pressed him. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Why did you bring him to the show?” Ricky blurted out. He still couldn’t believe that his mom would bring her boyfriend to his show.

  “Todd? I wanted him to meet you,” she said. “I didn’t want to say anything before the show because I didn’t want to throw you off.”

  Ricky scoffed. While he was levitating above the audience was not the ideal time either! “How do you think Dad feels?” he asked.

  “Honestly,” she said, “I think Dad is happy that I’m happy.”

  “You two looked plenty happy before the show started,” he said. “You were hugging. I saw it. It was like how it used to be.”

  Looking at Ricky, she gave a long exhale. “Ricky,” she said, “not all couples are meant to be together.”

  Her words weighed heavily on Ricky. He heard the music start for “Bop to the Top” and left to go watch Seb perform.

  Seb was in the wings and not going onstage on his cue. Carlos found him and gave him a pep talk about how he was the only one who could pull off this Sharpay role, but Seb wasn’t nervous about going on as Sharpay. He was nervous about disappointing the three rows of his family members who had come out to support him. Carlos was a little envious of all that support. “Count your blessings,” he told Seb. “And dance your heart out! Bop to the sky, baby!”

  Up in the tech console, Big Red and Mr. Mazzara were busy working the lighting board. Big Red’s technical skills were not lost on his teacher. “Young man, have you considered applying to my robotics club?” he asked.

  Big Red grinned. He knew he had found his talent—and he was enjoying every minute.