It was a day like any other, until it wasn't. My pleasant smile immediately dropped into a grimace, just barely evidencing my disgust and horror. A startling headline appeared on my Twitter feed from Celeb Buzz:
Zac Efron Says He Regrets 'High School Musical'
"No, no", I screamed! All while clutching my old J-14 poster of Zac Efron with my small, trembling hands. How could this be? Was he misquoted? Probably not. Celeb Buzz is up there with the New York Times, CNN and other respected news outlets. That's when my shock immediately transpired into rage. The only way to calm down was to put my words into writing. Unfortunately, during dire times like these words only hold so much power. This is when I decided to vent on the only appropriate social media platform I could think of, my finsta.
Other members of the High School Musical fandom chimed in. Even at times like these, the support people give to one another is truly a beautiful thing. I will never forget the way Troy supported Zeke when he wanted to make créme brûlée but his team just wanted his head in the game. Troy supported Gabriella through their high school singing careers. Troy even stood by Sharpay Evans when she gave him no reason to. That's the thing about pretty boys like Troy Bolton, they think that they can talk you up and make you believe that their intentions are pure. Of course, after he ever so cruelly betrayed Gabriella in "High School Musical 1", she forgave him. Maybe forgiving and forgetting really isn't the answer. Perhaps second chances are one chance too many. Isn't that right, Troy?
Since I am currently on an emotional rollercoaster as I write this heart-wrenching article, I suppose the only proper way to identify where everything went completely wrong is to go back to the source. Let's analyze the situations with these gifs of Troy in his prime.
Piece of evidence we should have seen coming #1:
Why are you feeling so wrong, Troy? Did you ever even want to get your head in the game? The look in his eyes is so poignant and filled with such regret that it is almost tangible. He isn't reaching his hand out to dance to the beat, instead, it is a metaphor for the inner turmoil he had been experiencing. Inside, his heart was never really in the song.
Evidence #2:
Who are you trying to convince there,Troy? Me, or you? It's just as Freud says, "unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth in uglier ways." Troy was lying to us, but worst of all he was lying to himself.
Evidence #3:
Perhaps all the answers were revealed earlier on in the "High School Musical" saga, but I suppose none of us wanted to confront such a painful truth. The only thing left to do now is to cry while blasting "Bet On It" repetitively and wishing that our first love was real.
In the wise words of Troy Bolton, "East High is a place where a jock can cook up a mean crème brulee, and a brainiac can break it down on the dance floor. East High is having friends we'll keep for the rest of our lives, and that means we really are 'all in this together'. Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat!"
True words of wisdom right there. Even if Zac didn't love us the way we loved him, he will always be the music in us.
