Title: A Forlorn Soul
Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama
Rating: T – sometimes M for safety
Relationship(s): Troypay
Warning(s): Extreme violence, abuse, strong profanity
Disclaimer: I do not own anything High School Musical related – I wish!
Summary: The Ice Queen on stage, a Forlorn Soul in the shadows. What happens when Sharpay Evans' world crashes around her? She loses all hope, her father's become the opposite of what he used to be and her life becomes full of turmoil, but why? Plus, why is the person who loathes her the most, suddenly caring tremendously about her…? TROYPAY
Chapter 1: Grief Stricken
Of course, it all started at a party. She hadn't brought it upon herself to get hurt because she thought she had known her father. I mean, hadn't he been the one who had always called her "his princess?" But that had all changed since the divorce and the night of the party; everything had changed. Sure, she was still rich, but the real question was, was she still that happy-go-lucky girl she had been just one year ago? After all, why shouldn't she be happy? She had a glamorous pale pink Mercedes Benz convertible designed with large, white lettering with her initials on the hood: SE, her very own no-limit credit card, myriads of designer clothes that most girls her age dreamed of and most of all, being a triple threat, the girl had talent to get her into the most prestigious colleges. Still, she had been faking a smile ever since the day after that fateful party. The world at school was still the same, everyone seeing her as the Ice Queen, or at least, that's what she presumed. Hadn't they seen a vulnerable side to her that night? Well, if they had, they certainly didn't show it. Mostly, everyone still thought of her as the Ice Queen, especially after what had happened last summer. It would most likely take more than singing a few songs with a portion of the Wildcats to change their opinion of her; besides, hadn't she nearly ruined Gabriella and the rest of the Wildcats summer?
On the contrary, they'd gotten their revenge. They'd ruined her chance of receiving the Star Dazzle award that summer, hadn't they? Or hadn't she just decided on the spot to instead, award it to her brother? She had to suppress a smile because for once, thinking on the spot had paid off on that particular day. Her brother had got what he deserved, and deep down she knew this was true, because honestly, what had she done that summer to help her brother out? Nothing. And the surprising part was…she could bring herself to say it. And we're talking about the Ice Queen here?
"I heard her Daddy's cutting her off…she met some twenty year old guy in rehab this summer and he tried to hook up with her. She was going to, without her parents' knowledge, but she chickened out at the last minute. What a slut!"
"No, can't be true. I heard her brother's gay for Troy and she isn't taking it too well. Plus, isn't her dad like an alcoholic or something? I heard he tried to rape her at Troy Bolton's party earlier this year!"
Sharpay Evans strode past a group of gossiping cheerleaders without so much as a scowl. She felt hurt by the last comment of her father and she gritted her teeth as she walked by them. They don't even having the fucking story right. I bet they weren't even there.Vulnerable side, Sharpay! Come on, try your angry side! She murmured inaudibly, "Stupid cheerleaders." There you go.
Apparently they had heard her, because this only caused more hushed whispers from the cheerleaders before they dispersed with the loud ringing of the bell. Great, first period; it was time for Life Science with Mr. Gilroy, as if he and his class could be anymore boring.
With her nearly flawless new intimate colored nails, Sharpay unfastened the sterling silver lock from her fuchsia-colored locker, the only one in the school, and acquired all the materials she needed for Life Science. With a quick glance in her magnetic mirror, magnetized to the inside of her locker door, she slammed her locker door and began to make her way to the classroom, which was surprisingly a whole flight downstairs from her new homeroom teacher's room, Mr. Patterson. Along the way, a few audible snickers and whispers were heard, and Sharpay was conscious of the fact that they were most certainly about her. She really hadn't minded school as much as she used to loathe it. I mean, she was definitely good friends with Troy, Gabriella, Taylor and of course her brother, Ryan. Chad was really still a mystery since he still cracked the occasional hurtful joke here and there. Then there was the rest of the gang, like Jason, Zeke and Kelsi; but of course, Zeke was no problem. He was constantly offering to do those little petty things such as carry her books, bake her goodies when she was feeling somber or just give her a friendly hug. She had used to resent Zeke last year without really getting to know him for the person that he was and just judging him for his geeky baker-self, but she'd come to realize he was a really sweet guy, not to mention, his baking was just fabulous. A moment dawned on her as she let a dainty smile play on her features, recalling when she had kissed Zeke's yearbook at the end of the school year, the day that summer had officially began…and the summer that she would never forget.
Those were the good times… the times when she had been able to count on her father. But as she remembered herself saying to Ryan:It's summer Ry…Everything changes. And indeed, that summer, everything had changed. Troy and Gabriella had gotten their first kiss and Sharpay had been dissed by Troy. She hadn't had her time to shine at the Lava Springs Talent Show, Troy and Gabriella had. She had had everything taken away from her, including Troy, though he never really was hers, was he? She couldn't help but murmur, "Though, I still love him." Is it really love? She queried inside her mind, pausing in the middle of the hallway to contradict herself. No no, it was just a silly little crush. Still, she wanted to be at peace with Gabriella, but deep down inside, there was no denying that she loathed her for having Troy.
And it was quite amusing, really. All her life, Sharpay had always gotten what she wanted. Her father was a brilliant golfer, he was on the board of directors at UVA and a fine businessman, bringing in wads of cash for the family. He had always been such a nice guy…well, not as much to Ryan as to herself. He had always been stricter with Ryan; Nevertheless, Ryan was closer to her mother than she was. It was more like a father/daughter, mother/son relationship in the Evans household.
Her father had supported her relationship with Troy, well…of what she had had with him. Luring him into singing with her only worked because her father had been sitting right there in front of him, dangling a promise at a scholarship right under Troy's nose. He would've never agreed to sing with her had he not been there. So, why was it now that her father was so distant from her? He never stayed in contact with her, never called her, nothing. Maybe she just couldn't accept that he was a changed man…in all the wrong ways.
So why was it that he had showed up suddenly at the party of the year? Why had he humiliated her in front of everyone, especially…especially him? Yes, she was talking about Troy. A chill swept up her spine as she remised the scene of the party:
"SHARPAY EVANS! THERE YOU ARE! I'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER THE FUCKING STATE FOR YOU!"
A hush swept over the crowd of people. The blaring music suddenly stopped. All eyes were either on the girl in the pale-white floral sequined dress with the sparkling silver stilettos or the man with the balding gray hair and trampy-looking torn t-shirt and plaid corduroy pants. A gasp escaped from her mouth as she felt a hand slap her across the face. The next thing she knew, she was flat on her face, staring at the ground and gasping for breath. She could feel the blood gushing from her mouth and her heart racing. The unfamiliar stench of whiskey filled her nostrils as a face recognizable only by the slightest was face to face with her; to her shock, it was her father. He was finally here…after all these months. But, how could it possibly be him? This was no father to her…this was, an abuser.
"Dad?" Sharpay choked out, coughing up blood and feeling her insides shimmer with coldness.
"That's right, princess," He sneered, his blood boiling. His teeth clenched in anger and he screamed, "What the hell are you all looking at?"
The crowd of seniors all backed away from the scene, cowering in fear of Sharpay's father. There was certainly going to be a lot to gossip about on Monday!
"Dad…" She coughed, blood spurting from her mouth as her jaw seared in pain. "Stop…what are-"
He angrily reached down and grabbed Sharpay by the neck, his nails sinking into her skin. Sharpay yelped in pain as she felt the hot breath and stench of whiskey in her ear, "You haven't seen the last of me, princess. I'll be back to reclaim what's rightfully mine." He dropped her carelessly and let her hit the hard-wood floor from about a five and a half foot drop. A loud scream was heard and he stormed out of the mansion. The last that was heard of him was the screeching sound of his car tires against the pavement, and the roar of the engine as he sped off to only God knows where.
For about a minute, all eyes were on Sharpay and the only person that cared to help her was her own brother, Ryan. He had always been in her shadow, until that summer and now, he was only showing that he truly was his own person, and no longer feared his own sister; He truly cared for her.
"Oh, right. So you're just all going to stand there and stare. You're all assholes," Ryan scolded the group of students. "Why don't you all forget about your fucking selves and help her up!?"
A group of students immediately responded by rushing over and helping her up. They were all-to-familiar faces to Sharpay: Zeke, Jason, Kelsi, Gabriella, Taylor, Chad and most importantly…Troy. His ocean blue eyes locked onto hers and she bit her lip, tears slipping down her cheeks. Ryan had wiped some of the blood from her chin and was continuing to do so when Sharpay pushed him out of the way and scuttled towards the front door. Many in the crowd discerned that her dress was torn on one shoulder and on the lower part of her left leg as she was seen abruptly leaving the party. Ryan could only watch her go, a frown encasing his lips as he wanted to follow her, but he knew his sister's reaction would be horrific. Besides, there were too many thoughts swimming around in his mind. Why had his father shown up after all this time and just physically abused Sharpay, his sister…and his father's daughter? And why had he not paid any attention to him? And what was that thing that he needed to claim that was "rightfully his"? Was it…Sharpay?
"What…what was that about?" Gabriella's lip quivered, letting a few tears fall from her honey brown hues. She rested her head on Troy's shoulder, a gut-feeling in the pit of her stomach that Sharpay's father had been drunk upon coming here.
"I don't…I don't know," Troy replied, frowning as he watched Sharpay sprint out the door. He suddenly felt queasy, a strange feeling occurring in the pit of his stomach; it happened to be the same feeling that he had had upon first meeting Gabriella during Junior Year. He swallowed gently, his shoulders tensing slightly as Gabriella rested her head against one. His gaze flitted over to Ryan, who shot him a worried look in return.
Meanwhile, Sharpay had been sprinting through the streets, barefoot with one stiletto in each hand. Mascara was running down her face, pools of tears surrounding the black clumps. Her eyeliner had faded and her normally fabulous looking hair was unruly. As she made her way back to her house, she made a decision. She wouldn't tell her mother because she could handle this on her own. She wasn't going to be little Ms. Vulnerable anymore.
Ever since that day, Sharpay just hadn't been herself. She refused to ever speak of the incident at the party to Ryan or any of the Wildcats, especially Troy. She still thought of all of them as great friends but now, it was definitely awkward around them. It was hard to feel like that same old Sharpay the Ice Queen who ran the school. She still was, oh she definitely still was; but she didn't feel the part of the Ice Queen anymore. In fact, she contradicted herself half the time. Sometimes, she just wished that she could fit in with the rest of the Wildcats and more with the girls in certain cliques. Then why couldn't she just show that to the school instead of faking it everyday? It just…it was too hard.
And yet, more and more rumors were being conjugated about her each and every day. It was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She just wanted to continue her life as it was before the incident at the party; however, she was really in denial. Deep down in the pit of her gut, Sharpay knew her life was never going to be the same since that incident. So why was it that she was forcing herself to live in the past, and not the present?
That was a question Sharpay was unable to answer at the moment, or at any moment. It was just another sign of her becoming more vulnerable; she just couldn't be that same tough girl she used to be. She knew that she had her mean side and her vulnerable side. Ever since the incident at the party, she was showing her vulnerable side more and more day by day. Yet, she refused to admit it. She denied anything going on in her family. Her only excuse was that her father had had one too many that night. Unfortunately, only a small member of the senior class was bought off by that, and most of them were students that hadn't attended Troy's party. Nevertheless, Sharpay was determined not to let any of the gossip get to her, whether it was about her, or her father. She was strong. She wasn't vulnerable. And she could most certainly handle this issue that she had had with her father without her mother's help. Or could she?
With a soft sigh, Sharpay finally rounded the corner and approached the end of the hallway where Mr. Gilroy's room was. She took a deep breath before entering the room, a hush falling over the over-talkative students. She appeared to be the last one to enter the room. She must've been so caught up with all her thinking that she'd not heard the bell ring a second time. Great, I'm late.
"Ah, Ms. Evans," Mr. Gilroy's impish voice piped up from behind his desk, meandering over to where Sharpay was standing. "So nice of you to join us. That'll be a demerit for you, young lady. Now take your seat and-"
Suddenly, a voice cut through Mr. Gilroy's ranting, "Mr. Gilroy!"
All gazes flitted over to the doorway where the dreamy senior captain of the East High Wildcats basketball team stood, flashing an award winning smile. A few sighs were heard and Sharpay stifled a snicker while her eyes locked onto the infamous Troy Bolton's. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't frowning either; a blank expression had formed on her face. What the hell is he doing here? He doesn't even take Life Science!
"Sharpay," He began, his voice pattern altering slightly. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Principal Matsui wants to see you in his office, now."
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AN: Hey all you readers out there! The second chapter's in the works. I really appreciate the feedback, because this is my first fanfic that I've ever written. I just want to let you all know that I wrote this New Year's day at some ridiculous hour in the morning and I'm going to try my best to update at least once a week. I would try to do it more than that, but for right now, I'm very busy. But the more reviews I get, the more it'll encourage me to write, so really, the reviewers make the story. But I'm sure most of you know that already!
Thankfully, I don't go back to school until Monday, but I've got a lot of work to catch up on because I missed four days of school right before break. So I'll try to update again before Monday, but my first goal is to get a lot of reviewers! Hopefully, I'll have Chapter Two posted on Friday. Once again, reviews make the story really, and I love to hear feedback. So let me know what you think of my story and be honest. Give me some ideas and personal opinions. Trust me, it really helps. Thanks a lot for your support!
P.S. I know Sharpay's dad was nice in HSM2, but this idea really just came to me one day. Really, the whole drama with Sharpay and her dad is sort of based on my life. My dad has similar qualities; it's not as extreme, but it's right up there with it. I won't go into further detail, but just remember: read, enjoy, and please review! Thanks!