(A/N Okay… this is a total Troypay, please tell me what you think okay?)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the song I used at the end of this chapter.

I sat quietly at the bon fire. Last year it would have been my scene, dancing by the waves with some guy who I didn't know and wasn't interested in getting to know, laughing at the drunken idiots, all that stuff, I just didn't feel like partying lately, or ever. I only went because I didn't want to be at home. It was bad lately, ever since my dad left for the seventh time. It had been four months now, but it still felt the same.

Enter Troy and Gabriella, the cute couple. I don't know when, but somewhere along the lines of this whole experience, people like them started to disgust me. They were always so happy with each other. It was like watching a Disney movie (A/N No comment please) where everyone had a happy life. It's not that I had anything against them. It's just that I could tell their future. I'd seen it all before.

Exhibit A: Their typical conversation

Troy: Hey Gabby

Gabriella: Hey baby, want to hang out tonight?

Troy: Can't. I promised a few of the guys that we would hang out

Gabriella: Cool, mind if I tag along?

Troy: Kind of… we haven't hung out it forever

Gabriella: Well, okay… if that's what you want.

Troy: No! It's not what I want! I just need some time-

Gabriella: AWAY FROM ME!?!?

Troy: No! I just need to hang with the guys tonight!

Gabriella: Oh… okay

Troy: Yeah… so how is the academic decathlon team doing?

Gabriella: Good, we're practicing really hard for the school year

Troy: Well we wouldn't want their brains to get rusty now would we?

Gabriella: Huh? How is that possible if their brains are in their head?

Troy: It was a joke

Gabriella: Oh… but it still doesn't make sense.

Troy: …

Okay. Enough said. I think you get the point. It's just that, it gets so unnerving… especially since Troy and I used to be best friends. Well… up until last year at least. Back when life was so much easier. I could tell they would only last a while longer… that or they would get married and know it wasn't working out and wouldn't do anything because 'it was too complicated'. My parents were exactly like them. And I was the result of one really big mistake.

I remember, we all saw it coming, but we were just like a deer in the headlights… we couldn't move, it was just like we were stuck there, in that position that we knew we might as well have just packed up in advance because we knew it wasn't working out. We just decided to see how long we could all pretend to make it work. I grew up pessimistic and never believed in love, sure I loved my mom and dad and brother and all. But not the romantic kind. I laughed countless times during the note book, during the titanic I wondered why not just sell the necklace on eBay, and when I watched A walk to Remember, I got kicked out of the theater for flicking gummy bears at the 'happy couple' on front of me, I tried to explain that they would break up in approximately a week anyways, but I still got kicked out… last I heard they broke up after finding out that they were both seeing other people. Does that prove my point? If not then you should meet my parents.

Anyways, I was at the bon fire doing nothing in particular… just sitting with my knees to my chest by the fire when it happened. I'd seen it a zillion times before. I didn't even know what Troy said but Gabriella turned and looked at him quickly, Troy shrugged and said something. She shook her head and said something like 'whatever'. It had begun. The down fall of Troyella. I could see it in her eyes, and the way he crossed his arms, like a barrier between him and her.

But then again, Troy had a barrier between him and everyone. I was used to it, being his friend for ten years. We were next door neighbors for like, ten years. Back then my mom was trying to escape from my dad… again. We were best friends since we were like, six. I knew that things were falling apart between us at around age 13, at age fifteen, Gabriella came to East High, by age 16 we were over. I remember the day it ended. It was just after school. Troy and Gabriella had gotten the lead roles in Twinkle Town, they were the cutest thing ever… to everyone but me. I remember exactly what happened…

A blonde girl and a brunette boy both about the age of sixteen are hanging out by their high school. "My mom broke up with my dad again…I don't know if they'll be back together again though." The girl said.

"I'm sorry Shar." The boy said.

"Thanks, she say that everything will be okay though, but ." The girl paused, so maybe you can come over or something, you know it's been forever since we've hung out.

"Shar, you know I wish I could, but I can't hang out today. My dad is going all basketball crazy." The boy said.

"I bet that Gabriella girl will be there too." Sharpay said.

"Shar, you know I would never ditch you for her." The boy said.

"You did the last three days." She mumbled.

"Well, we had a rehearsal." Troy explained weakly.

"Oh please Troy! How come all of a sudden you're willing to join the drama club when I've been asking you for the past four years!? And do you hear the things she says? It's like she has no personality!" I practically yelled.

"Yes! But…" Troy didn't even try to finish, he had nothing to say against that.

"Look, what ever, I've been working on a new song for you, I want you to hear it, can you come over after?" Sharpay asked.

"No we're having Gabriella over for dinner." Troy said without thinking. Sharpay looked hurt. " Shar-"

"Just forget it." Sharpay muttered then walked off. He didn't follow her, and he never heard the song.

I guess I took the hint… I didn't want to hold onto a dead relation ship like my parents, so even though it was incredibly painful, the next time he asked if I wanted to hang out, I said no.

Oh what ever, that was then… this is now. I wanted to go home, just not my home. It stopped being home when I was 14. A totally drunk Ryan came up to me.

"Hey Shar!" He said woozily and sat next to me by the fire.

"Hey Ry… are you sure you should be drinking that?" I asked, yelling above the music.

"Let the good times roll!" Ryan said, raising his cup. A bunch of people raised their cups too, though it was obvious that Ryan was the most wasted out of all of them. "Here, have some." Ryan said.

I gave him a small smile and shook my head "No thanks Ryan." I said.

"Oh come on Shar! Take it!" He said.

I took the cup, and took a sip of the liquid inside. It burned in my mouth but I held it, I took an empty cup next to me and spat it out, I had done it enough to make it look like I took a drink though. The way I saw it, the more I spat out, the less Ryan drank. "Thanks." I said.

"Okay! I've gotta go find Chad! Bye!" He yelled.

"Bye Ryan." I said slowly.

I sat there for about ten more minutes. Just sitting by the fire, doing nothing much. "COPS!" Someone yelled.

Everyone ran for their lives, a few drunk kids just stood there as there friends pulled them along, a few kids kicked sand into the fire, putting it out. Troy and Gabriella piled into Chad's dad's minivan and Taylor drove. And soon it was like the party never happened, the beach was clean besides a vodka bottle or two in the sand and a bunch of empty beer cans. Ryan rushed me to my car. I (being the sober one) drove him home.

When we got there, my mom was passed out on the couch, this is why I didn't drink, seeing this almost every night stopped me from wanting to, Ryan however didn't feel that way.

It was easy enough sneaking Ryan into his room. I just went to my room and worked on a song, the same one I'd been working on for the last year, worst of all it was a love song. Which leads me to a very interesting question… what love? I thought I didn't believe in love, but every once in a while, I came up with a new line.

They were home, Troy and Gabriella I mean. I saw it through my window, every once in a while she came over and they would watch a movie, usually it was a romance, tonight it was Ever After , Troy's least favorite movie back when we had to watch it in the fifth grade. How typical.

Tonight, for some reason, I finally got the chorus, I was somewhat satisfied by it, but I still didn't know how I, the Atheist of love, could be writing it.

Maybe if I found a way

To get away, I'd get away

But for now, all I can do is stay

Maybe if you wanted me

You'd set me free, and I'd be free

But for now, all I can do is live in misery

(A/N okay there is chapter one, the song is an original, so if it sucks tell me… but rephrase it to sound like an awkward compliment okay? Just kidding, but just go easy about the song, the rest can be a full on flame for all I care… just tell me what you think okay?)