Suddenly I See

by M i p p y

Sharpay is a fake...and she knows it. But how much will it take for her to admit it? Maybe just a song and a memory from Kindergarten. NO Sharpay bashing. Implied Troyella. SharpayCentric. PLZ RR! Oneshot.

Suddenly I See

Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical. Well…a duh.

Sharpay Evans strode down the hallway, smiling from yet another successful attempt at sabotaging Gabriella Montez. How she hated that girl…she had told her to be nice. Nice!

Only one person in her life had ever been allowed to tell her to be nice, and that was a girl she met in kindergarten. Sheesh!

Humming, she reached the girl's bathroom, where a radio was playing. Time to put the new plan in action! Sharpay thought evilly. She opened her clutch, and took out some red food colouring, and held it over her face, letting it trickle, listening to the song that was playing.

Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl

"You got that right," Sharpay grinned, straightening her hat. "I'm so beautiful," she sang tunelessly, as she rummaged around for her eyeshadow.

Everything around her is a silver pool of light
People who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm

Suddenly, Sharpay stopped. This song didn't remind her of herself…it reminded her of Gabriella. She gasped. That was what was so strange about Gabriella, the first day she met her. It wasn't because she was so smart that tweaked Sharpay's brainwaves…it was because she remembered her. From Kindergarten.

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me

Flashback:

May 1st, 1995

A little Sharpay Evans stood with her brother, Ryan Evans, on top of the counter in the childcare centre's kitchen, chatting about life.

"Rye!" Sharpay suddenly yelled in a voice that was both squeaky and demanding. "I'm falling!"

Indeed, the little girl's designer boots were slipping as they struggled to stay on the clean white surface of the counter. She closed her eyes as she braced herself for impact…

But she fell onto something soft. She opened one eye. She had landed on a cute Filipino girl, who she didn't recognise.

Huffing, she scrambled away. A little boy with an afro pointed and laughed at her, and said, "Lookie, Troy! Sharpay fell!"

The boy beside him laughed, and soon all the children in the vicinity were laughing.

Sharpay felt tears well up in her eyes, and hid her face in her hands.

They were chanting now…but someone had yelled, "Stop!"

Sharpay opened her eyes. It was the little girl she had fell on.

"Stop laughing at her!" the little girl yelled defiantly, pulling Sharpay to her feet.

"Leave her alone!"

Soon, the chanting dispersed, and the little girl beamed, showing little baby teeth.

Ryan jumped down from the counter, and stood beside her sister.

Sharpay stared at the little girl. "Why did you help me?" she asked, bewildered.

"Huh?" the little girl said.

"Why did you help me? Nobody ever helps me…" Sharpay said.

"I'm Gabriella…I helped you because you needed help!" the little girl, who she now knew was Gabriella, said. "I always help people who need help!"

Sharpay and Ryan made fast friends with Gabriella, but all too soon, it was the end of the day.

"Gabi-Ella! Will I see you tomorrow?" Sharpay yelled excitedly, bouncing towards Gabriella as she waved for her parents.

Gabriella's face fell. "Sorry, Sharpie," Gabriella said sadly, "I'm only here for a week. This was my last day…my mum was one a business trip to Albuquerque, so she sent me here…"

"You can't go though!" Sharpay screamed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You're the only friend apart from Ryan that I've had since…since, well, I came here! You can't leave!"

But Gabriella was already in her mum's car.

"Bye, Sharpie!" Gabriella yelled from her car. "I'll see you again, someday, I promise! Just be more nicer to people, okay!"

End Recap.

Suddenly I see

This is what I wanna be

Suddenly I see

Why the hell it means so much to me

Sharpay stopped applying her make-up. A fresh tear fell down her heavily-made-up face.

It was her. The girl from kindergarten. The girl who had been so nice to her, while the rest of the world laughed. The song described her perfectly…how Sharpay wanted to be her so badly, and how she could be nice to people even when they hadn't been nice to her.

She was the only one that Sharpay had ever listened to, and ever will listen to.

But she broke her promise.

After a few weeks of being sickly sweet to people, Sharpay went back to her mean old ways.

And I feel like walking the world
Like walking the world
And you can hear she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl

Biting her lip, Sharpay looked at her reflection.

If anyone could've described her, it would be , 'bitchy, self-centred, annoying, try-hard'.

Sharpay thought, Is this what I really want?

She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on a wire

Screwing up her eyes, Sharpay did as the song told her, and tried to remember.

A warm tingly feeling filled her as her memory took her back to when she played with a dark-haired, tanned little girl on the see-saw at a child-care centre.

"No," Sharpay thought. "No. I want to be me…the real me. Not this…"

Taking a tissue from her clutch, she dabbed furiously at the tears that were now trickling down her face.

Then she worked on her concealer, then the red food colouring.

Away came the make-up, and there Sharpay stood, light freckles dotting her long nose, and her lips curved in a smile. Yes, this is what she wanted.

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me
Suddenly I see

Sharpay then reached into her bag, and pulled out an old pair of overalls and a white t-shirt, and changed into it.

Smiling as she came out of the toilet where she changed, she twirled around.

But then, Sharpay stopped. She was throwing all of her legacy away, of Ice Princess, just because of a stupid kindergarten friend?

Dear god, she was so confused.

And she's taller than most
And she's looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine

Sharpay took out a bunch of magazines from her schoolbag. A leggy blonde adorned the front cover of the first one, with the words, "How to apply make-up – the experts talk!"

Sharpay now cringed at the words. Flipping through the magazines, she saw, "The real deal about lying – how to do it good!" - "How to be a success!" – and the most horrible, "Stolen your friend's boyfriend lately? Good luck!"

"You lied to me!" Sharpay screamed at the magazines. "You said I would be successful if I was untouchable…and eliminated my opponents! You all lied to me!"

In her anger, she took a black Sharpie from her bag, and scribbled on all the magazine covers.

She makes me feel like I could be a tower
Big strong tower She got the power to be

The power to give
The power to see yeah yeah
Suddenly I see
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see yeah yeah

The power to see yeah yeah

The power to see yeah yeah

Gabriella had the power to see.

The power to see past fakes, and see the real thing.

She saw past Troy, and she was going to see past her.

So why not make it easier for her?

Sharpay smiled, making her decision. Snapping open her clutch, she tipped all of the cosmetics in it, and the skimpy miniskirt and tee…

Into the bin.

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me

Out went Napoleon Perdis, out went Maybelline, Chanel, MAC, Dior, and every other thing she ever bought.

Yes, Sharpay said triumphantly. This is what I want.

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me

Snapping her clutch closed, Sharpay strode out of the bathroom.

As she passed people, whispers followed her –

"Isn't that Sharpay Evans?"

"What, the Ice Queen?"

"She hasn't got any make-up on! And she's wearing overalls and a t-shirt!"

"You're joking…that little witch."

As she passed a few jocks, she finally came to the cafeteria.

Spotting the table that Gabriella, Troy, and all their friends sat at.

Grinning, she stood in front of Gabriella.

"Gabi-Ella!"

Gabriella looked up, shocked. She thought she heard a nickname only one person called her. A girl from Kindergarten.

Looking up, she only saw Sharpay. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at Sharpay. "What do you want?"

Then she noticed what Sharpay was wearing.

"Jeez, Ice Princess, what happened to you?" Chad said, smirking.

"I'm sorry I was such a witch to you, and I'm sorry for dumping all that dog poo in your locker…I'm sorry for trying to steal Troy…and I'm sorry for being a Drama Queen. Do you forgive me?" Sharpay said in one breath.

"Sharpay, I thought I told you that I didn't ever want to see you again?" Gabriella yelled.

Sharpay's eyes filled with hurt. "But, Gabi-Ella, it's me…your friend from kindergarten. Remember when I fell? And you helped me up? Remember when everyone started laughing at me…and you told them to stop?"

Gabriella bit her lip. She looked up into Sharpay's glossy blue eyes, and saw kindness and regret. She also saw someone she knew.

"Sharpie?" she whispered.

All of the sudden, the two girls hugged.

"I knew it was you, Sharpie!" Gabriella squealed. "I knew it! I knew it!"

Looking back at the bathroom, Sharpay smiled.

"Thank you."

Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me

A/N: GEE that took a long time. Hahahahaha… this song is 'Suddenly I See' by KT Tunstall. PLZ R/R!!!