Sweetness
By Shahrezad1
A HSM One-Shot, written for kicks and giggles, and to get the fangirlishness out of my system (I deeply apologize to my Hey Arnold friends. But this had to be written, or it would be stuck in my head forever. For beyond forever. -shakes head- ). Enjoy, but please don't sue. I'm not worth much.
Summary: When all else fails, there's still chocolate.
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She'd developed a strange craving for sweets, bordering on an obsession. It would strike her at odd times, often when she least expected it. Sometimes she'd be in class, other times at home with the radio on. And something would inexplicably set her off.
A word or phrase; a lyric to a song. And when she dreamed of chocolate, she couldn't help thinking of him.
Soft hands, and a soft voice, all drenched in the warmest cocoa. Light laughter as they'd practiced dancing together for the senior musical, he being her ' Prom Date' in both real life and the stage.
It was, and always had been, an issue of wanting more, she'd discovered. But her focus had seemingly changed directions.
Instead of bright lights, the desire for a crackling fire and secure arms around her became more and more appealing. Followed by the care in his toffee eyes, melting before her as she was able to set aside the facade she pulled off so well.
But that had been their first year of college, both at the U of A. She, working in the theater, and he just starting out in the culinary arts, with no one but each other to rely on as old schoolmates had left them high and dry in favor of their own futures.
And then it had happened. Life had happened, and they had moved apart. And the last she'd heard of him he'd found himself some Sous-Chef specializing in soups.
She hadn't known whether to cry or break things that day. Either way, something had changed within her, and her brother had been the witness to it all. To her fall; to the realization that she had everything, except for what she wanted most. And because of her pride, she wasn't likely to ever get that chance back again, hindsight being only 20/20.
'Humble' and 'Sharpay' were words that had never before been placed in a sentence together; neither in writ nor song. So it was that instead she chose the word, 'subdued.' Yes, she was still the lead of every theatrical production this side of the collegiate sphere. Yes, the brightest star still shone at night. But five years later a certain sparkle was missing from behind the customary false smile.
The vindictive pleasure of a job well-stolen, maybe. Perhaps the Evans drive for perfection was missing, just a bit. You could even say that she was only going through the motions.
(But only behind locked doors.)
Because she wasn't perfect anymore. She had one fatal flaw. And it revolved around a simple craving for sweets, chocolate in particular.
Sighing, the blonde adjusted her review mirror to check her wind-swept hair, only to find it improved by the drive. Her tailored business suit was a sold, form-fitting black, with only the slightest nod to femininity with a simple band of pastel rose at the hems and waist. While her car was still pink, it was no longer a garish shade, but the hue of warmest pearl.
Her appearance had changed. She had changed. And yet there she was, heading off to a party hosted by those that still saw her as what she had been. Cold, selfish, arrogant. It was like hiring a firing squad for a Fourth of July celebration, with her as the main attraction.
And him as her private tortore.
"Welcome, Class of 09!" hung high above her head as she tried not to think about much of anything except the color of her lipstick, and a plausible translation of, 'No, I don't have a life, and I certainly am not dating anyone. Thank you very much!' into a less humiliating context.
While being unable to restrain herself from thinking of her one secret indulgence at home, in the form of a plate of brownies.
Parking the car in 'her' old familiar spot, Sharpay made her way into the building that had brought her to where she was today. A hall that echoed with laughter, memories, and, above all, music. But past and present combined as a familiar tune could be heard pounding through the sound speaker of the gymnasium, the sparkle of a disco ball skittering and glittering out the door in order to rest at her feet, punctuating the scene before her as well as the voices raised up in joy.
Talking, joking, and, in the middle, there were Troy and Gabriella, singing. Looking happy and contented. Everything she wasn't.
Rather than announce her presence as she had in the past, the blonde found her way to the refreshment table, content to merely watch. There was Ryan with Kelsi, the two of them together since Julliard. Martha was busy dancing with an African American man she could of sworn had been a Freshman when they were Seniors, now suddenly much taller than he had been in the past. Chad and Taylor were dancing slowly, but plutonically, as though they had reached a friendly understanding, but were no longer together. And Zeke…
Zeke.
He was here.
Shoving the cookie in hand straight into her mouth, she exited the room with no one the wiser. No one except the very man that had been watching and waiting for her with rising anxiety, hoping against hope that she would appear. Only to watch her retreat in silence, completely out of character from what he knew her to be like.
Rising to the occasion, he exited the room. Because this time he wasn't going to let her out of his sight.
The stairs to the garden roof were exactly where she'd remembered them to be, Sharpay found with relief. And while the arrangement of plants and statuary was different, it was still the same familiar view, breeze lighting upon several loose tendrils of hair like a halo in the night.
Suddenly bored, depressed, and more than a little melancholic, the twenty-something woman haphazardly swung from planter to planter, dipping and twirling to music only she could seem to hear, in complete disregard for the professional appearance she had put pains into creating.
Until a strategically placed hose put it all to an end, the sudden interruption of spiked heels sending her to the pavement.
She gasped as a pair of arms captured her inches from the ground, her face abruptly buried in a dark suit and burgundy tie. And just above the collar glittered eyes of deepest toffee.
"Zeke!" The gasp had been automatic, and with it she lost her ability to speak beyond the single word, her senses overwhelmed with him. With the scent of vanilla and sugar that seemed to permeate his skin.
Just as abruptly as they had found themselves in the position, they were suddenly apart, his hands gently dwarfing her upper arms as she was set back on her feet, and slightly away from him. The disappointment she felt was ignored for the moment.
"Wha-what are you doing here? Ze..Zeke?" hands clasped before her, to keep them from flapping uselessly at her side, Sharpay had to fight to look him face to face. And when that effort failed, a happy medium was found as she chose to rest them somewhere around his Adams Apple. Anywhere but his eyes; those so very knowing eyes.
A smile could be heard in his words as broad shoulders rolled into a shrug, baker's hands shoved haphazardly into pockets without a care for the tailored suit he wore, "I'm here for the reunion, Sharpay. Same as you. Five years sure go by fast."
"You can say that again…"
"Sorry, what did you say?"
"Nothing. Never mind," a single slim hand waved in the air for a moment as though swatting away thoughts like flies, "anyway, it was good seeing you! But it looks like I've got to get going, sooo…"
His words stopped her cold, the sound of heels clicking on the flagstones coming to an abrupt end, "But you just got here. Aren't you going to at least wait until the dinner? I made most of it."
"You did…?" she hated the speculative sound within her own voice, but it was this very tone that made his smile broaden, permanent creases forming in the corner of his eyes.
"Well, some of it was shipped in from my restaurant, so I didn't make that. But the cake and cookies are all me. I even created a few Crème Brule's. For a few special people," the warmth in his voice bathed her in heat, color immediately coming to her face.
She turned, striking a pose before an appreciative audience, before elegantly taking a seat upon a simple metal bench, arms draped gracefully over the back, "really?"
"Yes, really," the African-American man took a place at her side without invitation, but whereas her normal reaction would have been effrontery, for some reason she felt no irritation at his intrusion of her personal space.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"I told you what I've been doing. I run a restaurant," for some reason his words made him smile, "Now it's your turn. What have you been doing since we last saw one another?"
"What is this, an interrogation?" pulling offense around her like a protective feather boa, she lifted her nose in the air and turned away. Still, Zeke remained unfazed. He knew an act when he saw one.
"Sharpay, I think we know each other better than that by now. It's just a re-introduction. Everyone else has been exchanging them inside," he threw a thumb back at the stairs, the only connecting force between the serenity of the garden roof and the chaos of the reunion, "so I thought we might as well…mend bridges. Tie up loose ends. We haven't talked for a few years, and there's probably plenty to catch up on. I mean, there's Troy and Gabriella, for instance. They just celebrated their 2-year anniversary. And Gabriella's expecting."
"Really?"
His face fell momentarily, "you didn't get an invite?"
"I did, it's just that..."
"Some boyfriend or other kept you busy," his rueful smile told her everything about his opinion on the subject, and so it was with this image in mind that she reacted automatically.
"What?! No! I haven't..."the sentence petered off as she finished it silently. I haven't dated anyone in a while. Not since I realized... "No. No."
Cutting off her own thought, she continued with a firm denial, only to follow it with an uncontrollable blush. Zeke's only response was to smile. Although why he should smile when he already had a girlfriend made no sense to her, she thought determinedly, ignoring the aching thump in her chest.
"So. Why did you really miss it?"
"A performance was scheduled the same day," seeing his face freeze momentarily in disappointment, she rushed onward to reassure him, "...for my students."
"Your students?" his shock was uncensored, before it cleared with a nod, "makes sense, knowing you. You probably teach at a private school, right?"
"Yes, but it wasn't--."
"'Wasn't?'"
A flush colored cheeks of smoothest vanilla, "neverminditdoesn'tmatter."
"No, I want to hear it. What 'wasn't' about the situation, that made you miss the wedding?" Chocolate fingers took hers within them, and for a second in time Sharpay Evans forget how to breathe, much less sing. But the glitter in his eyes gave her the incentive to continue.
"It actually wasn't...them. It was a production put on with a part of...of the Boys and Girls Club. We put on performances for Elementary schools, but that one was um…a fundraiser," a sheepish smile lit her face before it ducked low into the shadows, expression hidden from her companion's view.
Until hands calloused with work lifted her gaze to meet his, brown eyes as well as blue shining in the night.
"That's wonderful, Sharpay."
"Whatever, Baylor. They're just guinea pigs, that's all," the mask dropped back into place without warning, hiding her failing emotions. And with a toss of golden hair she was once again her cynical socialite self, "I just had to see things through, that's all. And ready the performance for my private school students a year later."
"You didn't do it, though. Did you? Or Ryan would have said something. And I'm guessing that you've kept all the charity work from your family's knowledge, haven't you?" the smile on his face lit up the darkness, and for once in her life Zeke's faith overwhelmed her.
"I-ah-um, of course I told them! You don't really think I'd keep myself from getting the attention I deserve, do you?"
"You're lying."
Pique looked beautiful on the face of Sharpay Evans, "I am not! And even if I was, how would you know?"
"I've watched you since our Freshman year of high school, Sharpay. I think I can tell when you're lying or not."
The fabric of her dress suddenly seemed very interesting, from the thread count to the underlying crisscross pattern. And when her eyes tired of such intricate detail, there was always the potted plants, and of course the tiles on the floor. Why hadn't she realized how fascinating tiles were before?
"Sharpa-."
"I saw her. Christine, I mean. She looked good. Happy," the words found their way to her mouth before she could stop herself, and instantly she was cursing herself. Cursing her thoughts, her feelings. Cursing the part of her that knew him intuitively, and felt him freeze at her side.
It was then that his hand returned to hers, fingers pressed to her own as though they were made of glass. But the gentleness of his actions was somehow counteracted by his next words.
"She should be. She's about to marry a great guy."
"Congratulations," the single word somehow came out both heated and cool at the same time, and in an effort to protect her dignity the social butterfly turned away. Only to realize that their limbs were still attached, finding herself abruptly within arms toned by exercise and constant work before a hot oven, her head tucked beneath his own.
"I'll be sure to pass that on to Jason," Zeke's words were a soft whisper against her ear. Despite the position she was in, her form became rigid with surprise.
"What?!"
The single word became an exclamation of shock and excitement all in one. The words, 'pass that on to Jason,' tied with his mixed signals, had merged within her mind to become a mental equivalent of the blue screen of death. Does not compute. Error. Error. Press Ctrl, Alt, and Delete to Reboot.
And the face he had buried in her hair wasn't helping her concentration, either.
"What…do you mean. 'Pass that on to Jason?'" slim hands, tipped by French-manicured nails and the lightest hint of glitter, pressed flat against his chest in an effort to create some space between them. Some space to think, to actually hear what he had said. Again, just in case if she wasn't hearing things correctly.
"Jason and Christine are getting married," the sly grin upon his face revealed the glee he took in the situation. Whether it was because of her expression, or merely the fact that he got to be the messenger she didn't know.
It was this very smile that brought the walls back up once again. Trying to inch backward, her form abruptly realized it was between a rock and a hard place. In the darkness he'd locked his arms around her back, as strong as a chain, so that she could do nothing but press her hands to his chest in an effort to regain any sense of personal space. Zeke Baylor continued speaking as though nothing had occurred, eyes seeing her alone as he explained.
"I introduced them, and they hit it off well. Jason's created an after-school program, funded by both parents and the neighborhood itself, which teaches kids about how to develop working skills. And Christine just got offered a job at a very prestigious restaurant in the area," a hint of pride entered the last sentence, which she momentarily wondered at, "They just announced downstairs, right after you walked out."
"You introduced them?" that in itself shocked her into sudden silence, a state she seemed to only fall into when around her companion.
He smiled a soft smile that was hers alone as one of his arms wrapped around reached up to tug at one of her unruly curls, hair bright as the stars in the blue night, "Yeah. It was the least I could do after breaking up with Christine."
"What? Why? She's perfect for you!"
All mirth exited the moment as finally, tantalizingly, the man of her (unspoken) dreams moved closer to speak, eyes clear and firm, "I don't want perfect, Sharpay. I never have. I want cranky, and stubborn, and as perfectionistic and sadistic as I'll get out. I want arguments in which I always lose, because I know it means you'll eat my baking experiments later."
"Ugh. Don't remind me."
"I'm not done yet," the firmness in his tone, as well as the single cookie-soft finger upon her lips, moved her to silence.
"I want someone that makes me fight to prove that I'm her man," and then they were face to face, eyes staring deep into each other's soul in the nonexistent light, with nothing but Sharpay's epiphany to go by.
"So you….I…!"
For the third time in as many hours she was once again silenced. But by neither words, nor actions, nor even shock. But by lips placed upon her own, softening any remaining anger or superficial veneer. It was only her, and him. Sharpay and Zeke. Two hearts knowing that it was going to be a rough road, especially with her pride and his dogged stubbornness, but that when all else failed they had each other.
And among it all, a single realization made her smile against his lips, thoroughly happy.
Zeke Baylor tasted of chocolate.
An intermittent time later they broke apart for breath, her head resting against his heart as they merely sat together, content. Until he deigned to break the silence.
"You never asked what my restaurant was called."
"I think my distraction is somewhat justified. Still, curiosity suddenly eats at me," a mock eye roll and a smirk later, she was even closer to him than she had been, single finger tracing the line of his collar, "what, oh what, my ever so dear friend, is the name of your restaurant?"
"Fabulous."
"Ha. Ha. Real funny."
"I thought you'd enjoy it."
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AN: I'm such a sap. And that was so sugar-coated and cotton candy-flavored that I almost died from the fluff. Still, it was fun (despite the fact that I have a feeling I got Zeke's last name wrong). And slightly influenced by the fact that next year is my five-year high school reunion. I feel old.
And on a side note, some random facts.
The movies High School Musical 1-3 were actually filmed on-location in Utah, not Albuquerque, at Salt Lake City's (I can't remember if it's part of one of the smaller city-within-a-city sections of SLC, or just referred to as 'SLC,' period) East High School. They had just finished refurbishing their lunchroom and theater when it was decided that the new Disney movie was to be filmed there. West High School really is the school's rival, and the mascot chosen for East is similar to the actual one. They just aren't known as Wildcats, is all.
I have seen the main courtyard many times, but have only been inside the building once, and that was for Debate reasons and before they redid a lot of the areas.
My friend, J, has met the actor who plays Zeke and says that he's a sweet guy, and my coworker, A, graduated with the actress who was Kelsi in all three movies. Kelsi has also been in several other Utah-based productions. Ashley Tisdale is currently 23 years old, and is roughly the age (22-23) Sharpay would be for a Five-Year High School Reunion.
Quite a few Disney movies, in general, have been produced in Utah, because of the view and the relatively calm locale.