Crowds swarmed around the halls of 'East High' students talking about what they done on the summer break. Everyone laughing and exchanging stories. A group of seven friends were grouped around on locker, talking, laughing. There was an entanglement of arms around each other and various hi-fives. The double glazed sliding doors rolled open and a teenager with blonde hair walked in a red fedora hat on his head and a black bag slung over his right shoulder. He walked over to the group taking the number up to eight.
"Hey Ryan," a baby faced girl with dark tresses of hair greeted him. He smiled and returned the greeting. He was greeted by various slaps on the shoulder and sweet smiles.
"Ryan, Where's your sister?" a dark skinned male asked, his curls circling around his face, he had a tight hold on a curvaceous goddess with chocolate coloured skin and a beautiful smile.
"Uh... I'm sure she'll be here soon, she just slept in today," that was a lie; he hadn't seen his sister for the last two weeks of the summer break.
Sharpay Evans had told her parents that she was going to New York to see their aunt who lived over there, never really had anything to do with her and all of a sudden she wanted to go over there.
The group continued to talk and exchange stories when the main doors rolled open again. The sound of heels clacking on the tiled floor made all the heads turn. In strode a new Sharpay, her long luscious blonde curls had been chopped off into a short, edgy bob, dead straight and side parted to cover her left eye. The eight friends all looked at her, mouths falling open and mumbling incoherent sentences.
"I-I-Is that… Sharpay?"
"I think it is…" all eyes flicked to Ryan Evans who was looking at his twin sister in shock. She was dressed in a pair of killer boots, the reached mid calf, had laces all up them, a pair of black skinny leg jeans that hugged her toned legs sewn onto the denim was a skeleton's hand clasping a bleeding red rose, a black leather jacket was pulled over her shirt and slung over her shoulder was a Mario Brothers back pack, a bright red thing with a white circle in the centre and a 'M' inside that.
"Shar!" Ryan called; the teenager turned her head a smile spreading across her face. She ran over to her brother and leapt toward him in a tight hug.
"Ry, boy, have I missed you." She whispered. Ryan didn't know how to react, his sister who was once a prima donna who only cared about what she wore and acting but now she was actually showing affection toward him and dressed in the weirdest outfit he had ever seen on her.
"Wow, Aunt Frey did a good one on you."
"I just felt like I needed a change," she smiled as she pulled away from her brother and turned to look at the group. She nodded her head in greeting all they could do was blink, some managed a small wave.
Suddenly Cobra Starship's Good Girls Go Bad rang from the teenagers pocket and she quickly fished it out before tapping the screen.
"Hey Ally," she gave her brother one last hug before turning and walking away from the group speaking into her phone.
"Uh… what just happened? Is that really Sharpay?"
"I don't really know myself Troy," Ryan confessed to the mousey brown haired, captain of the basketball team.
The bell rang.
The eight friends turned and walked to class. All of them shocked at what had been unravelled today.
Troy was sitting in first lesson, Math, the teacher was introducing himself and explaining the curriculum for the year but he had zoned out. What was going on with Sharpay, when did she become so friendly, and so not… glittery?
"Chad," the star basketballer leant forward in his seat to his best friend, "What do you think happened to Sharpay?"
"I don't know man, but it's kinda freaky… I mean like… did you see her hair and all the black she was wearing… what was up with the bones on her jeans?"
"I don't know…" he trailed off his thoughts taking over he leant back in his chair his arms resting on the wooden table in front of him.
The lesson blew past like a breeze; Chad had to pull him out of the daze that he had lost himself in trying to figure out what had made Sharpay like this.
The thoughts stayed on his mind for the rest of the day, it wasn't until he got to gym class that he was taken out of them and into the game. Even then he was still off.
"Dude, what's up?" Chad asked as he, Jason and Zeke all walked up to him sweat dripping from their faces and arms. Troy bowed his head over and bounced the basketball once before answering.
"Nothing, everything's fine… just having a bad day that's all." he lied. The three teenagers looked at each other before looking back at the captain.
"Sure…" Chad was interrupted by the Gym doors bursting open.
The four of them turned their heads and saw that Sharpay had stumbled through the doors; she had fallen to her knees and was trying to push herself into a standing position. Troy hurried over to her and helped her up; she pulled her arms away from him.
"I don't need you're help," she slurred pulling herself into a standing position and straightening herself out. "Bolton!" she spat the name out like it was a bad taste in her mouth.
"Sharpay?" he said her name more of a question then a statement, he looked at her and saw that her eyes were half closed. "Are you drunk?"
"Pssh, no."
"That's what a drunk person says."
"Buzz off Chad!" she emphasized on the basketball players name before rolling her half closed eyes.
"Guys, think you can wrap it up here, I'll get her home." Chad, Jason and Zeke all nodded their heads at the Captain in front of them before turning and walking off.
Troy looked at Sharpay, she was dopey, literally, she was absolutely off her face, and the thing that stumped him the most was that he couldn't smell a trace of alcohol on her. Well if it isn't alcohol… what is it? He thought to himself.
"Come on Shar… I had better get you home."
"I can get myself home thank you very much," with that she turned on the balls of her feet and stumbled out of the gym, out of Troy's site. There was something up with her and he was going to find out what it is.
Even if that took him a while.
