Disclaimer: I don't own the movie High School Musical or any of the characters in it. But, characters of my own creation do belong to me (if I happen to think of some).
A/N: All right, this is my first HSM fanfic! It's definitely a Troy x Sharpay pairing, but I don't know all the details yet. Hope you enjoy!
Summary: Sharpay promised herself she wouldn't fall for him again, but how long can someone keep a promise? Troy and Sharpay star in the Senior's Winter Musicale, making more than a few people have mixed feelings, especially Gabriella. How can someone love you, if they love someone else already?
Make Me Love You…
Senior Year at East High
Troy sighed. He needed space that Gabriella would just not give him, so he resorted to the last place he wanted to be: the guy's locker room. She had gotten so annoying and clingy around him, always trying to hold his hand and kiss him and call him pet names when he was around other girls (especially Sharpay) and worse, his guys. He'd been putting it off for almost a week, but needed to find a way to break it off and tell her about the musical with Sharpay, without hurting her. After all, they had been dating since the beginning of their junior year, when they won the lead roles in the spring musical over Sharpay and Ryan. She still meant something to him, but something wasn't clicking with them. He decided to talk to her after school, before the Senior's Winter Musicale practice.
Meanwhile, while Troy is thinking of a way to break up with her, Gabriella is looking everywhere she can think of to find her Puddingpie, Troy. She asked all of his basketball friends, and they all shrugged. She was oblivious to the fact that all of his friends knew exactly where he was, and more importantly, why he was there. Gabriella wandered down the hall and turned a corner, accidentally bumping into Sharpay, and knocking the papers out of her hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Let me help you pick those up." She said, kneeling down.
"No! You can't look at those, stop!" Sharpay warned her, but her curiosity got to her. She picked one up and realized they were posters…pictures of Sharpay and Troy posing for the senior musical, with all of the dates and times for the show.
"What are these?" Gabriella demanded. Sharpay just gave her a famous 'Ice Queen' glare before gathering up the posters, and stomping off. Gabriella was left there on the ground, thinking of the worst possibilities.
Sharpay stopped stomping when she turned the corner, and started running to the boy's locker room. She had to tell Troy about Gabriella, and then they needed to go to rehearsal in the band room. She was so happy about how her senior year had been turning out, that she only saved her icy glare for Gabriella now. She thought about the auditions last week…
---------------------------------------(Flashback) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sharpay showed up in the theatre for the senior audition without her brother for the first time in their entire high school career. Ryan had a bad case of the flu, and the family doctor told him that he needs to stay in bed the rest of the week, auditions or not. So Sharpay was set to try and persuade Mrs. Darbus to let her and Ryan audition late.
"Okay, Pairs Auditions…First up, Sharpay and Ryan!" Mrs. Darbus called out. Sharpay rushed up to her and told her about her brother.
"Do you think we could please audition when he is feeling better? We've practiced so much for this." Sharpay begged, smiling sweetly.
"No. It is unacceptable, even for the theatre's most renowned actors, to be late. I'm sorry Sharpay, but if you want to audition, you need to find a different partner." Mrs. Darbus looked sympathetic towards her, but she still had a stern face. Sharpay gasped, and started to walk away when she heard a voice all too familiar.
"I'll sing with her!" Troy Bolton of all people wanted to sing with her. She did notice something was missing in the theatre all throughout the single auditions. Where was his brainy girlfriend now? He came up to her and Mrs. Darbus and explained his outburst.
"Well, Gabriella had another Decathlon thing that she was required to go to. She made Captain, so she's had to attend all of them. I have no one to sing with, and neither does Sharpay, so I just thought we could audition together. How bout it?" He smiled at the thought of singing with her, that his plan worked perfectly, andinstead of singing with Gabriella.
She looked bewildered at him and said, "No, I absolutely refuse to sing with him!" She hadn't forgotten the last time they had an actual talk, after the last play she starred in with him. She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her back towards him gently, taking hold of her hand lightly.
"Come on, please Sharpay? Just give me a chance." He pleaded with her, still holding her hand. "You could be the star of the show again, instead of Gabriella, like the old days. I know you want to be in the spotlight again. Just one song…" He whispered the last part in her ear, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine. Yes, she still had some feelings for him, deep down inside her heart. And that last part recovered those feelings.
"Hmmm, I don't know…I'll give it a try, I suppose…" She said, uncertainty creeping in the back of her mind.
"Okay, okay. I hope you two can agree on a song, go get ready onstage." Mrs. Darbus hurried them along. They went backstage, Troy leading her up the steps, still holding her hand. They stood behind the curtain, both of them thinking of a song to sing.
"Okay, how about… A Whole New World? You know, from Aladdin?" Troy suggested, grinning at the thought of singing a Disney song. She smiled at his attempt to make the situation lighter.
"No…gosh, Troy, you think you're so funny…let's just go with the first couple's song in the upcoming play. I can ask Kelsi for the script." She smiled when he nodded his head. She was happy they were going to have a special song, and she hurried over to Kelsi.
"Kelsi, can I have the script for the first couple's song? We decided just to sing that one because we've both practiced it. Also, can you play the piano for it, how it is in the script, how it's supposed to be? Thanks so much!" Sharpay asked her this all really fast, because she was so nervous. Kelsi handed her the script and smiled at her. She was seeing a new side to Sharpay Evans and she was glad that Sharpay could actually be friendly, but she promised herself she wouldn't dare to tell her she loved her. Sharpay wasn't like her, and she couldn't find anybody she cared for again after Jason broke it off with her because of how she was. Kelsi mainly kept to herself about it, and she hated the fact she was bisexual. She hated having the same feelings for girl, like she had for a boy.
"Okay, I'm sure you'll do just fine. Now, get out there and sing with Troy." Kelsi said, trying to stop thinking about it. She was tired of Gabriella always whining about something in her plays, and she thought Sharpay would be perfectly fine with her plays if she was happily in love. She started as soon as Troy gave her a thumbs-up.
"Oh, I'm so nervous, Troy." She looked at him, biting her lip. He hadn't ever seen Sharpay this cute before, and something in his heart leapt.
"You'll do great, Sharpay, I know it." He smiled at her, and her stomach added about 100 more butterflies to the ones already there. She hadn't ever seen such a dazzling smile from him. "Just sing, you'll do fine."
Kelsi started playing the slow music and Sharpay closed her eyes. She felt the curtains pull open, and she took a deep breath. Troy looked at her standing there with her eyes closed and started to sing.
(Troy) How did this all happen, so suddenly?
How can I feel this way for someone I never knew?
I'm looking at you, standing there and wondering
Do you feel something too?
He looked over at Sharpay, into her eyes, and to his surprise, she looked back and smiled.
She felt something in herself, her heart, which she had only felt once before: the last time she sang with Troy.
(Sharpay) I only guessed about who you were, and never
Tried to find the truth. How can you feel this way?
I never realized and I want to know
Why do you feel this so?
She remembered it perfectly…It was the best and worst night of her life…It was the last night she would ever love Troy Bolton.
(Troy) I want to know you,
I want to feel you, your love inside my heart.
I want to know you're there,
Always there, and we'll never part.
She had tried to reveal her feelings for him that night, and he pushed her away. "I have Gabriella now," that's all he could say to her. "I can't break her heart." What made it okay to break her's?
(Sharpay) I love you, I'll never leave you,
I'll be beside you, in your heart,
And now you'll know, I'll always be there,
Forever there, and we'll never part.
After that night, she promised herself she would never fall in love with Troy Bolton again. But now look at her, singing with him, falling for him, all over again…
(Both) Now we'll make it through
The endless days, old memories and new.
Together we'll be,
It's our destiny
To be there, in your heart,
Always and forever there,
Knowing we'll never part.
They ended the song, and she looked at him one last time, tears streaming down her face, before he leaned down and kissed her cheek in front of the entire audience, causing her to turn away.
"Oh, well. What a stunning performance, the best of both of you. Any other pairs? No? Okay, Troy and Sharpay, you have the parts! Bravo!" Mrs. Darbus exclaimed.
Sharpay started to leave the stage, feeling really happy, sad, and confused. Why was Troy doing this to her? He had Gabriella, didn't he? She wouldn't dare to fall for him, never, and she promised herself right then and there (again).
"Sharpay! Hey, wait up!" Troy was calling her. He came up behind her and said, "Sharpay, listen to me, it's important." She spun around to see what he wanted and lost her footing and fell into his arms. He caught her and held her a tight hug for a minute. He was so happy right then, like he might have been dreaming.
"Troy…" She mumbled into his chest, most of her tears dry. "Why are you doing this to me?…I promised myself…I wouldn't fall for you again…"
"Sharpay…" He could feel her heartbeat. He hadn't meant to hold her like that, but now he couldn't resist. He loved her now, and he's loved her since she filled in for Gabriella in a play last year. They were so perfect together and he couldn't stand acting like she could only ever be a friend, because of Gabriella.
"Troy…I better go, I have to be somewhere…" She stumbled through her words, trying to subdue the feeling of comfort she felt when he held her like that. He let her go, and looked at her face. She wasn't crying anymore, but she wasn't happy either.
"Okay, well we can practice tomorrow during free period. Meet me here, or right outside the doors, mkay? Bye Sharpay." Troy looked at her one last time, not exactly knowing what happened onstage, or even just then, and about how Sharpay was feeling. He hadn't ever felt something like that with Gabriella before, a feeling like he had to protect her and comfort her like he did; like feeling his heart being broken by the sight of her crying, even though he had no idea why she felt like that. He could have held her forever, if it made her happy.
Speaking of Gabriella, he had no idea how to explain this whole Troy-and-Sharpay-lead-roles-thing to her. He had told her auditions were next week, and she believed him. He thought about it over and over, and realized he loved Sharpay more than he would ever love Gabriella. He had to end it…
------------------------(end of flashback)--------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, there you go! I had to end it somewhere, or it would have gone on forever! Oh, and yes, and I did come up with the lyrics in their first song, and I'm proud (even if they are pretty cheesy). : )
Miss Caroline
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