A/N: As I was watching HSM 1 for probably the hundredth time, this little idea crept into my head and refused to go away...and so I wrote it. I hope you enjoy the read and do let me know what you think of it! :)

Two Minutes

Summary: It took only two minutes for Ryan to follow his twin Sharpay from their mother's womb. But those precious two minutes led to him being overshadowed by his sister for sixteen years of his life…ONESHOT!

The park was deserted; toddlers who had literally bathed themselves with sand at the sandbox had been taken away by their mommies for a nice fragrant shower, teenage cyclists conscious of their weight had completed the number of rounds they had set as their goal and were on their way home to get rid of their not-so-pleasant odour, young lovers had reluctantly parted ways before it could get too late and rowdy soccer players had left the grass in a turmoil where it awaited the gardener, who would lovingly mow it back to shape.

On the blue swings, underneath the shade of a gentle oak tree, a lone girl sat, her bare feet trailing the sand while tears dropped from her bloodshot eyes onto her jumper. She pulled it tighter towards her as a chill breeze blew, shivering slightly. The wind played with her unkempt blonde hair, and for perhaps the first time, Sharpay Evans didn't seem to mind about what was blowing through her hair or how her outfits looked – or weather she was spoiling her two-hundred dollar pedicure, dragging her feet through the coarse sand.

Thoughts flew about her head faster than a cyclonic wind destroying a pile of neatly arranged papers. All her life, she had been led to believe that she was right, and had justified even her lowest actions to no end; now, however, when it was her own twin who had given up on her after repeated trials, she was finally beginning to realize that it was high time she shape up her act (not just the onstage one) and start behaving in a manner that would not hurt people or let them feel inferior.

But what is the use? Despair gripped at her and the tears started flowing again, ruining her carefully made up eyes. Remembering the conversation that she and her brother had held a few hours back did not make a pleasant memory.

"No, Sharpay – I am so fed up of you ruling over me ever since we were toddlers! Do you really think that you are royalty, or something? I don't think even they misuse their sibling's love to such extents."

They were such harsh words, sounding unusually painful coming from the mouth of her gentle, even-tempered, generally comical and extremely adjusting brother. But she guessed he had seen the end of the line – any sane person wouldn't have stuck it with her for longer than six months. That evening upon the creaking park swings, she was experiencing for the first time loneliness so intense, it made her stomach ache. Hugging herself as though trying to protect her from herself, she thought back to the many memories, admittedly not all of them very pleasant, that she had shared with her brother…

March 18, 1992
Age – 2

The night of their second birthday

"I wanna play with dat cal!" a two-year old Sharpay howled, pointing a cherry-red car her brother had received as his birthday gift. She had greedily opened up her numerous gifts which lay in a pile behind her, apparently forgotten.

Ryan looked at her with innocent eyes, pointing at her own large pile of presents which had been carelessly dumped. He toddled over and extracted a similar one from her pile; the only difference being that hers was a Barbie pink. He offered it to a sister with a hopeful smile planted on his lips.

"No, led cal!" Daddy," she whimpered, making puppy eyes at her father who had entered the twins' playroom to tuck them into bed. "Ryan no giving me led cal!"

Their father looked sternly at Ryan. At the Evan's household, Sharpay was the pet of her father who had longed for a baby girl and Ryan was his mother's favourite baby boy. With his head bent down low, Ryan gave up his beloved car to Sharpay, who clapped her hands in glee.

"Whee, whee!" She made racecar noises, moving the car around on a crazy course of its own while Ryan looked on glumly.

As their dad picked the twins up, cuddling each in the crook of one arm while transporting them to their bedroom, Ryan had tasted the beginnings of how his life was going to turn out with Sharpay as his elder-by-two-minutes twin. It didn't seem overly pleasant to him even then, as a baby of two years.

September 17th, 1996
Age – 6

First Day at Spring Dale Elementary

Two identical-looking six year olds neatly dressed and carrying a brand new backpack on their backs were at the doorstep of Class 1 – A. Sharpay and Ryan were welcomed into their first day of primary by the young and extremely sweet Miss Melissa Rose, who wanted to ensure only the complete happiness and enjoyable as well as enriching experience of her young charges. On seeing Sharpay and Ryan, she went over to them and took their hands in hers, taking in Sharpay's confident air and her brother's shy one.

Immediately, the realization that one twin may be dominate by the other flooded to her mind. Her theory was only confirmed after their introduction to the class when Sharpay took the lead, motioning to her brother as to where to sit, who to talk with and even when to respond. It was like he was under her power – which was what she really desired. At the end of the day, Sharpay and Ryan had both made friends suited to their nature. As Sharpay stood gabbing with a newfound friend, she remembered that it was time to go home and hence she would require her bag, which was in her seat – far from where she stood. He called out to her twin.

"Please get me my bag, Ryan."

"It's there on your chair, Shar. You are nearer to it!"

"I asked you for the bag, Ryan."

"I am talking with Jack and Rose! We are discussing the latest GI Joe movie." He looked proud of himself while Sharpay put on a disgusted look.

"Ryan, I am talking important things with Mikaela while you aren't doing anything that is o=worth! GI Joe is simply disgusting." She rolled her eyes dramatically." Please get me my bag?" Her voice was like honey – an extremely sweet, poisoned sort of honey.

Her brother made a face at her, and then went over to where her bag sat and threw it lightly in the air such that it landed near her hands. It made an easy catch – yet Sharpay was enraged.

"Couldn't you give it to me without throwing?" she yelled, looking daggers at Ryan. "You would have broken something of mine!"

"Children, no yelling in the classroom please!" It was a warning by their teacher.

Ryan looked apologetically at his sister. "I…it was easy, Shar…only one minute to catch…" he trailed off as he noted the look on Sharpay's face and decided that very day that there was no point in getting yelled at for silly things by his sister – it was better he just do the little things she asked to keep her satisfied. After all, he reasoned, she would do the same for me had I been in her place.

He was only just beginning to find out how wrong he was.

December 25th, 2000
Age – 10

Christmas Day

It was cold – very, very cold. It had snowed for twelve hours straight the previous day, and the ground was covered beneath eight inches of snow, bringing abundant joy to the children.

Outside the Evan's villa, two heavily-bundled children were busy making snow-angels, giggling and squealing with happiness as the snow the kicked up fell softly over them again.

Tired, they sat up, pink in the face.

"Do you wanna make a snow-man, Ryan?"

Ryan considered before replying. "No, I wanna watch Mr. Snowden and the Amazing Gift Bag. It's on TV tonight!"

Sharpay shook her curls determinedly. "Then I want to watch Barbie Snowland Magic!"

"Barbies are for sissies!"

"Are not! They are so beautiful…with their golden hair just like mine! I'll call Theresa home and we can watch together while mum makes hot chocolate."

"And what about me? I wanna watch Mr. Snowden!" Angry tears ran down Ryan's face as he recognized this as yet another losing battle with his sister. He hated the fact that the two of them fought so much - he actually wished that there was something drastic he could do about it when of course there was nothing.

"Ryan, Barbie movies are not on TV every day." She tried to reason with her brother, wanting to get her way done as usual. "You could watch Mr. Snowden even tomorrow!"

Without answering Ryan took off into the house, seeking his mother. Their father was in Switzerland for a very important business conference after which an exhibition would follow, so he would be home only by the ending of the next week.

"Mom." He found his mother arranging all the dishes to be taken to the dining table for dinner an hour later and decided to help her, noticing that she had looked a bit tired and the servant had taken three days off in light of Christmas.

"What is it, honey?" He swallowed his complaints.

"Shall I help you set the table?"

Mrs. Evans looked grateful beyond belief, and kissed the golden top of her little son's head. Sharpay could be so insensitive at times.

"Thank you, my angel."

Ryan smiled broadly and carried a few plates to the dining room and set the table, after which he made little commutes to and fro in order to get the entire cutlery set on the table while his mother arranged the dishes.

Finally, the two of them were done, and Ryan remembered that he had come in to ask his mother something. He went in search of his mother again who would probably be in the living room as she had mentioned that a few of the decorations had needed looking after.

He entered the living room to witness the shocking scene of Sharpay talking with their mother, a wounded puppy look in her eyes.

"…and I told him that he could watch his cartoon, Mom. I only wanted to watch it afterwards, but he told me that he wanted to watch it for the whole evening! And I have invited Theresa over, so it is going to make me look so bad…" she trailed off, looking woebegone yet having done her job.

Noticing Ryan behind her, Sharpay gave him a dirty look that meant nothing good and pointed at him, looking at her mother sweetly all the while.

"Ryan, why did you refuse to give your sister the TV for the entire evening?" His mother looked very angry and Ryan did not like it one bit.

"I didn't, mom. Sharpay wanted to watch something Barbie with her friend, and all I told her is that I would give her the TV after half an hour of Mr. Snowden!"

"Sharpay didn't tell it to me like that." Ryan glowered sullenly at Sharpay, who made a face right back at him. "Now now, children. Please do not squabble!" She was tired of mediating between the two.

"Sharpay, as you have already called your friend over, you two can sit in the rec. room watch your Barbie movie, alright? Ryan, you can always watch the re-run of Mr. Snowden; it is bound to come in the morning tomorrow." Mrs. Evans had completely forgotten the fact that the twins had school the next day, and Ryan had lost all te mood to remind his mother.

All he did was to nod, fuming from within. He too had wanted to call Bon, his best friend across the lane. But Sharpay had won the day's battle. Smirking, she skipped across him and went over to the telephone, calling her friend only now.

"Hello, may I know who is speaking?"

"Theresa, it's me Sharpay! Listen, would you like to come home and watch Barbie Snowland Magic with me? We could have a sleepover after the movie."

Ryan could hear the two girls squealing in joy, and left them to their conversation. It upset him that Sharpay had won this battle through sheer manipulation. Unfortunately for him, it was only one of many more to come.

February 18th, 2008
Age – One month before a sweet 16

Party Preparations

If there was anyone who knew how to throw a good party, it was Sharpay. It was one month before their sixteenth birthday, and already the house was in chaos. Seeing as they were twins, their parents wanted to give both children a fair option and asked them to choose twenty-five of their closest friends, figuring that fifty kids could easily accommodate in the large open-aired poolside area that was to serve as the party hall as it was going to be a pool party.

Ryan had not at all wanted something that involved manic screams and people cannon-baling into the Olympic-sized pool every ten minutes not to mention the fact that the students would be dressed only in a bare minimum. No, he did not approve of the idea at all. But that didn't stop Sharpay from going ahead with the preparations like a hurricane on full force.

As he sat in his room writing out the invites at the order of his sister (he had felt that it was far too early to be distributing invites now), his door was thrown open and Sharpay entered, a vision in pink.

"Are you done writing the invitations, slow poke? Mine have been done for ages!" She laughed an affected little laugh.

"Just Jason's, Gabby's, Jeffry's and Kelsi's to go."

"There is no way in hell you are inviting Gabriella Goody-Two-shoes Montez, nor is that pathetic rat of a Kelsi entering our home on the eve of our birthday." Her expression was livid.

Ryan returned her gaze calmly.

"Haven't you invited Troy Bolton?"

"That is none of your business, brother."

"Oh yeah, it very much is. May I remind you that this happens to be my birthday too? And let me tell you – there's no way one is attending the party without the other."

Sharpay knew this to be very much true, but refused to accept the fact.

Ryan continued. "When it comes to Kelsi, she is -" he paused, face turning beet red.

"You like her, don't you?" Sharpay sneered. "The shy little piano player who has not a single friend except Troy, who is only being nice to her." She also knew that Kelsi and Gabriella were close friends, but saying Troy's and Gabriella's names together always made her sick. She still firmly believed that Troy was made for her and that skunk of a Gabriella did not deserve the handsome boy in anyway.

Ryan stood up, eyes blazing. All his life, he had given in to Sharpay's will because he had falsely hoped that when he required his sister's support, she would always be there for him. Only now was he beginning to see just how misled he was.

"Yes, I am going out with Kelsi Neilson and yes, I do love her. She is most definitely coming to our party and you are going to do absolutely nothing to change that, do you hear me? I will ensure that we are far, far away from you."

As darkness spread it's fingers over the sky, Sharpay only too well remembered what had happened next on that fatal day. She had raised her hand to slap her brother, and that had been the last day that he had recognized her as another human being in the house. The communication between the twins dropped drastically, and their parents were getting extremely worried.

At that time, Sharpay felt that she was right. Yesterday at their part when she saw the genuine happiness light up her brother's face as he gently hugged Kelsi welcome, she had the sudden realization that she had not one person who liked her genuinely. The only people who had come to her party were ones who wanted free entertainment, a dip in their gorgeous pool and a label of 'popular.'

Whereas her so-called friends were only gushing up to her in order to be famous, Ryan's friends genuinely cared about him and he was in love with someone who loved him just as much as he did her, if not more.

Jealously stabbed her heart with a red-hot poker as she saw Ryan kiss Kelsi softly on her lips, looking shy. She had kissed him back and the two of them laughed, oblivious to everyone but themselves.

And that had left Sharpay alone – and it was perhaps the most miserable feeling he had ever experienced in sixteen years of her life.

It was time she made up with her brother. To hell with friends and fans – Sharpay needed her brother back. It was finally time to apologize.

Her only hope was that it wasn't too late.

Slowly, she trudged back home. Sitting on the swings while the cold wind blew had stiffened her joints and made her normally impeccable hair look like something resembling a bird's nest. Half an hour later, she was at her doorstep and she rang the bell twice. She heard noises behind the door and strained her ears to hear.

"Mom, it's Sharpay. Can you please get the door?" She heard footsteps echoing as her brother walked away from the door. She felt awful – she had pushed him to a limit where he didn't even want to see her face and open the door to her. More footsteps ensued and her mother opened the door.

Sharpay took one step into her house and melted into her mother's warm embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.

"There, there," her mother stroked her messy hair and tried to comfort her guilt-ridden daughter. Sharpay beneath all the layers of dominance and make-up was actually a nice person. It was really too bad that her nice side was shown only now, when everyone had all but given up hope on her.

"Will Ryan ever forgive me?" She looked up at her mother with pleading eyes.

"I don't know, honey. Only time will tell. Go speak to him, though – he is up in his room."

Sharpay nodded mutely and ran over to the staircase, climbing them as fast as she could.

Instead of wrenching his door open like she normally did, Sharpay stood outside her brother's room and knocked meekly.

"Who is it?"

"It's me – Sharpay."

There was no answer for a long time, and dread filled her heart. Did he hate her enough to kick her out of his life for good?

After what seemed like hours, Ryan opened the door and looked at Sharpay, expression impassive.

"Yes?"

Sharpay gulped, finding herself unable to say anything.

"Did you come here just to stare at my face?"

Sharpay blinked. Wow, that had hurts. Is that how I have been treating him all these years?

She cleared her head and then spoke. "I came here to apologize, Ryan," she said sincerely, the words coming out in a rush now. "I know what I did was wrong, and perhaps unforgivable. But I want a last shot at us – at the undefeatable Sharpay and Ryan." She smiled weakly at Ryan, who did not return her smile. Her expression faltered and she looked down, playing nervously with her hands.

He sighed, looking troubled. Then came the barrage of words.

"You really think that after the way you have treated me all these years, you will just come up to my doorstep with a sad face and I will forgive you, just like that? Forgetting nothing less than sixteen years of being shadowed by you? Never having gotten my way thanks to your manipulative skills?"

His volume was increasing with every word, and Sharpay cringed.

"I forgive you, Sharpay."

Sharpay blinked. Was she hearing things, or was Ryan really forgiving her for all her nastiness?

"Really?" She couldn't keep the ecstasy out of her voice and slowly lowered her tone. "I've missed you a lot, Ryan," she said sincerely, going over to hug her little brother.

"Do you remember the lovely times we have spent together?"

"Unfortunately, they were kind of overshadowed by the times you decided to make my life a living hell." He smiled ruefully, extracting himself from her embrace.

"I promise to be the best sister from now onwards, Ry," she said suddenly, determination flooding her voice. "And when I make a mistake, please remind me of what an idiot I have been before and trust me, all my nastiness will vanish. It isn't easy changing overnight, you know – but the jolt you gave me will certainly speed up the process."

Both brother and sister laughed, and the harmonious laughter was music to their ears. For although Ryan didn't admit it, he had missed his sister a lot.

"We'll see," he smiled in response to his sister's determined declaration of improvement.

"We certainly shall." Sharpay grinned triumphantly, linked her arm through her brother's and descended the staircase for dinner and reveling in the look of pleasant shook that her parents sported. She had made a promise to change. And she would most definitely show everyone that she was capable of it - for nothing was worth losing the love of her brother again.

And so she sat down to dinner, marking the start of a new and happy beginning – one that showed much more promise that her old life had held.

A/N: Finally, it's over! I'm sorry fo making it an abnormally long oneshot, but I didn't want to spoil the feel of the story by splitting it into two or three chapters.

So...whether you liked it or hated it or simply feel that it requires correction, please do let me know by leaving a review!

Being an aspiring authoress, you would really improve my writing as well as my language.

Thanks so much!

-Eternally Seventeen