Okay, this is for a fanfic exchange - it's written for DramaticStarlet. I hope you like it!! This is twenty pages, which really is shocking. I finished this a couple of weeks ago, but then yesterday I got a great idea and just had to add on. So here is your gigantic, almost-novella-sized oneshot. Enjoy! It's Troypay with some Ryella on the side, and I assure you there is plenty of Kevin Jonas. This is rated T just in case because of a few swears and mild sexual innuendos, but it's not bad at all in my opinion. It's romance, with humor and angst on the side. Quite a combination, I know. Please review everyone!!
-Steph
Happily Ever After
Ryan and Sharpay Evans were two very different people.
Ryan had Zeke Baylor as the best friend he told everything to.
Sharpay had Troy Bolton.
Ryan had whatever girl he was going out with at the time to take to the many functions his parents hosted.
Sharpay had Troy Bolton.
Ryan had his baseball posse to hang out with when he was sick of the drama club.
Sharpay had Troy Bolton.
That was just the way it was, ever since Sharpay and Troy met in junior high, when Troy punched Harold Jamison for making Sharpay cry. It had started with small conversations between classes, then turned into doing math homework together, and slowly kept on morphing until their relationship became hanging out after school and eating lunch together.
It was around Christmas of her freshman year when Sharpay began to realize the tingling sensation she felt whenever they touched and the constant need she felt to hear his voice wasn't what one felt towards a friend. That was what you felt when you were in love. It took her another six months to realize that she, Sharpay Evans, was in love with her best friend, Troy Bolton.
But Sharpay didn't tell anyone. The secret ate away at her, but still she remained silent, knowing that he didn't feel the same and valuing their friendship too much to risk losing it. So they stayed fast friends, always there for one another and always able to read each other better than anyone else.
This was why, when Sharpay's parents informed her and Ryan in their senior year that there was some sort of Christmas fundraiser/party taking place at Lava Springs on that Saturday, Sharpay didn't even hesitate. She just told Troy to be at her house by five o'clock, and that she'd have a suit for him.
Because that was the way it worked.
--
"Hey, Shar, did you get the math homework?" Troy asked, leaning against the locker next to hers.
Sharpay didn't bother to look up. She already knew what she would see – dark blue jeans, black Lacoste polo she had picked out for him, and a Tommy Hilfiger zipper-up sweatshirt that he had rolled up the sleeves on. She had seen it all that morning on the ride to school. And she had seen it again during homeroom, and then second period. Sharpay knew if she looked up even further – past the wide, gleaming smile and tanned skin but below his gleaming chestnut hair that was a bit too long at the moment – she'd be staring into the electric blue eyes that only Troy Bolton possessed.
And Sharpay didn't need to be reminded of the perfection that was her best friend and love of her life.
So instead of looking up, she forced herself to finish putting her books away and shut her locker before lifting her head, meeting Troy's gaze, and replying dryly, "Yes, I spent two hours trying and failing to do whatever it is we're learning in math instead of going to the spa with Torri and Raleigh." She rolled her eyes, "Of course I didn't do my math homework. Do I ever?"
"That's why we're partners," Troy replied brightly. He opened his own locker, which was two away from Sharpay's, dumping all of his books inside before digging through everything apparently in search for something.
He and Sharpay were both in the same math class – a class in which everyone was expected to compare homework answers at the beginning of every class with a partner. Of course, Troy and Sharpay were partners, partially because they never bothered to do the work but mostly due to the fact that they did everything together.
"So true," Sharpay agreed. She hesitated, watching Troy as he shifted through everything in his locker, groaning in frustration. "Er, what are you looking for?"
"A water bottle," he explained. "I forgot one this morning and I just played basketball all during free block. I'm dying here." Troy swore in annoyance as all he found that could've possibly been of use to him was an empty water bottle. Tossing it back into his locker, Troy then turned to Sharpay with a moody look on his face.
"It's your fault," Sharpay pointed out unsympathetically as they made their way towards the cafeteria. She noticed Troy had worn her favorite cologne of his, and she resisted the strong urge to inhale deeply, so as to take in the heavenly scent that was Troy Bolton. It wasn't just the cologne – it that distinct smell that only he had. She couldn't say exactly what it was, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. It was a mystery, one of the many things she loved about her best friend.
Troy's arm was slung casually over her shoulder, and Sharpay couldn't help but slide closer to him slightly as Troy continued, "Anyways, practice is going to end a half hour later than usual, so can we just meet in the gym so I can drive you home?"
Sharpay shrugged as they entered the cafeteria and got in line for food, pretending to think before replying off-handedly, "Yeah, that works. I'll need to get out of costume anyways. The musical is next weekend, so we're going all-out during rehearsals."
"How could I forget?" Troy asked, smirking. He placed a plate of the pasta with meatballs and sauce on his tray before moving forward. "I think I've read so many lines to help you practice that I know the play by heart."
"You're the perfect understudy!" Sharpay exclaimed brightly, laughing as Troy made a face. She eyed the food selections before settling simply for a bag of chips and salad. Troy, on the other hand, had added French fries, a hamburger, macaroni and cheese, and an apple to his tray.
"I'd prefer to just watch and then give you flowers at the end."
Sharpay rolled her eyes, saying in a fake-dramatic voice, "Don't forget the endless amount of praise. God, Troy, you can be sorely lacking in the best friend department sometimes."
Sharpay and Troy paid for their food, making their way over to the table where all of Troy's friends sat, although it was currently empty seeing as none of them had arrived yet. There was no debate about it – everyone knew that Troy and Sharpay alternated each day where they sat. It was always either at the drama table with Sharpay's friends or the jock table with Troy's friends. No one minded, they were all used to it. Over the years, Sharpay and Troy had even become rather close with the other's friends, which was quite shocking considering the extreme cliquey-ness of East High.
Troy laughed, retorting as he sat down, "You know you couldn't live without me, Shar."
"Oh, yeah, and Ms. Darbus loves you," Sharpay shot back sarcastically as she opened her bag of chips, trying to hide the fact that she knew it was true.
Troy frowned at her, reaching across her tray to steal a chip. He popped it into his mouth despite Sharpay's protests and said, "You need to stop with the sarcastic comments, Miss I-Suck-Up-To-Ms.-Darbus-And-Look-Down-On-Anyone-Who-Doesn't."
Sharpay wrinkled her nose disdainfully as she said, "Ew, don't talk with your mouth full. It's vile."
"You know it's true, though," Troy told her, grinning wolfishly. Sharpay stuck her tongue out at him, not having another response because he was right. His confidence rising, he added, "And one chip is not enough to fill my mouth. So, ha."
Narrowing her eyes, Sharpay started to respond when the sound of two trays being set on the table alerted Sharpay and Troy that they now had company. Looking up, Troy grinned widely and said, "Hey, man, you on for some pick-up on Saturday in the park against Mike Harlem and his crew?"
"Yeah, I'm game," Chad replied, sitting down along with his girlfriend of four months Taylor McKessie. She just smiled and didn't say anything, but Sharpay wasn't offended because she knew it was due to the fact that Taylor didn't sit at their table very often.
Even though Chad and Taylor had been dating for awhile, Taylor always was adamant about sitting with her Decathlon team and her other more academically-oriented friends. So every Friday Taylor sat with Chad, and vice versa on Wednesday. It worked for them, but Sharpay didn't really get how they could deal with not sitting next to each other every lunch. She couldn't do that with Troy and they weren't even dating.
"Just make sure you're at my house in time," Sharpay reminded Troy.
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and grinned, reassuring her, "No worries, I'll be there."
"Oh my God, Sharpay, you must be so excited," Taylor exclaimed.
Sharpay grinned widely back, squealing, "I know, Kevin Jonas is going to be there! At my house!"
"You have to tell me everything," Taylor ordered. Chad and Troy exchanged bored glances. They had heard it all before – it was all any girl would ever talk to Sharpay about, ever since everyone found out she was going to meet Kevin Jonas. Troy didn't get what all the hype was about. The Jonas Brothers weren't even that good.
Taylor laughed, "He's so hot," and then added, seeing the look on Chad's face, "No offence, Chad."
"He is, though – he's like my second dream guy," Sharpay said. She left out the fact that Troy was her first dream guy. Taylor didn't ask who her first was, because she just figured it was some other famous person. After all, Sharpay was a good actress.
No one noticed the strange look on Troy's face as he heard Sharpay's comment.
--
Troy Bolton remembered a time when he was afraid of Sharpay Evans. He supposed it started back in first grade and proceeded into fifth grade, when girls didn't have cooties anymore but they were still scarily mature and way too demanding. Okay, well, maybe that was just Sharpay. Sure, girls like Martha Cox (who let him listen to her Walkman with her and helped him out when he had forgotten to write down the homework) and Gracie Wilkins, the tomboy that could almost beat him in video games, were cool. But Sharpay Evans and her posse, they were just scary.
But especially Sharpay.
She was just plain intimidating – more scary and threatening than any other girl could possibly be. Sharpay Evans was a force of nature, from her perfectly and professionally styled tresses to her thousand dollar Jimmy Choo pumps. Her eyes were like those of an eagle – never missing a single detail, and her vocals ear-numbing (sure, she sounded sweet in those musicals, but when she was angry, well, let's just say after his first experience with one of her outbursts, Troy brought earplugs to school each day).
But then at the start of junior high, everything started to change. Martha didn't rock out with her earphones on anymore, instead replacing her Walkman with textbooks and choosing to spend her Science classes at the front of the class with her new studious friends, as opposed to at the back with Troy and Jason. Kelsi Neilson, the girl that he used to have conversations with about how annoying Sharpay was, just stared at him in shock and blushed whenever he tried to talk to her. Ever since Troy started spending all of his spare time playing basketball, Taylor McKessie just rolled her eyes whenever he asked what the math homework was, and Gracie joined up with the future cheerleaders, opting to giggle at him when he walked by instead of giving him a high-five.
One thing didn't change, however.
Sharpay Evans was still the same girl he had come to fear. Her remarks were just as cutting as before, and she still held untold power over the Drama Club, not to mention her brother. She still strutted down the hallways like she was on a runway, and wore clothes that were way too sparkly.
And, gradually, the fear began to ebb away, and instead was replaced with something else.
That was why he punched Jameson in the face for calling her an 'ice bitch'. It was completely on impulse, especially since no one but himself knew his feelings of fear and dislike for Sharpay had gradually transformed into a very different emotion. That didn't seem to matter though, because the next thing Troy knew he was making small talk with her, sitting next to her in class, and other small things that quickly progressed into being Sharpay's best friend.
And he liked it.
There was no way Troy could explain how everyday the only thing he looked forward to was talking to her, or how whenever she smiled his heart skipped a beat. It was an entirely new feeling for Troy, but he did nothing to stop it, because this new attitude he had in regard of Sharpay was nice.
So by the time he figured out he was in love with Sharpay, there was nothing Troy could do about it. He was too far in.
--
"Wear the tie, Bolton," Sharpay hissed, narrowing her eyes.
"No way, Shar – I'll wear a normal tie, but not this ugly… thing," Troy retorted, jerking away from the tie clutched in his supposedly best friend's hand as if it were covered in acid. Sharpay's scowl deepened, but Troy stared defiantly back.
From in-between the two quarrelling friends, Ryan Evans bit his lips and glanced nervously from one murderous stare to the other. Stuttering, he told them as he slowly backed out of the room, "Uh, I think I'm just going to help Mom and Dad greet the guests… or something." He hesitated awkwardly. "See you, er, later," Ryan finished lamely before bolting. Neither Sharpay nor Troy noticed because they were too engaged in their staring contest.
Once Sharpay appeared to realize that she wasn't going to succeed in making Troy keel over just by staring at him (although, she admitted ruefully, it wasn't like she could ever hurt him despite any threat she might make aimed towards him), she threw the tie onto the bed and huffed, "You're insufferable, you know that? You call yourself my best friend, and yet you can't even wear the tie I want you to. Some friend, Troy."
She stalked out of the room dramatically, leaving silence in her wake.
Troy sighed, watching the door for minutes after Sharpay left. His gaze then turned to the tie lying motionless on the bed. Scowling distastefully at it, he gingerly walked over and picked it up as if afraid it would come alive and attack him. It didn't. Releasing a deep sigh of resignation, even though no one was around to hear it, Troy slung it around his neck and walked over to the mirror.
That was when the door opened.
It was a guy, probably around twenty, Troy decided, although he wasn't the best judge of age. He had dark hair and was wearing a suit similar to Troy's, although he couldn't help but notice bitterly that this guy's tie was much better than his. It was black, and not the hideous almost-forest-green-but-not-really color that Troy's was. Sighing, Troy turned back to the mirror without giving the man a second glace. His face contorting slightly, Troy tried to focus on how exactly tie-tying thing worked.
"Hey, dude, Shar's going to kill you if she finds you up here. VIPs only," Troy said distractedly, still frowning into Sharpay's mirror in concentration as he tried to tie his tie correctly – it was harder than it looked, and that was why Sharpay normally did it. Still, no matter how important keeping his attention on the tie was, this guy didn't deserve getting yelled at by Sharpay. And based on her mood as she had left the room, Troy guessed it would be bad if she came up and saw a stranger in her room.
"VIPs, huh?" the other occupant of the room asked, sounding faintly amused.
Troy turned around, his tie looking rather comical, seeing as he had somehow managed to completely mangle it. Seriously, he said, "Yeah, you know, important people."
"This party's pretty exclusive from what I hear… I think everyone that was invited is important."
"I'm talking about a different kind of important," Troy said, rolling his eyes. Squinting slightly and examining the stranger more closely, he asked, "Have I seen you at one of these things before? What's your name? You seem kind of familiar, that's all."
The man's lips quirked upwards into a small smile before he replied, "I'm Kevin Jonas, and, no, I don't think we've met before."
Troy frowned, still clearly confused, before his eyes lit up in realization and he exclaimed, "Oh, yeah, all the girls at my school freaked out when they heard you were coming here and that Shar and I would be able to see you in person. You're famous, right? The band you're in, it's the Jonas Brothers. Sharpay listens to you guys way too much, no offense…" he paused before asking, "Are you any good?"
Kevin Jonas laughed, grinning across the room at Troy before saying, "I'd like to think we are. Why, what do you think?"
"I haven't heard much," Troy admitted, shrugging as he leaned against Sharpay's bedroom wall. "It's not really my type of music, if you know what I mean. When I go to school or whatever with Sharpay, I always drive, and everyone knows the driver gets to choose the music. So no Jonas Brothers when I'm around." He paused, and, remembering his manners, added as an afterthought, "I'm Troy Bolton, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. Why'd you get invited to this thing?"
Troy laughed and, seeing the bemused expression on Kevin's face, explained, "I always come to these things – I'm Sharpay's official escort. You know, Sharpay Evans? She and her twin Ryan are Vance Evan's kids." His voice became less informative and more regretful as he continued for clarification, "I'm going with her just as her best friend, of course," he added a bit bitterly.
Kevin smiled slightly before asking, "You like her?"
Narrowing his eyes, Troy examined Kevin a bit distrustfully before revealing quietly, "Yeah, a lot. I love her."
"Wow," Kevin whistled. "That's intense. And she doesn't know?"
"Why do you want to know?"
Kevin shrugged, saying, "You look like you could use some help. And if you need it, I'm your man."
Troy blinked, frowning up at the older man that he had known for less than five minutes before asking slowly, "You don't know anything about me, and you're offering to help me get a girl? I could be a rapist for all you know?"
Kevin busted out laughing. Troy winced at how loud it was – Sharpay had hearing that was way too sharp to be a good thing for anyone but her. But she when he didn't immediately hear the clicking of her high heels, Troy relaxed. She must've been downstairs, where people had started filing in and were making enough noise to cover up anything Troy or Kevin said.
"You're not… I'm a pretty good judge of character," Kevin finally replied. "Besides, what else is there to do here? I don't know anyone – I don't really do stuff like this. I just came to this because it's for charity, you know? My brothers didn't even come – they wanted to hang with friends or whatever."
Troy nodded slowly, grinning and saying, "I had you pegged as a conceited, self-centered jerk, but I guess you're kind of cool."
"Well, if it helps, you aren't too bad, either," Kevin said, smiling back. "Are you going back down soon? Because I got lost on my way back from the bathroom, and I'm going to need some serious help to get back."
Troy swore, and at Kevin's surprised look he elaborated, "You have to go – like I said, a mad Sharpay Evans is something you don't want to see. I'll show you the way back down… I should probably go, too."
"Uh, Troy… your tie," Kevin said, clearing his throat to disguise his laughter as Troy led the way towards the door.
Looking back at Kevin, he said, "It's a lost cause – Shar can fix it."
"Are you guys attached at the hip or something?" Kevin asked as he followed Troy through the numerous hallways of the Evans Mansion. He looked around with poorly hidden awe as he caught only glimpses of the thousand-dollar paintings hanging on all of the walls.
Troy stopped at the top of a staircase, and it was so sudden that Kevin almost ran into him. Turning around, Troy looked his new friend in the eye before replying shortly, "Yeah, pretty much."
And before Kevin could reply Troy was making his way down the stairs, and Kevin followed because there was nothing else he could do.
They stopped at the bottom of the stair, glancing around before turning to each other like partners in crime. Sighing, Kevin said, "Well, I've got to go meet people, you?"
"Get Sharpay to fix my tie, and pray she's still not about ready to castrate me," Troy said, and both of them laughed. Once said laughter subsided, Troy asked, "Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but can I have your autograph?"
Kevin frowned, confused, and asked, "Why? I thought you didn't like our music."
Troy shrugged and explained, "I bet I could sell it for a good amount of money on the internet." He grinned, realizing how shallow it sounded, and again they both laughed, ignoring the small amount of attention they were attracting.
Still laughing slightly, Kevin said, "I'll make you a deal – you wait until I get home and I'll send you a poster signed by all three of us."
"Deal," Troy agreed. "I'll see you later tonight, I'm guessing."
Kevin nodded, saying, "Definitely – you're the only person even close to my age – that I've seen so far, anyways. Well, except for Ryan and Sharpay Evans, and they have host and hostess duties." He stopped short, as if battling internally with himself, before adding, "Speaking of Sharpay, you need to make a move with her – trust me. Otherwise you'll never know, and it'll eat you up. Just take a chance, man."
"You think?" Troy asked uncertainly. "I don't want to lose her though – it wouldn't be the same if she didn't love me back. Nothing would be the same."
"Come on, that's the most clichéd excuse in the book," Kevin scoffed. "You need to take a chance, otherwise you'll never know. Besides, there's no saying that if she doesn't return the feelings things would change. You just assume they would. I'm serious, tell her how you feel. And tell me how it goes, would you?"
Troy was torn. Was Kevin right? And should Troy really be trusting a complete stranger? Kevin didn't even know Sharpay – he hadn't met her. But at the same time Troy knew that in the space of ten minutes he had shared more with Kevin than he had with anyone, except for maybe Chad. And Troy liked Kevin, trusted Kevin. Maybe he was right – there was no saying that Sharpay didn't like him back.
He had a chance. Troy hadn't felt like he had a chance with Sharpay ever before, and the feeling elated him and made him somehow feel different. It was a good feeling, and he wondered if this was how he could feel all the time if he took a chance and Sharpay loved him, too.
"Okay, I'll give it a shot… and you'll be the first to know about it," Troy agreed, and with a small wave they parted ways.
Troy immediately went over to Sharpay where she was standing with a smile painted on her face next to her father. As soon as she saw Troy her smile faded slightly. She walked over and fixed his tie without a word. He knew she was still mad, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been.
It got worse, though.
It happened about ten minutes later.
Sharpay was talking to some old women about something or other, trying to look interested and succeeding for the most part, when she happened to glance across the room to find Troy, of all people, sitting at a chair next to Cindy Melbourne.
Cindy went to U of A, but she basically only got in because her father was the Chancellor or something important there. She was a senior and older than Troy by four years, but that wasn't stopping her from leaning way to close to him and smirking seductively. Sharpay couldn't see under the table due to the floor-length tablecloths, but she was pretty sure Cindy wasn't keeping her hands to herself. Troy looked a bit uncomfortable at the situation, but he was still smiling at her, running a hand through his hair that looked way to sexy for Sharpay's liking.
And he wasn't pulling away.
That was pretty much the last straw for Sharpay. First the tie thing, never mind the fact she was in love with him, and now this. She couldn't deal with seeing him act like this – like she didn't mean to him what he did to her.
Excusing herself through gritted teeth, Sharpay stalked away.
From across the room, Troy looked up from the rather uncomfortable situation he was in. He didn't really like Cindy, but he wasn't really sure how to push her away politely, especially since if he was too rude she might go to her dad, who was a very important person. Troy didn't want Vance Evans to get a tough time because Troy turned down Fred Melbourne's daughter.
And so he forced a smile onto his face and made as little talk as possible, casually shifting away as her hand crept up his thigh. Glancing at Sharpay and knowing this would be a good time both to tell her how he felt and to get away from Cindy, he said, "Hey, I got to go find Sharpay – you know, since I'm kind of with her and all." He didn't need to tell her it was only as friends, because Cindy knew. She opened her mouth to protest, but Troy was gone.
He caught up to Sharpay right as she was about to enter the bathroom.
"I need to talk to you," he blurted out. "I know this is a bad day what with the tie and everything, but I need to do it before I get too afraid again."
Sharpay stood stalk still in front of him, her arms crossed as she said icily, "What, then? What do you want to tell me, Troy? About how you and Cindy are going to go find some closet to get busy in!" Her voice had risen to a shout, and Troy could only pray that no one could hear her.
"What?" he asked, utterly appalled. "No, look, I–" he glanced around, and before Sharpay could protest had dragged her into the bathroom and locked the door.
"Let me out of here!" Sharpay screamed, close to tears.
"Not until you tell me what the heck is going on with you!" Troy ordered, his voice rising as well. "Are you still mad about the tie, is that it?"
"It's not about the tie. It's about the fact that you don't even care enough about me to put on a scrap of fabric for one night without fighting for ten minutes – it's about you! Everything in my life is always about you!" Sharpay screamed. "Just get away from me! I'm so done with this, Troy. I'm done with you. I've had enough of me caring too much and you too clueless to care back, or to even notice. Cindy was the last straw – and don't bother to say you don't like her because I saw you let her fawn all over you!"
"How could I possibly like Cindy when I like you!?"
"Well, that's sort of hard to believe when I see you "talking" like that with her!" Sharpay snapped.
"You can't be that blind, Sharpay," Troy half-shouted, his piercing blue eyes looking straight into hers as he continued, "You must've realized I don't have feeling for Cindy or any other girl because of you and that even if I wanted to like another girl I couldn't because you're all I ever think about!" Then his voice quieted, and his whispered, "You had to have seen before now that I want us to be more."
"Well, you're a darn good actor if that's how you feel. Have you ever considered that maybe I feel the same way? That maybe I just haven't said anything because I've been waiting for you to ask if I feel the same way you do?" Sharpay hissed, a couple of tears slipping down her face. And she waited with baited breath, because she knew this was the moment that she had been waiting and dreading all at once. The moment when she'd either get her happily ever after or have it torn to shreds.
Troy didn't ask.
Instead, he leaned down and gave her the sweetest, most meaningful kiss she had ever experienced or imagined. And who knows how much longer later, when a servant knocked on the door to inform whoever was in the bathroom that dinner was about to start, Troy pulled away reluctantly, remaining silent as Sharpay straightened her, fixed her makeup that was ruined by her tears, and ordered somewhat more weakly then usual, "We need to get back out there, Troy."
He still didn't ask.
--
The rest of Sharpay's night was spent mostly away from Troy, who just stared at her for the duration of the sit down dinner and yet hardly spoke a word to her. So Sharpay sat there, staring down at her lobster without any enthusiasm before pushing it away from her.
About halfway through the dinner, Kevin – who was sitting on the other side of her and had just manage to tactfully extract himself from a conversation with Jean-Paul Delacroix, some important person from Paris who became so successful that he was retired at the age of forty and spent his days playing golf – turned to Sharpay and whispered, "I'm horrible with accents – all I could get out of that was that he wants to fly me out to Paris for the summer so that his daughter can meet me… or something."
Sharpay giggled, noticing that as she did Troy tensed from her other and turned to stare at her and Kevin. Troy didn't look happy, and Sharpay relished having some sort of power over him after the way he had treated her. Leaning closer to Kevin, she said, "Yeah, I met her once – you don't want to spend a summer with her. I think she has a shrine of you in her closet."
Kevin chuckled and blushed slightly. He glanced up at Troy, and as soon as he saw the murderous look on his face, Kevin leaned away from Sharpay slightly. She noticed, and just barely hid her scowl. Hesitantly, he asked, "Hey, what's going on with you and Troy?"
"You met him?" Sharpay asked, surprised.
Kevin shrugged, "I saw him in a bedroom upstairs." Smiling sheepishly, he added, "I kind of got lost on my way back from the bathroom, and was looking for some help. We talked a bit – he sounded like a cool guy. He seemed really into you, but you guys haven't spoken at all, so I just figured something had happened."
Sharpay frowned, wondering just how much Troy had told Kevin.
Kevin also frowned, except he was wondering exactly how badly Troy had messed up.
He founded out shortly after the dinner, when the band had struck up some sort of tune, and everyone was dancing the types of dances that Kevin didn't think normal people actually knew anymore (you know, the ones that are always in historical movies like Pride and Prejudice or The Sound of Music). He spotted Troy across the room, among the people who were socializing because they either didn't know how to dance or weren't asked.
Troy was glaring at something, and it only took Kevin a second to realize it was at a young man, probably about Kevin's own age, that was dancing and talking amiably with none other than Sharpay. She was smiling back at him happily, and Kevin noticed that Troy's scowl deepened every time she laughed. He was too angry to notice what Kevin noticed – the fact that Sharpay glanced over at Troy every thirty seconds or so with a smug smile on her face, enjoying his displeasure.
"It's pretty pathetic, isn't it?" a voice asked from behind him. Kevin turned around to face the person who has spoken to him, a small smile lighting his face as he saw it was Ryan Evans. He had only spoken to Ryan for a few minutes, but he seemed like a pretty cool guy, and was flying solo for the night, like Kevin himself.
Ryan continued, not giving Kevin a chance to respond, "They've both liked each other for ages, and everyone knows it. Well, at least they know Troy likes Sharpay – I'm probably the only one that realizes she likes him back. She's an actress, you know, a really good one. But neither will open up, even though they'd be happier if they did. And now they're pretending to be mad at each other. Its way more complicated than it needs to be."
"I told Troy to tell her," Kevin confessed. "And he told me he was going to. He probably messed it up – really badly."
Ryan shrugged, saying, "Maybe that's it, although I've been pushing both of them to tell for years. They always either refuse or say they will but don't. Although," he added thoughtfully, "there's only one way to find out."
Kevin and Ryan exchanged glances, and then Kevin grinned, saying, "Count me in. Let's go now, before the song ends."
Ryan nodded, and they both made their way towards an oblivious Troy.
Five minutes later, they had Troy cornered in a guest bedroom, Kevin and Ryan making sure their bodies blocked the doorway. Locking the door, Ryan then turned to Troy and said bluntly, "Spill."
Troy looked like he was ready to defend himself, but then stopped slumping slightly and confessing, "I messed up big time."
And then he told them exactly what had happened. Ryan and Kevin listened, inwardly groaning at the predicament. As soon as Troy was finished and silenced descended upon them, Kevin swore and said in disbelief, "Let me get this straight. You basically tell her that you like her, and she says that she does to, but she's been waiting for you to ask. Then you kiss her, but don't ask her?"
Troy nodded dejectedly.
Ryan resisted the urge to maul Troy and asked through clenched teeth, "How stupid can you get, Troy? This needs more damage control than you're capable of implementing."
"I know," Troy moaned, covering his face with his hands as he let out a shout. Letting his hands fall and squeezing his eyes shut, he remained motionless for a moment before slowly opening his eyes and whispering, "I froze. I was terrified, alright? What if I said something stupid, and then she decided I wasn't worth it after all? What if it was just a joke? I tried, but I didn't know how to say it. I just… I froze, alright?"
Silence yet again filled the room, broken minutes later when Kevin said slowly, "Well, we can't change what happened. So now we need to fix it. You need to do something so amazing she forgets how heartbroken she is and forgives you."
Everyone pondered this, trying to concoct and idea that was good enough to share out loud with the others. Finally Ryan shrugged and asked uncertainly, "Profess your undying love in front of the entire school? It's flamboyant and dramatic – Sharpay likes that."
"No way," Troy said flatly. "If she said no I'd never live it down. And she probably would say no, just to spite me."
"Sharpay would do that," Ryan agreed, then piped up again, "You could wait for her anger to subside a bit and then just simply apologize and ask her out. Maybe give her flowers and recite some poetry?"
"Not good enough," Troy said, shaking his head. "Besides, if I wait she could set her sights on someone else."
"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Ryan shot back, crossing his arms defiantly. "This is Sharpay we're talking about, there's always a certain risk factor."
"Serenade her."
The words weren't spoken by Ryan, nor by Troy. Kevin had said them, speaking up for the first time in minutes. As soon as he did, Ryan nodded slowly and said, "That could work. Sharpay loves that type of thing, and Troy's a pretty good singer. He could sing When You Look Me in the Eyes!" Turning to Kevin, he explained, "You can play the guitar in the background out of sight or something because you already know how to play it. This is perfect!"
"I don't have my guitar with me," Kevin said disappointedly.
Ryan wilted, but brightened up a second later as he realized, "A guy I know, Jason Cross, has, like, five guitars. You could just borrow one of his, he wouldn't care."
"You guys forgot something," Troy interrupted. "I have veto power, and I flat-out refuse to sing Sharpay a song, especially something by the Jonas Brothers. You're a cool guy, Kevin, but your music isn't, alright?" Seeing Ryan and Kevin's disappointed looks, he added reasonably, "Besides, Sharpay would know you guys thought of it, and that would take away from the magic."
"But it's such a great idea!" Ryan said, close to whining.
Kevin pointed out, "We don't have any better idea, Troy."
Troy hesitated, frowning as he said slowly, "I have an idea, I think."
"What is it?" Ryan asked eagerly.
Troy shook his head distractedly, replying, "I've got to figure this out myself. It might not even work. And you guys would laugh."
Ryan and Kevin exchanged glances before Kevin came up with a compromise, suggesting, "What about you think about your plan, and if it doesn't work out Plan B is serenading her? I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon, so you can just call me up until then if you need me to play the guitar. If you do your plan, you can call both of us and tell us how it goes, alright?"
Troy nodded, ignoring Ryan's unhappy look. Finally Troy said, "Okay – I'll call both of you no matter what happens. Plan A is my idea, Plan B is serenading."
Kevin gave both of them his number, making them promise not to give it to anyone else, and then they headed back downstairs with Troy leading the way. Troy was so lost in thought, he didn't hear Kevin whisper, "Forty bucks says he ends up serenading her."
Ryan snuck a glance at Troy before smirking. "You're on."
--
Sharpay managed to ignore Troy for the rest of the evening – even when he tried to approach her – and all through Sunday. She shut off her cell phone so that she wouldn't see how many times he called (when she turned it back on, she found out he had called fifteen or so times throughout the day and left several texts as well).
But she didn't respond.
Actually, she didn't talk to anyone. She stayed in her room for all of Saturday, sneaking down to the kitchen only when she was sure Ryan was locked in his room playing video games with a bunch of his baseball friends, her mother was at her yoga class, and her father was playing golf with fellow business men.
Finally, Sunday night, Ryan picked her lock and waltzed into her room. He took one look at his sister and sighed, "Oh, Shar."
And then she busted into tears, telling Ryan everything as he sat next to her on her bed and patted her back consolingly. He said all the right things that were meant to comfort her, and handed her all the tissues she needed until Sharpay was able to control herself.
Ryan told her to talk to Troy, but she didn't.
So when Sharpay walked into her first class of the day on Monday – math class – and sat down in the only available seat, which was her usual one next to the very person she was avoiding, it was the first time she had seen him since that night. It was the longest they had gone without seeing each other or talking in a long, long time.
It had been hard, having Ryan drive her to school that morning. She had been perilously close to faking sick at the very thought, but Ryan had forced her to get up, shower, and have some breakfast. She wasn't wearing any make-up, but Ryan had ensured she at least was wearing an outfit that wasn't wrinkled and didn't consist of sweatpants and a baseball hat. No, she wore designer jeans and a rather decadent shirt with Gucci sunglasses and wedges.
Sharpay may not have looked her best, but she was more put together than Troy, who was wearing sweatpants and a baseball hat, completed with a wrinkled red tee shirt. He had shadows under his eyes, and Sharpay had the decency to feel sorry for him for a moment until she remembered it was really his fault.
She ignored him.
Conversations died around them as Mrs. Burns walked into the room and began the day's class, and still Sharpay stared unseeingly ahead, knowing Troy was sneaking glances at her but knowing that if she returned the looks she'd give into his pleading eyes.
But then he nudged her and pointed to the corner of the blank page of her notebook where he had written something, and Sharpay couldn't help but reluctantly look down at it to see what he was trying to tell her. Everyone else was comparing homework answers, so the teacher didn't think it was odd.
Are you talking to me? He had scribbled down on the edge of the page in his scrawny, lopsided handwriting.
No.
Sharpay snuck a glance at him, catching the small smirk on his face as he read her answer. Then frowning thoughtfully, he hesitated before writing back, Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me tonight.
It was a good thing that Sharpay was a natural actress, because otherwise there was no way she would've been able to conceal the pure joy that radiated through her at seeing those words. The words she had been waiting far too long to see. Suddenly she wasn't mad at him, at least, not mad enough that it overcame the ecstasy she was feeling.
If she hadn't been so stubborn, Sharpay wouldn't have hesitated – she would've squealed her consent and flung herself at him. But she was Sharpay Evans, and because of that she kept her face carefully neutral as she contemplated her reply. There was no way she was going to make it easy for him after the night before.
Why? Sharpay asked with her glittery pen, writing in her usual large, elaborate handwriting that put Troy's to shame.
Because I love you.
Sharpay's mouth dropped open as she stared at the words Troy had just written. They were nothing compared to his previous reply. She could feel his eyes boring into her, watching her reaction, but she just couldn't bring herself to do anything. He loved her. Her, not some other girl. Her.
Unable to put up a fight against the words she had always wished she would hear from him, Sharpay wrote back, I love you, too.
Only then would she look up at him, praying it wasn't some sort of joke. But it wasn't, because there was no way anyone could fake the wide, ecstatic smile spread across Troy's face.
"You look horrible," she told him honestly.
"You look great, too, Sharpay," Troy said sarcastically, but then added sincerely, "I messed up, Sharpay – really badly. I-I just got scared, and then it was too late and you were mad at me. If I could do it over–"
"I know," Sharpay told him understandingly, using the words that he had just said.
Troy smiled widely at her
"So, where are we going?" Sharpay asked.
Still grinning, Troy said mischievously, "It's a surprise."
Jutting out her lower lip, Sharpay tried again, "Please, Troy? I need to know what to wear!"
Troy considered this before leaning in and whispering in her ear, "It doesn't matter what you wear, you'll still look beautiful."
"Right, because I'm sure I'd look just dashing in overalls and a straw hat." Sharpay said wryly. "You're so cheesy, Troy."
And even though she was trying to sound sarcastic and biting, Sharpay couldn't help but smile, because her happily ever after had come after all.
--
Sharpay's fairytale ending was only made that much sweeter when, the next week, Kevin Jonas, of all people, sent them both a package. There was a letter promising Sharpay box seats and four backstage passes to the next concert they performed near Albuquerque. In addition, a copy of the three brothers' new, unreleased CD was in the box, which made Sharpay squeal in ecstasy.
"How did he know!?" Sharpay asked, turning to Troy, who had a small smile on his face.
His grin widening, Troy walked up behind Sharpay and wrapped his arms around her waist. Giving her a small yet affectionate kiss on the cheek, he snuggled up to her and said leisurely, "We kind of bonded at the party." He didn't need to say which party, because both of them knew. "Anyways, he gave me some advice… and told me how badly I screwed up with the fight and everything. Afterwards we exchanged numbers – he wanted to know how we turned out."
Instead of being mad like Troy had half-expected, Sharpay's mouth dropped open in disbelief. He grinned down at her, and she asked curiously, "What advice did he give you?"
Troy scoffed, saying, "He and Ryan wanted me to sing When You Look Me in the Eyes to you. But, obviously, I refused."
Sharpay's mouth dropped open, yanking herself out of his grasp and asking in disbelief, "You almost serenaded me?"
Troy shrugged. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Well, why didn't you?"
His mouth dropped open. Sharpay crossed her arms and he said in disbelief, "That seriously would've worked?" He narrowed his eyes. "You're joking, right?"
"Of course not," Sharpay exclaimed, "Don't you remember how jealous I was when Ryan serenaded Gabriella Montez two days ago and got her to be his girlfriend? I was green with envy!
Troy stared in disbelief, muttering, "You've got to be kidding me."
Sharpay continued, "That's where he got the idea from, isn't it? Kevin Jonas! Oh, Troy Bolton, you're going to have to do a lot of damage control for this one." She froze. "Wait a second… you have Kevin Jonas's number?" When Troy nodded, she demanded, "I'll forgive you for not serenading me if you give me it."
Troy didn't reply, he just laughed and, gesturing to the box, said, "Let's see what else is inside."
At the very bottom there were several posters signed by all three Jonas brothers in the box as well, and although Sharpay didn't understand, Troy thought it was hilarious.