oh look it appears I'm not done with this universe

"Um, excuse me?!"

Ryan sighed, watching Sharpay shove her way forward.

The radio host swallowed as she leaned into his space. "I thought we agreed, no relationship questions, and no questions about the past!"

"But, Miss Evans!" Jay protested, "It's an interesting topic! And it's connected to the song!"

Sharpay huffed. "Listen, Ryan is in high demand right now. He's the biggest up-and-coming star of the year. We could get interviews with anyone we wanted, but Ryan wanted to have one with the local station while we were in Albuquerque. We turned down a spot with BBC Radio One for your shitty, small town radio station. And you can't even play by our rules!"

Jay gulped. "I'm so sorry, Miss Evans, really, but you have got to understand! Some topics just draw listeners in more than others, and the top two are relationship drama and tragic backstories!"

"What did you just say?" Sharpay's eyes narrowed as she learned in further, forcing the radio host to back up in his seat. "I must be getting hard of hearing, because I could have sworn you just implied that Ryan Evans and his past struggles are nothing more than a tragic backstory for your low-budget Perez Hilton rip off schtick."

"Sharpay, let it go," Ryan sighed. "I wouldn't have answered the question if I was too uncomfortable with it."

His sister turned to him, deflating. "But, Ryan," she protested, "we have rules like this to protect you."

Ryan mustered a smile. "It's fine, Shar. I think — Jay, was it? I think Jay learned his lesson. Now, come on. I think I heard Albuquerque got a Starbucks, and I know how much you love a good caramel macchiato."

"Only if they have soy milk," Sharpay huffed, striding past her brother.

Ryan shook his head fondly, following her out of the studio without sparing a glance back.

"Good afternoon, what can I get for you today?"

Sharpay looked up from her phone for just a second, glancing at the barista before returning to her task of reaming out a homophobic "fan". "Yes, I'd like a grande caramel macchiato made with soy milk and a venti iced skinny vanilla latte, please."

"Alright, that'll be — wait. Sharpay?" the barista interjected.

Sharpay finally looked up, glancing between the barista's face and her name tag. "Taylor? Taylor McKessie?"

Taylor smiled. "Of course. I can't believe I didn't recognize you when you came in!"

"Sharpay, are you fighting with trolls on Twitter again?" Ryan interrupted, returning from the washroom. "You know they're just trying to get a rise out of people, and besides, that's not your job."

"Ryan!" Taylor exclaimed. "Did you two just come from the radio station? I heard your interview a couple minutes ago."

Ryan broke into a grin. "Hey, Taylor! Yeah, we came right over when we heard there's a Starbucks in town. So, uh, you know about us. What's up with you these days?"

"Well, I'm home from Yale for summer break," she offered, handing the siblings their drinks.

Before she could pull away, Sharpay grabbed Taylor's hand. "Wait. Is that a ring I see?"

Taylor nodded proudly. "Chad asked me to marry him in June. He's supposed to be coming to pick me up after my shift, actually, if you two want to stick around for—" she checked the clock on the wall behind her, "—three more minutes."

"Actually," Ryan began, before his sister interrupted him.

"We'd love to!" Sharpay replied. "It's always nice to catch up with former classmates, isn't it, Ryan?"

"Hey, babe," Chad greeted, kissing Taylor on the cheek. "Sorry I'm a little late. Coach had to stay late for practice, so I gave Troy a ride home."

Taylor smiled, gesturing for him to sit. "I don't mind. Look who came in today," she said, nodding at the Evans twins.

"Hi, Chad," Sharpay said, smiling sweetly up at him.

Chad grinned. "Well, if it isn't the drama queen herself. And Ryan! I hear you're a big shot now, man."

Ryan flushed. "I wouldn't say that, exactly," he replied. "It's nice being back in Albuquerque, seeing familiar faces."

"So," Sharpay said, "what was that about Troy?"

Chad rolled his eyes. "Haven't you moved on to fresh meat in New York?" he teased. "I don't know if Taylor told you, me and Troy work together down the I-25, at Bert's."

Sharpay snorted inelegantly, "As if I would still be hung up over Troy. Is he home on break, too? How is the Einsteinette doing these days?"

Taylor winced, sharing a look with her fiancé. "You mean Gabriella?" Chad asked. "I wouldn't know. We haven't heard from her since she and Troy split, back in freshman year."

Ryan looked at Sharpay, wide eyed. She gave him an unreadable look in return. "The primo couple broke up? What happened?" she demanded. Then, turning to Taylor, she asked, "Weren't you two best friends?"

Taylor shrugged. "It's not for us to tell," she replied, elbowing Chad to close his mouth. "And yes, we were close in high school. She just slowly stopped talking to me a couple months after graduation, and I wasn't going to put in the effort for someone who wouldn't try in return."

"Well, isn't this a revelation," Sharpay muttered, glancing at Ryan from the corner of her eye.

Ryan swallowed. "So, who do you still keep up with, then? If it's okay to ask," he said.

Chad grinned at the deflection. "Well, I'm still pretty tight with Zeke. I keep trying to set him up with U of A's cheerleaders, but every time he meets one of 'em, he finds some reason they're not 'right' for him," he added in a conspiratorial tone.

Taylor rolled her eyes, giving him a light shove. "You get way too much pleasure out of interfering with your friends' love lives."

"Hey," Chad exclaimed, mock offended. "It's not my fault that my expert matchmaking skills aren't getting a chance to shine!" Taylor just rolled her eyes again, so he continued, "Anyway, we run into Martha and Jason occasionally. They settled down in town. He's the manager at the theater downtown, she stays home with Becca, their daughter. Rocketman — Jimmy Zara, you remember him? — is at U of A. He got to be the team captain after I graduated, actually. Still a bit of a kid, but he's a good guy. Uh, I can't think of anyone else who you two'd know."

"Interesting," Sharpay murmured. Just then, her phone chimed. "Dammit! Ryan, we have to go. Our lawyer wants us to call her — the tour pianist is spreading shit to the tabloids." She looked up at their former classmates. "It was really nice catching up with you," she said, sparing them one of her rare, genuine smiles. "We have to get together again while we're in town. But," her voice hardened to the signature Evans steel, "I need to go eviscerate a low life wannabe who wouldn't know talent if it slapped him in the face."

Chad just chuckled. "Good to see you, too," Taylor called after them. "It's nice to see that some things haven't changed."