Disclaimer: I do not own the High School Musical franchise.

Chapter One: Operation: Friends is A Go

Sharpay Evans walked into the kitchen of her four bedroom house she shared with three roommates. Propping herself up on the kitchen counter, she leaned over to grab the phone. Humming to herself, she danced around on the countertop in excitement, ready to call her boyfriend to tell her she got the movie role she'd auditioned for the week prior. Clicking the on button, she put the phone up to her ear to make sure there was a dial tone.

"So I'll see you tonight then?" Sharpay's mouth dropped open as she listened to her roommate, Gabriella Montez, purr into the phone.

"You're sure you can get away?" She hopped off the counter at the voice that responded.

"Of course, I'll just tell Sharpay that I'm doing work on my new case." Gabriella giggled.

"So that's my code name then? Work?" Sharpay was dancing around the kitchen. She didn't know what to do.

"No, you know what your nickname is Mr. Big . . ." Sharpay hit the off button and dropped the phone. It clattered to the ground with a bang and the battery flew off the back.

"Holy motherfucking shit." Sharpay muttered. "Okay, what was that?" She took a deep cleansing breath. "Okay, I did not just hear that. I did not just hear that. That did not just happen." She took one more yoga fire breath. Hearing footsteps on the staircase, Sharpay did her best to compose her face. I'm an actress. I'm a professional. This is what I do. And I do it well. She just had to remember that.

"Hey Sharpay! How was your day?" Gabriellawas now standing in the kitchen doorway, smiling innocently at her, as if she hadn't just been basically having phone sex with her best friend. Well her other best friend. Troy Bolton.

"It was good. I got the role I auditioned for last week." Sharpay flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Because I'm that good."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but ran over and engulfed Sharpay in a huge hug. "Congrats Pay!" She pulled back, "You definitely deserve it."

Sharpay nodded, "Oh I know! I need to tell Zeke now! I'm going to go over to the guys' place. Wanna come?"

Gabriella shook her head, "No, I've gotta go pick Troy up. Apparently his car broke down on the other side of town." Gabriella shook her head, "I guess he couldn't get a hold of Chad, Zeke, Jason or Ryan."

"Okay, sounds good. You free tonight?" Sharpay asked.

"Sorry, I so want to celebrate, but I'm going over to Katie's house, we've got a new case and a ton of work to do on it." Gabriella fed Sharpay the line she was expecting.

And she reacted appropriately, "Okay, well we can do a big celebration this weekend." Sharpay bubbled, "I'm off to see the boys!" She picked up her discarded purse and car keys.

Gabriella watched as Sharpay left without any concern that she knew Gabriella was lying.

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Sharpay pulled her phone out of her bag as she backed out of the driveway, "Come on Kelsi, answer your damn phone." She glanced at the clock in her car, "It's after 5, you should be off work. KELSI!" She squealed when Kelsi answered her phone, "Thank God, meet me at the guys' house after work. Have you talked to Taylor?"

"Shar, you're all squealy, what is going on?" Kelsi asked.

"I asked you a question. Have you talked to Taylor?" Sharpay repeated the question.

Kelsi sighed, "No I haven't talked to Taylor. I don't think she is scheduled to work tonight."

"Whatever, I'll call her, be at the boys' house." Sharpay hung up the phone and hit Taylor's speed dial, "Come on Tay."

"Dr. McKessie." Taylor answered after the first ring.

"Tay, it's Shar. I need you to meet me at the boys' house right now. I'll be there in ten minutes." Sharpay hung up without waiting for Taylor's response.

When Sharpay pulled into the boys driveway, she was pleased to see that Taylor and Kelsi's cars were both there. Now I won't have to go get them. I'm glad they listened the first time. Opening the front door she called out "TROY ALEXANDER BOLTON!"

"Troy's not here." Zeke appeared in the entryway. "Want me to call him?"

Sharpay shook her head, "No I was just double checking that he wasn't here. Now let's get wine and a snack and convene in the living room. I have major news." She walked into the kitchen and turned when Zeke didn't follow her, "Zeke?"

"Coming, Shar. Sorry baby." He murmured, trying to give her a hello kiss, but she ducked around him. "Shar? What's going on."

"Living room." She pushed past him, "EVERYONE IN THE LIVING ROOM RIGHT NOW!" She yelled.

Sitting on the love seat, she waited on her friends to fill up the living room. "Okay Sharpay, what's going on?" Kelsi sat down on a chair, patting the footstool, indicating that her boyfriend, Jason Cross, should sit there.

"Wine first." Sharpay picked up a glass and waited for her brother, Ryan, to open the bottle of pinot noir. "Okay, now I have the gossip of the century." She held up her hand, "Don't remind me of my New Year's Resolution. Okay, but trust me you want me to tell you this, okay Chad."

"Fine, but it's not fair that you get to break yours and I don't get to break mine." He pouted.

"Chad," Taylor got her boyfriend's attention, "shut up and listen to Sharpay. I want to know what she knows." She took a long sip of wine.

Sharpay nodded with a triumphant smile, "Okay, so here it is, I went home after a meeting with my agent and I went into the kitchen so I could call Zeke to tell him that I, the amazing Sharpay Michelle Evans, got the role in the movie I auditioned for, so I picked up the phone and what I heard was ugh." She shuddered. "They were, they were having phone sex. Or making a sex date."

"Okay, back up." Jason raised his hands, "Who is they?"

"Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton. They're fuck buddies." Sharpay spelled it out.

The group stared at her for a moment before bursting out in simultaneous laughter.

Chad choked to catch his breath for a minute, "Yeah right, Shar, Troy and Gabs, yeah right." He stated disbelievingly.

"They're best friends, not fuck buddies." Kelsi rolled her eyes at Sharpay's farfetched fairytales.

Sharpay shook her head, "No, no, no, I'm telling y'all, I turned the phone on and she was saying, 'So I'll see you tonight' and he said 'Are you sure you can get away' and she said 'Yeah I'll just tell them I'm doing work with Katherine' and he said 'So that's my code name? Work' and she said, 'No you know your code name Mr. Big' and then I dropped the phone because I so did not what hear that shit."

Everyone stared at her, "Are you sure it was Troy? Like positive?" Taylor asked.

"Oh I am way, way sure. It was Troy and he and Gabriella are sooooo fucking." Sharpay finished off her glass her wine and waved it in the air, indicating to Zeke that she wanted another glass of wine.

"Okay, so here's the deal, I want to trick them into telling us. Or corner them. And I have plan." Sharpay took a long sip of wine, letting the idea of playing with her friends sink in their minds.

Chad nodded, "Okay so what's your plan Sharpay?"

Taylor shook her head, "No, no, no. No plan. How about we just try asking them?"

Jason voiced his agreement, "I agree." He held up his hands when Sharpay and Chad went to disagree, "Now let's think about this logically. We don't want to make them angry with us now, do we?"

"Ugh, Jase," Sharpay picked up a brownie, "you were seriously more fun in high school. And why do you always have to sound like a lawyer. We're off the clock now Jason. Even Gabriella isn't like this most of the time." She took a big bite.

"I think what Jason is trying to say is that we don't want to upset them, then they may not tell us anything." Kelsi piped up from next to Ryan, looking to her boyfriend for support.

Ryan shook his head, "Sorry, I'm curious to know what Sharpay's plan is." He shrugged and took a sip of his beer.

Sharpay nodded triumphantly, "Okay, so here is my plan. I saw it on Friends. It's what Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey did" she started.

"When they found out Chandler and Monica were dating!" Chad jumped up.

Taylor held up her hand, "Wait, what are you two talking about?"

Chad and Sharpay both looked at her in disbelief, "You've never seen that episode of Friends?" Chad asked.

"I'm concerned that you, my boyfriend, has seen it, and I haven't." Taylor rolled her eyes and poured another glass of wine, "But I'm in. What do we do?"

Ryan nodded his agreement, biting into a brownie, "Me too." He said with a mouthful.

Sharpay looked at Kelsi, Jason, Zeke and Carrie, Jason's fiancee. "So? You four, what do you say?"

Carrie nodded, "I'm always down for a little fun." She took a sip of her beer.

Jason reluctantly nodded, "Fine, but the less I know the better. You know I can't keep up a lie."

"Zeke?" Sharpay batted her eyelashes at her boyfriend.

"Fine, but I want it known that this was not my idea." He said as he opened another bottle of beer.

Kelsi sighed, "Fine. But I don't want to do anything other than know."

"You're our Joey!" Chad sang out.

"Okay, Chad please stop sounding gay." Sharpay spat towards him. "Now here's my plan: in the movie Phoebe comes onto Chandler, Rachel gives Monica all kinds of work and laundry to do so she can't sneak off to actually see Chandler, and Joey just is there."

"So who does what?" Taylor asked.

"Well I was thinking," Sharpay looked at Zeke, "You and I," she pointed to her boyfriend, "are breaking up. Tomorrow."

Zeke just stared at his blonde actress girlfriend. "We are?"

"Yup, and I'm going to Troy for comfort." She smiled, a glint shimmering in her eyes.

"So essentially, you're Phoebe." Carrie nodded. "I like it."

"And Taylor you'll be Rachel. Give Gabriella all sorts of work. I'd say Kelsi could help, but she's no fun." Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Also, I think that Ryan, Chad and Zeke could give Troy work too." Taylor commented.

"Or maybe. . ." Zeke tapped his finger against his chin, looking at his girlfriend. "would it be too awkward if I came onto Gabs?"

Sharpay squealed, "That is amazing! And we have to play up that these feelings have been building since high school or college or something like that!" She clapped her hands together.

"And we can be surprised that these feelings have stayed hidden as long as they have." Chad added. "And hopefully Troy and Ella won't believe that each other is getting hit on." He nodded, "And then we corner them into saying 'I love you' in front of us to each other!"

Sharpay nodded, "That's essentially it." She poured another glass of wine, "So Zeke, are you in?"

Zeke nodded after a moment, "Yeah, I'm in."

"Operation: Friends is a go!" Chad pumped his fist in the air.

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MAS