Leaning now into the breeze
Remembering Sunday, he falls to his knees

They were happy to see each other, surprised by how ten years had come and go. They were chatting, drinking, and enjoying life. She stood in the center of all her friends, wearing a cute blue plunging neckline dress with grey pumps and some simple gold jewelry in her ears and around her wrist. She was the epitome of chic and looked as though she hadn't aged since they graduated high school, yet she also had the looks of being ten years more mature. She was, as she was in high school, dazzling.

Sharpay Evans loved getting caught up with Chad and Taylor Danforth, her brother Ryan and Gabriella Evans (even though she saw them every month), Jason Cross and his pretty brunette wife, Zeke and Martha Baylor, and Kelsi Nielson. It was strange to see how much they had all changed. Chad and Taylor had three kids and another on the way, Gabriella and Ryan were in the process of adopting a little girl from out of the country, and everyone was successful in their lives. They had all done good and captured their dreams. They thrived in their life. Everything was perfect for them and they were enjoying themselves.

Until Chad dropped the bombshell that Sharpay had been avoiding thinking about the whole night. "Do you think Troy's going to show up?"

Troy Bolton, the only former friend of the gang who was currently not present at their reunion. He was the most popular of them too, so it was odd that he wouldn't be doing the rounds at the reunion, but it was relieving to Sharpay. Troy Bolton was the only one Sharpay would ever give her heart to and she almost did, but she freaked and ran out on him, leaving town with no notice. The man who's heart she broke.

Taylor hit her husband of eight years' shoulder. "Don't mention him," she warned, looking sympathetically at Sharpay. To the gang, they assumed Troy hurt her. Sharpay wasn't ready to correct them; they thought that for five years.

"Speak of the devil," Jason mumbled, looking towards the door.

And speak of the devil it was. The one-who-shall-not-be-named was walking into the gym of their former high school. He wasn't the same eighteen year old or even the twenty-three year old Sharpay knew. He looked haggard, like he hadn't slept in a long time. His clothes were old and faded. His bright eyes were dull and he didn't have the same spark he once had. He was different. He wasn't the Troy Bolton he once was. He was just some boring man, another face in the crowd.

Chad walked over to the man, slapping his former friend's back and smiled at him. "Hey, Troy," he said in a friendly voice. "Haven't seen you in a long time."

Troy didn't say anything in response, keeping his facial expressions blank. As he came closer, Sharpay noticed the scruffy beard on his face, a telltale sign of disregarding his appearance. Closer inspection revealed he wore a black skinny tie Sharpay swore she gave him, a plain white shirt, dark denim jeans, and a pair of basic dress shoes. He looked like he had been locked in a windowless room for years, as his tan skin was pale in comparison to how she remembered it.

"Hi, Troy," everyone greeted him together, trying to remain as civil as possible. He nodded at them, still remaining abnormally quiet. Who was he?

"Troy," Sharpay said, offering a small smile. "It's good to see you. It's been so long, Troy."

He showed the least bit of emotion by shooting a glare her way. He sighed, sticking his hands in the pockets of his pants. "I thought I owed this school something by showing up," he spoke up. He sounded depressed and saddened. "It's good to see you all."

Sharpay grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the group. "I'm glad to see you," she told him as she hugged him. "You look good," she added the lie.

He rolled his eyes. "You're so full of shit," he said flatly. "And you're glad to see me? What is this? The Twilight Zone?"

Sharpay felt hurt. So he still harbored some bad feelings for her. She couldn't tell if the feelings she appreciated were still there. Troy was so hollow now. The man she loved had to be in there somewhere. He just had to be.

Now this place seems familiar to him
She pulled on his hand with a devilish grin

There was a girly scream followed by a man's laugh.

The young teen girl stood in her backyard, soaked from head to toe, while her taller male friend was standing ten feet away and holding a hose, while laughing at her. She shook the beads of water from her recently dyed blonde hair and playfully glared at him.

"I'm going to kill you, Troy!" she yelled.

She started running towards him, smiling. His eyes went wide as he stopped laughing, and took off. He led her in a chase around the large backyard. They were both laughing and out of breath halfway through the chase. He stopped by the pool, watching as she ran full speed towards him. She realized he was stop, but it was too late, and the pair went flying into the pool, laughing hysterically as they hit the water and resurfaced shortly after. She had her arms around his neck, so their heads were inches apart.

"I like this view," he commented, his arms around her waist. She blushed. "I'm serious."

She giggled.

"What's so funny?"

She smiled. "Your voice," was her answer.

He had recently gone through puberty and his voice was deeper. She loved it. He was her best friend, but now that he was getting older, there was something about him.

"I love you," she told him.

He grinned, lifting her up above the water. "I love you too," he told her as he tossed her petite frame into the deeper end of the pool. She shrieked again as she hit the water a second time.

She led him upstairs, she led him upstairs
Left him dying to get in

He gulped as the memories surfaced. Sharpay was looking at him. He knew he was looking distance with the flashback.

"I miss us," he admitted.

She shook her head. "You- you can't say that to me. Us? What was us? We were a shitty couple, you know that."

Her words hit him hard and deep. He hated to think that the six years of dating meant nothing to her. It wasn't fair. This was the girl he had wanted to marry for as long as he could remember. And she didn't think their time as a couple was good? Either she was lying to herself or she had been lying to him for years.

"You don't mean that," he told her, voice hitching. "I loved you, Sharpay. You were my everything."

She shook her head rapidly. Her eyes were wet with forming tears. "Don't do this. Don't do this here. Anywhere but here."

He shrugged. "Fine," he said as he walked towards the exit.

She was left to stand like an idiot, once again feeling terrible.

But have you seen this girl?
She's been running through my dreams

"Cheers!"

They all clinked their glasses together, despite only two of them being filled with an alcoholic beverage. It was his twenty-first birthday, and they were going to celebrate right. They had to. It was junior year of college and he only got one twenty-first birthday. They all made sure they got together to be with him.

It was a day that seemed to follow a long period of bad luck. December had brought a lot of problems for the college athlete. His knee was injured in the big game against his school's biggest rival. Completely messed up, leaving him without his favorite activity and his full-ride scholarship. His parents couldn't afford the Division I school, so with only a year and a half left, he left. He went back home to Albuquerque to figure stuff out.

They all came down for his January birthday, none of them seeing him since before the accident. They met up at a restaurant to celebrate. She brought him to the party, having already been in town since his injury. They were coming close to their fourth anniversary. She had to be the supportive one, especially with him being down on his luck.

"Thanks guys for doing this," he told them all after having his first legal taste of alcohol. "It means a lot."

She gave him a hug. "We're here for you, babe. You've been through a lot." She turned to their four closest friends: Ryan, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor. "It's great that you guys could all fly in." He nodded his agreement.

Chad nodded and smiled teasingly at the couple. "So, when are you guys going to get married? You've been dating for what? Eighteen years." He laughed. "I would've thought you would've gotten married before Tay and me."

"Four," she corrected him. She rolled her eyes. "It's too early to think about that stuff. We're so young." She blushed. "No offense."

He shrugged, having already thought about the topic since Chad's wedding. He knew he was going to marry her someday, but now, he wasn't even sure about bringing it up.

And it's driving me crazy, it seems
I'm going to ask her to marry me

She walked back to the group alone. "He left."

Chad crossed his arms across his chest. "I was hoping to catch up with him."

She shrugged. "I don't think he wanted to be here in the first place."

"I think he came for a reason," Chad countered. "You."

Even though she doesn't believe in love,
He's determined to call her bluff

He was lying on her bed, naked and staring at the hot pink ceiling. He could feel her body next to his and he liked it. They had just shared the most intimate connection two humans could have. They hadn't been dating long, but it was perfect. It was just how he imagined and by the look of her face, she felt the same.

She rolled onto her side to face him. "That was amazing," she told him.

He nodded.

"I'm so glad I'm with you," she added.

"I love you." He said it. He said the L-word first.

And she didn't respond. Maybe she didn't hear him. He figured that was it; he just needed to say it louder and again.

"I love you," he repeated for her. "Sharpay Leigh Evans, I'm in love with you."

"I don't know," she responded sadly.

Their first fight followed shortly after that. It was weird and awkward, feelings he never got around her. He left her house angry, another first. It was all overwhelming and as he looked back on the night ever since then, he couldn't help but wonder:

Why did he see it right then and there?

Who could deny these butterflies?
They're filling his gut

She left after he did, searching for him. She didn't want him to leave like this, especially if Chad was right. Maybe she could get a second chance. He'd be willing; he just admitted he missed her. She was his everything.

She found him sitting on a bus stop bench, about a mile or two away from their high school. She sat down next to him. He remained silent. She faced him, watching for anything. He just stared in front of him.

"I want to explain myself."

He raised an eyebrow. "Explain yourself? Okay. Do it. Start from when you ran off to fucking Paris."

"I don't want to talk about this."

He laughed. It wasn't a friendly laugh, but a cynical one. "Oh, are you and Pierre fighting?"

"I never got together with Pierre! He was a friend at work," she insisted. "He offered me a good job and I wanted to take it. You weren't doing anything to make an income."

"Oh yeah. That's a great reason to just leave me with no notice, Sharpay! You just up and left," he scoffed.

"Stop it. I didn't want to hurt me."

He finally looked at her. "Well, you did a great job at that," he told her sarcastically. He stood up. "I'm over you. I've been trying to get over you for five years. Now, I'm there."

As he walked away, she wondered if when she left, he felt just like she did now.

Waking the neighbors, unfamiliar faces
He pleads though he tries

He rushed up the stairs to her apartment, excited to tell her his news. He had been working so hard to find a plan for his future and he finally did. He knew she'd be thrilled. He was so excited himself. He was finally going to do something right.

He got to her door and started knocking on it. No response. He tried again, knocking louder. Nothing. Getting discouraged, he stepped back.

"Sharpay?" he called, looking around. "Baby, it's me. Let me in."

A door opened, but it wasn't Sharpay's. Instead, it was her neighbor, an elderly lady who was also the landlord.

"Troy? What are you doing here?" the woman asked, confused.

"I'm looking for Sharpay," he answered.

"Sweetie, she's not here. She left." She frowned at his dumbfounded look. "Oh honey, I thought you knew. I figured she told you."

He thanked the woman and left dejectedly. He walked away from the apartment and down out of the complex. He was in shock. Why would she just leave? She was his best friend and his lover. Certainly her best friend and her lover should get to know and he needed it. He felt empty and hopeless. What was the point of trying to be the best future husband if she just left him?

Screw her. Screw life.

But he's only denied
Now he's dying to get inside

She told them everything.

She went back to the reunion and explained everything to them, from how she was afraid and he was all too willing. She felt bad for lying all these years, but he deserved a good rep with their friends. She took the blame.

No one saw Troy Bolton after that. Rumor was he was onto a different city with different goals. The twenty-eight year old was done living in the shadows and needed to make a name for himself. Just like his friends did, and just like he wanted to five years earlier.

I've done something so terrible
I'm terrified to speak

---

AN: I wrote this in a night, only stopping to watch Cobra Starship and the FMX guys on The Tonight Show. I didn't really proof or anything, because I haven't updated His & Hers in awhile and I felt bad.

If you read the summary of it, you'll know I'm taking a Lazyness Break. I have the next chapter like half-written and I'm stuck, so I'm writing another story. Woo! It'll come out in… September? Sure. Why not?

I'm expecting to be super busy with school though. Senior year. Have to make the most of it.

So, what'd you think? I know it wasn't 'happily ever after,' but I can't write that. Drama rules. Consider this dark romance.

In case you were confused, the order the sections goes is this: Reunion (present time), 14 years old, reunion, 21 years old, reunion, 23 years old, reunion.

REMEMBERING SUNDAY - ALL TIME LOW. I don't own it. Wish I was with Jack. But nope. Only in my dreams. Bummer, man.

XOXO