Thank you to my Gabriella
It had been a year since Sharpay Evans had graduated from East High. She had helped out with the drama department and did a year at the U of A, but it just wasn't enough for her. She yearned to be on stage. So when her parents needed a performer for a charity dinner at Lava Springs, she jumped at the chance. She spent days rehearsing the song, getting the choreography down and making sure she had the perfect outfit. She never knew when the right person would see her and give her that big break. She took her place on stage and began to sing her song:
There's a moment when you realize that something's changedAll the bits and pieces start to fit, so fabWhen nothing that you know will ever be the sameRing a bell, that's my cue, gotta try something new
Gonna shine and make the moment mineNow my time has arrivedGonna shine so bright the sun will run and hideAnd I'll be the only star that lights the sky
I'm gonna shine, yeahListen up, fellas
Now there's nothing in this universe to hold me back, bye cabThe endless night can keep me in the darkAnd I just might give my dear old dad a heart attackBut he'll live and he'll see what his girl is meant to be
Gonna shine and leave the past behindGonna try to fly so highGonna climb and make the prize all mineThen I'll write my name in letters across the sky
I'm gonna shine and if my present luminescent state is second rateI'll turn it up a notch past nine and watch the world go blind
Got a diva dazzle that you just can't touchLike an angel in Armani I'm too fabulousThey'll be lining up for blocks once I bop to the topWith a poochie in my Gucci, I just can't be stopped
She was so into the song and her performance, butwhen she spotted a pair of blue eyes in the audience, she froze. There he was. With a huge smile on his face, he winked when they locked eyes. She flashed Troy a smile and kept singing.
I'm gonna shine and make the moment mineNow my time has arrivedGonna shine so bright the sun will run and hideAnd I'll be the only star that lights the skyI'm gonna shine
She finished the song and took her bow, loving the standing ovation. She left the stage to go change and the second she walked into the dining area of the club, she saw him waiting for her. "Troy, what are you doing here?!" Unable to contain her excitement, she pulled him into a hug.
"Well, I was in town visiting my parents and they had tickets to this dinner and I decided to come along. You were amazing and you look great," he said with all sincerity.
Sharpay waved at his parents and immediately looked for Gabriella. Certainly she couldn't be far behind, but she was pleasantly surprised when she couldn't find the brunette. She asked while trying to hide the happiness she felt, "Where's Gabriella?"
"She's at Stanford. We actually broke up a few weeks ago, but no one knows yet. Just my parents know…and,well, now you. It just wasn't working. I thought going to a school close to her would make it easy, but I'm a different person now and so is she," he explained.
"You want to go on a walk?" She asked, hoping he would say yes. "It would be great to catch up."
Troy didn't even take a second to answer. "Yeah, letsgo!" He said, grabbing her hand.
They started their walk out to the golf course. He asked as they found a spot to sit down on the golf course,"So how's U of A?"
"It's good. It's no Julliard, but I'm making my mark." She asked, "How's Berkley?"
"It was great until I got cut from the team," he said. "I didn't get to play enough and all the other guys on the team were so much better than me. I'm actually transferring to the U of A to play for the Redhawks. It's funny I'm ending up where I should have been all along, plus I'm going to do some drama classes so maybe we will have a few together."
Sharpay couldn't believe what she was hearing! "Well,I can definitely help you with the drama classes," she offered, looking at the view of the mountains from the course. "If you had told me two years ago we would be sitting right here together right now, I would've told you to go fuck yourself," she said, laughing at the thought. "I'm sorry about you and Gabriella by the way. I haven't been having much luck in the love department either. I've been on a few dates, but so far there hasn't been anyone special."
He let her last words hang in the air a moment before responding, "Well, maybe the right person has been in your life all along. The timing was wrong until now." He stood up and walked her towards the pool.
"Very funny, Bolton. Yes, I was in love with you in high school it's all so very funny," she said while dipping a toe in the water. "If you haven't noticed, I left you alone after graduation. I didn't try to steal you from Gabriella. So who's to say I even like you anymore?"
"Oh come on, Evans. You still like me. Don't even act like you didn't love the fact I was here seeing you perform. You couldn't stop looking at me," he said in a confident and almost cocky tone.
"In your dreams," she said, raising an eyebrow before pushing him into the pool.
Troy hit the water and came up for air. "You did not just push me in the pool!" He swam to the steps and chased after her, yelling, "You're next!" He put his arms around her.
"Oh my god, Troy! My outfit is soaking wet now!" She yelled, trying to get away from him.
"Well then you won't mind when I do this," he said before pushing her in the pool and then jumping in.
When she surfaced her hair was flat and lifeless, her makeup and outfit were done for. Instead of throwing her usual drama queen fit, she started to laugh.
"Wow! Sharpay Evans not flipping out about falling in a pool…you have changed," he said while noticing the sun was almost set and it was getting dark.
"Oh shut up," she said, splashing him and rolling her eyes. "I am capable of having fun, you ass," she added before swimming to the steps and getting out of the pool. She got a towel and put it over her shoulders, and then saton a lounge chair while tossing a towel Troy's way. He still looked like a total Greek god, but she would never let him know she was thinking that.
He sat down next to her and said, "Well, you've definitely managed to make my night memorable. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"Well I'm glad I could entertain you," she said while standing up to go inside and change.
"Wait," he said, stopping her. "No games, no plotting, no ulterior motives, no high school drama." He pulled her towards him.
She looked at him like he was crazy and asked, "What on earth are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about us," he said, going in for a kiss before she could protest. The second their lips touched, she realized what he meant. Under the glow of the moonlight at the place that had brought them so close to being together in high school, Sharpay Evans finally got what she wanted. She couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.