The Girl Behind the Mask

Summary: Who is Sharpay Evans? Chad is determined to find out. If only she will let him. Post HSM 3

Yes, I'm starting a new story. Don't worry it's probably only going to be three chapters. I want to get this out of the way before I start on my rewrite of HSM3. I'm still working on Scenes From Freshman Year. I should have a new chapter of that late this week or early next week.

This is going to start as a T, but knowing Chad and Sharpay it may become an M.

Pairings: Chad/OC, Sharpay/Chad

A couple of months ago, Digigirl02 ask me to write a story based on the song Masquerade by the Backstreet Boys. This is the story I came up with.

"I gotta know the girl behind the mask
Let me in, where you've been, don't pretend
Dreamed that I had her alone
Show your face to me, we could be everything"

Part one: The Enigma That is Sharpay Evans

No one really knows Sharpay Evans. She is an excellent performer in life as well as on the stage. Even Ryan would be hard pressed to tell anybody who is sister really was underneath her many personas. Chad has known her sense seventh grade when her family moved to Albuquerque from Newport and still doesn't really know who she is.

At times he thought he knew, but now he knows better. In junior high he thought she was the new girl desperately trying to find her place. She hid behind her pink backpack and Ryan. She used her family wealth to make new friends who only liked her for what she could give them. No one was allowed to penetrate beyond the surface.

In high school, he thought she was the ice queen bitch trying to take his best friend away from him. It turns out that was Gabriella's role. Troy was still doing wonderful at Berkeley, a year and a half later with a new girlfriend that Chad can actually tolerate.

Gabriella left half way during freshman year after snapping under the pressure. He really didn't know where the woman was now. He knew Taylor would know, but he rarely talk to her nowadays. It really didn't matter now.

At Lava Springs, Sharpay was the one in charge. She ruled over her Kingdome without thinking and with absolute power. At least that is what he thought his first summer at Lava Springs. The second summer she started to let him see that she was more than that. Last summer he already knew that those personas were all facades finally crafted by a master actress. The only problem was she wouldn't let him see underneath the façade.

In college, Sharpay wore so many different masks he wasn't even sure who she was anymore. He was positive none of those personas were remotely real are at the very least only slightly real. She was still the ice queen bitch sometimes. Other times she was that new girl desperately trying to fit in. Other times she was a great person who would do anything to help anyone. Sometimes she was the diva of stage. Other times she was the writing major trying to create her next play. She is a million different things, but were any of them really her? He didn't know.

He started to see beyond Sharpay's traditional persona during the summer between senior year of high school and freshman year of college. They bonded over their mutual frustration about being the only ones staying in town. He was the only one of the group working there that summer and for some reason he and Sharpay hung out a lot. (Ryan left for NYC early leaving Sharpay alone that summer.) There were even a couple of nights where they ate junk food and talked about being dump by various friends, lovers, and siblings.

There were both angry about being dumped by Troy for Gabriella. For Sharpay it was losing her crush and her acting partner. For Chad, it was like losing his other half.

Even though Troy is really just a friend he feels like he's been dumped. He's more upset about Troy leaving him than he is about Taylor leaving. The only difference is he is still friends with Troy. Over the last two years, he's emailed Taylor a grand total of five times. It does not matter because he has been over Taylor for a long time.

When college begins, he realizes he spends a lot of time with Sharpay on campus. He doesn't really know why because he used to hate her. Sometimes he still does. When she's being Sharpay the bitch, he can't stand her. When she's tutoring freshman at East High, he thinks she's the most wonderful person in the world. At some point, they become friends. He has no idea how.

Sharpay being a sorority girl doesn't surprise him. Although at this point in their relationship, nothing Sharpay does really surprise him anymore. The thing that might be a little shocking is Sharpay decides to join a historically African American sorority. Her excuse was it was the only sorority on campus where she wouldn't be a legacy and they allow anybody to join now. Chad understands not wanting to be in someone else's shadow. The good thing about Troy being at Berkeley is for once Chad isn't constantly compared to Troy.

During the second semester of their freshman year Sharpay makes him go on a date with the vice president of her sorority Cam. They work out in a casual way and for some reason Sharpay is pissed. He doesn't understand why Sharpay is upset. She was the one who forced him to go out with Cam in the first place. He will never understand the mind of Sharpay Evans.

That summer he works at Lava Springs again but this time he is Sharpay's personal assistant. Basically he gets paid twice as much as the year before to hang out with Sharpay and keep idiots from hitting on her at the pool. Because she's his friend he probably would do that anyway. She even gets Troy a job there. Things go much better than that first summer or maybe he's just used to being around Sharpay and no longer had the urge to throw her in a lake.

In front of everyone she is still the same ice queen she always was in high school. When there alone in her suite she's his best friend. Sometimes he thinks of her as more than a friend, but doesn't want to cross that line.

Troy couldn't understand how Chad was so close to Sharpay now. Chad could not explain it either. He tried to explain about the many masks she wore. Troy didn't believe him. Chad was positive he was the only person who was aware that no one really saw the truth face of Sharpay Evans.

It's three weeks to Valentine's Day 2010 and he's waiting outside the meeting room to pick up Cam for their almost date. He has nothing to do but listen in on the meeting. He's surprised to hear Cam suggest that the annual Valentine's Day Masquerade Ball become a charity benefit for Haiti disaster relief.

He's not just surprise because Cam suggested something that selfless. He is starting to see that Cam is the opposite of Sharpay. The more he gets to know Cam, the more likely he knows this relationship will fall apart at any moment. He doubts they will make it to Valentine's Day.

He's more shocked because Cam suggested what he and Sharpay talked about last night. He knows everyone here sees Sharpay as the shallow rich White girl. (Even though she is a quarter Hispanic.) Sharpay plays the role given to her perfectly never doing anything to give off the impression that she's more than a stereotype.

When he worked as her personal assistant he saw firsthand how much she gave to charity. It wasn't just her money, but her time as well. He remembered going with her last summer when she volunteered at a local day camp for underprivileged children. She helped the children stage their own play. When she was with the children, he saw this part of her that no one else ever saw. She was laughing and smiling. It was so great.

The more time he spends with Sharpay, the more confused he becomes. He realizes that all the different personas are mask that she wears. He is aware of this, but he still can't get underneath. He never wanted to do anything more because he realizes he's starting to fall in love with her regardless.

A/N: Tell me what you think.