Miss Popularity

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
She's a walking casting call
A fashion runway doll
Her 4.0 comes naturally
She's good at everything
She's got a following
An entourage of copy queens
No need to try out for the school play
You know she'll get the lead anyway
Yeah

Gabriella looked down at the picture in her hand, her sad smile only getting sadder by the sight of the smiling blonde girl with the piercing brown eyes. She looked so happy in that picture. She had her whole life waiting for her, and that summer day was just one in a bunch of other to come.

The sun was hitting her blonde curls, and Gabriella herself was smiling next to her, the hugest grin on her face, while she laughed, excitement covering her features. Sharpay was holding the camera up for them, and the only thing on it was their faces. Their heads were closely together, and Gabriella could see exactly how happy they had been.

She let a tear fall down on the picture, where it slid across Sharpay's face and trailed to her fingers and down further, where it ended, damping the back of her hand. She hated this, she hated life without her, she hated watching these pictures, but still she couldn't help but do so. There was something about the way she was so happy, and that was really the way Gabriella wanted to remember her.

Sharpay was always happy. She always had a smile on her face, and the room lit up when she stepped into it. She acted tough in school, but once you got to know her, she was the sweetest person alive. And after Gabriella had befriended her, Sharpay had been nicer to everyone. People around campus actually stopped shivering when she came by, and she made friends with girls and guys from other cliques. She loved hanging out with the chess club, because it turned out, she had a secret passion for that as well. It surprised everyone how little they had actually known her.

She was just… she was perfect, and everybody liked her. Gabriella was glad to have known her. Sharpay had made a huge impact in her life, and she had taught her so many things, and they had done so much, Gabriella would never forget. She would never forget her. All the clothes they'd bought together, all the songs they'd been singing. The pictures they had taken, it all meant so much to her, and she wished Sharpay had known that.

She let out a deep breath and hugged the picture closer to her heart. Her best friend was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. Her boyfriend's sister, Troy's girlfriend. She was gone. It was unbearable, and all because of a drunk driver. She didn't deserve this, she deserved a real life, she deserved to live the fullest, and get her big break on Broadway. Now she'd never experience that. It was so sad.

Looking at that picture, reminded Gabriella of all the other pictures they'd taken together. She had them all on a disk, Sharpay had made it for her. She'd only printed out the few she wanted, but now she felt like seeing all of them. There were pictures from the past two years, since Gabriella had come to East High. From their performance in Twinkle Town, to Troy's basketball games, and Gabriella's academic achievements.

She scrolled through all the pictures on her computer, as the tears started streaming down her face even harder. She missed her so much it hurt. Just the thought of never seeing her again was enough to let Gabriella sob and get lost in her picture. She was the best friend she had ever had, and she deserved better.

Just then she remembered something she had written a long time ago. She hadn't finished it, but she started it right after the whole 'Breaking Free' thing, when she had seen Sharpay. Just the way she walked down the hallway, and everything, Gabriella had felt so… intimidated, but something about her just got to Gabriella. And that was how they ended up best friends.

She quickly opened the folder on the computer where she had saved the song. It was just about half done, and now she felt the need to finish it. In a week they were gonna have sort of a memorial service for Sharpay. They had never lost a student like that before at East High, and Principal Matsui really felt like he needed to say something. Every student would be there, every teacher, and all of the parents could come as well.

She needed to do this, and she really knew just how to.

She's the girl that you love to hate
She's a heart stopping double take
Everyone knows that she's got it made
Workin' hard to be
Miss Popularity

Gabriella stood by the side of the stage, watching as everybody got settled in the auditorium. She had gotten help with her plan from the computer club, a club Sharpay had befriended too. She hoped everybody would appreciate the effort.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans were there, of course. They looked sad, as they sat with Ryan next to them. Troy was there as well, seated between both his parents, who had come to love Sharpay as their own after she and Troy started going out. Practically all East High was mourning, but of course. Everybody knew Sharpay.

Principal Matsui entered the stage, ready to greet everyone welcome. Though it wasn't exactly a happy occasion. He looked down at all the people in the hall, a sad expression on his face, "Hello everybody." He said, and the little small talk there had been going on, died out, "We're here today, to remember a lovely student, who's life was taken away from her too early, we're here to remember Sharpay Evans."

The hall listened closely, and Gabriella could fell her throat tightening, as she watched Mrs. Evans burst into tears again, burying her head into her husband's shoulder.

"She was a… a great student." Principal Matsui continued, "A straight A student with lots of potential. We often enjoyed watching her in school plays with her brother, and she was one of the best and most talented performers. I don't have a lot to say about her, because the Sharpay we teachers knew, is not the Sharpay you all knew. Therefore, her best friend Gabriella Montez is here to say a few words."

Gabriella stepped onto the stage, looking at all the expecting faces. She got the microphone, and stared at them all, her heart beating faster and faster, "Oh hi…" she said, "Hi. Uhm, I… I haven't really prepared anything to say to you all, because… I tried sitting down to write something memorable about Sharpay, but I realized that there was just too many good, wonderful things about her to summon up, and it wouldn't do its justice. Sharpay was… She was an amazing person, and I'm sure you all agree with me. It's gonna be hard to cope without her smile, and without her laugh and just… her presence all in all."

Gabriella let out a deep breath and continued;

"When I first came here to East High, Sharpay and I didn't come off to a very good start. I begun by stealing a part in the school play, which we all knew was not received very well. But luckily enough we became best friends. But before I got to know her, after one of my first days here, I started to write a song about her, 'cause she just inspired me so much. Of course I never got to finish it, but the other day when I was looking trough all the pictures we've taken throughout these years, I came across it, and started to finish it. That song will be my ode to Sharpay, and my big send off. It's certainly supposed to be taken in a positive way."

Just then a big screen started to come down from the ceiling, while Tomas from the computer club, got his laptop ready.

"It's called Miss Popularity." Gabriella told them, "And I had Tomas help me make a slide show of Sharpay with pictures from her life. There's a lot of pictures from her time here at East High, but also her time before that. Christmases and birthdays, and what I believe is her and Ryan bathing naked in their backyard pool."

The crowd laughed a little, and it eased the tension.

"Just… just promise me to remember Sharpay." Gabriella said, tears erupting around her eyes, "Because… she was a good person, and she did not deserve to die. These pictures are in honour of her, and I hope you'll all respect that, even if you were not close to her or any of her friends. I'm sure it would mean a lot to her."

She wears the cutest clothes
She has the latest phone
And all the right accessories
Her skin's like porcelain
Her hair is perfect and
Sometimes she really gets to me
She's gorgeous and you know she knows it
She's a size zero and she loves to show it
Yeah

The pictures started playing across the screen and Gabriella started singing her heart out, while everyone were glued to the screen.

There were pictures of Mrs. Evans holding two small babies, one in pink and one in blue. Pictures of the twins sleeping, and in their strollers. Then there was the famous pool picture when they were around 5 years old. Their first day of school, and Sharpay and Ryan at Halloween.

There were pictures from their first school play, and Sharpay dancing around singing. There were a picture where she smiled brightly with a missing front tooth. She was hugging Kelsi at one, and Ryan was giving her a piggyback ride at another.

Gabriella could see people getting tears in their eyes if they hadn't already had it before. The Evans' were smiling brightly through their tears, because they didn't known if they should cry or smile. She watched Troy cry too, a smile on his face when there was a picture of him and Sharpay in the first grade, playing on the swings. That picture faded into another one, where they were hugging tightly, a few years later, around 6th grade. Then that one faded into one of the most recent ones, where Troy was kissing her on the mouth, and Gabriella had sneaked a picture of the happy couple.

There was a picture of Taylor and Sharpay on the swings in the park, while Chad was laughing in the background. Ryan and Sharpay were dancing, Gabriella and Sharpay were on the pool chairs by the pool. Sharpay was jumping around on her bed in her underwear, and another one of Troy and Sharpay. This time they were close together, lying on Troy's bed, sleeping. Ryan had taken that picture.

There was one with her in her car, and then a group picture of her and all her friends. There were pictures from around East high, she was looking really concentrated playing chess, and she was painting her room white, covered in paint. She was hugging her dad, and eating ice cream with her mom. She made funny faces in front of the camera with Taylor and Chad, and her and Ryan were trying on ugly clothes.

She's the girl that you love to hate
She's a heart stopping double take
Everyone knows that she's got it made
Workin' hard to be
Miss Popularity
She's the girl that you love to hate
She's a heart stopping double take
Everyone knows that she's got it made
Workin' hard to be
Miss Popularity

Her yearbook pictures faded over the screen from each year, in the right order, and as the song ended, her tombstone showed on the screen, and everybody looked at Gabriella again.

"I hope you'll all remember her as the good person she was." Gabriella finished, turning off her microphone.

She made her way down the stage and turned to Ryan and his parents. Mrs. Evans pulled her in for a deep hug, letting out more tears.

"Thank you so much, Gabriella." Mr. Evans said, his voice sincere, "That was really beautiful."

"You're welcome." Gabriella replied, pulling away from Mrs. Evans, "Sharpay was my best friend. I really miss her."

"I love you Gabby," Ryan said, hugging her too, "Thank you so much, Sharpay would have loved this. You're the best."

Gabriella smiled at him, and excused herself, approaching Troy who was staring into space, sitting on the same seat. His parents had left him, giving him some privacy. She sat down next to him, waiting for him to break their silence, as the auditorium emptied.

"That was… amazing Gabriella." Troy said, not turning to look at her. His voice was full of pain, and Gabriella knew how much her death had hurt him. He had really loved her, "And that song was… so Sharpay."

"I thought so." Gabriella said, "But with the pictures in it, really made it better. I hope it didn't hurt too much."

"Not at all." Troy said, finally turning his head, "They all saw the real Sharpay. And all those pictures of me and her from when we were younger was just… it was good to see them again."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Gabriella questioned, when they were the only two people left in the room, "To know you're never gonna hug her again, or see her smiling face, or hear her voice. To know you'll never get to see her grow up and have children and do what she loved the most."

"It does." Troy agreed, tears sliding down his cheeks again, "It really does, Gabriella. I loved her. She was my everything… How can I go on now? I look at her pictures for at least 12 hours a day, with the soundtrack from one of her musicals blaring through my speakers, just to hear her voice. How can I really live now, Gabriella? She was it… I love her so much."

Gabriella leaned forward and enveloped him in a big hug, padding his back lightly, "I know it's cliché to say, Troy, but time really does heal pain. You'll learn to live with it, and deal with it. No, you'll never stop missing her and loving her, and wishing she was here, but you'll learn to go on and have a life. I promise. I've lost my dad, I know what I'm talking about."

"Thanks, Gabriella." Troy mumbled, "It helps a little, but right now I just need to miss her."

She's every teacher's pet
There ain't no guy that she can't get
Her daddy kin is loaded
And her mommy drives a pink Corvette

Oooh whoa whoa whoa
Oooh whoa whoa
Oooh whoa whoa

Gabriella traced her fingers over the inscription on the gravestone, her finger lingering in the little heart by her name. The words didn't make any sense, not on a stone like this. It wasn't supposed to end just like that, she was supposed to be laughing, talking, breathing right now.

She placed the flowers on top of the dirty ground and stood up again, looking around the graveyard. No one was really there. She was all alone, with her thoughts. So much had stopped working after Sharpay was gone. The Spring Musical got cancelled, even though Gabriella was ready to take her part as the understudy, but it just didn't work that way. Sharpay was made for that part, and she was supposed to play Sandy who fell in love with Danny, who was played by Troy. Gabriella was Frenchy, and if she took Sharpay's part, someone else would have to do hers, and everything would get mixed up.

She slowly walked away from the stone, looking back a few times. On her way home she passed that faithful corner where Sharpay had lost her life. The place was still covered with flowers, letters, small teddy bears and lit candles. It was beautiful, and everyone who passed that place knew that that was where Sharpay Evans had lost her life.

Gabriella didn't feel like doing anything yet. Her life had no point whatsoever. Not yet. Taylor had softly asked her if she wanted to go watch Chad, Zeke and Jason play basketball in the park, but she would rather visit Sharpay and then go home to look at pictures and listen to their favorite song again and again.

She knew Troy and Ryan's days were pretty much the same as hers, and she had no idea when one of them would give up on it. It took time to overcome, but someday they would, that was for sure. Right now they just needed to have time to miss her, and love her, and cry.

It was hard to face the facts, but Sharpay Evans would not sing another tune in her life, she would not smile another smile, she wouldn't dress for another party. She was really gone.

Workin' hard to be
Oh
Miss Popularity
She's the girl that you love to hate
She's a heart stopping double take
Everyone knows that she's got it made
Workin' hard to be
Miss Popularity
She's the girl that you love to hate
She's a heart stopping double take
Everyone knows that she's got it made
Workin' hard to be
Miss Popularity

So yeah. I got the song from Jordan Pruitt's album "No Ordinary Girl", that Michelle send me all the songs from after she got home from Canada. I fell in love with this immediately, it's called "Miss Popularity", and I hope you liked it. The song is not really positively, but I put that spin on it, so I hope you liked this. And yes, I find it possible that Gabriella and Sharpay could become friends, they're not that different.

The memorial service, was inspired from the one we held when my former best friend's sister died. She lived in a town around and hour from where I live, and it was a very small service, since she didn't have a job, nor did she go to school, and she didn't have much family and friends left. My best friend lived with her for some time, since their parents are gone, but then she moved in with some friends instead. We were around 20 people at the memorial service, and yeah, that's not a lot, and it was held in a small apartment, but my best friend made a slide show with pictures of her sister's life, while a song played in the background. Pretty much like Gabriella did in this. I was crying just thinking about it.

Comments, please?

And oh, I almost forgot to tell you this; I do not own High School Musical or the song Miss Popularity. It sucks, doesn't it?

Dedication: Michelle (Noukka) who is the reason I even know this song, and who had to listen to my babbling after my friend's sister died, and a long time after. I love you girl, you're the best.