Disclaimer: I don't own HSM.
thank you to everyone who reviewed! here's chapter 2!
Promise You'll Let Go
Chapter 2: Wildflowers
Sharpay sat shaking on the plane. She lived in New York now, which was much different than Albuquerque.
"Miss, would you like something to eat or drink?" The stewardess asked Sharpay.
"Is it free?" Sharpay asked.
"Water is," the woman answered.
"Then I'll have water."
Sharpay always hated flying. She was usually sick for the whole flight. Especially the last flight. She barely got out of the bathroom the whole flight.
She didn't even know that her mother had cancer, and she had died from it. When Sharpay had imagined going back to Albuquerque, she imagined going to her Mom and showing her that she had made it on her own. But this had changed everything.
She wondered what had happened to her friends; to TROY! Had they changed? What did they look like? Had Troy and Gabriella gotten married? Were Chad and Taylor still together? What about Ryan? Whatever they're like, they're probably not missing me, Sharpay thought. Especially Troy. After the fight that we had…
Five Years Ago
Sharpay felt herself hyperventilating as she walked up to Troy's front doorway. "Sharpay, you can do this." She said to herself. "Just talk to him alone and tell him! He's your best friend, don't worry…" It was the day after graduation.
She was a nervous wreck when she knocked on the door. To make matters worse, Gabriella (Troy's girlfriend now) answered the door.
"What are you doing here Evans?" Gabriella asked conceitedly.
"Guess Montez." Sharpay replied, just as conceitedly.
Even a dog could tell that the two girls hated each other with a passion. Too bad that they had one thing in common: Troy. So they had to behave.
"Troy! Sharpay's here!" Gabriella called, allowing Sharpay to step inside the house.
"Be right there!" Troy called from his room.
Sharpay suddenly felt nauseas. I can't tell him. Especially not with perfect Gabriella there. Actually, the farther away Gabriella was the better.
Troy came down the stairs, saying 'hi', but not even daring to hug her in front of Gabriella. It's always about how the bitch feels, Sharpay thought. Our relationship now is only based on not making Gabriella jealous.
"Troy," Sharpay said, the panic evident in her voice, "I really, really, really need to talk to you." Troy saw that Sharpay was nearing a heart attack.
"Well, just say it Shar. I'm right here." Troy said, obviously not understanding what she meant. Sharpay motioned to Gabriella, looking near panic. "Shar, what's wrong? You're freakin' me out here."
"I need to tell you in private. Alone. With no Gabriella. This is extremely important." Sharpay said, almost in tears.
"Troy and I have no secrets at all. We tell each other everything. Sharpay, I'm not going anywhere." Gabriella insisted, putting her arm around Troy's shoulders, as if claiming him from her.
"Troy, do I really need to beg you?"
"Shar," Troy stood there for a moment, as if thinking of what to do. He looked from Sharpay to Gabriella. "Shar, I'm so sorry, but you'll have to say whatever you need to in front of Gabriella. Whenever I ever had to tell you anything, I had to say it in front of Zeke, didn't it?" (A/N: the thing with Zeke will be explained later in this chapter!)
"I can't Troy! I just can't!" Sharpay begging, a couple of tears rolling down her face, her deep brown eyes begging him to listen to her.
Troy looked at Gabriella, almost pleading with her to leave, but she stood her ground. "I'm sorry." Gabriella smiled triumphantly at Sharpay and sat down on the Bolton's sofa, staring at them.
"Troy, I'm your best friend!"
"Well, Gabriella is my girlfriend!" Troy insisted. "You always put Zeke before me." Sharpay started full fledged crying now. "Shar, whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise!" Troy tried to calm her down, seeing that she was almost desperate.
That's when Sharpay completely lost it.
"Troy, you have to make a choice. Right now." She said seriously. Troy looked at her eyes, completely terrified. "Me or Gabriella?"
Gabriella stood up in complete shock, waiting for his answer too.
Troy was confused beyond belief at Sharpay's question. He found himself in dread. Does she want me? Is she so jealous that she's trying to break us up when I'm finally happy? After I was happy for her and Zeke? Suddenly, Troy felt furious at her. What's she playing at, trying to break us up? She never liked Gabriella. I can't believe that she would sink this low.
"Gabriella." Troy said, his voice shaking a little from anger. Gabriella got up from the couch and hugged him from behind, putting her head on his shoulder.
"I guess I should've expected that." Sharpay whispered.
Sharpay ran out of the house.
"Wait, Sharpay!" Troy ran after her, but when he got to the street he almost fell down from shock.
Her car was filled with bags of her stuff. She didn't look back, but first she backed up a little and opened the window.
"I'm not sorry Troy! You'll find out one day, and I can tell you this: I WILL NOT BE SORRY FOR NOT TELLING YOU!!" Sharpay's body racked with sobs. "Just do me a favor, in memory of our past, okay? Promise you'll let go. Promise me that you'll let it go."
Troy never saw her again.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Sharpay couldn't actually believe that she was going to go back and face it all again.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Five Years Ago, New Year's Eve
Troy smiled contently in the kitchen of his house. His parents were away for tonight It was New Year's Eve of his senior year, and he invited Sharpay over to celebrate the festivities with him.
He was going to tell her he was in love with her.
Sort of.
He had a whole plan worked out.
Once again, sort of.
They would watch the ball drop at midnight. Once the clock struck twelve, he would kiss her. If she kissed back, then he would tell her that he loved her. If she didn't and got all freaked out, he would say that it was New Year's Eve, and everybody kissed at midnight.
Either way (preferably the whole 'kiss back and I love you too' way) he would end up knowing her feelings.
It was four in the afternoon, and Sharpay was due at four. She ran through the front door, and said "TROY!"
"Hey Shar! Happy about the new year or something!"
"Zeke just asked me out. It was sooo romantic, and I said yes! I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"
Troy dropped the mug of hot chocolate that he was filling up for Sharpay. She looked at him in surprise as he picked up the pieces.
"I know you said that maybe we could have our own little party as our last New Year's Eve in high school, but Zeke is throwing this huge party and wants me to go with him. So, do you think that would be okay?" Sharpay said, giving him the 'please please please please please' face.
"Sure, whatever. Have fun." Troy said, throwing the shattered mug away.
"What, you wouldn't come?"
"Nah, I hate those parties."
"Please come Troy. Listen, I'll hang out with Zeke until like ten and then I promise it's all Troy time."
"And what time does the party start?" Troy asked, getting himself a cup of hot chocolate.
"Eight. So it's half Zeke, half you."
"Oh yeah. So it's half "I'll make out passionately with my boyfriend of one hour" time and half "Oh Troy, can I make out with my boyfriend next to you" time. Oh gee, I can't wait." Troy said sarcastically, drinking his hot chocolate.
"You know that's not me. And come on, please?"
"Fine, whatever. But give me permission to say I told you so, especially if you don't talk to me at all."
"Sure. But you won't have to. Now bye!" Sharpay said, walking out the door.
"What, you're not staying?"
Sharpay laughed. "Are you kidding? I have a party to get ready for!"
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Present Day
Sharpay cried herself out of the plane. Not only was she going back to face everything, but after that she thought of why. Her mother was dead. Dead. Not in a coma, where she might wake up. She was lying in a coffin somewhere.
And Sharpay couldn't stop thinking about her last words to her mother.
"You're a fucking jackass if you think I'll be back! You're a whore, a fucking whore, and you can't even help your own daughter. Well FUCK YOU!" Sharpay screamed at her mother.
She sniffed and got into a cab with her bag.
"Albuquerque Cemetery, please." She said, closing her eyes and laying her head back.
Sharpay's eyes were red. She put on her favorite big black sunglasses to cover it, even though it looked like it was going to rain. All of the views that used to be so familiar to her were now foreign and distant. Well, that's what five years of pain does to you¸ she thought.
The driver stopped and she paid him. She carried her bag with her, dabbing her eyes. She was wearing a long, black slender dress. It was her mother's favorite on her.
People were arriving from the Funeral Home across the street. "Is the casket still open?" Sharpay asked in a low voice, hoping to disguise herself. The man she asked nodded, and so she ran as fast as she could in her heels to the home.
She saw the Bolton's coming out of the room, but avoided them. She ran in and saw that it was empty. She took off her sunglasses and walked to the front of the room.
She took her mom's hand in her own, her tears falling on her mother's dead body. "Mom," she whispered, unable to control the tears, kneeling down next to the coffin and sobbing uncontrollably. She laid her head on her mother's chest. Her hands stiffened when she didn't feel the heartbeat.
Her mother really was gone.
"Mom," Sharpay whispered, finally being able to talk again. "You always told me that…that" Sharpay wiped away the tears and took a deep breath. "You always told me that a person's brain doesn't stop hearing things until the coffin lid is closed. I thought I had missed that. So I hope you can hear me."
Sharpay wiped her eyes again and tried to regain her composure. Of course, it was useless, but it helped a little.
"Mom, I forgave you the minute that I hit New York. I missed you so much everyday. I would totally understand if you didn't miss me at all. I didn't even know you had cancer; I don't even know which kind!" Sharpay cried, touching her mother's hair.
"Mom, you showed me everything. After Dad left, you were my Mom and Dad, my hero and my savior. I looked up to you so much. I just can't believe that you're not alive to hear this." Sharpay's face fell even more. "I wanted you to meet her so bad. And she's dead too! But at least you can meet her now.
"You're in a better place than this fucking hell now Mom. I wish that I had a better reason to come back, rather than this. But Mom, I hope that you know that I have loved you forever, I always have and I always will. You taught me how to be a good person. I didn't appreciate you enough and I didn't thank you enough for being such an amazing person. Mom, I love you so much." Sharpay cried into her mother's chest. She kissed both of her cheeks and her forehead, and then looked up. "I love you." A breeze went through the room, and she could've sworn it sounded like "I love you too". But that was just her imagination, she thought.
She left the room and went back to the cemetery.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Sharpay went to the seats in the cemetery. She noticed that the man she had talked to was in the first row. She saw her aunts and uncles and cousins. She saw the Bolton's, also in the first row. Ryan seemed to be consoling that same man. With a jolt, she saw Gabriella holding Ryan's hand. She noticed that Chad and Taylor were both missing.
Just then her cousin Victoria turned around and recognized her immediately. She tapped Sharpay's aunt and uncle on the shoulder, who tapped the man. He turned around, and so did Ryan. Then everyone added two plus two and realized who she was.
Troy gasped when he saw her. Sharpay noticed that Ryan had a strong grip on his shoulder, keeping him in place, just so he wouldn't run to her.
People freed the way for her. She went up to Ryan, and cried on his shoulder.
"Shar, you look beautiful."
"No I don't. It's just amazing to see you!" Sharpay sat down in between Ryan and the man and sat in the ceremony, crying hysterically on Ryan's shoulder the whole time.
"Shar," Ryan said, hugging her tightly. "Our mother didn't tell anyone much about what happened and why you left, but she regretted it so much."
"We'll talk later, okay?" Sharpay said.
After the ceremony, people started walking away. Troy couldn't believe what Sharpay looked like. Like an angel, Troy thought. Like a beautiful angel.
"I can't believe you did that to your mother!" A woman, their mother's sister, screamed at Sharpay. "Did you know she had cancer? It broke her heart!"
"You don't know what happened, leave the poor girl…woman alone!" Ryan whispered back, and she and her husband backed away.
Whatever she had said, it had broken Sharpay. Troy had never seen Sharpay so upset in his life. He wanted to go and hug her, and apologize for the fight.
When she left, Troy reasoned that in a week at most she would be back. He imagined her coming to his house, them both apologizing. He thought that they would be married by now.
Then the first week past. Then the first month. After the first year, Troy could hardly handle the fact that she was actually gone. He searched for her for two years after she left.
He had lost her because of a stupid answer to her question.
"Sharpay," Ryan said. "This man," she said, motioning to the man who sat next to Sharpay, "was our mother's second husband. They married two years after you left. She almost didn't get married because you weren't there, but they were happy. Sharpay then turned and hugged the man. She just hugged him. They could talk later (and no, this is not an abuse story:) just to clear things up :D).
Sharpay turned and saw Gabriella holding hands with Ryan and wearing an engagement ring.
"You don't need to hide your relationship with Troy anymore Gabriella. It's been five years."
Gabriella smiled sheepishly. "Five years can change a lot of things Sharpay. I'm not engaged to Troy. I'm engaged to and in love with your brother." Ryan looked at Sharpay for approval. Sharpay nodded, and embraced Gabriella.
Sharpay hugged Troy politely. Not even friendly. Just politely.
Gabriella had gotten a warmer hug than he had.
"I'm so sorry Shar," he said, not knowing what to say to her.
"Thanks Troy." She said, super quietly. Then she turned to hug Ryan again, crying on his shoulder.
She still hadn't forgiven him.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Second chapter complete! Reviews please!
Please review! Thanks!
