New Chapter!! Makes me excited. I wrote this on the first day of school, so I kinda knew what i was talking about. I need to thank IncandescentAngel and LucasGrabeelIsHott for reviewing, and of, course, ask all of you to!! It makes me happy!! So...that's it. Here ya go!!

There is no song in this one. So no need for a disclaimer.

Troy parked his truck in the senior lot and looked over at Sarah. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "You look a little green."

"It's only because I was riding with you." She said, looking out the window blankly. "I'm fine."

"It is your first day and all." Troy said. "Just thought you might be a little…"

"Nervous? Me? Oh no." She said, shaking her head vigorously, her complexion and expression telling him otherwise. "I've never been nervous before in my life."

"Sarah, just relax." He said. "They're teenagers, not piranhas."

"Same thing." She mumbled.

"Relax." Troy repeated. "Either me or Chad is in most of your classes. You won't be alone. Don't worry."

"Okay." She took a deep breath, which seemed to help a little. "Let's go before I lose my nerve." The two exited the car and walked together into the building. Troy smiled at the sight of his school, his second home. Sarah donned a brave smile, though she secretly wished she was anywhere but East High.

After a short trip to their lockers, the two Boltons walked to homeroom, where Troy promised a bunch of familiar faces would greet them. Halfway there, Sarah was stopped by Principal Matsui.

"Miss Bolton." Sarah stopped at the sound of her name. "I need to see for a quick moment. I think there is a mistake on your transcript, and I want to check with you."

"Certainly." She said. It took every ounce of courage she had to turn to Troy and say "You go ahead, I'll find it no problem."

"You sure?" He asked. She nodded. "Okay." He turned and left, running to get there before the bell.

Troy waited impatiently for ten whole minutes, but Sarah never came in. Sighing, he left the room for first period anatomy, a class he knew she didn't have with him.

Sarah meanwhile was busy trying to explain why she was suspended. She finally suggested that her principal call her mother and ask her about it, and got a pass to her first period class, Shakespeare and His Work. She was excited for the class, not because of a deep and unabashed love of Shakespeare and His Work, but because it was worth double credits, two in English and two in Fine Arts. Walking to Ms. Darbus's room, she felt the weight of her reputation. Having that suspension on her record was already causing trouble, and the student body didn't know about it yet. She sighed, resigning herself to the fact that it was there, and knocked on the door in front of her.

There was a sudden silence in the classroom. Darbus had been performing her introductory monologue about how important Shakespeare and His Works were to modern literature when she was interrupted. Everyone was taken by surprise. No one had dared interrupt Darbus since…well, ever. She seemed so taken aback that at first she simply stared at the door. When the knock came again, she motioned to the boy sitting closest to the door.

"Mr. Evans, will you please allow that person in?" She said. Ryan stood up and walked to the door, curious to see who dared interrupt Darbus. He pulled the door open and stared.

It wasn't, as he had suspected, a teacher looking for a lost student. It was girl, one who looked vaguely familiar, but Ryan was sure he had never seen. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders, and when she looked up from the schedule she had been examining, it fell away in a shiny curtain, revealing piercing blue eyes. She smiled at him, her full lips curving up on one side more than the other.

"Is this Ms. Darbus's Shakespeare and His Work class?" She asked.

"Yes." Ryan said. "Are you coming in late?"

"Yeah." She looked back down at her schedule. She pulled out a pink hall pass and showed it to him. "I was just meeting with Mr. Matsui about my transcript."

"You're still going to get a detention." Ryan said, stepping aside and letting her in. She shot him a curious look before walking into the class room. He closed the door behind her, following her until he reached his seat, then sitting. She continued, right up to the front of the classroom where Darbus was glaring at her.

"Good morning." The girl said. "I'm Sarah Bolton. I was in a meeting with Mr. Matsui." She handed over the late pass, which Darbus scrutinized before throwing it on her desk.

"I will have you know, Miss Bolton, that tardiness is not accepted here at East High, especially in my classroom. I will see you after school for a 15 minute detention."

Sarah just looked at her in shock. It was her first day and she had a pass and she still got detention? That was just ridiculous. She opened her mouth to argue, but the boy who answered the door caught her eyes and shook his head vigorously. She hesitated for a moment, then turned and sat down behind him without a word. Although he wasn't looking at her, Ryan could tell that she was angry. There was a defiant thud as he messenger bag hit the floor. Ryan smiled and shook his head to himself. It looked like the pretty Bolton girl had a few things to learn.

Darbus continued her lecture as though she hadn't been interrupted. The class promptly put on their best listening faces while really performing mild acts of rebellion. Ryan was just thinking about passing the new girl a note when he noticed a folded square of paper on the corner of his desk. Curious, he opened it to find very neat handwriting using some not-so-neat words.

Who pissed in her Cheerios this morning?

Smiling, Ryan wrote back I don't know, but they've been doing it for some time. She's always like this. He threw the note gently behind him, and heard it land squarely on the desk. A moment later, he noticed that the note was back, magically appearing in the same corner as before.

Aww, and I thought I was getting special treatment for being the new girl.

Ryan scribbled back Nope. Sorry. And how are you getting it on my desk? I don't even know you're moved.

He watched the corner of his desk this time, waiting for her to place it there. But she never did. Finally he heard her cough quietly, and he saw that it was now on the opposite corner. Pouting slightly, he opened it.

In addition to my dance classes and homework, I use my spare time to attend ninja lessons.

He stifled a laugh, and wrote back Ahh, I see. I should have expected no less from a Bolton. So how are you related to Troy?

He's my cousin. She replied. I'm Sarah. And you are…?

Suddenly it all clicked. He remembered her from way back before middle school. She was the skinny little tomboy always running around with Troy and Chad on the playground. She had once shared crayons with him in the second grade, and had gotten angry when he kept stealing the pink. She wasn't pretty back then. He thought. Putting pen to paper, he wrote. Ryan Evans. I remember you from elementary school.

Sarah tried not to laugh. Of course it was Ryan. Even back then, he was the only boy who would consider wearing anything that wasn't a primary color. Looking at him now, it all fit, even the black and white newsboy cap.

You never did return the pink crayon. She wrote. I expect to be paid in full for that, plus interest. So where's your sister? I don't see Princess Shimmer and Shine anywhere.

He smiled. So she did remember him. And Sharpay. Even when they were kids, Sharpay went for all things glittery. She's not worried so much about her credits. I think she has a study hall first period, which she probably isn't at. And how much is a single crayon, exactly? And what would the interest rate be for a crayon loan of six years?

Sarah looked at the note, curious. It seemed that Ryan and Sharpay had grown apart in the years she was gone. There was a time when the Evans twins were never apart, nearly attached at the hip. It seemed odd, the way Ryan mentioned his sister. Casual, almost. She was about to write back, but the bell rang. The class stood up as one and began filing out of the room. Only Ryan and Sarah lagged behind, chatting.

"So where did you go?" He asked. "It was weird. We were all going to middle school that year, and we got there and we were missing a girl. It was like you disappeared."

"My mom got a job in Hartford, so we had to move." She said, finding her schedule. "It was so bad at first. I mean, I was already afraid to start middle school here, but in a new state? That felt like it was impossible."

"Well, you obviously made it through." He said as they left the room. "What's brought you back?" She hesitated. Ryan raised an eyebrow. It seemed she was trying to think of a lie.

"Personal reasons." She finally said, lowering her gaze.

"Okay." He said, shrugging. "It's fine if you don't tell me."

"Thanks." She said. She was too busy looking at the floor to notice that a mammoth of a boy was right in front of her. She walked right into, bouncing off of him like a fly on a windshield. The guy turned, looking angry. He blinked down at the two people next to him. Ryan also looked at himself and Sarah, and a few quick calculations told him that he was going to be the one blamed for it. From the look of things, this guy was one of the football tackles, never a smart species to begin with. Sarah was pretty, a girl, and new, three things that worked in her favor with everyone in the school. It only made sense that Ryan, the weird drama kid who matched a little too well, was going to be blamed for it.

Sure enough, a deep rumble of a voice asked, "What was that for, fag?"

"Hey!" Came a sharp voice. Ryan looked around, wondering who had spoken, and was shocked to see Sarah glaring up at the tackle. "Watch your language, bucko."

"Huh?" The tackle looked down at her confused. "I wasn't talking to you, baby."

"I don't care." She said. She took a step forward, her hand clenching and unclenching at her sides. "Don't use vulgar language like that towards a fellow student and don't call me baby." The tackle just stared at her. No one had ever spoken to him like that, except perhaps his coach. No one else had really dared to once he became bigger than them. Especially someone so little and cute. It was kind of scary. What if she's really a superhero? He wondered. What's if she's got laser beams and can melt me or something?

"Yes Coach. I mean, ma'am." He said hurriedly, then left, heading for his next class before the small girl became any scarier.

Ryan stared at her in awe. She had just stood to someone at least three times her size, for him. No one had done that before. Well, Sharpay had, in her own way. But that was different. Sharpay had used manipulation and stealth and her planning skills. Sarah had just…done it. She didn't even think twice.

"You know, you didn't have to do that." He said as the continued down the hall.

"Why not?" She asked.

"It's just that…well, no one does that." He shrugged.

"No one calls you a fag, or no one tells people to stop?" She asked.

"No one tells anyone to stop." He said. "People call me a fag all the time. It's kind of a nickname at this point." He shrugged. He had gotten used to the name, and no longer really thought of it. He knew he liked girls, and everyone he cared about knew he liked girls, so it wasn't a big deal what the hot-shot jocks thought of him.

"That's not right." She said. Her blue eyes were cold as ice as she spoke. "It's an offensive term that stereotypes one group of people and brings them down. Do you even know where that word comes from?" She asked. Ryan shook his head. "It comes from the old English term 'faggot', which was the bundle of sticks set a gay person's feet when they were being burned at the stake for being who they were. It's a disgusting word that I will not tolerate anyone saying in my presence, much less to a friend of mine."

Ryan simply blinked at her. There was no way she was related Troy. Troy was a nice guy and all, but he never spoke so eloquently. Or impassioned, unless it was about basketball. He threw the term around, though he never used it on Ryan himself. He rarely stood up for the little guy in front of the big guy. That could be because he is kinda the big guy. Ryan thought. But that wasn't the point.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, and Ryan snapped out of his internal comparison. He looked at her for a moment, thinking of what to say.

"I'm fine." He said. "We're friends?"

Surprisingly, Sarah blushed. Again, Ryan was surprised. The girl hardly bats an eye in front of man-mountain, but he could make her blush and look down at her feet? She was an odd girl.

"Well, yeah." She said. She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "Unless Sharpay wouldn't like it…"

"I'm not my sister's poodle anymore." He said. She smiled, and together they entered the science room.