DISCLAIMER - I do not own HSM or anything related to it. (Though I wish that I did, because then I would know Zac Efron!)

Hey! Here is the first chapter! I was going to wait a little longer to put it up, but I got impatient, so here it is! Anyway, I would like to say thank you to all of the kind people who reviewed the trailer, I really appreciate it! I would also like to say that when I put up the trailer I had already written a lot of the story, so some of the things that you guys wanted to happen, may or may not happen. Thanks again for all of the feedback and please keep reading and reviewing!

Enjoy!

Chapter One: Nice, Mean, or In-between

"I'm counting to three and then you better be down here," Sharpay yelled to her twin brother, who was taking his time getting ready for school. "1…2…3…"

Ryan came bounding down the stairs, a hat in each hand. "Which one do you think goes better with my shirt?" He asked hurriedly.

Sharpay studied them, before answering, "The dark blue one."

Ryan ran back up the stairs to put away his other hat before returning. To his surprise, Sharpay wasn't waiting there. He heard a noise in the bathroom and guessed that she was making last minutes touches to her hair or her makeup. He slowly leaned against the banister and waited patiently for his sister. She returned less than a minute later and he glanced down at his watch. "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you to come out of that bathroom for, oh, about…" he glanced down at his watch again before looking up with a smile. "Thirty seconds."

Sharpay shook her head, returning the smile. "Very funny," she said sarcastically. "Let's go."

Ryan quickly followed his twin out the door and to her car. It looked like something that Barbie might drive, it was pink and everything. "I need a ken car," he mumbled as he sat down in the passenger's seat.

Sharpay, who obviously heard his remark, raised an eyebrow at him. "Ken car?"

"Well, your car looks like it could be Barbie's and it's starting to get to me. I need something a little more manly."

Sharpay laughed as she continued to stare at her brother. "Sorry, Ryan, I just can't picture you in one of those big Dodge trucks."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "I don't have to have a truck, just something that's not……pink."

Sharpay merely shook her head and quickly pulled out of the driveway.

They continued to chat back and forth on their ten minute drive to the high school. One topic that came up was what they had bought each other for their birthday, which happened to be just three days away. Neither of them would even give a hint at what they had bought the other.

When they finally got to school, Sharpay made her transition to ice queen very smoothly. Prancing through the entrance, she pushed all of the other students out of her path. Most of them were pretty scared of her, but then there were other's who enjoyed making fun of her. One of those people was the basketball king, a.k.a. Troy Bolton. When she passed him in the hall she gave a large scowl and continued to move on.

As she did so, she heard him say to his best friend Chad, "She better be careful or her face might freeze like that."

Chad eagerly laughed along with Troy.

Sharpay tried to ignore his snide remark and she quickly made her way down the hall, her expensive high heels clicking with every step.

Gabriella, who had joined them just in time to hear Troy's comment, said, "Maybe you guys should give Sharpay a break, she can't really like all the teasing that she receives."

"Maybe you're too nice," Troy replied, glancing over at his friend. After dating for about three months, they had decided to just be friends, which was working out really well.

Gabriella shrugged. "Maybe, but one day I bet you'll be sorry for all of the mean things that you have said to her…….both of you."

Chad shook his head. "No way, she's the ice queen and she gets what she deserves."

Troy smiled and nodded as if agreeing with Chad. Gabriella rolled her eyes at the pair before starting to walk towards her first class.

Troy quickly fell in step with her. "Why do you insist on being nice to Sharpay? I mean, don't you remember all the things that she has done just to keep us away from the drama club?"

"Yes, I remember, but I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. There's a reason for everything, and I'm sure that Sharpay has one that explains her icy personality," she said simply.

Troy shook his head. "I'll never completely understand you. You just try to find the best in everyone. That's a really good quality."

Gabriella felt a smile pulling at her lips. "Why thank you, Mr. Bolton."

Sharpay smiled over at Kelsi. "I'm ready."

Kelsi nodded and allowed her hand to begin to flow over the piano keys. A beautiful melody quickly filled the theatre and Sharpay sang and danced in rhythm.

When they had finished, Kelsi clapped enthusiastically.

Sharpay smiled, glad to have the other girl's approval. They had just recently broken the 'ice' between them and become friends. Sharpay was very glad that she now had girl to confide in, not just her brother.

"That was really good, Sharpay. It's really coming along!" Kelsi said, a shy tone in her voice.

"Thanks, Kelsi, do you think that it'll be ready in time for the auditions next week?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Good, and thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it."

Kelsi nodded in return before standing up from the piano. "Sorry to cut rehearsal short, but I can't stay. My dad is getting home from his trip this weekend and my mom wants me to come and help her with the dinner she's making."

Sharpay recalled that Kelsi's dad was a truck driver and only made it home a couple times a month. Sharpay nodded and said, "No problem."

As they started to leave the theatre together, Sharpay asked, "How long is your dad going to be able to stay this time?"

Kelsi frowned. "Only for four days, but I'm still coming to your house for your birthday on Friday. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Sharpay's lips curved into a smile. "I know, I can't wait. I haven't invited a friend to come over for my birthday in a long time." Sharpay hesitated. "Hey, Kelsi?"

Kelsi stopped walking. "Yeah?"

"I'm really glad that we're friends. You're one of the few people who have actually tried to get to know me, and I really appreciate your effort."

Kelsi gave a shy smile. "You're a really nice person, Sharpay, it's too bad that not many people are able to see that."

They walked out of the theatre as the conversation changed subjects.

Troy's eyebrows furrowed as he climbed out of his position behind the curtain. He had come to the theatre to ask Kelsi for help with his audition song. He hadn't expected to find what he did. When Sharpay was with Kelsi she sure didn't seem to be very mean. Then why was she like that around everyone else?

Hey! I hope that you all liked the first chapter! This story probably won't be that long(12 chapters max.), so I'll most likely be moving along quickly. Please come back for more! And I'd LOVE for you to review!

LanaLang79