Chapter 2: New Life
Los Angeles – 7am
The alarm clock blared in the background.
The outline of the thin and long body of Sharpay Evans was provided by her duvet sheet that covered her from head to toe as she lay in her bed.
She stirred slightly at the sound of the alarm and eventually yanked the cover off her head; revealing a head of striking blonde hair and a face wearing a pissed off expression. She glowered around at the room as if searching for the culprit who had shifted time forward so quickly making it so she would have to leave the comfort of her bed. The room in which she now slept was a long stretch away from the room she once had called home back in Albuquerque.
It had been just over a month and still, Sharpay did not feel at home in this very alien and impersonal room. The walls were a bare cream colour, the door was dark brown oak and a simple set of light blue curtains cloaked the sun now at the large window by her bed. There was a large wooden wardrobe with a mirror fixed to one of the outside doors opposite her king-sized bed and a small chest of drawers by the bed itself with a lamp wearing a pink lampshade. In a failed and pathetic attempt to make the room feel more homey; Sharpay had purchased a bright pink beanbag which slumped sadly against one corner of the room looking very much out of place.
Deep inside, Sharpay felt angry and frustrated with her predicament. Ever since she had boarded that flight and left behind her home, her family, her friends and so much more... it felt like she had left behind a very important part of herself. The diva. The Ice Princess. The Sharpay Evans. That oblivious yet ambitious girl who click-clacked her way up and down East Highs hallways in pink leather heeled boots everyday would never accept this. She wouldn't accept this small, second-rate apartment on the edge of LA. She wouldn't accept the bare walls, the stupid burgundy coloured carpet, the small living room and the gloomy kitchen. She'd make an effort to spice it up. She'd make an effort. She'd try. She wouldn't sit inside night after night and bitterly wonder about how different life could've been in LA if he had been here... she'd be OUT there, she'd be trying to get into the clubs with fake ID's, she'd try to talk up celebrities, make friends with paparazzi... God damn it, this is not what Sharpay Evans would do if she was in Los Angeles and so close to her dreams.
That was what heartbreak did to you.
Sharpay slammed an annoyed hand over the alarm clock which finally shut up. She dragged herself out of bed; running a clumsy hand through her hair and tugging down her white wife beater over her pancake-flat stomach as she headed towards the bathroom.
Today was her big day.
She faced herself in the small bathroom mirror. Two eyes outlined with dark circles glared back at her. The face was pale and pasty. Her hair looked more like dead straw then luscious golden waves of beautiful hair. Damn her body for giving up on her today of all days.
Today, summer was over. Today was her first official day at UCLA.
She couldn't let Troy, Gabriella or anyone else preoccupy her mind today. Troy had already destroyed so much for her; she couldn't let him indirectly ruin this for her too.
She knew better than anyone else that first impressions were everything. Now, she had just under an hour to wake herself up and transform the nightmare that was her appearance that morning into someone that could at least pass for a satisfactory and maybe even fashionable human being.
Shower.
She needed to shower – that was what she needed to do to tackle this stubborn hair and shock herself out of her drowsy state. Then again, it couldn't hurt to run a comb through the tangles in her hair. As she headed towards the chest of drawers in her bedroom, her cell phone began to ring. She picked it up off the table; her eyes turning into narrow slits of cautiousness as she checked the caller ID; praying it wasn't Troy Bolton. She almost breathed a sigh of relief as RYAN flashed across her screen. She smiled a little as she held the phone up to her ear.
"Hey Ry." She spoke into the phone; the smile on her face growing.
New York - 10am
Ryan Evans hurried up the steps of the subway; emerging from the underground and out onto the wide Manhattan streets which were crowded and noisy with the hustle and bustle of people and the endless line of traffic. With his cell phone attached to his ear with one hand and his black leather suitcase held tightly in his other; he fell into step with the lines upon lines of other commuters all dressed in smart suits varying from simple pinstripes to designer labels like Armani.
Ryan's hair was a full jet black now and slicked straight back. He wore a tight smile on his face. His eyes sparkled with a new personality; a much older, wiser and reserved Ryan Evans had replaced the unsure teenage boy who had graduated high school less than two months before.
"Did I wake you?" He queried.
"Uh, no... I'm very much up." Sharpay's voice spoke up through the phone. "Ry, where are you? It's noisy, I can barely hear you."
"Uh, yeah." Ryan sighed, looking up the street as he manoeuvred through a line of cars stuck in traffic to the opposite lane of traffic; heading straight for a yellow cab. "I just got off the subway. I'm meeting dad on the Upper East."
As he finished his sentence, he quickly switched his phone to his briefcase hand and awkwardly held the two as he pulled the cab's passenger door open and hopped in. The driver looked back at him with a bored expression on his face.
"43rd please." Ryan stated; bringing the phone back up to his ear to hear Sharpay's confused voice.
Los Angeles
Sharpay was now sitting on the end of her bed, dangling her legs around and frowning into the phone as she heard the annoying sounds of a car horn blaring, someone yelling and just general feedback.
"Ryan?!" She grimaced in annoyance. "Ryan, I can't hear you! You're breaking up."
"No – I, I, uh, just got into a cab." His voice came from the other end; clear as ever. Sharpay sighed.
"So you called to wish me good luck?" She asked, a smile playing across her face.
The weird thing about finally having her independence and freedom was that sometimes, especially times like this, Sharpay didn't want it anymore. If she had been in Albuquerque with her family; starting a new school or college would have been a big occasion. Lots of hugs, kisses and good lucks would have been exchanged. She would have had constant reassurance from her parents that she was going to do just fine and that she would make friends, she would fit in... It was those little things she missed. It was those little things that made her look forward to her brothers' phone calls or any phone calls from Albuquerque – any calls, that is, that weren't of the Troy Bolton variety.
"What?" Ryan sounded confused.
"It's my first day." Sharpay clarified.
"Oh, right." Ryan replied distractedly. "Listen, Sharpay, I kinda need to talk to you about something... specific. Are you answering Troy's calls?"
Sharpay felt something in her stomach flip. Her face fell. She frowned.
"I don't have anything to say to him." Sharpay stated firmly; her tone cold. "Ryan, you know that."
"I know, it's just... it's been over a month now." Ryan sounded unsure if he wanted to pursue the matter any further.
"Yeah, it has." Sharpay shot back. "I should know. I've been counting the days. It's all I do out here. Count days."
"Yeah, well... you're not the only one." Ryan's voice sounded sad. It threw Sharpay a little off-balance and she opened her mouth to encourage him to speak more on the matter but he cut into her thoughts.
"I've been working like an answering machine for you, Shar." He sighed. "And... normally, I don't pass on his messages... but I think you should know, Troy called about twenty minutes ago. Gabriella went into labour four hours ago."
Sharpay felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. Her mouth opened wordlessly. A mixture of annoyance and pain played across her face – as well as confusion. Gabriella must only be eight months gone now. She was going into early labour? Sharpay finally seemed to decide that she was annoyed above all else at this news.
"That's his problem, isn't it?" Sharpay rolled her eyes. "I have my own big day to worry about."
"Well, the baby's a month early... something could go wrong, I guess... I mean, I guess he just wanted to keep you updated... you know?" Ryan seemed tired of this. He seemed to hardly care. The truth was; he didn't care. He had spent just over a month living the life his father had set out for him and he felt... God, he didn't feel at all anymore. It was a ruthless cycle of waking up before the sun rose, showering, pulling on a smart suit, collecting his papers, stuffing them in his suitcase, running out of the house onto the damned bus to the subway, getting on the subway, getting off the subway, grabbing a coffee and bagel, running after taxis, getting in taxis, running to meetings, running from board room to board room.... He swallowed hard and pushed these thoughts into the back of his head. He wasn't going to let this get to him. He was annoyed. He didn't want to pass on messages for Troy Bolton. He didn't want to worry about anyone else's problems. He didn't care anymore. He just didn't care. The excuses he was trying to make for Troy seemed futile to him so he gave up.
"I just thought you'd want to know." He eventually affirmed. "I gotta go. Later, Shar."
Before Sharpay could open her mouth to speak, the phone disconnected. She frowned. She didn't like her brothers' attitude anymore. He was snappy. Yet, being so far apart from him kept her from complaining to him about his off-putting moods.
Now, as she sat on her bed, she slowly shook her head at herself. The nerve of Troy Bolton. Of all the shit to heap on her on today of all days... Then again, he had probably forgotten today was her first day at UCLA. Even her own brother hadn't a clue what she was talking about. God, not even her over-protective, over-bearing, over-nurturing mother had called her to wish her good luck. She felt anger course through her.
She had so much to worry about. It was her big day. It was her day. This was not the Troy and Gabriella Show. East High was over. The sad thing was, for a second there... for a teeny, tiny second there... she had thought she might actually leave her high school having the man of her dreams by her side. She had almost made it. Almost... but not almost enough.
No. No! She couldn't let thoughts like this take her over. She couldn't go back to being that hollow, empty shell of a woman she had been for the past few weeks; just moping around her apartment. Sharpay Evans was ambitious. This wasn't who she was. Sharpay Evans didn't cry over a man. She had had a life before Troy Bolton. She had been successful. She had ruled East High's corridors. A small, confident smirk played on her lips. Who was going to stop her from ruling UCLA? It was a new life, after all.
With that encouraging boost coursing through her; she stood up confidently from her bed and headed determinedly towards her bathroom. She had some serious work to do. Today was the first day of the last day of the life of the poor, pathetic dumped Sharpay. It was the start of a whole new life. She was going to make the most of this. Even if it meant unhealthily repressing thoughts of Gabriella and Troy's baby which was probably being squeezed out of her at that very moment. She slammed the bathroom door behind her.
Albuquerque - 8am
Troy Bolton's head felt like it would explode. His heart was racing at an impossible speed. His world was spinning like crazy. Everything was overwhelming.
He looked down at the small bundle wrapped tightly with a white blanket in his arms.
He had to pull the small baby closer towards his chest... closer to his face... to breathe in that scent, to look into those piercing blue eyes... to really feel that this small thing was alive. It was real.
Before he realised what was happening, before he could stop himself; he felt hot tears sting his eyes and run down his cheeks.
He looked up from this tiny new life, from his son and then at the four anxious faces in the room that were staring at him with tears sparkling in their eyes. Mr. Bolton swallowed hard and placed a hand of comfort on his wife's shoulder who sniffled. Mrs. Montez sat by Gabriella's bed; holding tightly onto the new mom's hands and Gabriella herself looked up at Troy with similar tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked exhausted. They all did.
It was one of those moments that defined your life. It was a completely personal moment even though his mother, father, ex-girlfriend and her mom were in the room. He really did feel like his head would blow up. Yet, most of all, he felt like he could cry forever because once that first tear was shed; it all started to come out.
The last month had been the hardest month of Troy Bolton's life.
He had grown up the only son of over-achieving parents who expected nothing less from him. Being an only child meant all his parents efforts were concentrated on him and him alone to make sure that he paved the best future possible for himself. One thing none of them could've planned for was a pregnant ex-girlfriend to get in the way. He was a good guy. His girlfriend, his real girlfriend, Sharpay Evans; had left him broken-heartedly but not before letting him know that the reason their future together had been ruined and the reason his future had been ruined too was because he had always been the good guy. He had to do right by everyone even when it conflicted with his own interests. So, his parents had raised a good kid after all. The only downfall was that maybe there was just too much goodness in him; or maybe that he didn't know when the normal rules just didn't apply. Either way, his set of morals had pushed him off the path of a glamorous life in LA with a girl he really loved and playing basketball for a team he really loved.
In one shot, he had lost it all.
So, his time in Albuquerque over the past month had been miserable. He and Gabriella had maintained an awkward relationship but they had some mutual understanding. She didn't over-step her boundaries; she understood he was not with her for romantic purposes but to help her care for herself during her pregnancy and later; to help provide for her child. He didn't expect Gabriella to think that a rekindling of their relationship was possible but he didn't want her to have any expectations of the kind either. He just wanted her to get better. He wanted to help her. But he was smart enough to realise that sometimes good deeds can be misinterpreted. So, much to his parents' horror and dismay; he had taken a lousy 9 to 5 job at a local hardware store and given half his earnings at the end of every week to Gabriella. Gabriella in return modestly took the money; her inability to speak rendering her unable to thank him.
They didn't spend very much time together. Gabriella sat at home; sometimes she read books, others she had appointments with therapists and doctors and she was just generally preparing for the baby that was on its way. Troy worked. He let Gabriella know he was there for her in any way possible; whether it was to run errands or to go to doctor's appointments. Anything that was related to their unborn child; he would be there.
It was a less than perfect life for an eighteen year old boy.
What made it worse was returning home, completely tired, from a dead-end job with a hole in your heart from the fact that your girlfriend still isn't answering your phone calls to have your parents give you looks of disappointment. They gave you everything, they invested so much in you and you failed them. Troy couldn't even talk to his father anymore. The distance between them had greatened and now Troy lived a life in relative isolation. He had visited Taylor and Chad once. It had been nice. Almost like those old East High days. Other than that, none of the old gang was around anymore. When Troy walked through the mall in the evenings, taking a walk to clear his head and call Sharpay again in the hope she'd pick up; he would see the new seniors from East High sitting at the cafe where only a few months before; he and his friends had sat as seniors. There was three girls and three guys. One of the guys was wearing a Wildcats hoodie which he took off to drape around the shoulders off his, what Troy supposed, girlfriend. He had watched them laughing, sharing their sundaes and talking and felt himself choking up. He felt so far away from that now. He felt like that had been another life. He was so tired. He felt so old.
He had nothing in his life to make him smile anymore. He hadn't touched a basketball since that day at the beach when Kelsi Nielson had unleashed her wrath on them. His father didn't even attempt to play one-on-one games with him anymore...maybe he was ashamed of the nobody his son had become. Troy didn't know. Troy had just been so exhausted and sick of life. Yet, his morals and the goodness in him forced him to get up every morning, drive to that dingy hardware store, sell crappy merchandise, go to Gabriella's, take her to the doctor's or run errands for her, then come home, eat a silent dinner at the table with his disappointed parents and then go to bed again. He continuously told himself that he had gotten himself and Gabriella into this and so he had to stick it out.
Now, after weeks of agonising and holding in all his emotions; when Gabriella's mother had finally put his cleaned up baby boy in his hesitant arms and he felt his son's chest rise up and down and those blue eyes locked onto his... it felt like a weight had been lifted off him. For a moment, he forgot his worries. For a moment, he felt like he wasn't on planet earth anymore. Instead, he felt everything was suddenly very unreal and he felt dazed by it all. This tiny creature couldn't be something he had made. He was so perfect. Everything Troy seemed to do led to screw-ups but this baby was far from a screw-up. Once again, he couldn't believe this tiny creature was something he had made. And yet, it was.
Mrs. Montez took the child out of his arms and Mrs. Bolton wrapped her arms around him. The mother and son began to cry. The birth of a child is always an emotional time. Yet, Troy didn't think anyone could have an experience as mind-blowing and emotional as the one he was having right now. He felt his father's firm hand rest on his back. It was a soothing pat. An almost approving pat. It made the tears come even quicker.
Gabriella's dark brown eyes flitted from her small baby which her mother now held and then up at the Bolton family standing at the foot of her bed. More tears ran down her cheeks. She wanted to open her mouth. She wanted to say something. She wanted to tell Troy thank you. She wanted to say hello to her beautiful baby boy. Yet, she couldn't. Her mouth wouldn't work. Her brain wouldn't listen.
The last month had been difficult for her too. She had continued her existence as a mute. She regularly saw a therapist. Yet, even a month later, she couldn't talk. Her muteness was attributed to shock. She could scream, she could squeal, she could grunt, she could cry out in pain – boy could she cry out in pain; she had spent the past few hours doing so! Yet, she couldn't carry a conversation. Sometimes, her mind would take her to that beach again... and her eyes would glaze over... and when she opened them her mother would be standing before her with tears in her eyes and worry written across her face. Gabriella wanted to tell her she was OK and to not worry. She wanted to tell her mother that the flashbacks weren't as vivid or haunting anymore and that things were getting better but she couldn't. She felt trapped in so many ways.
She had never asked Troy to stay but he was an honourable guy. He was going to hang around. Her pitiful state of mind probably convinced him to stay even more so. He stopped by every day and although he didn't spend time with her, he made sure he bought whatever was on her shopping lists for the day and gave her the money he had earned. A mutual respect kept their relationship going. He never talked to her. He never tried to encourage her to talk. He left her to herself. Gabriella understood that. Over the last month, she was beginning to understand more about the people she witnessed in everyday life just by watching them and listening to them. She did a lot of watching and listening. Troy was broken in himself; just like her. He was psychologically scarred like she was but there were definitely wounds there which had made him isolate himself into a very reclusive lifestyle just like hers.
Inside her mind, Gabriella felt tortured. The worst part of feeling tortured is when you can't open your mouth and unburden yourself to a sympathetic friend or even a therapist because your own mind is keeping you prisoner and won't let you. She felt tortured by the past year. One of her closest friends had done the most horrific things right under her nose. As she relived those high school days in her head; she got chills down her spine as she realised how close she was to a psychopath and how this psychopath was driven to such crimes out of a sick fascination they had with her. Then there was her one night stand on that cliff edge and that one drunken glance she had taken over Nathan Strong's car to see him being pushed off the edge of Heinman's Cliff by a girl. That girl. The same girl who tried to kill her. The same girl who stabbed one of her friends and shot another. The cherry on top was the doctor telling her she was pregnant. That was it. POOF! Everything just dematerialised before her eyes and she had an internal breakdown that rendered her unable to speak. Everything she had worked for her entire life. School. Books. Academia. It was gone. She was a teenage mom. How did she get so far off the path that she was supposed to be on? When did she start slipping off it? Her mind worked frantically everyday to find that moment in time when she took her first step off the right path. She wanted to find that moment. To this day, she hadn't found that moment. She strongly suspected it was the first day she stepped on East High's grounds. This continuous internal stress was on her everyday and so Gabriella wasn't surprised when her labour pains kicked in a whole month early. She was smart enough to know what led to premature births. Yet she wasn't strong enough to avoid it. She had submitted herself to her pitiful state of mind.
Now, as she looked around the room and at the small child that was hers; she realised she did feel a little bit stronger. In an ironic way, she felt rejuvenated by the source of new life that had entered her battered and broken life. As Mrs. Montez carefully placed the baby in her daughters arms once more; Gabriella felt a confirming rush of maternal warmth course through her.
It was funny how sometimes the very thing you thought would ruin your life was the thing that actually saved it.
Gabriella looked up; tears spilling down her cheeks and a small smile forming on her face. Troy's eyes locked onto hers. Her lips parted and-
"This isn't real." Gabriella breathed.
Mrs. Montez's eyes widened at the words of her daughter. Mrs. Bolton exchanged a surprised look with her husband as the two dabbed at their eyes. Troy's eyes remained locked to Gabriella's. There was a big smile on her face as the tears kept running. A similar smile spread across Troy's face; a smile that he hadn't been able to manage in a long time.
"But it is." He replied.
Gabriella laughed and cried at the same time. Mrs. Montez flung her arms around her daughter; being careful not to smother the small human being in her arms and began to cry. Mrs. Bolton pulled her son closer to herself again; feeling her maternal instincts flare up at the mother-daughter exchange of emotions.
Yes, sometimes, events that we think we will not be able to cope with, events that we think will crush us and shake us to our very core are the very events that give us the strength, hope and inspiration to live again.
Los Angeles - 8am
A pink convertible pulled into the UCLA Drama department's parking lot. It was a cloudless, sunny Californian day. Two pink-sandaled feet stepped out; slamming the door of the car behind them.
Sharpay Evans stood confidently by her car; a souvenir from Albuquerque, as she surveyed her surroundings. She was dressed in hot pink short-shorts that had 'S.E.' written across the back of them in rhinestones, a salmon-coloured tank top and a purple headband in her hair.
A group of kids walked past her and shot her odd looks and she smiled. She realised they weren't smiling back... rather, they were frowning. She shrugged it off as she pulled her black Chanel bag over her shoulder and made her way towards the entrance. She guessed these kids were going to be like the colourless, talentless geeks at East High. She didn't need their approval anyways. They weren't the people she needed to impress.
She walked up the steps and breathed in the fresh air of the morning. A red-haired girl about a head taller than her, dressed in blue skinny jeans and a tight white t-shirt was walking ahead of her. She got to the door first and held it open for Sharpay. As her head turned to hold the door open, she surveyed Sharpay; giving her a quick look up and down. Her eyes then met Sharpay's. A cruel smirk spread across her lips.
Sharpay's heart dropped.
The girl turned away as Sharpay walked through the doors, letting them close behind her as she watched the girl walk away down the hallway.
The girl had just given her the class 'you're not cool, you're just lame' look.
Then again, the girl was stick-thin, she had a pasty-pale face and bright red hair... she was your typical ugly, un-cool girl. Sharpay knew because she had seen many cases like her during her high school career. She damned herself for letting someone clearly not worthy of her attention get the better of her. She had to think like mean Sharpay again if she was going to survive here. She had to be everything she had been before she let her guard down with Troy Bolton. It was survival of the wittiest, after all.
Just then, as she followed the footsteps of the girl to the main lecture theatre where she would have her first introductory class; her cell phone beeped in her bag. She damned herself for thinking thoughts about Troy Bolton because she was sure that he was calling her. She quickly rummaged for her phone and realised it wasn't a phone call but rather a text message. The display read: TROY BOLTON. Damn him. She slammed her flip phone shut and stuffed it back into the bag. She wasn't going to read it. Not now, anyway. The next two hours were going to be crucial to the rest of her college career and she couldn't be distracted by him.
As she strode purposefully into the lecture theatre; she was amazed by what she saw. The lecture room in itself was huge. It probably seated a good four hundred people. It was designed like a semi-circle with seats all the way around it facing a stage at the front where she supposed they could put on performances and professors could stand and lecture. She guessed around two hundred people were already in the room. They were all sitting in their seats in little groups of friends. Some of them were standing near the stage about to make their way up. A few people who were sitting down caught Sharpay's eyes. She saw one guy with platinum blonde hair nudge a guy next to him and the two looked in Sharpay's direction; then began sniggering. Sharpay felt the blood rush to her face as they caught her eyes and quickly looked away.
Holy shit, she was being made fun of.
This unnerved her greatly.
No. No. She told herself to remain calm. There had been many times at East High when the basketball team had made jokes at her expense or the cheerleaders had shot her vicious looks. It had always been because of jealousy and they had still feared and respected her. She would find her right place at the top of the pyramid here. She would. She couldn't let a few things unsettle her.
Her next problem, though, was starting to unsettle her. It seemed as if everyone had friends or someone to sit with. She saw the red-headed girl in skinny jeans that she had seen before make her way towards a group of about 8 guys and girls and sit down; falling into easy conversation with them. Sharpay swallowed hard as she walked up the steps of one aisle of seats and then shuffled down the second row and sat down. Alone. The entire row was empty except from her – well almost empty. A guy with black hair and blue eyes dressed in black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt reading: 'THE JONAS BROTHERS! Burning Up Tour 2008!' was making his way down her row. Sharpay rolled her eyes at his appearance and his t-shirt. The t-shirt was a major giveaway that he was gay but most horrific of all – he was a gay with no taste. She did not need to befriend him; he wouldn't help her image. She silently prayed to herself that he would have the decency to sit a seat away from her.
Nope.
No such luck.
He came and sat right beside her. He slumped down beside her, pulling off a black rack-sack off his back and slinging it into the empty seat beside him on his other side and then letting out a loud sigh. Sharpay looked at him in annoyance and moved her arm off the arm-rest they shared. He looked down their empty row and shook his head to himself. Then he turned and looked at Sharpay and smiled.
"Hey, I'm Jesse." He smiled goofily. He was kind of cute... in a dorky way.
"Right." She smiled a forced smile.
"You're a freshman, right?" He asked; clearly not perplexed by her strange response to his introduction. Clearly, her body language and language and general revealed she wanted nothing to do with him. He didn't seem to be getting the message and if he did; he seemed to enjoy making awkward conversation with people.
"This is a freshman class." Sharpay replied curtly; frowning a little as she dug into her Chanel bag for her pink, rhinestone-encrusted notebook and pen with pink feathers as she saw the professor enter.
"Oh, right." He laughed a little. "I just thought you might be in your second year like me and might be re-taking this class 'cos you'd failed... like me."
"Nope." She responded; not smiling.
"So whereabouts are you from?" He asked. "I mean, are you a fairy?"
"What?!" Sharpay looked at him in irritation.
A hint of amusement glittered in his eyes. Sharpay realised he wasn't as stupid as he looked. He actually pissed people off to this amount deliberately.
"Well, what's with the pink stuff?" He queried, smirking now.
Sharpay opened her mouth to respond when a female voice from behind her interrupted.
"Oh, Jesse. Can't you recognise a daddy's girl when you see one? Chanel bags are a dead giveaway."
Sharpay whirled around behind her to see the red-haired girl standing in the row behind hers and Jesse's. Jesse laughed. The girl sneered down at Sharpay as she handed her a piece of paper.
"This is the class register. You sign it and then pass it along to the new row." She explained; talking down to Sharpay.
"I'm not a daddy's girl." Sharpay responded fiercely; locking eyes with the girl.
"Oh, no... and your dad totally didn't give the college a new library or anything to get you in. You worked for it." Every word the girl spoke dripped in sarcasm.
"Hey, yeah, we did get a new library over the summer, didn't we?" Jesse chimed; laughing.
"You're not helping!" Sharpay shot.
"Why are you sitting here anyway, J?" The girl asked Jesse. "We're all sitting up in the middle row."
"Nah, I'm fine here. Closer to the action and all." Jesse nodded in explanation.
The red-head rolled her eyes and walked away before Sharpay could shoot a response at her too. Sharpay had worked for this. She was talented. God damn it.
She bowed her head now that she was left alone with this Jesse guy.
How could she have been so fucking stupid?
This was college. This was nothing like high school. How could she have thought that simply reverting to her Ice Princess ways would lead her to 'rule the school' as it were? How could she have been so naive and dumb? College wasn't for high school drama's. It was for serious education. The cherry on top was that she was dressed like a fucking ten year old. Pink?! Ugh! God. How could she have let herself be so stupid and walk out of her apartment like this? No wonder she was getting strange looks. This wasn't Albuquerque, this wasn't high school where acting spoilt and stuck-up was excusable 'cos you were just a kid. She was an adult now and she was giving off all the wrong signals.
This is what Troy Bolton had done to her. In a pathetic attempt to get over him; she had messed things up for herself even more so.
She rested her head in her arms now as she listened to the professor slowly quieten the lecture theatre and begin his droning on some topic or another... she didn't know what... she was just too humiliated.
"Hey, fairy."
Sharpay's head shot up a little to see Jesse leaning in towards her. He was smiling but the smile on his face disappeared when he saw her bloodshot eyes and the miserable look on her face.
"Jeez... you OK?" He whispered. "I...I was just messing around. Don't mind Aliyah either. She has too many opinions for her own good."
Sharpay sniffled a little and shook her head.
"This is the worst day of my life." She breathed out; miserably.
"Ah, come on, it's not so bad, fairy." He shrugged. "It could be worse. Your hair could be poofier than it is right now."
"Oh really?" Sharpay hissed. "It's my first day at a new college, I've only been in LA for a month and today my boyfriend is in Albuquerque with his ex-girlfriend who just went into labour with his baby! So, I don't think this day could get any worse and my hair is not poofy!"
"Yikes. Sounds like your having quite a day." He raised an eyebrow; an impressed look on his face.
"No, I'm having quite a life." Sharpay retorted.
"At least there's never a dull moment." He smiled optimistically. "Personally, I saw you and thought 'woah, now there's a girl with an interesting personality. Dressed like it's Halloween and man, the poofy'."
"My hair is not POOFY!" Sharpay shot back. He laughed. She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I'm Sharpay Evans." She stated resignedly.
"And an even more interesting name." He smiled widely. "I think me and you might just be friends, Sharpay Evans."
"I think Sharpay Evans could use all the friends she can get right now." Sharpay sighed.
Then that was that. Her first real friend in LA. They both had made pretty bad first impressions on each other but as the day progressed and they went from class to class; Sharpay found his dorky personality start to grow on her. She had even burst into a fit of laughter over lunch when he had defended him sexuality and tried to convince her just because Nick Jonas's beautiful voice made him cry didn't mean he was gay. Being with him made her forget about Troy too. So while he wasn't the cool guy she thought she'd find out here; she was alright settling for him in all his dorky, embarrassing glory.
At the end of the day, as he walked her to her car and even humoured her by carrying her bag so as to treat her like a real daddy's princess, he made a few jokes about the pink-ness of the car before leaving. As she sat down to start the ignition of the car; she found it shocking that even though she'd only made one friend that day and embarrassed herself in front of most of her classmates... she was smiling. That was when she remembered her phone and the text.
She sighed and took out her phone and opened the message:
Hey Shar. I tried calling you. Maybe Ry told you. Gabs had a boy who's healthy considerin he's premature. She's speakin 2! I love u. My mind has bin on u all day & all month. I have so much i wana share wid u i desperately need 2 talk 2 u. Plz talk 2 me. Shar i won't ever stop callin. U kno it. If u wanted this over u'd change ur number. I luv u. Plz shar.
Her smile disappeared. Oh, goody. Gabriella was speaking again(!) Aww, they now had a beautiful son together too. Well, wasn't that just fine and dandy?
Without a second thought; she threw her phone out of her car and heard it land with a crack that snapped it in two. Well now, that solved that problem, didn't it?
AN: Yes, I am finally back!!! I want to apologise. Like Sharpay, I have started college and so yes, this is like four months late but college takes some settling time! I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you wait and for the readers I know I've lost. I hope this chapter is good enough to make it up to you along with my firm promise that from now on I will update at least once a week if not more. So please, review, let me know the good and bad! :)
Also, stay tuned... this series is going to be bigger, better and much more explosive than the last one! I have so much planned, I'm excited!!!
