Chapter 4:
"You fucking whore!" Zeke screamed as Sharpay walked in the door.
She sighed knowing that she was in for a beating. There was nothing she could say to ease his anger. It was clear that he was already drunk. She almost wondered if he even slept. She noticed the crack pipe on the table and the line of speed. Great, he was mixing drugs. He should be in a great mood for awhile.
"I'm sorry. I ran into Troy and Gabriella. They wanted me to spend the night with them and catch up. They invited us to their wedding. I think we should go."
Zeke didn't even answer her. He just walked over to her and shoved her against the wall for lying to him. She slept with another guy he could smell it. How dare she try and lie to him!
He slapped her across the face leaving a bright red hand print on her face. He didn't stop there. He started to punch her all over her body. He had to teach her a lesson so she would never cheat on him again.
Sharpay could barely stand when he finished. He mumbled something about having to go get his own breakfast before she was late for work as he slammed the door and left.
She looked at her hand where she had written down Troy's number just in case. She knew she should call him, but she couldn't help herself. She grabbed her phone off the table as she fell to the floor in pain crying.
"Hello?" Troy asked as he didn't recognize the number at first.
"Troy? I shouldn't be calling you…"
"Are you okay?"
"I can't move… It hurts too much."
Troy tensed as he listened to her voice. It was like she could barely talk. He had to get to her, but he almost wondered if that would just make matters worse. He looked at Gabriella who was talking about wedding plans with Taylor.
"Where are you?"
"Get a cab and tell them to take you to the Hawthorne Apartments on Northern Street."
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Will he be home anytime soon?"
"Nope he works until around 9:00 o'clock when the dinner rush is over."
"Okay. Just hang tight." Troy hung up the phone and walked over to Gabriella. "Hey baby. I have an old friend in town that I made plans with. I don't know how long it will take. We get together and time flies."
"You sound like a woman." Gabriella laughed. "Go have fun. Taylor and I are about to hit the casino. My mom is flying in tonight anyways. I can't believe I'm getting married in Las Vegas!"
"I love you." Troy said as he kissed her gently.
"Love you too." Gabriella said as she walked towards the casino. She wanted to learn how to play blackjack although she was never good at gambling.
Troy ran out to the main street and fetched a cab. He didn't know why he was so concerned about Sharpay. It wasn't like they were ever friends. They just had a one night stand. Why should that change anything between them?
He walked up the apartments to see a bellboy standing inside the door to greet the residents as they come home. He didn't know who to ask for. He completely forgot Zeke's last name so he couldn't say Sharpay Evans. How many Sharpays could there be?
"I am looking for Sharpay. Could you tell me which apartment she lives in?"
"10A, She has the penthouse on the top floor." The bellboy said as he pointed to the elevator.
Troy ran up to the elevator and started to grow inpatient with how slow it was being. It seemed like he would never get up to Sharpay and she needed him. He would do anything to get to her.
Troy knocked on the door only to find that it was open. He slowly walked in to find Sharpay right in front of the door. He shut the door quietly behind him not wanting to cause any suspicion with the neighbors. He couldn't believe how bad she looked. How could Zeke do such a thing and not even care what he did?
Troy picked her up gently and carried her into the bedroom setting her down on the bed. He couldn't believe how torn apart the apartment was. He carefully walked into the kitchen to get Sharpay a bunch of ice.
"You just rest for a little bit. Does Zeke expect his home to be clean by the time he gets home?"
Sharpay tried to respond but Troy just shushed her. She nodded. He started cleaning the bathroom which was a first for him. He could honestly say that he had now scrubbed a toilet. He then picked up all the laundry and carried it to the laundry room down the hall. He quickly vacuumed and swept the floors. All that was left was dusting and dished. He decided it would be best to check up on Sharpay before finishing the choirs. He noticed she was sleeping.
He quickly finished the choirs so he could make her something to eat. It was cleat that she wouldn't be able to make her own lunch. He made sandwiches and chips. It was one of those dishes that is next to impossible to screw up.
By the time he carried the food into the bedroom, Sharpay was up reading a book. He just looked at her. He couldn't help but wonder if he would be doing things like this for Gabriella. It had only been two days and already he wasn't sure if he was ready to get married.
"I know, I shouldn't have called you."
"I'm glad you did. That way you got to rest for the day."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course…"
"Why didn't you ever ask me out in high school? Before Gabriella showed up out of nowhere, I really thought that there was something between us."
"But basketball and drama club always got in the way. It was like we were living in two different worlds."
"I know… It's just that this right now… The two of us together just feels so right."
"But you said so yourself. This could never be."
"I know…"
"What?"
"When we kissed, this morning. It just felt something. I know it's completely insane… but I never wanted you to leave. I wanted you to climb in the closet with me and forget all about Gabriella."
"I love Gabriella…"
"I know…"
"And Zeke…"
Sharpay looked away at the mention of his name. HE was probably out fucking some other girl as the talked. She didn't love him anymore. She hated him. He hurt her everyday. She wanted to have hope that there was someone who could rescue her. She didn't know why she thought Troy could be that guy.
Sharpay sighed before trying to speak again. The truth was that she wanted Troy to lean in and kiss her all over again. She wanted to get lost in his arms. She didn't care about who they hurt, as long as they had each other.
"I love Zeke, as in the Zeke that I married. He's changed. I have lost hope that he will change back into the man that dreamed about being a great chef someday. He's not the guy he was in high school. He has destroyed me. I have nothing left. There's no Ryan, there's no music career, there's no Broadway, there is no you, and I don't have any friends."
"Sharpay…"
"You better get going your future wife is waiting for you. I made a mistake… What's new? I always do. I should have known better than to sleep with a soon to be married man. I made my bed and now I have to sleep in it."
"Please… I want to be your friend."
"I don't know if I can handle that. I shouldn't have called. I shouldn't have given you my number. I definitely shouldn't have slept with you."
"Does it have to be like this?"
"Should we ask Gabriella?
"Sharpay…. Please come to the wedding she everyone again."
"I'll think about it." Sharpay said as she got up and walked to the bathroom pretending that all the pain was gone and hoping that Troy would show himself out the door. Life never seemed to turn out right for her.
