Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical High School Musical 2, or Charmed.

A/N: Sorry I didn't update last week, but I got busy with school. I also went home for a three day weekend where I didn't get the chance to use our family computer, which is the only one that is connected to the internet. I'm going to try to post another chapter this weekend to make up for it, but I'm also working on a history term paper. Again, I'm sorry for not updating last week. Enjoy the chapter!!!!

Chapter 4: The Funeral

"Are you ready yet, Princess?" asked Mr. Evans as he stood in his daughter's doorway. Sharpay was staring blankly at her vanity mirror as she sat there absently brushing her hair. "Princess, did you hear me?"

Sharpay suddenly turned around, setting the brush down. "I'm not going."
"What do you mean you're not going?"

"I'm not going to mom's funeral," Sharpay stated with a shaky voice and tears in her eyes.

"You have to go. She was your mother."

"She is my mother! If I go to this funeral, it'll be real that she's gone, and I'm not ready to accept that."

Mr. Evans went to hug his daughter, but she pushed him away. He tried again. This time she didn't resist. "Princess, your mom would have wanted you there. You know that."

Sharpay's tears were falling freely now. She nodded her head slightly allowing her father to lead her out to the awaiting cars that would take them to the church.

"What are you wearing, Jason?" signed an exasperated Kelsi.

"You said we were going to church. This is what I always wear to church."

"You can't wear that to church today. It's a funeral. You have to wear mostly black, not the red you have on right now."

"Oh, well, will you help me find something better, Kelsi?"

"Of course!" Kelsi answered before she entered the closet and quickly came back out with an appropriate choice of attire.

"Chad! Zeke! Let's go or we'll be late!"

"Hang on! I'm almost done!" Chad yelled from upstairs.

Taylor mumbled a reply intended for her. "I swear he spends more time on his hair than I do on my own."

"I heard that." Zeke said, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Zeke, why aren't you ready? We have to leave five minutes ago!"

Zeke let out a small chuckle on Taylor's reference to the delayed Chad. "I don't think I should go, Taylor."

"Zeke, I think she'd probably want to see you more than anyone."

"I don't think that. I was her boyfriend, and I just let her go like the rest of the group. I should have made sure we all stayed in contact with her."

"It's not your fault. She slowly stopped hanging out with us."

"I know, but I shouldn't have let her do that. I feel like I abandoned her, so she probably feels that ten times more. I really doubt she would want me there, so I'm not going."

"Well, if you're sure?"

"I am. Thanks for understanding," Zeke said as he gave Taylor a friendly hug.

"Okay, I'm ready," announced Chad while he jumped over the last few steps on the stair case. "You're yelling at me for not having my hair ready, when Zeke isn't even dressed yet!?"

"Let's go Chad," Taylor commanded as she grabbed her purse and dragged Chad out the door by the sleeve of his shirt.

"This is so not fair!" Chad was heard saying as Zeke chuckled and closed the door behind the couple.

"It feels kind of awkward being here," Troy stated as he entered the church with Gabriella.

"I know, but it's the right thing to do." She paused, looking around. "Do you see Sharpay anywhere?"

Troy quickly scanned the room. "No, not yet…let's sit down and wait for her." Gabriella nodded and followed Troy to a pew near the front.

Jason and Chad pulled into the church parking lot at the same time. Once all were out, Taylor said, "So I guess you two heard about Mrs. Evans passing away?"

Jason looked confused. "What do you mean 'passing away'? I thought Mrs. Evans died?"

"I'll explain later, Jason," said Kelsi. "Yes, we heard. We thought it would be best to over our condolences to Sharpay in person."

"So did we," replied Taylor. "We should probably go in. It's almost eleven." The four headed inside.

"Troy?" questioned Chad loud enough for Troy to turn around.

"Hey, I didn't know all of you would be here."

"Well, we heard about Mrs. Evans. We really want to be here for Sharpay." Taylor said as she gave Gabriella a hug.

"You think with as much as we talk, this would have come up," Gabriella responded.

"Well, we haven't really talked this week," stated Kelsi. They all sat in the same pew, and waited for the service to start.

A few minutes before the service began, Sharpay and Mr. Evans walked out from a side door to sit in the front. Sharpay stopped in her tracks when she saw a figure in the back. It was the figure of a person she thought she would never see again. She ran to the figure and wrapped her arms around him, tears falling down her cheeks. Barely audible, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I figured you'd need someone to comfort you, and someone for you to cry on."

"Thanks for coming, Zeke."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else right now, and neither would some other people we know." Sharpay looked at him confused. He pointed to the pew where all of her old friends sat. She looked over at them and cried more. She was happy they were there for her. Zeke led her back to the front of the church, and he sat down next to her so she was sandwiched between her father and himself.

The service was going beautifully when Sharpay was asked to give a eulogy just after her father had stepped down form the podium. She bravely got up and began her speech. As she was delivering her message through a shaking voice, she looked around at the many faces of the people her mother had known. She looked towards the back of the church where a mysterious person in a cloak was listening. The hood of the cloak was covering the stranger's face, but Sharpay felt there was something familiar the person. When she had gotten up that morning, she felt as though something was going to happen, but she figured it was concerning the funeral. Now she wasn't too sure.

When she finished her eulogy, she sat back down as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. A few minutes later, she told her father and Zeke that she had to use the restroom and would be back soon. She got up discretely, and walked out the side door. All eyes were on her as she left, wondering where she had gone. She snuck around to the front of the church where she entered once again. This time no one notice because everyone was facing the front of the church. She crept towards the hooded stranger, and pulled down the hood of the cloak. The stranger quickly turned around when it had been pulled, and Sharpay let out a loud gasp.

The gasp caused everyone to turn and look at the two. Then the whole church gasped seeing who was in the back with Sharpay. Zeke quickly moved to the back where he gave Ryan a quick glare, then led Sharpay back to the front of the church.

The funeral continued just as beautifully as the rest of service. At the end, Sharpay and her father stood near the casket as those who came to pay their respects condoled the grieving family. The old group of friends kept sitting where they were, waiting to talk to Sharpay as group. They weren't saying anything, knowing Ryan was in the back.

When the last person had left, Sharpay and her father walked towards her group of friends. Zeke joined her, once again sandwiching Sharpay. She then angrily spat, "What are you doing back?"

A/N: I hope that wasn't too terrible a place to leave the chapter. I'll try to get the confrontation chapter up tomorrow night: at least 24 four hours from now. By the way, does anyone know what I took from Charmed? Once again, I'm sorry for the delayed update. Thank you all for reading!!!!