"So when were you planning on telling me that Troy is involved with Ari?" I asked my mom, throwing the keys onto the black island.

"Involved?"

I scoffed. "You know what I mean mom."

"Look, it really isn't that big of a deal Sharpay. I got busy around morning time and it just so happens that Troy's work passes by Ari's school in the morning. He offered. I said yes. And thank god for that." Mom responded curtly.

"He offered?"

"Sharpay." Okay maybe I wasn't making it easy for my mom with all these acussing sounding questions. However, I just don't understand how Troy is so wrapped up in our lives again since I left, and I just had no idea until I saw him standing outside my house. I sighed.

"I'm sorry, it's just-I-I don't know." I really didn't/

"Talk to me honey." Mom begged.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to say. He's changed, he looks different." I miss him is what I really wanted to say.

"I mean you haven't seen him in quite a while, it was bound to happen." She said, grabbing and holding my hand.

"Yeah, I guess." All of a sudden I just wanted to burst into tears. "I miss him mom, I miss my best friend."

"Oh, honey." Mom came and wrapped her arms around me while I clung onto her crying onto her shoulder.

"I thought it'd stop hurting mom, I just want it to stop." I managed to say before sobs took over me again. I heard mom gasp softly and pulled away to look at her. "Mom, what?" Her eyes were facing behind my shoulder, so I turned to what she was gaping at.

Troy. And Ari.

"Hi, sweetheart" Mom wiped away a tear and sniffled. She was crying too? "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um I just wanted to walk Ari inside so I knew she would get inside safely."

"Yeah! Troy's superman! He's my protector." Ari hugged Troy's neck as he was giving her a piggyback inside. I could tell how much Ari looked up to Troy. Like he really was her protector, her big brother that she always wanted, like he hung the stars in the sky. Troy just smiled at her.

Mom let out a laugh before taking Ari off of Troy's back. "Um, me and Ari will leave you two...to catch up." Well that was the last thing I wanted.

"Bye, Ari." Troy whispered quietly towards Ari with a smile.

"Bye!" Ari said swiftly before running towards the kitchen.

Mom gave me a look before she followed Ari. Please, listen to him.

I couldn't even grow the courage to look at him and neither could he with me. We stayed silent for a while while the night continued to carry on. Seconds felt like eternity before he decided to break the silence.

"Hey." Troy voiced it as if he spoke any higher that I would crack.

I nodded curtly, still not look at him but actually turned away from him. I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head.

"How are you?" I scoffed totally disregarding the awkwardness.

"How are you? That's what you're going to ask me after how long." Months after not talking and shutting me out he somehow decides he has the audacity to ask me how I am?

"Shar-" He sighed. That hit a chord. I hadn't heard him say my nickname in that long. I turned around finally growing the balls to shoot daggers at him with my eyes.

"Don't even fucking call me that." I spat.

He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever." I walked past him. I couldn't deal.

"You know Sharpay, you can't keep running away from me." Troy said in a stern tone.

"Excuse me?" I said incredulously turning around to face him.

"You pretending like I don't exist and your efforts at dodging me aren't necessary or much less working."

This fired me up. "Remind me again Troy, who said to me that I needed to leave you alone and never acknowledge you again? Oh right," I chucked with no humor. "It was you. So, forgive me for doing what you asked me to do."

"Sharpay, that-look, I know what I said, and I'm sorry Sharpay, I really am. I was in a bad mindset and I know I said and did some pretty terrible things to you, but don't you want to leave the past behind? To let this go and move on?" Since when did Troy get all high and mighty with his apologies.

"What? Did your therapist write that apology out for you?" Okay, that was a low blow. I had heard from some source that Troy was forced to see a therapist after he did some damage. On what? I don't know and neither do I want to.

Now, Troy was set off.

"Listen," he hissed. "I'm trying like hell to move on, Sharpay. I've pretty much figured and forgiven myself for a majority of my fuck ups, except with what happened with us."
"Yeah, well that's not my problem."

"I know this has sucked for you too, Sharpay so don't try to act all tough and heartless. Not with me. Both of our families have given me an earful of what happened with our fallout. Plus, if you honestly think that I haven't felt like shit for the past couple of months, then that just shows how much you know me."

"That's the thing Troy, I don't fucking know you! I don't want to anymore. You fucked me up, Troy. You did one of the worst things you could have ever done to me and pushed me away from one of the only people who made me feel safe. And look, I'm sorry that Sam died, okay? But I can tell you he'd be pretty disappointed in the person you became." Shit. I said the words before I could stop them from spilling.

"Don't you dare bring up Sam's name like that again, Sharpay." Troy said through clenched teeth. I crossed a line. I fucked up.

"T-Troy, I'm sorry."

"Don't pretend like you know me Sharpay, especially off our last arrangement. But I'm different. I went through some pretty fucked up shit when you left. You're mad, yeah? I get it. You're pissed. But the longer you have your head up your ass about not wanting to make things right. Well, then that's on you." He all but said this under his breath. I should have been yelled at. I deserved it. I preferred it. Because the way Troy was saying this now, broke me all over again. "You can't run from me forever. That's not how we work."

"There is no we, anymore Troy."

I could see that Troy was obviously tired from putting up and looking for a fight. "Yeah well, we promised long before that we were going to be friends for a long time."

"That was before you abandoned me!" I yelled. Tears of frustration ran down my face. I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. "That was before you left me." I bit out harshly knocking his shoulder before going inside and locking myself in my room. I didn't even see his reaction. Did I make things worse? Probably. Did I care? I regretted it so much, but it just hurt too much.

What was going to happen now?