Chapter Seven
Keep Your Mind Wide Open
Have you ever wanted more
Don't you know there's so much more
You've got to keep your mind wide open
All the possibilities
You've to live with your eyes wide open
Believe in what you see
Sharpay Geller let out a deep sigh, as she wrapped her coat tighter around herself, crossing the street. There weren't that many cars in this part of town. No one really came there, except for the people who lived there, and they were all too poor to have cars. She didn't have a car either, but at least she didn't live in this area. She wished she could save some of the kids from this environment, but she knew she couldn't. If she had enough room in her small apartment, she would happily have made them stay with her.
But she doubted they'd feel home anyway. Sure, they all loved her to death, because she was one grown-up who really cared. Their own parents didn't really care that much, they only sent them off every morning, and expected them home well-fed so they didn't have to cook. Like they had the money anyway.
She went into the small building, sighing. They could really use a new door. Plus a whole lot of school supplies. It was kind of hard to teach kids anything, when you needed books. It was sad, really. There were a few nice people (including herself, of course) who tried to make it all better for the kids. But the rich people, the people who had the money to make a difference, didn't care at all. And Sharpay knew it'd probably take all the world's money to get every poor kid a nice life, but starting just one place; it'd save more. It'd get just a few more kids out of a life full of misery. Wasn't it worth a try?
She went through the broken hallway, shivering in her hot winter coat. There was no heat in this building – of course. They couldn't afford tables and chairs enough to everyone? Heat, no way. She smiled at José and CC when she met them, quickly kissing CC's cheek. He blushed a bit, and hurried into the room where he taught math. Class was starting soon, so he probably had to get ready.
Sharpay really loved CC. He was so sweet. He was only eighteen; didn't have a job, and didn't go to school. He just, like Sharpay, wanted to make a difference. He didn't care about himself. He cared about getting them all better lives. And Sharpay suspected he sort of had a crush on her. Or maybe not a crush, but he was sort of captivated by her. She was a great deal older than him. She'd gone through high school, and had worked for a long time, but was now doing this. She didn't like him at all, but she showed him enough affection, so he knew she cared.
José was a great friend of Sharpay's. She came from a rich family too, but unlike Sharpay, her parents supported her a lot. They made sure her rent was paid, and that she got food, but they didn't give any money for the school. They made sure to mention it occasionally, and they were proud of their daughter and the work she was doing. And José's husband was a journalist and well-liked published author. That made them well-known around New York, but people still didn't give a rat's ass. Sharpay hated that, but she couldn't do much about it.
She got into the classroom, and shed off her coat, knowing she'd freeze to death when she got back out, if she kept her coat on inside. She placed it across her desk, and smiled at the students in her class. She taught them how to write, and she had the 'fun' class too, where they sung, and acted, and played. They had a fundraiser show just this summer, but not many showed up, and what they made barely covered what they paid to get everything done. And the kids really loved her classes. José and CC had all the (as the kids said) boring classes. Math, and biology, and like… social studies.
The kids weren't that old. Actually, they were all different ages. It was all poor, and mostly coloured kids, who went there. Sharpay loved everyone to death. She had weak spots for some of them, but she didn't treat them differently.
"Hey Sharpay!" Little Joe said, happily hugging her around the waist.
"Hey Little Joe." Sharpay smiled, and padded his wild curls, before he swept away, to sit by his desk. Sharpay looked through the class, and quickly scanned the faces, to make sure who was there and who wasn't. She realized they were all present, and quickly turned around to write something on the blackboard. She knew some of them couldn't read yet. They'd gotten two new students just last week, and it was hard for them to catch up. But Sharpay did her best, determined to make it all happen for them.
"I have an announcement for you all." Sharpay told them, as she finished writing the name on the blackboard, "But first, can anyone tell me what it says here?"
A bunch of hands flew into the air, and Sharpay didn't know who to choose between all the eager faces. She settled for Kiara, one of the older girls.
"Yeah, Kiara, what do you say?"
The girl smirked, proud of being chosen, "It says Mr. John Olson."
"That's correct," Sharpay smiled, before pointing at the name again, "and does one of you know who he is? He's written a lot of books, and he's a very famous author. Can anyone name me one of his books?"
Again, a bunch of hands shot into the air.
"Yes, Freddy?"
"He's José's husband." Freddy replied, "And his best book, in my opinion, has to be 'Living in the Ghetto'."
"Very good Freddy, very good." Sharpay smiled, before writing the name of his book next to his name, "And… now I'm getting to the announcement. You wanna know?" she shot them all a questionable look, but she knew the answer by heart. Of course they'd want to know.
"Tell us Ms. Sharpay!" Little Joe begged, his shy hand shooting into the air, after he'd already spoken.
"Sure, I'll tell ya'." Sharpay laughed, as she sat down on her desk (she didn't have a chair), "He's coming here tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Kiara asked.
"Yeah, he wants to interview us." Sharpay smiled, "For the newspaper. But apparently he's brining a TV station, as well. José wanted people to get to know more about your life, to get them to donate money for the school – for tables, books, pencils – and he's very known, so people will trust him and be watching. I'll need you all to look your best, and be ready to answer questions."
"Will we get on TV?" Mira, another girl, around age twelve, asked, her smile getting huge. She was just like Sharpay; obsessed with theatre and singing. She really wanted to make it big. It was hard for a poor girl like her, but Sharpay was determined to help her go all the way.
"Possibly." Sharpay smiled, and let out a deep sigh, "And I was thinking… We might want to rehearse something for them, don't you think? Like, a song or something?"
"Yeah!" Mira exclaimed, and shot out of her seat, "I'd love to… You could play the piano, and I could sing lead… And the rest of the class could be back-up… It'd be so great."
Sharpay nodded, and clapped along with the classmates, as they cheered Mira on. The young girl reminded Sharpay so much of the Kelsi she used to know, and Mira had a great voice. One of the best Sharpay had ever heard in that young age.
Sharpay couldn't help but smile, when Mira broke into the version of 'You Are the Music in Me' she had taught her, herself. It was so great to have something to live for. And the kids really made her life worth it.
--ooo--
Sharpay locked herself into her apartment, tired after the day's events. She had dropped all writing, because she knew the kids were too excited to work. Even José and CC had dropped work – they'd all agreed to do something great to show the journalists and photographers.
She dropped her purse on a kitchen chair, and kissed the framed picture of her and Ann from their time together. After that, she kissed the old picture of Ryan, which was right next to it, and went to check out the fridge. She was hungry and she had to hurry, because she had work in a half hour.
Her work at the school didn't pay much. Actually, it paid zero, since it was all volunteer. So she had to work at nights at a café, to earn herself enough money for a living. It was alright, and the manager, Daddy Ole, loved her. It was an older guy, who didn't have any family left, and since Sharpay didn't either, they kept each other company during holidays and celebrations. And in the weekends – he often invited her over for dinner, and she loved it. He was like the father she had never had, and it felt awesome to have someone to share her concerns with.
She pulled out the milk carton and drank right from it. She'd always hated when Ryan did that, she used to find it gross, but now… It was much easier, and she was just herself, so who would be bothered?
She hurried into her living room to change into her uniform. It was some silly waitress uniform with a short skirt (for all the perverted guys), a shirt, a tie, and knee high socks. It was alright, if anyone got too close for comfort, she had Daddy Ole's permission to kick them in the crotch.
As she changed into her uniform, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to Ryan and how he was doing right now. She wished she just knew if he was alright. If he had a good life. If he had kids, or a wife? If he owned his father's company. He probably did, yeah. She also couldn't help but remember all the good times she'd shared with him… Oh, those memories always hurt…
"C'mon, Sharpay!" Ryan mumbled, as he grabbed her hand, and placed it on the right key, "Kelsi taught me this, now I'm teaching you. You have to do it that way, alright?"
"But I don't know how to!" Sharpay whined, and turned to him, her brown eyes filled with angry tears. She hated when there was something she couldn't do. It made her feel so helpless. And especially when it was in front of Ryan. She always wanted to look confident in front of him, and right now, that whole image was crashing down.
"I'm gonna teach you, I just said that." Ryan chuckled, and stared deeply into her eyes, "You promise to listen to me, and let me help you?"
Sharpay let out a deep sigh, "Yeah, okay." she gave in, "But I'm telling you; it's no use. I'm useless at this. I know Mother wants me to learn this, so I can play properly, but I'm a dork at this. I'm better at singing. I know you won't be able to help me."
"I will." Ryan mumbled, determination in his voice, "What do I get if I do teach you, eh?" he continued, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. A twinkle she'd only ever want to see in his eyes, because she knew what it meant; it had a hidden meaning.
She leaned closer to him, her breath teasing his upper lip, "I'm gonna give you the whole treatment, if you teach me this…" she whispered, before placing a chaste kiss there, and pulling back; leaving him, wanting more.
"Okay, I'm so gonna teach you this." Ryan said, a huge smile coming to his lips. He shoved her aside, and took a seat next to her on the bench, shoulder brushing against hers. He kept that smile on his face, as he started playing the actually easy piece of music, Sharpay watching his long, gentle fingers (which were good at other stuff too) playing gracefully across the keys.
She couldn't help but grin. He was so perfect, he was so delicate. And he was just hers. He was always there for her, and he treated her better than anyone had ever done. He was her Knight in Shining Armour. She knew he'd do anything for her, and she'd sacrifice everything for him. She was sure of it. He was just… her everything.
"You know…" she whispered, as she licked her lips, still watching his every move, "I think the piano lesson can wait for now, right? …I'm sorta… in the need for you…"
Ryan stopped playing, and turned to her, a frown across his childish face, "No, Shar… You have to learn this. You need to be able to pla-"
Sharpay cut him off. She placed her lips on top of his, and his hands immediately moved from the keys, and to her sides, getting a hold of her. Her fingers moved to his hair, brushing his hat off, before moving them through his blonde locks. He pulled her closer, to sit across his lap, and therefore her back rested against the piano, pressing half the keys down, which made it play out loud.
She giggled against his lips, but didn't make a move. He started fumbling with the buttons on her fancy dress-up shirt, and opened them, one for one. She moved her hands beneath his shirt, as he trailed kisses down her neck and to her chest.
"Oooh," she moaned, screwing her eyes shut, as a wave of chills hit her, "oh God… Ryan…"
Sharpay let out a deep sigh, and leaned against the wall, resting her head. She hated thinking of him, because it reminded her of what she could never have. When she wanted to think of something that made her happy, she thought of Ann and the Gellers.
She hated that she didn't speak with them anymore, but she couldn't get herself to call them up, after all these years. It had been so long since she left them. It was embarrassing that she didn't have time to go visit; but she didn't want to face Ann. She loved the time they spent together, but she didn't want it to be them forever and always. She knew Ann didn't want that either, because they were both fairly straight (as straight as one can get, when they've been in a relationship with another person of the same gender), and they both wanted to marry a dude.
Sharpay didn't have anyone special in her life; she had so much trouble finding love. And she knew Ann would have someone else, because Ann was gorgeous. Sharpay felt something was missing though. She hated being alone. She had an okay life. She had a job that got her what she needed. She had passion, from being with the kids. She had a small apartment, and she had people who cared about her, and whom she cared about. But something was missing, and it was that special someone.
Why couldn't she just find someone else? Why couldn't she just forget Ryan, and move on? She knew she'd been with Ann since him, but Ann had been different… Sure, she'd loved the beautiful girl, but it had been more need than anything else. They had found something in each other, and they'd both felt better when they were together. It was need more than anything, and Sharpay learned to live with that. She also knew what it had been with Ryan, and that had been love. Real passion, and real true love. Too bad it couldn't go on forever.
She turned on her phone, to listen to her messages, and was really surprised to find a message from Doctor Mad.
"Hey Sharpay. It's me. Doctor Mad. I know it's been awhile since we last talked, and I shouldn't really be calling you, but I wanted to know how you were doing. You were supposed to stop on your medication a couple of months ago, right? I wonder how you're doing… If you ever need to talk, give me a call, or whatever. I'm really curious about you. You've always been my favourite patient. But ah… I'm gonna go again. Please let me hear from you… Bye!"
Sharpay played the message again, to make sure she heard correctly. So Doctor Mad was interested in her? Hmm, that was news. Normally doctors weren't supposed to grow attached to their patients, and Sharpay had never really thought that Doctor Mad liked her. But for some reason – which Sharpay didn't know – Doctor Mad took a liking to her, but she didn't know why. She always called to ask, and to make sure she was doing fine. It was very weird.
She made a mental note to call Doctor Mad as soon as she got time, before skipping out of the apartment, and down the steps. She had to walk to work, but luckily it wasn't that far.
She happily hummed to herself, and couldn't help but think about tomorrow. She hoped that interview would be the start of something new. That it'd be a whole new page.
She was so looking forward to that.
Think of all the days you've wasted
Worrying, wandering, hopelessly hoping
Think of all the time ahead
Don't hesitate, contemplate
No its not too late
Sorry about the short chapter. I didn't want to drag it out, though. Next chapter will be up soon, I promise. And thank you for the nice reviews. I hope the lack of Rypay so far, isn't too disappointing. Please review again? – I love them.
Disclaimer; Don't own High School Musical, or the song 'Keep Your Mind Wide Open' by AnnaSophia Robb from the movie 'Bridge to Terabithia'.
