A/N: Just to address what you asked, Kaci :)-- The story, currently, is planned at 23 more chapters. It's part of a larger story I write with a friend (as I'm sure you can guess, she is called Sam, lol) which has been cut down a LOT from what it is, with some bits and pieces changed, and incorporating things I take from reviews, all of which is why the storyline is kind of fast-paced. There are a lot of twists and turns to come still, and I'm really glad you like it :) It means a lot to us.
As Sharpay was entering the gym to find Troy, she heard two voices echoing around the building. She saw Jenna heading towards the gym for cheerleading practise, and pulled her behind the wall with her.
"What are you doing?!" Hissed Jenna. Sharpay silenced her as Gabriella walked out the gym.
"They're meeting for lunch. I thought you could use that to your advantage. Get there before she does or something. Just keep Troy talking for a minute" Jenna, confused, and not really understanding what she was supposed to be saying to Troy, went over and smiled.
"Practising again? Don't you ever have fun?" She teased.
"This is fun for me." He shrugged, feeling awkward.
"Yeah but…" Began Jenna, grabbing the ball as it bounced. "It's boring."
"Not to me it isn't. That's why I do it…all the time." He said slowly.
"I could think of some other things."
"Like what?" Troy laughed nervously. "Cheerleading? I don't think I'd look good in a skirt."
"Probably." She smiled, just as she saw Sharpay leaving the gym. "I should get going…see you around." She waved at him, then left.
"Been looking for you all day." Giggled Sam, wrapping her arms around Ryan from the back. He said, awkwardly, pulling her away, and Sam frowned. "What's the matter? Did something happen at home?"
"No, it's nothing like that.."
"Have the basketball players been giving you more hassle? I swear, their--"
"Sam, listen." Ryan swallowed hard, and looked down at his hands. "Sam I…I don't think we can be together." Sam stared, her eyes wide.
"What but…but where did that come from…"
"I've just…been thinking, that's all. I don't want either of us getting hassle from anyone at school…"
"But…why does that mean we have to split!" Ryan could see she was crying. "Why can't we pretend to break up but be together in private again!"
"…I just think it's best if we….leave it." He said, looking away. "It's just too complicated."
"…Has Sharpay put you up to this?" She said louder, but Ryan could still hear the sobs in her voice. "Has she said something about me messing up the show?"
"No, Sam, I--"
"…Fine." She sniffed. "Screw you, Ryan. I can do much better." As she ran away, Ryan heard her start sobbing loudly.
Following the directions that Sharpay had given her, Jenna went up to the roof where she was told Troy would be. She opened the door out onto a garden, where a bench was, with Troy sat on it, looking down at his watch.
"Oh, hey Troy. I took a wrong turn." Said Jenna, smiling apologetically. "You alone?"
"No. Well um…yeah I guess. I was meant to be meeting Gabriella but…she hasn't shown up."
"Ouch, that sucks." Said Jenna, sitting on the bench. "I think I heard her on the phone to Ryan earlier. I guess she's with him. I'll keep you company if you want?" Troy nodded unsure. Gabriella, and most likely Taylor, would kill him if they knew who his lunch partner was. "I guess she wanted to get involved with the musical. You did it last year, didn't you."
"Yeah, we did. Didn't think she was doing it again this year." Sighed Troy.
"I've never heard you sing. How did you fit rehearsals around practise and stuff?" Jenna found herself actually interested in what she was asking him.
"It was complicated. We had to fit basketball practise in, as well as Gabriella's scholastics…I'd do it again this year, but it's all about college applications now."
"I'm sure you'll do okay." Smiled Jenna, reassuringly. "I don't think I'll be going to college. I'd rather go home. To England. You gonna carry on playing basketball?"
"I'd like to." He admitted. "What about you, what do you wanna do in England?"
"I don't know. I used to, but I don't anymore." Jenna looked away distracted, feeling uncomfortable talking about herself. "I should go and find the cheerleaders."
"Yeah…okay. I'll see you then. I can draw you up a map or something later." He laughed. Jenna smiled, and kissed him on the cheek before leaving.
It didn't take long, thanks to Sharpay, for the news of Ryan and Sam's split to spread around the school. When Harry heard, he went into a blind panic, looking for Sam. After asking a few juniors, he found out that she had last been seen running out of the school crying her eyes out. Harry rushed to Sam's, and knocked on the door. She answered with blood shot, tired eyes.
"Oh Sam…" He whispered. Her bottom lip trembled, and she started crying on his shoulder.
"I can't believe he'd do that!" She sobbed, holding onto Harry tightly. He rubbed her back in circles, trying to calm her down.
"Sam, he's an idiot. You know that." He said.
"But why! He didn't give me a good enough reason!"
"It was probably Sharpay's fault. You know…jealous that he was giving you all his attention. I get the feeling she's a less promiscuous version of Jenna…" Sam tried to laugh at that, but she just started hiccoughing, so Harry hugged her tighter. "He's a pig to do this Sam, you can do better. I mean, sleeping with you and then dumping you…"
"What?" Sniffed Sam, lifting her head up. "Sleeping with me? Me and Ryan never did…anything like that." She blushed.
"I saw the condoms in his locker, you don't have to lie to me…"
"I'm not lying!" Said Sam. "That was a practical joke by the jocks! I swear, if me and Ryan had done anything like that, you would've been the first to know." Harry let out a relieved sigh.
"Good. I'm gonna stay here with you the rest of the afternoon, okay? And tomorrow at school if he even tries to breathe the same air as you, he's a dead man, got it?" Sam giggled a little.
"My knight in shining armour, huh?" Harry smiled.
"You got it."
Jenna was sitting in class in her last lesson of the day when Gabriella came in and sat next to Troy. They were in the seats in front of her, so she could hear them.
"What happened at lunch? I was in the classroom you said, and the door got locked!" Said Gabriella as she sat down.
"Classroom? Gabs, I said the science garden, remember?"
"No, you changed it…Look." Jenna looked worried as she saw Gabriella pass her phone over to him with the text message on, and quickly slinked away to a seat that was next to Sharpay.
"It didn't work." She muttered to her. Sharpay looked annoyed for a second, then nodded to herself.
"Leave it to me, I have a new plan. See that necklace she's wearing? He got it for her before last summer, some commitment thing or something. I'm gonna get every cheerleader one. We'll tell her he buys you all presents. So she'll know it's not special if she sees you all wearing them."
"Okay, you do that." Sharpay nodded, and started texting her dad to ask for the money. Sitting next to her, Ryan shook his head. "What's wrong, brother?" She asked, putting her phone away.
"Another dumb scheme to get Troy? I thought you'd grown up, Shar."
"I don't do dumb schemes." Ryan rolled his eyes.
"Whatever. Just keep out of my way, whatever you do."
"Why!" She snapped.
"You made me dump Sam!"
"Oh come on Ryan, I never told you to dump her! It's not my fault you took what I said the wrong way! You did it all yourself. She wasn't good enough for you anyway!"
"Why, Sharpay!" Shouted Ryan, enough to scare the people sitting around him. No-one had heard him raise his voice before. "Because I was spending time with her?! Instead of performing like a circus animal for you?! You don't even care about how I feel…"
"Of course I care." She said, rolling her eyes. "That's why she had to go." Ryan shook his head incredulously, and stormed out of the classroom.
Several days later, and Sharpay's necklaces for the cheerleaders had arrived, and Jenna walked in to school proudly wearing it. Some people whispered, but Jenna ignored it, walking up to her locker where she saw Gabriella was at her own. She saw Gabriella give her a sideways look.
"Oh…" She said, and Jenna looked at her ."Where did you get the necklace?"
"Oh this? Troy bought them as gifts for the cheerleaders! He said we were his lucky charms or something, he's always buying us little things like that!"
"…Yeah right." She said, closing her locker. "I know one of you sent that text on Troy's phone the other day. This thing you're trying….won't work."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do. I know Sharpay's helping you complete the basketball team. And I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere." She smiled sweetly at Jenna, and walked to her next class. Jenna felt a pang of guilt, and removed the necklace, following Gabriella into the classroom.
Already in the classroom were Sam and Harry, who had got there early so Sam didn't have to see Ryan in the hallways. Harry had become a regular fixture next to Sam, and he didn't generally leave her alone so she didn't have a run in with him or Sharpay.
"Is he looking?" She whispered, as Harry nodded that he and Sharpay had entered the classroom.
"…No?"
"Harry!"
"Okay you know he is." Everyone looked confused as their health teacher walked to the front of the class, and placed a doll on the table.
"Okay class, we've been asked by the local hospital to pilot a new scheme to make the youth of today aware of raising a child, and managing a family budget. This is a pairs assignment." Harry smiled at Sam, who looked relieved. "But I will be choosing the pairs. Some of you I feel are too in their comfort zones." Everyone fell silent, none of them liking the news. When no-one argued, he continued. "The pairs list will be posted on the notice board after this lesson, and at the end of the day I want you and your partner to come and collect your child." The rest of the lesson involved filling in various worksheets, but nobody could concentrate, as everyone wanted the lesson to end so they could see who they were partnered with. As soon as the bell rung for the end of lesson, everyone hurried their things into their bag, and rushed outside to the notice board. There was a lot of commotion, but Sharpay pushed everyone aside to get to the board.
"Jenna got Troy, perfect! And…oh yay! I got Harry!" She grinned. Sam pushed her way over to the board with Harry.
"Who did I get?" She asked. Harry looked, and sighed.
"It's not good…Ryan." Her eyes went wide, and she ran off, Harry fast on her tail.
At lunchtime the basketball team were discussing the project. Jason had got Gabriella, and Zeke had got Kelsi. Chad had forgot to check, but now his focus was on Taylor, who was storming over to the table, with Gabriella.
"Hey Taylor…"
"I'm not here to speak to you, I'm here to simply split our duties in half." She snapped, handing him a schedule. "You are unfortunately my 'partner' for the next two weeks. If you try and contact me outside the drop up or pick up times, I will ignore you. You're taking the first week, I'm taking the second week. I hope you fail." Chad laughed.
"Alright…thanks."
"You don't even need luck with that." She glared. "The fact that you're a moron will help you plenty." With that, she stormed off. Chad looked at Gabriella.
"She's still mad at me?"
"She has good reason to be." Shrugged Gabriella, who only stood being around Chad because it'd be awkward for Troy if she wasn't speaking to him either.
"Well…either way I'm gonna go to the library, I have homework overdue." He waved at Troy, and left. Gabriella shook her head.
"I can't believe he thinks he should be forgiven…"
"Come on, it was ages ago. Chad was just being…a guy." Gabriella raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.
"…A guy? So….are you just 'a guy' as well, Troy?"
"Yeah…What? No! Not in that way!"
"So you'd expect me to get over something like that?!"
"No I didn't say that. But to be honest Gabriella you've dumped me for pretty lame things in the past, and I've had to just get used to it…"
"What? I haven't! I always have a good reason!" It was Troy's turn to look unimpressed.
"What? Like talent shows…"
"Because you were acting like a jerk!" She snapped. "I bet you didn't even come looking for me when I was missing at lunch the other day."
"I did! But Jenna said you were with Ryan!"
"…And you spent lunch with her? Knowing what she's like!"
"What's that supposed to mean, Gabriella! Don't you trust me?!"
"…No. I don't trust you." Gabriella stood up, upset. "So maybe we should stop pretending I do." With that, she walked off.
