Troy opened his eyes. The gleaming sun instantly made him shut them again, blinding him. He groaned with exhaustion and glanced at the alarm clock.

It was near 7am.

Troy sighed, and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck roughly. He looked down at the spot next to him on the bed and realized Sharpay wasn't there. Carelessly brushing his sandy hair with his hand, he got up and checked that she wasn't in the bathroom or anything, before getting dressed and ready for school.

He noticed that alot of her things were set up around in the bathroom, mostly her make-up and beauty products. He smiled to himself, knowing this meant she was feeling much better than yesterday.

Making his way downstairs, the faint scent of coffee filled the air, and the sound of two women quietly chattering could be heard from the kitchen.

Troy spotted Sharpay and Mrs Bolton sitting at the breakfast table, fully dressed, and enjoying a cup of coffee. Sharpay was the first to see Troy. She smiled at him.

"Morning, Troy," she said, standing up. Troy nodded, returning the smile.

"Morning," he murmured. Mrs Bolton gave him a warm smile, getting up to offer him her seat. She picked up her handbag and straightened her nurse's uniform.

"Sharpay made you some breakfast," she told him. She went over and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. "I, on the other hand, have work to attend too." She smiled at her son, rubbing his head roughly with her hand. "Don't be late for school." Troy nodded. Mrs Bolton gave Sharpay a nod, and left the house.

There was a moment of silence as Troy took a seat, Sharpay busily filling a plate with pancakes and eggs. She set it down in front of him and sat down as well. Troy just stared at it.

"Don't you like it?" Sharpay asked, watching him eagerly. Troy glanced up at her and grinned sheepishly. He picked up his fork.

"No," he said, eating the pancake first. He smiled. "I'm just not used to this kind of thing." Sharpay laughed.

"Well, just see it as a thank you from me. For making you sit in that chair the whole night." Troy shook his head, trying hard not to laugh and choke on his food.

"You didn't make me," he said. "So you don't really owe me anything." He swallowed his food, smiling sweetly at her. "It was the night of my life."

This caused Sharpay's smile to fade a little. Her gaze drifted down to the table. Troy noticed, and he placed down his fork, feeling bad.

"Paypay…" Sharpay managed a small smile, but shook her head.

"I don't want you to think I'm sending those kinds of waves to you, Troy," she muttered softly." Because you know we can't…" Troy sighed deeply, nodding.

"I know," he said. He stared at the plate, not feeling like eating anymore. "I'm sorry." There was another long pause, before Sharpay gathered the courage to ask her next question.

"Chad and Taylor…" she began. Her eyes gazed back into his, and he could see the fear. "… they know, don't they? It… wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me?" Troy sighed again, looking away.

"They had to know," he said. "If it wasn't for Taylor, I would never had gotten the medicine to you in time." He placed his hand on hers on the table, turning her stare back at it. "They won't tell anyone your secret." Sharpay carefully pulled her hand out of his grip, laughing dryly.

"Easy, Bolton," she said hastily. "Remember Gabriella." Troy face fell with disappointment, so he backed off. He cleared his throat loudly.

"Right."

They again sat in total silence, not knowing what to say to each other, really. Troy just continued to mindlessly eat his food, which seemed to have lost their favour, while Sharpay forced herself to finish her cold, bitter coffee.

Troy could hardly swallow the food, focusing more on trying not to look at Sharpay. What was wrong with him? It was like there was this magnetic force that was pulling him to her, and it was getting more and more difficult to try and resist, to try and pull away. The strings that had held him back were cut, releasing him by the will of his heart… except one.

Gabriella.

Troy took a sip of his orange juice. He knew he was going to hurt her, and Taylor was probably, no definitely going to kill him, but something was telling him he had to do it today. He stole another glance at Sharpay.

He couldn't hold on any longer, and he had to do the right thing before breaking Gabriella's heart.

A honk came from outside, and Ryan's car pulled over by the house. Sharpay glanced through the window at him, getting her bag. She turned back to Troy, giving him an almost-smile.

"I'll… see you at school, then?" Troy nodded.

"Yeah." Sharpay beamed at him, threw her bag over her shoulder and rushed out the door. Upon hearing the car speed away, Troy stood up and readied himself for school. He packed extra on Sharpay's medication, sighing grimly to himself.


The first period that day was Drama. With only one week before the play, it wouldn't even matter if Drama wasn't on, Darbus would drag everyone to rehearsals, in and out of classes anyway. Troy knew it was a fact.

Unfortunately, the lesson was extended even more for the cast of the Autumn Musical, so Troy, Sharpay, Ryan, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Kelsi and Jason were all locked in the theater room, literally.

Troy carefully avoided Chad, who was continuously bickering him for answers about what happened last night with Sharpay.

"She stayed in your room, right?" he said, although it was pretty obvious he didn't want Troy to really answer it. "In your bed?" Troy sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Look," he said, rather curtly. "Can we talk about this later?" He suddenly realized Taylor was right behind him, also wanting answers. "Guys, nothing happened."

"Are you sure?" Taylor asked, narrowing her eyes. Troy blushed just a little, but luckily, the warning bell went off just before he could answer. They were dragged away with the crowd to their next class, Drama, unable to communicate with each other for several minutes.

Darbus informed them the production was going to coming up sooner than she thought, so instead of just regular rehearsals like always, the entire cast had to be present, and fully dressed in their costumes.

No one really minds, because they'd only have to change their outfits twice; once for the 20s theme, and the second for 30 years later. (A.N. Listen to the song, you'll get it). Sharpay, on the other hand, had to change from a showgirl outfit, to a 20s dress, to a dressing robe, and so on.

Darbus nagged both Sharpay and Troy about a scene they were about to perform, while Taylor and Chad watched anxiously. Ryan and Gabriella, however, both seemed equally as excited to see the performance. Sharpay seemed less awkward about Troy by now, since she would always put show business first. She shot him a smirk as Darbus went on and on.

"I know you don't like each other very much," she said in her poshly voice. "But do try to act like it." They exchanged a bored look and nodded.

Troy sighed and straightened up his bartender's outfit and undid his bowtie, while Sharpay smoothed out her straight blonde hair and let it flow down her back. She looked down at the simple powder blue dress that cut down at her knees. She looked up timidly at Troy as he clipped her microphone to her collar.

"Break a leg," she muttered to him. Troy laughed, patting her shoulder.

"You too." Sharpay nodded. She took a deep breath and went up first on stage as Troy followed closely behind her. They stopped in the very centre, and stood a feet away from each other, waiting for Darbus to give them the signal. Kelsi sat in the corner, as usual, with her piano, no doubt about to play one of the sappy songs Darbus had forced her to learn.

"Alright!" Darbus screeched, sitting down in front of Ryan. "When you're ready!" She pointed at Kelsi, and Troy cleared his throat as a sentimental melody began. Sharpay put on a sad face and crossed her arms across her chest, turning to walk away from Troy, but he caught her.

"Lola," he said softly. She tried to pull out of his grip. "Please… listen to me." Sharpay shook her head.

"I don't want to," she said, but she stopped struggling and instead just took a step away. She looked back at him with questioning eyes. "What do you want with me?" Troy came closer and took her hand, the look in his eyes saying it all. Sharpay pulled away. "No."

"Why not?"

"We can't be together, Tony," she said in a stern voice. She turned away and went further up the stage. She glanced back at him. "I'm a showgirl, okay? You're a bartender. We work together and that's all it'll be. It's always going to be like this." She looked away sadly. "Things will get too complicated." Troy walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, brushing his cheek against her ear lightly.

"I don't care about any of that," he whispered, but with the microphone, everyone was able to hear him. He pulled back and turned her around to him. He gave her a gentle smile. "I love you , Lola. I don't care if you're rich or poor, if you're the star of the act or not. I don't care." Sharpay dropped her gaze to hide her half-smile.

"The last couple of days," she muttered, looking back up at him. "We fooled around a little, and I really had fun. We had a special moment together, but that was it. I can't have a serious relationship with someone I work with, or anyone, really…" She sighed, turning her back to him again. "It never works out." Troy shook his head.

"It will this time, because this time it's for real." He placed his hand over his heart. "I can't choose who I fall in love with. My heart does." He tilted his head a little to the side to try and get Sharpay's eye contact, who still wasn't looking at him. "And it chose you." Sharpay just sighed softly and hugged herself again, taking a few steps away from him to the other side of the stage. Kelsi began to play the song.

Troy watched her for a moment, then sighed.

"Why won't she let me be with her?" he asked the audience. He glanced at Sharpay. "God, when I'm with her, I feel… I feel so whole. Like she's a part of me. Like she's the one thing I've been waiting for all my life." He looked back at the crowd and began singing softly.

(Italics - Troy singing, Bold - Sharpay singing, Both - Both singing)

I was counting down the minutes
I was wishin' on the stars
I was prayin' for a sign
And tryin' to beat the odds…

He glanced at Sharpay, reaching out his hand to her.

I was dreamin' of you
From before I saw your face

He closed his hand into a fist and brought it to his chest, looking down at it.

And there you were
Waitin' for that day

He turned back, holding out his hand as if to touch the sky.

Then you… reached through the hurricane
When you… baby you called my name…

Still not looking at Troy, Sharpay began to sing as well, taking step after step towards the front of the stage.

You broke through the storm
And you turned back the night
Baby you are the fire
Burnin' the midnight sky
And your love
Keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone
Where the hero belongs…

Sharpay looked down at the railings sadly, as Troy watched her.

There you were…
There you were…

Sharpay looked up again and closed her eyes, letting the note flow through her.

Oh…
Oh…

She started walking along the plank she was standing on, still not looking at Troy, her arms still crossed.

"Why do I keep getting these feelings when I'm near him?" she said, looking up at the ceiling. "He's just like any other guy I've been with." She sighed. "Any other guy who's broken my heart." She glanced at an unsuspecting Troy. "But he's different somehow… he really likes me for me, and not just my looks." She turned back to the audience. "Is he for real?" The music picked up once again.

Must have broken into heaven
Just to roll back the clouds
Were you on a mission
Were you seekin' me out

She raised her hands in question.

Was I that one in a billion

She touched her lips thoughtfully before glancing at Troy.

Was I that one sacred kiss
That you couldn't chance
You just couldn't miss

She stopped in front of him and reached out her hand to him.

Then you babe… you whispered through the silent tears

Troy took her hand.

When you, you swept away all my fears, oh!

They stared into each other's eyes with heated passion for the chorus.

You broke through the storm
And you turned back the night
Baby you are the fire
Burnin' the midnight sky
And your love
Keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone
Where the hero belongs

There you were babe!

Standin' in the middle of nowhere,

Sharpay smiled at him, their eyes never leaving each other.

With your arms wide open and you,

Sharpay cupped his jaw gently with her hand, her eyes sparkling.

You were the reason when there was no reason in my life

Troy's hand placed itself over Sharpay's as she belted out the line to the amazed audience.

You're the reason in my life!

Sharpay and Troy separated, but their eyes didn't. Sharpay started to sway to the melody, her dress flowing around her body gracefully as she again sang her heart out for the chorus, wearing a smile of pure happiness.

You broke through the storm
And you turned back the night
Baby you are the fire
Burnin' the midnight sky
And your love
Keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone
There you were babe

Subconsciously, they drew closer and closer to each other.

You broke through the storm
And you turned back the night
Baby you are the fire
Burnin' the midnight sky
And your love
Keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone
Where the hero belongs…
There you were

The music calmed down, finally. Both taking a deep breath and their hands collided once again. Troy placed his hands on her back and pulled Sharpay close to his body, staring deep into her eyes.

Like the light in the eye of the storm
Tellin' me not to cry anymore

Sharpay smiled again, raising her hand and gently stroking his cheek.

There you were

Troy started to rock her from side to side, just lost in the moment.

Where I watched my whole world fall apart
Shinin' through like on angel from afar
Oh like an angel

You broke through the storm
And you turned back the night
Baby you are the fire
Burnin' the midnight sky
And your love
Keeps taking me higher
Just when all hope was gone
There you were babe…

As they let the chorus fade out, Troy stopped singing. He looked deep into Sharpay's auburn eyes.

"You know I would never hurt you," he muttered, this time not as Tony, but speaking from his very heart. Sharpay smiled tearily, nodding. "I want to be you. I can't live without you in my life… Lola." He quickly added it when the music faded completely. Sharpay nodded again.

"I know…" she whispered. Troy hugged her warmly, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "And I feel that way too…" Troy smiled.

"Cut!" Darbus screamed, and the couple broke apart. As Troy and Sharpay shook themselves back to reality, the members of the Drama Club burst into applause. Ryan, Gabriella, Kelsi and Zeke all stood up from their seats, clapping loudly. Both the two actors on stage bowed. They even saw Darbus herself crack a smirk.

"Well," she said, twirling her pen between her fingers. "I would say that was a very good job, Mr Bolton and Miss Evans. I had no idea that even you two could pull of so much chemistry, especially with each other." The actors blushed. Darbus motioned them to get off the stage, and after they obeyed that command, she acted like her compliment never happened and went straight to the next act. Sharpay rolled her eyes, while Troy was left a little confused. Sharpay laughed at his expression.

"Don't worry," she told him, typing up her hair. "We pulled it off."


The rest of the day seemed to drag on after Drama. Chad and Taylor were still throwing their questions at Troy, but he didn't seem to show any intention to surrendering to them.

The strange thing that day was, that every one of his subjects, he was with both Sharpay and Gabriella. Surprisingly, after the show business was over, Sharpay switched back to her Ice Queen mode, ignoring all of Troy's attempts of communicating with her. Gabriella, however, sat herself next to him in every lesson, like she usually did, sticking to him like glue. This effect was wearing Troy out.

As they left their last period, Gabriella escorted Troy out of class, as Sharpay turned the other way with Ryan without a word. Troy sighed as he watched her go, unable to concentrate on listening to Gabriella.

"That scene was so romantic," she said dreamily. "It's too bad I didn't get the part for Lola, but I guess Sharpay did a pretty good job." Troy smiled to himself. He felt Gabriella's arms around his tighten. He looked over at her and she beamed.

"So, you wanna come over today?" she asked, a noticeable tone of flirtation in her voice. "My mom's working, so maybe we could hire a DVD or something." Troy forced a laugh, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He stopped outside the school and took Gabriella's hands. She frowned at him, a little confused at his actions. "What's the matter, Troy?" He glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone else was watching them, but the school was empty now. He turned back to his girlfriend and sighed.

"Gabriella," he began. Gabriella beamed; she loved it when he said her name, it just sounded so much better.

"Yeah?" Troy struggled to think of what to say, the spark in her eyes making him feel so guilty. Instead, he decided to keep his eyes on her hands.

"I… I don't think we should watch a movie tonight." Gabriella's smile flickered at his words, but she quickly replaced it.

"That's okay," she said, leading him towards the park beside the school. "We can just hang out or--"

"No!" Troy said suddenly in a hard voice, frustrated at her suggestion. Gabriella was taken aback at his response. He sighed, softening his tone. "No." He forced himself to look her in the eye. "Gabriella…" He sat down at the bench, pulling her down gently to the spot next to him. Gabriella tried to smile, but she had a feeling she knew what was going to happen next. Troy sighed again.

"Look," he said softly. "You're a beautiful, smart, sweet, funny, kind, caring person." He was trying to let her down gently, but maybe he was making it too obvious he was going to break up with her. And Gabriella was probably smart enough to realize that.

She did.

As all the pieces of the puzzle on why Troy had been acting so distant and distracted lately finally came together, Gabriella felt a stab in her heart as she realized her worst fears were able to come true. Oh no… please don't let it be what I think it is…

"… you're passionate and loyal, and that's everything a boyfriend would ever want," Troy continued. He wiped away a tear that had unknowingly rolled down Gabriella's cheek. She exhaled shakily.

"What are you trying to say to me?" she asked rather forcefully. He didn't answer straight away, so she flicked off his hand. "You want to break up with me, don't you?" She didn't need an answer, Troy's ominous stare was enough for her. She shot up from her seat and turned away from him.

She took a deep breath and placed her hand on her forehead. The cold wind suddenly gushed towards them, sending Gabriella's hair and teardrops flying with the Autumn leaves. Troy stood up and approached her cautiously, but she kept her back to him.

"What happened to us?" she whispered. "What we used to be…" She pushed her chocolate hair behind her ear, wrapping her arms around herself as another breeze passed by. Troy took a step back, his gaze drifting to the ground.

"I guess… that spark just isn't there anymore…" Or the fact that it just wasn't meant to be. Gabriella seemed to have heard his thoughts, or was thinking the same thing. She smiled wryly, wiping away another silent tear.

"Yeah," she muttered softly. "It just isn't there like it used to be." She turned around, but her eyes avoided him. She looked like she was about to cry. Troy saw this.

"Gabby…" He lifted her chin up to him so he could see her face. "It's not you, it's me. I don't deserve you." Gabriella scoffed, but her lips tired hard not to curve upward in a smirk.

"Don't say it like that," she said, laughing. Troy smiled, relieved that Gabriella wasn't crying anymore. He held out his hand to her.

"Friends?" Gabriella exhaled deeply, but nodded. She took his hand.

"Friends." She didn't want him to feel that she was mad at him, even though she was. At that moment, she really didn't want to be friends with Troy, but she knew she'd regret it if she let her rage take control of her. The handshake was quite stiff, and Troy let go first. He cleared his throat.

"So," he said, hoping to still be able to make peace with his ex, no… former girlfriend. "Do you want me to take you home?" Gabriella shook her head, plastering a smile.

"No," she said, her voice much higher than usual. "I… I've got my own." Troy nodded, though it was clear to see that she just didn't want to go with him.

"Okay. Drive home safely, then." She nodded enthusiastically.

"You too." They stood there for a long moment, seeing which one of them dared to leave first.

At last, Troy excused himself when his phone went off.

"See you at school." He brushed past her towards the car park, and drove away as she just watched.

The cold breeze blew hard again against Gabriella's face, bringing back with it the sadness and feelings of hurt, hostility and betrayal into her heart. She covered her mouth with her hands to muffle the uncontrollable sobs.

Even though blinded by the tears, she ran as fast as she could. Away from this place.


When she reached home, she immediately took out all of her photos with Troy in them and threw them out. She couldn't stop the tears from coming out, and her anger for him could only be controlled by getting rid of anything that reminded her of him.

The phone suddenly went off, but Gabriella felt reluctant to pick it up. It rang on and on, until Gabriella grew tired of it. She picked it up.

"Hello?" Taylor's voice came.

"Hey, Gab. Wanna go to the mall?" Gabriella emitted a sad sigh, collapsing onto the floor. Taylor, even over the phone, seemed to sense that something was wrong. "Gabriella? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"What's wrong? You sound kinda down." At that, Gabriella couldn't hold it in any longer, and she dissolved back into tears.

"Troy broke up with me," she sobbed.

"What?!" Gabriella took another deep breath, calming herself.

"It's fine, I'm just releasing some steam."

"No, it is not fine!" Taylor shouted hotly. Gabriella was surprised at her friend's reaction. "Why did he do that to you?!" She feared he told her about Sharpay.

"He said he just… didn't feel the spark anymore." Taylor sighed with relief, but that didn't change how angry she was at Troy at that very moment.

"We'll see if that's all it really is," she muttered dangerously. "We'll see." This scared Gabriella; she had never heard Taylor sound so threatening before.

"What? What are you going to do?"

No answer.

"Taylor?"

Click.

"Hello?" Gabriella stared at the phone, baffled. Taylor hung up.

What was going on?


The strange thing about Taylor was she was always, repeat always, able to accurately bottle up her feelings for someone and/or something until she allowed those feelings to be released.

She was able to work normally and calmly until the next day of school. It was in the morning, so the hall was crowded, but Taylor didn't care. As soon as she spotted Troy at his locker, she brushed right past Chad in front of her and marched towards him, blinded with rage. She grabbed his shirt and slammed him into the wall. Everyone's attention turned to them, including Gabriella, Zeke, Ryan and Sharpay, but still Taylor didn't care.

"I know what you did to Gabriella," she said a hiss. Troy tried to speak, choking on her grasp.

"Taylor, I—" Taylor didn't listen.

"What part of 'don't hurt her' don't you get?! I asked you to do one thing, ONE THING! Why didn't you do it?!" Chad raised his arm in front of Gabriella as she tried approaching them. What was going on? She had never seen her best friend like that before. Taylor took him by the collar with both hands and tightened her grip. "WHY?!"

No one dared come any closer. Ryan placed a hand on Sharpay's shoulder, reading her racing thoughts when she took a shaken step forward. She couldn't breathe, her heart pounding, realizing what part in this situation she might have.

Troy glanced over at her, desperate for help, but it was instead caught by Taylor. She looked between them, disgusted.

"You broke up with Gabriella for Sharpay?!" Everyone let out a gasp. Taylor grabbed him and threw him off the wall, making him almost stumble onto the ground. He quickly straightened up and spun around to her. Chad quickly ran over to Taylor, holding her back from attacking Troy.

"You are such a jerk! And an idiot!"

"Taylor!" Chad called out. "That's enough!" But she didn't listen.

"She has Metallia, Troy! Metallia! It's terminal in every case, and she only has a 10 percent chance of survival at this stage!" Troy, Chad, Sharpay and Ryan stared at her with utter horror, her words sending shockwaves to everyone else.

"Sharpay has… Metallia's Disease?" Gabriella muttered, her eyes widening. Zeke glanced over at her, lost.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Taylor, stop it…" Troy pleaded.

"You think you can actually have a relationship with her?!" Taylor shot viciously at him. "You think in two years time she'll still be with you?! Metallia's Disease is a death sentence! She'll probably be dead before graduation!" Sharpay could barely stand Taylor's harsh words, but then the final blow was made by what she said next.

"You gave up Gabriella for a… for a corpse!"

Sharpay suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. She almost fell back, her eyes blinded by corrupting tears. She covered her mouth with one hand and ran out of the hall.

"Sharpay!" Ryan shouted after her, but she disappeared out the door without hearing him. Troy stared at Taylor for a moment with revolted disbelief, before running after Sharpay. Everyone else turned back towards Taylor. Whispers began to go around quickly, and Taylor finally snapped out of her psychotic rampage, realizing too late of the damage her words and actions had caused. Gabriella ran up to her with Chad and Zeke, and Taylor already knew she wasn't going to get any kind of thank you.

"How could you say something like that, Taylor?" Chad asked, outraged. "You know this isn't Sharpay's fault!"

"Sharpay has Metallia's Disease?" Gabriella gasped. "Why wouldn't she tell anyone if she had Metallia?"

"What the heck is Metallia?!" Zeke said loudly, looking around at everyone. Ryan looked in the direction Troy and Sharpay ran out, hoping to God nothing bad would happen.

Troy searched for almost ten minutes around the school grounds for Sharpay. Finally, he found her sitting alone, in a quiet corner under a tree outside. She was crying softly into her knees. Troy watched her sadly and he sat down on the spot next to her.

"Don't listen to Taylor," he whispered, placing a hand on her back. "She's just overreacting." Sharpay's eyes snapped open and she pushed Troy violently off.

"Why did you break up with Gabriella?" she said in a hard, but obviously hurt voice. "Because of me?" She stood up, towering over him. "How can you be such a fool?! There's no future with me, Troy!" Troy shook his head and stood up as well.

"Why can't there be?" he asked. "Why won't you give us a chance?"

"There is no us!" Sharpay said hotly. More tears. "Everything Taylor said was true! I'm terminal, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop this from happening!" Troy shook his head again.

"You can't think like that, Paypay. You just can't."

"But it's true!" she said tearfully. "Everyone knows about me now! They're all going to feel sorry for me and treat me like I'm some sort of cripple!" She let out an angered sob, clutching her hair. "I don't want anyone's pity!" Troy was shocked by her words.

"Why are you risking your life for your reputation like this? Why won't you let anyone help you?!"

"I don't want anyone's help because no one can help me!" Troy took her firmly by the shoulders as she tried to run away again. "Let go of me, Troy!"

"Paypay, you have to listen!"

"Stop calling me Paypay! Stop acting like you know me, like you actually care about me! I don't need you! I don't--"

Pain erupted in her chest, like ret-hot metal had suddenly gushed in with her blood. Sharpay started hyperventilating, her entire body going numb. Her world spun round and round, forcing the air out of her lungs until she could breathe no longer. Troy knew immediately what was happening.

He laid her down on the pavement and quickly took out the medicine and a syringe. He pulled the plastic cap off the needle and filled it up with the platinum peroxide, injecting it into Sharpay's arm like he did the first time. He then wrapped his arms around her as she regained her breathing, pressing her head against his chest and rocking her gently. She began to cry. Troy smiled as he hushed her.

"You need me," he whispered. Sharpay closed her eyes and shook her head as hard as she could.

"No…" She buried her face into his shirt, crying softly. "I don't need you…"

"Troy! Sharpay!" Ryan ran over to them beside the tree. He kneeled down and took Sharpay from Troy's arms. Troy allowed him, seeing how worried he was.

"She's okay now," he told him. "I gave her the injection." Ryan glared at him, much to his surprise.

"Go," he muttered, his voice cool and possibly threatening. "You've done enough." Sharpay heaved a sigh and sat up slowly, giving him a look that was a mix of anger, anguish and hurt, telling him to leave now. Troy thought it would be best if he obeyed, so he did.

He didn't really know what of what he did enough of; helping Sharpay or being the reason everyone knew about her illness now. He watched as Ryan helped Sharpay into his car, most likely to go to Dr Hayes. Troy sighed, digging his hands deep into his pockets.

He didn't want to go back into class, knowing what was waiting for him. He couldn't clear his mind of Sharpay, of what might possibly happen to her. He felt so guilty for everything, but all that had happened made Troy think.

If she didn't feel the same way about him, why did she react like that?

He wanted to help her, but she just wouldn't let him. She didn't understand the danger she was putting herself in, not at all. Everytime he thought about what Sharpay was going through, Troy felt a surge of sadness through his body.

He had to convince her, let her know how much she really meant to him.

A strong bitter gust whipped against Troy's face, blowing his hair back. He stared up at the cloudy sky, knowing fate was the only one able to draw the path of the future for Sharpay. He sighed again.

"Have mercy on her, God."


Song: There You Were by Marc Anthony and Jessica Simpson

This chapter was much, much longer than I intended, but I had to stay true to the sneak peek, so I just went for it.

Next: Troy opens up to Sharpay by dedicating a song to her. :) Will he finally win her over?