Hey, it's me again. Yeah, I haven't been given the chance to write much lately, so, once again, sorry for the wait!

Well, here's the chapter, and hopefully, I'll be able to update sooner for the next one.

One more, thing, I adore my reviewers. Thanks so much, and don't stop reviewing!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, 'cause it's one of the last.

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Who Was Your First Kiss, Troy?

Chapter 9: Not So Secret Anymore

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Sharpay closed the door behind her, darkness filling her vision.

She expected Troy to turn the lights on, but the only sound she heard was the rustle of clothing against the hung up coats. Groping for the light switch on the wall, she ran her hand over it slowly, finding nothing.

Giving up, she remained silent, as did he.

An eternity had already passed for the two teens, though only few seconds had ticked by.

Troy cleared his throat, and the silence continued on. He scratched his head, no sound other than soft breathing heard. He heard nothing coming from the outside either, so everyone must've been whispering, or paying attention to another dare.

Finally, going crazy at the silence, Troy chanced at breaking it, being the brave Wildcat he was.

"Do you have a watch?" he asked, automatically mentally kicking himself.

'Ugh, you're so stupid! The first thing you've said to her all afternoon, and you – ugh,' he thought to himself, refraining from pulling at his own hair.

"Yes," she replied, almost coldly.

"Okay."

Another silence followed.

"What time is it?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, though both could barely see each other.

"I don't know. It's too dark," she replied, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. It is."

Tick tock, tick tock…

Do you know where the light switch is?" he asked, hoping to keep the conversation alive. He was now eagerly fidgeting with his fingers, his voice filled with hope.

"Troy, if I knew where the light switch was, we wouldn't be standing in the dark, would we?" she said, with a groan.

"… No, I guess not."

Tick tock, Tick tock….

"Fine, let me find it," he said, beginning to allow his hands to wander through the darkness.

"THAT'S NOT THE LIGHT SWITCH!" Sharpay shrieked when he… 'got hold of her'. She smacked his hand away rather violently.

"Ow –! Geez, sorry," he said nervously, a fierce blush rising in his face.

Finally, he found the light switch, flipping it on, glad to be able to see.

The bulb was almost out, though the light was alive, and it at least gave you the ability to see again.

"How long –?"

"Forty-five seconds," Sharpay replied immediately.

"Okay," Troy replied, bowing his head so he was looking at his shoes, though he couldn't really see them. He was now going over what to say in his head.

'I'm sorry… I didn't mean to kiss you – no, that's bad. Uh, maybe I shouldn't talk. No, she'll probably never talk to me again after this… whatever. I guess I should just improvise….'

"Sharpay…" he began. He turned his body to look at her, though she remained still.

"Yes?" she asked, arms still crossed, though her voice had slightly softened.

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but ended up closing it once again.

"Nothing…"

Troy wanted badly to rip the hair that graced his head.

Breathing in, he tried again.

"Wait – there – there is something. Something I have to say. To you," he stuttered out, his face beginning to redden.

The blonde turned to look at him with questioning eyes.

"… well?" she asked him when all he could do was stare at her.

"Well, first… why'd you run?" he asked with a frown, not sure if he should've started off that way.

Sharpay remained silent, a sinking feeling in her chest. Still, she remained calm, cool, and collective, her icy cold aura coming back to surround her.

"Well, first, I should ask you. Why'd you do it?" she asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

Troy froze, his heart beating at an alarming rate, ears reddening. He brushed his hair back so it covered them up.

"Ah – what? Do what?" he spattered out, blinking innocently. No matter how cute he looked, he was a horrible liar.

Sharpay gave him a sneer, and stood tall, placing a hand on her hip.

"Psh. Don't be stupid, Troy. Why'd you – you know… kiss me?" she asked her voice getting almost inaudibly quiet at the last part of the sentence, as she re-crossed her arms. Her cheeks began to redden, Troy still… well, still still.

"Uh – why'd – why'd I kiss you? Well you say first, why'd you run?" he retorted, standing straight.

"Well, I wouldn't have ran if you hadn't fallen from the sky and kissed me! So you answer me first. Why?" she replied, barely seeing the boy before her. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she saw his face, flustered, but firm, his features accentuated by the dim light. It was almost as if they were standing in a candle lit room, usually the set for some romance in any movie or play.

The athlete took a deep breath, closing his eyes, relaxing a little.

'It's now or never…' he thought to himself, his heart rate picking up, though he tried to remain calm. He opened his eyes to find a confused, but still ready-for-battle Sharpay.

"Because… Because, Sharpay. Isn't it obvious? I like you," said Troy, wanting to grab her shoulders and shake her. "I really," he breathed again before speaking, "really like you."

Sharpay began to flush, and looked the other way quickly, hoping he wouldn't see how the words affected her. She was so excited, more excited than when he kissed her, but she had to stay calm.

"You should've told me before," she said in a firm voice. Her heart had told her to go easy, and tell him what she'd felt softly, but her mouth just kept running.

"I – what?" asked Troy, now confused, and a little angry. He'd just poured her heart out to her, and she reacted like she was angry about it.

"You should've told me before," she repeated in the same tone.

"Look, I told you now, and here, and I wasn't ready to before, okay? So, you know what? I – I can't keep waiting. No matter how much I like you – you just keep running away, and I guess that means you don't like me," he said, crossing his arms, feeling as if his heart was being poked at with a knife. No matter how painful it was, he still stood firmly.

"What if I do?" she asked in a loud voice, turning to face him.

"Do you?" he asked back, remaining calm.

Sharpay quieted down, and with a sigh, spoke quietly.

"Yeah, I do," she said, in a challenging voice.

"Fine. Then be my Valentine," he replied in a small voice, using the same tone she had with hers.

The girl froze, and had forgotten that it had been Valentines Day at all. All she remembered was putting together an outfit of red and pink a few days ago in preparation for something, which had evidently been the Valentines Day party.

Easing up she said, "Fine," with a small shake of her head, and a smile.

Feeling bright and happy, Troy turned, incapable of hiding his gigantic smile. Sharpay turned too, feeling her own heart soar.

In some way, she still felt she needed to repay Troy for how she'd been acting the whole day.

Gathering all her courage, she turned to face Troy's side slowly.

"Troy…?" she called to him in a whisper.

The boy turned around to receive one abrupt, and soft, kiss from Sharpay.

She pulled back in a blush.

"Happy Valentines Day," she said, earning a smile stretching from ear to ear from Troy.

"Back at ya," he replied with a goofy grin.

Troy leant back against the wall lazily, staring at the blonde as she sat on a piece of luggage on the floor.

"How long -?"

"Five minutes and forty seconds," she interrupted squinting to look at the watch.

"Will you kiss me again?" Troy asked after a few moments of silence.

"Troy, I like you and everything, but, let's not get too carried away," she said with a frown, blushing at the fact that he did want her to kiss him.

The boy frowned too, just as the light bulb flickered and died, darkness taking over once again.

"Oh, darn, looks like I have to look for the light switch agai-"

"Don't even touch me there," the blonde warned, through narrowed eyes, though she was secretly smiling, a smile not seen through the dark.

The two stood in silence for the rest of the designated time, simply smiling at each other through the darkness.

Sharpay blinked, and had finally waked from her thoughts of Troy, after staring at his vague figure for a few minutes.

"I think it's been seven minutes," she broke the quiet, hearing the boy begin to shuffle.

She couldn't see, but she felt a hand envelope hers.

"Let's go," he said with a smirk his hand still gripping hers. She squeezed back.

"Let's."

At walking out, the circle had gone from chatty to silent. All eyes were on the two, namely Greg, John, and Jason's. Seeing their hands clasped together, Andrea gasped, few cheerleaders looking at Sharpay like she'd killed someone. The blonde merely responded with a dare.

"They're holding hands…" Andrea said, as if she'd solved a murder mystery.

The two flushed, their fingers still entwined.

"Hey – they're holding hands!" Jason exclaimed, not hearing Andrea's hushed proclamation.

Suggestive 'Ooos' went around the room, and the chatter began again.

Troy sighed in relief, looking back at Sharpay.

Slowly, he loosened his grip, and she floated out of it.

Once again, he whispered into her ear, "Happy Valentines Day," quietly.

For no reason, Sharpay blushed, and looked at him, quickly kissing his cheek while all heads were turned. The two took their seats, and Greg, John, and Jason quickly barraged him with questions.

"What'd you guys do?"

"You're hair is pretty messy, man. Seriously, what happened?"

"Does anyone know where the nacho cheese is?"

The other two boys stared at Jason in disbelief.

"What?" he asked back with a shrug.

"Well, what?" John asked crossing his arms, an expectant look on his face.

A silent war fought on in Troy's head, as he debated whether to tell his friends about what happened in the closet or not. He knew they wouldn't say a word if he made them promise – after all the three were best buds. Still, hesitation filled Troy to the brim. He looked back down at his shoes, analyzing them for the second time that night. He then looked up, huffing out in a quick breath.

Someday he'd tell them, but now, just for now, it'd be he and Sharpay's little secret.

"Nothing," he replied with a shrug, standing, and turning to the snack table, leaving his three friends curious, and filled with question.

-END FLASHBACK-

All of the basketball players' eyes were trained on Troy as he ended his story, their mouths hanging half open, while Chad choked on a French fry, Zeke's soda flying out of his mouth, Beavis-and-Butthead-like laughs emitting from Jason.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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And, I'll leave it at that. Please leave a review on your way out if you can!