(Chapter 10)
(A Wedding, a Reunion, But No Funeral)
-
-
-
The wedding reception gleamed with perfection. The tables sparkled with too much glassware, the cutlery looked too new to be usable, and somehow, Sharpay found the swan-shaped candles a little excessive. But the food was good.
Sharpay had made a cursory survey and found, to her delight, that she would not be sharing a table with Hilary Duff or Orlando Bloom. Someone had looked kindly on her; her dinner guests were Idina Menzel (she hadn't seen Idina in ages) and Danny Tripp (Danny was a singer from New York; Sharpay had met him right before his record deal).
Sharpay took in the five layer white-and-blue, rose trimmed cake with some apprehension. She and Michelle were good at predicting wedding cakes, but this was slightly uncanny. Thousands of guests filtered around her, trying to be noticed by as many other people as possible. To ensure her personal safety, Sharpay made sure to stand in the one place everyone would flock to: the dessert table. She hadn't had any dessert, but anyone passing by couldn't miss her elegant pink form gripping a champagne glass lightly. (She hadn't been drinking the champagne, either, but that was beside the point.)
So Chad couldn't miss her.
"Finally," he said, approaching her, "someone I actually know."
"Hard to imagine," she said, turning, not expecting to see him. "Oh. Hello, Mr. Danforth." She held out her hand.
"Miss Evans. I didn't know you were going to be here."
"I doubt that, but thanks for the implied compliment. You said that you knew me, anyway."
Chad cleared his throat and smiled charmingly. She raised an eyebrow. "You got me. I saw you in the guest book."
"Then I suppose Rachel invited me." Chad ignored her stress on "Rachel."
"Did you enjoy the ceremony?"
"I especially enjoyed the part where Troy—I mean Mr. Bolton—almost left the rings on the side table in your room."
"That didn't happen."
"I know. That's why I said almost. Have I congratulated you yet? I haven't. Congratulations on your happy day, Mr. Danforth."
"Sharp—"
A high voice pierced their ears, "Sharpay!" Sharpay started slightly.
"I didn't know you invited sirens." But it wasn't a siren; it was Rachel, in her ruffled white glory (Sharpay begrudgingly admitted that she looked pretty in it) whose vocal box was more powerful than her elbows.
A few minutes later, Rachel had come up to them. "Chad, there you are! I was going to introduce you to Sharpay Evans, but—"
"We've met, baby," he assured her, laughing. He kissed her forehead and turned to Sharpay with his arm around her waist, his face the picture of faked sincerity (from years of watching her friends, Sharpay had learned to tell the difference).
"Sharpay!" Rachel gushed, reaching out to take Sharpay's hands. "I'm so happy you came, when I got your RSVP, I was so excited!"
Sharpay smiled fully. "It was a beautiful wedding, Rachel. And to Chad Danforth! I'm jealous."
"That's what everyone tells me, but I really love him, I do."
"Aw," Chad cut in. "I love you, too, babe."
Rachel let Sharpay go, her attention already focused on other neglected guests. Chad attempted to leave with her, but she told him to stay, saying "You two would get along, and Sharpay is such a great friend of mine. Please talk to her?" Sharpay almost screamed when he did stay.
Sharpay watched her leave. "How many easy payments did that cost?"
"Sharpay..."
"That was mean, I'm sorry. You have every right to disinvite me now."
"I'm not going to disinvite you."
"Damn." She was only half joking. Sharpay ran her eye over the cake again. "What kind is it?"
"Huh?"
"The cake, Chad."
"Oh. It's um."
Sharpay watched him struggle. "You forgot," she said flatly.
"Honey chocolate," he said right after she stopped speaking. He grinned smugly at her. "There was a mix-up three weeks ago and I was trying to remember if Rachel got the replacements on time. But yes. And there are several others just like it hanging around at lesser dessert bars. We'll be cutting this one soon."
"Huh. Well," she said perkily, "I'm flattered that you saw me in the middle of all these celebrities—"
"You're not the type to blend in, Sharpay." She didn't falter.
"—and I see Julia over there, so if you'll excuse me; I haven't seen her in such a long time!" As she left him, she said over her shoulder, "save a dance for me!"
Sharpay scurried over to Julia Roberts, asking to see pictures of Hazel and Phineas as they greeted each other. She sincerely hoped that Chad didn't save a dance for her, but it was fun watching him get swallowed by the crowd.
"You know him?" Julia asked, referring to Chad.
Sharpay shrugged. "A long time ago."
Julia gave her an inquisitive look. "Scandalous?"
They both turned to regard Chad through a curtain of other bodies. "No," Sharpay said. "Not really."
"Where's Michelle?" Julia asked.
"She didn't get invited!"
"What?"
"I know! But she has to be in a workshop this weekend, anyway."
Julia Roberts smiled accommodatingly. "There's the real reason."
--
--
--
Chad wasn't sure if he was really meant to save her a dance, but at half past eight he had pulled Sharpay from a group of strangers and onto the dance floor, keeping in mind his out-of-sight wife. The song was overly cheesy and probably a 90s one hit wonder, but Chad wasn't paying attention, anyway.
"Mm, you still can't waltz," Sharpay commented, feeling the pressure of Chad's hand against her lower back.
"My dear, I think you're wrong," Chad said with a smile, stepping away from Sharpay to spin her around.
Sharpay didn't remark, and Chad took the opportunity to change the conversation. "So, Broadway?"
"Did you expect anything else?"
"No, not really."
"Be happy. At least one person from East High found success outside basketball."
"Wait, Broadway's successful?"
"Wow, and you haven't changed. At all."
Chad laughed into her neck before stepping away. "I'm kidding, Sharpay."
If the dance was remotely memorable, it was due to the expected electricity pumping from each touch, the clichéd brush of the fingers, the lightness of each step. Chad surrounded himself in the very essence of Sharpay, a delectable treat equivalent to that of poison. He decided, with a slightly defunct heart, that Sharpay's personality remained infinitely Sharpay, her atmosphere unquestionable and her confidence completely attractive.
The dance ended, and Chad found himself following Sharpay outside to a nearby balcony, unintentionally snubbing his guests and his newly married wife. Leaving for a two week honeymoon to the Bahamas, Chad knew this anti-Romeo and Juliet balcony experience would probably be his last chance to ever talk to or see Sharpay again.
"So, pretty hard to believe you're actually married," Sharpay started, pressing her forearms against the balcony railing as she leaned into it.
Chad joined her. "I guess it doesn't really seem like me."
Sharpay laughed. "Unfortunately marriage is for everyone. I've never understood why people bind themselves in relationships they aren't ready to commit to."
Finding the similarity between Sharpay and Rachel wasn't hard on superficial terms, but anything relating to their separate personalities couldn't be farther apart. Sharpay's view on life was astoundingly original and real; she wasn't a pessimist, but Sharpay certainly would never lie to herself. Rachel, his loving, sweet Rachel, could hardly be considered overly self-assured; what she lacked in realism she made up for in fabrications, which Chad had never fully adapted himself to. If anything, his assuredness was pretty parallel to Sharpay's. He rarely lied to himself until now.
"I kinda expected you to say that," Chad finally replied, smirking at her.
Sharpay smirked back and sipped her drink before staring up at the lack-of-stars in the sky. "How's Troy?"
"Happily married, did you expect anything else?"
"Oh, never. Well, that's a lie. But I won't go into my expectations."
They were silent. Chad brushed his fingers over the rim of his wine glass, staring over the balcony as Sharpay stared above it.
Finally, Chad said, very lightly, "I'm glad you came."
Sharpay shifted before looking back at him. "Of course, I guess. But I have to admit, I really came to see if you'd choke on your vows. Really."
"I'm serious, Sharpay," Chad said, sobering, no smirk, an invisible pressure falling on his shoulders. He caught her stare and held onto it, afraid if he let go he wouldn't find it again.
"Hey," Sharpay said just above her breath, stepping forward and kissing him on the cheek. "Have fun on your honeymoon."
She turned her back on him, and all Chad could do was stare as she walked away.
-
-
-
End Chapter 10
-
-
-
A/N: TehFuzzyPenguin I know, there's no flashback! But they met. They did. And it was--disappointing, I'm sure, but there's at least four more chapters to this, so it can't end now! You should know that I love Julia Roberts. Keep reading! (I decline comment on HSM2)
StarVitamin Man, I did not rock the dialogue in this chapter. So, the wedding's over, believe it or not, and the next chapter's insanely significant, so make sure to stay alert! Thanks again for all your kind comments, we really appreciate them!