Chapter 10:

Facing Ryan would probably be one of the hardest things Sharpay has ever done. Even though she was the younger twin, she felt like she was the stronger twin. She felt the need to always protect Ry from the true monster that their father really was. She didn't want his opinion of her to change. She was ashamed and afraid of his rejection in her weakest hour. The entire car ride to the hospital she didn't say a word. She .barely even nodded when Troy asked if he should call Ryan right away or wait for a little while.

"Okay," Troy said keeping an eye on the road. He had never saw someone with such a cold protective shell over their heart and soul and all he wanted to do was warm Sharpay up. She was a kind of alone he didn't think was possible. She had completely alienated her true self from society only showing people a cold-heart bitch diva facade.

"He deserves to at least know that Nana is sick." She barely whispered staring blankly out the passenger window. The Sharpay he had enjoyed a night with was gone leaving behind a small fragile ghost of a woman.

Troy tried to put a reassuring smile on his face but he knew she wouldn't see it anyways. With his left had guiding the steering wheel, Troy grabbed his phone from the middle console and dialed Ryan's number. Although the two boys had become close while being lab partners... Troy felt awkward trying to tell him such personal news.

The silence filled the car as Troy said nothing waiting for the ringing to stop to hear another voice at the end of the phone. He didn't have any luck, Ryan never answer. He knew instinctively Ryan was with Kelsi and it would probably be awhile before he would get the message but he left one on Ry's voice-mail anyways. "hey Ry, this is Troy. I don't really understand everything that happened tonight but your Nana is in the ER. You need to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Sharpay and I can explain everything then."

Sighing as he approach a stop-light right in front of the hospital. Troy wanted to cover all his bases so as fast as his fingers would let him, he wrote one simple text message in hopes that the fact the constant ringing would give Ryan a hint. Ryan Sharpay needs you now. Father shot... grandmother in hospital.. get here ASAP!

Quickly turning into the hospital parking lot, Troy shoved his cell phone in his pocket and promised to keep trying to get a hold of Ryan when he got Sharpay in the waiting room sitting down. He was too afraid the petite blond was suffering post-traumatic stress syndrome or she was in severe state of shock. He just kept praying that she would pull through to conscience.

After he parked the car in the first available parking stall, Troy around the car to help Sharpay out. He didn't even realize that they were holding hands as they walked through the parking lot to the main entrance of the emergency room. They sat down in the back corner and troy put his arm around her in sort of a half hug. He was going to give her all the strength and support he had. He was going to make sure she pulled through this entire nightmare a strong woman.

"Thank you!" Sharpay said softly. "I mean... You never signed up for a wild night with gun-shooting and shocking confessions. It is just I held it in for so long that it ate me alive. If I didn't tell someone.. I just wouldn't... to be honest, I probably would have committed suicide... Not that anyone would miss me with the way I treat everyone."

"Sharpay..." Troy said softly brushing the hair from her face. "I..."

"Oh my god" Ryan said frantically as he ran over to the other two and cut off Ryan. Kelsi walked in behind him. The two of them were celebrating their one-year anniversary. "Are you guys okay? What happened? How is Nana doing?"

"Ryan... I think that Sharpay needs.." Troy was trying to think of an excuse to calm the other boy down. Knowing Sharpay had a lot to say to her twin brother, Troy figured that she would not want to say it front of Kelsi. There were some things that were just private. Troy himself felt guilty for knowing her darkest secret, but not really knowing her.

"A cup of coffee, a pen, and a notebook," Sharpay stated flatly looking at Ryan. "Could you please walk with me to get them?"

"You even said please," Ryan said as he smiled at her. "i guess trauma really does change people." He held his hand out her to help her out of the small chair and she willingly grabbed it right away. Even if she didn't tell him everything, even if didn't understand anything at the moment, they were twins and in being so had an incredible bond that was unbreakable.

"I have a lot to say to you..." Sharpay whispered as the tears started to fall down her cheeks.

Ryan wiped away the tears and quietly walked her over to the coffee machine. He smiled at her thinking of what to say. He wasn't the type to reassure, but neither was Sharpay. They were the ones who were honest to a fault... He said soothingly, "I know."

"What?" Sharpay exclaimed shocked... If really had known everything all along why hadn't he helped her? Why hadn't he tried to stop their father? She felt betrayed and used.

"I figured you would tell me when the time is right... You forget we don't have maids. I did most of the cleaning... which included seeing the bloody condom the first time.. I didn't know who it belonged to at first... I promised myself that if I ever caught him, I would kill him... but you were dating Zeke at the time that I just figured maybe it was Zeke... I didn't actually positively know until Troy called."

"but..." Sharpay said with a breathy voice. "all this time."

"I didn't want to upset to anymore... I wanted you to come to me in your own time. I tried to be home more. I knew that he wouldn't dare do it, if anyone else was around. I even closed down my dance class." Ryan hugged her close. "I am so sorry that I didn't do more Shar. I feel terrible that is has all come down to this. I feel like as the older one I should have done more to protect you."

"Oh Ry!" Sharpay just cried into her brother's chest. She didn't know what else to do or say. Here they were both stubborn as always even in the most horrendous situations. He didn't want to hurt her pride by telling her he knew right away. He just secretly plotted against their father every chance he got. She was too full of pride to admit how vulnerable she really was or play the victim. Here they stood with their family secret, yet it was the one secret no one in the family shared.

"i do have one thing to say... about why I have been gone so often.." Ryan paused before continuing. He smiled at his sister. " I pooled all the money from the dance class that I taught and I bought a beautiful two bedroom condo close to the dance studio and I have been furnishing it with all of my stuff slowly... I had planned the big move tonight. Kelsi and I only pretended to go to a fancy restaurant. We got all dressed up to move all your belongings to the new place. I didn't want you to keep the same furniture and decorations that were in the same room dad took advantage of you in, so..."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sharpay squealed with excitement. She wasn't going to have to fake being married to Troy Bolton to get money for her own apartment... Ryan, who she thought didn't care and didn't understand had done all of this for her. She felt actually happy. For once in her dreary teen years, Sharpay Evans felt excitement for a future where things just may be different after all.

"I talked to Nana last week and she was in the process of signing over all of our trust fund money into our own bank accounts so we can finish high school without having to work and figure out what we would like to do with college." Ryan finished. He was so distance from her when she needs him most that he didn't know how she would react to this news. He was away from their house so often in the last few weeks that it gave his father to abuse his sister over the edge.

"I think we should go check on Nana," Sharpay whispered as she changed her mind from coffee and inserted change in to the soda machine buying four cans of Pepsi. She shrugged everything off and walked into the gift shop to buy a small diary and a fancy pen... If she had to be here for the long haul, she might as well channel all her pain and anger into a song.

While Sharpay walked back over to sit by troy, Ryan trotted over to the nurse's station to check in as Nana's family. After a brief exchange of name and relation, the nurse on duty politely told Ryan that when she had any type of news she would let them know. He turned around and looked at his sister as she laid across some of the chairs to curl into Troy's lap. As Ryan watched his friend he couldn't help but wonder when their lives took this drastic turn towards disaster and how did they avoid a much worse outcome?

He walked over to the other three and sat down in between Troy and Kelsi. Whipping out his phone, Ryan volunteered to show Shar pictures of their new condo together and gave her a soft promise to never let anything like this happen again. The four of them sat there looking at pictures, talking about how their nights had played out, and before they knew two hours had passed with no word from Nana.

The time was approaching midnight and everyone was growing more antsy to hear any type of news about Nana. It was a few minutes after midnight when a middle-aged doctor started to walk towards the four teens. He was mildly handsome with curly blond hair, bright green eyes, his muscular body hidden behind a white lab coat, but all that beauty was shattered. His white coat stained with blood, his blond hair stood messed up out of stress, and his tired green eyes filled with sadness. He took the plastic gloves off and threw them in a wastebasket in the middle of the waiting room and finally approached the teens.

He didn't have to open his mouth before they all knew what he was going to say. Sharpay and Ryan stood up to shake his hand as he bit his lip trying not to how any emotion as he greeted the twins. He looked at both of the two standing in front of him, and then looked the two still sitting. They were so young in his eyes, too young to have to hear the news he was about to share.

Sharpay and Ryan linked hands to prepare for the worse. Tears filling the rims of both their eyes, the twins looked to the doctor to say what they had been dreading all night. Did their Nana pull through or was she in a better place?

"Hello, my name is Dr. McCall," the man started with a frown crossing his flips despite his efforts to hide his sadness. "We tried to operate and save the tissue that was hit, but she couldn't muster up a strong enough fight. Your grandmother... has died on our operating table. We tried our best to revive her to no avail. I am so sorry for your loss. I wish there was more that we could have done. The gunshot was just too close to her heart."

Sharpay collapsed to the floor. Everything had come down to this, her grandmother was dead because of her. If she wouldn't have tried to escape her evil father, her never would have tried to find her at her grandmother's house. She sat on the floor her body shaking as she cried away the only strength she had left. Troy was kneeling down next to her in mere second throwing his arms around her in a comforting motion.

Ryan had turned around and hugged Kelsi the tears flowing out of his eyes. He had nothing to say. There was nothing that could be done to change the fact that their Nana was dead. The only thing they could do now was try to change the future.

"From this moment on... we make that son of a bitch pay for everything that he has ever do to hurt anyone. It is time I take a stand against him!"