A/N: Hi guys! I know, I know…again it took me so long to update this story, and I sincerely apologise for that. I'm currently on internship for 2 months, but I have 3 weeks left, before I'm whisked back to school again to complete my final year. So yeah, things have been going a little crazy here, and I've just been dying to update because I had a draft written out at work one day and I was just itching to refine and type them out but I never really got around to doing it.

Well, anyway, here's chapter 11! Enjoy!


The Way You Look At Me

Chapter 11

What's taking her so long?

Troy glanced down at his watch for the umpteenth time in the past half an hour since he'd sat there on the floor outside the teacher's lounge. Then, he craned his neck to check on the door but all he could see were shadows. Sighing, he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them, closing his eyes. He had so desperately wanted to talk to her that as soon as the last bell had rung, he had jumped out of seat and zipped out of the classroom faster than a speeding bullet. Locating her wasn't easy at all. News about him and Gabriella had spread among the students like wildfire—like a plague—and his mates wouldn't leave him alone. They swarmed around him, wanting as much information as they could. Ridiculous rumours were flying everywhere, and they were already reaching his breaking point.

What's with them and making my private life part of their business?

Suddenly the door to the teacher's lounge flew open and a certain blonde sauntered out.

"Sharpay!" he called out, automatically jumping to his feet.

Her flawless face instantly turned sour the moment she saw him. Swinging her purse over her shoulders, she gracefully spun on her heels and headed for the other direction.

She keeps her secrets
In her eyes
She wraps the truth
Inside her lies

"Sharpay, wait!" His voice echoed through the empty corridor, but she didn't seem to care. She obviously didn't want to talk to him. Sharpay proved to be a really fast walker, but Troy had no problem catching up to her. "Hey, Shar—"

"Fuck off, Bolton!" she snarled, brushing his hand away from her forearm.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Leave me alone, alright?" she yelled, finally stopping in her tracks. "Just freakin' leave me alone."

"Why are you so pissed?"

Sharpay crossed her arms. "You broke up with Gabriella."

"I meant what I said, Shar," he told her, solemnly looking into her amazing chocolate brown eyes. "I said I'd do it, and I did."

She arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I want to prove to you that I do—"

"I don't fucking care!" Sharpay burst out, fuming. "Do you have any idea—any idea—what everybody is saying about me? Huh? Do you?"

"I—er…I—"

"They think that I seduced you into having sex with me, and that now you and Little Miss Brainy there broke up because you got me fucking pregnant! The whole student body thinks we were on a screwing rampage but I was drunk and—"

"Shar—"

"We didn't have sex, damnit!"

Just when I can't say
What she's done to me
She comes to me
And leads me back to paradise

"Shar!" Troy grabbed hold of both her arms, cutting her off. "We did have sex, but what's the big deal? Who gives a rat's ass what people think? You've been taking all this bullshit for so long, why does it only bother you now?"

"You don't understand, do you, Troy?" she said, her voice cracking. Sharpay stared into his eyes, and he felt his heart collapse. He had never seen anyone with so much hurt and pain before. She was pleading him, willing him to just listen to her, to comprehend her silent cry of loneliness and sorrow. There was so much vulnerability in this girl—the girl who was once untouchable—that left him speechless.

"Oh, my God," he whispered.

"I've been taking in all this crap for so long, I don't need you to add anything more, Troy."

"I—I'm so sorry, Shar," he said softly, and unknowingly began stroking her soft skin with his thumbs.

"Just go back to Gabriella," she murmured, pulling away from his grasp. "She can give you everything you want, Troy. You don't love me."

"Okay, that's it!" Troy growled, yanking her back to him. "Listen to me. I'm through with Gabriella. She can rot down in hell for all I care. Now you—you listen to me," his already strong grip tightened some more when she wriggled slightly to escape. "You don't tell me how I feel about you. Call me crazy, call me stupid—whatever you want, but I know that the feelings I have of you are real. I do love you, Shar."

"Suck it, Troy," she told him through gritted teeth, the coldness of her glare returning like an ignited flame. "I'm not some bitch who melts in your mouth each time you experiment your flirting skills with."

"Then why do you surrender to my kisses?"

Sharpay paused, before taking a deep breath. "I don't need this from you."

"Stop running away from your fears."

"You know nothing about my fears," she shot back.

"Why are you so scared of falling in love?"

"I'm not scared of anything."

Troy knew she was lying. "I'm sure the Ice Queen believes in fairy tale romances and happily ever after."

"Let me go, Troy, now!" she barked, her facial expression a mask of pure fury. He obeyed her demand, though the intensity didn't falter in his gaze. "Not everyone's life's a freakin' fairy tale like yours, Bolton. And even if I were to fall in love, it would never be with you."

"Shar—"

She shook her head, not wanting to hear anymore, then whipped her head around and stomped down the hallway, her blonde hair flying with each step she took, the clacking of her shoes slowly fading till she disappeared round the corner.

"Damnit!" Troy cried out in frustration.

She's just impossible!

How was it that even when she makes him want to punch walls and crack rocks, it took one simple delicate touch from Sharpay Evans to make his senses go weak? How was it that even when he was supposed to hate her guts, Troy was falling for her deeper than he had for any other girl? She was undeniably the most hot-tempered person he knew, but somehow that just made her even more beautiful. He couldn't get enough of her.

She's so hard to hold
But I can't let go

He wanted her.

And he was going to get her.


How dare he! Sharpay thought to herself as she forcefully shoved the door open, making her way down the stairs towards the parking lot. Her face was red with pent-up anger and so badly she wanted to rip Troy's head off and grind it to dust.

That smart ass thinks he knows everything. News flash, Bolton, that's your ex-girlfriend's job!

She automatically unlocked her convertible and got into the car with a huff, almost tearing the door apart when she opened it. Son of a bitch!

Still flaring, she jammed the key into the ignition, put the car into gear and nailed the accelerator. It produced an ear-piercing screech before jerking forward to a halt. She jolted on impact, bracing herself for the worst, but it was the seatbelt that pulled her back to safety. Sharpay sat there for a stunned moment, unaware that her engine was hissing and emitting smoke till the horrid smell reached her nose.

"Oh, shit!" she gasped. Upon realizing that it wasn't anything serious, Sharpay slammed her palms against the steering wheel and spat a curse, "damnit!" She got out of the driver's seat to check on the damage, but knew she couldn't do anything much with all that smoke. There was only one thing to do—and she hated to admit it, but she was desperate. "Urgh!" she growled, giving in to her conscience. She reached over to grab her cellphone, dialing the first number she could think of.

I'll never hear the end of this, she thought as she listened to the droning ringing at the other end of the line.

"C'mon, c'mon…pick up the fucking phone!"

"Hi, this is Ryan speaking—"

"Ryan!"

"Sorry, I'm not here right now. Leave a message and I'll get back—"

Sharpay didn't even wait for the recording to finish before she hit the disconnect button. "Fuck you, Ryan!" she hollered up to the sky, her frustration bubbling up to boiling point, and she wondered if her day could get any worse. She was just about ready to hurl her phone on the tarred road when a voice sent a chill running up her spine.

"Looks like your ride bailed on you."

It didn't take a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to guess who was standing a few feet away, and Troy Bolton—in all his honour and glory—had his bag hoisted on one shoulder and a basketball tucked under the other arm as though it was meant to be there since the day he was born. Sharpay shifted her weight on her right leg and planted her hands on her hips.

"Why are you still here?" she asked rhetorically in an uninterested scowl.

The team captain simply just shrugged his shoulders and took a quick scan of the parking lot. Then, tilting his head in an undeniably adorable manner, he sweetly offered, "you need a ride?"

Sharpay stood there for a moment, unable to believe that a guy like him still existed in this world. About ten minutes ago, she had been yelling at him to get his nose clear of her personal affairs, and she had been nothing but foul and extremely rude, so why is it that even with such a simple gesture, he was able to make her feel guilty? His parents obviously raised him well, and she probably should accept his token of peace, but Sharpay knew she didn't deserve his kindness.

"You know, Troy, I—"

She was interrupted by the irritating jingle of her phone, indicating that Carmen was calling from the orphanage.

Oh, screw it, she thought, and without a second to spare, she grabbed her leather backpack from the back seat of her convertible and went up to him.

"So, you giving me a ride or not?"

Troy blinked, momentarily stunned. Sighing impatiently, Sharpay snatched the bunch of keys from his hand and made her way to his red Saab. She didn't have all day for his crawling brainwaves to finish traveling.

"What are you doing?" he said, finally snapping out of his thoughts.

She didn't answer him till she got into the driver's seat. "I'm driving," she announced, closing the door.

"But that's my car!" he protested, half in hysterics but not making a move to violently object as he stayed rooted to his spot.

"Shut up, Troy," she said icily as she strapped the seatbelt. "I'm already freakin' late because of you—you loser—so I get to do whatever I want to your sad excuse for a car whether you like it or not." Sticking the key into the ignition, she added, "now, do you want to get in or not?"

He was taking a tad bit too long to decide, so she took his silence for consent and put the car into gear. Sharpay released the emergency brake handle and was about to stomp on the gas pedal when Troy woke up from his reverie and hopped into the passenger's seat.

"Where are we going?" he asked nervously, securing his seatbelt as she drove off.

"Didn't I ask you to shut up?"

"Shar, I—"

"Shut the fuck up!"

Troy's eyebrows sprung up, taken aback by her outburst. "Sorry," he muttered, holding up both his hands in apology.

"Thank you," she said sarcastically and breathed out an exasperated sigh, adjusting herself to a more comfortable sitting position. Her shoulders relaxed a little, and she took a quick glimpse over at the person beside her, who had gone eerily solemn all of a sudden.

Troy sat stiffly just staring fixedly straight ahead, a tensed look on his handsome face. His lips were set in a thin line, his forehead slightly furrowed as though he was concentrating hard on something. Sharpay had never seen him so sedate in all her time she'd known him—not even when she had him riled up so many times before, and before she knew it, she felt a sense of regret that she didn't intend to feel.

Damn you, Bolton!

The ride was quiet and not once did he utter a word or make a single noise. Sharpay had to constantly glance over to check if he was still glued to the seat and not jump out of the vehicle. It was making her slightly uncomfortable. His calmness was disturbing. Troy didn't even bat an eyelash when she turned into the carpark and pulled into an empty lot. She switched off the engine and leaned back.

They sat there for a minute, the silence engulfing them for what seemed like an eternity. It was the first time so far that they'd been in close proximity and both were at loss for words. The awkwardness of the situation was making her feel constricted, but she was too stubborn to give in despite the fact that she knew she was mostly responsible. Sharpay watched him discreetly from the corner of her eyes until at last she couldn't take it anymore.

"Look, Troy…I—I didn't mean to bite your head off earlier. It's just—"

"I know," he said in all his placidity. He turned his head to face her, a small but sincere smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's okay, Sharpay. I'm sorry for being such an irritating pest for the last few days."

It was her turn to smile—a rarely genuine one. "Thank you, though."

"For what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. For trusting me enough to drive your car."

"You mean, my 'sorry excuse for a car'?" he teased.

Sharpay turned a slight shade of red and playfully whacked his arm. "Get lost," she shot back above a giggle.

"What?" Troy asked, chuckling. "Besides, I didn't have much of choice, did I? It was either jump in with you or receive a notice tomorrow morning saying my car's been found in the river."

"Oh, you are so asking for it!" she told him in a mock-warning tone.

"You can be very intimidating sometimes."

Sharpay arched an eyebrow. "I am not."

"You know if you keep telling yourself that, it might actually come true."

"Whatever, Bolton."

Troy flashed her a charming grin before taking in his surroundings. "So, Shar, why are we at Wal-Mart?"

"Grocery shopping," she simply told him before getting out of the car with Troy following suit.

"What?" he said and scrunched his face in confusion. He stood there for a moment, digesting the information. "You dragged me all the way down here just to go grocery shopping? That's the emergency?"

"Hey, it wasn't my decision that you came along," she smirked and closed the door.

"Don't you have housekeepers who'd do this for you or something?" he questioned as they headed for the entrance.

Sharpay chose to ignore his comment. She stepped into the supermarket and was greeted by a cool burst of air brushing past her face. Grabbing a shopping cart, she made her way down the aisle till she found the right section. She scanned through the shelves; going for the one she knew would be a favourite. Without any further thinking, she dropped five boxes of cookies into the cart.

"I didn't know you like Oreos."

She whirled around, forgetting that Troy was behind her. He was looking at her with a glimmer of amusement in his ocean-blue eyes. Glaring at him, she said flatly, "they're not for me."

"Ryan?"

"Are you kidding me? We outgrew twist, lick and dunk three years ago."

"Well, then—"

Sharpay rolled her eyes and rested her arms on the handle of the cart. "You've stalked me for two days or so, Troy. What have I been doing? Who do you think these are for?"

"Erm…er…"

Patience wasn't Sharpay's best attribute. "These are for the kids in the orphanage," she explained to him, trying to sound as enduring as possible.

"Why?"

"Just because," she replied, and with that, she gave him a soft grin and continued with what he had interrupted.

A couple of minutes later, Sharpay sensed someone behind her and turned to find Troy, armed with his own cart, stocking up on some breakfast cereal.

"What are you doing?" she wanted to know, planting her hands on her hips.

He just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, holding up two boxes of cereal. "Do you think they'd like Cocoa Puffs or Fruit Loops?"


"Okay, that would be fifty-six dollars and eighty-three cents," the brown-haired cashier told them with a warm smile.

Troy started to pull his wallet out but Sharpay beat him to it and handed the brunette her credit card. He tilted his head to one side, watching as she gracefully signed her name on the touch pad.

"I should've paid for that," he said.

"It's fine, I've got it. Besides, half of that was mine."

"Still—"

"Troy," she cut in with an assuring wave of her hand. "It's fine, I've got it."

"Would you like your receipt with you or in the bag?" asked the cashier as she returned Sharpay her credit card.

"In the bag, please," Sharpay requested with a polite smile, and Troy just had to grin at how infectious it was. He began dumping the item-filled plastic bags into the shopping cart, thinking that she ought to smile more often. She looked absolutely gorgeous just by doing it, and she probably didn't even know that. In front of everybody in school, she wore her trademark smirk with pride. It was sexy, and it was alluring. It made his senses go wild and his hard member throb. However, when she smiled with so much sincerity and honesty, it made her so pure and innocent, it was hard to imagine her ever being mean to anybody.

She dance away just like a child
She drives me crazy
Drives me wild
But I'm helpless when she smiles

"Here you go. Have a nice day," the girl at the cash-out said chirpily.

Sharpay thanked the girl behind the counter, and Troy found himself admiring her, probably looking like an idiot, as she grabbed the remaining bags, unintentionally causing a stir in his groin area when she carelessly tugged a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. He wasn't actually aware that he was staring at the beauty in front of him until she glanced up with confusion evident in her clear hazel-brown eyes.

"What are you doing, Bolton? Get moving already," she snapped.

"Oh, sorry," he blushed, pulling out of his reverie.

Sharpay shook her head, her blond hair swishing with each move. "What's the matter with you?" she demanded, and then shot him a look before pushing her shopping cart out the exit.

Troy rubbed the nape of his neck, suddenly realizing the hike in temperature. Making his way out of the supermarket, he found that Sharpay was already unloading the food into the backseat, and Troy couldn't help it if his eyes only seemed to land on her flawless figure. His brain signals must've been mixed up because his legs weren't cooperating with his head. His mind told him to walk normally at an even pace but his hormones ordered his legs to take a lawful stroll—giving him more time to admire her pulchritude. Eventually though, he reached his destination.

"Listen," she began, putting away her last bag. "You don't have to follow me to the orphanage if you don't want to. I know it's not exactly an ideal part of the neighbourhood. I'll bring your car back to your place and have Ryan pick me up from there."

Troy didn't even flinch when he said, "I want to go—with you, I mean."

Sharpay looked skeptical. "Troy, you really don't have to."

"I'm not leaving my car alone with you. Who knows what might happen later on." He had intended for it to be a joke, though, but somehow she took it the wrong way.

"What, you don't trust me with your car?" she lashed out, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Wait, that wasn't what I meant," he blurted out.

"Then what did you mean by that?"

"I was just kidding! Look, I don't care what happens to my car, okay. I just want to make sure you're safe," he said to her sincerely. It seemed to work though, because she paused for a moment, thinking about it.

"What is it that you want from me, Bolton?"

Her question caught him by surprise. It wasn't what he was expecting, but at least she wasn't shouting at him. "I just want a chance, Shar—just one—to prove to you that I care about you more than you think. I want to be a part of your life."

Maybe I'd fight it if I could
It hurts so bad
But feels so good

Troy could see her tongue rolling around in her mouth as she pondered on what to say to him. "What's so special about my life, anyway? What is it about my life that you're so interested in, huh? Why do you even bother?"

"Just because."

That answer left her speechless, and he could tell she was trying hard to reach for a witty comeback, but she just wasn't getting any. Her lips curled up in a smile of disbelief, and Troy knew he had her there. He didn't blame her though, if she didn't trust him. For all she knew, he might jolly well blab on her to the entire school, and have her story published in websites and newsletters, but what would his motive be?

She opens up just like
A rose to me
When she's close to me
Anything she'd ask me to
I would

"Can I trust you?"

Troy's face instantly lit up. "More than anything else," he promised.

"Fine, then. Get in."

"Er…can I drive?"

Sharpay gave him a lopsided grin. "It's your car, Bolton," she said and tossed the bunch of keys over to him.

He caught it perfectly in the air and got into the driver's seat, feeling relatively excited but not exactly sure why. Maybe he had a twinge that this was going to be a turning point for the both of them, and that it was going to be the start of an amazing journey. He didn't know what to expect or whether he was ready to face whatever challenges that was in store for them, but he was certain that it was all going to be worth it.

There was a form of conviction in his heart that was going to lead the way. However, he didn't know where that came from.

Maybe it was lust.

Maybe it was curiosity.

Maybe it was love.

Or maybe, it was the way she looked at him.

When she looks at me
I get so weak


A/N: This chapter is quite bittersweet, and it was a challenge just trying to make the shift in Sharpay's character, and how she's letting Troy in her life. I want to make people question that, and try to figure out what it is about Troy Bolton that's able to make her open up to him. Did something else happen? I don't want to spoil you guys by adding in details and explaining everything that's going through in their heads. Tell me what you think, yeah?

Noukka: Hi! Thank you so much for sticking by me and still reading my story. I love you too! I know, you sometimes wanna kill me for being so slow at updating, but I try to finish the chapter up as much as possible whenever I sit down and start writing bits of it. I hope you liked this update!

Xamyxjx: Hehe…yup, my motivation…and still is!

Stessa: Thank you so much for reviewing! I know I said I want to take it slow with the story so that it's the best quality possible, but sometimes I just want to be left in some deserted island and finish up on the chapters as soon as possible. It sucks that I know this chapter's calling out to me, begging me to complete it, and I can't do it because I'm too busy with something else. Thank you so much about the comment about Gabriella's POV! Well, I was thinking that it would be boring to switch between Troy and Sharpay's POV, so I added in Gabriella, and it was fun messing around with her head anyway…haha…And thank you so much for being so patient and all…you're such a sweetheart! It's people like you who makes it such a wonderful thing to keep on writing!

Hendrick248848: Thanks a lot! Hope you like this bit!

PshYeah-x: Finally, the break-up, ain't it? Been waiting so long to do that, and it's just so satisfying! Hehe…thanks for reviewing—even if it's a short one! Art homework, eh? Art's been one of my favourite subjects because it didn't involve calculations…:D Hope you like this chapter!

Clotisy: Haha…yeah, Sharpay's stubborn, isn't she? But I guess circumstances made her who she is, and she's finally opening up to Troy, so that's a good start, yeah? I'm actually thinking of locking them up somewhere, you know…we'll see how it goes…hehe…I might just add that in somewhere…Thank you so much for the review and the comments! Hope you enjoyed reading this update!

Eclaiirex: Hi girl! Do I still need to PM you whenever I update? I'm not sure, but I'll still drop you one, anyway, in case you come charging at me with a kitchen knife because I didn't. Thank you so much for actually reading my story even though it's moving like a sloth! I know, my fault…Thanks for the compliment about my writing. Seriously, being a writer, I couldn't tell at all. Most of the time, I'm thinking…'heck, this is such a boring line' and I usually give myself a hard time about creating some sort of variety in writing my sentences and putting the story together. I know, I know…about losing the readers…it's my fault too, but I try as much as possible to give the best update that I could. I guess you could say, my penance for the lack of punctuality. In a twisted way, I find Troy sexually harassing Sharpay quite amusing…haha…Anyway, hope you like reading this update! Good luck with the homework! Love you too!

TheDude47: Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Breakin'Dishes: Yeah, it's been like, ages, hasn't it? I'm really sorry for the wait! Thank you so much for reviewing! It's been a blast writing for you guys! Not much Troypay hotness in this chapter, though, but I hope you still like it!

Misshannah.x: Hi sweetie! I'm glad I've managed to put a smile on your face and get some laughter out of you with my attempt at humour…haha…Oh well, Troy did give her a nice slap, didn't he? Shall I replay that in my future chapters just for the kicks? Yup, I got your PM thing…haha…don't worry, people change their names all the time, and sometimes I just kept wondering who it is exactly that I'm replying to, but no biggie! I'm glad I saved you in time, because just so you know, I don't know anything about CPR, honest to God I'm hopeless at medical things. All I can do is wash up a scratch and put on a plaster. Hahaha…I would never let my story die, and you have my word for it, I promise! Hope you like this update!

Yayyness: Thanks for the review and the comment! I'll try to update faster, since now I have my ball rolling a little, I might work on it more often…

Song used – "Helpless When She Smiles" by Backstreet Boys