"I'm so glad you passed."

Sharpay returned Martha's smile as they walked through the large front doors of Hale. She felt like she was on top of the world. Two days at Eastwood and she felt that confidence and strength that had taken two years to get back home. She hadn't been able to sleep when she'd gotten back to the infirmary yesterday. There was too much going through her mind: She was in Hale, she'd made it through initiation, Troy had saved her from getting caught, Lily accepted her now, and she'd told Gabriella off- no..

She'd called her out.

And another plus was Nurse Adele hadn't noticed that she'd woken up in different clothes than she had gone to sleep in. She was either going through an early stage of Alzheimer's, or hadn't bothered to point it out. But her temperature had gone down to 99, so she was allowed to go to classes. Why she was excited about that? She had no idea. But she was. And she couldn't help it. And as Lily had said, she sent Martha to come get her in the morning. So here they were at 6:30, the sun barely breaking the horizon, so that Sharpay could take a much-needed shower. She could definitely do without smelling like a drowned Christmas tree for another meal. Sharpay bit the inside of her cheek to keep her smile contained. The thought of breakfast brought the thought of Troy. But her mind couldn't focus on one topic to think about.

Could she thank him again for helping her last night? Would she sit next to him again? Could she? Of course she could… unless they switched seats every morning? What if he wanted to sit next to James or something? Or Jason? Would he save her a seat? Or would he and the other Stuart juniors just come to Hale to walk with them to lunch like Sharpay had seen them do two days ago? What should she wear? Jeans? Another dress? Would Troy think she was too girly if she wore a dress again? Would he care if she were too girly? Did he like the type of girl who wore sweatpants? She only owned two pairs of sweatpants… and if she was going to be around girls like Lily and Kelsi all day, she there was no way in hell she was wearing them. Sharpay cut herself off- she was going to drive herself crazy. And over what? Nothing. She was over-thinking things. She just needed to relax and enjoy herself today. While, you know, finishing the homework that had accumulated over the past two days.

"Not that I thought you wouldn't or anything. Total faith in you." Martha finished, trailing her fingertips along the handrail as they ascended the staircase to the third floor. As they rounded the second floor hallway, Sharpay faintly heard an alarm sounding behind a closed door.

"Thanks." She said, walking alongside her light blonde haired friend on the stairs. Sharpay noticed that today she was wearing a pair of two-inch burgundy T-straps that matched her sweater and contrasted her light grey jeans. Martha stayed by her side all the way down the third floor hallway. When Sharpay got to her door she turned and saw her friend leaning against the door just across from her own, turning the doorknob. She nodded her head towards Sharpay's door, a knowing smile on her lips. "Good luck."

/

Gabriella was crouched on the floor in front of her side of the closet when she heard the door open and close. She didn't need to look up to know it was her sickly roommate. What she did need was to find the other half of her pair of platform Jimmy Choos. She didn't fully realize how annoying it was going to be that the closet was on Sharpay's side of the room until she heard her rummaging through her suitcase behind her. Gabriella couldn't help but note that it was still partially unpacked. Was she planning on leaving? Because she wouldn't mind. She'd even help her re-pack.

Because isn't that what roommates are for?

Gabriella let out a sigh of victory when she saw the dark purple heel. She straightened out her dark grey Nanette Lepore just-above-the-knee dress and stood up to slide her foot into the platform. She turned and walked over to her side of the room, sliding into the open bathroom door in an attempt to be alone for a few more minutes before hiding out in Kelsi's single until breakfast. All she thought of when she saw Sharpay now was Troy- and not in a good way. She looked in the large mirror above the sink, adjusting her plum headband about five times before deciding to go back out. She was barely two steps outside of the bathroom when she nearly collided with Sharpay, her towel, and her various toiletries. They stood there, staring in silence for a little less than ten seconds before Sharpay smiled and walked around her into their bathroom.

Gabriella turned towards the closed door and glared. How dare she smile like that. Who did she think she was? Besides, you know, the blonde bitch who lied about being kissed by Troy just to piss her off. Because that's what it had to be. A lie. A perjury. A fib. A false recount of a previous event.

"What's with the face?" Kelsi's words were muffled mid-yawn as she made an attempt to cover her open mouth. She pressed the open bedroom door closed behind her and moved over to Gabriella's twin XL bed. She sat back on it, pulling her black legging-clad legs into Indian pose.

"There is no way Troy could have kissed that." Gabriella gestured towards the bathroom, where the faint sound of the shower being turned on could be heard through the wall. "I mean, really. Besides the fact she's invested in the fashion world's horrid reinvention of Woodstock- because that alone is enough to repel me- he was crazy about Tiara forty-eight hours ago."

"Martha told me that Brooke told her that Lily told Angela that he kissed her yesterday."

"Not that I don't love a good game of he said, she said, but I'm very well aware, remember? She tried rubbing it in my face last night?"

Succeeded would have probably been a better fit.

"Yes, but apparently it was before he brought her to the infirmary. Which leaves the possibility open that it was just an I'm-sorry-about-my-friends thing."

"A pity kiss." Gabriella pursed her lips sllightly. Pity or not, it was still a kiss from Troy. And she was not the recipient. And that was not okay. "It probably didn't even mean anything."

Kelsi pulled her SideKick Blade from the pouch pocket of her baggy teal cardigan and waved it in the air. "Want to find out?"

/

If Jason yelling "fucking phone" in his groggy sleep voice hadn't woken Troy up, the sound of his Blackberry singing Swing by Savage would have done it. Troy grabbed his pillow from underneath his head and cradled it over his face. Wednesday meant today's free period was first period French. The glorious idea of a free period was a trick Eastwood came up with to allow its students an extra hour each school day to keep up with the massive piles of homework the teachers shelled out to their academically gifted scholars. That meant that every Wednesday until next semester was his sleep-in-and-skip-breakfast day. But now that Troy was awake, all he could do was wonder what the chef, a grade-A Culinary Institute graduate, had made for breakfast this morning- and if a certain blonde would be in attendance. Troy sat up in his bed, his Ralph Lauren pillow cased pillow falling to his lap. After rubbing his eye with his knuckle, he looked over at Jason's bed, where his roommate's hair was sticking up in all directions. After looking over whatever was on his phone, his green eyes met his blue ones. "Aren't you awake a little early? Or did you forget it was Wednesday?"

Troy glared. "Ever heard of the vibrate setting on your phone?"

"Blame Kelsi. Her text."

"Blame you. Your phone."

"Alright, Groucho, relax." Jason threw his pillow across the room at Troy's head before leaning down to grab a towel from the floor.

Troy caught the pillow in his left hand, placing it on top of his own and leaning both his elbows on them. "Well, what'd she want?"

"She and Montez wanted to know what time I was coming. And since you're awake now you can come, too. Eat some eggs. Drink some juice. Flirt with Sharpay."

Troy turned his head abruptly, too fast for his tired muscles. "What was that?"

"You heard me. If anyone knows flirting in this school, it's me. And you're all over Blondie like sauce on pasta."

"I just met her. You're exaggerating."

"If I dare to recall, you said something similar about a different blonde freshman year."

Troy looked down at Jason's pillow, picking an invisible piece of lint off the navy pillowcase before throwing it back onto his bed. It was too early in the morning for Tiara talk. "I asked her out after two weeks. Not days."

"I may as well have been in two seconds. You were practically inseparable after the first day you met. You were those two people who were a couple before you were actually, you know, a couple." Jason leaned against the doorframe of their bathroom and stared at Troy. "And now it's happening again. Round two with the New Money Mexican."

"I'm not going to-" Truth be told, he didn't know what he was going to do. Troy cut himself off and ran a hand through his hair. It was getting kind of long- the tips of it starting to curl to the side and skim his eyelashes. If Tiara were here, she would have made him get a hair cut about half an inch ago. Not that he didn't mind Tiara's maternal-like dominance, it came in handy when he got lazy, but it was kind of nice to be in charge of what he looked like for once. For the two Tiara-filled years of dating, she'd liked playing stylist- offering up clothing suggestions, colognes she thought he'd like, shampoos that smelt best. She was a girlfriend-slash-personal shopper. But he hadn't really needed it, nor had he asked for any of it. He'd let her drag him to the small strip of stores in the town off campus because he loved her. And it didn't hurt that three out of four times it resulted in almost getting caught making out in the dressing room. But he was a big boy. He could take care of himself. But if Sharpay wanted to take a turn at pushing him into a dressing room, he wouldn't protest.

Neither would she.

"Well, you kissed her, man. Your first real kiss after Tiara." Troy looked on in confusion. Had he told Jason he kissed Sharpay? He didn't recall. As if reading his mind, Jason elaborated. "Lily knows all."

Lily. Of course. Neither he nor Sharpay had to even say a word for her to find out. She just… knew. Everything. It was very reminiscent of Big Brother in that book 1984 he'd read in eighth grade. "So what if I kissed her. You kiss girls all the time without it meaning anything."

"But I'm me. You're a relationship guy. Everything you do with a girl means something. Not to say that's a bad thing, I mean maybe when I'm forty I'll be like that too…"

Troy shook his head. Where was Jason trying to go with this? Jason raised an eyebrow, continuing the unspoken battle to get Troy to cave. Finally, he rolled his blue eyes. "Fine. I like her. Is it such a crime that we kissed? She's nice, she's cute… It's not like she's a Gregory girl." Now, that last statement could seem like an elitist Stuart-boy thing to say, but really, Gregory was not the best dorm to be living in. Mostly for upper classmen, a few exceptions scattered in, a few of the girls had more than the normal amount of facial hair for a female.

It's called Gregory for a reason.

Jason shrugged and typed something on his phone before throwing it back on his bed. "No crime. She's hot. I get it. But with every hot girl, you've got to be ready for the competition. Jump on it now or face the consequences."

Jimmie's name popped into Troy's head, causing a slight tremor to creep up his neck. But he was two time zones away so he wouldn't be a problem. Sharpay didn't know any other boys besides him and the other Stuarts… right? Shit. "I don't own her, Jase."

"Fine. Play coy. But when you see her at the gym and Nolan Clark is chatting her up on the treadmill, we'll see who owns who."

With his parting words, Jason closed the bathroom door and turned the shower on. Troy threw his pillow behind him and stood up from the bed, walking over to the closet. Suddenly, his Wednesday sleep-in sounded like the worst idea ever.

/

Sharpay looked over her schedule one last time before folding and stuffing it into her purse. Luckily, when she had gotten out of the shower, Gabriella had left, leaving her to get dressed without judgment. After eight minutes of deciding, she finally threw a grey sweater over a flowy dark pink dress, matched it with some grey Manolos and a called it a day. She felt weird looking in the mirror. Everything she was wearing was a product of the I-feel-bad-you-have-to-leave-your-friends-let-me-buy-you-things-because-my-new-high-paying-job-lets-me-afford-it shopping trip in New York. Not that she'd been deprived a fashionable lifestyle in New Mexico, but that had been different. She hadn't gone out and bought a $175 sweater for school- but that's what she was wearing now. The day before they'd gone to Connecticut, she and her mom had made a pit stop in Manhattan for a developers meeting. During the meeting, her mother had given Sharpay a credit card and told her to have fun for a few hours. It had been easy once she stopped at a Starbucks and a cute twenty-something barista had used his knowledge to draw a map of the best stores for her on a napkin. And just like that, she'd made her first friend on the east coast.

Too bad he was probably gay.

Sharpay had easily fallen in love with the city. And as soon as she had gotten almost comfortable with her new surroundings, her mother had picked her up in a shiny new car- paid for by the company- and had driven her to their new Midtown apartment- which she called a house, that was also paid for by the company. They'd ordered Chinese and by 9 o'clock Sharpay had been so exhausted that she passed out on the floor of her empty new bedroom with nothing more than an uncovered pillow and a comforter the moving company had dropped off earlier in the day. She'd awaken the next day with enough time to shower, do her hair, and shove all her new clothes into a suitcase before having to drive up to this stupid school. Though, she had to admit, it was getting less stupid by the minute.

She gave herself one more glance in the mirror, running a hand through her straightened hair, before hiking her purse into the crook of her arm and walking towards the door. Her plan for her free period after breakfast consisted on catching up on the two day's worth of homework she hadn't even looked at. She'd even thought of skipping breakfast and heading straight to the library. She could handle missing breakfast for another day. The thought had crossed her mind that she would run into Troy, using his free period to catch up on some work in the library too. That dream vanished when Martha told her he slept in every Wednesday. That's why she was so surprised to see him outside Hale, his hands stuffed into the pockets of a pair of dark wash jeans with an semi-exhausted look on his face. The sleeves of his flannel shirt were rolled up his elbows, the various shades of blue wrinkling together. As if feeling her staring, he looked up and caught her eye. Sharpay was too busy trying to keep her heart from stopping that she barely noticed him smile before turning back to Ryan and that tall boy Zeke. She noticed Gabriella a few feet away, her arms folded across her chest while Jason spoke to her and Kelsi. The quiet couple- or Sharpay assumed that they were- were nowhere to be seen.

She followed Martha down the steps over to where Zeke, Ryan, and Troy were planted. Sharpay stopped next to Ryan, across from Troy, pulling her sweater tighter around her as a cold morning breeze blew between them. Ryan draped an arm over her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Congrats, Evans. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I was almost positive you were going to get caught when your phone rang."

Sharpay nodded slowly. How had Ryan known about that? Was he hiding as a silent observer like Troy had been? Only to come out when she was in trouble? "I could have sworn it was on vibrate."

Just then, Jason passed Troy's side, pulling at his shoulder until he fell into step with him. "Told you there'd be competition."

Sharpay was confused about the overheard statement, but she wasn't about to go and ask what it meant. Instead, she walked next to Martha, who was talking cooking with Zeke. Zeke cooked? You wouldn't have guessed it by looking at him. He looked more like a basketball player. But then again, if Gabriella gave out a genuine smile you couldn't tell she was Empress of Bitch-oslovakia. Not that she'd ever be the one to see such a smile. "So Sharpay, what do your parents do for a living?"

Martha laid a hand on Sharpay's arm. "Feel free to ignore that. Zeke just likes bragging about his father's thriving restaurant chain."

Zeke smirked, like he was in the middle of a game that only he was playing. "The chain originated in New Orleans. But the rave reviews drew in a few A-list chefs, Emeril and such, and then they opened one in Miami, Atlanta… Then they started moving north towards DC, New York, and Boston. That's how I ended up here, you know? Mom heard about the school's reputation and moved me up here last year. Because with the rate the-"

"Blah, blah blah, blah blah."

Zeke's bright brown eyes rolled at the back of Gabriella's head. "Sorry, princess, I forgot daddy's stock market mishap still has you on edge."

Sharpay watched Gabriella spin on the heel of her Jimmy Choo, causing Ryan to collide into her. She used the palm of her hand to push his shoulder out of the way, where he proceeded to knock into Troy. Ryan's face looked mildly irritated before Kelsi curled her hand around his arm, silently telling him to take a breath. Jason's eyes showed that he was somewhat enjoying the evident throw-down as he and Troy exchanged a glance.

"My father's financial situation," Zeke raised an amused eyebrow and Sharpay gave him a silent round of applause. She knew herself how hard it was to maintain composure when Gabriella looked about ready to stab you with the heel of her platform. The fact he had a solid three or four inches on her right now gave him a slight advantage though. "-has been righted. Keep your mouth shut about things you're not involved in."

"What do you have to threaten me with? A sixty dollar headband?"

"Zeke." Sharpay turned and saw Troy moving away from Ryan and in between the feud. He gave Zeke an I-know-it's-not-your-fault-but-back-off-anyway look before putting a hand on Gabriella's back. She relaxed slightly, her face still showing that she was obviously fuming. After a few seconds of glaring up at Zeke, she gave in and let Troy lead her back towards the cafeteria. Jason caught up on her other side, and Ryan bumped fists with Zeke before dropping an arm around Kelsi's shoulder and following suit. Martha and Zeke laughed quietly between themselves as they too started walking. Sharpay, though, found herself staring, frozen in some weird mix of jealousy and discomfort. She watched as Troy leaned towards Gabriella with a grin on his face, telling her something that made her shake her head. In laughter or annoyance, she couldn't tell, either way, she didn't have much of an appetite anymore.

Martha seemed to have noticed her lack of presence, turning around and yelling back to her, "Sharpay, you coming?"

"I just realized… I, I probably don't have enough time to finish my work. I need a head start. I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

She turned around so fast that she didn't even notice Troy's disappointed eyes when he looked back.

/

Troy didn't know why, but he felt like he'd been stood up. He could barely enjoy this morning's waffles because all he could do was constantly look over at the empty chair next to him. He pushed himself away from their table, trying to avoid the back of his chair hitting Lily's in the process. He acknowledged the curious stares from his table by saying he was "going back to sleep." He tossed the remains of his breakfast and left the cafeteria. It was a short walk to the library, the wide building nestled in between the West Wing and the South Wing. Among all the questions asked about Eastwood's campus, two of the most prominent popped into his head. Question one: Why were they called wings instead of halls? Answer: It was a horrible pun the Eastwood founder had, figuring that because the school's students were referred to as Eastwood Eagles, the buildings they were educated in should be referred to as wings. Question two: If the East Wing is on the left side of campus, shouldn't it, geographically speaking, be the West Wing? Answer: The Eastwood founder wasn't, geographically speaking, intelligent.

He walked through the open doors of the library, the librarian looking up at him as he did. A confused expression spread across her wrinkled face. He didn't blame her- he had no idea what he was doing here either. He looked around the room only to see a foreign exchange student two inches from a 1940-something looking newspaper, probably trying to decipher some small grayed text for a research paper. That's when he figured it was probably useless down here; the stacks on this floor were reserved for extra textbooks and books from the library pre-renovation. He dragged himself up the staircase that curled from the front door, up the right wall, and up to the newer, less duty stacks. A few computers were lined against the wall next to a second, unoccupied, librarian's desk. Spread out in front of the desk were a set of study tables, each with four chairs bordering it. His blue eyes scanned over a few people in the room- people actually went to library this early? - before they fell upon Sharpay. Three textbooks sat on the table front of her, including a notebook that she was furiously scribbling in.

Something stopped Troy from approaching her right away. Maybe it was because he didn't want to interrupt her. Maybe it was because he didn't know what to say when he finally got over to her. Either way, he felt weird just standing there at the top of the staircase. After a few useless seconds, Sharpay dropped her pen on the desk and leaned her forehead into her palm. He should make his move, now. Right? Right.

/

"New girl?"

Sharpay lifted her head out of her hands, brushing her bangs out of her eyes and she stared at the boy in front of her. His curious pale blue eyes and dark blonde hair made him look like some sort of Abercrombie & Fitch baby doll. He had a small smile on his face and a grey polo on his torso. He looked like the type of guy that would be living in Stuart. She would've thought he did, had she not been introduced to all the tenants at lunch yesterday.

"That's me." That's me? God, Sharpay, you can talk to Troy Bolton and you can't talk to him? Who was he anyway?

/

Nolan Clark. That asshole.

Troy diverted from his current course towards Sharpay and in between a few bookshelves. This guy was bad news. Well, not academically. And not physically, either… But if morals could be bad news, Nolan's would be all over the Most Wanted list.

/

"Mind if I sit?" Sharpay shook her head as Nolan pulled out the seat in front of her and sat down, placing his elbows on the table. Sharpay felt slightly awkward. As cute as this boy was, and as much as she wanted to talk to him, if she didn't finish this homework, she wasn't sure if she would ever catch up.

She felt like they'd been in a staring contest for five minutes before finally saying something. "Listen, as much as I'm enjoying this conversation, I'm trying to-"

"Finish questions three through eleven on page 112?"

Sharpay blinked. Jesus, this guy was hot and psychic? "I… Um… How did-"

"I sit behind you in Daniels' Euro class. The one you showed up to for five minutes on Monday? And then proceeded to skip yesterday? I don't know where you came from, but at Eastwood we actually attend classes."

He said it with the same sort of smug confidence that Troy often spoke with. Sharpay leaned forward, her elbow on the edge of the table and her chin on her fist. "If you were a better stalker, you'd know I was in the infirmary yesterday."

"Stalk is such a dirty word. I prefer the term casually observe." Sharpay shook her head, trying to keep the laugh from escaping her lips. Nolan grinned. "Where were you on Monday, then? Gallivanting with pretty boy Bolton?"

"Bolt- Troy took me on a tour of the campus."

"If you don't want to tell me the truth, that's fine." Nolan leaned back in his chair, a few strands of wavy hair falling across his eyes. "But don't lie, you're bad at it."

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

"Troy Bolton's not the brightest light on the tree. The chances of Lucas calling on him to give a tour are one in-"

Sharpay was in the middle of staring at Nolan when he looked up at the person next to him. Whoever it was, cleared their throat, interrupting their conversation. She brought her eyes up past the familiar-looking shirt and up to profile she could stare at all day.

/

"Clark." Troy noted. He tried not to make his voice too monotone and make Sharpay think he was a complete jerk to some random guy. Nolan Clark was not a random guy. Nolan Clark was a lady thief. A very successful one, which made him all the more annoying. Troy didn't see how. His curly blonde head looked like a mop. Who wanted to hook up with a mop? Apparently a bunch of girls in his class, plus a few seniors. He'd gotten with Gabriella freshman year when Jason was trying to go after her. He'd then gotten with Kelsi when Ryan was pursuing her last year. He'd tried to get Martha, but she'd had a boyfriend at the time and so it blew up in his face. And most importantly, and probably the reason Troy hated Clark so much, he'd tried to snatch away Tiara when it was pretty clear she'd been spending her time with Troy. It was not happening with Sharpay. He didn't care if he did tell Jason he didn't own Sharpay. Did that mean he couldn't… rent her? Troy looked over at Sharpay, who had a curious glint in her eyes while looking up at him. He could not believe he just referred to her as an object. She was not an object. Object of his affection, perhaps, yes.

Purchasable object, not so much.

"Bolton." Clark could be as friendly as he wanted. Troy was not falling for it. God, he hoped Sharpay wasn't either. "What brings you to library?

Right. He probably should have come up with a better story than 'Oh, just wanted to know why Sharpay wasn't at lunch this morning because I'm nosey and protective, more so now that she's affiliating with you'.

"I have a Psych paper due tomorrow. I need sources that aren't from the internet."

"And you waited until today to get it?" The cynicism in his voice made Troy want to punch him. He turned his stupid mop head towards Sharpay and said, "See what I mean about the brightest light?"

Sharpay looked as if she was trying to hold back laughter with a tight-lipped smile that made a dimple appear. Great. Mop Head: 1, Troy Bolton: 0.

"Well, take a seat, Bolton. We were just talking about you."

"I bet you were." Luckily the chair next to Nolan had Sharpay's books piled in front of it. And so, refusing to move them and be any closer to the weasel then absolutely necessary, he circled around the table and pulled the chair out next to Sharpay. While he sat down Nolan's eyes said 'You think it bothers me you're sitting there? It doesn't. I'm an asshole and I don't want to sit next to you, anyway' while his mouth spoke, "So I hear you gave a tour yesterday?"

Sharpay shifted uncomfortably in her seat and she tucked her- now seeming longer than yesterday because of it being straightened- hair behind her ear. Troy felt his eyes narrow slightly as he shot across a 'where are you going with this?' vibe. "Tour?"

He felt a solid nudge in his calf from the side of Sharpay's heel. She kept her eyes trained forward, though, at Nolan, who was still staring at Troy with a 'yeah, I know she just nudged you' attitude. "Sharpay said you gave her a tour. Now, I'm curious… Is this the same kind of tour you gave Tiara? Or is it more like the one I gave her?"

The tone change in his voice was almost unnoticeable. But it was there. And Troy was not happy about it. If ever there was a moment to turn into the incredible Hulk, it was now. "If you're referring to the tour you also gave Kelsi and Gabriella, I heard it wasn't that… informative. You can't expect someone to inflict your poor guide talent on a girl as smart as Sharpay."

"My tours are never inflicted. Sometimes they're offered, but most often students just present themselves as candidates."

/

Sharpay could safely say she had no idea what the hell was going on. But she was curious as to why Troy was glaring at Nolan the way he was. And why Nolan seemed so amused at Troy's displeasure. "Um," The two snapped their heads in her direction. Sharpay picked up her pen and tapped the point against the tabletop. "Not that this isn't... you know… fun. But I really need to finish this homework."

"I'm a pretty good tutor. I could help you catch up, if you want."

Sharpay smiled across at Nolan. She couldn't help it. His voice had this enchanting, melodic tone to it. There would be no declining of any offers. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I've got a free, anyway."

"That'd be… really helpful, actually, thank you."

"Don't mention it. I just have to go get my notes and I'll be right back." Nolan stood up from his seat, pushing it back towards the table. He circled around the table, back towards the spiraling staircase. As he passed Troy's side, he clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Always a pleasure, Bolton."

She was so preoccupied smiling at Nolan when he looked back at her that Sharpay completely missed Troy's I'm-about-to-punch-you expression. As soon as she turned to Troy, Sharpay saw his blue eyes searching her with a confounded expression. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I was getting tutored in Euro. But I'm guessing to you there's some underlying event I'm not aware of?"

"Sharpay, Nolan... Nolan's like Jason. No- he's worse than Jason. Jason knows boundaries. Nolan goes after whoever the hell he wants."

Sharpay tried not to look too excited, biting back a larger smile. "Are you jealous?"

"What? No."

She scanned his face for any sign that he was lying, but she found nothing. No faltering face, no nervous finger drumming- just his perfect stupid face staring at her own. "Well then, don't you think you should give me a little more credit? I handled Jason. I can handle Nolan."

This seemed to silence Troy. He just sat there in silence, taking turns looking into each one of her eyes. It felt like it had been ten minutes before he let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine." He stood up from his seat, flashed a smile and started to back away slowly. "See you in class."

"Wait, Troy." Troy had gotten quite far, almost near the staircase, and so when she spoke, it was at a volume not appropriate for a library. A few students turned looked back and forth between the two of them before returning to their work. He turned his body slightly, his head peering over his shoulder. "What about your Pysch paper?" A small, knowing grin came to his face.

"There isn't one."