Chapter Twenty

Not Another Morning After

Sharpay groaned slightly, and turned around in her bed, searching for her pillow. Somehow, she must have missed it during the night, because she was lying on the mattress, which wasn't very comfortable. She turned around on her stomach, but gasped when she realized how sore she was.

What had she been up to last night? Surely she couldn't have danced enough to feel this bad? She'd danced way more at other parties! Hm, that was weird… She opened her eyes, because she still couldn't find her pillow, and immediately realized she was in Troy's room. After all, she had slept there so many times before, so there wasn't really anything weird about that. She vaguely remembered Troy telling Zeke that he'd bring her home, but the rest after that was a blur… Troy must not have wanted to wake up Ryan and Ashlee too, so he'd just brought her with him.

She looked around the bed, to find Troy's pillow and steal it from him, but almost screamed when she came face to face with a naked Troy. She covered her mouth, and moved backwards, which caused her to fall off the bed, and land on the floor with a thud. She grabbed the quilt when Troy's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed.

"What the hell happened!?" Sharpay shrieked, eyes wide, as she clutched the quilt close to her body, not letting him get one peek. How had they ended up naked? Surely, they hadn't slept together, had they…? She gulped, when the truth dawned on her. If she was this sore, it could only mean…, "Oh my God." She whispered, more to herself than to Troy, "SHIT TROY!" she then yelled, and angrily stared at him.

"Scchy!" Troy said, to calm her down, "Be quiet, or they'll hear you!"

"How the hell could we let this happen!?" she whisper-yelled. She had always been awesome at that; whisper-yelling, "We're best friends for crying out loud! I have a boyfriend! What happened!?"

"I dunno!" he hissed back, but couldn't help but shoot her a smile. He knew for sure what had happened. Everything was clear in his mind. He remembered last night clearly, and it had been one of the most amazing nights of his life.

"Oh my God…" Sharpay whispered, and buried her head in her hands, "I'm a slut, I'm a whore, I've slept with my best friend. I have a boyfriend, WHY THE HELL AM I NOT WITH ZEKE!?"

"Scchy!" Troy repeated, eyes wide.

Sharpay bit her lip, and tried to calm down. They had to think of a way to forget this, to move pass it, and go on. What were they gonna do? She still couldn't believe she had slept with Troy. Not that she really remembered any of it, in her current state. It'd probably come back sometime during this day or the next, it usually did.

They sat in silence for awhile; Sharpay staring into the air, eyes blank, and Troy watching Sharpay curiously. Last night had been just… wow. He knew she probably remembered nothing; not how amazing it had been, and not her revelation, and not all the stuff she said about Zeke. He wished she did though, because if she did, this would have been a lot easier. He couldn't very well explain it to her, risk was that she wouldn't believe it, chance was that she would. But there was still a whole lot of things to deal with, and it wasn't that easy. All he knew though was that he wanted to be with her. It was clear to him now, if there had been doubt before.

He just had to tell her he loved her.

He was about to open his mouth and speak, when he heard feet coming up the stairs. Sharpay must have heard it too, because she turned to him, eyes wild. They couldn't be caught like this, it was the wrong way. Troy's parents shouldn't know about this.

"Quick, quick!" Troy continued, still whisper-yelling (though he wasn't as good at it, as Sharpay was), and launched forward to grab her clothes from the floor, "Into the closet, hurry, hurry!"

Sharpay grabbed the quilt completely, and hurried up, grabbing her dress on the way. She went into the closet, and as soundlessly as possibly, closed the door behind her. Troy stared around the room, as the someone came closer to his door, and gulped when he saw her thong on the floor. He threw himself down behind the bed and grabbed the piece of clothing, as the door to his room opened, then he just managed to hide his lower half behind the bed; shielding him from view, except his head.

"Morning Troy!" Lucy smiled, and sheepishly looked around the room, "What are you doing behind the bed?" she asked, an accusing tone in her voice.

"Eh…" Troy trailed off, thinking of a good excuse, "Sitting." He said, before adding, "…this is where I… uhm, sit."

She arched an eyebrow, and nodded, "Alright. I just wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready. T picked up freshly baked bread. Grab a shirt and come down, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, mom." Troy quickly said, nodding his head wildly. This situation would have been hilarious, had it not been himself in it. If Chad had told him, he'd been hiding Taylor in his closet, while sitting naked behind his bed, Troy would have laughed his head off, "I'll be right there." He added.

Lucy turned around to leave, and Troy breathed a sigh of relief. However, she stopped in her tracks, and poked her head back into the room again. She nodded towards the closet, a secret smile on her face, "And tell Sharpay she's welcome to stay too." She continued.

The door to the closet opened, and Sharpay poked her head out, an embarrassed look on her face, "Thanks, Lucy…" she said, and tried to muster a smile, "I'll be right down, as well."

Lucy nodded, "Grab a shirt too." She said, before she closed the door behind her, and left.

"Well, that one went good!" Troy optimistically said, and shot Sharpay a cheesy smile.

She just gave him her death-glare, and leaned her head against the side of the closet, still not coming out, "…this is the worst thing that could ever happen. She knew, Troy! What are we gonna do!?"

"Let's just go down there and eat, alright. They probably won't mention anything. Grab your underwear and my shirt, and we'll act completely normal." Troy said, and searched for his boxers, on the messy floor.

Sharpay shielded her eyes from the view, and groaned, "I'm not gonna come out of here before you leave, Troy. I'm not gonna be naked in front of you. Just grab your own clothes, and I'll be right down."

Troy turned his back to her, and rolled his eyes, just as he found his boxers. He quickly took them on, and found an old t-shirt as well. He took it on too, and went for the door, "Hurry up, or mom'll ask questions."

She nodded, and he took that as his cue to leave. He closed the door behind him, and made his way down the stairs, determined to act normal. He didn't know if his mom had just heard them fight, or whatever, but it really wasn't her business. He just hoped Sharpay wouldn't be acting weird. He needed to tell her how he felt, but how could he do that if she wouldn't think or talk about it?

He made his way into the kitchen, to find the rest of his family already eating. He grabbed his chair and poured himself some juice, ignoring the looks they all gave him. He buttered a slice of bread, and slowly started eating it, still not looking anyone in the eye. He checked the kitchen clock; five minutes had passed, and Sharpay still wasn't there. And then he finally looked up, and locked eyes with his father, "What?" he asked.

Jack quickly became very interested in his coffee, "—nothing." He replied, before taking a sip.

Troy nodded at that, and continued on his breakfast. When he was almost done with his slice, Sharpay came walking into the kitchen, looking at the floor. She took her usual chair, and sat down, now staring at the table. She was sitting next to Troy, but as far away from him as the chair would allow her.

"Good morning, Sharpay." Lucy said, trying to get Sharpay to talk, and act normally.

Sharpay looked up, and tried to smile at her, "'Morning." She whispered, before she reached out for the milk.

There was a silence around the table for awhile. Tessa was fidgeting on her chair, eyeing Sharpay. Jack was drinking his coffee, unusually loud. Lucy was watching her son, and Sharpay interestingly. And Tatiana, she had a mischievous smile on her lips. She almost couldn't control herself. She knew they'd freak out on her, but she couldn't let it pass. And after all, she was supposed to be an annoying big sister, why not act her part?

She swallowed, and dared to mutter, "Eek, eek, eek irrh," as a bed, that creaked and squeaked.

Troy's eyes immediately shot up, and his face got angry, but Sharpay's lower lip started to tremble, and soon tears were spilling down her cheeks. She placed her head in her hands, and cried silently, before her cries turned into sobs, and the rest of the people in there turned to look at her, concerned. Tatiana immediately felt guilty, and Lucy didn't know what to do. It was not the reaction she had expected Sharpay to have during all this. What exactly had happened between the two teens? She knew they had slept together, they could all hear Troy's bed throughout the night, because it was creaking like crazy, but what more had been going on?

Sharpay was still sobbing, but was trying to dry her eyes, so she could look somewhat presentable.

Troy was concerned, "Sharpay…?" he asked, and reached an arm out to hug her, "Don't worry it'll be-"

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, and jumped out of her seat, which caused her chair to bang into the floor. She just stood there, her whole body trembling, and Troy's arm was still reaching out, but for nothing. He looked hurt…, "Don't touch me, please…" she continued, in a whisper.

"But, Payday…" Troy tried again, and stood up, trying to envelope her in a hug, but she brushed him away, and kept walking backwards, until her back hit a wall. Troy took the hint, and stopped in the middle of the kitchen, aware that they were all looking at them, "Sharpay…" he whispered, his voice soft, "Calm down, Pay…"

She shook her head, and frantically brushed her tears away, though they were still streaming down her cheeks, "No!" she yelled, finally looking up at him, "No, Troy! How could we let this happen!? We're best friends! I remember nothing! How could we get so drunk that we wouldn't even notice we slept together, huh? I always thought we were different from all those other friends! But we're not! We're just the same…" she paused, and sobbed, "…how could we let this happen?" she repeated.

"But Payday…" Troy said, and dared to take a step closer to her, "I'm sorry if you feel that way, but…" he debated what to tell her, but he had to get it out, because otherwise she'd be like this for a very long time, and he needed her, so was just gonna go for the truth, "I wasn't drunk. You were telling me all kinda things. Things from before Gabriella came, about you. About Zeke, and about Me. About you and me… And then you just…" he paused, and locked eyes with her, "You just kissed me. And I've been… I've been in love with you for so long now. I couldn't control it, not when you kissed me."

"So I kissed you!?" she yelled, anger boiling within her. She may have kissed him, but that didn't mean he could just sleep with her. They'd kissed plenty of times before!, "So I kissed you, and you decided to take advantage of me!" she shook her head, and took a few steps to the side, so she was closer to the backdoor, "Some friend you are Troy! I can't believe you were horny enough to sleep with your best friend…" she swallowed hard, as a new bash of tears started streaming down her cheeks, "I… I don't ever wanna see you again!" she yelled, before running out, slamming the door behind her.

Troy let out a deep sigh, and turned to stare at his family, fighting not to cry. He didn't want to cry in front of them. His father was eyeing him, with a weird spark in his eye. Tatiana was softly shaking her head at him, and Tessa was looking at one of them, and then another. Sure, she was old enough to understand what was going on, but she really didn't… Sharpay's behaviour confused her.

The worst was Troy's mom. She looked… disappointed.

"It wasn't like that," Troy whispered, staring her deeply in the eyes, "It wasn't li-" his voice cracked, "-like that, mom. I swear… I love her."

She mustered a small smile, and gave him a reassuring nod, before standing up, to hug him. Troy wrapped his arms around her, glad that someone was there for him.

He had no idea what he was gonna do.

--

Sharpay let the hot water stream down her body, scrubbing herself over and over again with a loafer and a whole pack of soap. She was disgusted with herself. She had cheated on Zeke! How could she even do that? How could she get drunk enough to kiss Troy… Sure, they'd kissed, but maybe this time it had been different.

She still couldn't believe that Troy would use her like that. He knew how drunk she got at parties; he'd always helped her. And even if he'd gotten a few drinks himself, he shouldn't have done this. She was so angry. She didn't know what to do with herself. She wanted to kill him right now, no lie. She could never see him again; she could never trust him again. Their friendship was over… They were no more.

She didn't know why, but that fact hurt more than anything. More than knowing she had cheated on her boyfriend; the boy she loved. It hurt more than the fact that her parents were never home. She wanted to cry, but it seemed like she was dried out. No more tears were left in her body. She had cried and cried and cried, since she got into the shower, an hour ago. Her skin was all wrinkled, but she couldn't muster the strength to get out, and get dressed.

She couldn't never see him again… What was she gonna do without him? She loved him so much. Sure, she was over the state of 'being in love with him', but she still loved him with all her heart. She had been devastated back when she'd liked him so much, and he hadn't liked her back. She'd been crushed when Gabriella came along, and stole her man. But then she'd realized, they were just friends, and they'd never be anything more. She had decided to move on, and dating Zeke had seemed like the perfect plan… And it had been. She loved Zeke. But now she had cheated on him. What was she gonna do about this whole mess?

"SHARPAY!?"

She turned her showerhead off, when she heard Ryan's voice through the locked door, and his fists banging on it, "What!?" she yelled back, as she slipped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. The room was full of steam, and she almost couldn't see where she was going. She made it to the door, though, and locked it open, letting the fresh air from her room hit her in the face.

"I was worried…" Ryan said, and eyed her there, in only a towel, "You've been in there for so long. What happened? Ashlee, Tub and I were getting worried."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I was just… cleaning myself after the party."

"Oh…" Ryan said, and nodded his head, "You and Zeke got dirty?"

She swallowed, and softly nodded her head, "Something like that."

"Okay…" Ryan said, and quickly gave her a hug, "Hurry up and get dressed. Lunch is almost here; we ordered Chinese. I have something to tell you later, alright?"

Even though Sharpay was sad over her own problems, her curiosity was peeked when Ryan said something like that. She had always learned (after last time), that she should listen to him, even if she was having troubles herself. She wanted to be a good sister, and it looked like he had good news.

"I'll hurry, save me an egg roll." She smiled, as Ryan nodded, and left the room. She went across her huge bedroom, and opened her drawer. She picked out a pair of underwear and a bra, quickly letting her towel drop, to take them on. Then she found a pair of grey Everlast sweatpants, pulled them on, and found a pink sports top, as well. She turned around to go to her bathroom again, but stopped when she looked through her window, and saw Troy standing there, staring sadly at her. She crossed the room, and angrily pulled her drapes for, giving him a hard stare. Then she went into the bathroom, brushed her hair, made two braids, and did a light make-up.

When she was satisfied, she danced downstairs, trying to get herself into a happy mood. If she didn't try really hard, they'd all notice right away. And even if she was so confused and so hurt herself, she didn't want to worry them. She didn't even want them to know about it. The fewer people who knew, the less chance there was for Zeke to find out. She knew Troy would never tell, and his family wouldn't either. She definitely didn't want to herself as well, so who could spill the beans?

"Hey family…" she smiled, and took the last spare chair around the counter.

Tobias shot her a smile, and pushed a box of Chinese across the counter, for her to eat, "What happened last night? You look bombed?" he laughed.

She shot him a glare, "Yeah, yeah. Have you looked at yourself much? You look hideous?!"

"What's the thing across your face?" Ashlee asked, and pointed, very obviously, at his nose. Sharpay couldn't help but giggle.

"It's something I smell with." Tobias replied, and then turned to Sharpay, pointing at her nose, "And you shouldn't speak, ms. Evans, 'cuz you have a huuuge nose."

"Thank you, but I love it." Sharpay replied, and rubbed it for a second, before digging into her food. She was quite hungry since she hadn't really had time to eat anything at Troy's, before rushing out of there. She hadn't really been hungry, having to swallow everything, but now, when it was digested, she could feel a huge empty hole in her stomach. And when she'd eaten this, she was either gonna go straight to bed, or go for a long refreshing walk. She hadn't really settled her mind on which one yet, but she could almost hear her bed calling her name, because she was that tired.

"Did Zeke drive you home, or did you walk, this morning?" Ryan asked, as they sat in silence and enjoyed their food.

"I didn't spend the night with Zeke," Sharpay replied, knowing she had to tell him where she spent the night, because if she told them she was at Zeke's house, and then he later asked if she got home alright, it'd be too suspicious, "I was with Troy. I think I was totally wasted. So I was at Troy's house."

"Oh…" Ryan replied, and watched her for a second. Something didn't quite add up there, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"What about you guys?" Sharpay then asked, "What time did you go home?"

"Quite early," Tobias replied, with a shrug, "That party was such a bore. There were much more… pleasant things to do at home."

Sharpay narrowed her eyes in on him, as she realized what the huge news Ryan had to tell her were. They had probably gotten… diiiirty last night. She laughed to herself, and continued on her food.

"I have some news!" Ashlee then told them, with a huge smile.

"And what's that?" Ryan asked her.

"Mommy and daddy are coming home soon." She said, and you could tell how happy she was because of that. Being the youngest, she really missed her parents, "They're not completely sure when, but they're coming home soon, and staying for as long as possible. And this time it'll be more than a week. Daddy promised."

Sharpay couldn't help but get a smile on her own face as well, "For real?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ashlee nodded.

"…that's so great." Sharpay whispered, before emptying her box, and jumping off of her seat. Yup, her bed really was calling her name.

--

Sharpay groaned, when she heard her cell phone rang. She turned onto her side, and her eyes caught the clock on her bedside table. It showed 7:37pm. Holy shit! Had she slept that long?! She quickly sat up in bed, and looked around. Sure, it was turning darker outside, she could see it through the slit between her drapes. She fumbled with her lamp, and eventually it was turned on. Then her eyes searched for her phone, and just when she found it, it stopped ringing.

She scrolled through her caller-list, and realized she had like, thirty missed calls from Troy. She threw her phone on the bed, and got up, hurrying into the bathroom to check her appearance. She washed her face carefully, and fixed her hair, before going into her room again, and turning on the computer. She leaned back in her chair, and let out a huge yawn, stretching her arms. It was so good tomorrow was Sunday. She had no plans, and she could just…

She sat straight up, when she got a good idea. She was gonna have to call Gabriella later. She knew the girl and her mother went to Church every Sunday. Maybe they wouldn't mind bringing her? Naturally, she wasn't a very religious person, but she felt like she needed a word from God, or something. Speaking religiously, she had sinned, so why not do it? Yeah… She was gonna have to ask to tag along.

She logged onto her computer, just as her phone rang. She picked it up, and looked at the display, it was Troy again. She threw it back onto the bed, and went back to her chair, just as a knock was heard on her door.

"Come in!" she said, and turned her chair around. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Ryan in the door.

He closed it behind himself, and went to sit on her bed. He had a huge smile on his face, "So…" he said, "I had something very exciting to tell you!"

"Yeah?" she questioned, not wanting to guess. He seemed so excited, and she didn't want to ruin it for him.

"Tobias and I… sorta… slept together last night." He blushed for a second, and then locked eyes with her.

She couldn't contain an excited scream, and clapped her hands in delight, "Finally! How was it? Was it great? Was it perfect…? Please tell me you guys are still together."

"Oh, we're still together…" Ryan said, with a knowing smile, "I know you've already slept with Zeke, and I tried to imagine what it was like to do it, but I couldn't… I tried though, and what I imagined was nothing like the real thing. It was… incredible."

"I know, isn't it?" Sharpay said, in a dream-like state, "To be that close and intimate to another person. You're gonna get to know every inch of him. Just wait, it'll only get better."

"I can imagine." Ryan replied.

"Now, only to tell mom and dad you're gay?" Sharpay said. She was sorta nervous for him. Sure, their parents were open-minded, but still… It was huge news, and they probably hadn't expected their only son to turn gay. He was gonna carry on the family name for Christ's sake!

"I hope they take it well." Ryan said, with a shrug, "Tobias already told his parents, and they're cool with it. They even said I could always move in if my parents threw me out."

Sharpay smiled sadly, hoping that wouldn't happen. They couldn't be that cruel, could they?, "Anyway…" she said, "Thanks for sharing, Ry."

"Yeah," he said, staring her down, "Unlike you, I don't hide these things from my twin."

Sharpay just smiled at him. Ryan laughed, and stood up, to leave, just as her cell rang again. He quickly picked it up, and seeing Troy's name across the screen, he flicked the phone open with his finger;

"Hey, Troysie!" he said, with a high-pitched voice, and Sharpay closed her eyes. She couldn't believe Ryan ruined her 'never speak to Troy again'-plan, just like that, "Nah, it's me, Ryan…" he laughed, and changed his voice back to normal, "Yeah, she's right here."

Sharpay received the phone from Ryan, on his way out of the room, and she placed it against her ear, with a huge sigh, "Hey Troy…"

"Hi!" he said, sounding very relieved, "I'm so glad you wanted to hear me out, Sharpay. Really, I didn't mean it like that, and I didn't take advantage of you, I swear, you wanted to as much as I did. Maybe even more, and I was just… I lo-"

Sharpay cut his ramble off, "Shut up, Troy!" she said, angry tears in her eyes again, "I thought we were best friends, and best friends don't do this shit. I can never trust you again, and I meant what I said. Our friendship is ruined, and I don't ever wanna see you again, no matter how many apologizes you have. Alright? Am I getting through to you?"

"But Sharpay, I-"

She closed the phone with a flick of her finger. Angry tears were streaming down her face, and she did the only thing she could really think of to make herself feel better. She quickly scrolled through her phone-book, and found Gabriella's name. Her finger lingered there for a second, in doubt, before pressing the call-button.

So, last chapter I asked you all not to hate Troy. Thankfully you guys didn't, and now I'm more worried if you're gonna hate Sharpay? I hope you guys won't! I know she's reacting really badly to this. Some people would have been cool and collected, but I think Sharpay is just… not one of those people, lol. I hope it's alright.

Thanks for all the great reviews, though. You guys rock! I hope you all had a very merry Christmas, mine was fine. I saw my dad, so yeah xD

Disclaimer; Don't own 'em.