Chapter 21: Smashed

"Are you going to school tomorrow?" Ryan frowned as he watched Sharpay cram a copy of Hamlet into her pink-sequined school-bag. She was sitting on the floor by the foot of her bed, her cell phone sat by her foot.

"Yeah."

"Really?" Ryan smiled despite his surprise. He sat down on the floor beside her. "What changed?"

"It's over." Sharpay shrugged, tossing her cell phone to Ryan and getting up off the floor with her school-bag.

Ryan frowned as he read the messages and then looked up at his sister.

"This…this doesn't sound like it's over." Ryan stated.

Sharpay didn't bother to reply, she turned around and put her school bag on her dresser table. Behind her, Ryan stood up and walked behind her.

"Shar…"

"It is over as far as I'm concerned." Sharpay glared. "They've got their team captain back. I haven't got anything else they want."

"Wait… no." Ryan's eyes widened. "They wouldn't…."

"Wouldn't they?" Sharpay whirled around, a vicious look in her eyes. "Ryan, wake up. This is the Wildcats. Summer is over; it's time to come back to reality."

Sharpay turned away again as Ryan mused over what she had just said. He didn't believe the Wildcats could be so vicious. It was in Sharpay's suspicious nature to… well, suspect everyone. This certainly explained why Troy had looked so angry as he had left their house the other day. Sharpay had pushed him away and only God knew what lies she had concocted to make him hate her as much as he now did. Ryan had to admire his sister for her courage but he was starting to wonder at what cost she was trying to preserve her social image. He decided not to argue with her.

"Well, sis. It's good to have you back." Ryan smiled a little half-heartedly.

Sharpay smiled a little to herself.

"Thanks Ry."

Ryan nodded and as Sharpay turned away to the mirror again, he slipped the cell phone into the back pocket of his jeans. In his mind, he was already forming a plan to take the phone to the police. They could trace the message… they could do something. Sharpay might hate him for it but it would be better in the long run.

He started to leave.

"Ry?" Sharpay called just as he reached the door.

"Yeah?"

"I… I love you." Sharpay smiled. Ryan smiled back. "But sometimes… you really do ask for it."

Sharpay strode over to him and thumped him on the back with her right hand. Ryan let out a loud howl as his sister over-powered him and dragged him to the floor. To an observer, the two fighting siblings could have almost looked amusing. It was clear that despite Ryan's newfound athletic abilities, Sharpay was still the physically dominant child in the family. She pulled the phone out of his pocket and left him on the floor; gasping for breath, and shot him a glare.

"When did you become so sneaky?" She frowned.

"S-Since I cared about you." Ryan spluttered a little as he gasped for breath. He sat up and coughed. "Beginning to regret that now."

"Well, I don't want any regrets." Sharpay replied with a determined look on her face. She put her phone onto her dresser table and grabbed her hair straightener. She slammed the solid metal hair straightener into the plastic covering of her phone – over and over again. Ryan watched helplessly. Sharpay finished and smiled triumphantly as she scooped the fragmented contents of her phone into a bin.

"Well done." Ryan remarked sarcastically. "You've ruined your one chance of getting even with whoever that was."

"Leave." Sharpay growled.

Ryan turned and left the room. In his mind, he was contemplating whether his sister really was as cold a human being as many assumed her to be. Ryan had been there for her these past few days, he had been her rock. They had almost bonded over this horrible experience. If there was anything good that was meant to come from this; it should have been that the two of them were more united now. However, the reality was quiet different, as Ryan had just experienced.

Sharpay sat inside her room and wondered if she had made a mistake in smashing the phone and therefore destroying the last remaining bits of evidence that proved she had been mentally tortured by some sick individual or individuals. Then again, wasn't it better to try and shove this back into the past where it belonged rather then drag it forward for everyone to see?

There was no way she was going to let anyone who didn't need to know find out. No way. No... No… destroying the phone was a good thing.

Sharpay curled her legs up towards her and hugged them to her chest as her mind wandered back to when she was thirteen years old… She didn't want to remember… But her own memories were something she just could not escape.

AN: Next chapter will be set in the past and you will FINALLY find out what happened.