Chapter 3: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
A/N: Thank you to all of the reviewers. I didn't really expect that many reviews or that you would actually answer my odd question. Anyway this chapter might seem a little rushed but I had to put it up. I might rewrite it later.
An audible click was heard as Troy shut his cell phone, having just talked to Sharpay and arranging a meeting time. He casually went to the bathroom and began to take a shower, he was in no rush. They had decided that Troy would pick them up from their condo at 8:00. Gabriella would not be joining them because she had to work late at the café. Doug saved Troy a trip by bringing his camera to his apartment and subsequently inviting himself to dinner. Troy made some macaroni and cheese and ate in front of the TV. During their small dinner, Doug broke the silence by asking how the 'meeting' went.
"So how exactly were you going to get pictures of her without your camera?" Troy glared at his friend from his bowl of macaroni; not caring to answer the question.
"Ok. So you went to school with her. Isn't she going to find it odd that you're taking a billion pictures of her?" Troy looked up at that, mouth full at the moment. He swallowed before speaking.
"I didn't really think about that. I guess since I know her it won't be hard getting all those candid shots. Only problem is if she picks up a magazine and finds out who is taking the pictures." Troy stood up and went to the sink to clean his bowl. Doug followed him into the kitchen and put his bowl in the sink to be cleaned. He went to the fridge and pulled a couple of beers out. Leaving one on the counter, he popped one open and took a swig before continuing the conversation.
"She won't know. At least, she doesn't have to know. Just don't take pictures of her when she's looking." Troy finished up the cleaning and opened the beer that Doug had brought out for him.
"I guess. And since I'm 'friends' with her I can get in closer and she won't suspect a thing."
"Now you're thinking like paparazzi." Doug raised his bottle in a mock salute before turning to go back to the couch.
"Just think of it as you being a spy and you have to get top secret photos of her. Like James Bond." Troy laughed at his friend's joke and went into his bedroom to change.
"I'm gonna pick her up at 8:00. Take her for a night on the town and catch up. Hopefully Ryan won't stick around and I won't have to deal with him." Troy talked loudly so that Doug could here him from the other room. Troy came out of the room dressed casually in jeans and a button down shirt.
"Dude, is this like a date?" Doug asked when he saw his friend's better than average attire.
"No, it's a casual get together with some old friends." Troy walked over to the door to gather his keys and his wallet.
"Are you gonna stay here all night? Don't you have your own place?" Troy gestured for Doug to get up and leave.
"I might as well move in with you too, since I'm over here so much." Doug muttered as he grabbed a bag of chips from the coffee table and went to the door. The truth was Doug did spend a lot of his time at Troy's apartment. Troy opened the door for him and followed him out; locking the door before leaving.
"See you later then man. Give her a few drinks to loosen her up. Then she might do something…crazy." Doug winked at him suggestively to which Troy rolled his eyes and followed him down the stairs to the parking lot.
"Yeah, great idea." Troy laughed sarcastically. "Now get lost." He shooed his friend away before climbing into his own car and driving away. He pulled out the slip of paper that Ryan had given him with their address written beneath the phone numbers. Troy drove down the dark streets across the city to the upscale district where their condo was located. Thirty minutes later, he arrived at the condominium parking lot and parked in the guest parking area. He walked in through the glass doors and was stopped by a security guard. The large man stared him down from behind his desk as Troy looked around the nicely appointed lobby.
"What is your business sir?" The man startled Troy since he had not noticed the security guard.
"Umm, I'm here to see Shari Evans?" He remembered to use her alias at the last second. She had explained to him that she went by that name now that she was 'in the big time'.
"715." Larry the security guard muttered as Troy began to walk to the elevators, saying a thank you as he left. When he reached the seventh floor, he turned right and walked down the hallway. He found room 715 soon enough and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Sharpay opened the door and stepped outside. She closed the door behind her and began to walk down the hallway. Troy was left staring at the door, unsure of what had happened.
"Isn't Ryan coming?" He managed to say as he turned to follow her to the elevators.
"He's asleep. I don't think he would mind missing this one out." She smiled at him before entering the elevator that had just arrived. Following her in, the doors shut when she pushed the 'L' button and they began to descend.
"So, uhh, you wanna go grab a coffee?" Troy became abnormally shy around her as he admired how much she had changed. In the six years since he had last seen her, she had grown up a lot, personality wise and her body. She was drop dead gorgeous now and Troy couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by her presence. Sharpay noticed the uncertainty in his voice and smiled to herself.
"That sounds great, where are we going?" The elevator opened then and Troy held the door open for her as he followed her out of the building.
"How about we go to Gabi's café? They make a great cappuccino." He opened the door to his car for her and walked back around before getting in himself. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove into town to Gabi's café. That just so happened to be the name of her business. They walked into the small shop and got a small table next to the window. Soon, a young girl came up to them and asked for their order.
"Hey, Gina go tell Gabi that I'm here." Troy gave her a smile and she went off to find the owner. Troy was a regular and knew all of the servers that worked there. Gabriella came out from behind the counter and noticed who was sitting with Troy.
"Oh my goodness, Sharpay is that you?" She smiled brightly and ran up to her to give her a hug. Sharpay got up and returned the hug wholeheartedly. They had become good friends during their senior year in high school but lost touch when they went to different universities.
"Hey Gabi, how have you been?" Sharpay held her at arms length and looked at her friend.
"I've been good. What about you? What are you doing here?" Gabi asked her excitedly.
"Mostly business. I'm thinking of moving here actually." Just then one of the new servers had dropped a glass at a nearby table, spilling everything on the floor.
"Well I have to get back to work. I'm sure Troy will catch me up on everything. It is so great to see you!" Gabi went back behind the counter and grabbed a mop to help clean the mess. Sharpay turned to Troy and raised an eyebrow at him.
"We're living together so I guess she'll ask me everything when she gets home." Sharpay grabbed his left hand and held it up so that she could see it.
"We're not married. In fact we're just friends now. She lives with me because we can't afford to live alone." Sharpay put his hand down, embarrassed that she had made that assumption.
"So if Gabi works here, what do you do for a living?" Their drinks arrived just then and they thanked Gina before she went back for another order. Thinking fast, Troy decided not to lie to her.
"I'm a photographer." He left the answer open to interpretation and didn't go into specifics about what kind of photographer he was. The conversation went on in much the same manner for much of the evening. After catching up on all the latest details on each other's lives, they decided to head home and call it a night. Troy drove her home in a comfortable silence. Inside, he was smiling gleefully. He had caught up with her on her life as well as secretly take photos of her while she wasn't looking. Hopefully his boss would like them and he would be able to make some money. As long as she didn't find out about the pictures, it was safe to say that he was going to get away with it. He arrived at her building and he walked her up to her condo. After saying their goodbyes, they hugged and Troy turned to walk down the hall. Just as she was going to close the door, Troy stopped and called back to her.
"Do you want to meet up tomorrow or something? Gabi has the day off and I'm sure she wants to talk to you." Troy walked back to her door as she leaned against the doorframe.
"Sure. Ryan would probably want to come too."
"Great, I'll call you tomorrow then." Sharpay moved in and kissed him on the cheek before turning and closing the door. Troy stood there, staring at the door again with a million thoughts running through his head.
"Goodnight." He finally said to the door.
A/N: Things are moving along smoothly if i do say so myself. I'm not to sure when the next update will be up. That all depends on how many reviews I get. I still need suggestions for a movie that Sharpay would be in. I have an idea but I want to hear from you. Please? Peace out.