Intermission: 40 Ounces to Freedom

A/N: This is just an intermission in the story, linking two parts of the story together. The real chapter will be up tomorrow I think so this should tide you over until then.

Laughter could be heard from within the living room as Troy fumbled with his keys. Finally finding the right key, he put it into the lock. He soon discovered that his door was unlocked and quietly pushed the door open. Picking up his big stick, he brandished it above his head as he crept into the living room.

"I'd put that down if I were you." Troy spoke firmly to his intruder, making a menacing pose with stick in hand.

"Aww, you're no fun. I was just playing catch, man." Doug set the vase that he had been throwing onto the coffee table. Troy rolled his eyes and put the stick back in its place. Troy walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge and pulled a beer out.

"Hey Doug, you want a beer?" He called to his friend on the couch.

"Yeah, thanks man." He looked up from the TV, expecting a bottle to fly into his arms.

"Get it yourself." Troy deadpanned as he cracked the bottle open and took a long swig. Doug gave him a pout and started to whine.

"Fine, here." He opened the fridge again and threw the bottle across the room, hitting Doug in the chest. The air rushed out of his chest in a 'whoosh' as Doug doubled over, coughing and wheezing from the force of the blow. Gabi walked into the apartment at that moment, rushing over to Doug to help him up from the ground.

"Troy, you know he can't catch when he's drunk." She scolded him as she propped Doug back up on the couch. She then picked the beer up off the ground and drank it herself, leaving Doug on the couch to whine again.

"I thought we took your key away." Troy sat down on the couch and leaned back to stare at the ceiling.

"I made copies." Doug took the drink out of Troy's hand and put the bottle to his lips, only to discover that it was empty.

"Gabi just drank the last one if you're wondering." When Troy said this Doug nearly cried as he sank into the couch.

"You need to cut back anyway. From the smell, I'd say you had enough for today." The alcohol in his breath could be smelled whenever he spoke.

"Fine, I'll just drive home then." Doug got up from the couch, still sulking. Troy grabbed his arm and forced him back onto the couch, which wasn't difficult in his state of inebriation.

"You're staying right here. You can sleep over for tonight because I don't want you driving." Troy went to get a blanket from the closet and placed it on the floor next to the couch.

"We're going out for drinks in twenty minutes so I don't want you doing anything stupid while we're out." Troy spoke to him as if he were a child.

"Ryan and Sharpay are joining us. Remember them? Yeah they're coming over pretty soon and we're going to walk down the street to the bar. If you need anything, just remember we're right down the street." Troy watched as his friend pouted in his seat. It seems alcohol makes him act like an eight year old.

"I want to go too." He stomped his foot for emphasis. Troy sighed and went into his bedroom. Gabriella came out of the shower and Troy went in to take his shower. A knock on the door brought Gabriella over, clad only in her robe. She opened the door to allow Sharpay and Ryan to step into their small apartment.

"Where's Troy?" The first words spoken and Sharpay was already looking for Troy.

"He's in the shower right now. Why don't you guys make yourselves comfortable while we get ready?" She then disappeared into her room to go put some clothes on. Meanwhile, the twins moved into the couch and took a seat next to Doug.

"So you must be Doug, Troy's friend from college right?" Sharpay asked him as she took a seat next to him. Ryan walked around the apartment, taking note of its hominess.

"Hey baby, how you doin'?" Doug moved over closer to Sharpay as he put his arm around her shoulder. She just laughed at his attempts and played along with him. Troy had warned her earlier about how Doug got when he was drunk.

"He's pretty harmless and won't really do much except act like a kid and laugh at anything. But don't pet him, he bites." Sharpay giggled again at the memory of Troy's half-hearted warning.

"Knock it off Doug. Troy could come out any minute." Sharpay joked with him.

"Forget Troy. You know him and Gabriella are still 'whoo' even though they're 'just friends'." He thrust his hips up at that point and continued to make a 'whoo' noise. Sharpay frowned at this revelation and got up off the couch, causing Doug to topple over face first into the ground.

"To much information." She said as she sat on a stool in the dining area. Ryan and Gabriella soon appeared from the bedroom, looking a bit disheveled. Ryan's hari was mussed and he had a smear of lipstick on his cheek. Gabriella's shirt was wrinkled and her hair was tousled. Sharpay gasped at the sight of them but didn't say anything. Soon Troy emerged from the shower and quickly got dressed.

"Did I miss anything?" He asked as he tried to button the last button on his shirt. Sharpay walked up to him and took the button in her hand, quickly buttoning his shirt and placing her lips against his. Troy deepened the kiss as Ryan, Gabriella, and Doug watched them. After Ryan cleared his throat, the two broke apart and turned to face the others.

"So, we ready to go?" Troy broke the silence as he made his way to the door with Sharpay in tow. Still not speaking, Ryan and Gabriella followed them out the door.

"Bring me back a drink!" Doug called to them as they left.

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed and left suggestions for moives. I'm not sure what I'll use or even if I use the movie ideas entirely. I may even cut that part of the story too. I know where this story is going and how it ends though so don't worry. I just don't know how I'm going to get there. Anyway please review. peace out.