Chapter 10: All Downhill from Here

A/N: Sorry, but I had a really bad case of writer's block. I don't know where this story is going anymore. My mind just thinks it and my fingers follow. So if you have suggestions about where this story can go, you are very welcome.

The plane ride back to Los Angeles went without incident although Ryan was forced to sit next to a large man that wouldn't shut up during the movie. Sharpay slept through the flight, her head resting on Troy's shoulder. She awoke when Troy shook her shoulder to tell her that they would be landing soon. She looked around bleary eyed for a minute until her eyes focused on the person sitting next to her. Troy bent his head and placed a soft kiss on her lips. His kisses seemed to wake her up and the kiss intensified.

"Hot towel?" The tow quickly broke apart and turned their heads towards the interruption. A stewardess stood there with a tray of hot towels in her hands. Troy plucked two off of the tray and handed one to Sharpay. The stewardess left then and walked back to the rear of the aircraft. She was stopped a few rows down by Ryan.

"Thanks for stopping them. We wouldn't ant anything bad happening right?" The stewardess just winked at him and continued her round down the aisle. A half an hour later found the three walking off of the plane toward the pickup area. They had called Gabi earlier to tell her what time to pick them up. She pulled up to the curb in Troy's Acura Integra and put the car in park.

"Doug, are you going to move?" Gabi asked her friend as he played with the radio, looking for a good station. Growing impatient, she clicked the radio off and poked him in the chest.

"Get out there and find them so we don't get chased away by airport security. You know they don't want us sitting here for too long." With that she poked him one last time in the chest and he got up out of the car. Once outside, he signaled for her to roll the window down which she did.

"If I find them in the next five minutes, you have to go out with me." Doug said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh grow up already, Doug." She rolled the windows up and pointed in the direction of the growing crowd. Seven minutes later, Doug returned with Sharpay and Ryan. Troy was behind them, pulling Sharpay's suitcase along.

"Seven minutes. Huh, too bad." Gabi stuck her tongue out at Doug as he helped Troy put the suitcase into the trunk.

"What is she talking about man?" Troy asked Doug as he closed the trunk.

"Never mind, just get in." He said angrily. Gabriella jumped out of the car and circled around quickly to bring Sharpay into a hug.

"Oh, Sharpay! Don't ever leave again. Then Troy would have to follow and so would Ryan and then I would be stuck here with Doug again." Sharpay gave Doug a glare.

"What did you do to her? If you touched a hair on her head I swear I…" She was cut off by Ryan who put his hand over her mouth.

"Ok, calm down. You're making a scene." Troy opened the door for Sharpay but she stood her ground and stared back at him.

"What? Is there something on my shirt?" He asked as he checked around his body for a stain.

"You don't expect me to sit in the back seat do you?" She tapped her foot impatiently as Troy, Ryan, and Doug climbed into the very small backseat of the 2-door hatchback. Sharpay smiled at them as she moved the front seat back into place and stepped into the car. Gabi got in on the driver's side and started up the car.

"Where to first guys?" She asked all of the occupants of the car as she turned on her turn signal and pulled onto the street.

"Oh, my place so I can take a shower. I feel all gross from the airplane and all that recycled air." Sharpay looked back at the three guys, daring them to suggest anywhere else. They all turned their heads and looked to the roof, pretending to whistle. Sharpay smiled to herself and quickly lost herself in a conversation with Gabriella about cute boys. It was high school all over again.

"After I hung up the phone, Doug followed me into the bedroom and tried to get me to sleep with him." Gabi explained to Sharpay. Everyone in the car turned to face Doug with a scowl on their face.

"What! She's attractive so sue me!" Doug defended himself. Sharpay and Gabriella both stuck their tongues out at Doug and blew raspberries.

"Don't stick your tongue out unless you intend to use it." Doug snapped at them. They both quickly turned around, pulling their tongues back into their mouths.

Sharpay's Condo

The group decided on Gabi's Café for a brainstorming session about what to do about their lack of jobs. It was a little after 8:00 when the group got settled into a large booth to the side of the main counter.

"Hopefully Sharpay can still have that part in the movie. I left a message on Zack's machine to let him know that she was still interested but that was yesterday." Ryan explained to the group. Just then Ryan's phone began to ring and he pulled it out, checking the number that flashed on the display.

"Speak of the devil." He flipped his phone open and put it to his ear, a hand going up to cover his other ear so that he could hear better.

"Zack! My man! You got my message? Of course she's still interested. Uh huh. It was a momentary lapse in judgment I believe." Everyone rolled their eyes as they listened to the one sided conversation.

"Here, he wants to talk to you." Ryan said as he handed her the phone. She put it up to her ear and took a deep breath, preparing her voice.

"Shari!"

"Zackie!" They both greeted each other mock cheerfully.

"I hear you still want that spot in the movie. Is this true?" It was a rhetorical question; Ryan had already told him that she wanted the part.

"Of course you big silly."

"You're in luck because I think the studio really wants you back as well. One look at your replacements and they were begging me to get you back. It seems that you left a really good impression on the suits upstairs." Mentally, she was jumping up and down and doing cartwheels, screaming her head off in happiness. On the outside she only broke a smile and she answered calmly.

"Thanks Zack. What would I do without you?"

"Hey, hey. You're the best baby. I'm gonna take you straight to the top!" He exclaimed before hanging up. Sharpay calmly closed the phone and handed it back to Ryan.

"Well that solves my problem. I'm back in!" She immediately got up and started dancing around the table, Gabi jumping up and joining her.

"Ok, Sharpay and Ryan have jobs now. What about me? I'm pretty much a homeless man already." Troy groaned as Sharpay and Gabi returned to their seats.

"You could always just be a glorified secretary. Work for Sharpay as her personal assistant." Ryan suggested to Troy. He gave him an odd look before answering.

"She already has one. That's your job." He pointed out to Ryan. Ryan thought about what he did for Sharpay on a daily basis and suddenly turned to her.

"Hey I am your secretary. You don't even pay me for half the things I do for you." He said indignantly.

"Ryan, you're my brother and my manager. Of course you're my secretary, it's because you love me." She gave him a hug and he smiled at her.

"All right, you don't have to pay me." He smiled.

"Hey you can be a stay at home dad." Gabi suggested.

"Yeah you can just let Sharpay make the money and you can take care of the kids at home." Everyone looked at Gabriella oddly again. Where was she getting these ideas?

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself, Gabi. First, we're not married yet so I can't possibly be a stay at home dad. Second, we don't have kids. Third…" He was cut off by Sharpay's pointed look that was centered on him.

"Yet? Is there something you wanted to tell me Troy?" He went over what he had just said in his head and quickly shut his mouth.

"Uhh, never mind anything I just said." He stuttered as a blush crept onto his cheeks.

"Right, you guys are just going in circles." Doug spoke for the first time since they left the airport.

"What do you suggest, oh genius man." Gabi mocked him as he looked down at the table.

"Hey, I quit my job there too. I didn't like Al either; he was such an ass about everything. Anyway, after I quit I decided I would pursue my lifelong dream." Everyone stared at him as they waited for him to reveal his dream. Doug sipped his coffee before answering.

"What?" Everyone groaned at his lack of attention.

"You were going to tell us your lifelong dream." Troy bluntly stated.

"Right. I'm going to open a restaurant. Doug's Hawaiian Plate Lunch. That's what I would call it. Serving up local style plate lunch. It's a niche market." Gabi and Sharpay rolled their eyes while Troy sat up straight, intrigued by the idea.

"That's not a bad idea. Are you looking for a co-owner?" Troy asked him as Doug sipped his coffee again.

"D & T Drive In. Smooth." Doug stoked his chin in thought.

"What's the D and T stand for?" Ryan asked, still struggling to put two and two together.

"Our names, what else. Man sometimes I wonder…" Doug trailed off as he thought about how Ryan could be so slow.

"So we're gonna start a restaurant?" Troy asked him.

"I guess so. We'll need to find a building and then we need to get some loans and leases so that we can get this business off the ground." Doug continued to rattle off a number of other things that they needed to do before they could open the restaurant.

"You guys can move in next door. The tenant is leaving and I was thinking of expanding my shop." Gabi suggested.

"That's a great idea Gabi. Things are looking up finally." Troy said as his thought drifted to the future.

A/N: D&T drive in is taken from L&L drive in. It's a local chain of restaurants that has expanded operations to California and Oregon. If you live there, look them up. The food is the bomb. Hoo ono. Anyway, leave reviews and peace out.