Sharpay's POV+
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER DAD! I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU PUT ONE FINGER ON HER! PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!"
I'm shivering over in a corner, my legs tucked under me in the fetal position. My God, how did it get so bad? We used to be so happy, we used to be so strong. We used to be a family.
Oh yeah, it all happened when Mom died. Mom died two years ago, and ever since then—Ryan and I are juniors—it started getting bad. Dad started going mad.
He loved her—at least that's what I think—Ryan just scoffs and shrugs. He was destroyed when she died. How were we supposed to know she'd had some hidden form of cancer?
And lately, he's been taking out his anger on us.
People are always asking me—Ryan and me that is—why we put so much effort into Drama. Well, we're even more competitive now, after Gabriella and Troy got the main roles in our sophomore year. Why?
Drama's all we have left. After Mom died, our family fell apart. Dad's going crazy, spending all our money on junk we don't need, and he's going out and getting drunk and coming back and taking his anger out on us. That's why Ryan and I fought so hard. Drama was all we had left, and those two took it from us.
They took it from us. They took everything away from us.
In Drama, Ryan and I can pretend we come from a normal family. Our dad doesn't hurt us—we imagine living like that. Our mom's not dead—she's still here.
In a play, we're in a separate world. A world with so much better.
But outside of it, reality comes crashing down.
Anyway, my dad's getting into one of his moods again. He goes crazy, raves at us, and keeps going on.
This is the first time he's ever hurt me though. Usually, he's not that out of his mind.
He knows what will happen if they find out. Even though he wastes his life, my dad's not stupid. He lets us wear all our expensive clothes and do everything like normal—and so far, no one's found out.
I don't want to tell. Ryan doesn't want to tell.
We're waiting for my real dad to come back.
I just asked him to sign a slip for the new play that Mrs. Darbus wrote. I mean, I've tried out every year, and I didn't see how it would hurt if I did again this year.
How was I supposed to know it was a bad day?
"YOU LITTLE UNGRATEFUL BRAT!" he started yelling, and he slapped me as hard as he could. I ran.
I ran and hid in my room, and now Ryan's out there, trying to protect me and howling at Dad to stop.
Dad used to be the one who wanted us to try out. Dad came to every single performance. Dad did everything for us.
And not he does nothing.
Mom was the easy-going one. She kept him in check. But now, since she's gone, he's going crazy. He wants us to be the best—always the best.
Ryan comes home with a 99 on a test, my dad cusses him out about how he should have got 100. I get the second best role in drama, (because Gabriella got the better part—she is an amazing singer), Dad yells at me about why I didn't get the main part. Ryan gets the main part in a play, (he's a way better singer than Troy), and Dad bawls him out about how he should be playing sports like a real boy instead of hanging around with the Drama kids.
We can't do anything to make him proud now.
It wasn't this bad last year. It started though, on the first day of this year.
He's hurting Ryan.
He's breaking Ryan.
He's killing Ryan.
Ryan, my twin—the one I used to do everything with. I loved Ryan more than anything in the world—and I still do, of course. But Ryan's disappeared from me.
I don't think you understand.
I used to know every single one of Ryan's feelings. I used to know when he was happy, I used to know when he was sad, I used to know when he was mad.
I guess it's just sort of part of being a twin.
The bond's broken now.
Dad broke it.
He separated us—guys and girls can't be together. Even if we're twins.
Ryan and Dad used to be really close. Look at them now.
"SHUT UP! YOUR SISTER DESERVES EVERYTHING SHE GETS! WORTHLESS CHILD!"
Tears are in my eyes, and Ryan is screaming at my Dad when he sees me.
I love him.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DOES NOTHING FOR US!"
My dad turns around and grabs his throat, squeezing with his hands. Ryan's choking, not breathing—his face is turning white and he's gasping for breath. Dad's shaking him, someone's screaming, so loud, and I realize it's me.
My dad turns and looks at me, his eyes furious. He drops my brother. Ryan falls, his head colliding with the wall, his hat flying off as his skinny body collapses to the ground.
He doesn't get up, just a still figure on the ground.
He doesn't get up.
He doesn't get up.
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