Chapter 3:

"Watch it diner girl!" Gabriella snapped as they bumped into each other in the hallway. Sharpay cursed under her breath as she bent down to pick up her books. She couldn't wait until she got out of this damn school and into Julliard, her true home.

Walking into her homeroom, she saw the one group of people she despised most. Why did they have to be in her classes, why? She smiled. She wasn't going to let the conformist ruin her high school years. She sat down next to Ryan who was writing on paper.

"What's that?"

"Darbus said it would show my own creativity if I wrote my own monologue on song. You should do the same for your audition."

"Julliard never got back to me. All the auditions from this school are tomorrow. If I got selected for an audition I would have a notice of some sort."

"Unless that evil witch controlling your life destroyed it."

"She knows how much I want to go…"

"She also knows that it's her strong hold on you. If you don't get into Julliard there is nothing holding you back. You can stay here forever!"

"I don't know…"

"Ryan! Sharpay! DO you have something that you would like to share with the class?"

"No Ms. Darbus we were just discussing the complexity of conflict in Rent." Ryan responded almost automatically as if he had been preparing a speech. He spent everyday waiting for a chance to shine.

"Save it!" Darbus yelled as she started to go on with the morning announcement. "Basketball season is starting … Yata yata…. The most important thing is that there are a few of your classmates selected for Julliard auditions. Come tomorrow after school to support all of them."

"Like anyone here has enough talent to get in!" Gabriella said as she and Taylor started to giggle.

Troy just looked down at his desk. How could he ever of saw this wretched person as one of the most beautiful things he had ever laid eyes on? He rolled his eyes as his friends started to make more wise cracks at how stupid drama was.

The bell finally rang. Ms. Darbus excused the class and went to her desk to pick up where she left off in the book she was reading.

"For what it's worth… I'll be there for support Ms. Darbus," Sharpay said as she was the last one to leave the room.

"Ms. Evans…"

"Yes."

"You won't be auditioning anymore?"

"I didn't get an audition."

"I beg your pardon? You are on my list. You are right after Ryan. The last two to go. You have amazing talent. It's a shame that you haven't done any of our musicals."

"I don't understand…"

"See for yourself," Ms. Darbus said as she handed Sharpay the list of students auditioning. Sharpay ignored all of the other names as she looked directly at the bottom of the page where her name was listed as a musical theatre student. She wanted to do it all sing dance act… whatever they would let her.

Sharpay gasped. She didn't think that she got in. This was her chance. She had to give her all… But she only had one night to prepare, and she had to work at the diner tonight.

She handed Darbus the list back and met Ryan out of the classroom. She just looked at him and he smiled. Her dreams were going down the drain and she was too blind to see it.

That afternoon she was sitting at the counter between dinner rushes thinking to her self. She had to try. She would hate herself for the rest of her life if she didn't try. She sighed. She didn't even have time to practice anything. She wouldn't be as creative as Ryan. She could only rely on pure talent and she wasn't even sure if she had that.

"What's wrong sugar?" Rhonda said from across the counter top.

"Candy has been lying to me this entire time and now it may be too late."

"Nothing is ever too late… Let Rhonda help you out."

"I need to prepare an audition for Julliard in a matter of a day, because Candy threw away my acceptance letter."

"What do you all have to do?"

"One song and one monologue of my own choosing."

"Well pick out your favorite song. You already know the lyrics, so it won't be hard to memorize the melody.What was the monologue you did for that school project a couple weeks ago? You can do that one because you already know it. It won't be as bad as you think it will. Just do what you know and do it good."

"Thanks Rhonda!"

"What you got to wear?"

"Just my usual clothes…"

"Well, wear something black… look as depressed as you can and you'll rock that audition."

The next afternoon Sharpay walked into the auditorium just as Ryan started his monologue. She sat down and listened patiently with everyone else.

"I have prepared my own monologue followed by a song of the same meaning. It's called Born Free. We are all born free…"

Sharpay gave him a standing ovation. It was beautiful and heart warming. She was so proud of her friend. She never thought he was that creative. How could she follow that?

She walked up on the stage nervously. She had never actually auditioned for anything. It was beyond Candy's limits…

"Hi… I will be performing a monologue called. "Mom?" by Emily Picha

Sharpay walked reluctantly onstage and puts a bundle of flowers beside a pantomimed grave, blows a kiss to it, and is starting to cry. When she regains composure, she walks to the center of the stage and delivers the monologue.

"I was only twelve when my mother died. It's still hard to think about it, even two years later. I mean, god, she was only 35. How can some stupid disease take someone so strong? (Bursts into sudden tears) I... I never even got to say goodbye. I never even really said that I loved her.

I would give anything, anything for her to be alive still. She was so many things to me. I mean, I really have trouble talking to Dad about "girl" stuff. He's a GUY! He tries to understand me, but we're just not that close. And with Mom dying, I lost a lot of myself along with her. They say it takes a year for a person to get over the death of a loved one. I still haven't gotten over it. I can't talk about her without a sad tone in my voice. I can't reminisce about her smiling without bursting into tears. I know that she wouldn't want this. I know she would want me to always love her but lose the horrible pain. It's hard.

(Walks around the stage, studying the gravestones, stopping at the imaginary one of her mother, caressing it lovingly, stops, and gets up facing audience, looking up)

Mom, do you hear this? Do you look down on me from heaven? I wish you could answer me. I know you can't, but I want you to listen: I want to be happy more than anything. I want to stop the pain. Help me remember only the good times we had and not this horrible loss that I feel. Make it so I don't cry myself to sleep wishing you were there. Be in my dreams if you can't be in my reality. I miss you, but I guess the only thing I can say that will matter is the thing I've wished I would have said to you all of this time. I love you, mom. (Walks off the stage, hands clenched, but with a certain strength)"

"For the next part of my audition I will be singing a song on a lighter note that I choreographed myself. Sit back and enjoy the musical stylings of Sharpay Evans singing "All that jazz"

She finished her song and took a bow. She couldn't believe she had made it through an entire audition without being thrown off stage. Now, she just hoped Candy didn't find out.