Chapter 2:

Troy held Gabriella's hand as they looked over the casting sheet. There was a small form of call backs but the roles were basically signed. Troy got the lead male role, but she got a supporting role. She was signed up to do a duet with Ryan. And Troy was signed up to do a duet with Sharpay.

"How could this happen?" Gabriella asked looking up to her boyfriend. She couldn't sing without him there. She couldn't do this supporting role. She liked Ryan, but she wanted to work with Troy. The song was something special they had together.

"I won't do it without you. I'll tell Mrs. Darbus I don't want to do it. I refuse to sing with the ice queen." Troy said staring at the call back sheet. Why did this happen. He was going to spend his spring trying not to commit murder.

"No, you have to. You cant just back down. I'll still be there. I mean its not like you guys have to kiss or anything. Everything will be fine." Gabriella smiled sweetly. They could handle being separated for one Musical. She knew they should have auditioned together, but Ryan said it would be a bad idea. He just didn't want to be stuck with his sister again.

"Move!" Sharpay said as she pushed her way through the couple. She wasn't going to let their little love talk stop her from seeing if she got the lead role. She knew that the casting for the last musical was just a glitch in the system. She always got the lead role. If she wasn't in Drama, she wasn't in anything.

She squealed with excitement as she saw her name in the call back spot for the lead role and there was no competition to go against. She had knocked Gabriella out of the top spot. To make matters even better, she was working with Troy Bolton, the guy she has had a crush on for the last three years.

"I have to get to class," Gabriella said as she let go of Troy's hand. "See you later." She slowly walked away trying to watch what Sharpay was going to say to him. She made her nervous. Gabriella was certain she didn't like the way things were going.

Sharpay pushed past Troy again and headed to the practice room. She wasn't just going to be nice to him because he got the part with her. If she didn't let anyone in then she couldn't get hurt. She knew that if she even thought there was a chance between the two of them her heart would be shattered. She saw the way he looked at Gabriella. They were in love or at least puppy love.

"You do realize that we have to sing together and that means working together." Troy said as he followed Sharpay. It was free period and Basketball season was over. He didn't have anything else to do, sadly. He was going to spend the rest of his free period of this school year practicing with….

"I know you don't want to be here, so why don't you just leave?" Sharpay asked coldly. She refused to work with him. She would fall for him and he would run into Gabriella's arms after everything was said and done. Who did she have? Ryan? He didn't even talk to her now. She wished she tried to work things out with Zeke. "That stupid little blonde."

"What?" Troy asked as he watched Sharpay sit down at the piano with some sheet music in her hand. He would have sat down next to her but he didn't want to push things. The sooner her could get this done and over with the better.

"I was just thinking to myself. It's none of your beeswax."

"If you want to talk about it we can. I can tell you obviously have something on your mind." He sat down next to her.

"Please! I don't have a single thing on my mind besides doing this song."

"Really…who's stupid?"

"I'm not telling you. You have no right to meddle into my affairs."

Troy just laughed. She hasn't even pushed him away yet. This was going to be the most difficult thing he has ever had to do. He smiled. Then again, maybe she just needed someone to talk to. It must be lonely to not have any friends.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just wondering how long it was going to take for you to push me away again."

"Look I come in here to sing songs by myself. I don't need some arrogant jock to ruin my day. Just run to your little girlfriend and both of us will be happy."

"That's not going to work for me."

"What do I have to do to get rid of you?"

"We have to practice this song sometime."

Sharpay stopped to think as she looked at Troy. She always rehearsed at home. Her mother always helped choreograph the routine. That way she didn't have to sit down and play the piano herself. She had help. She also knew that Ryan would be down at the local dance studio teaching his weekly Showtime class.

"Fine! Not now though. This is the only time I can actually play the piano by myself. It's like a stress reliever. I can't relieve if you're here."

"Sharpay… The callbacks are in two days. I don't know about you, but I need to practice to be good."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. He certainly was a jock. He only cared about himself. She grabbed a pen and paper from her backpack and wrote her address down. She looked at her watch. School was over. He made her miss her piano time.

"Be there at 6. I will have everything prepared. Be ready to dance, okay?" Sharpay said as she got up and left not even leaving him time to agree. She slammed the door shut behind her.

I can't be there at 6. I'm supposed to pick up Gabriella. Troy's thoughts were interrupted when he saw Gabriella walked with a big smile one her face. He didn't have the heart to cancel on her, but at the same time he needed to meet with Sharpay.

"I have some bad news," She said as she sat down on his lap. She hoped he would understand where she was coming from. It was only their six month anniversary. It wasn't a big deal to her. She hoped it wasn't a big deal to him.

"What is it?"

"Ryan wants me to come to his dance class. He says it would be a lot of fun and he needs helps choreographing the show." Gabriella said as she kissed Troy's neck softly. She hoped he wouldn't be mad at her. That would be the last thing she wanted.

"Really," Troy said raising an eyebrow in protest. He was going to say something smart about how Ryan only wanted her in a dance studio alone but he thought better of it. He wasn't going to joke about the way he saw Ryan look at her. He could trust Gabby; it was the little punk he couldn't trust. Then again he couldn't say anything because he was going to be practicing with Sharpay that night.

"It's not like that. I know you think he likes me, but we're friends, like you and he are."

"Ryan and I are not exactly friends. I just put up with the guy because you said you wanted to give him a chance."

"Well having Sharpay for a twin sister is not an easy thing. Besides he needs us. We can't let him be sucked back into the Sharpay black hole of demands."

"She's not that bad."

"Troy…"

"What! I think that she is just misunderstood and lonely."

"If she is lonely she only has to blame herself. I mean look at the way she treats everyone. She brings a new meaning to the term bitch."

"You mean female dog?"

Gabriella slapped Troy's knee playfully. She was shocked at how all of a sudden Troy was defending Sharpay. She shrugged it off. There was no way that Troy would ever think of Sharpay as anything other then the ice queen.