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"Delivery for uh... Mees.. Ashline?" a totally clueless Hispanic delivery boy (A/N: I am not in ANY way saying that Hispanics are cluless. I don't wanna get any nasty reviews.) stood at the double doors with a box as big as him.
"Last minute decorations." Ashlyn pushed past me and scribbled her signature on the clipboard the delivery boy was holding. She shoved it back in his face and slammed the door shut. "Uhh... why aren't you dressed yet? People are gonna start coming in like, twenty minutes." Ashlyn looked a little annoyed.
"You aren't dressed either." I pointed out, ripping the masking tape off of the seal of the box. "What is this thing?" I pulled the cardboard off, revealing a mass of silk flower leis. I pulled some over my neck.
"Hey! Those are for guests." she left only one for me and threw the rest in the box. "Help me set the box outside."
We lifted the lightcardboard box on each side, taking it across the street of the house to the shore of the beach.
A roaring bonfire was in the center of everything. Cast to the side was a long bar dotted with colorful cocktailsand two bartenders sitting on the stools. Flowers were sprinkled in the sand. The only thing missing was the people."I can't believe you pulled this off." I shook my head putting my hands on my hips.
Ashlyn began pushing me back towards the house. "Yeah, well, believe it. Heiresses were born to party. It's not like we have anything else to do, right?"
There were more people than I expected. And they were all Paris Hilton look-alikes and wannabes. "Okay, they're here." Ashlyn took in a sharp breath and adjusted her tan skirt. "You ready?"
What, was this how you prepare to host a party? Just take a deep breath and tell yourself that you can do it? Well, if it was, than I wasn't doing a very good job. "Oh. Mygosh, look." I pointed across the street as a mass of "Wildcat" made its way down to the beach.
"Yeah, I know." Ashlyn actually looked excited. I was a nervous wreck. I could already see all of those beautiful people rolling their eyes at me and drinking their oh-so-fabulous cocktail drinks. "I think we're about as 'fashionably late' as we should be." she took my wrist. She looked at me, noticing that I was close to hyperventilating. "Relax." she told me, "the only reason you're so nervous is because Troy is gonna be there. Now, let's go."
And you know what?
She was right.
The pounding Jamaican-like music was giving me a headache. Everyone around was having an absolutely wonderful time, but I was just making it worse on myself. And to add to the anticipation, I hadn't seen any sign of...
Him.
"What can I get you?" I swiveled around on my stool to face the bar. I twisted my face into a look of confusion. "Is there something wrong, ma'am?" he asked me, hiding a smile.
"What are you doing?" I asked as he slid a frosty pink drink across the counter to me. I pulled the lemon wedge off of the side of the glass, dropping it onto the counter.
"What does it look like?" Troy dropped a whole banana into the blender in front of him, "I'm making a smoothie." he tossed in a few mutant strawberries and orange juice. "Nice party." he added, holding down the cover of the blender, flipping the switch. The banana and strawberries swirled together, making a pink mixture.
"Like I had anything to do with it." I sighed, resting my chin in my hands. "What can I say? I'm not the party kind of girl."
Troy turned off the blender, staring at me in surprise. The smoothie swirled to a halt in its container. "You?" he poured the smoothie into a tall glass. "Now, who ever thought that the Ice Queen..."
"Hey!" I heard an angry voice behind me. I turned around to see a busboy charging in our direction. "What are you doing behind the counter?"
Troy ran around to the other side, grabbing my wrist.
Leaving his smoothie behind.
"What was that?" I asked, laughing.
Troy took my hand as we walked along the edge of the shore, wet sand rolling over our feet. We had strayed far, far from the party, the bonfire, and most importantly, that pissed off busboy.
Troy squeezed my hand and stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh, sweet." he shook his head, watching as a huge swell came in, covering up the full moon just above the horizon. "Those look extreme." he sat down at the sand, where the breaks rolled past us. I sat next to him.
"You surf? So there's another secret Mr. Basketball is keeping from us? First the singing... now this." I smiled.
Troy looked out at the waves again, totally mesmerized. "Sharpay?"
I looked up at him, waiting for a finish.
"You're... I don't know, it's like... you're a different person." he shrugged. "You've never been this... open to me before. I don't think anyone knows the real you."
"I don't either." I shook my head. "And it's because no one wants to get to know the real me." I sighed, drawing my knees up to my chest. The way I had when Ashlyn had invited herself here with the rest of the team. At that time, I was shy. And timid. All because of him. Who knew that one person could change me? It looks like the Ice Queen has melted away permenantly.
"I want to." Troy offered, after minutes of deadly silence.
"What?" I crinkled my eyebrows.
"I. Want to get to know you." he smiled, drawing me into his chest. His heartbeat pounded softly against one ear, and the sound of crashing waves entered the other. I felt his chin on the top of my head and his arm around my back, and I couldn't fight the feeling of being... complete.
"Owww!" Troy pulled away from me, holding the back of his head. I saw a red frisbee close to him.
I turned around and saw Zeke. And he looked mightily pissed. "Zeke!" I wailed, "what'd you do that for?" I asked, refering to the fact that he had chucked a frisbee at his friend's head. Troy was rocking back and forth, wincing in pain.
"What the hell are you doing?" his eyebrows were raised, another fire going on behind his eyes. "Sharpay..." he softened his voice as Troy stood up and rubbed the back of his head once more. "I... I thought what we had was special."
I stayed put. "Hold on... you haven't broken up with Zeke?" Troy asked in surprise.
"Of course I have!" I jumped up. Zeke came closer. "Don't... move." I ordered, setting my boundaries and continued a quiet conversation with Troy. "I have broken up with him. Honestly, I have no clue what's going on with him." I shook my head and turned back around.
Zeke was gone.
I turned back to Troy. His brows were knitted together in confusion. "I've got to go find him."
And the next thing I knew, Troy was gone too.