Disclaimer: See 2nd Chapter.

A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to write! I've just been so busy...I finished my finals two weeks ago, school ended last week, I had a graduation party...just a lot of stuff was going on. Anyway, I hope the length of this chapter makes up for all of that! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and loves this story! I'm not much of a writer, so I'm glad you all like it! Since I'm finally on vacation, updates should come a bit sooner...once I get over my writer's block.


Light hit my eyes and I awoke quickly. In the mirror, I saw that my reflection was completely hideous. My hair was a mess and I still had my clothes on from yesterday. Great, I had fallen asleep doing homework. I'll ask the sweet and darling Gabriella for help during homeroom. She can never deny a girl in need. Hah. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something that wasn't usually in my spotless room. It was a small pink flower with a note attached. Ryan was staring at me, confused. He was dressed in sweats and a hoodie. I shuddered at his new taste in clothes. At home, however, he was still the same old Ryan...mostly.

"Finally, Sleeping Beauty awakens. I was so close to kissing you." I smirked at him and threw a pillow at his head.

"Very funny Ryan...I'm laughing so hard on the inside. What do you want?"

"We need to leave for school in thirty minutes. You aren't even close to ready...and I know how long it takes you to get ready. I took it upon myself to pick out your outfit for today so you wouldn't have to. All you need to do is put it on and fix...your head. It looks disgusting." I couldn't believe Ryan would do that for me. I smiled at him and gave him a hug.

"Ryan, you are the greatest brother on the planet." He bowed, pretending to be humble. "Seriously, you are! Thank you so much."

"Yeah, well, don't think I'm always going to do this for you." My smile faltered. So maybe he wasn't completely back to who he was before, but I know deep down Ryan is still the same brother that used to star in every musical with me. His eyes darted down to the flower I was holding. "Who's it from? A secret admirer?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "It was outside by the balcony dad had installed. Oh, look, there's a note."

"Well, read it!" His eyes sparkled. I missed that. Ever since he got his 'new' friends, I'd been completely ignored. Every moment I now spent with Ryan was special. He was my twin and I missed him, despite how slow he is sometimes...well, all the time. "Come on, Sharpay! Read it already."

"Oh, right, sorry. It says,

'Sharpay, I'm sorry for what happened. Please forgive me. Troy.'

That's all it says. I don't get it."

"Neither do I. Wait a minute, he's 'sorry' for what? What did you do yesterday...?"

Suddenly, I began to recall the previous night's events.


Flashback
We began walking out of the school as many people whispered. He seemed a bit annoyed by this, but I was completely used to it. For the first block or two we walked in an awkward silence. He was the first to break the silence. "Sharpay, listen, I know why you're such a..." He paused, apparently looking for the right words to say. I knew what he wanted to say, so I filled in the blank.

"Such a bitch? Is that what you wanted to say?" He gave me a halfhearted smile and nodded. "It's okay, I'm used to it. Everyone calls me that. No big deal, really."

"Why do you do that?" Troy had stopped and was looking at me. I turned around to face him.

"Do what?" Unintentionally, I began glaring at him. I knew what he was about to say. Gabriella tried confronting me and asked the same thing. It was aggravating, but I let him keep going. Troy was not Gabriella and I needed to understand that. He wasn't overly sweet and didn't act like he knew everything. He didn't steal the one thing I had wanted more than anything else. Well, he did...in a way. He stole the heart that was now overly protected and guarded. Then Gabriella stole him.

"You block everyone out. Whenever someone gets too close, you push them away. You did that to Zeke and even Ryan."

"Ryan has nothing to do with this. He started playing basketball because he wanted to, Bolton. You don't know him at all!" I can't believe he actually thinks I would push away my own brother. I do not block everyone out! As I began to walk away, he yelled out that I was doing exactly what he had just said. He was right, but I didn't want to admit it. Instead, I let him catch up to me. "I block everyone out? Well then, Bolton, why exactly do I do that?" I had begun to use my 'ice queen' voice simply because he was aggravating me. How dare he think he knows me so well! If he knew me so well, he would know that it was his fault.

"I...I don't...know." Troy was stuttering. Good, he was nervous. I looked up into his eyes and I saw fear. No, not fear. I saw hurt, understanding, compassion, and maybe even love. It was the way he looked at me whenever I was upset while we were dating. He cared about me then.

"Troy doesn't know the answer! Call all the reporters; it's a first!" I mocked. Inside, however, I saw that he knew it was his fault. His eyes began to well up with tears. My voice softened as I continued, "I block people out so I don't get hurt. People always end up disappointing me. Whenever I trust someone, they end up hurting me. I just got tired of it so I started blocking them out."

"Sharpay, I never meant to...I didn't think...I'm sorry."

"Troy, I think you did mean to. Otherwise, you would've ended it a lot better." I smiled. It was a fake smile. "It's okay though, because I'm over it." I turned around and began to walk away.

"Would you...STOP WALKING AWAY!" Troy ran up to me and grabbed my arm. He turned my head so I was looking directly at him. "Why won't you just talk to me?" He began to mumble. "You used to talk to me all the time."

I wrenched my arm out of his grip. "Yeah, and you used to love me. Things change, Bolton." My vision became cloudy and hot tears ran down my face. Great, now he's going to see me cry. "I can't let him see me cry," I murmured.

"What's wrong with letting me see you cry?" Damnit, he heard me. I was still standing inches in front of him. With his left hand, he tilted my chin up to face him. His right hand found its way to the small of my back and pulled me in closer. "Look at me, Sharpay," he whispered. Reluctantly, I let my eyes lock onto his. Next thing I know, he's pressing his lips against mine. I pulled back and just looked at him. He smiled at me and I smiled back. "A real smile! I think we're getting somewhere."

We both laughed. "Just shut up and kiss me, Bolton." His lips found mine again and we were lost in our emotions. On his side, I felt relief and just pure bliss. In return, I released my pain, hurt, and desperation. The kiss deepened as I ran my hand through his soft, brown hair. I could feel his hands running up and down my back. He gently pulled away. Our foreheads kept touching as we smiled at each other. My happiness was interrupted by the rustling of leaves. "Troy, did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything. It's probably just your imagination." Yeah, it was probably just my imagination.

"Alright, whatever." I sighed. He looked at me questioningly. "It was a happy, I-can't-believe-that-just-happened sigh."

"Oh, well good." We walked in silence for the next few moments, unsure as to where we were supposed to go after that...that moment. It was absolutely amazing and everything I'd ever dreamed of, but something was holding me back from going back to Troy. Oh, yes, my self-respect. I promised myself that, while I may still love Troy Bolton with all my heart and soul, I would never go back to him. I remembered one time when we had tried dating again, but it didn't work because I found him making fun of me with all his friends the next day. That was the same day I made myself that promise.

Troy suddenly stopped. He opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again. He looked like he was thinking about something, but I wasn't sure what. After a few moments, he broke the awkward silence. "How would you...uh...well..."

"Yeah? How would I..."

"How would you like to go out to dinner with me? Right now?" he blurted out.

"Troy, I'd love to...but I don't want to...I mean, I do...but...Gabriella," was all I could manage to blurt out. This moment had played in my head millions of times-Troy would ask me out, we'd go on a date, and fall madly in love with each other again. Yet, I couldn't say yes to him. My heart was screaming at me to just go with him, but my head told me that this would end badly. "Remember how I'd told you sometimes we have to make decisions based on what our heart or head tells us? Well, my heart tells me to go right ahead, forget the consequences, and be happy for the first time in a really long time."

Troy cut me off. "Great, so let's go!" He grabbed my arm and tried to drag me somewhere, but I pulled him back.

"I'm not finished. On the other hand, my head is telling me that I shouldn't go with you. It says I should respect the relationship you now have with Gabriella and let you be happy." He opened his mouth to speak, but I shushed him. "Troy, it doesn't matter how many times you tell me that you love me, the point is you chose basketball over me then and now you should choose Gabriella over me. You have no idea how much I want to just say yes and have dinner with you, but I also know that I'll end up hurt again. I'm just trying to protect myself from getting hurt. I'm not going to be the girl you cheat on Gabriella with."

"Listen, it's not technically a date, so we're technically not doing anything wrong." He smiled.

"Troy, don't you get it? I'm not going out to dinner with you. Please, stop trying." I looked to my left and saw that I was at my house. "Listen, I'm going to go home now and pretend this never happened. Don't follow me and don't break up with Gabriella for my sake. This...us...will never happen again. I'm sorry I let it get this far. Troy, I love you, I really do, but I can't and it hurts so much. Just go...please." I was beginning to tear up, so I walked to my door.

No one was home, so I went upstairs to my room and cried. Bits and pieces of my conversation with Troy ran through my head. Him asking me why I always blocked people out, the first kiss he had given me, and us smiling at each other...those memories confused me so much. I couldn't take it anymore and I was about to call Katherine, my cousin in Louisiana. My hand was reaching out to grab my cell phone when I heard someone outside my window. Outside my window was a balcony that my father had installed only six months before his death. It was my Christmas present that year; he built it so that I would have a place to sing my heart out or just feel like Juliet. I saw Troy standing there and pleading with me to go outside. Against my better judgment, I consented and stood outside. He asked me to dance and I replied that there was no music. In response, he grabbed my waist and began to sing in my ear.

"I can't take this.
I need somewhere to go,
I need you.
I'm so restless
I don't know what to do.

'Cause we've had our rough times,
With fighting all night,
And now you're just slipping away.
So give me this chance,
To make the wrongs right, to say...
Don't, don't, don't walk away.

I promise,
I won't let you down,
If you take my hand tonight.
I promise,
We'll be just fine, this time,
If you take my hand tonight...
If you take my hand tonight.

Without you I go through the motions.
Without you it's just not quite the same.
Without you I don't want to go out,
I just wanted to say.

That I'm sick of these fights,
I'll let you be right,
If it stops you from running away.
So give me this chance,
To make the wrongs right, to say,
Don't, don't, don't walk away.

I promise,
I won't let you down,
If you take my hand tonight.
I promise,
We'll be just fine, this time,
If you take my hand tonight...
If you take my hand tonight."

I looked in his eyes as he finished the song and he stared right back into mine. "Troy," I whispered, "what are you doing?"

"Sharpay, please, just give me one chance. At least go to dinner with me as a friend. Please? I don't want to beg, but I will if that's what it's going to take."

I smiled and mocked hesitation. "Well, I think you're going to need to beg just a little bit."

"Okay then, Miss Sharpay Evans, I'm here on my knees," Troy began as he got down on his knees in a prayer-like position, "asking you if you will go to dinner with me. All I want is one chance to prove to you that I never stopped caring. If, at the end of the night, you decide we are better as friends, I'll be okay with that. We can go anywhere you want and you can order anything you want. Please, Miss Evans, say yes and make me the happiest guy standing on your balcony."

I turned around as my face reddened and suddenly burst out laughing. After composing myself, I faced him again and said, in the same tone, "Okay, Mister Troy Bolton, I will give you this chance. I will go to dinner with you at the Chinese place down the street and we will talk about our relationship over an order of shrimp lo mein." We laughed for about a minute, then he left me to get ready. Thirty minutes later, I walked down my steps dressed in a deep red halter top and dark jeans. My hair was down and flowing around my shoulders. Troy's mouth dropped; the expression I was hoping for.

"Shar...you look...wow..." Troy Bolton was at a loss for words.

"Troy Bolton? Speechless? This is something I haven't seen in a very long time." We laughed. He took my arm and we drove in silence to the restaurant I had chosen. The dinner went by quickly. We talked about the crazy memories we had together, Twinkle Towne, and almost everything. The one topic that remained unspoken was what we were going to do after tonight.

"Is Mrs. Darbus always...like...the way she is?" Troy asked me after we finished discussing the newest play.

"She loves the theater. It has been her life since...well, the story is really personal for her...let's just say she's had as much luck in love as I have." Troy nodded his understanding. "Anyway, the theater is basically all she has left. It's her whole life."

Troy smiled at me. "Let's hope you don't end up the same way. That would just be creepy."

I smirked at him and pretended to smack him. "Very funny, Bolton. Now, we better go...it's getting late."

"Shar..." Troy looked at me expectantly.

"Don't...just don't say anything. You'll ruin it."

"We need to...talk about this. Sharpay, please?" I simply shook my head. "Fine, then I'll talk and you'll listen. This night was amazing. I've had more fun with you tonight than I have on a million dates with Gabriella. Not that I've been on a million dates or anything..." I smiled at him and motioned that he continue. "Right, anyway, I just don't want to lose this. I mean, us...before it was amazing. Now it's like...so much more than that. Until tonight, I had forgotten how special you...we were."

I could feel a single tear making its way down my cheek. His hand came up to brush it away. In that one simple motion, I felt what he had just said. "Troy, something is different between us...more than friendship. I can see that now. But...it's not possible. It never will be, Troy. Please, just don't make this harder on me...on us...Troy, there is no us. Not anymore. You gave up on us...you went to Gabriella instead because it was the easier choice. You picked her and there's no going back, not right now...maybe not ever. I'm sorry, Troy." I placed a $20 bill on the table and walked out.

Once I reached the outside of the building, I began to cry. How could I say no to the one person I've wanted more than anything? How could I say no to breaking Gabriella's heart? Why couldn't I just let myself be happy, even if it meant hurting others?

"It's because you're a good person, Sharpay." Oh gosh, I must've said that out loud. "Besides, you won't be the one breaking Gabriella's heart, I will. Don't you know by now that I never stopped loving you?"

"Troy, please, just stop right now. I can't let you do that! You were happy...until I sang that song. I can't ruin what you have with Gabriella. You're happy with her. I'm not going to mess that—"

He took a step closer to me. I could feel his breath on my face and see the sparkle in his eyes. "You won't be messing anything up. Gabriella and I...aren't as close as we used to be. There's nothing there anymore and she feels it too."

"Shut up! You're just...you're going to break my heart again. Bolton, just disappear from my life forever. You think that just taking me home, serenading me, and taking me to dinner will make me forget everything you've done? How dense can you be, Troy? First, you take my heart and smash it into a million pieces because you're not willing to give up basketball for me...even when I never asked you to. Then, you meet Gabriella and suddenly you're willing to do the one thing you swore to me you would never do-try out for a musical. You and Gabriella then proceed to take away the only other thing I've ever wanted-the starring role in the school's musical! Did you really think none of that mattered to me? Did you really think I would just let it go? Why can't you just give up? Why can't you just...leave me alone!" He was still inches away from my face, so I slapped him and ran away.
End of Flashback


"Whatever, it's not important. He just tried to get back together with me, even though he's with Gabriella. Anyway, you need to get out so I can get ready for school. If we don't hurry, we might be late." I smiled at him. "Once again, thanks for doing this for me. I thought that after you...nevermind. We can talk later."

"Okay, Shar. I'll see you down in a few minutes, alright?" He headed towards the door, but turned around to smile at me. I gave him a huge smile back.

A/N: Well, that's chapter 4...hope you liked it! Next chapter spoilers:
-Troy and Sharpay have to learn to get along during school after being assigned a 'special' project.
-Gabriella and Troy's relationship is on the rocks. Will a huge fight be the end?

Anyway, for a faster update, just review! Thanks.