Chapter 1

Junior High Butterflies

Sharpay Evans shook her head.

"What you wear on your first day of junior high has to be awesome, not a farm outfit." she said, arching her eyebrow at Stella Allerie.

Stella blushed and ran back into Sharpay's bathroom.

"Shar, that was harsh." Jennifer Choo said, raising her eyebrows.

"It was her favorite new outfit," Alice Carr added.

"We need seventh grade style, not left-over sixth grade reject clothes," Sharpay replied, rolling her eyes.

Alice shrugged and continued rummaging through the bag of clothes she brought over, but Jenny didn't take her eyes off Sharpay.

Sharpay noticed, but ignored her. One of the many advantages of leading the most powerful girl cliques. Sharpay held the power for elementary school, and was most probably going to keep it throughout junior high and high school. She could make anyone's life a paradise, or a living hell, so everyone steered clear of her.

Isabella Castillo broke the tension by stepping into Jenny's view and shrieking, "TAH-DAH!"

Alice gasped. "Ohmagod Belle, you look awesome!"

"Aww, Belle, you're adorable!" Jenny said, smiling.

Sharpay turned away from her teen magazine to sneak a peek at Isabella. "That's cute, Belle," she said, nodding, trying to conceal part of her jealousy.

Sharpay found the perfect moment to shake off her jealousy, when Stella walked back in. Though she looked better than before, Sharpay said, "See, Stella? You need to have Bella's sense of style."

Stella reddened but maintained her posture. "Belle, what the hell is that?" she rushed, poiting to the silk scarf Isabella had used as her belt.

"Oh, I heard it's a seventh grade thing." she replied, flattening the scarf on her very faded, tight jeans.

"Stella, try these shoes with your top, your top is cute but your shoes make me barf." Sharpay said, tossing Stella a pair of pink and white sandals.

Stella blushed again, and kicked off her pink and brown sneakers.

She straightened her pink and white tank top and her white jean miniskirt.

"That's really cute Ella!" Jenny said, admiring her friend's top.

"Wow!" Alice grinned.

"Nice!" Belle nodded, with a genuine smile.

"It makes you look really pale, but it's okay." Sharpay said, sounding bored.

Stella tried her best not to glare at Sharpay. "I guess that Belle, Jenny, and I got our first-day outfits. Your turn, Sharpay?" she suggested.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. If she got a nickel every time she rolled her eyes, she'd be even richer than she currently was. "I said to save the best for last. Go ahead, Liss." was her response.

Stella silently scolded herself. Jennifer and Isabella both shook her heads. Alice heaved herself up, holding loads of clothes, and headed towards Sharpay's changing room, and Sharpay slowly waddled to her bathroom, holding her bag containing her amazing outfit.

Sharpay pulled on her white lace cami with purple rhinestones and a sparkly lavender shrug (Hmmm, Sharpay thought. Shrugs are really cool. And they look GREAT on me, I should wear them forever!) and a lavender miniskirt with rhinestones incrusted in. She pulled on white sandals with an inch-high heel, and grinned.

She did two matching braids on the sides of her head, and tied them with purple elastics. Sharpay hesitated; it looked kinda tacky. She took one braid out. Yes, one braid on one side is more seventh-grade.

After some mascara, lipgloss, blush, and eyeshadow, Sharpay was ready to show off.

"Tah-dah!" she grinned, spreading her arms.

"OHMAGOD!" shrieked Stella, Jennifer, Isabella, and Alice.

"You look so good!"

"Wow, Sharpay!"

"Now THAT's hot!"

"That's an awesome shrug Shar!"

"I know!" Shar squealed, twirling around to offer a complete view of her outfit.

Sharpay savored the jealousy twinkling in Isabella, Stella, and Alice's eyes. Jennifer was just smiling, but didn't seem to admire her as much as the three other girls. That bothered Sharpay; she was supposed to be the icon, the girl every other girl wanted to be, no exceptions to Jennifer.

"Jen, I told you already, don't by sunglasses at garage sales." Sharpay snapped.

Jennifer arched an eyebrow. "These are designer. I payed eighty bucks for 'em." She lifted her frame-less dark blue sunglasses, examining it.

"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. You expect me to believe eighty bucks can buy designer sunglasses? Puh-LEASE. And hello, summer is OVER sweetie."

"Oh," Jennifer said quickly, catching Sharpay's drift. "I suppose you would know, since you have the most gorgeous outfit ever right now, on you," she said sincerely.

Sharpay softened. "I guess you're garage-sale glasses were a pretty nice snag too, I wouldn't mind borrowing them, I wouldn't be too embarassed to be seen in public with them."

Jennifer struggled against rolling her eyes. She knew that was the closest thing she could get that ressembled an apology out of Sharpay.

Silence hung in the air for a couple of seconds, until Alice bravely broke it.

"Sooo, is MY outfit good enough to wear as a seventh grader?" she pressed, looking at her friends with enthusiasm.

Isabella, Jennifer, and Stella nodded eagerly.

"Mmmm..." Sharpay said instead, cocking her head to her left.

"Mmmm?" Alice said, her voice breaking with sadness. She quickly glanced down at her black jean skirt and pink graphic tee with pink sneakers.

There was another pause.

"Acceptable, I guess." Sharpay finally said.

The rest of the girls smiled and started flowing in the compliments.

"Oh yeah Liss, so cute!"

"It's adorable Alice!"

"We're gonna look great for junior high!"

Knock knock knock.

Sharpay reconised the signature triple knock on her door, but her friends were started.

"AAAHHH!" Alice screamed, clinging onto Stella, who's eyes were as round as coins.

"What?" Jennifer said quickly, turning around with a scared expression.

Isabelle shielded herself with her arms, as though she was about to get attacked.

The door creaked open.

"Hello ladies," Ryan Evans said, with a crooked smile, staring at the frightened girls.

"Ryan!" Alice, Stella, and Isabella said in relief. Jennifer was still too much in shock to say anything.

Ryan let out a small laugh. "Shar, mom wanted me to tell you that dinner will be a little late tonight. Goodbye, ladies." he said, nodding once before stepping back out the door.

Then the door closed back, Ryan's echoing footsteps ringing in the girls' ears.

"Wow!" Stella squeaked, her mouth hanging open.

Isabella and Alice both had ridiculously happy grins pasted on their faces. Jennifer seemed to be more collected, though she added, "Whoa."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "You guys are seriously retarded."

"Number one, we're girls, and number two..." Alice started, only to hear that a squeal replaced 'number two'.

Isabella giggled. "He's sooo adorable."

"SOOO adorable!" Stella echoed, swooning.

Jennifer now had a goofy smile on her face as well.

"Eurgh!" Sharpay mumbled out loud. "Weirdos."

"We heard that!" The three girls chorused.

Sharpay ignored them.

"I'm-... we're gonna look so hot tomorrow!" she grinned.

"Can we even TRY to top how hot we look NOW?" Isabella winked.

"TOTALLY!" Sharpay, Alice and Jennifer sang.

Stella was still looking at Sharpay's pink pillow and giggling.

"Hello, we'd like you back on planet earth," Sharpay snapped. Stella looked up.

"Oh! Oh, I was just thinking of..." she paused, smiling slyly.

"Ryan!" Jennifer and Alice squealed. Isabella high-fived Stella. Sharpay groaned and flipped back her blonde hair.

"Please tell me we're not back to this."

"Okay, we won't tell you!" Isabella giggled.

"Stop it Belle," Stella urged. "OhmaGAWD, I'm so sorry Shar!"

"Sharpay," she corrected, raising an eyebrow.

"But Ryan called you-"

"Who wants to see my new nail polishes?" Sharpay asked, jumping off her bed.

"Ohhh!" Alice shrieked. The girls raced over to Sharpay. Stella was still moping but followed her friends.

"OHMYGAWD YOU GOT THE PINK SPARKLE SHIMMER MAGIC?" Isabella yelled in delight, holding the little pink bottle delicately.

"Mmmhmm," Sharpay responded, raising her eyesbrows and smirking.

"Oh damn, you have great taste," Jennifer mumbled, reading the back of a neon pink bottle.

"HOLY FREAK!" Alice shouted, her enthusiasm topping everyone else's. "OHMYGAWWWD this must've coted a FORTUNE! IT'S GORGEOUS LIKE I LOVE IT!"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, but loved all of these 'Sharpay is the best!' moments that happened while showing off.

"Twenty bucks," she winked, stretching out her arms.

"CAN I BORROW IT?"

"Yeah..."

"WOW THANKS, AND-"

"Umm Alice, you can stop screaming now."

"Ohh... right. Heh. Heheh. Ooops..."

Stella was quietly shifting her attention from a sparkly dark blue polish bottle and a neon orange one.

"Whaddya think?" Sharpay nodded at Stella, digusted that she actually had to push for a compliment.

"Amazing..." whispered the little blonde girl.

Sharpay's smug smile widened.

"I know I am," she chirped. Everyone, even Stella, laughed at this.

"You're the best!" Alice screeched. Isabella, Jennifer, and Stella nodded like bobbleheads.

Sharpay felt her pulse pick up speed. She held her stomache. All of the nervous butterflies started fluttering.

She knew she was the best now.

She knew she ruled.

But what about tomorrow?

Junior high... a brand new zone that Sharpay hadn't conquered.

What about the power there?

What about her friend's loyalties?

What about... Alyson?