Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. I would really love to hear your feedback.
Tiara's name is purposely misspelled throughout this story. No one likes her enough to pronounce it correctly.
Warning: Allusions to domestic violence and discussion of past sexual assault. Because of what happened to Sharpay, that's going to be a recurring warning. She's working through it. However, the events of this chapter and the next are going to be a severe trigger for her.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable (unless this is the second time you're reading this story.)
Chapter 9: High School Revisited
Afternoon September 5, 2008
Chad's third week of college was relatively uneventful. His roommate sucked. Sharpay's new roommate Amanda, fortunately, did not. Thankfully Amanda was cool with him hanging out there all the time. It helped that he was tutoring her in math. Amanda wasn't even bothered by him sleeping over on an air mattress. Chad understands why Marc gave him Lysol because Blaise and his girlfriend have fornicated on every surface in the room. Thankfully, he could avoid the guy as much as humanly possible between basketball practice, classes, and Sharpay.
Like every other Friday, since college started, he would be spending it with Sharpay. Unfortunately, this Friday, they would have to be the chaperones at the East high welcome back dance. Chad still wasn't sure why he said yes. He didn't even like the dance when he was an actual student at the school. Troy, Kim, and Ryan have all argued that he said yes because he really wants to go on a date with Sharpay, and this is the only way he could do so without a guilty conscience.
Yet despite his reservations, Chad showed up to Sharpay's dorm room at 5:30 PM. He was even dressed in the outfit she got him. Yet, for some unknown reason, he was nervous when he knocked on the half-open door. Chad had no idea why because this wasn't actually a date regardless of what Troy, Ryan, and Kim believe. It was just him and Sharpay spending more time together. No need for nervousness or fear.
Dates don't scare Chad Danforth. He wasn't scared for his first date with Taylor. Despite meeting Mr. McKessie, a man who may have been a bouncer in a previous life. (Chad is just going to conveniently ignore totally freaking out during the ill-advised baseball seduction incident and right after kissing Jamie for the first time.) Except this was not a date, and Mr. Evans was currently looking at property in Kyoto or elsewhere in Japan.
He could see Sharpay putting on her makeup in her room as Kim sat off to the side, laughing hysterically.
"I can't believe you keep pretending to have sex with Danforth in public just to fu— mess with Richard." Yesterday they may have purposely shown up to film class looking disheveled with strategically placed marks and lipstick in all the right places. "You're so evil when you put your mind to it. When did you learn to make fake Hickey's like that?" Kim asked as she picked up Alex from the floor where he played with Sharpay's stuffed animal collection.
Figuring out Alex's paternity had quickly become a fascination for Chad. After eliminating everyone who was not the right ethnicity or knew for a fact still had their V club membership in the spring of 2006, Chad had 10 possible suspects. Chad was a genius; he would figure this out.
"It's so real, it's still there."
"Lots of practice," Sharpay said, blushing. Hopefully, Kim was too distracted to see that. Chad may have given Sharpay that Hickey the old-fashioned way. But it was for a good cause.
"I'm sure you enjoyed that practice. You may enjoy it more if you can convince Chad to break up with the girlfriend."
"That's a Chad decision, and I am not talking about it. Just focus on my hair for the moment." Sharpay told him.
"Once again, thank you for doing this tonight. If I knew you hated school dances so much now, I would have said yes when Ms. Darbus asked me. I mean, you love school dances before I left. It was another chance for you to show off your latest purchases from New York and your fabulous dance moves."
"It's okay. You need to spend as much time with Alex as you can. You were unaware things changed regarding school dances. That tends to happen after you wake up post-sexual assault after the last one you went to."
"Zeke didn't do the same thing at prom?" Kim asked, concerned.
"I couldn't even make it to the limo for prom. I threw up in the driveway. Of course, my loving boyfriend decided to go onto the dance with Kelsi, Ryan's girlfriend. At least Ryan had the decency to stay with me until I made him go later." Sharpay explained.
"That's what good brothers do."
"Now I wished I did go to the dance because I would've known about Troy's girlfriend rescue mission to Stanford. I had to perform with a 15-year old whose voice probably changed the week before the performance. Puberty hit that kid hard this year."Sharpay complained.
Apparently, Chad was too busy sulking over Troy not being there to realize that Sharpay never made it. Now that he thought of it, she was the only senior class member that was surprised that Troy was not there for the first part of the show. Chad feels terrible now for not telling her.
Although at the time, he did hate her, or at least he thought so back then. Now he doesn't know what he felt wasn't actually hatred but possibly lust. Everything was so much simpler in high school.
"Troy drove 1000 miles for his girlfriend?" Kim asked, surprised.
"Yes, and I have no idea why. Maybe the sex was just that good?" Sharpay speculated.
He was about to tell Sharpay that Troy was still a proud member of the V club and had not touched Gabriella in that way even though she kept sending him dirty cell phone pictures. Unfortunately, Kim beat him to it.
"He told me he never slept with the FMG." Chad had a feeling by the way Kim said the term, that the F in FMG stood for Fuck.
"The only person Troy ever slept with was…" Kim was stopped abruptly by Sharpay, pulling him into the room and fussing at him for causing them to be late. It was already too late; Kim revealed all too much with her words and body language. All of a sudden, the one person Chad automatically assumed could never be Alex's father went to the top of the list.
It made sense. Chad knew Troy had a crush on Kim all sophomore year. Troy was also a mopey mess that summer but wouldn't tell Chad why. This led to Jamie, but Chad doesn't want to think about that right now.
Before Chad had time to think about the fact that his best friend lied to him about something so important, all rational thought left his mind when he saw Sharpay. She was breathtaking. The fabric of her black dress clung to her body perfectly. Although she was probably showing too much cleavage for a high school dance chaperone, he really didn't care at that moment. He kissed her on the cheek as he usually did now. He tried not to think about the fact that he never kissed Gabriella or Kelsi on the cheek like that. Then again, he liked Sharpay a lot more than he liked Gabriella.
"Now have Sharpay back by 11. I expect pictures. Actually, Ryan and Troy do as well. Also, be safe kids." Kim said as she tossed a pack of condoms to Sharpay. "You know, in case you decide to actually do what you pretended to do before film class yesterday. I don't want you to give Alex a playmate until he is at least six."
"You are a horrible friend," Sharpay remarked as she placed the condoms in her purse anyway.
Chad definitely wasn't going to think about that. The pants Sharpay chose would show way too much if he did. He's just going to focus on Troy's betrayal to avoid being embarrassed. At least it was good for something.
XXXXX
"Oh my god, it looks like Barbie threw up in here," Sharpay said as they stepped inside the pink covered gymnasium.
She was just glad to be out of the car after the uncomfortable condoms incident. This was probably Kim's revenge for accidentally telling Troy about Alex. Thankfully, they were able to convince Troy that Alex was just her brother. The ride would not have been so bad if Chad didn't keep making dirty jokes the entire time. Sharpay definitely isn't going to think about the fact the condoms were still in her purse. It always pays to be prepared.
"I thought you like pink," Chad commented as they began to make their way to the chaperone's table.
"Even I have my limits." Mostly because of Darby. Although Sharpay was going to hate anything done by Terah on principal.
"I thought they usually do school colors for the welcome back dance?" Chad asked, confused.
"Normally, yes. However, the British ice queen bitch, was the head of the dance committee. She hasn't been here long enough to understand the traditions of this school. Not only is she trying to take over my drama department, but she's also running for student body president." Sharpay crossed her arms in annoyance.
"You really have to let go. Holding onto the past is just not healthy." Chad patted her shoulder. "On the bright side, this was a step up from the prom. Their execution of the under the sea theme was lacking."
"How bad were the prom decorations?" Sharpay asked as she walked over to the refreshment table to grab a water. It felt strange being here as a chaperone when a few months ago she was a student here.
"Bad, I have no idea there was that much crepe paper in Albuquerque. It was like the worst shade of turquoise ever." Chad said as Ms. Darbus walked up to the two.
"I thought you graduated last year, Mr. Danforth, even though you won't turn 18 until January?" What? Sharpay did not know that.
"You're 17. How can you be 17? We had had every class together since kindergarten. Except for that year when my family lived in Newport, Rhode Island. I turn 19 in December."
Then she remembered that Chad was on the small side until a remarkable growth spurred during junior year. She just assumed he had a babyface. Not that he was an entire year younger than everybody else was. That was not in his Lava Springs file. How could she be falling for a person a year younger than her?
Not that she was actually falling for Chad Danforth. She preferred older guys or guys that were the same age as her. He was a year younger than her. She's going to just ignore the voice in her head that sounds like Ryan laughing at her right now. Conscious Ryan is an idiot.
"I skip preschool," Chad said nonchalantly. "Can we please talk about that later?" Chad said as he noticed a few students putting the final touches on the decorations. Apparently, Chad was still afraid of the Wildcat population finding out that he made Gabriella look like an average student. It was annoying.
"You're a year ahead of me," Sharpay said indignantly.
"With all my AP classes and other college credit, technically, I am a sophomore. Remember, Lisa mentioned it after our experience with the hell RA." Okay, maybe she was staring a little too much at Chad's ass at the time to pay attention. Oops.
"Sharpay didn't want to do this by herself, so she volunteer/drafted me to help out," Chad explained to Ms. Darbus.
"Very well, Mr. Danforth, it is nice to have a little extra help. Since you and Ms. Evans still look young enough to be students here, you will be in charge of monitoring the refreshment table."
"Basically, we have to keep Joshua Steiner from dumping Jack Daniels in the punch again?" Chad asked.
"Essentially yes," Ms. Darbus said with a sigh. "It's nice to see you walking around without a basketball in your hands."
"Chad is a method actor Ms. Darbus. He couldn't play the role of the stupid high school jock without a prop. But Mr. Closet Case over here apparently fooled us all."
"This will be a very long night," Chad said as she walked away from him. She couldn't help but wonder what else he's been keeping with her.
XXXX
45 minutes after running away from Chad, Sharpay was regretting it. She knew she was channeling her high school self, but she could not help it. This place always brought out the worst in her.
She talked to a couple of her old so-called friends who were now seniors and juniors. Most of them now considered Tierra to be their leader. After speaking to the girls for 5 minutes, Sharpay wondered how she could have ever been like them. That explains why Sharpay hasn't bothered to email or text a single one of them outside of Anita. Anita was the only one who thought for herself.
The rest were mindless sheep. The others only cared about having the hottest boyfriend, the best wardrobe, and being popular/famous. High school Sharpay was like that. College Sharpay didn't give a fuck. Technically she still cared about her wardrobe. Now it was more of a "does this outfit make me look professional" way. Not in a "does this outfit make Chad think I'm hot" way the young and the shallow did.
This is why she wanted Chad with her in the first place. She didn't belong at East high; she never really did. At least she had Ryan before as her buffer. She should probably apologize to Chad for running off. (She has at least 3 text messages from Ryan telling her to do just that.) She was just too proud to do it.
She was so mad at him for lying to her for so many years. Not just the fact he spent so much time hiding his intelligence but the fact that he wasn't that straight. Ryan definitely could benefit from an ally on the basketball team last year. Except that didn't happen, and now he's with Kelsi (that's just going to end in tears.) Why was Chad so afraid of people seeing the real him?
Then she thought about how few people actually knew the real her. She could count on her hand how many people knew who Sharpay Evans really was.
After 10 additional minutes of prowling the dance floor looking for teenagers acting stupid, she went back to the chaperone's table. She kept seeing the various groups keep to themselves. This seems strange because the system of social apartheid was destroyed when she was a junior. The whole situation was making her uncomfortable because she kept seeing the ghost of her 10th-grade self everywhere.
Currently, Ms. Ortega, her 12th-grade honors English teacher, was the only one sitting at the table. She remembered having this class with Chad last school year. He was supposed to take AP 12, but Taylor found out he was in the class. She assumed it was an error, and Chad was too stubborn to correct her assumption. She forced him to give her his spot.
"I thought you graduated last year?" The teacher asked puzzled.
"I did. I am back as a chaperone for the dance. I'm participating in A of U's assist other schools program." Sharpay explained. She's already repeated that about six times.
"That's good. So how are your classes going?" Sharpay spent the next 5 minutes talking to Miss Ortega about her classes this semester. She found Sharpay's current English class fascinating and was happy that Sharpay was doing something different. Honestly, Sharpay was too. She's been enjoying the graphic novels. Even going so far as to order a few other books that her professor recommended.
Sharpay did find it strange that the only people she could talk to were the faculty. Her former high school friends kept expecting her to be some brain dead sorority girl or some drama queen. She was never that person, and she didn't have the energy to pretend anymore. Maybe she was a better actress than she thought.
XXXX
After 50 minutes of people only asking him about the basketball team, Chad regretted pissing Sharpay off earlier. Especially after Ryan refused to send him any more text messages until he swallowed his pride and talk to Sharpay. He said something along the lines of them both being stubborn idiots, and they needed to get their shit together without involving him. Apparently, somebody was grumpy because their girlfriend made other plans with her roommate without him.
He is seriously considering taking Theater 115 next semester as his art credit. Apparently, he was a better performer than he thought if most people still only saw him as the stupid (straight) jock.
Chad tried to talk to a few of his former teammates about his English class this semester. The concept that someone can be both good and evil, depending on one's perspective, went over most of their heads. Most of his former friends believe he was only taking the class because most of the reading material was comic books. Obviously, these people have never read Truth: Red, White, and Black. Chad loved that book. Anyone on the team that could comprehend the concepts of the class kept their mouths shut. They were too afraid of the new Captain Ricky.
Chad hated Ricardo "Ricky" Ward. Ricky was the most arrogant player on the team last year. He thought he was better than everyone else because he was the only junior that was a starter. Ricky was nasty to everyone and made fun of anyone who could actually think for himself. Also, he's 99% sure he was the one who painted the homophobic F word on Ryan's locker last year. His worst character trait was the fact he never shut up about who he was sleeping with. As if been a slut made you a better man. Just being in the same room as the misogynistic bastard made his skin crawl.
Chad did have a little fun when he scared Jimmie away from Sharpay. Even though Jimmie was taller than him, he was still easily intimidated. (Probably because Ricky was spray painting that F word on Jimmie's locker this year.) Chad told him that if he touched his girlfriend again, Chad would email Troy a copy of that "letter" that Jimmie wrote Troy last year. The poor child didn't know that Troy already knew and was flattered but not interested. Chad didn't mean to refer to Sharpay as his girlfriend; it just slipped out. It felt natural.
Chad spent a good portion of the evening trying not to think about the fact that his best friend lie to him for the last few years and is most likely Kim's baby daddy. He had no real way of knowing right now. It wasn't as if Chad was going to call best friend and ask if ever actually did something about his Kim crush 2 ½ years ago. He definitely wasn't going to send it in a text message. There are some conversations you cannot have that way.
All the evidence pointed in that direction, though. Troy was in love with Kim all of their sophomore year, and he was also an absolute mess that summer after she left. Chad may have been dealing with his Jamie sexual awakening that summer, but he knew Troy wasn't okay. Also, Kim specifically told the two of them not to tell Troy that Alex was her son. There had to be a reason for that. The whole line of thought was too much for him. He was seriously considering draining the contents of the bottle of rum he just confiscated from one of the juniors minutes earlier.
"Hand it over," Chad heard a voice call from the side.
"Hi, Coach Bolton. Don't you usually avoid these things?" Chad asked as he handed the bottle over to the coach.
For a moment, Chad wondered if Coach Bolton had any idea about his possible status as a grandfather. Troy had a pretty healthy relationship with his father, better than Chad had with his, but there are some things you don't tell your parents. His mom did not know about basketball camp 2006 or the ill-advised baseball seduction incident.
"I did mostly for Troy's sake even though he never showed up. Now I have four years to make up for. Although, I wished I chaperone that spring dance two years ago." That last part was whispered under his breath.
"So do I," Chad mumbled, wondering if his presence would have kept Richard from drugging Sharpay.
"So how are classes this semester? Are you taking anything interesting? Carolyn said you were trying to get most of your other basics done this semester." Chad isn't surprised at all Jack is talking to his mom. They were as close as him and Troy.
"Classes are good, and I've made a few new friends." Like Kim and Amanda. "Everything else I kind of hate, especially the roommates I keep getting. Also, I just like to thank you for not asking me about the basketball team."
"Are things going that bad?"
"In addition to my roommate enjoying naked studying, Coach Roberts practices make yours look like kindergarten gym class. I am also one of only two freshmen on the team, and the only person I don't hate on the team is Zach." Who looks so much like me I'm wondering if we might be cousins or something. "I like my classes a lot more than sports right now. It's nice to actually be myself for once." Chad explained.
"Sounds about what Troy said about Berkeley. Apparently, I am nowhere near as bad as his new basketball coach. All of his new friends are from the drama department. The only person he doesn't hate on the team is another guy named Chad." Chad made so many jokes when Troy told him that last week. "I've been hearing a lot of good things about someone named Madison, who is apparently that Chad's girlfriend."
"Right now, my new friends are Sharpay's roommate Amanda and Kimberly Kim. You remember her, right?" Because she might be the mother of your grandchild.
"I wouldn't be able to forget her if I tried." And that's another point for Alex being Troy's kid.
"In a way, I'm lucky having Sharpay with me, even if she's not speaking to me at the moment. I'm not sure how much Troy told you about the Gabby situation."
"That she hardly ever calls him unless she wants something. The first message he has received from her in the last five days is a picture of her flashing the camera at a party last night. Except for that one thing a few years ago, my son pretty much tells me everything." Chad wondered if that one thing was Kim. "I even know about you and Sharpay, or rather I saw the video." Shit!
"Which one exactly?" Chad asked, annoyed that his friend decided to forward the video. Especially to somebody who was friends with Chad's mom. He definitely did not want Carolyn to see that video.
Chad knew better than to give anything remotely embarrassing to Troy digitally. He has this annoying habit of sharing the clip with other people. For example, every time Gabby sends topless pictures to Troy, he usually sent the clip to Chad with a caption like, "Why am I dating her again?" Actually, he also sent it to Sharpay last night. They were bonding.
"The one involving the water fountain."
"Oh god," Chad said in pure embarrassment. Sharpay showed him that clip two days ago. If you did not know that they were pretending, you would think that they were 20 seconds from ripping each other's clothes off. "I sent it to your mom. She thought it was cute. Although
Carolyn thinks that you should break up with Taylor now. It would be worse if she found out accidentally."
"Is there any chance I could get that back?" Chad asked, gesturing to the bottle. He really needs a drink right now. The next phone call with his mom is going to be unbearable.
"Not a chance."
XXXXX
Now that Sharpay was exchanging snide jokes with many of her former teachers, she started enjoying herself. She was even beginning to forget why she didn't want to be here. Bonus, Jimmie was doing his best to avoid her, which was a plus. She was positive that Chad said something to him, which was fine with her. She didn't have the energy to let him down gently.
Because of that, Sharpay was ready to apologize for her diva behavior earlier in the evening. However, she changed her mind when she saw Chad surrounded by the cheerleader contingent. Sharpay had too much self-respect to go anywhere near Chad when being hit on by the young and the shallow. Seeing other girls flirt with him made her angry, and she didn't understand why. It wasn't as if he was really her boyfriend. He was just a friend that she occasionally made out with who had a girlfriend in another state. Before she knew it, she was running to the restroom to have a good scream or cry. Chad had her so confused right now she didn't know what she was doing half the time.
Sharpay was about to walk through the door when she heard sophomore Kerri Jackson AKA the smart cheerleader complain about her boyfriend, new basketball captain Ricardo Ward.
Apparently, Ricky was the new Troy Bolton. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near as good of a person, if the bruises on Kerri's arm were any indication. At the sound of the girls talking, Sharpay decided to stay back and listen to their conversation. Not only was eavesdropping Sharpay's favorite activity but as a chaperone, it was her duty to make sure the kids were safe.
"He said he was sorry and he won't do it again," Kerri said to her friend.
"I think that's number six on the "are you being abused" checklist. This time Ricky only bruised your arm. What if he breaks it next time? You need to leave him." From the voice, she could tell it was Kelsi's younger sister Jackie Nielsen trying to talk some sense into her friend. Unlike her sister, Jackie preferred to be on stage. She was outspoken and refused to take shit from those around her. The freshman was the polar opposite of Kelsi. Sharpay love having Jackie as one of her pupils the semester. The fact that they both feel like Kelsi is overrated is a bonus.
"It doesn't matter because it was an onetime thing. Ricky was just upset. Suddenly becoming the basketball captain has put a lot of stress on him. It won't happen again." Kerri said in defense of her boyfriend. Sharpay barely remembered the now sophomore, but she knew the argument was flimsy at best.
"That's number seven on the list, and you know it's just an excuse. Ricky was upset because you wouldn't sleep with him. He practically tried to rape you, and yet you're here trying to defend him." At the mention of the R-word, Sharpay began to shake a bit.
Sharpay thought that her recent revenge would help her get over what Richard did to her, but the nightmare still came. Last night's dream was the worst one yet. Richard didn't just hurt her; he also assaulted Chad. She was so scared by the vision that she texted Chad at 2:20 AM just to see if he was okay. He eventually came over and spent the rest the night with her in her bed. Because it was late, they didn't want to inflate the air mattress because it would wake Amanda up, and she had a 6 AM breakfast shift.
"But, he didn't hurt me, Jackie," Kerri said in pure denial.
"What do you call that bruise on your arm? You got that because you ran away from him. What if you can't run away next time?"
"You don't have to worry about that."
"You're my best friend, of course, I'm going to worry about you. I don't want to see you get hurt." Jackie argued.
"You are just jealous that I have a boyfriend and you don't. Maybe Ricky was right; it's best if I stick to my own kind."
"What does that mean? Just because I don't jump up and down with pompoms doesn't mean I don't care about you. Besides, you are so much better than those wannabes. I don't have a boyfriend because I don't want one. I'm 14. I definitely don't want one that hits me when I won't put out." Jackie argued.
"Whatever," Kerri said, running out of the bathroom. Sharpay stepped inside moments later.
"Are you okay, Jackie?" Sharpay asked the student.
"You heard most of that, didn't you?" Jackie asked as she wiped a single tear from her eyes.
"Of course, I did. I am sure your sister told you I love listening to other people's conversations. Information is power. Besides, I'm a chaperone at this event, and I need to know if I need to look out for something like stupid boyfriends putting GHB in their girlfriend's drink."
"I hate her boyfriend, Ricky. He's trying to change her into being another bimbo Barbie. She even started straightening her hair for him. She always wore her hair natural before."
"Barbie has a Ph.D. Don't disrespect Barbie that way." Sharpay quipped.
"I don't trust him at all. Kerri is buying into this popularity hierarchy propaganda. It's all bull shit." Jackie remarked.
"I distinctly remember the popularity hierarchy being overthrown by an overly perky brunette and the basketball team captain. I have video of the entire school singing We're All in This Together at a basketball game to prove it."
"Sometimes, change is short-lived. The British diva and her partner in crime are undoing all of your good work. She and Ricky are doing their best to reinstitute the system. By the way things are going, the status quo should be back in full force by October." Sharpay didn't bother telling her that she was one of those trying to keep the status quo in place. Two years of personal growth can change your perspective on a lot of things. That personal growth made Sharpay realized this was not a good thing at all. She graduates, and everything goes to hell.
To be continued
A/N: I actually knew people who were closeted geniuses in high school. One was actually a member of the basketball team. She concealed her intelligence by acting stupid in front of her friends. Another classmate covered up his intelligence by hitting on every girl on campus. Apparently, players can't be geniuses. Those of you reading this that are still in high school, be proud of who you are.
*I just like to say that most of the cheerleaders I knew in high school, and college were hardcore athletes. This might have something to do with the fact that my high school won the state cheerleading championships several times. The cheerleaders depicted in the HSM films were shallow and one-dimensional with little exception. I am playing with that right now because it fits the chapter. Do not worry; the college cheerleaders in this story will be hardcore athletes.