Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed the last chapter. You are absolutely fabulous. We keep moving forward to the end of the semester.
This chapter contains some new material but not as much as recently. The original version of this chapter was a breather chapter before the grand finale for part one. However, things are a bit different this time around. For starters, there is too much drama going on for a breather episode. Instead of ending with finals week as the original part one of the series, I also decided to finish up with a brand-new Christmas/Hanukkah/winter vacation spectacular section.
After long consideration, I decided that it would be ill-advised to try to finish everything in time to get this up before Christmas. Unfortunately, I'm now going into work more and have less time to work on the rewrites. Because of this, I'm returning to updates every two weeks for this story.
This chapter will have multiple fantasy sequences that are italicized.
The concept for this chapter and the next were inspired by an episode of Daria called Write When it Hurts. I've been informed the episodes are now on Paramount plus. I'm sad it's not on Hulu anymore.
Warning: Allusions to sexual situations and discussions of past child abuse and sexual assault. Also, allusions to potential domestic violence.
Chapter 58: Don't Ask Me What My Fantasy Is
December 4, 2008, 11:02 AM
Boyfriend's sister: Nikki told me that Penelope and the asshole got in a fight last night. She called off their date because she's accompanying you to get a DNA test, and he made some nasty accusations that make no sense. Especially because they are nonexclusive, but in his mind, that's a one-way thing only. Allegedly, he accused her of being a whore, and she just left him there. After telling him to go fuck himself. Good for her.
Zack: If only she would actually leave him for good and not go back to him when he sends her flowers tonight. He will send her flowers because he always does, and she always goes back. She doesn't listen to me when I tell her he's creepy as fuck and she needs to leave.
Boyfriend's sister: He sent me flowers after the spring dance incident sophomore year. Unfortunately, he's doing the same thing with Penelope. I don't like Penelope, but I wouldn't wish Malick on my worst enemy, and she is definitely not my worst enemy.
Zack: I know he did something so bad that Ryan wants to stab him in the throat, but he won't give me details.
Boyfriend's sister: It's not something I'm ready to talk to you about yet. I want to. I just told you I don't want Malick anywhere near your friend, but I'm just not ready to tell you why yet. It hurts too much. I'm sorry.
Zack: Shit. You did an interview yesterday with Maria Montez about your mom beating the fuck out of you. Yet, you're not able to talk about Malick. Fuck. I can only think of a few things that bad. Either it was physical abuse, sexual abuse, or some combination of the two.
Boyfriend's sister: I wasn't able to talk about Darby for a long time. I'm still shocked I did the interview. But I am tired of her setting the narrative. I'm taking control of my own life even though I'm still being followed by reporters right now.
Zack: I'm proud of you for taking control. If you need more time before you're able to talk about what Malick did to you, I understand. I respect that. Honestly, whatever you tell me when you're ready wouldn't surprise me. I'm surprised you didn't hear the screaming from your dorm room. Still, Penelope doesn't want to leave.
Boyfriend's sister: Shit! You can't make someone leave when they're not ready. I wasn't ready to leave Darby. Not until Chad. Even Kim couldn't convince me to tell people the truth.
Zack: I just really don't wanna worry about anything else right now. Not with tonight. I already feel like I want to throw up.
Boyfriend's sister: Chad may not have been paying attention. However, I remember Jack finishing an entire Mamosa when his soon-to-be former brother-in-law mentioned your mom dating Chad's dad. Remember I met her at a game a couple weeks ago? She looks like she could be another want to Chad's aunts.
Zack: You're right.
Boyfriend's sister: Charles has a type that goes beyond being prepubescent. So unlike the asshole, I think I know why you're getting a DNA test. So do I need to add another brother to the bridal party?
Zack: That's what I'm trying to find out. The test is at 4 PM today. Then Penelope is planning to take me to several bars to get really, really drunk.
Boyfriend's sister: Good plan.
Zack: Especially because it keeps her the hell away from Malick.
Boyfriend's sister: Which is always a good thing.
Boyfriend's sister: Do you need additional moral support?
Zack: Probably, but you have a class tonight.
Boyfriend's sister: I would miss it for you.
Zack: That is sweet. This is probably the one lab of the semester you have to go to, if I remember correctly, from freshman year. Also, I don't want you to stab Penelope with one of your stilettos. I appreciate what you did to Zeke after the shit he pulled in high school. He shouldn't have cheated on Penelope with you. He deserves your wrath. Especially when he acted like a Dick because you moved on to better people.
Zack: I know that you didn't know. So I'm not mad at you, but I really want to kick Zeke in the dick. I just think there's a lot of animosity between you and Penelope. I'm surprised that you two can handle being on the same floor together.
Boyfriend's sister: I think it was the other way around, but you're Penelope's friend, so you're going to see it that way. Honestly, I'm surprised there hasn't been a fight in the bathroom yet.
Zack: Zeke started dating Penelope when they were sophomores. Since I know you were dating Malick, the asshole at that time, obviously Penelope was first.
Boyfriend's sister: Motherfucker!
Boyfriend's sister: I would send Zeke some very angry text messages right now. But I think the restraining order means I can't contact him either. Also, I have to see my drama advisor in like six minutes. Therefore, I don't have the mental energy or time to ask you if there were any breaks during that time.
Zack: He was a dick, so there were breaks in there, but I don't remember when. However, I'll kick him in the balls twice for the both of you the next time I see him.
Boyfriend's sister: Thank you. Let me know how tonight goes.
Zack: I will. I hate asking you this but will you not say anything to Chad until I get the results back.
Boyfriend's sister: I will. Mostly because he is still trying to process the Tiffany situation. Tiffany will be back in Albuquerque this weekend because she already had finals week. It's best that she's back in Albuquerque after what Charles did to her house. I didn't show chad pictures of the broken windows. Chad did not need to see that.
Zack: This is why I only want to know if I'm related to chad, not Charles because fuck him.
Boyfriend's sister: Agree. Figuratively not literally. Honestly, I think Chad has put the pieces together and may know that you might be his half-brother. However, he's not able to process it right now. You know it took him an entire year to acknowledge that he wasn't straight even after Jamie.
Zack: I am aware. Apparently, he needed Ryan to make out with him in a locker room.
Boyfriend's sister: I know. I love the man, but sometimes he literally needs a slap upside the head.
Zack: I'm not saying you're wrong.
Boyfriend's sister: But you have to tell him as soon as you get the results back. I don't like keeping things from my boyfriend. Neither does Ryan. So don't put him in that position. Chad is still his best friend.
Zack: I will.
XXXX
Sharpay placed her phone in her purse as she arrived outside the door of her drama advisor. This morning it took her 15 minutes to lose the media following her around. You would think after yesterday's interview they would stop following her around, but word got out yesterday that Kim paid Lucy's bail. So Kim decided the best way to hurt Lucy was to be nice to her.
Sharpay really didn't want to be meeting with her advisor right now. She was supposed to meet with her drama department faculty advisor before scheduling for the spring semester but could not do so due to schedule conflicts. However, her advisor still insisted that she come see her anyway. This was the only possible time which is why Sharpay isn't going to be able to eat lunch until after chemistry, and she might still end up late for the class.
Sharpay had no idea what good it would do at this point. She had other things to worry about, like the fact that her brother's new boyfriend might be her fiancé's half-brother. She was able to meet with her business school faculty advisor a few weeks before she scheduled classes. Because of her double major, she wouldn't be graduating until spring 2013 unless she took summer sessions. In contrast, Chad could graduate as early as fall 2011, even with his minor.
That might've been why over Thanksgiving break, she was already questioning her major choices. She doesn't want Chad to be stuck waiting around Albuquerque until she graduates. Albuquerque wasn't exactly known for computer programming jobs. At least not what Chad wants. They were not even married yet, and they were already experiencing the two bodies' problem.
Sharpay was broken out of her thoughts by her advisor opening the door to her office. Sarah Long was a former stage actress who specialized in classical Greek tragedy. Her office was decorated with posters from some of her previous shows. Sharpay thought it was over the top. Her high school self would have done something similar.
"Hello, Sharpay. Have a seat. I wish we could have met a couple of weeks ago before you registered for spring classes. But, I guess that's what pink slips are for." Sarah said as Sharpay quickly made her way to the plush velvet couch.
"That's okay. Thank you for seeing me, but I don't think it's necessary. I have already met with my other faculty adviser Professor Harris and have my classes together for next semester. He thinks I'm crazy for double majoring in acting and business." Which fed into Sharpay's doubts about staying a performance major. Darby was the one who wanted her on stage. But Sharpay did really want that herself?
"I think it's brilliant if that's what you want to do. I know personally many actors have been taken advantage of by their management or squandered everything away." Sarah said as she took a sip of her tea.
"What do you mean by 'if that is what I really want to do?" Sharpay found that phrasing unusual for some reason.
"Let me ask you this Sharpay, why are you a business major?" It wasn't like Sharpay was never asked that question before.
"I don't want to be an E true Hollywood story," Sharpay said with a tiny laugh that was obviously forced. Everyone believed that explanation except Chad.
"Good stage answer. Now give me your real answer." This woman was as good as Chad when it came to catching her in a lie. "Keep in mind I watched your interview last night." Wonderful, someone that already thinks that they know her. This is going to be a long 30 minutes.
"Somebody has to carry on the Evans corporate legacy. My brother cannot balance a checkbook half the time. He is a dancer, not a real estate developer. My friend Kim has the same problem. However, she will hire good advisers and appoint a great Board of Directors instead of running the company herself." Sharpay doubted that she had the same freedom as Kim even with Darby long gone.
"Good, you are being honest. That's the first step in figuring out who you want to be. Now here's the harder question, why do you want to be an actress? " No one ever asked Sharpay that question before. "Again, keep in mind I saw your interview last night."
"Not everything was in the interview," Sharpay remarked.
"I'm sure the things I don't know are probably worse," Sarah said sadly.
"I've been performing since I was barely older than my friend's toddler. In Fifth grade, I wrote my first Oscar acceptance speech for a creative writing assignment. I'm supposed to be on Broadway someday." Sharpay said, giving the answer that everyone expected from her. Even she knows it's a lie now.
"That's not an answer, Sharpay. At least it's not your real answer." Sharpay couldn't help but glare. "Why do you want to be an actor now? Especially when you no longer have somebody forcing you to stay on this path." Sharpay sat there silently for a few moments. Now that she was free from Darby, did she still want to be an actress? She thought back to last spring during the senior year play fiasco. She was miserable. But she carried on because it was expected of her.
Last year she wanted to be an actor for fame and fortune because it would mean freedom from Darby. If she finally made it, then maybe Darby would stop abusing/manipulating her. Or, more likely, she couldn't harm her anymore because it's hard to use somebody in the spotlight. Sharpay knew better than that now. She wasn't that naïve anymore. So why did she want to act now? She didn't have an answer anymore.
"I don't know. I used to want to be famous." Darby couldn't hurt her anymore if she was on every billboard.
"What do you want now? What's your fantasy?" Sharpay groaned the moment she heard the phrase.
"Please don't say that phrase in my presence ever again."
"I forgot about the unfortunate YouTube incident. I am sorry to bring it up. What I meant was, what do you want now?" Sarah said in apology with a slight blush.
Did everybody see that tape? The scary thing is that almost-sex tape is preferable to the sequel where everybody finds out about her mother's abuse. Also, Gabriella posted the video as revenge for allegedly stealing her boyfriend under the influence of Mercedes and no Prozac. Sharpay can respect that a lot more than petty family jealousy.
"The YouTube thing is why I don't want to be famous anymore. Two viral videos in two months are all I can take. I don't really enjoy people running up to talk to me at the store. If I don't want to be famous, then why do I want to be onstage? I never really had a choice before. I know you saw the interview last night. Did you also see the interview with my old acting coach? She noticed that I ended up with bruises anytime I miss too many lines during rehearsal. However, she never said anything to anybody about it, even my dad's private investigators. Maybe if your seven-year-old client ends up covered in bruises all the time, you should report it to child welfare services." Sharpay noticed the sad look on professor Long's face. She's been seeing that look a lot lately.
"It was an unfortunate situation that you survived. But you did survive it. Now that you actually have a choice about who you want to be maybe it's time to reevaluate your choice of major now that you can really choose without that woman's influence. Do you really want to be on the stage 25 years from now?" Sarah asked in a calm voice.
"Not really, not like I used to. The fact that I will not graduate until 2013 at the earliest makes me wonder if this is a good idea. I do not want to graduate a year and a half after my fiancé."
"That is completely understandable. Congratulations on the engagement."
"Thank you. We are not actually planning to get married until after graduation, which is why I don't want it to happen in 2013."
"That is completely understandable."
"On the other hand, I'm having a lot of fun working with the students at EHS this semester. Next semester, I will be working with the Drama II class. We are already brainstorming ideas for the spring play." Sharpay said with a genuine smile.
"You did a wonderful job with the fall play." Sarah's praise shocked her.
"You saw the play?" Sharpay asked in surprise.
"My daughter was cheerleader number four. I had to see her performance debut. My favorite part was the principal being carried away in a stretcher after that surprise ending." Sarah said as she grabbed a binder off her desk. "He is an ass, and he deserved it."
"Renee, is your daughter? She did a really good job when Tierra tried to screw up her lines." Renee was in the other drama I class with Chad's cousin Carmen. They were friends.
"She told me what a brilliant director you were. I also know that you did the majority of the writing on that project. That was probably one of the best-written plays I have seen in a while." Sarah praise.
"I cannot take credit for the ending. That was all Jason. That's what most people remembered about the play." That has also made it to YouTube recently, and Sharpay is sure she's going to get her third viral video soon.
"I assume that was your fiancé that you were kissing up there. That was not a stage kiss." Normally Sharpay would take that as a compliment; today, it just pissed her off a little bit.
"You assume I don't have the acting chops to pull something like that off if it were not real?" Sharpay said defensively.
"I assumed it was real because your boyfriend had his hand on your ass the entire time. If you want to be an actor, you'll make a fine actor someday. I saw your performance this summer at the Albuquerque community theater. You were good. I'm just not sure that's what you want to be. I believe that you will be accepting an Oscar someday. I just think it's going to be for best original screenplay." Sarah passed a binder to Sharpay containing information about the dramatic writing program at A of U.
XXXX
Sharpay Evans-Danforth sat in the Kodak Theatre with her husband of five years, waiting to find out if she finally achieved her childhood fantasy.
"Why do they have to put the screenplay awards towards the end of the show this year?" Sharpay whispered to her husband during the commercial break right before her category. "They could've at least given us snacks like the Golden Globes."
"I have no idea, baby. Just think of it this way, if you were nominated for best actress, we would have to wait another 35 minutes. It's supposed to be an honor just to be nominated." Her husband said to her as he placed a hand over her protruding abdomen.
"Tell that to Troy, who just lost best supporting actor to Will Smith's son. I am here to win. Can you please stop playing with my stomach? Everybody's going to know if you keep doing that." She was referring to the fact that she was four months pregnant with their first child. She found out that she was pregnant from her best friend/Gynecologist Amanda the same day the nominations were announced.
"You're in the second trimester now. I think it would be okay if people found out." Chad said as he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"I'm just waiting for the perfect moment to tell everybody." So in their own conversation, they missed Troy and his co-star from his upcoming film approached the podium.
"I'm pleased to be up here to announce the nominees for best original screenplay. This year's nominees have truly elevated the art of writing in film." Troy said as the traditional award show banter began. Sharpay knew for a fact that Troy asked to do this award just in case she won.
"The nominees for best original screenplay are Sharpay Evans-Danforth for Fear and Loathing in New Mexico; Nicolas Last for Death of the American Dream: Jose Flores for The Forgotten; and Natasha West-Cook for Good Bye Love. The winner is Sharpay Evans-Danforth for Fear and Loathing in New Mexico." First, Sharpay's mouth went wide open as Troy called out her name. Then she felt her husband's mouth descend upon her in a searing kiss that was too hot for an Oscar telecast.
She could have sworn she heard Troy say, "You should probably cut to a commercial. This could take a while." Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Chad let her go, and she made her way to the stage. Troy gently kissed her on the cheek before handing her the award. "I always knew you would win," Troy whispered to her so the microphone would not pick it up.
"I think I took most of my speech time with that kiss." Everyone in the audience laughed at that. "I've been working on this speech since the fifth grade. Troy may have heard an earlier version and one of our English classes together back in junior high." Again, the audience laughed as she pulled out her index cards. "I like to thank all my friends, Troy included. You have been with me through everything, and I love you all. I also want to thank my agent, along with my entire management team. You always keep pushing me towards greatness." Her manager smiled at her from her seat.
"I want to thank the producers, the studio, and Director for believing in my vision. I also want to thank the brilliant cast and everyone else involved in the production. You made my world come to life. I would also like to thank my brother, who was always there for me growing up. Finally, I just want to say I got an Oscar before you got a Tony. I win."
She could see Ryan sticking out his tongue at her from the audience. Zack was there with him. They got married last summer now that it was legal. Chad was the best man at his brother's wedding. Taylor was Ryan's best woman who lamented the fact that poly marriages were still not legal. Unfortunately, Taylor was in DC working. Otherwise, she would be there too.
"I also want to think the most important person in my life, my husband, who has been with me since kindergarten. Thank you for being my sounding board and for telling me when my ideas are crazy. Thank you for loving me despite the fact I'm a bitch 90% of the time. I love you. I also want to thank someone who is not here with us yet." At that point, the orchestra started playing. Honestly, she was surprised it didn't start earlier.
"Stop playing the music you will want to hear this. The day I found out I was nominated for this award, I also found out I was pregnant with our first child. So, Mr. Hilton, you can stop posting about my weight gain." Everyone started clapping. Troy was in shock behind her. They didn't tell anybody that she was pregnant yet, not even Ryan, Zack, Kim, or Troy.
"Only you would tell everyone you're pregnant during your Oscar acceptance speech. Most people just put out a press release. My wife is going to hurt you for not telling her first. " Troy said as he walked her backstage.
"I'm not most people. Kim will get over it. Chad was getting antsy about keeping it from everybody. This is the perfect opportunity. Darby probably had a heart attack when she saw this." Sharpay said as she stepped away from Troy into the waiting media.
Cxxx
"How bad was the meeting with your faculty adviser?" Chad asked his girlfriend the moment she left her chemistry class. They were going to go for a quick lunch before she left for East high. Although Sharpay was already eating her emergency Godiva chocolate bar.
"How do you know it went badly?" Sharpay asked, taking another bite.
"You broke into your emergency chocolate stash. You only eat that when you are depressed or on your period. Considering what we did this morning, I know it's not the latter." Chad said as he leaned down to kiss her.
"If you say that any louder, you won't get to venture down there any time soon," Sharpay said, swatting him away.
"Like that's going to happen. You love all the wicked things I can do with my tongue too much to actually follow through with that threat. I promise no more talk about what goes on in the bedroom until we get to the bedroom tonight. How did the meeting go?"
"My adviser feels that I shouldn't be an actor or a business person. Apparently, I don't have the talent for either." Sharpay said as she took another bite of her chocolate bar.
"Is that what really happened?" Chad asked her skeptically.
"She didn't say it like that. It was more as if she said that I really didn't have an interest in those two areas in only was doing it because that's what my parents expected of me." Being a good boyfriend, Chad knew better than to say her advisor was probably right about that.
Instead, he listened to Sharpay recounted what happened that morning as they walked to one of the sandwich shops near campus. This included the binder on information on the writing program and the suggestion for Sharpay to take a special creative writing class next semester.
"I know you may not want to hear this, but I think she's right," Chad said once they had their food and were walking back to Sharpay's car. Thankfully they were not being followed by the press.
"Why do you feel that way?" Sharpay said in a calm voice.
"I know you are majoring in business because you feel like you have to take over the family business someday. Do you like the real estate business?" He asked her in all seriousness.
"Not really. I will admit I don't want to be a corporate tycoon like my father. In contrast, I always wanted to be onstage." But, of course, he knew that was a lie.
"A couple of weeks ago, you told me that you considered not majoring in acting this summer. I also heard what you told my mom at Thanksgiving."
"Of course, you listened in on that conversation."
"Just in case I had to rescue you from the wrath of my mother. I'm well aware you were absolutely miserable last year during the senior production. You hated every minute of it." Chad told her poignantly.
"If Troy could actually remember the choreography instead of moping over Gabriella, I would not have been miserable. But thinking about it now, maybe he was actually moping over Kim." Sharpay said with a pout.
During ring shopping last weekend, Chad found out that Troy was miserable back then because he thought it was a repeat of the Kim situation. His mom kept making him see the similarities. She was the one who suggested that Troy drive to Stanford to talk things out with Gabriella. She filled out the application on Troy's behalf for Berkeley. It was the former Mrs. Kim who arranged for the Berkeley scouts to come to East High in the first place. Yes, the situation was that ridiculous.
"That's beside the point, Shar. I already know that Darby was the one who pushed you and Ryan to be in all those productions. I know you're a great actress. I will not argue that point. But Darby is not there to make you do things you don't want to do anymore. You don't have to be Darby's lapdog now. You don't have to be a certain person just to carry on the Evans name. So, Sharpay, what do you want to do? Yes, I know you dreamed of being a Broadway star; I also know that there are other things you love doing. You're free to do that now."
"Obviously, I won't be carrying the Evans name anymore because I will be carrying the Evans–Danforth name instead," Sharpay said sarcastically. Last weekend they decided that they would both change their last name to Evans-Danforth once they got married. Chad was so pissed off at his father that he was willing to take the name Evans. Evans-Danforth was the compromise for the sake of Aunt Claudia.
"All people who carry on the last name Evans–Danforth must be themselves. Find your own path without Darby's influence. Actually, you need to find your own path without the influence of anyone else, including your dad or me."
"You're a good influence on me, though," Sharpay said, giving him a gentle kiss.
"Then I'm going to use my good influence on you and convince you to take that writing class next semester. You loved writing the play this semester. You and Jason were already brainstorming ideas for next spring."
"I was trying to distract him from all his family drama."
" I should probably tell you that I found your boxes of short stories and poems in the room where Madison was staying over Thanksgiving."
"Of course, you read them."
"I needed a distraction from thinking about my mom and Jack fornicating in your guest house." Things were better with him and Jack right now, but there are some things you never want to think about regarding your parents. "It was enjoyable reading. I even found this one thing that looks suspiciously like an Oscar acceptance speech." He remembered her giving that speech in fifth grade. Everyone thought she was crazy. He personally thought it was brilliant.
"During chemistry class, I wrote a short story about me excepting the award for best original screenplay instead of taking notes." She admitted quietly.
"That just proves you're considering other options. You should take the class." Chad said as he placed an arm around her protectively.
"Because the special class is at the 300 level, the professor won't pink slip me in unless I write an audition piece. So I need to write a 1000 word short story by Monday."
"You could write that on your smartphone," Chad said, kissing her on the forehead.
"Yes, but the story must be about my future. Other than us getting married at some point, I'm not sure of anything else."
"This is you, Shar. I'm not worried. I have an away game this weekend. That means you have plenty of time to write."
Xxxxx
Shortly after Chad left her, Kim showed up. Sharpay wanted to ask her best friend why she decided to become an education major. Instead, they had an emergency teleconference with Madison about the Mercedes situation. She sent Troy another gift basket. Idiot. If Sharpay started mentally writing a story about the undoing of the Stanford darling, no one had to know. She wouldn't write it down anyway because this story had to be about the distant future and not their Christmas vengeance plans.
Sharpay finds it ridiculous that Mercedes still has not realized that Troy is completely unavailable. Even Sharpay backed off eventually. The Romeo and Juliet of New Mexico story has made the national news due to the international manhunt for Kim's mom for attempted murder, among other charges. So Mercedes really should realize she doesn't have a chance in hell, yet she keeps trying to contact Troy. Kim blames the cocaine. Madison blames rich kids syndrome. Sharpay thinks it's a blend of the two.
She will talk to Kim about it later. Besides, Kim doesn't need to know about her major existential crisis. Her best friend has enough to handle with the Lucy fiasco and multiple family members crashing at her house, including grandma Karen. Who is still preferable to Julie. That woman makes Kim want to punch the woman at least twice a day. Thankfully she's still at the hotel for now.
Instead, Sharpay thought this would be the perfect time to talk to Ms. Darbus about what her advisor suggested. Maybe she can convince Sharpay that the drama department is where she truly belongs. Therefore after class, she explained the entire situation to the woman over tea.
"I think you should take the writing class next semester. Writing has always been your strongest suit. It was just so unfortunate that your mother wouldn't allow you to really pursue that, but you're free now. So you should do what makes you happy." Okay, Sharpay definitely wasn't expecting this conversation to go that way.
"I will as soon as I completely figure out what that is. Also, please don't tell me that you watched the interview last night because I don't want to talk about it."
"Can I at least apologize? I saw what she was doing, and…" Her former teacher trailed off, taking a quick sip of her tea.
"You did enough. You kept me out of there. You kept me safe." Not that many teachers even tried. Although she heard from Jack that most teachers suspected something wasn't quite right. Unfortunately, the principal wouldn't do anything about it. He probably didn't want to risk Darby's generous donations.
"I may have kept you safe or rather safer than you would've been otherwise. But I didn't nurture your real talents. I should have put my foot down when the principal abruptly canceled the Taming Of The Drama Queen." The woman said regretfully.
"But you couldn't because he probably would've given all your funding to the basketball team. So you did what you had to do."
"I still regret it."
"It's okay. I'm safe now." Darby was gone. She can rant all she wants online, but she'll never get close enough to hurt Sharpay again.
"You also no longer have to contend with her control. You are free to be your own person."
"You don't think I want to be on the stage anymore now that I'm free from Darby?" Sharpay asked.
"You're the only one who knows that Sharpay. You've always enjoyed directing shows more than being on stage. You also preferred the planning more than execution. Now that doesn't mean that you won't end up on stage at some point. Many of the best directors have been performers first. I know some schools require students in the directing program to take acting classes."
"I heard that's a requirement at Howard." Ms. Darbus raised an eyebrow at her.
"You know I am at my current school because I wasn't allowed to apply to anywhere other than Julliard. However, that was all Darby. Daddy wants me to go where I want to go. That means now going where Chad wants to go. He wouldn't mind living closer to his mom. So we were looking at some of the best schools in the area." Sharpay explained. Sharpay was really happy when her father presented the possibility Sunday. She doesn't regret this semester at A of U. She got together with Chad and made a friend for life with Amanda. But she's not sure if this is where she is supposed to be long-term.
"And you looked at the directing program instead of the acting program?" Ms. Darbuswas giving her the look.
"Maybe."
"You're a very brilliant woman Sharpay. Always driven and passionate. You'll find your place. It just might not be the place you think it will be. Did you know that I was actually a design major in college?"
"What?" Sharpay didn't know that before.
"Yes. Then things went crazy at one of the productions I was a seamstress on. Anyway, they were desperate, and I was asked to fill in for somebody. The rest is history."
"Yet, you ended up teaching."
"Divorce is expensive." Her former teacher remarked.
"I've gotten that from my father and from Kim, who is paying for…" Sharpay stopped talking because her future father-in-law probably didn't want the entire school to know his business.
"Coach Bolton. I am aware. I'm sure the whole school is. It is a horrible situation. I never liked Lucille." Ms. Darbus spat the name out as a curse.
"Apparently, you already knew, and you were trying to get Troy to New York."
"I did what anybody would do. But, unfortunately, I wasn't as aware of the situation as I would have liked. I also regret not telling Jack the true situation. I was unaware he would have been an ally." Considering their contentious relationship before Troy went to the drama side, Sharpay can understand her reservations.
"I don't think anybody saw the embezzlement coming." Especially Troy. They texted a couple of times in the last few days but not as much as they wish they could going into finals week chaos.
"Just concentrate on working on your audition piece. I can even proofread it for you. I have been an English teacher a few times during my career life."
"That would be helpful. I'll try to get you something Sunday morning." She hoped she had a workable piece by then.
"I would suggest you take off tomorrow so you can work on your project; however, I'm going to be out for doctor's appointments tomorrow and…" Her teacher trailed off.
"You don't want to leave the students with a sub unsupervised." Sharpay finished for her.
"Actually, I think during your period, Jack will be filling in again. Unfortunately, they still can't find a substitute that wants to take my classes." Ms. Darbus seemed annoyed at that.
"Probably not after we made that poor sub start smoking again a couple of years ago. Jack isn't horrible. He's better than whoever covered in Carmine's class earlier this week. There may have been a little property damage, but don't worry, I've made a donation," Sharpay said, trying to be reassuring.
"I heard."
"It's fine. I have Friday morning. Most of my other projects for finals are in a good place, so I can concentrate on this." She's a lot further along on her final project than she thought she would be. Thankfully Amanda already had a copy of the book on MP3 that she used to listen to when working out. It helped.
"Good to hear it."
"Is everything okay with you? I know you've been out a lot." The last time her teacher was out like this, she was undergoing chemo.
"Everything's fine." There's something in the woman's eyes that tells Sharpay she's lying. "It's just sometimes when you get to this age you have to see the doctor a lot, and all the appointments ended up happening about the same time." Those words don't reassure Sharpay at all. "Plus, my daughter is coming to visit. I want to spend some time with her. She'll be here for a couple of weeks."
"That's good. I know you don't get to spend as much time with her as you wish you could." And if things are as bad as Sharpay thinks they are, it's good that Ms. Darbus won't be alone.
"She did just survive med school. But thankfully, she has a bit of a break a.k.a. maternity leave." They don't say anything else. Sharpay leaves once her tea is done. Thankfully, Kim road home with Jack. So she doesn't see Sharpay breakdown as she writes a short story about Chad escorting her to her favorite teacher's funeral. Eventually, she puts her phone down and drives back to campus. She has a science lab to get to.
XXXX
Sharpay: Hey, make sure you call your boyfriend today. I feel like this is going to be a rough day for him.
Ryan: So, you know?
Sharpay: Yes. Penelope was trying to be a good friend. However, her boyfriend is an asshole, and Nikki her too much. Thankfully she came to me instead of Chad. Unfortunately, I'm stuck here in my chemistry lab when I really would like to be there supporting Zack.
Ryan: Don't worry, we are talking. He's holding up surprisingly well. I'm actually pretty much texting both of you simultaneously.
Sharpay: Good.
Ryan: He told me that you saw your drama advisor today.
Sharpay: Of course he did. I don't want to talk about it
Ryan: So it went that badly?
Sharpay: Apparently, I don't actually want to be a drama or business major. I'm just doing those things because I feel like I'm obligated to do so. I regret not waiting until the weekend to do the interview with Maria, but we were all really tired of the paparazzi.
Sharpay: Not that it helped entirely because they're still around. But at least their questions are less stupid now.
Ryan: You will probably fly up to New York and smack me up the side of the head for saying this, but I do think that's what you're doing. You're majoring in business because you know I would be absolutely horrible at the family business, and one of us has to do it. Or at least that's what we've been raised to think.
Ryan: When in reality, Amanda might do so well at her internship with Dad, she will become a business major. Then, we can let her take over the family business for us.
Sharpay: I'm not mad at you for saying that. Because maybe for too long, I have been doing what everybody has expected me to do. I am actually happy at the idea of Amanda deciding she would rather be a business major and could take care of the family business for us. I'm actually putting it in my writing idea notebook right now.
Ryan: Idea notebook?
Sharpay: Maybe my advisor isn't wrong. She wants me to take a creative writing class next semester. However, to get in, I have to do an audition piece. I'm supposed to write about my future.
Ryan: How badly is that going?
Sharpay: I think I'm dealing with writer's depression. I hate everything I write. Before I decided to text you, I tried to write a short story about Troy and me talking about our brand new film on a TRL-like show. The whole thing ended with Troy and me being mobbed by fans. I think I don't want to be famous anymore. Especially after that reporter followed me into the bathroom Tuesday. Which is the whole reason why I did the interview Wednesday.
Ryan: You have absolutely hated people coming up to you about the fantasy girl video.
Sharpay: And now the engagement video because Chad's cousin is a jealous little asshole. Abuela Sanchez has completely excommunicated that part of the family. Aunt Claudia is about 30 seconds from starting a blood feud. She is pissed. I think she and Abuela Sanchez have plans, but I don't wanna know.
Ryan: Plausible deniability is always best in these situations.
Sharpay: This is true.
Ryan: Look, no matter what happens, I want you to be happy. Although, I realized a while ago that you weren't happy on stage. So this is probably why I originally suggested that you do a double major in business. Because honestly, I think you probably like business more than you like the stage right now.
Sharpay: You may not be entirely wrong, although a real estate mogul is not where I see myself in 20 years. I don't think I could do what Dad does. I don't think I would want to long-term anyway. I could do it for a couple of years or be a board member. But I don't think I want it to be my whole life.
Ryan: Serving as a board member would probably be a good compromise. I don't think you would want to be entirely hands-off of the family company. You would want some oversight. Because of that, I know you would like to know enough about the business world to make sure we were not getting screwed over.
Sharpay: Because I don't like being taken advantage of.
Ryan: Right. So I could see you as a business/writing major. That way, if you become a successful writer, your business manager could never screw you over.
Sharpay: True. Which is something I definitely want. I don't want to ever feel vulnerable again.
Ryan: So a BA in business is still useful for different paths you could take. If you want to become a freelance writer, you'll need to be able to keep your own books.
Sharpay: You're right. I'm just trying to figure out where I want to go.
Ryan: You will figure it out eventually. Maybe not necessarily this weekend. But you really don't have to.
Sharpay: No, I just have to write something decent. Which is not going well. In one of my attempts, I've written that you and Zack were married, and Chad knew he was his brother.
Ryan: Please don't let Chad read that draft right now.
Sharpay: I'll edit a few words.
Ryan: Thank you.
Ryan: Just try to think of it as a regular creative writing assignment. You're not writing about your actual future, just a potential pathway. I'm here for you to bounce ideas off of regardless.
Sharpay: Good. So who do you think I'll be when I grow up?
Ryan: The strongest, most fierce woman I know.
Sharpay: Considering you're dating Taylor, I'll take that as a compliment.
Ryan: She still doesn't call it that yet.
Sharpay: She'll get there.
Ryan: I hope so.
Ryan: Send me your drafts.
Sharpay: I will.
To be continued.
Sharpay's Oscar fantasy sequence aged horribly. The Kodak theater no longer bears that name because Kodak essentially went out of business, and Jaden Smith pursued other avenues. I considered updating it and adding more realistic competition, but I opted not to. Instead, I decided the fantasy sequence should stay a product of its time. I did end up going back over the speech a second time the day after the 2021 Oscars. This caused me to make some revisions to make it a little more realistic.