Thank you to everybody who read the last chapter. I appreciate it. So much like parts of the Thanksgiving arc, I had to reduce some scenes back to an outline and rewrite them entirely. Introducing Zack earlier definitely adjusted some of the dynamics.

Content warning: Allusions to domestic violence and past Abuse. Also mentions of cancer.

Chapter 61: Life Is a Final Exam

December 11, 2008, 4:30 PM

Thursday afternoon, Chad, Sharpay, and Alex were back in the cell phone waiting area at the Albuquerque Airport. This was starting to become a normal ritual. They were there to pick up Troy, who was flying in for a few days to see Gabriella and his grandma Karen. Lucy, through her attorney, was pushing to see Troy and Alex. Chad wasn't sure Troy was ready to confront her just yet. Or ever, for that matter. Especially considering the possibility that she could have been involved in the accident that nearly killed Kim.

Kim would be going back to spend winter break in the San Francisco area looking for their new house. If the doctors said she was OK, Gabriella might be flying back Monday with them. Maria would be going with them anyway because she has an interview with the local ABC affiliate next week. Maria decided it would be best for her to be closer to her daughter. Ryan is already lamenting his friend moving away, but he seems to be making new ones. Now that Natasha dumped Kelsi, they are starting to become friends. Or at least that's what he got from their latest text message conversation. Mostly he's just excited to be moving into Maria's apartment to finish out her lease. Ryan is so done with dorm life.

Chad's mind was still numb from this morning's chemistry exam, so he probably only got half of that conversation. Nothing like a one hundred-question multiple-choice test to completely fry your brain. This was his last exam for this semester. The only things left were to turn in his Darth Vader and George Lucas essays to his professors by Tuesday.

He decided to argue that Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker suffered from a disassociative identity disorder and never received appropriate treatment. In addition, his actions were caused by being groomed by the Emperor. He was inspired by the entire Gabriella/Mercedes situation. His thesis stated that the whole downfall of the Republic was caused by inadequate mental health screenings by the Jedi Council and the inability to keep their ward away from predators. A.k.a. keeping him the fuck away from the Emperor.

Chad would either get an A for the brilliance of his paper or fail miserably for taking the assignment too seriously. He may have cited multiple journal articles to back his hypothesis. Chad may have been trying really hard this week to forget about his family bullshit. Obviously, he went beyond what was required.

Sharpay was sitting in the backseat rewriting her Mandela paper on her mini laptop. This time to avoid a cranky Alex in the backseat, they decided it would be best if Sharpay stayed with Alex. At least Chad didn't get a car at his head this time.

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule of heavy petting with the mountain lion to come to get me," Troy said as he placed his luggage in the trunk. That comment Chad made junior year was coming back to bite him on the ass. Fortunately, his girlfriend didn't say anything.

"You're still mad about the bedroom thing, despite the fact it's your dad's room now, and we didn't do anything," Chad said as he got in the car to hug his friend.

"Because my father walked in on you 30 seconds from f… doing things that I can't say in front of my small child." Troy glared at both of them.

"We were doing no such thing," Sharpay said as she got out of the backseat to give Troy her spot.

"I don't care what our former president says; if you get off and another person is involved, it counts as sex," Troy said as he got in the back with his son and quickly hugged him.

"You and Kim, did you know what in my dressing room on my couch sophomore year during the Winter Ball. We are even." Sharpay remarked. This is the first time Chad has heard about this.

"Did you actually make it to any dance in high school?" Chad asked his friend.

"Not really. Now Kim is making us chaperone tomorrow night. This is just what I wanted after surviving the finals week from hell. I get to spend Friday night with my girlfriend chaperoning high school students. Of course, this is after I will spend tomorrow morning with Lucy. My so-called mother who blackmailed Kim conspire to hide my child from me for two years and did things that lead to Gabriella's spending time in a psychiatric ward." Troy said with a sigh as Sharpay got in the front seat.

"You're actually going to talk to her. Seriously?" Chad asked, concerned.

"Kim actually talked me into it. She says I needed closure." Troy remarked.

"Kim volunteered to chaperone because she can't take Nana Karen and your aunt Julie much longer. They're staying at your house now." Sharpay explained.

"Because Liz had the good sense to relocate to the hotel. Although she couldn't get Jack to go with her. He was too noble to leave Kim alone with Nana Karen." Troy remarked.

"Didn't Liz leave this morning to pick up your uncles to see you this weekend?" Chad asked.

"I think that's a lie just so she can get away from Julie for a few days," Troy remarked.

"Chaperoning isn't that bad. Just remember, as chaperones, your duties are to keep Joshua Steiner from dumping Jack Daniels in the punch and make sure no one has sex on the roof. That includes you and Kim not having sex on the roof." Chad said with an evil laugh as he pulled away from the front of the Airport.

"You are never going to let go of that, are you?" Troy asked his friend.

"Not very likely. You conceived Alex on top of the school roof. There's no living that down." Chad told him.

xxxxxx

Kim Bolton's home has been overrun for the last few weeks by a condescending aunt (Julie), overbearing grandmother (Karen), and noisy reporters. Of the three, she could only deal with the reporters with any degree of success. At least they left her alone after the series of interviews with Maria started airing. Normally she has Teresa and Liz to help, but Liz had to go back to Santa Fe this morning for a work thing and wouldn't be back until Saturday morning. She was sad that she would be missing Troy's arrival, but she was coming back with uncles David and Kevin Saturday. Chris wasn't coming until his mom was safely in another state. Smart man.

Teresa was busy working out the custody situation regarding Jackie. Even though Kim was paying for her attorney, it was still going badly. Kim was generally considering paying the Nelsons the equivalent of Kelsi's tuition just so they would stop harassing Teresa just to get her nanny back. Especially because it was finals week.

Unfortunately, she was now dependent on the kindness of grandma Karen. Grandma Karen was generally nice to Kim, even though she kept offering unsolicited parenting tips. Her heart was in the right place.

Aunt Julie absolutely hated Kim and blamed her for the whole Lucy situation. Julie doesn't understand why she was staying in New Mexico when Troy was at Berkeley. Julie also doesn't understand why Kim is not staying at home with Alex when she has no financial need to work. Kim really doesn't expect anything else from the trophy wife. Julie also called her all sorts of nasty names behind her back because she got pregnant at 18. Being a single mom, Karen knows better. Julie never said the same hurtful things about Troy when he was the one who got her pregnant.

Honestly, at this point, Kim is just glad Jack's mom Katrina wasn't arriving until Sunday night. She doesn't have the energy to deal with another grandma criticizing all her life choices. Maybe she got lucky with the fact her father is not on speaking terms with his parents.

Troy's Aunt Julie and grandma Karen were in her kitchen preparing a welcome back dinner for Troy. Kim didn't see the point in doing this because they could just go out to a restaurant instead. If she wasn't trying to get Julie and Karen on her side, she would kick them all out of her house. Karen didn't hate her; Kim wondered if it was possible to ever get Julie not to hate her. Considering the interviews she keeps doing, Kim wonders if there's even a point.

She was sitting in the living room, trying to complete her final project for her education class. It wasn't easy because Julie was talking about her behind her back as usual. She had just returned from her exam, and her mind was still fuzzy. If it wasn't for the fact that Troy would be arriving home any minute, she would have stayed at the library.

"Why isn't she helping us?" Aunt Julie asked Karen. At least she wasn't blaming Kim anymore for Lucy being arrested. Although she might go into a tirade about Carolyn at any minute.

"You only want her in there because you hate cooking. She is studying for finals. It's more important that she passes her exams than kiss up to you." Jack said as he walked into the kitchen. Looking at the clock, it appeared that basketball practice was over for the day. At least her almost father-in-law defended her.

"I don't see why. It's not like Kim really needs to work. She has that trust fund to fall back on even if Troy decides to stay in the frivolous field of acting. It's not like poor Lucy who had to work all the time because you want to be a teacher." Julie remarked. The woman reminded Kim a whole lot of Lucy; they both had the same acidic personality.

Usually, Julie and Jack will begin arguing about whose fault it was that Lucy got arrested on tax evasion charges. (They were still trying to build a case for the attempted murder and conspiracy charges, but Kim was sure they were coming.) In Julie's mind, everything was Kim and Jack's fault. Lucy only took the money because Jack wasn't making enough money. That wouldn't even happen if Kim didn't date Troy in the first place. About 10 minutes later, the fight will deteriorate into an argument about the divorce proceedings and Troy getting her pregnant at 15.

After two weeks of listening to this argument repeatedly, she couldn't take it. She quickly unplugged her laptop, grabbed her jacket, and went out to the front porch hoping for some peace. 10 minutes later, her almost father-in-law joined her.

"I still here arguing, yet you're out here. How is that happening?" Kim asked, looking up from her computer.

"Even Karen is done with Julie's bullshit at this point. She actually told her to go back to Seattle twice."

"I wish she would." Kim lamented.

"I think she has her own reasons for staying, probably related to the fact she hasn't called her husband once since she's been here." Kim wouldn't be surprised at all if Julie was projecting.

"This is why we try to avoid extended family gatherings. It always deteriorates into infighting and tears after the first 24 hours. Honestly, just be grateful my mom is not getting here until late Sunday. With any luck, Troy will successfully convince Julie and Karen to go back home for a few weeks before she gets here. Otherwise, it really will degrade into World War III. It's bad enough with Karen and Julie fighting." Jack explained.

"It's that bad?" At her question, Jack opened the door, and she could hear Karen screaming at her daughter.

"Just go home and deal with your own mess. Let Lucy deal with hers on her own. I'm only still in Albuquerque for Alex and Troy. When Troy goes back to San Francisco, I'm going home. I don't even want to see Lucy tomorrow. I can't." OK, she's glad she's not leaving Karen with Jack alone. Although Kim might be leaving Jack with Julie. Maybe he can stay at Teresa and Maria's house.

"How can you abandon your own daughter?" Julie asked.

"She tried to have my great grandkid…" Thankfully Jack closed the door again before Karen said the M-word.

"I got along better with your father in Vegas. I'm surprised that there wasn't bloodshed at the meat Alex party," Jack remarked.

"Probably because Mariah was there. I think she threatened to arrest some people." Kim wasn't even joking about that.

"Probably."

"I just wish they would argue someplace else when I'm trying to finish my projects," Kim said as she went back to working on her laptop.

She wanted to get everything done before Troy arrived. They were supposed to meet Ms. Darbus for tea this afternoon anyway. She conveniently forgot to mention this to the extended family.

"What project are you working on?" Jack asked her.

"A five-page report on my experiences in Ms. Ortega's class. Then I have to work on my essay for film class due Tuesday by 11:59 PM. Fortunately, I can e-mail that from San Francisco." Kim said as she noticed Sharpay's car pull up in front of the house.

She hated being away from Troy these last few weeks. She wished he could be here to help her deal with his crazy extended family. They were sticking around because of the whole Lucy situation. She hoped he were here to help her deal with the media. Kim really wished Troy was there to help her deal with her dad, stepmom, and new baby sister coming soon.

She was looking forward to spending the few weeks with her boyfriend in San Francisco as they started looking for their new home together. Mostly, she was looking forward to being away from Troy's extended family. As soon as the car stopped, she placed her laptop on the porch and ran to Troy and their son.

xxxxx

The ride to Ms. Darbus's house was relatively comfortable. He could tell his girlfriend couldn't take spending much more time with aunt Julie. He didn't get why they were sticking around. Grandma Karen makes sense because even if you're mad at your child, you're still going to try to support them. But Julie didn't. Julie rarely even talks to her sister, and yet she's all-defensive right now. He feels like something else is obviously going on. Troy will talk to Teresa about it later because Kim does not need more stress.

"Why are we going to Ms. Darbus's house? How is she feeling?" Chad asked from the front seat of the car. Troy had been wondering about that himself.

"I don't really know. You know Ms. Darbus has been out a lot the last few weeks. To the point where Jack has been taking over a lot of her classes." Sharpay explained.

"Jackie has sent me pictures," Troy remarked. He's found them quite amusing.

"Anyway, she called me last night when I was texting Zack and asked if we all could come over today. I personally think she wants to yell at me for no longer being an acting major. At least, I hope that's the reason." If Troy was not so focused on that Sharpay was no longer an acting major, he would pick up that Sharpay was hiding something.

"You're not an acting major anymore? Why didn't you tell me that," Troy asked.

"I just switched Monday. Also, of all my friends, I figured you would be the one to yell at me the most. I just realized that Darby was the one pushing me to be on stage. It's not where I want to be anymore. At least not performing." Sharpay explained.

"No, I get it. My dad was quite basketball-obsessed when I was growing up. It took me a while to push for my own path. You need to find out who you are without Darby." Troy reassured Sharpay.

"Exactly."

"Although I would say that you save the play this summer. She fixed a lot of the plot problems and helped with directing."

"I'm waiting for word on if I managed to get into a writing class for next semester. I'm weighing my options between writing and directing."

"Just promise me I'll get to be in your first play." Troy joked.

"I'll make you my star." Sharpay gave him a smile. It's only in hindsight that he realizes it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

They pulled up in front of the brightly colored house a few minutes later. Ms. Darbus's home was exactly what he expected to see, bright colors and interesting decorating choices. Lots of hand-blown glass. He was glad they didn't bring Alex because he would most likely break something.

He noticed Ms. Darbus sitting down on one of the purple couches. She seems more exhausted than before Thanksgiving. He also saw a young woman who looked a lot like Ms. Darbus sitting next to her.

"Have a seat." Ms. Darbus said as they walked into the sitting room.

"This is my daughter Sasha." Ms. Darbus introduced her.

"It's back, isn't it?" Sharpay asked in a very quiet voice. Sharpay apparently was not in the mood for pleasantries.

"Yes, it's back." Ms. Darbus said this quietly. He felt Kim grab his hand for support as Sharpay started crying. Chad's arms were wrapped around her in seconds. It took Troy a few minutes to remember hushed conversations between his parents about one of his work colleagues undergoing chemo when he was 14. It took Troy a few more minutes to realize his dad was talking about Ms. Darbus.

"I was hoping to put off this conversation until Ryan arrived Monday, but that is not possible. Instead, I called him before you got here." He saw Sharpay stop crying for a moment at those words. She was probably relieved that she didn't have to have another bad conversation with Ryan over the phone.

"I felt it was best if all of you heard it from me. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I fought, and I won the battle. Unfortunately, it wasn't the war. The cancer is back, and unfortunately, it has metastasized. It's best that I move to LA with Sasha for a while. We will be leaving Saturday, and I will begin treatment Monday."

Troy couldn't breathe. He just kept holding on to Kim's hand. This is too much for him to take. This is not what he wanted to hear after surviving finals hell.

"Is it terminal?" Trust Sharpay to ask the most painful question.

"We're all going to die eventually, Sharpay. Whether it is in 50 years or in a few months, it really doesn't matter. I could walk outside tomorrow and be hit by a bus. I want to go to LA because they have better doctors there, and I want to spend time with my granddaughter." The room stayed quiet for a while after that statement that didn't answer the question.

"What is going to happen to your classes?" Chad asked, trying to change the subject. Thank god, his best friend picked up on everyone's uncomfortableness.

"Substitutes don't work well in there, so one of the teachers will be reassigned next year. Principal Matsui has been auditioning teachers to take over the class next semester for the last two weeks. Any teacher who has a background in English or performing has been asked to watch the class during these last two weeks."

"My dad told me that he's been watching your class a lot lately. He's actually being considered to take over? Principal Matsui has really lost it." Troy muttered under his breath.

"Other than Ms. Ortega, your dad has been the only one so far that has any idea whatsoever what they're doing," Sharpay told him. He didn't know what to say to that.

xxxxx

Sharpay: So, I heard that, you know. This is nice because I am really tired of telling you bad things over the phone.

Ryan: So am I. I'm really going to stop answering the phone if this keeps up.

Ryan: No, she didn't give any details. Honestly, I was afraid to ask.

Sharpay: I did because you know I have no fear. Still no answer. She wouldn't say anything. Sasha wouldn't give any other details either. Although I know that it's metastasized and bad enough she has decided to move to LA with her daughter and spend more time with her granddaughter. The while she has time left was left unsaid, but I heard it loud and clear.

Ryan: Fuck!

Sharpay: Kim offered to bring in any specialist she wanted because what's the point of being a future billionaire if you can't help people.

Ryan: That seems like Kim. How are you taking this?

Sharpay: Like I want to throw up. I am text messaging you because it's better than crying on Chad in the common room. I should be putting my makeup back on, but I just can't. I don't want to lose her. I know we're going to lose her.

Ryan: You don't know that.

Sharpay: It feels that way. I expected her to be mad when I told her that I officially switched majors Monday, but she was proud. She just wants me to find my own path.

Ryan: That's always been her.

Sharpay: How are you feeling?

Ryan: Also, extremely nauseous. I've been in a three-way chat with Zack and Taylor since I found out the truth.

Sharpay: I am sad that you didn't call me. But I'm glad that you have two people in your life that you can turn to.

Ryan: I didn't want to be the one to break the news to you, so I was waiting for you to contact me.

Sharpay: Sometime next week, we will have a lot of alcohol and a lot of chocolate. Followed by a very long cry together. Although you're paying because Chad's mom is putting us on a budget.

Ryan: Do I even want to know?

Sharpay: Marriage Boot Camp. I'll explain more later. I have to go scare someone away from my boyfriend.

XXXX

Penelope Castro was studying in the community room for her history exam with her roommate Nikki and Amanda. Even though they didn't have the class at the same time, they had the same professor who was too lazy to make more than one test. 30 minutes into the study session, she saw Sharpay enter the room in tears as Chad held onto her. She is trying not to call his boyfriend's sister a bitch in her head for Zack, but it's really hard.

Penelope hated Sharpay just a little bit more because she had a boyfriend who would actually be there for her. Penelope knew Malick just saw her as a way to get off. What he did to her the other night told her that. Malick didn't love her, but at least it meant she wouldn't be alone. She had Zack in the past, but he was in the love bubble with Ryan right now, even though they were in separate states. He was also mad at her. Zack giving her the silent treatment is just going to make her stick to Malick harder, not convince her to leave.

"Is she OK?" Amanda asked in genuine concern for her friend as Chad returned from placing Sharpay in their bedroom. At this point, Penelope was starting to look at her study guide again.

"Not really. Shar found out her favorite teacher from high school is sick." Unlike everyone else, Penelope knew Chad was talking about Ms. Darbus. That statement had her worry too.

"This must be some favor teacher. She's acting like I did when they told me that mom wouldn't make it to Christmas when I was 11 years old." A few weeks ago, Penelope found out that Nikki's mother died of lung cancer when Nikki was 12. Penelope discovered this when Nikki found Penelope's secret pack of cigarettes. After hearing Nikki's story, Penelope hasn't picked up a cigarette since that day. Not even when she found out that Zack may have had a crush on his own brother. Although it was a near thing at the DNA test last week. The patch helped.

"Ms. Darbus is probably more like a mother to Sharpay than Darby ever was," Penelope said as she got up from the table. Everyone in the room looked at Penelope as if she was crazy.

"You know Ms. Darbus?" Chad asked her as he followed her back to her dorm room. "Or did Zack say something to you?" Because, of course, Zack would know before her.

"During the summer, Ms. Darbus always taught the all city drama program. I did the program from six grade until the summer before senior year." Because it got her out of the house and away from her monster of a mom. "I always had the starring role, but that was probably because your girlfriend was too busy living the country club life." Or, per Zack, probably getting the hell beat out of her by her mom. Of course, Penelope was always suspicious because you can always spot another monster when you have your own.

"Ms. Darbus is the reason why I am majoring in education. I was surprised to see Sharpay doing the community theater production last summer." Penelope said as she opened the door.

"She wanted to try something different. You still got the lead this summer."

"That was only because your girlfriend is a better writer than an actress," Penelope said as she put her books on her desk.

"Did you just say something nice about my girlfriend?" She winced when he said this.

At least he was not saying, fiancée. She gave up on trying to get with Chad after finding out about the engagement and the fact that he's probably her best friend's half-brother. She already knew she didn't have a chance with him before becoming aware of their incompatible orientations.

Let's be honest, this was the first conversation they've ever had that didn't involve her flirting with him. She started to have a crush on him because he looked like her best friend, who she loved but could never be with. But it changed into something more when she realized he was a nice guy. She doubted he would do to her half the stuff that Malick has done. Zack was right; she deserved better. But better was really really gay or just not into her. Or some sort of combination of the two, a.k.a. Chad.

The fact that he was now marrying Sharpay completely shattered her fantasy of ever being with him. She learned a long time ago that you can't compete against Sharpay Evans. At the last away game, she didn't even bother talking to Chad on the plane. Although part of that was, she didn't want to accidentally tell him about Zack possibly being his half-brother.

"I blame the nicotine withdrawal and that my best friend is dating her brother," Penelope said with a sigh as she sat down on her bed. "The cancer is back, isn't it?" Penelope whispered the question.

"Yes. How did you know Ms. Darbus had cancer before? Only a handful of people knew. She told everybody that she was doing some show out of state. Troy only had a clue because his dad knew." Chad explained.

"During the summer before ninth grade, Ms. Darbus left the summer program abruptly. I found out the reason why the next year. Judging by Sharpay's reaction, the diagnosis is not good."

"No, it is not," Chad said to her.

"What are you doing here?" Sharpay said, being her normal ice queen self. "Get the Fuck away from my boyfriend."

"We're just talking. It's not like I am going to try to jump your fiancé." Penelope said the fiancée part with a high amount of animosity. "I know that you and your little friends think I'm the easiest girl on campus. Contrary to what you believe, I do have standards. I don't hit on the married or the engaged." Especially when they may end up being a half-brother of my BFF.

"You had no problem trying to steal someone else's boyfriend." That just made Penelope angry. She was so tired of the fake self-righteousness.

"Of the two of us, I've actually never tried to steal somebody else's boyfriend. I was here when Taylor destroyed our common room because you two got together before he actually broke up with her in October. One of your bras literally fell on my head. I was going to tell you that I was sorry about Ms. Darbus, but you can't even go 30 seconds without acting like a bitch." Penelope practically yelled at her.

"It's kind of hard not to act like a bitch to the girl who tried to steal my boyfriend in college," Sharpay yelled right back at her. "Zack says that you were with Zeke sophomore year, but obviously, you broke up before then. Because you had no problem telling me that you were fucking my boyfriend the entire time we were dating. Of course, this is after you spiked my drink with vodka." So Penelope put a couple of shots in her drink a couple months ago. How was she to know Sharpay couldn't hold her liquor at all and the whole thing would end up on the Internet?

"You should be thanking me for that. According to Zack and Nikki, that's how you finally got together." She was sure Sharpay was going to slap her if Chad didn't stop her.

"What Zack said was true. We started dating in sophomore year, and we never broke up." Not completely anyway. "That means I was with Zeke long before he was bringing you chocolate fudge brownies. I wasn't the other woman. You were."

"I'm not… I didn't know." Sharpay said shakily.

"You don't believe me, but I know you trust Zack. And apparently, my best friend has a big mouth. Zeke didn't want anybody to know because of the whole East/West rivalry. I didn't say anything. Imagine my surprise when I see him show up to the first day of play rehearsals this summer with a plate of brownies for you. That's when Troy tells me that you and Zeke have been dating for over a year. You got to be the public girlfriend, and I was the dirty little secret that he fucked in the locker room." Penelope practically screamed out at Sharpay.

"How am I supposed to believe you when you tried to sleep with every boy on the East High basketball team? I heard about what happened with Jimmie. He wasn't even 16 yet." That was a complete exaggeration. Penelope is a naturally flirty person. People assume when she says the word hang out that she means go fuck. Although her being Zack's beard for years may have made things worse. He was her prom date last year.

The only guy she actually slept with on the East High basketball team was Zeke. She only started flirting with Troy to piss off Sharpay after discovering that she was dating Penelope's boyfriend. She also said all those nasty things to Sharpay at Kim's party for the same reason.

After that initial rejection, she mostly chased Chad to make Sharpay angry and because he was a nice person. In hindsight, now that she knows that there possibly related, it might be because he reminded her of Zack. She was under the impression that at least his look-alike could be sexually attracted to her. Instead, she was once again struck by incompatible orientation.

She only hit on Jimmie because she caught Ricky calling him a cock sucker. Her protective instincts kicked in. Pissing off Zeke, who she was fighting with at the time, was just a bonus.

"Believe whatever you want," Penelope said on the verge of tears. She wouldn't let Sharpay see her like this. She quickly got up and tried to run past her. Sharpay stopped her halfway to the bathroom as she grabbed her arm. Unfortunately, Sharpay's hand landed on the part of her armed that was black and blue after a recent run-in with Malick.

XXXX

After tea with Miss Darbus, Sharpay couldn't deal with Penelope's usual antics. She trusted Chad, but not Penelope, no matter what Zack told her. Maybe she was lying to herself when she tried to come up with possible explanations of how she couldn't have been the other woman. Sharpay didn't want to believe that she was once again the bad guy. Really she should've known better after hearing Tiffany's side of the story regarding what Charles did to her.

She wasn't going to let Penelope run away from this conversation. That's when Sharpay grabbed Penelope by the arm and heard her scream. Sharpay knew she wasn't using that much force. As she let go, she purposely pulled up the fabric of Penelope's sleeve to reveal bruises that were at least one or two days old.

"What happened?" Sharpay asked Penelope as she started to calm down. Sharpay really didn't need to ask the question because, in her mind, she already knew what had happened. Her text message conversation with Zack the day before was playing again in her head.

"I fell during cheerleading practice yesterday," Penelope said in a way that Sharpay couldn't believe.

"I used to tell everybody that I fell during dance rehearsals. Of course, in my case, I fell into Darby's fist at dance rehearsal. Did Malick do this to you?" It looks like her ex graduated from pills to actual physical violence. It made Sharpay want to throw up.

She couldn't look at the bruises on Penelope's arms without thinking that this was all her fault. She never pressed charges. Richard was free because she never said anything. Sharpay couldn't even tell Zack that she was raped. Even though she knew this was going to happen, she couldn't tell him.

Penelope never answered her question. Instead, she ran out of the room towards the elevators. Sharpay didn't have the emotional energy to follow her.

XXXX

A/N: In the original story, Penelope seemed very OOC because up to this point, we never actually saw her from the perspective of anybody else. I'm hoping that you could see who she really was before we got to this section by meeting her best friend Zack a lot earlier. One of the main themes of this story is people are not who you think they are. I hope I did a better job of exploring that the second time around. I made so many mistakes as a baby writer.