Hey there. :) This chapter is deticated to all the fabulous reviewers of the last chapter. ;) Thank you.
Plot/Summary: Friendship is a powerful thing. With seven years since they've last seen eachother Sharpay, Ryan, Troy, Gabriella, Taylor and Chad have decided to reunite their friendship. What surprises are in store? And most importantly... will they be able to keep their friendship together?
Pairings: Troypay, Ryella, Chad/OC and Taylor/OC
Disclaimer: The plot and made-ups are mind. Nothing more... nothing less. Everything else, sadly, belongs to Disney.
Other: Rating may later change due to slightly bad language and possible use of alcohol. Also, I'd like to note that as of November 9, 2008 I have reposted chapters one and two with new edits. Enjoy.
Chapter 2
Ryan, the man, was turning to walk away when from the corner of his eyes he spotted the doors to Lava Springs being pushed open. A short brunette woman, a Yorkie, and a little blond girl walk in; whom he instantly realized was his niece and sister. It was show time.
"Sharpay!" Before he even really realized what he was doing, Ryan let the word escape his mouth. He watched as several people who were standing around the lobby looked up at the name Sharpay... probably due to her being one of the owners of Lava Springs, or maybe due to the fact that the girl was finally beginning to get known. The brunette woman, whose attention he was trying to get, didn't look away from the little girl next to her, though. "Sharpay!"
This time, the little blond girl with the Yorkie looked up. Spotting Ryan, her face instantly was filled with joy. "Uncle Ryan!" She gasped. Dropping the leash of the Yorkie, the little girl ran across the lobby as fast as her small legs could take her.
"Anya, how's my favorite little girl?" Ryan couldn't help but to smile as he bent over and picked up the child. He kissed her cheek before letting his eyes shift to his sister. She was now holding the Yorkie's leash and staring back at Ryan with out much expression. After a few seconds, she slowly started to make her way toward Ryan and Anya.
Ryan shifted his weight from one foot to another as he waited for his sister to reach him and Anya. When she finally did, he offered a small smile. "Hey, Sharpay."
"Hey, Ryan." His sister, Sharpay, gave a dismissive nod... not paying him much attention. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere as she glanced around the lobby. When she didn't say anything else, Ryan sighed... knowing that he'd have to be the one to start the topic.
"So..."
Or not. Sharpay didn't even seem to hear him as she turned her attention back to Ryan. Narrowing her eyes, she interrupted whatever it was that he was going to say. "Where are they?"
"Excuse me?" Ryan raised an eyebrow, pretending not to know whom his sister was talking about. He set down Anya, before continuing. "Where is who? If you're talking about that lifeguard you like than I-"
"I'm not talking about that lifeguard!" Sharpay quietly snapped, watching as Anya skipped over to a candy bowl on a nearby coffee table. When she was sure Anya couldn't hear her any more she added, "I know you know whom I'm talking about! Now where are they?"
"You mean our frie-"
"Yes. Who else would I mean? Now where are they?" Sharpay once again interrupted Ryan. Ryan rolled his eyes and sighed before replying.
"I don't know. And I'd really appreciate it if you'd quit interrupting me."
"Right... sorry." Sharpay muttered, rolling her eyes. She bit her lip, glancing at the floor. "But you know how aggravating this is for me. This was my stupid idea and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for weeks! As soon as I realized it was officially July... I couldn't sleep, I couldn't think, I couldn't do anything without thinking about that stupid day!"
"I know." Ryan nodded, sympathetically. "You've been telling me this since July started. Don't worry, Shar... everything will be alright."
"But what if they forgot?" Sharpay asked, still not seeming very sure. "What if they really you know, didn't care about us... and decided not to show up? What if-"
"Sharpay." Ryan spoke rather loudly. Sharpay immediately looked up from the floor and quit rambling. "It's all going to be okay..." Ryan pulled his sister into a hug. After a couple of seconds, she slowly returned it. "I'm sure they'll be here any time."
"Alright..." Sharpay sighed, pulling back from her brother after a couple of seconds. She shifted the leash of the Yorkie to her other hand as she glanced over at Anya. Anya was currently rambling on to a woman and a man that she didn't recognize and stuffing her pocket with the candies from one of the candy bowls. Ryan had followed Sharpay's gaze over to Anya as well... and instantly, he knew what Sharpay was thinking. "I'd better-"
"No, Shar." Ryan shook his head, causing Sharpay to turn and look at him. "I mean... you've been through a lot. Head on into the dining room. I'll get Anya and tell Karrie you're here... alright?"
"Okay." Sharpay meekly nodded and then turned to leave. Ryan started over to Anya but stopped as he heard a faint. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." He smiled and then continued on to Anya. 'Hopefully', he thought, 'the other's will show up soon'.
"You sure that this is-"
"Yes, and before you ask again... I'm positive." A twenty-six... nearly twenty-seven year old woman and her fiancé were sitting in the lobby of Lava Springs Country Club hovering over a map. They had checked in to Lava Springs the night before and were now debating over rather or not they had arrived at the correct place. While neither of them were one hundred percent sure, the woman was hardly ever wrong. So her fiancé had just decided to go with it... after all, what did he have to lose?
"Alright so then where is this Sharon or Ronald Élan you were talking about? The ones who own this place?" The fiancé, a tall black boy with short brown hair and dark brown eyes asked. He glanced around the lobby as if looking for the friends of his fiancée... not he knew what they looked like. Nor did she, since it had been seven years to this day.
"I told you, Terr, its Sharpay and Ryan Evans not Sharon and Ronald Élan." The woman sighed, brushing a stray piece of her dark brown hair away from her face.
"Alright then where is this Sharpay and Ryan Evans, Tay?" Terrance, the man, asked with an arched eyebrow. "Or how about Gabi, that Troy guy or um... Danforth? Where are they?"
"Patience." The woman, Taylor, muttered with a sigh. "They'll be here, I know it. Just give them some time."
"Right..." Terrance sighed as he leaned back against the wall and let the map fall on his lap, since Taylor was positive that this was where they needed to be. Glancing around the lobby, nothing really caught his eye... except for the little blond girl who was now skipping over toward them, as if she knew them. 'Who the heck is that?'
The little girl seemed to have caught the woman's eyes too as she watched her get closer. Both Terrance and Taylor continued to watch as the little girl stopped next to them, at the coffee table, where she began to stuff her pocket with candy from the bowl.
"Do you want some?" The voice seemed to take them by surprise as they suddenly realized that the little girl was looking at them, a large smile on her face. She had a hand extended out to them, with a bunch of candy in it.
"No thank you, sweetheart." Taylor stated, giving her a soft smile.
"You sure? It's really good! Mommy says I shouldn't eat so much candy because of... well, it was something about health or teeth or weight or something like that! But it's really good. And my mommy is talking to Uncle Ryan right now so she'll never know." The little girl shrugged as she went back to stuffing her pocket with candy.
"Uncle Ryan?" Taylor repeated, raising an eyebrow. 'It couldn't be...'
"Yes, Uncle Ryan! He's the bestest guy in the whole wide world!" The little girl smiled proudly. Noticing that Taylor wasn't smiling, she cocked her head to the side. "Do you not like Uncle Ryan or something? You don't seem happy about him."
"No, no, no... That's not it at all." Taylor quickly shook her head. She paused as she glanced around the lobby. 'Which one of these people could possibly be Ryan? Or Sharpay... since Ryan's only sibling was Sharpay... which would make this little girl Sharpay's daughter! If we've got the right Ryan, that is...'
"Then what is it? You still seemed... surprised about Uncle Ryan being the bestest guy in the whole wide world!" The little girl folded her arms over her chest, still looking up at Taylor with a confused expression. "What's so wrong about Uncle Ryan?" She demanded.
"Nothing, dear." Taylor shook her head, leaning down to be face to face with the little girl. It was only then that she realized how much the little girl resembled Sharpay. She had to be the girl's daughter… or a relative, at the very least. "What's your name?"
"Anyastasia Mari Evans." The little girl smiled proudly. "But you can call me Anya!"
'Evans! That's the last name of Ryan and Sharpay!' Taylor grinned as she realized this. "That's a pretty name, Anya. I'm Taylor and this..." She pointed over her shoulder to Terrance, who was now half asleep, "Is my Fiancé, Terrance. Now tell me... is your mommy or Uncle Ryan around?"
"Yes." Anya nodded; she dropped the candy in her hand on the floor and pointed toward the entrance to the east hallway. Two people, a man and a woman from what Taylor could tell, stood next to the door. The woman had the leash to a small dog -a Yorkie- in her hand. She watched as the woman switched the leash to her other hand and leaned in to hug the man. "That's my mommy, Uncle Ryan and Mochie!"
"Really? That's great." Taylor smiled once more, still watching the two people nearby the hallway. After a second, she watched them stop hugging, say a couple more words and then the woman walked off down the east hallway. The man, on the other hand, came walking toward them.
"Yeah!" Anya grinned. "It's super-dee-doper-dee great!" She stopped talking and glanced up as the man arrived next to them. "Uncle Ryan! Uncle Ryan! Guess what!"
"Yes, Anya?" The man knelt down next to Anya, with an arched eyebrow. As he did this, Taylor got a slight glimpse of his face… he looked almost familiar… but she wasn't about to point this out, not yet.
"I just met these nice people! This is Taylor and her flea-on-say, Terry!" Anya said, with a large grin as she pointed to Taylor and Terrance. "Isn't it great?"
"It's Terrance." Terrance mumbled, as he looked over to the man and Anya for the first time. Taylor elbowed Terrance in the side, as if to give him a warning to shut up. "Or Terry is alright too… I guess." He quickly added.
The man glanced up at Taylor and Terrance for a second and then extended a hand. "Hello. I'm Ryan Evans, one of the owners of Lava Springs. I'm guessing you've met my niece, Anya? I apologize if she um… caused any trouble."
"I'm Taylor," Taylor introduced herself for a second, almost not believing her ears. She wondered if Ryan would recognize her, or if she'd have to state her last name as well. Terrance reached out and shook Ryan's hand. "And no… she was no trouble at all. Honest."
"And I'm Terrance… or Terry, as Anya calls me. I'm Taylor's fiancé." Terrance added. He glanced at Anya as he said 'fiancé'. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Evans."
"Please, call me Ryan… I've never been much for um… formal titles." Ryan chuckled as he stood up. He bent over to grab Anya, but then stopped as he felt her pocket full of candy. "Anya… did you stuff your pocket full of candy… again?"
"No…" Anya put on an innocent smile. "Of course not, Uncle Ryan! Let's not be silly."
"Anya." Ryan sighed, shaking his head as he reached into her pocket. He pulled out a small handful of candy and then raised an eyebrow. "If you didn't do it than what do you call this?"
"Candy." Anya shrugged, still giving him that same innocent smile. "What else?"
"And what did your mother tell you about stuffing your pockets with candy?" Ryan asked, with a small sigh. He began putting the candy back into its bowl as he waited for Anya to respond.
"She told me not to because of my… um… teeth or something." Anya replied. She paused, attempting to grab back her candy. "But what mommy doesn't know, doesn't matter."
"Anya." Ryan repeated with a sigh. He gently grabbed her wrist as he put the rest of the candy back… only leaving Anya with a piece of two. He then picked Anya up and turned to Taylor and Terrance who were still watching them. "Well… I don't mean to run… but my sister and I are meeting up with some old friends any time now, so I really must go. If you're ever in the area again, feel free to stop by. It was a pleasure to meet you." Ryan gave them once last smile before turning and starting to walk towards the east hallway.
Taylor quickly stood up. She grabbed Terrance's arm and quickly walked after Ryan and Anya. "Where are we-"
"Ryan!" Taylor shouted, interrupting Terrance's sentence. Ryan turned around at the sound of his name, raising an eyebrow at Taylor. Anya cocked her head to the side as well. Taylor didn't speak until she caught up with them. "Those friends… I'm one of them."
Taylor bit her lip as she watched Ryan just look her up and down for a second or two. Just when she thought he wouldn't respond, a large grin crept onto his face. "Taylor… it is you."
Taylor nodded, with a smile as she let go of Terrance's arm. "Yes, it's me." She reached over and gave Ryan a hug. After they had pulled back they just looked at each other… taking in everything that had changed.
"Well I guess we should um… head on to Sharpay. She's still rather impatient when it comes to stuff like this." Ryan stated after a few seconds of silence. He smiled once more as Anya leaned over towards his ear.
"You know them?!" She whispered, in a quiet astonished voice. Anya began to squirm around. "Let me down, Uncle Ryan! I've gotta go tell mommy!" Her voice rose just a bit as she squirmed around in Ryan's arm.
Ryan just tightened his grip and shook his head. "Anya, patience… please." He said, before turning to Taylor and Terrance. "Let's… go ahead and go… If that's okay with you guys?"
"Yeah, it's cool." Taylor smiled at her old friend. She glanced at Anya who was still squirming in Ryan's arms. "Do you want me to take her off your hands?"
"No, no, it's alright." Ryan smiled at Taylor and then turned. He started off down the hallway toward the dining room with Taylor and Terrance following him. Ryan was sure Sharpay would be surprised… rather or not it would be in a good way? He didn't know. Guess he'd have to find out.
"Welcome to the dining hall, Miss Evans. Did you have anything special in mind for today?" As Sharpay strolled into the dining room the greeter greeted her with a large smile.
"Um… yes, actually, I did." Sharpay forced up a small smile and tried to compose herself. Glancing around the dining room nothing seemed out of the ordinary… so far. "I –Ryan, actually made reservations for us and some old friends. Do you guys have a table ready, yet?" She glanced back to the greeter, hoping that he did. Otherwise she'd be forced to sit on a bench next to the wall while they got a table ready.
The greeter looked surprised as Sharpay explained what was going up. "Um… actually, I never got that memo… did Mr. Evans leave the request up front?" Sharpay nodded and the greeter sighed. "Very well then, I'll get the tables ready. Please take a seat, Miss Evans, and I apologize for the inconveniences." The greeter forced a smile and then disappeared from his podium into a side room for employees.
Sharpay rolled her eyes and walked over to the bench. She slumped down into it and tied her daughter's dog's leash to the bench's arm. She then crossed her arms over her chest. This was the last thing she needed on a day like today –time to think.
Before Sharpay had much of a chance to think, though, a taller brunette man about her age came walking down the hallway. He walked up to the podium. When he seen no one was there he glanced around and spotted the benches. Slowly, he walked over to the bench and sat down next to Sharpay. "Excuse me, Miss…"
"Yeah?" Sharpay glanced over at him, letting her arms fall to her sides. Something about this man looked… familiar. Almost as if she had known him or met him once before.
"Do you know where the man working at the podium went? I'm here to meet some old friends and the woman at the front desk told me that Mr. and Miss Evans had already been there saying for us to meet at the dining hall. Is this the right location?" The man spoke quietly as if he was afraid that if he spoke too loud something would happen. Sharpay couldn't help but to notice how…nervous the man seemed.
"First off, this is the dining hall. Second of all, the greeter went to fill my request since I own this place. And finally…" Sharpay paused, taking in a deep breath. "Did you say you were here to meet up with some old friends?"
The man looked hesitant at first… but then as he heard Sharpay say she 'owned this place' he almost started to look… relieved. "Yes, I did…. Um… five old friends, actually, from high school."
Sharpay's heart nearly skipped a beat as she heard this. She glanced the man up and down taking in everything about him. Those beautiful blue eyes, shaggy brown hair, the worn red t-shirt, jeans, and denim jacket he was wearing… everything. Finally, just when the man didn't think she'd reply, she did. "You're… Bolton. Am I correct?"
"Well, actually, I prefer Troy." A rather confused look came onto the man's face. He knew that he knew the woman from somewhere… but where? The woman whose name came to mind wasn't a woman with brown hair –she had, had a very pretty light blond head of hair. But… that had been seven years ago; he supposed there was a small possibility she could've changed it… but why? "Do I… know you?"
Sharpay rolled her dark brown eyes and gave a small shrug. A challenging look came onto her face –a look that couldn't be replaced for anyone else's. "I don't know, do you?" Pausing, her eyes glanced back to the podium and then back to the man. This was definitely Troy Bolton. But, rather or not he would recognize her? Well, she decided to play some mind games with him. "Who do you think I am, Troy?" A challenging look came into her eyes as she asked this. Troy seemed to hesitate.
That look. It couldn't have been mistaken for anyone else's in the world. It was a look that, if given under the right circumstances, would haunt you for the next week. It was a look that only one person on Earth could muster… and that one person? "You're Sharpay Evans."
The challenging look was soon replaced with a soft smirk, and the only words escaping the brunette woman's lips were very simple. "The one and the only."
AN:
Alrighty, so that was pretty long. I hope you liked it, however. :) The pairings will be Ryella and Troypay for sure. Also, I updated this chapter and chapter one, in case you didn't yet notice. xD Enjoy!
Now, please do your think and review!