Chapter Ten

A/N – This chapter may be a little short, so might the next one, but the one after should be long enough :) I was sick yesterday, so I pretty much wrote all day...and slept, I'm finished the next chapter and will edit and post it tomorrow.

The next day, Thursday, was the most awkward, strange day any of the group had ever had…and it all revolved around Sharpay. She had been unnaturally quiet all day, and that wasn't even it. When they talked about something that they knew would interest her, she merely shrugged and went back to whatever it was that she was doing. She stared at almost everything, almost like she had never seen it before or was rediscovering it. The strangest thing of all was that she skipped musical practice that afternoon…just walked out of the school doors and went home.

She barely paid attention during class and hardly listened to anything that anyone said. When they tried to call her in the hallway, they'd had to call her like five times before she turned to face them, and when she had she looked kinda embarrassed and confused. But none of them knew why.

She was out of it the next day too, barely paying attention to anyone. It was a good thing that everyone was used to parting for her when she walked otherwise she would have crashed into people.

Troy was slightly worried about her, it was Friday night and he was sitting backstage watching Sharpay sit sullenly in her chair as they waited for their acts to be called. The Talent Show had started about an hour and a half ago and they weren't allowed in the audience until after they'd performed.

She looked so sad, lost, and confused that Troy had to get up from his chair and sit next to her. She barely acknowledged that he'd sat down next to her. "Hey…" he started.

She looked up, seeing him sitting there before looking away. "Hi."

He watched her carefully; he knew something was wrong, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she said, still not looking at him, "Why do you ask?"

"Maybe cause you won't look at me." Only after he'd said that did he realize what he had said. And after that, he realized the truth in his words. For nearly two days, she had looked at everyone…except him. She'd look them in the eye when they'd talk to her, but when he did…she looked away. He'd tried to talk to her that morning and had managed to catch her eye for only a moment before she looked away. But before she did, he could have sworn he'd seen pain in her eyes. Not physical pain…but she was in pain…and he didn't know why…and it annoyed him so much that he didn't know what was hurting her so badly.

Sharpay felt guilty, she knew that she should look at Troy; pretend, act, do something to make him think she was ok…but she couldn't. She had never been able to act around Troy…never. There had been so many thoughts flying through her head for days now, and she was still trying to sort them out and figure out what they mean. The most she had been about to figure so far was that the memories were real…but she didn't know how…and she knew that they were affecting her. She hadn't been able to look at Troy, every time she did she saw him with Gabriella and her heart would break.

She had always had a crush on Troy…for the last few years it had developed past the crush stage into something more serious. After that weird dream, she had no doubts that she loved him with everything she had…but he didn't love her. He was with Gabriella and it hurt her so badly. The memories, the feelings she got, told her that she was supposed to be with Troy…that they were supposed to be together…but they weren't…and she was having a hard time dealing with that fact.

She looked down when she felt a hand touch hers. She saw Troy resting his hand over hers, squeezing it in a comforting gesture. She glanced up to see him smiling softly at her, offering her the support that she so desperately needed. She looked him right in the eyes for the first time in days…and nearly gasped. An emotion that she never thought she'd see on Troy's face flashed across his eyes. Hope blossomed within her as she smiled softly.

She was about to say something to him to explain herself to him when one of the backstage crewmembers called that she was up after the next act. She gave Troy an apologetic smile before getting up to wait on deck.

Troy sat there for a while, thinking on Sharpay's strange behavior. The room they were waiting in connected to the back of the stage. The doors were left open so everyone was as quiet as they could be while the acts went on. He shut his eyes when he heard Sharpay called on stage. He smiled softly as he listened to her singing her song. It was one from Evanescence, but he wasn't sure which one, he couldn't really hear the words over the music, but he could hear her singing…she sounded just like Amy Lee.

He waited a few minutes after Sharpay had finished for her to come back into the room…but she didn't. He brushed it off that she must have just gone straight to sit in the audience. He frowned at that thought, he'd been hoping he could talk to her, it seemed like she had just been about to talk to him before.

Pretty soon it was his turn to go on. He looked out at the audience when the music started up, catching sight of his father but not Sharpay. He'd asked his parents to come to the talent show; his song was mostly for them. It was the only way he could think to get through to his father with out causing a scene since he didn't listen when they talked.

"I'm tired of being what you want me to be. Feeling so faith less, lost under the surface. Don't know what you're expecting of me, put under the pressure of walking in your shoes. Every step that I take is another mistake to you…" Troy sang, trying to keep his eyes off his father. It didn't work, he was singing to him after all. He was the one he needed to get through to.

"I've become so numb I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. I'm becoming this, all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you." He took a quick breath before continuing, "Can't you see that you're smothering me? Holding too tightly, afraid to loose control? Cause everything that you thought I would be is falling apart, right in front of you. Every step that I take is another mistake to you…" Troy was getting angry. At first he'd just been singing, but now he was sure he'd end up screaming the words just to get his point across. "And every second I waste is more than I can take." Troy let go of the microphone, still in the stand before him, to grab at the hair on his head, screaming in frustration.

He let go of his hair quickly, grabbing the stand again; "I've become so numb I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. I'm becoming this, all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you." He pulled the mic from the stand, holding close to his face with one hand, holding out the other one in a 'what do you want from me' gesture as he continued. "And I know I may end up failing too. But I know, you were just like me when someone disappointed you! I've become so numb I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware, I'm becoming this all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you. I've become so numb I can't feel you there. I'm tired of being what you want me to be. I've become so numb I can't feel you there. I'm tired of being what you want me to be."

Troy quickly handed the mic off to the MC before stalking off the stage. He walked through the side doors, nearly slamming them behind him. That song…whenever he listened to it, he felt he could relate to it…but when he sang it, it just got him so angry because it reminded him that he was stuck behind just like his father. He was happy that he'd heard that song, Numb, by Linkin Park, without it…he didn't know how he'd deal with his father.

He punched one of the lockers before him, glad that the hallway was empty. He let out a deep breath, closing his eyes and resting his head on the cool metal when he heard something.

"And I know…" a soft voice sang behind him. He opened his eyes. "I may end up failing too, but I know you were just like me when someone disappointed you…"

Troy turned to see Sharpay standing meekly behind him, finally looking him in the eyes. "That was for your dad, wasn't it?"

Troy nodded, "Yeah it was…"

Sharpay nodded as well, "It seems like we were both singing songs meant for other people to hear." With that she gave him a meaningful look before turning and heading back to the stage area.

Troy looked curiously at the door she just walked through. Did she…had she sung to him? His eyes widened with the realization. He quickly jogged down the hall to where the programs were stacked. He managed to grab one just as the people started to come out of the auditorium. He had been the last one to go, so of course everyone was leaving now.

He rolled up the program, about to read it when he saw his parents standing by the pay phones near the main office. His gaze locked with his fathers…his dad appeared to be apologetic for something. He let out a sigh before heading over to them.

Sharpay stood near the edge of the crowd just watching as everyone walked by her, happy that she was fading into the background. Her gaze drifted over to where Troy was standing with his parents. She squinted slightly; he was nodding to what his father was saying a large grin on his face. His father smiled before holding out a hand, which Troy gladly shook.

"You ready?" a voice asked from behind her. Sharpay turned to see Ryan standing behind her. She glanced at Troy quickly before turning back to Ryan and nodding.

Troy was ecstatic! His idea worked! His father finally got the message that they were two different people. He promised to lay off with the acting comments and agreed to go easier on him with basketball. He'd said that the last thing he wanted to do was push his own son away.

He collapsed on his bed, rolling over slightly when he felt something sticking into his back. He pulled out the rolled up program and remembered Sharpay's words. He quickly tossed the small pamphlet open and found Sharpay's name. 'Taking Over Me' was listed by her name. He jumped off his bed, running to his CD case and grabbing his Evanescence CD. He popped it into his CD player and went straight to the song, listening intently to the words as they played.

You don't remember me, but I remember you
I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you
But who can decide what they dream, and dream I do

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you
To live, to breathe
You're taking over me

Have you forgotten all I know, and all we had
You saw me mourning my love for you, and touched my hand
I knew you loved me then

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you
To live, to breathe
You're taking over me

I look in the mirror and see your face
If I look deep enough
So many things inside that are
Just like you are taking over

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you
To live, to breathe
You're taking over me

I believe in you
(I believe in you)
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you
To live, to breathe
You're taking over me (taking over me)
You're taking over me (taking over me)
Taking over me

Troy sat back, shutting off the player in the process. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, if that song was meant for him to hear…then Sharpay was trying to tell him something…but he didn't know what…

A/N – Next chapter is a Saturday practice where tensions and jealousy run high among the gang…leading to an interesting, though hard to follow, argument…