Chapter Fourteen

Ryan and Sharpay walked into East High the next day, Sharpay oddly quiet. Ryan had been worried about her yesterday, she had walked home and hadn't bothered to call him. He had never known a time where Sharpay would rather walk home and destroy her shoes than take a ride in a car. Something must have been wrong; she wouldn't even talk to him about it. Wouldn't even play the song she had been working on. He placed his arm around her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze as they walked down the hall.

Sharpay heard Troy and his friends before she even looked but, but when she did it was not what she expected. She lifted her head slowly, eyes locking with Troy's as she saw him walking down the hall in her direction.

Suddenly she was in a different place…Ryan was gone...

She was dressed in a long white, plain stola, carrying a large clay vase full of water. Her eyes were locked with those of Quintus Julius Trenus as he walked opposite her with his father. Time seemed to slow as they passed each other, eyes still locked, craning their necks over their shoulders to keep the other's gaze as long as possible.

Trenus was forced to look back ahead of him as his father continued to talk politics. Sericia looked down at the ground, she shouldn't have even been looking Trenus in the eyes, he was above her station and it was not proper protocol for a slave to look her master directly in the eye. But she couldn't help it, in that one moment she had felt such a connection with him…it was almost as if he had seen into her soul. She shook her head free of such silly fantasies, keeping her eyes firmly planted on the ground, gaze following the cracks in the floor till she was finally looking before her once again…

Sharpay was now looking straight ahead of her, trying her best to ignore Troy who was still looking back at her despite having walked past her in the hall. Her gaze had startled him, it was as if she had looked at him, but not seen him and it scared him.

He couldn't get her look out of his head all day. All he could do was think of her…it seemed like that was all he had been doing for a while. He tried to think back to when she had first taken Gabriella's place in his mind…knowing full well that she had been in his heart long before he'd met Gabriella. It seemed to him, the best he could figure, that he had started to think more and more on Sharpay since she broke up with Zeke.

His thoughts on her had gotten worse…she was invading his dreams as well. Almost every night for the last two weeks he had been dreaming of her…well, not her exactly…He'd been dreaming strange dreams of him and Sharpay…at least, he thought it was them. He could recognize himself well enough, and there always seemed to be a blonde woman with him…and a brunette occasionally…but more often then not it was a blonde…the only blonde Troy knew was Sharpay…

He shook his head clear of thoughts like that; Sharpay would think he was crazy if he mentioned that he'd been dreaming about them together near pyramids and in togas. She'd probably think he'd eaten something odd or watched Animal House too many times. His mouth started to water when he thought about Sharpay in a toga…even more when he imagined her in the Egyptian style clothing…more than once he'd woken up and had to change his sheets…

He shook his head once again, he really shouldn't be thinking like that…especially not in school where it was possible for a very, very embarrassing reaction to occur with the thought. The last thing he needed was for Chad or one of the guys from the team to ride him about thoughts of Gabriella…

He shuddered unconsciously at the thought. It wasn't that Gabriella wasn't a great girl, even a great girl friend…it was just…she was so nice…She never challenged him about anything, she always backed down when people raised their voices or stood up to her. She was always cheerful and never spoke her mind about anything that people might get offended by. She was all about honesty, but never really told anyone about what she thought…not like Sharpay.

Sharpay might come across as being really harsh…but she was just bluntly honest about every thing. If she didn't like something, she said it. If she thought something was stupid, she said it. She was a lot more considerate of other people's feelings now, making sure to gently tell the person what she thought, but she was still honest. She spoke her mind about everything, unafraid of what people would say. If she disagreed with something she would argue her point until the person relented or they agreed to disagree. She stood up for herself, sometimes having to do it too much…that was how she got labeled the ice queen.

Troy remembered when high school had just started; Sharpay had gotten made fun of so much because she had had to wear glasses. She had just gotten her braces removed and was sporting an award winning smile that seemed to put a shake in Troy's knees even then. But the upperclassmen had started to rag on her. She stood her ground, but eventually ended up getting contacts just so she could blend in…but then…they set their sights on Ryan…

That had been the last straw for Sharpay. Her and her brother had always dressed impeccably well, most likely a result of early parental influence. The upperclassmen had connected Ryan's neatness for…well…a sway in gender preference. They had started to call Ryan all kinds of crude, spiteful, harsh things. Gay, fag, pansy, homo…all of it. Sharpay had snapped! She could care less about what people said about her, but when they had gone after Ryan…she went, well, ape shit on them. It ended up with one senior having a concussion, a junior with a busted eardrum, another senior with some broken toes, and a few juniors with stains on their pants. The rest were literally running as far away from Sharpay as fast as humanly possible.

After that, the seniors and juniors never bothered with the Evans twins again…no one did. It had been harder for Sharpay than it had been for Ryan. She was a girl, she had just wanted to do what every other girl was doing, making friends, going out with boys, and just being a girl…but she couldn't do that…no one would give her the time of day, convinced she was a witch with a capital B. Ryan had stuck by her though, proud of what his sister had done for him. He personally didn't care what everyone thought of him, but Sharpay had, and she had gone out on a limb that broke out from under her.

Troy had never been able to make fun of Sharpay the way his friends had. It just didn't seem right to him. She had given up everything to protect her brother, sticking up for him when no one would. Secretly, he had been proud of her. He loved her courage, the fact that she had come to school the very next day and made it through. That was when he had truly started to notice her without fear of getting cooties.

He laughed to himself as he thought about the stupid first four years of elementary school. The cootie epidemic had hit Albuquerque hard. The boys and girls had been terrified to go near each other unless it was absolutely necessary. Ryan and Sharpay had stuck together; the cooties didn't affect siblings. He thought back to that time, just before the cooties started, to kindergarten. He smiled softly in reminiscence; Sharpay had been his first kiss. She had fallen off the monkey bars and scraped her elbow so he kissed her to make it better. He raised his fingers; brushing them across his lips as he recalled the memory…Sharpay had definitely become a better kisser.

Just then, as if sensing his thoughts, Sharpay walked by. Ms. Darbus had been absent again, which meant that play was canceled. Troy could only guess at where Sharpay was heading…the auditorium. It was her area to think, much like the science gardens were his.

He followed her silently, she was by herself, most likely giving Ryan the go ahead to go home. She did go to the auditorium, making it all the way to the stage before she even realized Troy had followed her.

"What do you want Bolton?" She snapped, hoping to scare him off.

Her eyes betrayed her however; Troy could see the vulnerability shinning in them. "I want to talk about what happened yesterday."

"It's in the past." She said, turning around, hoping to snuff him, "There's nothing we can do about it now."

"You're wrong," he said walking on stage as well, "We need to talk about it…about us…"

She let out a scoff, "There is no us."

Troy winced unconsciously at that, she had sounded so harsh…so sure that nothing would ever, could ever happen between them.

"There could be…" he said softly, watching her carefully for her reaction. Of all the words she had expected Troy to say…those had not been it…she stopped walking, shoulders heaving slightly as she took a shaky breath.

"Don't joke Troy." She said simply, before mentally smacking herself. She hadn't meant to say that…now Troy would know that she did want something to happen.

"I'm not," he said in all seriousness. "Did you feel anything yesterday?"

Sharpay looked over her shoulder at him; he was so serious…did he truly want to be with her? She sighed about to nod her head when she shook it, she couldn't let him know…she couldn't give him hope. "Nothing."

Troy's eyes narrowed, she was lying. He didn't know how he knew, but he did, and he didn't question it. "You're lying."

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "And why would you think that?" she asked, "Your huge ego may not believe this, but you aren't god's gift to women Troy."

He rolled his eyes as well at her tone, why was she being so difficult. "And you're not the greatest thing to grace the eyes of men either!"

"How dare you!?" she said marching right up to him. "Let me tell you something Troy," she spat, poking him, "You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about alright. I do, and I'm telling you there is not now, nor will there ever be anything between us."

"You don't believe that." He said simply, grabbing her hand before she could poke him again. "I know you don't." He looked down at her hand; goosebumps were rising on her skin.

"Let go of me." She said dangerously.

"Why should I?" he asked staring her down as she did him.

Sharpay ripped her hand away from his, "Just go back to your girlfriend Troy."

"I don't want to!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the empty auditorium.

Sharpay gaped and stared at him. "You don't mean that," she said shakily.

"Yeah," he said defiantly, "I do."

"No…" Sharpay said starting to glare at him. Why couldn't he just walk away from this, "You don't."

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do." Troy said glaring at her as well.

"Leave." Sharpay ordered, "Leave right now."

"No," Troy said, standing his ground.

"Troy just get out of here!" Sharpay shouted.

"Why the hell should I?" Troy challenged.

"God, why won't you just leave!?" Sharpay yelled at him.

"Because we're supposed to be together!" Troy shouted, face now red from all the screaming they had been doing. Why couldn't Sharpay just accept that he had feelings for her?

Sharpay's breath hitched as her eyes filled with more tears. She could feel her bones tremble at those words. It was true, they were supposed to be together, "We can't…" she whispered.

"Why not?" Troy whispered as well, eyeing her curiously, he could see it in her eyes she wanted this too, so why was she refusing?

She shook her head, "It isn't meant to be…" she said softly, sounding as if she were trying to convince herself more than Troy.

"Like hell it isn't!" Troy shouted, making Sharpay jump. Her head snapped up to see him breathing heavily. "It has to be…" he said softly, sensing Sharpay's fear at his sudden outburst. "Otherwise I'd be able to stop thinking about you…"

Sharpay just looked at him, shock evident in her eyes. Troy smirked a little, she hadn't been expecting that. Now was his chance to make her see, to make her understand, "I don't know what's going on…" he started, "It's like you've invaded my mind. You're all I can think about, you're all I can dream about. Every night I see your face haunting me in my dreams and all day I see you smiling and laughing with someone who isn't me and it's driving me crazy that you're so close to me and I can't have you!" He was ranting now, pacing the stage as Sharpay's eyes followed his movements, but he didn't care. "I just don't understand it! How did you do it? It's like you managed to worm your way under my skin and I don't even want you out! You managed to sneak into my thoughts, and now I can't even concentrate on anything because all I'm thinking about is what you might be doing at that same time. If you were thinking about me. If you were with some other boy! And this feeling…I feel this pull whenever I'm around you…it's like I have to be with you, to be near you, just to see you…whenever I'm around you…it's like the nothing else matters! It's like I can do anything, be anybody I want to be. It's like I'm truly able to break free…"

"You can break free with anybody," she said softly, almost too softly for Troy to hear her.

He shook his head, "But I want to do it with you…"

Sharpay shook her head again, as if trying to firm her resolve, "It isn't meant to be…"

"If it wasn't meant to be you wouldn't feel anything when I do this!" he stalked his way towards her with purpose. He grabbed her cheek and pulled her face up to meet his. Their lips locked and passion took over. They stayed that way for a minute or two, locked in a soul-searing kiss. "You wouldn't feel anything…" he whispered when he pulled away.

He was breathing heavily, waiting for something…some sign from Sharpay to indicate that she had felt something. Sharpay sighed and looked away, she had felt something…something amazing…but then the harsh reality of it all played before her eyes.

"I cannot!" Subira shouted, tears clouding her vision as she tried to refuse the pharaoh's marriage offer. "I am a god wife!"

"And I am the god king!" Tehuti shouted as well, thankful that he had sent the guards to wait outside the room. "The gods themselves smile upon this union."

"It cannot be!" Subira shouted again, "I am a priestess of Amun I am not allowed to…"

Her words died off, cut off by Tehuti's lips on her own. Subira felt her heart speed up just as Tehuti pulled away from her. She had never experienced anything close to passion like that.

Tehuti sighed, "You once said that nothing mattered but what I thought was right…I think…I know that this is right. This is meant to be."

Subira looked away unable to speak. Tehuti gently placed his thumb under her chin and turned her head to face him. "Was I not right in not murdering the riot leaders? Was that not the right decision?"

Subira felt a tear fall from her eye, which Tehuti wiped away before it could drag her black eye marks with it. She was too weak to deny her affections for the pharaoh. She looked into his eyes before murmuring softly, "One cannot be right about everything…"

He hadn't been right; their union had led to his downfall. She knew what happened in each of her memories…she knew where it all would lead. In each memory they had died…not from natural causes, not from old age…they had been killed or died before they even got to be together. She couldn't do it…she just couldn't…she wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to Troy because of her…which seemed to happen often in her memories. She didn't want him to die because of her.

She let out a sigh before looking up into his eyes…and cursing herself for her foolishness…she never should have done that. Those sparkling pools of sapphires stared deep into her own, capturing her gaze. She couldn't have pulled herself away even is she wanted to…and at that moment there was nothing more she wanted to do than to stare into the blue eyes she knew so well.

"What do we do now Troy?" she asked shakily.

He smiled a 100-watt smile before pulling her into his embrace. He grinned into her hair, inhaling her scent. He pulled away smiling down at her, earning a soft smile from her as well. He looked deep into her sky blue eyes, sparkling with unshed tears.

"What do we do now Troy?" she repeated.

That seemed to get through to him, his smiled faded slightly. He looked down for a moment, "I…have no idea…" he admitted. He had only really thought out what he could possibly say to Sharpay and that was a far as he'd gotten.

Sharpay closed her eyes in thought, leaning her head against Troy's chest. "Gabriella's one of my best friends, I don't want her to get hurt."

Troy closed his eyes as well, hugging her tightly to him, "I don't either…she's a nice girl."

"So what can we do?" Sharpay asked.

They were both silent for a few minutes, each trying to think of some way to get through this whole mess. Neither wanted Troy to break it off with Gabriella just like that…it would crush her. They didn't want her to get hurt but it seemed inevitable since she cared about Troy…

"What if…we keep it a secret?" Troy asked, looking at Sharpay. He could see hurt flash quickly through her eyes, and he knew she thought he wanted to keep it a secret because of her. "I'll stop spending time with Gabriella…drift away I guess. After a few days, it won't matter that much whether we break up or not because we wouldn't have been spending time together…then we can come out as a couple."

Sharpay thought about it for a moment or two. If Troy drifted, Gabriella might care less about him…or at least it might not hurt her as much as it could. The only problem that Sharpay could see was keeping it a secret. She knew that every time she saw Troy she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and stay there…and she was fairly certain that he felt the same way…especially because, she had noticed, whenever he saw her he would smile.

She took a breath before nodding her head in agreement; "It might work…" she trailed.

Troy nodded as well, "I hope it does." With that, he took her hand and the two walked out of the school, making sure that no one was there.

A/N – Next chapter will explain just what Chad and Taylor were doing in the auditorium the other day. It also involves suspicions arising as to the object of Troy's affections. It also might include an explanation for the death of Sericia of Rome. I'm so excited; this chapter marks the half way point of the story! It's half way over…tear…