Ready Or Not

People look at me in the halls and they sneer, they all speak about me behind my back apart from the friends I made after the winter musicale. Even then nobody knows what kind of a life I am secretly living at home, and nobody can find out either. I walk slowly now, and they all stop to stare because they are shocked I am not acting like the Ice Queen. Nobody understands how I managed tomake these friends, Gabriella, Troy, Taylor and Chad. But I figured out that if I just let them in then it will be okay because there will be other people to speak to instead of just Ryan. I reached my locker and opened it slowly, I felt like everything was in slow motion today and that was strange. Behind me I could hear the whispers and I looked at myself in the mirror, they hadn't noticed had they? They hadn't seen the marks underneath the make-up have they? I checked thoroughly, trying to be careful not to touch the sensitive skin, checking I had covered the dark bruises on my face, neck, chest, arms with plenty of make-up. Nobody could see, they must just be speaking about something else I managed to conclude.

"Hey!" Came a happy voice from behind me, instantly I knew who it was and turned around. His face fell. "Whats wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." I shook my head and turned away again, I began to walk away and I felt an arm on my wrist stop me.

"C'mon Shar thats not like you. Whats going on?" He asked again and I shook my head, he didn't know that this really is like me. He wasn't to know that I had suffered at the hands of my father so bad this morning that I just couldn't bear to put on a fake mask today. He couldn't read my thoughts and realise that the only reason I came to school was to get away from the hell I lived in at home. No, he didn't know. And I wasn't about to tell him either.

"Nothing Troy. Just leave it." I said and wriggled my wrist free, even though it was in complete agony from the tight hold it had been put through this morning. I walked away and tried to get on with the day.

It wasn't easy.

I spent the rest of the day mostly in a daze, I didn't feel like getting involved in any heated discussions like I usually liked to, I didn't stop and glare at anyone while they spoke and whispered about me; I just walked on by. It was all a blur, surreal stressful blur but it was so much better than home. Which was why I was dreading going home that afternoon. I walked out of the school and it appeared that most people had already left - no surprise since I had been in the theatre preparing for this years winter musicale - I knew my father would be angry now that I had left late and I thanked my lucky stars Ryan was staying with our mother tonight. I got into the car, my little sanctuary and closed the door, taking a little moment to rest and breathe.

I watched my mother leave with her suitcase, she looked sad to be going. I was angry, I knew if she was sad to go she shouldn't go and leave me and Ryan here. She had already said that we culd go with her, but I didn't want to and since Ryan had said he would only go if I went, he wasn't going either. She said she didn't know how long she would be gone for but she would be away for a while. I crossed my arms and pouted at her, father was already an emotional wreck as it was and I knew her leaving would only make it worse. A lot worse. She was being so insensitive why couldn't she see that?

"Sharpay...don't look at me like that.." My mother said with sad eyes, and I didn't change my look or say a word. I wasn't pouting sadly, it was angry. She tried to redeem herself, "Your father has become hard to live with Sharpay. And if you don't come with my now exactly the same thing will happen to you."
I knew she was referring to her black eye, she was right father had been drinking a lot more than usual these days but I just scoffed and dismissed it, as if that kind of thing would ever happen to me.

If only I knew how wrong I was.

I sighed and rested my head right back against the seat, pushing the memories away. My mind faded and tried to black parts out, it didn't want to remember and wouldn't let me.

I walked in from school, it was around three weeks after mother had left and the house reeked of cigarette smoke. I coughed and dropped by bag down in the corner by the hall and walked slowly over to the sitting room, the smell getting stronger as I went. I could hear music, mom and dads favourite song I realised as I opened the door I saw in the smoke-filled room my very drunken father. It wasn't like I wasn't terribly used to the sight but by the looks of the vodka, brandy and rum bottles lying around I could tell that he was a lote drunker than normal. He looked at me standing in the doorway and laughed to himself, I'll never know why but he did and I wrinkled my nose in distaste.

"Dad, you're drunk." I hissed and he laughed again.

"Dad!" I cried out and he gave me a dirty look.

"Guess...what happened today..." He mumbled, he was barely understandable but somehow I managed.

"What happened?" I asked, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms across my chest.

"Your mother...came back into town...got a pretty lil' flat...divorcing me." He slurred. My heart hammered in my chest and I felt bile rise up my throat.

"And?"
"Ryan...living with her." He mumbled and his head lolled forward. I wasn't surprised, Ryan always had liked her better than their father. I sighed and uncrossed my arms. My father looked at me, "You'll never leave me will you princess?"

"No dad...I won't." I nodded and assured him.

"Promise?" His eyes were so sad, they broke my heart.

"I promise."

That was why I never had, I never ran off to my mothers, I never told anybody because of some twisted loyalty to my father. He is blood-related to me, and I cannot break that no matterr how many times he chooses to break me. I let him do it because it is his only release, he calls it a game sometimes. Our little game he says, Hide and Seek he will shout as he comes to find me "ready or not here I come!" and I will freak out and try to find a better hiding place than the last, no use hiding where I hid last time because he always checks there first to make sure. To me it is life or death, to him it is but a simple game. Ryan doesn't go to fathers house anymore, he hates it there and I only see him properly at school. I never go to my mothers house, that would be disobeying my fathers trust I feel. I don't know why.

I drive home as slowly as possible, my heart thudding loudly against the fragily ribcage. Father often forgets to eat and buy food, so I have to do it and sometimes I just can't be bothered so I letmyself go hungry, theres nothing wrong with that because I can always eat at school, I have worse matters to worry about than food. Once I am home I sit in the car for a while, wondering what lies ahead of me and how the rest of the evening will play out. I get out of the car with all the energy I can muster and as boldly as I can walk up the path and into the house, I slam the door behind me.

"Hello?" I called, looking around. The house was its normal dingy way, too dark and it smelt of tobacco, alcohol and sweat. It sickened me but I was much too used to it to care. I heard a shuffling in the kitchen and walked up the long hallway to the door at the end. Pushing the door open slowly I wrinkled my nose at the mess in the room, unwashed dishes, dirty laundry on the floor - mainly his, I took the time to wash mine - and tins sprawled across the counter. I stepped forward only to find a fist come into contact with my face, and I blacked out.

Only for a minute though, because the next thing I knew I was being hauled up into a chair by the huge force that is my father. I groggily looked at him, he reeked of the alcohol and cigarrettes but I don't think her cared anymore. He stank of sweat too but the others cancelled that out more or less. He certainly looked angry and that was a risk I wasn't about to take. I was out of there like a shot and racing up the stairs, I didn't hear any movement from downstairs.
The game had begun.

I looked frantically around for a hiding place, there seemed to be nowhere to go at all. Until it occurred to me as I rushed into my bedroom and opened the window, I was half way out and half on the roof when I remembered, being outside would attract attention and I didn't want to do that. No, I couldn't. I slowly climbed back inside and shut the window. Then I heard it.

"Ready or not here I come!" Came the deep voice from downstairs, echoeing through the empty halls and rooms. I gasped in a panic. He was looking for me and I had nowhere to hide.

So here is the first chapter and I hope you all liked it. I'm trying to explore a darker side to High School Musical, if there is one. Anyway I like this so you all better too. Thank you for reveiwing folks! And again
R&R

Coop
XxX