Round #2: Be Her Perfect Date

It was Monday, the day when the gang had decided to hold their formal meeting. Much had gone on last week. First of all, there was this emergency meeting at Troy's house where Chad had urgently proposed a special clause he had forgotten at the description of the mission: "nobody should kiss Sharpay, because this is an early round, and after the final it might be awkward knowing that all your best friends have kissed your girlfriend. Everyone agreed and they passed the special clause.

Then, it was the five dates with Sharpay! At today's meeting everyone claimed they were successful, including even Coach Bolton! Chad and Jason had persuaded Sharpay by claiming it was a friendly date, while Troy and Mark had played out the hang out card. But…enough with the words! Let's see what the contestants had to say out for themselves. The first contestant who stood up was Mark Sindall.,

"I am sure I did beat all of you!" Mark affirmed with a cunning smile across his lips. "There couldn't be a best date for a girl –ever. Sharpay had adored the flowers I sent her, so she agreed without further thinking to come with me to White Satin…"

"You mean Albuquerque's most posh gourmet restaurant?" Chad interrogated. "That must have cost you a fortune!"

"Oh yes! I spent all of my allowance, but Sharpay totally deserves it! You should be there to see how happy she looked. She ordered sea food, some kind of shrimps and exotic calamari. Apparently she is a little spoiled heiress, I mean have you seen the Evans' mansion? She must have felt right at home, because she couldn't stop telling me how romantic that was, how she enjoyed the food, how eclectic my taste was. She chatted and laughed, and after a glass of champagne, she became really flirty! Sorry for you guys, but it just seems that I'm an early winner."

"You are not!" Jack Bolton intervened drastically. "I am still in the game and I think I did great on my date."

"How could you possibly manage to have a date with Sharpay?" Troy asked. "I mean, did you reveal your identity to her? If so, how did she… accept? You are way too old to seduce her."

"Relax, my boy! I think I have my way with women," the coach laughed. "I did quite a research on Ms. Sharpay Evans before I dated her. Did you know, for instance, how the Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber is her favourite musical? When I learnt, after checking her essay folder at the teachers' lounge, I made sure to recreate her favourite scene."

"What do you mean by that?" Chad was curious.

"It was easy. The secret admirer left a note in Sharpay's locker, telling her to come her eyes blindfolded into the school cafeteria… after school, for a surprise would be attending. The surprise was recorded piano music, I put in the megaphones and we started to dance. She said it was an unforgettable experience and that she longed to meet me. I made sure she couldn't see me, so I became her Phantom and she was my Satine…"

"Dad, it's not Satine… It's Christine. Satine comes from another musical…" Troy corrected his father.

"Son, do I look like Darbus to you? I don't give a damn if it's Nadine or Pauline. She liked it, that's all. After all, I always considered musicals to be kind of gay."

"Really?" Troy replied back. "Too bad she adores them. I on the other hand," he went on, as it was his turn to speak, "invested on her other great love, which is sports. Sharpay may not be tall enough for basketball, and I don't have any access to elite sailing or tennis clubs, where she usually trains but don't forget I used to work as a caddy in the Laguna Golfing Club. Now you should know Sharpay loves golf too; she even has her own cart! So, we sneaked in at night and…"

"You played golf?" Zeke asked impatiently. "Why on Earth would you go on a date with the hottest girl in East High only to play golf?"

"We didn't play golf, you silly!" Troy resumed. "It was late in the evening, so there were far better things to do. We sat near the seventeenth hole and I offered her some iced tea. Then we chatted and laughed and have a way good time under the stars. I really wanted to kiss her, I was desperate, but then I remembered our deal: no kissing in this round. So, I had to turn my face in regret when she leaned next to me, sparkling with desire under that full moon…"

"Sparkling with desire under that full moon?" Jason mocked. "Guys, what makes you think that Sharpay is a romantic kind of girl? We had fun together, and it was not at all like pink fairies and handsome princes on white horses! I took her to the cinema and then we went bowling and she couldn't stop giggling the entire time! I'm telling you, she loved every second of it!"

"What movie did you see?" Chad asked, just to make his point.

"Em, I think it was Shrek the Third! I repeat, she is not the little princess or the Paris Hilton you think she is. She's a funny, laid-back girl who appreciates comedy. And she's pretty decent at bowling too! She constantly hit strikes and turkeys and when she hit a spare she took a really funny sad pose! At first, she was a little afraid not to break any nails but then… she beat me."

"You got beaten by a girl?" Mark's eyes opened wide.

"Not any kind of girl!" Jason smiled proudly.

"Dude, you got beaten by a girl!" Chad exclaimed. "How pathetic can that be? I agree on you on how a date with Sharpay should be anti-romantic, but then you should listen to my version of it. I got Sharpay to a dance club, where we –what else- danced together. She enjoys music, so what's more perfect for our little musical girl than dancing? She was awesome but then she said I amazed her with my moves!"

"So, what happened next?" Troy asked.

"Nothing really, except she said she had the time of her life," the boy added on. "I just think that the beautiful things in life, like dancing give the greatest pleasure!"

"All right," Coach Bolton summed up. "If everyone has finished, I suggest getting on with the voting. Zeke, last round's looser should be allowed to start first."

"Let's see," the talented baker said. "First of all, I have some cookies with me. Anyone want any? Well, don't look at me like that! I'll nominate Coach Bolton first. Your strategy was awesome sir, but you should direct a girl directly, even if she shouts: "Evaporate, tall person!" See? Then, I'll nominate Troy, because the golf idea is absurd.

"I," Chad started, "nominate you again, Mr. Bolton, for similar reasons and Jason because I'd never take a girl like Sharpay to watch Shrek!"

"You should be nominated, dad" Troy burst in, "and Mark too."

"Zeke is right, Coach, you should have been direct and sincere. That's the whole point", Mark said. "Troy, I'll nominate you too. You are good competition, you know!"

"Mr. Bolton and Chad," Jason added. "This is because he said I get beaten by a girl."

"Fine then," Jack bit his lip. "My picks are Troy and Jason. This means that I am nominated to leave with 5 votes and Troy comes second with 3 votes. So I guess this is a father and son thing."

Troy didn't respond. This was unfair. He had done his best. Sharpay had come close to kissing him. He believed himself as a favourite to win the race, after all. As the meeting was dismissed, he went straight to homeroom. He was the first to enter the class, or not?

"Hey, Troy!" he listened to a voice he adored behind him. "How are you? You know, I still can't forget our evening together, in the golf course. It was fantastic. Too bad it was not a date. I must say it felt like one…"

Her eyes blinked and Troy wanted to see her old crush on him still there. But then, he couldn't tell. Sharpay stood up, gave him her best smile which made her all beautiful and sexy and awesome… there was definitely something there wasn't it? On the other hand, that was the way Sharpay behaved naturally, flirting without stop? Or was it something special? Troy was confused.

The magic was still there. The blonde approached him with small paces. Troy went towards her. Let alone that stupid competition, he knew it was time to kiss her. Or again, wasn't it?

"Troy! Here you are!" he heard another familiar voice. As the bell rang, Gabriella rushed into the classroom, towards Troy and hugged him with all her strength. "I missed you, sweetykins! How was basketball practice? Did you have a great time? Hi, Sharpay!"

Troy let a sigh. Sharpay raised her right eyebrow and sat in her desk, soon to be followed by Ryan. Troy sat near Gabriella and soon Mrs. Darbus came in. That had been really close to magic, Troy thought as he relaxed his body over his desk, preparing himself for a boring school period.

Author's Note: You can start voting again. This time it's Troy VS Jack, father VS son! Hehe, that's an easy one, isn't it? I support Troy, because Troypay is love! But what is important is what you support. So, don't forget to vote! Our contestants are dead anxious! Love you all and hope to see you soon!