Chapter 15 Tell a Friend/ A Test of Friendship

Sharpay looked nervously at her watch, it was 8.59am and she was waiting for the chemists to open. She glanced around nervously to see if anyone she knew was about – they weren't. A few minutes later the door was unlocked by a friendly looking woman who greeted Sharpay with a warm smile as she scurried inside.

"How can I help you?" the woman asked Sharpay, who was walking around she shop but not looking at anything in particular. "I need…erm…" Sharpay said, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Would you be needing one of these?" the woman said, handing her a little box, a box that would decide her future. She nodded and paid for the item, "Thanks…" she smiled weakly at the woman before leaving the shop.

Ryan sat nervously on the sofa, he had gotten up to find Sharpay gone. She had been gone for an hour now and he was thinking about going to look for her, but decided against it in case she came home while he was out looking. Instead, he decided to call Gabi to see if she had seen Sharpay, "Hi Gabi," he said to his friend, "…I was just wondering if you had seen Sharpay this morning?" he asked hopefully.

"Sorry Ryan, I haven't seen her since the pool party…why d'you ask?" she asked him.

"Cos when I woke up, she wasn't in her room, or anywhere else…she's gone…" he said, worry taking him over.

"D'you want me to come round Ryan?" she asked sympathetically.

"If you wouldn't mind…" Ryan said.

"Course not…I'll be right over…" she said, "C'ya soon."

"C'ya…" Ryan said and hung up the phone.

Just after he put the phone down, the door slammed and he saw Sharpay quickly run up the stairs to her room. He quickly followed her, but found that she'd barricaded herself in. He just knocked on her door, "Sharpay…what's up…please tell me…" he said worriedly, when there was no reply he said, "Please talk to me, or at least let me in." There was still no answer after ten minutes of him knocking on her door, eventually he just slid down and sat up against her door.

Ryan sat with his knees pushed up against his chest and his head on his knees, he wondered what on earth could be so bad that she wouldn't talk to her own brother. After a while, the doorbell rang and Ryan went to answer it, it was Gabi, "Oh hey Gabi," he said smiling at her, "…Sharpay just got back, but she's locked herself in her room and won't talk to me…" he said sadly. She nodded, "Let me go try talk to her, you just stay down here and I'll go try get her to let me in her room." He nodded and sat on the sofa while Gabriella went upstairs to Sharpay.

Gabi knocked on Sharpay's bedroom door, "Sharpay, its Gabi, please open up…" she called through her door. She put her head against the door and just heard a little sniffle before the door slowly opened and revealed a pale watery eyed looking Sharpay. The door opened a little wider as Sharpay let Gabi into her room, Gabi went and sat on her bed whilst Sharpay just stood near her desk looking out of the window.

"So what's the matter?" Gabi quizzed Sharpay, who just sniffled again. "Please tell me…Ryan and me - we're really worried about you…you haven't been yourself over the past few days…" Sharpay just sniffled again, and Gabi walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "You know you can tell me anything, and if you want, I don't have to tell Ryan…" Sharpay nodded her head slowly and took a deep breath, "Gabi…if I tell you…you have to promise not to tell Ryan…"

"I promise."

"Well…I took this earlier…that's why I went out and…" Sharpay said walking towards the bathroom, Gabi following her. They reached the bathroom and Gabi knew exactly what Sharpay was talking about, there on the side of the sink was a pregnancy test. "Is it…?" Gabi said walking slowly over to look at it, Sharpay just shrugged her shoulders, "I couldn't bear to see if it was positive or not…" she said nervously. Gabriella nodded and picked it up, "Sharpay…it's positive," Gabi said in a whisper barely loud enough for her friend to hear.

Ryan was sat outside Sharpay's door again, he had been listening to her and Gabriella's conversation, but only bits of it; "Well…I took this earlier…that's why I went out and…"

He really wanted to know what they were talking about but equally didn't want to upset his sister by barging in her room, so in the end he had decided to just stay sat by her door.

"So…what are you going to do?" Gabi asked her friend who was now sat next to her on the bed, Gabi with her arm around Sharpay's shoulders as she put her head in her hands. "I really don't know…" Sharpay whispered, "I can't tell mom and dad cos then they'd want to know who the father is, and I can't tell Ryan cos he'd freak…"

"So it's defiantly Ryan's?" Gabriella asked.

Sharpay nodded her head slightly, "He's my first and only to have, you know…so I can't tell anyone cos they'd want to know who was the father…and you know what they'd do if they found out…" Sharpay cried quietly. Gabi nodded and tightened her embrace with Sharpay, "Don't worry, you have me…" Gabi said, "And you know I won't tell anyone, not even Ryan if you don't want me to…"

"Thanks," Sharpay managed to smile a little at her friend, "I just think it would freak him out too much…especially if he knew it was his…" she whispered.

"So…what are you going to do then?" Gabi asked again more urgently. Sharpay sat up, "I think I'm gonna have to sort this one out myself…"

"If you're sure…" Gabi said.

Sharpay nodded, "I got myself into this mess, so I'm gonna get myself out of it…"

"That's not strictly true, "You and Ryan actually got you into this situation…and I'm not gonna force you, but I really think it would be a good idea if you told him…"

Eventually the door opened and both girls emerged, they noticed a sleeping Ryan by the side of the door and they both just sighed and rolled their eyes at him.