Author's Note: we hope you enjoy this chap, it's my favourite so far, so enjoy, A

♥♥♥

Chapter Four

Borrowed Chocolate Ice Cream

5…4…3…2…BRING!

The lunch bell rang, and Sharpay was never more nervous than she was now. She gathered her things and took a quick glance at Ryan. He sent her back a reassuring smile, and the duo headed towards the auditorium together.

-

"Alright, now for the pair auditions!" Ms. Darbus' voice rang clearly through the giant auditorium. "First up: Cassandra Vega and Jason Henderson!"

Ryan and Sharpay were the last pair to audition. There were 3 other pairs ahead of them, and as each couple finished, Sharpay could feel the knot in her stomach grow more and more.

"Alas, the final pairs audition! Oh? This sure is an interesting pair…Ryan and Sharpay Evans!"

Ryan led Sharpay to the stage, Sharpay quickly ran through the song in her head. And when she finished, she was standing in the middle of the stage with a microphone in her hand. That was when the music started.

So long
Farewell
Hello, to the new me
The better me

That's right
My Life...

21, and I've realized,
Everything you want's not meant to be.
21 then you qualify,
The standard to responsibilities.
So I tried to prioritize
By deciding what I know is best for me.

And then there's always, love that tries to trip you up.
You try to catch yourself before you hit the ground.
But nothings promised.
Friends are there to cheer you up,
To give you strength and mend you up when you are down.
So I set sail emotion

I say
So long, farewell,
My life's moving forward.
My ship has sailed,
And I'm so glad it's over.
My heart is well,
After all that I've been through
I found myself…

-

As Sharpay and Ryan were doing there audition, Gabriella and Taylor were walking past the auditorium to get to the science wing.

"Gabriella, doesn't that voice sound familiar?" Taylor asked the brunette stopping in her steps.

"It does, doesn't it?" she confirmed her assumptions.

"Let's go check it out."

Gabriella and Taylor walked into the auditorium to see who was on the stage, they almost fainted with shock.

There on the stage was the quiet and shy Sharpay singing her heart out. Why didn't she tell them about it? Was she afraid they weren't going to support them? As the twins finished their audition, Gabriella and Taylor waited outside to talk to Sharpay.

-

"Alright, that concludes the auditions for the musical. The cast list and call-back sheet will be posted on Monday." Ms. Darbus announced, and with that final word said, everybody left the auditorium. Saying good-bye to her brother, Sharpay headed out through the doors where she felt two pairs of arms pull her away.

-

"Why didn't you tell us, Shar?" Gabriella immediately interrogated.

"We thought we were your friends, bestfriends." Taylor said, emphasizing the word "best".

"You are!" Sharpay said.

"Well then why didn't you tell us? We would have been there to support you." Taylor fought harshly, they had been through a lot and her and Gabriella both felt that Sharpay was drifting away from them and this was proving their thoughts to be true.

" Taylor's right, Sharpay! We are best friends, and best friends tell each other about things!"

"You guys, please listen. I was going to tell you, but I was really scared I wouldn't do well. Please forgive me you guys!" she cried, trying to explain why she did what she had.

"Sharpay, if you can't trust us enough to realise that we wouldn't care if you did bad or good, then I guess we aren't that good of friends." Gabriella said, as Taylor nodded her head in agreement.

"Please don't be like this!" Sharpay pleaded.

"Be like what Sharpay? In case you haven't noticed, you're the one that's changed, not us. We didn't ditch out best friends to hang out with the popular group." Taylor retaliated.

After that, Sharpay watched as her two best friends walked away from her.

She tried to forget about the situation with Gabriella and Taylor, since that lunch neither had spoken to her and when she tried to talk to them they ignored her, letting her know that they weren't happy.

So she thought that after last period she would go and find them to apologise, they had been best friends for 3 years and just because she had made some new friends she wasn't going to let their friendship break.

"Sharpay" she heard a familiar voice call her name.

Looking past her locker she saw Ryan walking towards her "Yeah"

"We're all going out to get some ice cream and I came to invite you" he informed her reaching her.

"Well I-" she started, she knew if she put off apologizing the situation was just going to get worse, and she could always get an ice cream with them another time.

"Don't say you have homework to do, come on" Ryan protested closing her locker and taking her by the hand.

"Okay" she laughed as she followed him out to the yard, where the popular kids were waiting.

"Yeah well he just wouldn't believe me"

"Excuse me for not-"Ryan said trying to explain why he reacted the way he did.

"People, which ice creams do you want?" Troy asked getting up, having sat outside of the shop for the last ten minutes; he finally decided to get up and had taken upon himself to get some ice cream.

Not even having to think about it, Sharpay regularly came to Millie's, it was her favourite ice cream parlour, as the same could be said for many of the people in Albuquerque. She always ordered the same flavour 'Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie', she instinctively licked her lips at the thought.

It came to her go to say which ice cream she wanted and she did, smiling back at the waiting Troy, who in her eyes just looked so cute, trying to remember what everyone else had said.

Lucy not one to let things slip, had noticed the little encounter between the two and was hopeful that what she had planned was going to work out.

-

Having received a frantic text from Lucy after school telling him to come to Millie's and is where they would all be, it was the prefect incidental place for him to bump into Sharpay and meet her.

Which wasn't possible for him as he had practise and being Captain he couldn't miss practise, but he was sure they would be out by 5 and had managed to coax his friends into coming along with him, knowing the East High basketball team where going to be at the ice cream parlour too.

Jeremy closed the car door and told his friends he would be a minute and instead of eating in like they normally did they could go to his house and watch some TV on his personal cinema, which they agreed to and were convinced by him dropping in that he would pay for their ice creams, so they waited in the car for him to come back.

He knew full well if the whole of the West High team turned up it was going to ruin any chance for him to get to know Sharpay without influences around so he had planned this all out in his head to make sure this opportunity wasn't wasted.

"No we have to stay" Lucy fought.

"Why we've been here for over an hour now?"

"Um I want another ice cream" she scrambled out, trying to come up with any reason to stay.

"Me too" Sharpay said, she never thought she would agree with Lucy or for that matter even see Lucy having seconds.

Phew Lucy thought, without even knowing Sharpay had helped her, Jeremy still hadn't turned up yet and she didn't know how much longer she could keep up this façade of wanting to stay at Millie's for longer.

The worse thing about her idea for staying was she knew a second ice cream was totally going to ruin her 1,500 calories a day diet, but it had to be done.

He kept his cap on his head and walked into the store managing not to get noticed, not even by Lucy who he saw was forcing down a Vanilla ice cream, which made him chuckle, he text her letting her now that he had come.

Sharpay was still waiting for her ice cream to come out, the flavour had run out it, and there was no way she was getting another flavour and she wasn't surprised.

Jeremy took a look at the text then outside to see a glaring Lucy pointing indiscreetly at Sharpay in store.

Smiling he stood up and took the cap off, revealing his jet black hair and placed the cap on the table and walked over to the blonde.

"Can I help you?" the counter girl asked.

"Yeah can I have two scoops of double chocolate brownie fudge please?" he ordered and couldn't help but look over at the blonde, who had decided to make an origami out of a napkin.

"Yeah, sure if you don't mind waiting" the counter girl informed him, of the matter which Sharpay was still standing waiting for.

"Sure"

See she wasn't crazy other people loved chocolate brownie fudge too, hardly anyone she knew liked this flavour they always said it was too chocolaty.

"Are you waiting too?" he asked her, this was something he could get chatting to her about and if not it would lead off into another conversation he would make sure of it he wasn't going to let this chance go.

"Yeah double fudge is by far the best"

"I would have to agree there" he laughed smiling.

"Jeremy" he introduced himself extending his hand.

Taking his hand, she couldn't help but smile "Sharpay" she informed him, this was information she thought he didn't know but he did.

"Well it's nice to meet you Sharpay"

A boy with manners, it wasn't everyday you met one of those. She knew she had only just met him but she liked him already.

The sandy haired boy wondered what was taking Sharpay so long, glancing over at the counter from his position he could see her laughing with someone.

It couldn't be.

Damn he knocked his hand on the table.

Lucy keeping her eye on the scene in front of her she gleamed, it was working and didn't mind the ice cream so much now if the plan was successful.

Stopping himself from going in, he tried to engage in a conversation, he knew if he went into the store it would be very suspicious looking and if she asked for an explanation he wouldn't know what to tell her so he decided to let Jeremy have his time.

"Here, two double chocolate fudge brownie double scoops-"a different counter girl told them putting the ice creams down, assuming the two were together.

"Oh no" Sharpay informed her.

"It's okay I'll get it" Jeremy said holding her hand down and taking his wallet out to pay.

"Really" she looked at him to make sure.

"Yeah"

"Thanks I'll have to pay you back some time"

"Maybe we could have ice cream together next time" he added smoothly, he was a pro flirter and the one of the most wanted boys in West High he definitely knew how to get what he wanted.

"Sure" nodding she took a spoon of her ice cream "I should go bye" she waved as she left the store to get back to her friends.

"Bye"

Turning back around he couldn't help but grin, he was finally getting somewhere and he had left a good first impression on her.

He finally ordered the other guys ice creams.

Author's Note: I love this chapter too, lol. Make sure to review it!! Much love!! From V :)
Ps, we don't own the song 'I Found Myself' that's Ciara's, A