The day flew by quickly for Sharpay; she was so nervous about Troy coming over to her house that night! It's not that she liked him or anything, that's disgusting!
She just had never had someone sleep over at her house before…especially not a boy…especially not a boy like Troy. When the final bell rang, a rush of nerves temporarily paralyzed her and Ryan gave her a strange look as she clutched her seat tightly.
"Sharpay, the ride's over, it's okay to move now," He teased. Sharpay jumped and realized she could move again then glared at Ryan, "Oh shut up!" She snapped, thumping him in the chest with her purse.
"Ow!" He groaned, following her out the door, "Who pissed in your decaf latte?" Sharpay ignored him and stopped at her locker, pulling out her books then flouncing to Troy's locker to wait for him.
Ryan watched after her looking quite amused then went to his own locker to get ready for the weekend. Gabriella hid behind a door and watched Sharpay walk up behind Troy.
Sharpay walked on her toes to muffle the clicking of her heels and grabbed Troy's shoulders. Troy jumped a mile and yelled, "What the hell?!" While his books and notebooks went flying.
Sharpay jumped and screamed as she fell to the floor with him, landing on his chest. Troy groaned and knocked his head onto the floor while Sharpay lay in shock.
"What the hell?!" He asked again, trying to sit up. Sharpay pushed herself off of him and got up, readjusting her shirt and dusting off her jeans. Troy groaned as he picked himself up and gathered all of his books.
"Someone's jumpy," Sharpay teased in sing-song. Troy rolled his eyes as he shouldered his backpack and slammed his locker shut, "Stupid drama girls…" He muttered under his breath.
Sharpay grinned to herself and followed after him out to her car. She jumped into her car and looked up at Troy expectantly.
"I'll follow you in my car," He muttered at her, still smarting from being scared by a girl; and not just any girl but Sharpay.
"Whatever!" She smirked at him, sliding her sunglasses on and flooring it out of the parking lot. "Hey!" Troy yelled after her, flinging himself into his car and pealing out behind her.
Gabriella watched this from inside the building and after both cars had disappeared, she hobbled out and began following them. Ryan, who had been leaning against the side of the school, waited for Gabriella to get a good head start then he began walking after her as well.
He waited a few minutes then started jogging and pretended to be out of breath, "Gabriella? Hey!" He yelled.
Gabriella slowed down and turned around, "Ryan?" She yelled back. He ran the gap between them and pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead,
"Wow, you move pretty fast for a cripple," He laughed, pretending to catch his breath.
"I had my protein today!" She responded, smiling at him and forgetting her mission.
"Where you headed?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips and slowing down his breath.
"Oh, home!" She replied quickly without thinking.
He surveyed her for a moment, "Gabriella," He started slowly, "Don't you live that way?" He asked, point in the opposite direction.
'Skiz…' "Oh yeah! Oops!" She laughed, "I get so confused with that direction thing! My mother calls me 'geographically challenged!'" She rolled her eyes.
Ryan didn't believe her at all but he pretended he did, "We should get you a map!"
"I'd probably lose it," She rolled her eyes again.
"It's a long walk home for you, isn't it? Especially on crutches!"
"Yeah but I can't drive with the ankle like this and mom's working so…" She trailed off.
"Would you like to go out tonight? Like, as friends I mean!" He improvised, blushing.
"Oh!" Gabriella giggled and blushed, "Yeah, sure, as friends!" Ryan grinned and started walking slowly so she could keep up, "Here, let's go to my house and we can grab my car then pick our destination!"
"Sounds great!" She laughed and they began walking and talking and for a short while she forgot her initial mission and he forgot to be annoyed at her lying to him.
Meanwhile, Sharpay arrived a few minutes before Troy and sat on the hood of her car, inspecting her nails and glancing at her imaginary watch.
Troy pulled in and jumped out, "You're crazy, you know that right?" He commented, walking over to her.
She pursed her lips, "You drive too slowly; you know that, right?" She replied, sliding off the car and going up the front steps.
Troy rolled his eyes at her, "Can I at least go home and grab an overnight bag?" He asked, not moving.
Sharpay paused for a moment, but only for a moment, "Duh, you don't need my permission to go to your house!"
Troy bit back his retort and got back into his car, "You wanna come?" He asked, starting it up. Sharpay paused again then walked back over and pulled herself in.
Troy drove home quickly and went up to his room, leaving Sharpay to look around his house while he stuffed random clothing into a duffle bag and grabbed his tooth brush.
Sharpay snooped around his living room, grinning at some of the pictures on the mantle and walls. She admired the homey-ness of his house and felt a pang of jealousy towards him.
Troy trotted down the stairs with the bag over his shoulder, "Sharpay?" He asked, glancing around the kitchen and foyer.
"In here!" she said over her shoulder, holding one of his baby pictures. "Is this you?" She laughed.
He crossed over and looked at it over her shoulder, "Yup, that's me."
"You're so cute!" She crooned, "Look at that curly, blonde hair!" She looked up at his now straight, brown hair and tousled it, "Whatever happened to that cute baby boy?" She teased, putting the picture down and walking to the front door. "Do you have all of your make up now, dear?" She asked, opening the door.
"The only thing I couldn't find was my concealer…" He sighed, pretending to dig through the bag, "Could I borrow yours?" He batted his eyelashes comically.
"Yeah, you need it," She said jokingly.
"Ouch!" He laughed and led her out the door and back to the car. They drove back in companionable silence and walked up the steps of her house. She led him into the kitchen after he dropped his bag off in the huge guest room.
The Jamaican woman from yesterday was beating dough and watching the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall.
"Hey Naomi!" Sharpay said, sitting down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Troy sat down on one as well while Naomi turned around and smiled at her, "Hello Sharpay!" She dusted her hands off on her apron and smiled at Troy, "I see you've brought a friend along! Hello Troy!"
"Uh hey, Naomi?" He replied uncertainly. She laughed and began pulling out fruit and juice and dumping them into the blender. She mixed it quickly then pulled out to tall glasses and slid them along the bar.
Sharpay caught both of them and pulled out two straws then handed one to Troy and took a sip of hers.
Troy hesitated then took a sip and his eyes widened, "This is amazing!"
"Aw, thank you, honey!" Naomi blushed, going back to her dough, "It's an old family recipe of mine."
Troy sucked in half of it and smiled contentedly. Sharpay laughed at him and sipped some more at her drink.
"And what brings you here?" Naomi asked conversationally while she began rolling the dough and flipping it over to stretch it out.
"We have to rehearse some more," Sharpay informed her, finishing her smoothie. Troy drained his as well.
"All you ever do is work," Naomi scolded Sharpay, "Work, work, work! You are only 17; you should be out having fun!" Sharpay rolled her eyes at Troy and put their cups in the sink, "I know, I know but to me, theater is fun! We're gonna go now, thanks for the drinks!" She called, grabbing Troy's wrist and dragging him to the basement.
"Thank you!" He yelled to her as he stumbled after Sharpay.
Ryan led Gabriella up to his driveway and stopped, looking at his house, lost in thought.
"Wow…" Gabriella breathed, looking at the beautiful building in front of her. Ryan snapped out of it and walked her up the front steps.
"Naomi?" He yelled, leading Gabriella inside and putting their bags down by the front door.
"In here, Ry-guy!"
Ryan and Gabriella walked into the kitchen and Ryan helped Gabriella onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar then sat down on one himself.
"Why didn't you come home with-" Naomi turned around and stopped speaking when she saw Gabriella, "And who is this?" She asked, her amber eyes sparkling.
"I'm Gabriella, Gabriella Montez," Gabriella smiled at her shyly. If Naomi put two and two together about Gabriella being part of the reason Sharpay and Ryan lost the previous year, she didn't show it as she smiled warmly at her, "What a beautiful name!" She sang, pulling out the fruit and juice again.
"Oh! Thank you!" Gabriella blushed and looked at Ryan who winked at her.
Naomi slid the two smoothies at them and Ryan caught them then handed one to Gabriella. He pulled out two straws and popped one into her glass and the other into his.
Naomi began mixing something in a bowl, sprinkling it with random spices as she stirred. "And what brings you here?" She asked Gabriella.
"Oh, I, uh, was going to go home but Ryan caught me and invited me out tonight." She summarized.
"I felt bad! She was going to go home to any empty house!" He chimed up.
A huge grin slid across Naomi's face as she gave Ryan a sly look. Ryan blushed and stared into his empty glass.
Gabriella sipped more of her drink, "This is amazing!" She gasped, staring at her now empty glass.
"Thank you, dear! It's just a recipe from my home that I've blessed upon this family," She laughed heartily and began spreading the sauce she'd been finishing onto the dough.
Ryan put the glasses in the sink and saw the other two glasses, "Jeez, Nay, were you knocking this stuff back before we came in?" He teased, kissing her on the cheek as a belated greeting.
"Oh, you!" She rolled her eyes at him and bumped him with her hip, "And no, I wasn't 'knocking them back!' Sharpay and her little friend had smoothies too!"
Gabriella's ears perked up at the mention of Troy and Sharpay.
"Oh, they're here already?" He asked, moving back around the bar and standing behind Gabriella.
"Yup, they're downstairs. Sharpay is working for a change," She muttered the last part sarcastically.
Ryan shrugged, "She's headstrong." He replied, helping Gabriella back off the stool. "We were going to go out but if you're making food, we could stay." He offered to Naomi.
"Do whatever you want, love, it doesn't matter to me."
Ryan turned to Gabriella, "What do you think?" He asked.
Gabriella shrugged, "I don't mind either way but I'd feel bad if Naomi went through all the trouble to cook and we weren't here to eat it."
Ryan nodded and thought for a few minutes. "I suppose we could stay here…Yeah, let's just stay here. Is that okay with both of you?" He asked, addressing the two ladies standing in front of him.
Naomi nodded, "Fine by me!" She said breezily then went back into the kitchen.
"Sure!" Gabriella grinned at him. 'Now I can hang out with Ryan, eat home made pizza and make sure Troy and Sharpay get together! It's the best of all the worlds!' She thought gleefully.
"We're gonna go up to the chill room so we're outta you're way and we don't have to listen to Troy and Sharpay!" Ryan told Naomi who nodded at him, her eyes trained on the news.
Ryan started to go up the stairs but remembered Gabriella couldn't walk and came back down to her. "Or not…Here, we'll go in here," Then led her into a large, dark room.
He flicked on a light, revealing a room with a stuffed, sectional couch, a leather recliner, two overstuffed arm chairs, a coffee table, four bookcases full to bursting and a giant, plasma screen TV.
Gabriella sat down on the couch and gaped at the room, "I could fit my whole downstairs in here!" She marveled.
Ryan laughed and opened one of the cabinets, revealing shelves and shelves of DVDs. "Take your pick," He gestured to the array and Gabriella hopped over and stared at all of them.
"Oh gosh, I have to pick out of all of these?!"
"Yeah, the only bad thing about having so many movies to choose from," He chuckled, pulling out a few blankets and pillows and tossing them on the couch.
"Hmmm…" Gabriella ran her fingers over a few of them and chewed at her lip, "Oh my gosh!" She squealed, pulling out one of the DVDs, "I haven't seen this in forever!" She tossed it at Ryan, who flipped it over and laughed, "Lady and the Tramp?" He asked incredulously.
"Hell yeah! That's my favorite Disney movie!" She clapped her hands excitedly.
"Yeah, it's one of my faves too," He popped it in then leapt onto the couch next to her.
Ryan settled back and rested his legs across her lap. She grimaced and tried to shove them off but he locked his legs so they wouldn't move. So, she skillfully repositioned so her back was propped up against his legs.
"You're legs are lumpy!" She whined, rolling her shoulders against his knees. "I'm sorry, m'dear; there aren't many things I can do about that," He replied, watching the movie.
Gabriella humphed and sat back up, curling onto her side on the other section.
"Aren't you cold?" He asked several minutes later.
"No!" She lied, hiding her shivering.
"Liar!" He accused, beckoning her over and sitting back up so she could sit down next to him. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees with the blanket wrapped around her. Ryan sat with his legs 'Indian style' and had the blanket wrapped around him as well.
They moved closer together so they're sides were pressed against each other and Gabriella kept having to remind herself to breathe as she settled in for a long night with Ryan Evans.
In the mean time, Sharpay and Troy were working their way slowly through the songs, learning the words and the notes. "You missed the note…again!" Sharpay groaned at him.
Troy groaned as well, "Sorry, I'm trying but I keep jumping that line and going to the next one!" Sharpay bit her tongue to keep from snapping at him and started the section again.
"All I wanna do is find a way back into love, I can't make it through with out a way back into love…" She sang for him, stressing the note that he kept missing.
Troy copied her and sang the lines again.
"Much better!" Sharpay smiled in relief, "And moving on!" She started playing the chords to the second verse then jumped in: "I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine, I've been searching but I just don't see the signs! I know that it's out there, there's got to be something for my soul somewhere."
She turned towards him expectantly and he snapped back into reality, "I've been searching for someone to shed some light, not somebody just to get me through the night! I could use some direction and I'm open to your suggestion." They sang through the chorus and Sharpay sang the last verse then the song ended.
"That was really good considering how little we've worked on it," Sharpay got up and grabbed a water bottle then tossed him one.
"Thanks!" Troy panted then chugged half of it in one sip.
"That's so gross!" She laughed at him.
"It's water! There's nothing gross about it!"
"Yeah, but the way you drank the water was gross!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was not, was not!"
"Was too, was too!" Then she began giggling and sat back down at the piano. Troy shook his head and laughed as well, sitting next to her.
"Okay, let's take it from the top!" Sharpay said, putting down her water bottle.
Troy groaned, "Again?!"
"Do you want to win or not?" She asked impatiently. Troy grumbled under his breath and Sharpay rolled her eyes at him, playing the intro with her fingers then jumping in with the vocals.
Troy kept getting lost in the innocent sweetness her voice had. He had never heard her sing like this before, never a ballad and never so gently, so smoothly.
"Troy? Troy?! TROY?!" Sharpay snapped her fingers in front of his face, "You missed your cue, you ding dong!"
"What?" He asked dazedly, "Oh right! Sorry…again…"
Sharpay sighed, "Don't let it happen again or I might strangle you!" Troy inched away from her a little while she restarted the song.
After an hour and a half of singing the same sections over and over, both were ready to kill each other and very hungry. They walked up the steps and into the kitchen where Naomi had three different pizzas cooling on the racks.
"Hey kids! How's it going down there?" She asked, glancing up from her magazine. Troy and Sharpay mumbled incoherently, gravitating to the pizza and grabbing plates.
"Gee, that was innovative!" Naomi laughed, sliding off the stool and going into the living room to fetch Gabriella and Ryan.
Troy and Sharpay got their food then went out onto the deck in the cool but still nice air. They sat down at the glass table and ate by the glow of the pool.
"Kids? Dinner's ready!" Naomi told Ryan and Gabriella, who were just finishing 'Lady and the Tramp.'
"Okay…" They mumbled. Ryan got up and pulled Gabriella to her feet then gave her a piggy back ride into the kitchen, got her pizza and plate, handed it over his head to her then got his own and they sat down on the floor of the living room.
Gabriella took a bite of her pizza and sighed happily, "This is so good! She should open a restaurant!"
"I know; Naomi is an awesome cook!" Ryan agreed, shoving half of his slice in his mouth.
Gabriella wolfed the rest of her slice down and grinned, "So good…" She laughed. Ryan shoved his in his mouth hungrily and nodded his mouth too full to speak.
"Where are your parents?" Troy asked casually, finishing his first slice and starting in on his second.
Sharpay's eyes glazed over, "Out," She said quickly, shrugging it off.
Troy decided to drop it and continued eating. Sharpay finished her piece and leaned back in her chair, staring at the stars, "It's really nice out tonight." She commented suddenly, trying to break the awkward moment.
Troy looked up at the stars as well, "Yeah, the temperature is perfect. Not too hot, not too cold." Sharpay smiled faintly and Troy watched the water reflecting on her face, making her look exotically beautiful.
He blinked rapidly, shaking his head to get a grip. This is Sharpay we're talking about! Get with it, man!
"Something wrong?" She asked, looking at him concernedly.
"No, sorry, I was just thinking…"
"About?"
"You," He said then quickly covered it up with, "You're house! You have an awesome pool!"
Sharpay looked slightly disappointed and glanced at the pool, "Yeah, thanks." She sighed. Troy cleared his throat and dropping his gaze to the table.
Gabriella excused herself to the bathroom, trying to find Sharpay and Troy. It took her almost ten minutes to find them and she grinned when she saw them sitting alone outside, talking, not arguing.
She was watching them from behind the glass door that led out to the deck and didn't hear Ryan coming up behind her. "What are you doing?!"
Ooo a cliff hanger! This one's really long! It's 6 pages without the spaces so wow! 10 with the spaces! So, this is fun! Lot's of random moments! Ryan's getting pretty fed up with Gabriella, huh? And is Troy falling for Sharpay? Dun, dun, dun! I like how I'm writing this story and even I'm like falling over trying to find out the answers! Oh well…School's out so hopefully I'll get to update more! By the way, I tried to update faster because I thought MusicFreak1107 might die in anticipation! Thank you for the reviews and check out the WDCT sequel "I Will Be Me!" Thanks guys! XOXO