"What Friends Are For"
--Chapter 3 (Sharpay's POV)
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I miss you, babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing
(Aerosmith)
I laughed as I fell flat on the floor, and my ass, which was probably quickly bruising, sent shockwaves through my spine.
"You okay, Sharpay?" someone asked from behind me. Not aware enough to figure out who was speaking, I nodded quickly, and not bothering to stand up, I leaned back so that my body was splayed across the living room floor, not caring that the dancing party guests were crushing my fingers with every step they took.
I looked up when I saw Troy's familiar red high-tops pound down the stairs.
"Troy!" I yelled, suddenly excited. He looked around the room, obviously wondering who was calling him. "Down here!" I called. He looked down to where I was still lying on the floor.
"Ugh. Sharpay, I figured you'd stop after you finished off the bottle," he groaned at me. I giggled.
"I did stop," I slurred. He gave me a skeptical look. "Okay, it was only three beers. I swear." He exasperatedly tilted his head back, walking towards me to help me up.
As he leaned down, offering his hand, I grabbed it. He pulled me up, and I stood there for about three seconds before falling flat on my ass… again.
"I think you've had enough," he announced, partially kneeling so he could pick me up. His arms slid underneath me, draping my legs over one while supporting my neck with the other. He stood back up and turned towards the stairs, leaving his beer bottle on the coffee table. He lugged my body up the long and winding staircase, grunting by the time he reached the top.
"Where to?" he asked. I had forgotten that he didn't know where my bedroom was.
"Second door on the right," I whispered, suddenly exhausted. He took a few steps forward and fumbled with the door's handle for a moment. It finally swung open, and he carried me inside the room, laying me on the bed carefully as soon as he was able to. He began to struggle with my shoes, eventually pulling the first one off. I felt my eyes close as he started to jerk my other foot around.
"Do you want me to get Chad for you?" he sighed, and I could sense a certain hostility in his voice. I slightly shook my head, and he graciously patted my calf as he began to walk away. "Good night, Sharpay," he whispered. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could utter a word, I had drifted off.
I woke up to the sound of Chad opening the bedroom door. I didn't open my eyes as I heard his footsteps come closer.
"Oh, cripe," he sighed, most likely referring to my passed-out state. "Sharpay?" he said. I mumbled something that even I couldn't understand, turning my back to him. "Sharpay, wake up!" he cried. I slowly opened my eyes, and he walked around the bed so he could face me. He crouched down to my bedside, and looked me in the eyes. "You look like crap," he murmured.
I rolled my burning eyes. "Thanks," I said.
"How long have you been out?" he asked.
"I don't know. I hardly even remember how I got up here," He reached to my bedside table and pulled the lamp cord. Bright light oozed from beneath the shade, and I grabbed a pillow to shield my face. "Turn the damn light off," I groaned.
"Not until I know you're okay. Does your head hurt?" he asked. I suddenly became aware of the fact that my head was indeed pounding.
"Yes," I mumbled from beneath the pillow.
"Take off the pillow," he commanded.
"No!" I replied.
"Sharpay, I'll turn off the light in a minute. Let me just get a look at your face."
I slowly removed the pillow, squinting my eyes closed as the harsh light reappeared.
"I need you to open your eyes for me," he said quietly.
"Are you kidding me? My head already feels like it's gonna explode!" I loudly whispered.
"Do you want to die of alcohol poisoning?" he asked. I shook my head. "Then open your damn eyes!"
I opened my eyes and immediately decided that I would have rather died of alcohol poisoning. Chad nodded his head.
"Alright, I think you're okay," he announced. I quickly shut my eyes again and placed the pillow back over my face. I heard him pull the lamp cord, but decided to keep my face smothered anyway.
"I could have told you that much," I grunted.
"You can open your eyes, you know. The light's off."
"I know," I said. "I don't trust you to keep it that way, though." He chuckled.
"I promise," he said. "The light stays off." I removed the pillow once again, and as soon as I did, Chad climbed over me, and into the bed. I turned to him.
"What time is it, anyway?" I asked.
"Four," he replied, rolling on his side so he was facing me.
"You're just now turning in?" I asked, my eyes widening.
"Yeah. I fell asleep in the library," he explained with a husky sigh.
"Oh," I replied. "Did Troy ever find you? He asked for you at the party, but he never mentioned whether or not he ended up seeing you."
Chad seemed to be trying to figure out the proper way to answer.
"Chad?" I asked again. "Did you talk to Troy last night?"
There was another pause, and finally he responded. "No. No, I never saw him," he sighed.
"Oh," I said again. "That's weird."
"I guess so. Sleep tight, babe," he said, ending the conversation.
"You too."
"Love you."
"Love you too." And we both fell asleep.
Later that morning, I opened my eyes and was immediately reminded of my night of partying. My head throbbing, I rolled over to get a look at the clock. It blinked back at me, the digits telling me that it was almost one-thirty in the afternoon. I let out a long groan and sat up to find Chad's arm draped over my waist. So he was still in bed too. He was supposed to have an interview this morning.
I reached over to shake him, but before I could touch him, his arm grabbed my wrist.
"Don't bother," he said. "I'm up.
"Why?" I asked stupidly.
"Um… because I was asleep… and now I'm awake," he said in a 'duh' tone.
"Oh, sorry. I mean, why are you still here?"
"It's Saturday, and I shouldn't have to work," he grumbled.
"Are you insane?" I asked. He lifted his head to peer up at me.
"I never thought so, but lately it seems that a lot of people think I am…" he trailed off.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"I don't know. Never mind," he muttered. I raised my eyebrow, but let it go.
"You have to work. Do you want to lose your job?" I asked him.
"My job," he said slowly, running a hand through his hair. "doesn't matter anymore."
"Why not?" I asked, aware that there was no logical answer.
"It just doesn't."
"But why?"
"It just doesn't! Gosh, stop nagging," he whined. I was taken aback by his tone.
"Why are you acting like this?" I asked. The tears that were threatening to flow made my headache even worse.
"Sorry, it's just—"
"No. Why? Is it because of last night?" I said.
"What? What do you mean?"
"I passed out. Is that why you're mad at me?" I said, swiping my hands over my eyes to get rid of the slight wetness.
"Oh, no. No, Shar. I'm not mad at you," he said, sincerely apologetic. I cocked my head to the side.
"No?"
"No. I'm just in a bad mood."
"Did you and Troy fight?" I said, remembering Troy's hesitation to get Chad the night before.
"Um, no. Not really."
"Hm. Okay. Well, if you're skipping your interview, then I say we get brunch," I suggested. He seemed to be thinking about it.
"I don't really feel like getting out of bed today, Shar. You can go get brunch if you want to, though."
"Wha—?" I stuttered. "You're just going to sit her in bed all day?"
"Is that okay with you?" He looked offended.
"Well, I don't want to spend the day alone!"
"You usually spend the day alone. If I had gone to work, you would have spent the day alone," he said like I was stupid.
"But…"
"Look, if it's such a big deal, get someone to go with you," he said, irritated.
"I want you to go with me," I whined. He pulled the blanket back over him and rolled so that his back was turned to me. I reluctantly gave up my fight and got out of bed feeling perplexed. Chad was never like this. He always looked forward to spending time with me.
I wandered out of the bedroom, slipping on my slippers and hugging my elbows to my chest. I slowly stepped down the stairs and ended up in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of aspirin from the cabinet. I took two of the pills and grabbed a glass, which I filled with ice water. As I simultaneously downed the pills and water, I heard the phone ring. I slammed my glass on the counter and ran to the other side of the kitchen, where the telephone was located. I picked it up and pressed the talk button.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sharpay. How you feelin'?" Troy's voice spoke. I sighed.
"Well, my heads banging pretty bad, but I just took some aspirin, so I should be okay," I said.
"That's good."
"Yeah, I guess," I said sadly.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I replied.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I'm good."
"Okay. If you're sure," he said. "How's Chad doing?"
"Ummm," I hesitated. "I guess he's fine."
"You guess?"
"Well, he's kind of pissy, but otherwise fine."
"Yeah, he was upset when I talked to him last night," Troy said carefully. I froze.
"When you talked to him last night?"
"Yeah. At the party."
"He said— Oh, never mind," I replied.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. So… What are you and Milo up to today?"
"Nothin'. Well, except for the Hannah Montana marathon that we've got to see, which starts at three," he said dramatically.
"Haha. She makes you sit through that stuff?"
"Every day," he sighed.
"Ha," I laughed. Milo was adorable, but… "Hey, do you guys wanna go on a date with me today?"
"A date?" He sounded confused.
"Well, brunch. I was going to go to brunch today."
"Chad can't go?"
"He's… busy," I said flatly.
"Oh. Hang on," he said. "Miles!" he called in the background. I heard him talking to Milo for a moment before he answered. "Yeah, she wants to go," he told me. I smiled.
"Great. I'll pick you guys up at two?" I suggested.
"Sure," he said.
"Okay. See you then."
"See ya."
I put the phone back on its dock and rushed back upstairs to get ready. When I threw open the bedroom door, Chad was still in bed, the covers pulled over his head. I rolled my eyes and walked into my closet, pulling out a random pink top and a black miniskirt to go with it. I laid both items carefully on the bed, and ran into the master bathroom, starting the shower.
I quickly stripped down and hopped in, though the water hadn't warmed up yet. I hurriedly washed my hair and body, not bothering to shave since I had yesterday, and I was in too much of a rush to mess with it. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I exited into the bedroom again and quickly changed into my clothes before rushing back to the bathroom, where I applied my makeup and quickly blow-dried my hair straight with a brush. I unplugged my blow dryer and walked back into my closet to grab a pair of shoes, three-inch white pumps. I snatched my purse from the dresser and walked towards the bedroom door.
"I'll be back soon," I said to Chad.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Brunch with Troy and Milo."
"Ugh. Whatever," he groaned, stuffing his head under a pillow. I huffed and slammed the door behind me. As I walked down the stairs, I fished in my purse for my car keys. Finding them, I walked across the living room, rolling my eyes at the garbage that was still flooding the room from the party. I was so thankful for maids.
I left the house and got into my car, only driving a few miles before I reached Troy and Milo's little house. I honked the horn, and a moment later, Troy stepped out, Milo in his arms bridal style. He walked down the driveway and opened the back door to my convertible, letting Milo climb out of his arms and into the backseat.
"Hey, Sharpay," she greeted as Troy shut her door and opened his, climbing in next to me.
"Where to?" he asked. I smiled.
"Hello, Troy," I said. He rolled his eyes.
"Hello, Sharpay," he replied. "Where to?"
I laughed. "IHOP good?"
"Perfect," he said.
"Hungry much?"
"Oh, shut up," he laughed.
"Language, Daddy," Milo scolded from the back. I giggled.
"Yeah, Daddy," I teased. "Watch the language."
"Oh, shut— I mean, be quiet."
"Haha. That's better," I laughed. We drove to IHOP, joking all the way.
When we got to the restaurant, the three of us got out of the car and walked inside. A waitress led us to a booth, where Milo immediately began to color on the kids place mat. We all asked for water and waited for the waitress to come back with our orders.
"Wanna play tic-tac-toe?" Milo asked me, gesturing to the tic-tac-toe boards printed on the place mat. I shrugged and took a crayon, placing a big fat x in the middle of one of the boards. Troy intently watched us complete all of the games on the mat, and when the waitress returned we ordered our food.
"So, what's Chad doing today?" Troy asked curiously.
"Well, he was supposed to have an interview with the East High varsity basketball team today, but he decided he would rather lay in bed all day," I explained. Troy seemed to gulp a bit, almost like he was nervous.
"Did he say if he was sick or not?"
"Sick?" I asked. He hadn't said anything about that. Had he? "No, I don't think so."
"Oh. Did he seem sick?" he asked. What was up with the sick questions?
"Not really. He was just kind of grumpy."
"Oh." He wrinkled his eyebrows. "Sharpay, I'm going to ask you to do something for me, and I want you to promise me you'll do it. No matter what."
"O…kay?" I said, confused.
"I want you to call me if anything ever happens with Chad. If he ever starts to get weird, and you think something's wrong, just… just call me, okay?"
"Umm… Okay. I guess." What the hell was that supposed to mean anyway? Why would something happen with Chad? Whatever.
"I'm serious. You have to promise me," he said sternly.
"Okay, okay. I promise."
"Good. Let's eat," he said as the waitress brought the round tray with all of our food on it over to us.
I shrugged and took my plate, glad that the weirded-out conversation was over.
When we were finished, he paid (he insisted on it), and I left the tip. Colby gathered her crayons and stuffed them into the pocket of her jeans. She grabbed onto my left hand and Troy's right, and led us out of the restaurant. We got to the car and I drove us all back to Troy's house, Milo prodding the entire way that she had already missed the first episode of the marathon.
"Wanna come watch with us?" Troy smiled as he and Milo got out of the car. I laughed.
"No thanks. Hannah's not quite my type," I said.
"And you think she's mine?" Troy scoffed. I shook my head as I pulled out of his driveway, waving to them before I drove down the street.
So when Chad had said he'd be in bed all day, I hadn't exactly taken his word for it. It was three-forty-five when I got home, and there he was – in bed, sound asleep. I let out a breathy sigh and kicked off my shoes. I dropped my purse on my dresser, and slowly tiptoed to the side of the bed where I'd slept the night before. I climbed in and snuggled up to him. He stirred, but stayed asleep.
I watched him for a good fifteen minutes, my sleepiness catching up to me yet again. I'd always been an easy one to get to sleep. I propped my head up on one elbow, reaching my arm out to touch him. I spent the night there, wistfully finger-tracing 'I love you's' on his bare back.
Eight pages. That's pretty long, right? I think it might be the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm worried that it was kind of boring, though. So tell me what you think in reviews :D
I was bored earlier, and I made a lame excuse of a poster for this story. So it's in the poster section of my profile.
x sami