ACT3

"Please welcome, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, singing Kelsi Nielson's 'Everyday'!"

The auditorium cheered as Kelsi began the song on her piano. Troy stood solo, centre stage. He took a deep breath, then graced East High with his voice.

Once in a lifetime means there's no second chance
So I believe that you and me should grab it while we can

Gabriella emerged from the back of the auditorium, microphone raised up to her mouth. She slowly made her way down the isle dividing the seats, not taking her eyes off Troy.

Make it last forever and never give it back
It's our turn and I'm loving where we're at

Because this moment's really all we have…

Everyday of our lives
Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight
Gonna run, while we're young
And keep the faith

Everyday, from right now
Gonna use our voices and scream out loud

Take my hand, together we will celebrate
Oh, everyday

Backstage, Sharpay sat in her dressing room. From here, she could hear the soft echo of Troy and Gabriella's song. It sounded great, and she knew it. She tried to ignore the happenings on stage. Her preparation was crucial – she needed to focus on her song.

She picked up the pieces of paper in front of her and read over the words and notes. The paper shook in her hands. Never would nerves ever get to her like this, but this time it was different. This wasn't going to be a song and dance routine. She was not in character. There was no costume for her to hide in. This was going to be Sharpay, singing something that meant the world to her.

Sighing, she closed her eyes. She let the paper fall to the table in front of her and buried her face in her palms. Her mind took her back to the conversation she'd had with Gabriella.

"You know what? I know you think that you're on your pedestal in this school, with your 'Ice Queen' gimmick and your intimidating demeanour, but you need to step down and realise that you're not going to win everything – you can't always be the best, and, better yet, not everything is a competition!"

She shuddered, remembering her words. This wasn't just another show for her. Today, Sharpay was relieving herself of the icy persona she'd created for herself, if only for a few minutes. She was an inspired artist – the time had come for her to show off her masterpiece.

She could hear the conclusion of Troy and Gabriella's performance. Anxiously, she glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes narrowed.

"This is it," she muttered to herself, "so don't mess it up."

Kelsi stood up from her seat at the piano and bowed to thunderous applause.

Chad, Zeke and Jason – who had seats in the front row - all ran up onto the stage to congratulate Troy. High-fiving each other, they dragged him down the stairs.

"What team?" Chad screamed.

"Wildcats!"

"Bravo!" Ms. Darbus applauded Troy and Gabriella's efforts enthusiastically. She grinned at the response they received from the school.

"Dare I say, what we just witnessed was one of the greatest performances that this old school hall has ever seen. It just goes to show that we certainly have amazing talent here at this marvellous school." She sent one last proud smile in Troy and Gabriella's direction. "And now we are onto our final act - singing a song she wrote and composed herself, East High's very own Miss Sharpay Evans!"

Gabriella turned to Troy in her seat. "I've heard her sing this, it's fantastic."

"I'll take your word for it." Smiling down at his girlfriend, he took the hand nearest to him and intertwined his fingers with hers.

Sharpay took a seat on the piano stool. She spread out her music sheets so she could see each page. A microphone was adjusted so she could reach it from her chair.

Sharpay flexed her fingers, then placed them over the keys. She kicked the song into a poppy melody – one much more cheerful than what Gabriella heard the other day. Clearing her throat, the blonde's soft voice echoed through the auditorium.

Head under water
And they tell me to breathe easy for awhile
The breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me, but it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold onto

"Wait, this isn't…" Gabriella began, but stopped her sentence when Sharpay's voice interrupted her.

Blank stares at blank pages, no easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me…

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make-or-breaking this
If you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving, I'm gonna need a better reason
To write you a love song today

Gabriella's eyes widened. She shifted forward in her seat awkwardly, so far forward that she was barely on the chair. She released her hand from Troy's grip. He didn't seem to notice, as he was nodding his head to the song's beat.

I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
My heavy heart sinks deep down under you
And your twisted words, your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry

Sharpay looked away from the sheets in front of her. She relaxed into the song as she began to scan the audience. A sort of adrenaline had taken over, and Sharpay was in complete control. Her eyes settled on the brunette girl in the front row.

Convinced me to please you, made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am…

As the chorus came around, the audience began to clap along to the tune of the song. Gabriella could feel Troy and Taylor next to her, clapping. As much as she wanted to, under Sharpay's watchful gaze, she couldn't move. She was hypnotised. Her heart quickened its pace with each word that was sung.

Promise me, that you'll leave the light on
To help me see – daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way
You can love me because I say…

I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make-or-breaking this
If you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it, I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that there's a reason
To write you a love song today
Today

When the last note of the song had been heard, the crowd erupted into a standing ovation. Gabriella let go of a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. The cheering around her became quiet distortion. Sharpay's song echoing in her ears, Gabriella slowly rose out of her seat. She stared up at Sharpay, jaw open, eyes glossy.

Not letting their constant gaze go, the blonde's pink lips curved up into a small smile. Not a rehearsed, fake smile. Not an icy, threatening smile. A sincere, natural smile. It wasn't until Gabriella raised her hand up to her face that she felt her cheeks were damp.

This moment that she was in wasn't shared with the audience, with Darbus, or even with Troy. Even though nobody else knew it, this was her and Sharpay's moment. This song that Sharpay had just sung – it was written for her. Thinking about it made Gabriella's face heat up. She'd never experienced anything this deep from Troy. There was something about the way that Sharpay held herself at that exact time that exuded warmth and welcoming, something she'd never expected to see from Sharpay, and Gabriella felt herself drawn in.

The vulnerability that they now shared was enough to leave them both in a daze. Neither girl wanted to budge. This was something that neither of them would ever be able to erase from their memories. Gabriella was able to melt the ice surrounding Sharpay. But more importantly, Sharpay had let herself be seen by Gabriella for what she really was – human.

Snapping out of the stupor Sharpay had sent her into, she shook her head, hastily wiped her cheeks, and joined the rest of East High in applause.

--

Author's Note: Whew! It feels good to have this whole thing up here, especially considering that it's been brewing in me since I heard the song back in, like, April. I was meaning to get this final part up here a little bit earlier, but it turns out there was still some editing I wanted to do, and I didn't get a chance to do so until… well, the time of posting. Duh.

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to all those who reviewed, story alerted or even just read this – it means an awful lot to me. Keep the reviews coming in; I'd love to know what you think of the finished product!

Also, I have to apologise to those expecting hot Gabpay sex. Maybe another day.