Hajimemashite and Konnichiwa, P-L reporting for duty! I beg forgiveness, I kept putting off typing this chapter for so long! I feel so bad for not putting it up! cry cry! Anyway, my apologies, and I will most definitely get the next chapter up without too long of a delay.

Disclaimer: If High School Musical were mine, there would definitely be a lot more violence... eh heh.

And away we go!

I Trust You- Chapter Fourteen

The rest of the afternoon went by pretty fast. Shaylee seemed to have calmed down a little; at least the topics of conversation didn't change as often or dramatically. By six o'clock, Ryan thought of something he'd completely forgotten about: Sharpay

'Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about her! I hope she's all right. What if Dad is mad again? What if he hits her?'

"Shaylee?"

"Eh?" Shaylee had been tapping at a glass fish-tank.

"Do you mind if I make a quick phone call?"

"Oh, no, not at all." She said as she turned back to the fish tank. It was the same kind of fish Ryan had in his room. "I'd get this fish, but Dustin would eat it like he did the last time I brought a pet home…" She glances over at the lizards. "It was a little lizard. Very cute."

Ryan smiled; throughout the day, he's learned so much about Shaylee's family that he felt he knew them. Dustin speaks in mimicry, though his actual voice has been heard a few times; Vican changes her name at the drop of a pin; they have a dog, named Boston, who likes to chase parked cars. Shaylee didn't mention much about her parents, other than they really push their kids into being expressive.

Ryan pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sharpay's number. He walked a short distance from Shaylee, not wanting to be overheard.

"Hello?"

"Shar? This is Ryan. Sorry it took so long to call, I completely forgot to."

"That's fine. Are you gonna be home soon?"

"I'm not sure. Why? Is it bad? Is he mad?"

"No Ryan, it's fine. Just don't be out too late. You know. Then he might get mad."

Ryan and Shaylee finally left the mall. They reached her house within a half hour. Shaylee smiled sweetly at Ryan.

"Thanks for today, I really enjoyed it." Ryan smiled and was about to reply when Shaylee's eyes lit up excitedly. "Oooh! It's almost sundown! Come here, I have to show you this!" She grabbed Ryan's arm and led him around the back. They traveled a short distance from her house, then eventually she stopped. With an eager smile, she pointed to the west.

"This is my most favorite place in the world to watch the sun go down," she explained. She stared in quiet awe at the whirl of reds and golds. Ryan smiled and turned to look at her. He noticed how pretty it looked when the sun caused golden glints in every curl of her red hair.

"Shaylee...-"

"Sh…it's a magical moment…" She said in a whisper. Her hand brushed slightly against Ryan's. Nervously he opened his fingers and held onto hers. Shaylee blushed slightly, but didn't pull away. Together, they admired the sunset.

Ryan didn't notice how dark it had gotten; Shaylee invited him in to have popcorn and to talk for a bit. The popcorn was homemade, and good, but when Dustin upturned the bowl on his head while their dog Boston danced circles around him, Ryan decided it would probably be a good time to call it quits for the day.

Ryan arrived at their mansion feeling slightly nervous. He saw both Sharpay and their parent's lights on (as well as the front lobby's). Ryan took great care in making his way upstairs. He quietly passed his parent's room to check on Sharpay. Her door was locked. Ryan's heart began to pound realizing that their father must have been in a really bad room; Sharpay never locks her door.

A hand suddenly grabbed Ryan by the back of the head, smashing him face first into Sharpay's door.

Sharpay jumped when she heard a lou7d bang at her door. First she thought it was her father, pounding his fist on the door, but then she recognized his voice yelling at someone…

Richard Evans kicked his foot viciously into Ryan's stomach. Ryan could feel the warmth of his own blood pouring from his nose. He bit down on his tongue to keep from crying out; he didn't want Sharpay to come out. Ryan's eyes filled with tears.

Richard grabbed his son by his arms and pulled him to his feet. He dragged Ryan to the top of the staircase, talking about how he needed to be punished for being out so late…

"Richard?" Richard stopped at the sound of his wife's voice. Ryan began to feel lightheaded, his knees buckling slightly. "The party is going to start soon. I couldn't bear to be late, I'd die of embarrassment." Richard glared at Ryan, then, with a forceful push, he shoved Ryan down the length of stairs.

Sharpay sat nervously on the other side of her door. She heard a long series of thumps, then the whole house became silent. She glanced at the clock; it was almost eight-thirty and their parents had a dinner party to attend, so she assumed that they had left. She opened her door quietly.

"Ryan?" She whispered into the deserted hallway. There was no answer. She noticed the blood spattered along the floor in front of her door. Her heart began to pound as she followed the blood splotches away from her room, down the hall, then to the stairs. Sharpay walked cautiously to the top of the stairwell. Sharpay caught her breath as tears sprang into her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will away the image before her.

Uwah! Don't hit me! I know it was an awful place to leave off (heck, the suspense is killing me, and I wrote the dang thing). Anyway, you know the routine.

PLEASE REVIEW!(whats the point in saying "Please Read and Review: if you are reading this senctance then you've probably read it already. Right?)