La La Land
by: skyz
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or HSM.
A/N: Prompt was spin. Thanks for reading and to those who commented. Special shout out to SwayWithMe. Thanks for the nice and long review. I enjoyed reading it.
4.
"Robert Jones?" Sharpay couldn't help the incredulous ring to her voice. "That simpleton doesn't deserve to stand within ten feet of me. Why should I be bothered with the likes of him?"
She snorted in derision.
Her manager Greer Jones stared hard at her.
"See?" Greer said snappishly. "That right there is why people don't like you," she added knowingly.
"Like me? I'm not fucking Sally Field with an inferiority complex. I don't need people to like me! I want the respect that I fucking deserve. I work my ass off and get ridiculed because I won't take some disgusting fool out on a date!"
"He won American Idol season 16!"
"And I'm a star, Greer! A self made star. Not some whore to be pimped out to the highest bidder. And not to some closeted squeaky voiced singer America voted into fame. No. Just... no."
Greer sighed and shook her head in disgust or disappointment, Sharpay didn't care. She didn't need another lecture.
"I knew you'd say that."
"Then why the hell did you bring it up?" Sharpay sat back and angrily sipped her San Pellegrino.
"Testing the waters so to speak," Greer admitted as she turned her attention to a folder on her desk and slid it towards Sharpay.
She picked it up mildly intrigued as she exchanged her bottle of water for the folder.
She flipped through it and felt her mouth thin in displeasure.
"This is a dossier," she acknowledged carefully.
"Indeed. It just so happens that I know his agent and we got to talking and well...the idea grew from that. And it is just an idea."
"And what pray tell is that?" Sharpay asked coldly as she tossed the folder back onto the desk and crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's more about image than anything else. You're both too arrogant and blasé about things. But while he's a bit more...likable he's getting nasty press about that unfortunate engagement."
"He left her at the altar," Sharpay remarked dryly. "The only unfortunate thing was that he agreed to marry her in the first place. She was a gold digger and I don't see why it's such a big deal. She would have taken him for all he had."
"She was seven months pregnant when he did it," Greer reminded her.
"With someone else's baby," Sharpay countered.
"You seem to know an awful lot about this..."
Sharpay shrugged carelessly.
"I stay informed about a number of things. This was one of them. Just what is it you're suggesting?"
"She's suggesting an engagement," Chad Danforth's voice came from behind them.
Sharpay half turned in her seat with narrowed eyes.
"And you're here because...?" she drawled out as she rose to her feet to face him fully.
He smiled smugly back at her. Teeth bright against the dark stubble scattered across his cheeks. A trend that should have been over fifteen years ago as far as she was concerned, because hello, this wasn't the 80's!
Dressed in a tailored suit that screamed Armani right down to his shoes he was dressed in his customary black. There was an air of confidence and something else that exuded from him. He looked roguishly good with his five o'clock shadow and the tight fit of his suit brought the width of his shoulders into better light.
"Well, I was invited," Chad answered her with a long stare before he stepped fully into Greer's office.
He settled his tall frame into the chair next to her's and stretched out his legs.
He'd had a growth spurt in college, she remembered absently. Had to change positions and had excelled all the way to the first round of the NBA draft.
She knew entirely too much about him and she wasn't quite sure why.
"So, you've heard this ridiculous idea?" she asked him coolly with an arched brow. She was curious to see his reaction. Obviously since he was here then perhaps he wasn't adverse to the idea.
She wondered why that was.
"Is it? Ridiculous, Sharpay?" He slanted her another smile.
Charm fairly oozed off him.
Superiority, she thought suddenly. That was what she sensed from him. That superior attitude that she knew like the back of her hand. Something that she'd never thought to rid herself of. Why would she?
The world was for her taking and that was that.
"Isn't it, Chad?" she asked drolly, smiling coyly at him.
They called him Darth Danforth for his penchant for wearing black and only black. It was stupid and cliché and because he was black the media hadn't felt comfortable using the man in black á la Johnny Cash. Politically correct assholes.
"What would be the spin?" she wondered aloud glancing at her manager.
Greer looked entirely too pleased with herself as she regarded the both of them.
"That's the magic of it. Once the press gets a hold of this they'll spin it for us. Two head strong celebrities getting engaged will bring out the romantics."
"That's a big doubtful if, Greer."
"But isn't it worth it? Put on a show. That's what you do, Sharpay. So what if it helps your image. In the end the both of you win."
"And when we put an end to it?" Chad asked.
"We?" Sharpay echoed distastefully.
He nodded and had the good sense not to goad her
"Then we'll spin it ourselves," Greer quickly said.
"Hi, I'm Chad," Chad said turning to Sharpay.
His smile would have been disarming if she'd been a lesser woman. As it was she met his smile with one of her own.
"Fuck you," she said saccharine sweet.
He laughed loud and deep.
"In due time..." he said with an exaggerated leer.
Her lips twitched and she wanted to laugh.
"So...what do you say Sharpay? Will you make an honest man out of me?"
She slid her eyes over him. Lingered on his too kissable mouth, admired the sharp edges of his cheekbones and at last met his eyes.
"'Til death do us part."