Chapter Fifteen

A/N – It may take me a while to update…having some problems with my roommate…she's a god damn bitch who purposely excludes me from group happenings…among other issues

But I'll try to update as much as possible :)

On to the story:

Troy Bolton walked into school the next day, and all eyes were on him…normally he'd be fine with that…but that usually only happened during the season after he'd won a game or two…but the season was over so what were they staring at?

And why were some people glaring at him?

He looked around to see nearly everyone in the hall looking at him like he'd either grown two heads or was some horrible guy who had kicked a puppy. Those who weren't looking at him were quickly surrounded by people whispering something that made them look at him.

"…all weekend…" he'd heard someone mutter. He spun around quickly trying to find who had said that…but it was nearly impossible to pin point who said what in a hall of whispering students.

"…one room…" someone else has said. He looked at the crowds that parted for him, much like they usually did for Sharpay.

He raised an eyebrow at their remarks. They made no sense? What was everyone talking about?

He shook his head, trying to ignore the remarks as he opened his locker. A few dozen pieces of paper fell out of it…some with phone numbers…some with hideous comments…which just served to make him all the more confused.

"…did you hear?" That particular saying stood out as the most common one as he got out his books.

Two girls just then, leaned against the wall on the other side of his open locker, blocking his face from them. "…isn't it gross?" one had finished asking.

"Yeah, well, I heard he paid a hooker to spend the weekend with him…" the other replied.

"No!" the first one exclaimed in disbelief, "A hooker? Bolton has way too much class to go for a hooker…maybe it was one of the sluts from school!"

Troy's eyes widened as he heard that. He slammed his locker shut before turning and walking quickly down the hall.

"…in New York…"

"…what happens in New York…"

"…one bed…"

"…stays in New York…"

"…a prostitute…"

"…well, it followed him home…"

Troy's eyes widened more as he finally realized what everyone was talking about. Somehow they had found out that he had gone to New York with a girl over the three day weekend. But how they found out…and how it escalated from seeing a Broadway play with one girl from school to he'd paid a hooker to sleep with him all weekend was beyond him.

He shook his head, as he entered the empty homeroom, people could come up with some pretty crazy ideas. The mutterings and whispers didn't really bother him that much, he knew they weren't true so what did it matter if no one else did…

But then Sharpay rushed in. Troy looked up and immediately knew something was wrong, she looked close to tears.

"Sharpay!" he exclaimed nearly jumping out of his seat. She shook her head, signaling for him not to; people were still passing by the door. She took a seat next to him as he leaned down towards his back pack and whispered, "What's wrong?"

She looked at him incredulously, "Have you not heard what people are saying about you?"

He nodded, "Hey," he whispered soothingly, "It doesn't bother me…I'm fine…"

She nodded, looking at the front of the room for a moment before turning back to him, definite tears in her eyes, "They're calling me a hooker! And a prostitute and a…a…I don't even want to know what else!"

His eyes widened, he hadn't thought that their words would affect her…they weren't directed at her. "Sharpay, they don't know that it's you."

She looked away, "It still hurts," she muttered, "They think you spent the weekend with a whore…and you spent it with me…so that would make me a whore in their eyes!"

"No it doesn't!" he almost yelled, "Pay…if they knew it was you, they wouldn't be saying things like that."

She looked up and into his eyes, smiling sadly before looking down at her hands, "Yes…" she whispered, "…they would…"

"Pay…" he started, but she refused to even look at him. He glanced up, people were heading for the room, the warning bell had just rung.

He sighed before sitting back in his seat…he'd have to do something about those rumors…If not for him, then for Sharpay…

"Troy!" A voice called from down the hall.

Troy inwardly groaned before turning to face his father. "Dad," he said simply. All day long people had been throwing him crude looks, snide remarks, and attitudes. He was starting to get really sick of the way people kept hounding him.

"Troy what is going on?" he asked, he glanced up at the few people in the hall heading to their 6th period class, before pulling Troy into his office, "People have been talking about…your…exploits…in New York…"

"Dad!" Troy shouted, knowing it was the only way to get through to his father, "Nothing happened in New York. People found out that I went there with Sharpay to see Wicked…but all they knew was that I went there with a girl on the weekend…you were a teenager once, you know how their minds work!"

Coach Bolton stared Troy in the eyes; the boy didn't even blink like he always did when he lied…he was telling the truth. He sighed, "Oh thank god…" he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his now, "I don't know what I would have told your mother…"

Troy shook his head, "Can you help me get this rumor under control?" he asked, "Tell your classes that I went there with a family friend to see a Broadway musical."

"Family friend?" Coach asked, eyebrow arching.

"Well Sharpay is my friend…and you're my family…and you like her right?" he asked, something achen to fear in his eyes. He was terrified that his family wouldn't like her.

"We love her son," Coach assured him, patting him on the back and letting him leave the office before he went to go round up the troops and explain some things.

Troy had tried to get Sharpay to talk more to him all day…but she barely said two words to him after homeroom. During basketball she kept herself focused on the game no matter how much he talked and apologized to her. At lunch, she was no where to be found and Troy ended up eating his sandwich alone in his hideout.

He saw her just after the last bell had rung, she was at her locker the perfect portrayal of the Ice Queen…but with just a hint of sadness that only Troy could detect. He sighed, he'd have to do something now or else he'd have Sharpay made at him till play the next day. They weren't supposed to go to play right after school that day, but at 6 to get prepared for the show at 7. Troy couldn't stand the thought of Sharpay being made at him even another minute.

He slammed his locker and quickly walked to the end of the hallway, turning abruptly to face his peers…who were all watching him intently. "Everyone may I have your attention please!" he shouted, immediately the whispers quieted, Sharpay looked up, "You have been misinformed…" Once he was sure that he had their attention he continued, "There was no prostitute, there was no hooker, there was no one bed…there was a family friend, a trip to New York, and a Broadway musical…now…if you'll please…shut the hell up!" He dropped his arms that he had been holding up to keep their attention on him. His gaze floated over Sharpay who was smiling softly at him from behind her locker.

He bowed extravagantly and, with that, turned and walked right out of the school.

He wasn't sure if his little speech had done the trick, but at least he cleared up a few things. Their view of him would never be the same, but at least they got to see the whole picture instead of what they heard from a friend's friend's friend.

He was nervous though…later on as he stood in the dressing room…that perhaps he had imagined the smile from Sharpay. He saw her…she looked gorgeous in her dress…her toga to be exact, but still…she had yet to speak to him.

He went on when his cue came up and left when he was supposed to. He stepped immediately into the chorus room but didn't see Sharpay anywhere.

He made a brief mention under his breath that he was going to get Sharpay before she missed her cue. But before he stepped into the hall he grabbed something from his backpack.

She was right there, just outside the door in the empty hall, leaning against the wall.

She looked up when she saw Troy approaching her. She looked down; she was so ashamed of the way she had acted towards him. She'd blamed him for everything that people were saying, even though she knew that they didn't know she was the one he'd gone to New York with…but still in her mind she'd connected rumored girl he'd gone to NY with, with her, the actual girl he'd gone to NY with.

She looked up slightly, when she felt Troy take her hand. He opened it and placed a small white daisy…her favorite flower…

She looked up at him as he closed her hand around the flower and smiled softly. He smiled as well, leaning down to give her a soft kiss. He pulled back after a moment or two, "I'm sorry," he whispered, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry too," she replied.

He pulled her close giving her a gentle, loving hug, before taking her hand and leading her back to the chorus room, letting go of her hand before they entered.

A second later a member of stage crew ran from the stage, telling Sharpay she was on soon. Flower clutched in her hand, she ran with the freshman around the set and came in just when she was supposed to, fiddling with her daisy as she delivered her love struck lines.

A/N – Next chapter, not sure when I'll be able to write it…probably tomorrow afternoon, I have errands and class…and possibly a movie…but when I do…boy oh boy will I love writing it. Next chapter – The gang discovers just who Troy gave up Gabriella for… tee hee hee! -