Chapter Seventeen

Troy and Sharpay had avoided everyone the next day, Sunday, the last day of play. They went to Sharpay's volunteering and lessons. She was allowed to skip her acting lessons since the play was that night, though her acting coach said he'd be in the audience watching and evaluating her.

They went to the school at 7:10; Troy drove them both, since Sharpay hadn't wanted to go home at all. They had decided that, since the whole gang knew, it would only be a matter of time before the rest of the cast…and then the school knew…especially with Taylor's dislike of Sharpay.

They paused just outside the doors to the chorus room, "Ready?" Troy asked, holding out his hand.

"No," Sharpay said, taking his hand anyway.

He laced their fingers, smiling softly at her before opening the door for them both to walk in.

As soon as the door shut behind them and the noise drew some attention, Troy and Sharpay were the object of almost everyone's gaze. The cast members, and even some crew members, looked from the both of them, to their intertwined hands, to their friends, and back to the couple…Those who weren't looking were soon nudged and their attention directed at the two.

Sharpay looked up at Troy, who just smiled back down at her before leading her through the chorus room and out back stage so they could get their costumes from the prop room. As soon as the door that connected the chorus room and back stage shut, whispers ensued.

The whispering didn't cease, not even when Troy and Sharpay entered the room once again clad in their costumes to get their make up ready for the stage. The whispers didn't cease even as the stage crews rushed around to get ready. The whispers continued even as they were told that the doors would be opening and people would be taking their seats.

The whispers only stopped when Ms. Darbus entered the room to give the cast their last little pow wow before their final performance. She had talked of how proud she was of all their hard work and dedication, how far they had come in the field of acting, growing from seeds that didn't know the difference between stage left and stage right to beautiful flowers that could sprout crocodile tears upon command.

Ryan then led his fellow cast member in their traditional preshow cheer. They all crowded into a circle with their hands in, jumping from foot to foot while Ryan called out the words.

"What time is it?" he called.

"Game time!" The group replied.

"What time is it?" he repeated.

"Game time!" They shouted.

"All the dogs in the house!"

"Who who who who!"

"All the dogs in the house!"

"Who who who who!"

"WHOAH!" he shouted, pushing the hands down, "GAY!" They shouted throwing their arms up.

They started laughing, each thinking how stupid the cheer was, but they would do it regardless. It was something the first Drama Club members had made up, even though their school was the Wild Cats, they felt like they being unique and made the cheer all the dogs in the house instead of all the cats in the house.

They cast members started to disperse, heading out to take their places, when Ms. Darbus called out, "Mr. Bolton, Miss Evans!"

Troy and Sharpay turned and headed back towards Ms. Darbus, their hands still locked together. "Yes, Ms. Darbus?" Sharpay asked.

She sighed looking at the two of them, "Now, I know you two may not have the strongest feelings for each other…" she started. They looked down at their interlocked hands; obviously she hadn't noticed them yet. "But do try to make your kiss seem more…passionate…than you've been doing." She had blocked Demetrius and Helena's kiss, the last one, their only one, to be the ending of the play. As soon as they broke apart, the curtains were supposed to shut and the lights fade as Puck made his speech. Once he'd finished, Oberon and Titania were to appear and walk along outside the curtain, delivering their last lines before disappearing on the other side, when Puck would appear from where the curtain closed to deliver his last lines as well. So far, that kiss had been the most awkward, short, peckish kiss that she had seen in her many years in the theatre.

They looked at each other; smiling gently as Darbus walked away…if she wanted passion…they'd give her passion…

Jason, Kelsi, Ryan, Gabriella, Troy, and Sharpay walked up from the center of the back of the stage when Jason stopped and turned to his friends, "The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve: Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time. I fear we shall out-sleep the coming morn as much as we this night have overwatch'd. This palpable-gross play hath well beguiled the heavy gait of night. Sweet friends, to bed. A fortnight hold we this solemnity, in nightly revels and new jollity." With that he kissed Kelsi's hand and walked off stage right while Ryan waggled his eyebrows at Gabriella before pulling her off stage left. Troy and Sharpay took a few shy steps forward to center stage. Sharpay gave him an impish look before starting to walk to her right. Troy tugged her arm, pulling her back to him before giving her one of the most passionate, fiery, loving, fervent, kisses that she had ever had, stage or not. She responded to it immediately, quickly forgetting that they were on stage in front of nearly the entire school. The mouths of the students dropped open…even they could tell that the kiss had gone from stage kiss to real one. Gabriella stood off stage, watching the two, Troy and she never had passion like that…she smiled softly to herself…

Unfortunately, the curtain pullers weren't as happy. They looked at each other nervously across the stage. What were they supposed to do? They were supposed to wait for the couple to part but at the rate they were going, they doubted that Troy and Sharpay would stop even to come up for air. Troy's hands wandered over her body and Sharpay gave a little groan which cut the last straw for the curtain pullers. They pulled those curtains closed so fast half the crew thought that they must have gotten rope burn.

Dutch, who had been watching all this occur, quickly snapped out of his shock at seeing them go at it in the middle of the stage to deliver his lines. Chad and Taylor walked across in front of the curtains and exited right when Puck was supposed to come on. Dutch had to literally push the two away so that he could get past them to deliver his lines. But the push was enough to startle them back into the conscious world.

One of the straps to Sharpay's toga had slipped…or was pushed…off. She quickly pushed it up, before looking back up at Troy who was working on reattaching his make shift belt. He leaned forward giving her a quick kiss as they were rushed off the stage by crew to get ready for curtain call.

The fairies came out first, followed by some minor characters like the actors and Hermia's father, then came Jason and Kelsi, Dutch and Zeke, Chad and Taylor, Gabriella and Ryan, and finally Troy and Sharpay…

But instead of bowing like they had rehearsed, Troy grabbed Sharpay's arm, pulled her to him, dipped her, and kissed her…not as passionately as before…but enough to tell the audience that their previous kiss had not just been some really great acting…

The cast did their final bows, some throwing glares at Troy and Sharpay, before running off stage and down the hall to meet their friends and family who had come to see the play.

Troy's parents had gone the day before, and Sharpay's father hadn't been able to go period…he was doing some court thing in Fiji. So both of them took advantage of the emptiness of the dressing rooms to get changed quickly and put their stuff away. They snuck out while everyone else was by the main doors. They quietly crept out the back doors of the chorus hallway. Sharpay wanted to get home early and get some rest for the next day, she and Troy had stayed up late talking and running lines and…hmm…practicing their final scene…over…and over…and over…again until it was perfect. After all, practice makes perfect, right?

But their escape didn't go unnoticed however. One of the school's cheerleaders, a sophomore saw them leave and turned to her friends.

"What is going on with Troy and Sharpay?" she asked. The students were utterly, utterly confused as to what was going on between the two.

"You mean you haven't heard?" Taylor said mimicking their air headedness, "Like Troy Bolton, the hottie super bomb, he's, like, dating Sharpay the Ice Bitch."

The cheerleaders let out a unanimous gasp before turning to talk amongst themselves. One or two broke off and ran to their friends to tell what they had heard. This time the rumor couldn't be wrong…they'd heard the whole story…

A/N – Just so you know, that little cheer that they did was something my school actually did before the plays. It was so stupid but you got to love it. Next chapter…school for Sharpay and Troy…rumors? Comments? Snide remarks? I think so…