"The girl is fucking nuts." Taylor said extending her hand in air with frustration. "It would be just my luck to get a basket case for a roommate."
"Don't you think your being a little harsh?" Chad said as he took a scooped up a hand full of popcorn. "Maybe she's just shy?" he suggested , the Xbox controller rested in his lap as he leaned against the back of the bed and shoved the fist full of popcorn into his mouth.
"Or maybe she's just nuts." Sharpay said as she flipped another page of the magazine. "Did Troy say he was on his way or what?"
"He's coming." Taylor said dug into the popcorn bowl herself. She been dating Chad for almost a year he lived by himself in a dorm across from hers. He was studying graphic design and studio art. His goal was to one day create the perfect video game for the new world, whatever that was. When she called to tell him she was on her way she ran into Sharpay who was coming in from one of her classes. In her effort to complain about her roommate dilemma and have somewhat of a chance at getting Troy to reconsider the room arrangement she would need Sharpay's back up.
There was a knock at the door and Chad grunted the words 'come in' around a mouthful of popcorn.
"Ew," Taylor said nudging Chad, "Don't talk with your mouth full, I hate when you do that."
Troy came into the room and shut the door behind him. "I wasn't aware were getting together tonight?" Troy said holding his book bag over his shoulder.
"We weren't," Sharpay said getting up on her knees on the bed and opening her arms for a hug. Troy obliged with a hello kiss as well.
"Can I get a new roommate?" Taylor groaned as she glanced up at Troy.
Troy bumped fist with Chad and raised a brow. "It's only been a week?"
"And I hate her." Taylor said rolling her eyes as she looked back at the future solider game Chad was in the middle of. "Are you almost done?"
"Hey, you all came to my room remember?" Chad said holding out a hand and looking around at all of them. "And you bought company so it's not like it's a romantic visit either." Chad said narrowing his eyes at Taylor.
"Give me a break," Taylor rolled her eyes as she looked back at the screen.
Troy smiled as he looked over at Sharpay who had gone back to her magazine. "So what are we doing?"
"I vote we order a pizza." Sharpay said looking from the TV screen where Chad was shooting at some random solider in a field. Her Blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, she was wearing a pink t-shirt with jeans her light green sock up in the air behind her as she laid on her stomach on the bed. Her eyes gave a sidelong glance to Troy who was getting settled. Next month they would make two years. Her eyes shifted back as she thought about the confining feeling building in her chest. Lately the pounding had gotten louder, almost as if her entire body was suffering from claustrophobia just by being inside her own clothes.
"Troy when I volunteer to host the new girl, I didn't mean I'd play babysitter to the deranged." Taylor said leaning back in her chair.
"She doesn't seem deranged to me?" Troy said as he put his bag down. "I mean she's cautious but she's from a small town."
"I thought she transferred from Stanford." Sharpay said eyeing Troy.
"She did but she's originally from a small town." Troy shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe she's just a little shy?" Troy looked back at Sharpay the uneasiness slipped in again as he caught her quickly looking the other way. Something wasn't the same, something was off, he started feeling it about three weeks ago and the feeling wasn't going away.
Chad let out a laugh as he tapped multiple buttons at once. "That's what I told her."
"Well, what is it exactly about that rings the loony bells?" Sharpay said.
"She takes pills all the time." Taylor said looking over at Chad, "She's awkward, she does this weird safety check before she goes to sleep before she leaves the room and she talks in her sleep."
"That sounds like more of a reason she needs a friend." Troy said looking at Sharpay back to Taylor.
"oh gag me," Sharpay said as she looked over at Troy. "I'm not making friendship bracelets and painting anyone's toe nails."
"Not even a pillow fight?" Chad said looking at Taylor with a smirk.
"Grow up," Taylor gave him a playful shove as they all broke out into giggles.
After four rounds of Future solider and a pizza between Troy and Chad, Troy was ready to call it a night. Looking up behind him he watched as Sharpay and Taylor sat in the bed looking over the same magazine, both talking about the new sally Hansen crackle nail polish. "You girls ready for that long walk across the parking lot?"
"I think I'll stay here for the night." Taylor said rolling her eyes and closing the magazine as Sharpay shift to get off the bed. "Take a night off from the strange and deranged."
Troy got to his feet and held out his hand to Sharpay. "Shall we then?"
"We shall," she said taking his hand and hopping to her feet from the bed.
The four said their good nights and Troy walked out into the empty halls with Sharpay close behind. His hand reached out and instead of taking it like she had a million times before she hesitated and let out a sigh, "This new chick seems kind of weird." She said reaching in her pocket for lip gloss.
Troy shoved his hands in his own pockets and did his best to wave off the awkward moment. "I think she's just a new girl at a new school trying to adjust and fit in like everyone else," he said attempting not to look in her direction.
"Yeah, but I mean, what about all those pills?" Sharpay said shoving her own hands in her pockets.
Troy stopped in the middle of the parking lot and turned to look at her dead on. "What's going on?"
Sharpay startled by his abrupt action froze in her place at stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Troy let out a sigh and looked away from her for a moment before coming back to meet her in the eyes. "Don't play dumb with me, what's going on between us?" Troy said shifting his weight to his left leg. "Your avoiding me, not answering my calls, you won't even hold my hand?"
Sharpay was quiet. He watched as she chewed off the fresh coat of lip gloss from her lips. The wind blew and he watched as a few of her blond strands came out of place. "Troy I've been meaning to talk about this for a while," she said looking down at her hands.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Troy said in a low voice as he watch Sharpay glance back up at him.
"It's hard to let go of something you never really had but, even harder when you know its everything you ever wanted." Sharpay said as a tear welled up in her right eye.
Troy watched the tear trickle over and roll down the side of her face, his hand reached up to caress her face, the soft pad of his thumb wiping the tear away from her cheek. "Don't say we are not right for each other" Troy said in a low voice.
Sharpay felt her lips begin to tremble at his touch. "I can't do this anymore."
"I don't know what you want me to do Sharpay?" Troy said letting his shoulders shag as the sadness began to seep into the moment.
"I don't think there's anything we can do Troy." Sharpay said with a small shrug. "We just… it just is." She said.
"Did you meet someone?" Troy asked a little curious, a little scared.
"What?" Sharpay jerked back as she tucked a strain of hair behind her ear. "I would never do that to you."
"You've been growing distant. I feel it, your pulling back from me." Troy said looking.
"Takes two to tango Troy," Sharpay said with snap. "I feel it two which is why I think we should just go back to being friends."
"That's not possible." Troy said holding up a hand.
"Whatever we had is gone Troy, that sizzle that excitement?" Sharpay said with frustration.
Troy rolled his eyes "But that's not all there is to a relationship?"
"But it's what I want." Sharpay said with a shrug. "And I'm not getting it from you, I don't feel the same way anymore Troy."
Troy looked at her a sadness seeping into his gut. It was over. "Fine." He said after a long pause.
"We can still be friends right?" Sharpay said turning away from him and walking towards the dorm.
"Yeah" he said in a low voice as he took a deep breath and looked into the dark parking lot. "Why not, gotta have something to show for the last two years of our life, right?"
"Right," she said in a low voice.
"Yeah." Troy repeated
"Goodnight Troy." she said making her way into the night and then disappearing into the dorm.
"Fuck." Troy said under his breath.