Gabriella fell back against a rock off to the far right of the beach, putting as much distance between her and Troy as possible. Closing her eyes she held them tight until the tears that threaten to fall, resided. Taking a deep breath she let out the frustration in a sigh.

"Gabriella?" Sharpay rounded the corner and she spotted Gabriella, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Gabriella said little more rushed than she intended.

"No you're not." Sharpay said coming to stand next to her by the rock. "You're shaking."

Gabriella looked down at her hands as they trembled. "Nothing gets by you," Gabriella said with a small laugh, a moment passed between them as Gabriella took deep breaths. "Why did you follow me over here?" Gabriella said crossing her arms. "Taylor told me what you did that night at the bar, so I don't by your caring act any further than I can throw you."

Sharpay let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders. "Well believe it or not I do care," she said giving her a sideways glance. "I know about what happened to you." She said in low tone. "I know that you were attacked, raped, and left in ditch for someone to find off the highway."

Gabriella eyes lifted as she met Sharpay's. Neither one of them said anything for long time. Thoughts and images flashed though her mind each one echoing a scream from somewhere deep inside and she didn't know if she was relieved or terrified.

"I Googled you."Sharpay said quietly.

Gabriella let out a sigh as she narrowed her eyes to look up at Sharpay with disbelief. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing," Sharpay brought a hand up to the left side of her face and rubbed her brow lightly. "You just look like you need someone to listen." Sharpay said finally bringing her hands to rest at her sides. "I get that I might not be the ideal person you wanted to confide in but right now I don't see what other choices you have?"

Gabriella shook her head the reality settling in that she was no longer hiding. "Every 45 seconds someone in the United States is sexually assaulted." Gabriella uncrossed her arms and braced herself on the rock as she felt a slight brim of tears fill her eyes. When Sharpay didn't say anything she continued. "Did you know an American woman is 10 times more likely to be raped than to die in a car crash?"

"No I didn't." Sharpay said placing a hand on Gabriella's shoulder lightly.

"How fucked up is it that I feel safer in the middle of the street than on a sidewalk?" Gabriella said shrugging away from Sharpay. "I fought my hardest to stay alive, I fought for my life before, during, even after, even now two years after I'm still fighting.'" Gabriella violently pushed the hair out of her face. "I'm tired." She said in shaky voice. "I'm just tired."

"Then stop?" Sharpay said quietly watching as Gabriella turned to face her again. "Stop running from everything and just fall, let the people who care about you catch you."

"I don't get it?" Gabriella let out a long breath as she looked back out into the water then back at Sharpay. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Gabriella frowned as she looked down at the sand.

Sharpay shrugged her shoulders. "What would be the point otherwise?"

Gabriella was quite as she processed this information. "Then why haven't you told Troy?"

"Same reason you didn't tell Taylor about me and Chad, I guess." Sharpay let out a sigh, "I can't image what you're going through, but I know that you can't continue to go through it alone." She said tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "Troy is a great guy, better than great he's amazing even."

"So amazing you cheated on him with his best friend?" Gabriella countered.

Sharpay let out a breath as she rubbed her hands over her arms. The two stood quite for a long time. "What happened between me and Chad was something neither one of us could control. I'm not making excuses or saying that we went about it the right way, but it happened."

"Do you love him?" Gabriella said looking out to the water.

"I do," Sharpay nodded as she looked out into the water as well.

"What about Taylor?" Gabriella said looking back at Sharpay, "She's hurting really bad,"

Sharpay looked down a look of shame and disgust washed over her. "I know."

"Are you going to do anything about that?" Gabriella said placing her hands on her hips.

"I don't think there is anything I can do?"Sharpay looked up at Gabriella and let out a breath. "You should open up to Troy. He likes you,"

"He only thinks he does," Gabriella said crossing her arms and wrapping them around herself. "If he knew the truth he'd understand that." She mumbled.

"Then explain it to him and let him make his own decision." Sharpay said extending her arms and pointing out to where they came from.

Gabriella let out a breath. "Why do you care?"

"Because I feel like shit. Okay!" Sharpay tossed her arms up in surrender. "Because I didn't want to lose the two best friends I had and I did." Sharpay swept her hair out her face as she turned towards where everyone else was. "I fell in love, I didn't hand choose my best friend's boyfriend. I didn't want it to happen and believe me for a long time I fought to ignore it. But like you I got tired."

"We're nothing alike." Gabriella countered.

"You know that butterfly feeling you get every time Troy stares at you." Sharpay said with a sigh, "that skip your heart gives when you touch,"

Gabriella was quite.

"Don't say you don't feel it," Sharpay pleaded. "Because I feel it from Chad, I felt it from Chad for an entire year and it has been torture for me. You have no idea how it feels to be in love with someone you can't have and worst know that your best friend, someone you admire and respect has him and the only way you can be happy is to break her heart."

Gabriella let out a breath, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't want this guilt of what you're going through on my hands as well," Sharpay said with a frown. "I used your friendship to keep you away from Troy and I'm not going to lie I crossed some lines in the things I did to keep him from you." Sharpay shoulders slumped and she shook her head. "I was frustrated, lonely, bitter, and just stupid. Chad and I made an agreement that if I broke it off with Troy he would break it off with Taylor and we would finally just be brave enough to be together. So when you moved in and Taylor moved in with Chad everything just got harder to do. I felt like a fool and I felt rejected."

"How do you feel now?" Gabriella asked.

"I feel happy," Sharpay said with deep breath. "Like this part of me has been brought to life." Sharpay paused for a moment as she watched Gabriella. "I also feel miserable, because my happiness stems from the misery of two people who were so close to my heart."

Gabriella felt something inside her pinch from the sincerity in her voice. "Happiness always has a price."

"Yeah but that price doesn't always have to be miserable." She said quietly. "I'm going to go back to Chad, I don't want to leave him by himself for too long."

"Thanks," Gabriella said wrapping her arms around herself again. Watching her walk away Gabriella let out a breath and leaned against the rock again.