Gabriella took three steps forward in the line for wraps. Today the cafeteria had an Indian themed menu. Not that she hated Indian food but out of everything that was being served she felt more comfortable with a simple wrap instead.
"Did you tell him?"
Gabriella turned around in line to see Sharpay in line behind her. A cold sweat broke out over her as she quickly she scanned the room for Taylor.
"She's out in the hall, talking to Zeke" Sharpay said raising a brow as she motioned that the line was moving up.
"Yeah, he found out."Gabriella said solemnly as took two steps forward and bit her lip for a moment before looking down at the floor.
"Found out?" Sharpay said crossing her arms. "So he asked?"
Gabriella paused as she looked back at Sharpay then at the door leading out into the hall. "If she catches me talking to you she's going to flip."
"What am I suppose to do? Not eat because you're in line?" Sharpay said a little put off.
Gabriella rolled her eyes as she stepped up in line. "Don't be so dramatic. You're sleeping with her boyfriend."
"Ex-boyfriend." Sharpay said with annoyance. "They broke up."
"Because she found out!" Gabriella said a little too loudly and attracting the attention of some people walking by. Gabriella let out a breath as she closed her eyes, fully aware of the pink taking residence on her cheeks.
"Shhhh," Sharpay hushed as she motioned that the line had moved up again. "So he found out," Sharpay continued. "Now what?"
Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, "We haven't talked?" Gabriella said a little upset about the entire thing. Not that she'd been looking for him or going out of way to do things like knock on his door. It was just weird, how before he used to be everywhere and now he just… wasn't. Gabriella bit her lip as she let out a breath. "It's not that I blame him or anything I mean who wants to deal with something like that," she said shrugging her shoulder and looking down at her chipping nail polish.
"Stop it." Sharpay said giving Gabriella a little pinch on her side. "What happened to you doesn't give any guy the right to just drop you. You should say something."
Gabriella shoulders slumped a little as she moved forward with the line. "it's really not a big deal, I'm use to it," Gabriella said no matter how much she thought this time might be different the end result was the same. In past whenever she'd been up front about what had happened to her people would generally disappear. Especially men, no one wanted to deal with the baggage of her past.
"Well you shouldn't be." Sharpay said with annoyance in her tone, neither one of them said anything for a moment. Then Sharpay tapped her shoulder lightly. "I was reading on this blog that there are no quick or easy fixes for healing from sexual violence, so it's important to be patient when the process seems to be taking what some might consider to be a long time." Sharpay said waving a hand as she spoke. "You know that despite our past relationship I'm always here if you want to talk. I mean think about it, you survived; obviously you did the right things. Don't let anyone make you feel uncomfortable about that. That's something to be proud of."
Gabriella nodded as she watch the boy in front of her place his order. Her own breath caught as she thought about what Sharpay was telling her. Of all the people in the world it was Sharpay who was making sense, who was offering a hand out to help, who known what she had been through and wasn't running out of the room to avoid conversation or possible details. "I still don't understand why you're talking to me,"
"Just trying to make it right," Sharpay mumbled in a voice Gabriella almost couldn't hear.
"Well thanks," Gabriella said turning around to nod at Sharpay. "But for what it's worth, you're making it right to the wrong person." Gabriella said before stepping up to place her order.
Troy tapped his pen on his notebook as he looked around the room at all the blank faces looking back at him. "Powder Puff Football," he said with a little more interest then he liked to admit. The student affairs council had been sitting in the library for the last hour discussing fundraiser ideas.
"And that is," A red head asked as she gave Troy a disapproving look.
Troy held out his hands, "Powder puff football is an old college favorite;" he began giving Megan the eye as he proceeded to explain. Megan, a red head, who was just another one of Sharpay's many mini me's on campus was currently on the 'against Troy' train. Looking back at everyone else he pushed through the feeling of bile in stomach and pushed himself up from his chair. "This is the idea of seeing women play football." Troy said holding up a finger "This is about attracting the attention of both male and female college students to not just any fundraiser but a powder puff football tournament." He thought of the idea days ago, memorized everything he had to say. Told himself he just had to get through this meeting. Looking around he saw some of the men in the room were already smirking while the females began to roll their eyes. "Now I know what you're thinking." He said walking more into the middle of the circle.
"Great so we can all agree this is a pig headed idea?" Megan said with an ear to ear grin earning the giggles from a few of her own followers.
Ignoring her Troy went on. "We are going to ask groups of girls to sign up for teams, and find groups of men to be cheerleaders, skirts and all." He said drawing in everyone's attention again. "We charge a fee to enter the game and sell refreshments to boost our fundraising. Any question?"
"Yes," Megan said narrowing her eyes his way. "What about a fundraising idea that isn't so sexiest."
"It's not completely sexiest." Another girl said from the side. "I mean the boys dress up as cheer leaders and the girls as football players, this could be fun."
Some people muttered in agreement and Troy smiled as he watched Megan stare at him with annoyance. "This could be fun," Troy repeated.
The room was quite once again as everyone looked around, "Fine," Megan said with a sigh. "I'll get started on the forms and get it to the dean for approval." She added as she began jotting down notes.
Troy smiled as everyone murmured their excitement and began talking about their outfit ideas. As soon as Megan jotted down the information she adjured the meeting and everyone began wrapping up to leave. Troy stood behind in order to put away the equipment they borrowed from the AV room. As people walked out one by one he nodded his 'see you laters' and 'congrats' then he began to wrap up the computer wire. Like a library book the computer carts were borrowed out to anyone with an id. The cart came with all the wires and equipment a projector to display the screen on a wall, the works. Troy began sorting through the items on the cart to ensure everything was returned properly.
"Well you managed to win the hearts of the council, yet again." Megan said with defeat as she slipped her back pack over her shoulder.
"Well," Troy said with a shrug, "what can I say, this charm is a curse." He said as he wrapped the wire in a bundle to tie up. Megan didn't make a move to leave the room and Troy eyes shifted back up to her in curiosity. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.
"How's Sharpay?" Megan said with a polite smile she didn't mean.
"She's alive," Troy muttered as he unplugged the computer from the wall and set the plugs up on the cart as well.
"I heard about her and Chad." Megan said with a hint of sarcasm. "That must have sucked."
Troy wrapped up the last wire and then grabbed both sides of the cart. "Does this conversation have a point Megan or are you just poking at a flesh wound hopping for some blood?"
Megan shrugged. "Just keeping up with my gossip, enjoying your misery."
Troy pushed the cart towards the door way. "I got nothing to prove to you Megan, truth be told I don't even like you." He said pushing the door open and moving the cart through it as she followed. "I don't care what rumors you hear." Once he was out of ear shot he mumbled a slur under his breath as he reached the AV room. His mind wondered and his thoughts brought him to Gabriella. Troy placed both hands on the cart palm down and felt the quick wave of nausea pass through him again for the what had to have been the 12th time since the knowledge of what happened to Gabriella actually sank in.
The bonfire was three days ago and he yet to see her, not that he pitched a tent up outside her bedroom door or waited for her to show up at work. By accident Kelsi need to work the late shift on Monday so he been able to switch hours with her and when Gabriella showed up for her shift he was in the middle of a conversation about equipment with Mr. Ward. Tuesday was his day off and tonight, well tonight he was going to have to see her. He just didn't know what to say. Once inside he walked over to his desk to sign the equipment back in and check his e-mails.
"Are you trying to be an idiot?" Sharpay said as she came into the office.
"Excuse me?" Troy said looking up from the computer screen.
"That girl needs you and you're sitting here reading e-mails like nothing's wrong." Sharpay said coming up to his desk and leaning on it.
"What am I suppose to do, beat the guy up, he's dead." Troy said standing up with force. "And what makes you think you're in a place to give me any kind of advice?"
"Because despite the way things are you're still my friend Troy." Sharpay responded sharply.
"You have a messed up sense of friendship." Troy said lifting a finger towards her and turning to grab his clip board.
"She's just as scared as you are." Sharpay said letting out a breath. "And remember she's the victim."
"Wait," Troy said shaking his head in confusion. "How do you even know about this?" Troy said looking up from the clipboard. A flash of pain surged through him.
"Of course I know about it, I googled her." Sharpay said looking at it him pointedly.
"Why?"
"Because you were interested," Sharpay said looking away from him. "Because I panicked when Chad said he needed more time and you were moving on and I just panicked."
Troy was silent for a moment as the heaviness of the last few weeks settled around them. "Why did you lie to me?" Troy said finally looking back at the schedule.
"If I lied to anyone it was to myself," Sharpay said looking up at him. "You're a smart guy Troy, you knew something was wrong and you tried to fix it and I wished that you could but-" Sharpay stopped and Troy looked back up to see her struggling with the right words. "There is nothing I can say that's going to excuse what I did or make you feel any better about what happened." She said sticking her chin up. "The best thing I can say is that I'm sorry."
The silence echoed and Troy lips slowly pulled into a small smile. "An apology from Sharpay Evans?"
"The best your gonna get." She shot back with a half smile.
Troy let out a sigh and dropped back into his seat. "So you Googled her?" he said with a raised eye brow.
"You need to talk to her." Sharpay said feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.
"She never wants to talk about anything, whenever I try she shuts down, ends the conversation, or takes off." Troy said leaning back in his chair. "Or worst I say something completely stupid and make an ass out of myself."
"You're scared." Sharpay said quietly.
"I'm terrified." Troy said as he blankly looked at the computer screen. "I have so many questions and I don't think I want them answered."
"Imagine how terrified she is." Sharpay said. "She was raped. Someone took away all that security and self dignity that we all take for granted every single day. That's a feeling you can't just get back. She'll be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life."
Troy was quiet as he sat there in his chair looking at the other empty desk in the room. "So you guys are friends now?"
"I'm someone she can talk to." Sharpay offered as she pulled up a chair and sat down. "I'm also someone you can talk to too you know." Troy watched as she sat down in front of him and leaned forward on the desk a little. "She's at work now." Sharpay said looking at him with a small smile.
"I know, I was thinking about heading over their a little early." Troy said looking up at the clock.
"What are you going to say?"
Troy shook his head, "I don't know," Troy brought a hand up and ranked his fingers though his hair.
"How do you feel?" Sharpay said eyeing him a little and looking at the circles under his eyes. "You look tired."
"I can't sleep, I can't eat, and I can't really think of anything else." Troy looked at the cart he wheeled in earlier. "The only reason I'm here is because I had a student council fundraiser meeting. If I hadn't already had that pitch rehearsed and planed out I would have never made it through. " Troy leaned back in her chair. "I want to say the right thing here, I want let her know how I feel I just don't understand how I feel."
"When you are talking to her, don't worry about saying all the right things. Your very presence will be comforting. Silence is okay." Sharpay said with a smile. "You don't always need to say the right things. Sometimes there is nothing to say."
"This is awkward." He said looking up at Sharpay with a smirk. "I told her that I like her."
"Do you?" Sharpay said.
"I think she's out of this world." Troy said as he leaned forward a little. "a lot braver and stronger than she gives herself credit for."
"I was reading online," Sharpay said looking down at her hands before looking back up at him. "This one article said that one of the best ways to help a friend that's be raped is to remind them that it is not their fault. They did not ask to be raped. Whatever their excuse is, just counter it with a positive statement." Sharpay let out a sigh, "They also say to just be there for them and believe them."
"I want to be there for her," Troy said quietly.
"Then be there," Sharpay said leaning forward. "Hold her hand, listen to her, and just be there, because for every second you're not…" Sharpay frowned. "You're only going backwards."