Ryan walked up to see his dad in the room passed out. He walked closer to him and smelt the alcohol on him and the little pieces that covered him some had cut into his skin and small cuts over parts of exposed skin. Ryan shook his head and remembered the reason he had come in here. This was the source of the noise and he noticed the small hole in the glass. Looking out of the window he saw an empty bottle out on the driveway and it hit the old sedan parked under the window sill. Finding what he needed to know Ryan set his father back onto the bed cleaning him up a bit and left the room.

"What happened?" Sharpay asked him from the couch.

"The usual." Ryan answered.

"Oh."

Ryan he was secretly happy that that was all that happened to his father. He knew it could be worse. Their father could be an abusive drunk and could have harmed them in some way. He remembered all the times that something had happened to their father. He also knew that it grew steadily worse as the years after theirs mother's death grew longer. Everytime though Ryan felt like going to someone and saying something, anything just to get help for themselves and for their father but Sharpay declined saying that they could handle their own problems. The only person that knew was their Aunt Julie and even she was worried and called them every two days to check up on them. She was a big contribution to their lives and helped them stay afloat buy sending them bi-weekly checks of about $200.00. She worked for a major company and she said it was only right to send them the money considering that she had nothing else to spend it on and it was burning a hole in her pocket. Despite all of this they had odd jobs that they did for their neighbors to get some extra money.

Maneuvering through the icebox in the refrigerator he put together a sack filled with pieces of ice. He put it on her foot.

"If it was this bad why didn't the doctor put your foot in a cast."

"She said my foot was just about at that point when I did whatever it is that I did. She said it wasn't to that extremity."

"Just get better."

"Are you kidding me? I have things that I need to do but I can't. It's hard enough getting dressed in the morning."

"Maybe it's time for you to downgrade from your 4 inch heels."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No it makes it harder for you to walk around trust me it will make it easier if you wore sneakers or something flat."

"Next thing your going to be telling me to wear jeans." Sharpay scoffed.

Ryan gave her a serious look.

"No."

"Yes."

"You can't force me."

"Trust me you're going to change your mind when you have as much trouble as you did the past few mornings. And this time I'm not going to help you."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sharpay was forced to anyway as Ryan was right. She discovered that she was more comfortable anyway.

"When's the last time that you looked normal like that?"

"Probably since mom was alive." Sharpay said. There was a strange silence in the room not broken until her stomach grumbled.

"I'm going to get some oatmeal okay?"

"Sure, just be ready in 10 minutes to go to school."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Umm..Gabriella I just wanted to...no that's not right."

"Hi Troy."

"Oh hi Gabriella." Troy said turning around playing with the lock to his locker out of nervousness.

"Is everything alright?"

"I think so."

"You think so isn't exactly a reassuring statement."

"Well...Look Gabriella I was wondering if you would like to go out on a Friday or Saturday to the movies or something as friends you know."

"Sure." she said smiling at him.

"I just want you to know as friends I'm just not sure about how I feel right now."

"Thanks for being honest with me."

"Sure, well I've got to go I have gym next."

"Ok. Talk to you later."

Troy walked down the hallway towards the gymnasium. He heard voices outside the Guidance Counselor's office and one of them sounded like Sharpay's so he listened in closely.

"...I just don't know how long I can take him. I mean I know he's close to me and he's always been there for me but I just want to hate him for what he's done to me. I want to hate him for what he did to me and Ryan, and you know what he didn't even tell me sorry. He didn't even dare to tell me Sharpay I'm sorry for everything I've done to you, every single thing he made me sacrifice."

"There there Sharpay you shouldn't be harboring those kinds of thoughts."

"Why shouldn't I?"

He knew that he shouldn't be listening in on the conversation that they were having but it wasn't his fault. There was no one else in the hallway but Troy sure heard it because Sharpay was talking so loud. Or could he even call it talking because he could tell she had the voice of someone who was mad, was trying to keep her sanity as not to say something offensive to Mrs. Schwann the guidance counselor, and crying to hurt. So some of the words were hard to make out. He felt bad about what she had said towards him. They were supposed to be friends, they weren't best friends he knew that much but he considered having an understanding of where to and where not to tread on certaint topics was a type of friendship. He shouldn't have been listening. He shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. There was always more information about a person that he could find. Even the ones that you thought you knew completely. There were two people that he wanted to get to know more before judging them...Sharpay and Gabriella. The thing about it is though is that he knew the more he knew the harder it would be to be objective.

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"Sharpay here take this napkin." Mrs. Schwann said passing her the box of them.

"I want a complete family. Is that too much to ask? My mother died with a drunk driver and then my father turns right around and starts doing the same thing that finished off her life. Everyday he's knocking himself down a peg and I feel like I'm being dragged down with him. Part of me says that we need to help him get out of this but you know what I'm 16 years old he's had eight years and if he hasn't stopped then he isn't going to stop now. That same part is telling me he's my father and I should care more but then at the same time I want him to rot in hell."

"Have you ever let go of this hatred that you keep inside for your father?" asked the guidance counselor.

"I do it with the theater." Sharpay said giving the first half smile of the entire time she had been in there. "When I'm there I can be whoever I want to be and I don't want anyone to take that away from me."

"Is it all about you or is it about your brother too?"

"It's about me." Sharpay said evenly. " It might seem selfish but I figure that if I can't take care of myself and love myself first then I can't do the same for other people."

"And when have you started to work at that?"

"I never have." she admitted through tears," and I don't think I ever will."

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"Sharpay can I talk to you." Gabriella asked walking after her in the hallway.

"Not reallly I'm not in the mood."

"But Sharpay I really want your advice."

Sharpay stopped in her attempts to have support with the crutches.

"You're asking me. For help." she said shocked," You must be really desperate."

"I thought that we were friends."

"Troy and Kelsey are my friends they're are the only ones that even understand me. People like you are just the ones that I'm civil towards."

"What if I want to be one of those people like Troy and Kelsey. I'm always looking for more friends. I believe that you could be one of them if you would just let me..."

"Don't you get yet? I tolerate you but just barely. I really don't have the time or the want to argue with you right now but if you would excuse me I need to get to my next class."

She turned around and started the long journey to her next class.

"Sharpay!" Gabriella yelled.

"What is it?"

"Your class is the other way."

Sharpay muffled a small thanks and turned around.

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Her entire day was a mess and the only thing that she could think of was to go to the theater an hour before she had to actually be there. She knew the only person that was there was either Kelsey or Mrs. Darbus. She moved to the seat two rows from the actual stage waiting for it to begin. She took out the reading assignment that she needed to do for her English class and started.

"Why are you mad at me?"

"I believe that sentence should have started with an 'excuse you'." Sharpay said ignoring whoever it was.

"You think that just because you broke your leg you have the right to talk to someone like that especially your friend. Or your so called friend if you will?"

She recognized it as Troy's voice.

"I have never ever told anyone that I hated you or anything close to that."

"So I did just overhear it then?"

"Yes. Where did you hear it by the way?"

"I heard you in Ms. Schwann's office."

"You eavesdropped on my conversation."

"It wasn't intentional."

"Yeah right. You just sat there listening to my personal conversation with the guidance counselor by 'accident'."

"Okay maybe I was trying to figure out what was happening with you. You never let anyone in."

"And if I actually wanted you to know I would have told you about it or asked for your help."

"You forget that we've known each other since we were in diapers."

"And if you knew me you'd know it's best to stay out of it she said rising using the theater chairs for supports."

"And knowing you I know it's best not to leave you alone with this."

Somehow his words sent shivers down her spine but she didn't want to show him the effect his words had had on her. She grabbed her bookbag and her crutches as she pushed passed him she breathed out a barely intelligible "Tell Darbus I'm not coming to practice today I have things to do."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

In fact Sharpay was busy that whole week. A part of Troy said that was good she was getting the rest that she needed to get her foot back to normal but the other part told him that she was still mad at him and stewing in it and letting it boil over. It could it get worse...scratch that it would get worse if he didn't talk to her soon.

Troy hung out more with Gabriella these days than he did with anyone else and he got to know her a little bit more discovering that her favorite color was a jade green.

"So Troy are you ready for Friday night?"

"Sure I can't wait!"

All of a sudden he heard the P.A. System come on with a significant beep.

"Would Sharpay and Ryan Evans come to the main office with ALL of their belongings."

After that it clicked off and the cafeteria went back in a surge of whispers about what it could possibly be. In the corner of his eye he could see Ryan helping Sharpay up out of her seat carrying her tray to the garbage. He then zoomed back into the conversation.

"...and my mom and I are thinking of getting a dog, you know with it being so lonely at our house."

"That's great." he said absently.

He knew though that he was right. He was one hundred percent right. Things could only get worse and for Ryan and Sharpay things had gotten worse.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Yes Mrs. Dayton what were we called down here for?"

"Why don't you turn around and look for yourself."

'Oh my gosh Aunt Julie you're here." Sharpay said shocked

"Yes." she said with sorrow in her eyes,"I felt that I had to be here for you."

Ryan caught her words and the look in her eyes and he knew it had finally happened. After years of smoking and drinking himself into a stupor he had met his end. He felt nothing literally. It wasn't an expression like 'sunrise sunset' that you could reflect on it was just plain and simple.

The same thoughts were running through Sharpay's head. She felt nothing for the death. She realized for the past few years she had been losing him in stages but as each one hurt just a little bit more she finally understood that the last one wouldn't hurt at all because now everything before hurt ten times worse and the last one just faded as if it wasn't even there. It was as if she could remember all the times that the would go and play at Troy's house or at the park and have a picnic as picture perfect as it was. It hurt to watch him go further from the amazing man that her mother always said he was. The same person that her mother said she wanted for her daughter. Things weren't the same and things wouldn't be the same.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Her Aunt Julie was there at the house taking care of them.

"You know Sharpay you're looking more and more like your mother everyday."

'Thanks...I think." she said burying her nose in her food.

"If you go into that food anymore you'll be eating it through your nose."

"Yeah." she said absently. She didn't really feel like talking at the moment about that subject she had just brought up.

"I know you have school today but if you don't want to go you don't have to . Sometimes you need time to heal after something like this has happened to you. Ryan has already decided to stay home. I can drive you just tell me in half an hour."

"School starts in ten minutes anyway and I'm going to go so I can get the homework for the both of us."

"I...you know what I'll be ready to take you in about five minutes." she said forgetting what she was about to say to her.

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She was distant the entire day Friday. She just wanted to not talk to anybody so she didn't get upset. For some reason today, unlike the other days she felt like going down to the theater itching to touch a piano. Most of the time she would ignore this as it brought back too many memories. She sat down remembering the song that her mother always played on the piano it reminded her of the lullaby they used to sing together. It was based off a story they used to read all the time.

I've been dancing

Trying to find the ground beneath my feet

And I know you're always watching over me

As I sleep

I've always been dancing

I'm always out

Troy walked in a few minutes afterwards to just hear her on the piano playing softly. He had never heard her play before. He had just come in to give her some of his lunch because he noticed that she didn't eat anything and heard he heard playing and it was unsteady. He walked between the rows of chairs. He walked silently and as he was watching her coming closer to comfort her. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"You're not alright are you?"

"My dad died. Of course I'm not alright." Sharpay said finally breaking down flinging her arms around neck sobbing.

Of all the things that he could say the one thing he wouldn't is 'It's going to be alright.' because he had no way of knowing that and didn't want to give her false hope.

"What can I do to make you feel better?"

"Just hold me please." she said wanting to wash all the pain away.

He wanted to remain silent for her benefit.

"Sharpay maybe you should go home and rest, I think it would be best."

No I don't want to go home."

"It's not about what you want right now. Right now, it's about what you need. Go home!"

"No."

"I'm telling you that if any teacher saw how messed up you were right now they would send you home most likely until you were stable. A certain teacher might even tell Mrs. Darbus that your unfit to be in a play at the moment, would you want to be out of it."

" No," Sharpay said in a voice that was barely her own," the theater is my whole life."

"I'll call your house and she'll come over and pick you up. Can you stay here for a minute?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Sharpay said reluctantly.

So her Aunt Julie arrived and thanked Troy for calling her. She honestly had no idea what she was thinking when she let them make their own decision to come to school.

A/N: I totally forgot I even had this story. I had this chapter already saved online so I decided to post it. Sorry for any mistakes. Would greatly appreciate any reviews.