Part Three:

Gabriella was lying in her bed thinking about what happened between her and Sharpay. They kissed. How did that happen? Where did all these feelings come from? Why Sharpay of all people? Gabriella went over to her radio and put on a CD. Finding the track number she wanted to listen to, she pressed play and lay back down in her bed. Closing her eyes, she let the mellow sound of an acoustic guitar fill the room. She absolutely hated this kind of music but the lyrics were exactly how she felt.

Falling for you was the last thing I came to do. Your blonde hair and striking eyes gave me no chance to change my mind

"I thought you had plans today?"

Gabriella opened her eyes and saw Troy standing at her doorway. "Then how'd you know to come over?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I was in the neighborhood."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows not believing him.

Troy gave her a sheepish smile. "I wanted to see if your mom could make me more brownies." He walked over to her and indicated the song playing on her radio. "So what's up emo girl?" She didn't look at him.

"Nothing."

"Really? Because you're listening to emo rock. Acoustic emo rock. I didn't think you even owned an emo song." Gabriella reached over and turned off the radio. She sat up on her bed and crossed her arms.

"Okay, maybe something is up." Troy sat down in bed next to her and put an arm around her. She leaned on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a few moments before Gabriella spoke. "Did you know that Sharpay has brown eyes?" Troy looked down at her.

"No, I didn't."

"I always thought they were blue, you know? Because she has blonde hair and light skin."

"Ryan has blue eyes." Troy stated offhand.

"Yeah, and they're twins, but she has brown eyes." Gabriella stopped talking and just stared off into space.

"Why the sudden interest in Sharpay's eyes?" Troy asked, although he already knew the answer. Gabriella sat up and faced Troy.

"I think I'm falling for her." She braced herself for Troy's reaction. She thought he'd freak out or something but he remained perfectly fine.

"Really?"

Gabriella was confused. "You don't seem surprised."

He smiled at her. "Gabriella, I've known for some time."

"How could you have possibly known for some time when I just found out myself?"

"Gabriella, you keep forgetting that I know you better than anyone. Even more than you know yourself."

She thought for a second. "Yeah, that's true. But what gave it away? I mean, I hated Sharpay."

"Actually, that was the first clue."

Gabriella looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Since when does hating someone constitute as an attraction?"

"Since kindergarten. Come on, Gabriella. It's the classic 'I push you on the playground because I like you' bit. Sharpay got under your skin more than anyone in the entire world. You always pointed out all her flaws and took time to insult her whenever you could. You talk about her all the time, and you don't even know it. And Ryan tells me she does the same thing about you. You two are so attracted to each other, I'm surprise that the entire school doesn't know."

Gabriella wondered how exactly Troy deduced this all by himself. He sometimes was more intuitive than a girl. Even though all the things he said made sense, the only thing that lingered in her head was what Ryan said about Sharpay talking about her as much as she talked about Sharpay.

She sighed. "We kissed today."

Troy's smile was huge as he raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "Really? And how was that?"

Gabriella threw a pillow at him. "Shut up, it wasn't like that. It was really sweet, you know?"

He gave her an understanding look. "So, what happened?"

Gabriella threw her hands up in frustration. "That's the thing, I don't know. My mom walked in and Sharpay bolted. We didn't even get a chance to talk and I have no idea what she's thinking. I mean she kissed me, but what if she thinks it was a mistake and that she regretted it? Maybe it was a mistake." She looked down at her hands.

Troy lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Do you think it was a mistake?"

"No, I don't. It was…I don't even have the word to describe how it felt. I'm so confused, Troy. Does this mean I'm gay?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe or maybe not. You might just be one of those people who are attracted to the person and not the gender. But remember one of the reasons we broke up was because we didn't feel that connection. Maybe this is why."

"Maybe." She looked at Troy apprehensively. "Would you care if I was gay? Like would it bother you?"

"Bother me? Why would it bother me? Gabriella, I don't care if you're attracted to girls, boys, or monkeys. I'm going to love you no matter what and will always be here for you, got it?"

She smiled at him and leaned back on his shoulder. "Got it."

"Good." He put his arm back around her.

"Me and Sharpay. Talk about opposites attract."

"Actually, you guys aren't exactly opposites." Troy pointed out.

Gabriella looked at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? We're different as can be."

Troy shook his head and disagreed. "You guys actually have a lot of things in common."

"Like what?"

"Let's see," Troy started counting off his fingers. "You're both really smart. You know what you want and you go after it. You guys are so fricking stubborn. You both take pride in everything you do. You always have to be right even when you're wrong. You both have short tempers especially when it comes to Ryan and me. Shall I go on?"

Gabriella didn't know whether to slap him or hug him. It seemed like she had more in common with Sharpay than she thought. Gabriella threw her arms around Troy and gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Troy."

"No problem. I thought you were going to hit me." She laughed into his shirt when she noticed something odd.

"You smell funny."

Troy looked offended. "Hey! I showered this morning."

"No, not a bad smell. Just a familiar smell, but I can't put my finger on it." She looked at his shirt. "Is this your shirt?" Troy looked down at the plain white t-shirt he had on, trying to figure out what Gabriella was talking about.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Gabriella sniffed it. "What, are you a dog?" This time he got a smack.

"You just don't smell like your usual self. You smell almost…flowery?" She couldn't figure it out but she's smelled something like that before. It wasn't the exact scent but it was quite identical. Troy suddenly got up and got out of the bed.

"I'm going to go see if your mom is done with those brownies." He looked a little nervous when he left the room.

She gave him a contemplative look. "Alright."

--&--&--&--

Gabriella wasn't looking forward to school. She wanted to talk to Sharpay but she didn't think Sharpay would be as receptive. It wasn't a surprise when Gabriella couldn't find her anywhere before classes started. She had to wait until third hour again. Hopefully she can catch her either before or after class.

She walked into third hour and took her seat. Sharpay, of course, arrived right when the bell rang which gave Gabriella no time to talk to her.

Mr. Orfino walked into the classroom. "Alright, class, you all should be done or near done with your projects for it is due in two days. If anyone is done, we can start presentations tomorrow. So do we have any volunteers?"

To Gabriella's surprise, Sharpay raised her hand. "Gabriella and I would like to present tomorrow, Mr. Orfino."

"I'm glad that you and Ms. Montez were able to work together. I am looking forward to your presentation." Sharpay didn't even turn around to look at Gabriella for approval.

The rest of class was just taking notes and reading. Gabriella could barely pay attention because she was trying so hard to get Sharpay's attention without talking, which proved to be nearly impossible. At one point, Gabriella tried to yell at Sharpay with her mind hoping that telepathy was actually possible. She sighed with frustration as she looked over to Troy who gave her a sympathetic look.

The bell finally rang and Gabriella made a beeline towards Sharpay who was faster than she looked. She practically had to chase her out of the classroom almost losing her to the many students in the hallway.

"Sharpay!" She called out but she didn't turn around. Gabriella sprinted and bumped into many annoyed people when she finally caught up with Sharpay. She stopped right in front of her. Sharpay jumped with surprise at Gabriella's sudden appearance.

"Holy crap, where the hell did you come from?"

Gabriella tried to catch her breath. "I want to talk to you." Sharpay started walking again and Gabriella tried with difficulty to keep up.

"Yeah, I don't think we need to meet to go over the presentation. All we're doing is reading from a script." She stared straight ahead not looking at Gabriella.

"I'm not talking about the project, I'm talking about yesterday. Me and you."

"I don't want to talk about it." Her voice was harsh.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't, okay? So drop it."

Gabriella grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. "We have to talk about it."

Sharpay ripped her arm away. "No we don't." She looked at Gabriella with a stone cold expression.

Gabriella felt a little pang in her heart as Sharpay stared at her with no emotion. "You can't act like it didn't happen."

"I'm an actress. It's what I do." She pushed pass Gabriella and left without looking back. Gabriella just stood there watching her leave. She bit her lip, trying hard to control her emotions. She had no idea whether to scream, cry, or punch something.

She didn't know why she was surprised at Sharpay's reaction. What did she expect? Did she think that Sharpay was just going to run into her open arms and tell her that they should be together? Gabriella didn't even know if she wanted to be with Sharpay. She just wanted to know what Sharpay was feeling. Did she like her as well? You don't kiss someone with that much passion and have it mean nothing.

How can she act like it didn't happen? Is she just going to avoid me from now on and never approach the subject ever again? How are we suppose to present tomorrow when she won't even look at me?

Gabriella was scattered-brain for the rest of the day. Twice she got in trouble in class for not paying attention. She even got a detention because she got an answer completely wrong and snapped at the teacher. By lunch, Gabriella felt like crying in frustration. She didn't have an appetite as she took her seat at the cafeteria table. No one knew what was going on except for Troy so he warned everyone to tread carefully around her.

Gabriella put her head on her arms as she just stared blankly ahead. She could tell that Taylor and Chad were looking to Troy for any indication if it was safe to talk to her. She didn't want to talk anyone as she looked up at the second level where Ryan and Sharpay ate with the rest of the drama club. Ryan usually ate with Sharpay to appease her then sat with them after he was finished. She gritted her teeth as she watched Sharpay talk and laugh with her friends completely acting like nothing happened between the two of them. At one point, Gabriella thought she looked over her way, but maybe it was just wishful thinking. She let out a long sigh.

"You want some of my fries?" She looked over to Chad who held out his paper plate to her. She smiled at him weakly as she took one.

"Thanks, Chad."

"I thought I'd act all chivalrous since Troy has no food to offer you."

Gabriella looked over at Troy who had devoured all his food.

"Shut up, Chad. You're making me look like a pig."

"No, dude. That's all you."

"You know if I had any food left, I'd chuck it at you."

Gabriella smiled at their playful banter.

"You okay, sweetie?" Taylor asked, putting a comforting hand on her arm.

"I'll be fine." Her voice wasn't convincing but Taylor knew not to pry. Ryan came down carrying a plate with half a burger left on it and set it next to Troy.

"What's up guys?" He took his seat between Troy and Gabriella.

"You know he's going to eat that, don't you?" Chad told Ryan. Just as he said it, Troy took two bites of the burger and it was gone. Troy looked up at everybody with his mouth still full, a little ketchup on the side of his lips.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were giving that to me." He gave Ryan an apologetic look.

"You're like a human vacuum." Everybody started laughing as Ryan took a napkin and wiped the ketchup off of Troy.

Gabriella watched Ryan as he started talking to everyone and noticed that he had similar mannerisms as Sharpay. He was also left-handed and he sometimes talked with his hands like Sharpay did. They had that same little smirk and they said certain words the same way. Gabriella involuntarily smiled as she watched Ryan.

She looked up at the second level again and saw that Sharpay had left the table. Out of instinct, Gabriella started looking around the cafeteria in search for her and spotted her exiting the door heading towards the library. She suddenly stood up, startling everyone at the table.

"You okay?" Troy asked her, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna go to the library." She gathered her things and left her friends confused.

"What's up with her?" Taylor asked Troy.

"She's stressing out over that English project." He fibbed. "She's nervous about presenting." The lie convinced Taylor but Ryan gave him a look. Troy debated on telling Ryan what was going on but realized that it wasn't his place to tell him. Sharpay might have already told him, but Troy didn't want to risk it.

--&--&--&--

Gabriella lost Sharpay the minute she got into the hallway but proceeded to the library anyways. She knew it was useless and that Sharpay was probably not going to talk to her but she needed to try again. There was no way that Gabriella was going to let this go this easily.

She entered the library and saw a bunch of students working and studying. Gabriella searched the stacks and found Sharpay standing by a shelf, reading a book. She didn't seem to notice Gabriella's appearance as she continued to flip through the pages. Gabriella cleared her throat to get her attention.

Sharpay looked up. "I thought I made myself clear." Her voice was laced with anger as she slammed the book shut. Gabriella took a step towards her.

"Come on, Sharpay. We have to talk about it." Sharpay ignored her and started to leave. Gabriella followed her. "Why don't you want to talk about it?" She continued walking. Gabriella took a deep breath and pulled Sharpay back to a deserted section in the library. "Look, don't you think I'm feeling the same way as you? I'm confused, too." Sharpay looked Gabriella straight in the eyes, clearly irked.

"The only thing I'm feeling right now is annoyance. Let it go, Gabriella. We're not friends. We never were and never will be. We're two people who have nothing in common and after the presentation tomorrow, we're not going to cross paths anymore. Just leave me the hell alone." With that, Sharpay left the library.

Gabriella felt like someone just bitch slapped her with a baseball bat as Sharpay's words echoed in her head. She just stood there, not hearing the bell ring that signaled the end of lunch.

At the end of the day, Gabriella went to the bulletin board that displayed which teacher was supervising detention. To her dismay, Ms. Darbus was in charge this week. She prayed that Sharpay wasn't going to be there for drama club as she trudged down to the auditorium. And since Gabriella had the worst luck, Sharpay was there with the rest of drama club going over the winter musical. She tried her best not to look at her as she approached Ms. Darbus.

Ms. Darbus just gave her some grunt work to do on the stage. Gabriella tried her best not to be distracted by Sharpay, which proved to be extremely difficult because she was right there. She was sweeping the stage when the drama club dismembered.

"What landed you in detention?" Ryan asked as he jumped onto the stage.

Gabriella smiled at him and continued to sweep. "I snapped at Ms. Libin during class."

"Oh wow, you must of really pissed her off considering Ms. Libin is like the nicest teacher."

"Well, I'm having a really bad day."

"So I've heard." His voice was knowing.

Gabriella avoided eye contact. "Did Troy talk to you or something?" She suddenly got annoyed thinking that Troy went ahead and told Ryan about what happened between her and Sharpay. But then realized that Troy would never do that.

"No, he didn't but I know it has to do with my sister because she's acting more bitchy than normal. And it seems to happen every single time I mention you."

Gabriella scoffed and started to sweep harder. "Well, your sister is the biggest bitch I know."

Ryan put his hand on her shoulder sympathetically. "What happened?"

Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at Ryan. "Does your sister care about anyone but herself?"

Ryan was confused. He thought things were going well between Gabriella and Sharpay. Sharpay seemed a lot different when she was at home. She was more relaxed and happier. Now here he was looking at the hurt in Gabriella's eyes because of something his sister did.

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, it's okay. I've learned that you can't change people. They have to change themselves."

"Ryan! This meeting's not over!" Ryan looked over at his sister with an annoyed expression.

"You just dismissed everybody a second ago." He indicated the now nearly empty auditorium.

"Yeah, but you're co-president so get your ass back here." Ryan rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Gabriella.

"It's okay, just go. I have a lot of stuff to do." Ryan took of his hat and put it on Gabriella's head. She smiled as she adjusted it so it would fit better.

"Stay strong, trooper." He saluted her and went back to Sharpay.

"What the hell were you doing talking to her?" Sharpay demanded when Ryan returned.

"Um, she's my friend. And what happened between the two of you?"

Sharpay looked surprised at his question. "What are you talking about? Did she say something to you?" Her voice was worried.

"No, but she's really upset and I know that it has to do with you. Every single time I mention Gabriella, you get all snappy and mad. Even more so than usual."

Sharpay ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "You know, Ryan, it's really none of your god damn business."

Ryan scoffed. "You know what? It is my 'god damn business' because one, Gabriella's one of my best friends and, two, you're my sister. What happens to you also happens to me. It couldn't be more my business. So what the hell happened between the two of you?" He asked again.

Sharpay folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "There isn't an us two, Ryan. So just leave it alone"

He shook his head in disbelief. "You are unbelievable, you know that? I know you, Sharpay, and you may not have out right said it to me, but I know how you feel about her. Ever since you guys started working together, you became different. You were happier. Genuinely happy. I haven't seen you like that since we were in middle school." Ryan looked his sister straight in the eyes. "Don't you realize that Gabriella is that one person you're looking for?"

Sharpay looked at him confused. "What?" It was almost a whisper.

"You know that 'someone' who actually knows you? She's it, Sharpay, and you're pushing her away. Instead of hiding behind that façade you always put up, why can't you open up to the one person, other than me, who sees right through it?" He took one more look at her and then left.

Sharpay stood there shaken by her brother's words as she looked over at the stage where Gabriella was, hoping she didn't just hear that conversation. She resisted the urge to scream as she gathered her things and stomped out of the auditorium.

--&--&--&--

Gabriella had no idea how her and Sharpay were going to present the project in front of the whole class acting like everything was fine. She felt bad because she talked to Troy until three in the morning the night before telling him of her worries. Troy came into third hour still yawning and took his seat giving her a reassuring smile.

"You'll be fine. Just read from your script. You don't even have to look at her." Gabriella smiled weakly and waited for class to begin. Ryan came in and threw his hat at Troy who had fallen asleep at his desk. Troy jumped up in surprise making Ryan crack up. Normally, Gabriella would have joined the laughter but she was too nervous to think about anything else.

As usual, Sharpay came in last minute before the bell rang.

Mr. Orfino stood up and began class. "Alright, class take your seats and let's start with our first presentation. Sharpay, Gabriella?"

Sharpay got up and proceeded to the front of the classroom where she pulled two desks together. Gabriella took a deep breath and went to the front of the classroom as well. She looked over at Troy and Ryan who both gave her a thumbs up, showing their support. She smiled and took the desk to the right. She didn't even glance at Sharpay.

Sharpay straightened her papers and stole a quick look at Gabriella unbeknownst to her before she began the script.

"This just in, breaking news. A tale of true horror. Medea, daughter of Aeetes, King of Colchis, let blind rage and jealousy seal the fate of her two children. According to authorities, Medea stated that her marriage to her husband Jason was happy at one point, but all turned sour when Jason's lust for power caused him to leave his wife and two children. According to Medea, she dedicated her whole life and soul to her husband and she did not deserve to be treated that way…"

Gabriella zoned out as she listened to Sharpay read from the script. Sharpay's acting skills were impeccable making Gabriella believe that she was actually listening to a real newscast.

"…I now turn it over to Gabriella Montez for more details. Gabriella?" Sharpay didn't even look over at her when she finished her part in the script.

Gabriella felt a lump in her throat as she started to read off the paper. "Thank you, Sharpay." Her voice was shaky as she took a deep breath. "According to the neighbors, they heard unnatural screams coming from the household. It was also confirmed that the recent murder of Jason's new bride and his father-in-law are related to the murders of his children due to the gruesome nature on which they were killed. Medea was last seen by Jason riding off in a chariot denying him of any last contact with the bodies of his children, which she took with her. They are greatly mourned by their father…"

The presentation couldn't have lasted more than five minutes but Gabriella felt like it lasted forever. Once they were done, the class applauded. The loudest coming from Troy and Ryan. Sharpay stood up and bowed as if she were on the stage in the auditorium. Gabriella just returned to her desk letting out the breath she was holding the entire time.

"Good job." Troy said as she sat back down. She smiled weakly.

"An excellent presentation, ladies." Mr. Orfino got up from his desk and applauded as well. "Now I expect the rest of the presentations to be as good or even better than the one we just heard. That's a tough act to follow I must say." He gave his class a serious look that made them all nervous. He turned to Gabriella and Sharpay. "You will receive your grades soon."

He let the class work on their projects for the remainder of the period. Since Gabriella had nothing to do, she just joined Troy and Ryan who were working out a few more things on their project. She glanced over at Sharpay from time to time and found her writing in her notebook, not really paying attention to anything around her.

"Why don't you go over there?" Ryan suggested after watching her glance at his sister for the fifth time.

"She told me to leave her alone so I'm going to respect her wishes."

"Since when have you ever listened to Sharpay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at the two boys with exasperation. "I'd rather not get verbally bitch slapped again."

"Ms. Evans, Ms. Montez. May I see you at my desk for a moment?" Gabriella and Sharpay headed towards Mr. Orfino's desk careful not to touch each other when they stood in front of him. They both smiled at the teacher. "I must say that this was the best presentation I've ever seen in my career teaching here. The creativity alone was amazing. Who thought of that newscast?"

Gabriella waited a beat because she knew Sharpay would probably answer for her.

"Well, she thought of the news article and I suggested the newscast to go along with it."

Mr. Orfino took out their scroll and examined it. "Do girls mind if I keep this for a while? I want to use it as a precedent for my other classes."

"Go right ahead." Sharpay answered again.

"You guys make one heck of a team. I'm glad I assigned you partners. You girls should work together more often. You will receive your evaluations by tomorrow."

"Thank you." They said simultaneously. It physically hurt not to look at Sharpay. Gabriella was extremely cautious not to even turn her head or even move her eyes in Sharpay's direction. She felt very stiff standing there as Mr. Orfino complimented them. Gabriella turned to leave but, in the process, accidentally knocked over Mr. Orfino's mug on his desk that held his pens.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Gabriella bent down to retrieve the pens and, out of instinct, Sharpay bent down to help her but knocked her forehead against Gabriella's. Gabriella winced in pain as she looked at Sharpay. For a split second, their eyes met but they quickly looked away. Gabriella couldn't believe that this was happening as she tried to retrieve all the pens as fast as she could. It didn't help that she kept grabbing the same pens that Sharpay was also trying to pick up. They finally gathered them all and returned the mug on the desk. Gabriella rushed back to her seat, rubbing her forehead, and was absolutely red with embarrassment.

"Tell me that wasn't as bad as it looked." Gabriella said to Troy and Ryan who watched the entire thing happen.

"Um," Troy looked over at Ryan and shrugged. "It wasn't bad as it looked?"

Ryan shook his head. "Very convincing, Troy."

Gabriella sank low in her seat and glanced at Sharpay. She too was rubbing her forehead as she continued to write in her notebook. She realized it was the same one that Sharpay left at her house that one time. It appeared that Sharpay was writing on the inside cover where the list of goals were located.

Gabriella squinted trying to read what she was writing. Maybe she imagined it, but she could've sworn she saw her name written on it.

--&--&--&--

A few days passed since Gabriella and Sharpay presented in class. And just like Sharpay wanted, Gabriella left her alone. Not once had she tried to talk to Sharpay or even asked about her to Ryan. Sometimes Ryan would try to bring her up telling her that Sharpay wasn't acting like her usual self, but Gabriella would either switch the subject or politely leave the conversation.

Mr. Orfino had given them both A's and returned the scroll. Gabriella kept it by default because he handed it to her first. She knew if Sharpay wanted it, she wouldn't have asked her. They stopped talking but Gabriella couldn't stop thinking about her. Their kiss always invaded her mind, remembering exactly how she felt when they crossed that line.

Gabriella tossed the scroll on her bedroom floor and groaned. She wanted to forget Sharpay. Forget that entire two weeks. Forget all the hours they spent working together. She wanted to forget all the feelings she developed for someone she hated. Forget how she smelled.

She bit her lip and closed her eyes. Sharpay's face flashed through her mind, haunting her.

"This is ridiculous," she told herself as she turned on her computer. She was tempted to rearrange her files so that they were all back on the desktop, as if Sharpay never touched them. Gabriella took the mouse and started to drag a file when she heard a knock on her door. Assuming it was Troy she answered, "Wow, you actually used the front door?"

"I always use the front door."

Gabriella turned around and nearly fell out of her seat when she saw Sharpay standing by her doorway.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" Gabriella cursed herself for stammering. She had a tendency to do that when she was either distressed or nervous.

"Your mom let me in on her way out. I wanted to give you back this." Sharpay held up Gabriella's zip up that she lent her.

Gabriella got up and took it from her. "So you drove all the way here to return it? You could've given it to Ryan to give back to me."

"Yeah, but that would mean I wouldn't be able to talk to you. Can I come in?" She asked realizing she was still standing at the doorway.

Gabriella looked at her and suddenly became mad. "No, you can't." She saw the shocked look on Sharpay's face. "You wanted me to leave you alone and so I did. Now leave me alone. Don't let the door hit your bony ass on the way out." She turned away from her and walked towards her window.

"Gabriella…" Her voice was pleading.

Gabriella could hear her walking into the room and towards her. She wish she could just disappear right now and not deal with what was about to happen. Gabriella could feel Sharpay standing right behind her. She heard her take a deep breath before she felt Sharpay's hand on her shoulder. Her touch was warm as she turned around to face her.

Sharpay looked into her eyes. "Gabriella, I'm sorry." Her face was genuinely sincere.

Gabriella didn't know what to say as she felt a lump form in her throat. "You're sorry?" It almost didn't come out. "You can't say all those things to me and then say 'sorry' and expect me just to forget about it."

"I wasn't expecting you to, but—"

Gabriella interrupted her. "You know what, Sharpay? I'm really not interested. You made it perfectly clear how you felt about me and about us so please, will you just leave?"

"No, not until I can explain myself."

"I've heard what you had to say."

"I didn't mean what I said before."

"Then why did you say it?"

Sharpay sighed as she crossed the room and sat on Gabriella's bed. "Because…" She looked down at her hands and then at Gabriella. "I was scared."

"And you didn't think I was?" Gabriella started pacing. "Up until three weeks ago, I thought I was straight. Then you came along and I started to see you in a different light. It was like, 'Oh, Sharpay's really not that bad.' Then it was like, 'Sharpay's really cute.' Then I thought we started to become friends…" Sharpay smiled as she watched Gabriella pace and ramble on and on. "…and then we kissed and you freaked out. How do you think that made me feel?" Gabriella stopped in front Sharpay with an angry and hurt look. "I was scared, too."

Sharpay reached over, grabbed Gabriella's arm, and pulled her down to sit next to her. She took a deep breath. "Gabriella, I wasn't scared for the same reasons you were. I wasn't scared that I had these feelings for you because you were a girl. I was scared that I had these feelings for you."

A confused look crossed Gabriella's face. "What?"

"I've known I was gay for some time now. Remember when you asked me why I didn't go after Troy when you guys broke up? It's because I did move on to other things. Other things being girls."

Gabriella didn't know what to say to this. "So…you're gay?"

Sharpay smiled. "Yeah, I guess it kind of runs in the family."

Gabriella's eyes widened. "Wait, Ryan's gay?"

"Yeah…"

"Since when?"

Sharpay let out a laugh. "Since when was he straight?"

Gabriella shook her head realizing that they completely got off topic. "This still doesn't explain why you treated me the way you did."

Sharpay sighed. "No one really knows this about me, well except for Ryan. I know everyone thinks I'm just this bitchy girl who always gets her way and doesn't care about anyone but herself. I mean, I don't blame them because it's how I act. But that's the thing, it's just an act. I do have feelings and I also get hurt."

"Then why do you treat people the way you do?"

"Because," Sharpay bit her lip realizing she was about to open up to someone other than her brother. "When I was in grade school, I had these friends. Well, I thought they were my friends. We did everything together and I thought we were going to be best friends forever. But then I found out they were only friends with me because my family was rich, and once this new girl came in with more money and more stuff than me, they completely abandoned me. They started all these rumors that I paid them to hang out with me and that I was a complete moron. No one wanted to be my friend. I only had my brother."

Sharpay suddenly started to become nervous as Gabriella just looked at her with an attentive gaze. "I closed myself up and built this tough skin. When I got to high school, I just became a bitch. I didn't want anyone to take advantage of me so I became this person that no one knew back in middle school." She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, but that still doesn't give you the right to treat people the way you do. I mean think about how those girls made you feel, and now you're treating everyone else the same way."

Sharpay let out an exasperated sigh. "I know. But it's hard when you lose yourself in this shell that everyone perceives you to be. I didn't want anyone to see who I really was. This loser who was too stupid to know that she was being taken advantage of. But then you came to East High and everything changed."

Gabriella looked at her surprised. "How did everything change?"

"You were the one person who saw right through me. You're the only person who had the guts to stand up to me and put me in my place. That scared me because I thought no one could get through. Well, besides Ryan. You actually know the real me." She said the last part very quietly. "And I'm sorry I pushed you away. I didn't know what to do."

Gabriella looked away from Sharpay and thought about everything she just confessed to her. It made her feel good inside that someone as closed up as Sharpay actually opened up to her.

Sharpay was worried when Gabriella didn't say anything for a while. "I understand if you never want to speak to me again. I mean what I said was really mean and—"

She cut her off. "It's okay, Sharpay. I forgive you. I mean, yeah, that hurt a whole lot but now I understand why you said it. It doesn't excuse it, but yeah I get it."

Sharpay smiled. "So can we start over? You think we can be friends?" She reached over and took Gabriella's hand in hers.

Gabriella looked down and realized that Sharpay was rubbing her knuckles with her thumb. Chills ran through her body. She looked up at Sharpay and smiled.

"Well, maybe we can be more."

Sharpay's smile grew wider. "I was kind of hoping you would say that." She reached over and put a stray strand of hair behind Gabriella's ear.

"You did, did you?"

"Well, yeah because…" Sharpay got closer. "I like you."

"Yeah?" Their lips were only inches apart.

"Yeah. Really, really, really like you."

Gabriella smiled. "One 'really' would have been—" She couldn't finish for Sharpay pulled her into a kiss. Gabriella felt like her body could have imploded with glee when they pulled apart and looked at each other.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sharpay asked as they were lying in Gabriella's bed holding hands.

"Yeah sure, anything."

"Do I really have a bony ass?"

Gabriella let out a laugh as she turned to wrap her arm around Sharpay's waist. "Well, it can use a little more meat, but I like it."

--&--&--&--

East High was taken by surprise when they saw Gabriella Montez and Sharpay Evans walking down the halls, linking arms. They didn't know the two were a couple, but it was crazy to see the two girls being civil towards each other.

Gabriella and Sharpay smiled at Troy and Ryan as they passed them in the hallway.

"So those two finally worked it out?" Ryan asked Troy.

"Yeah, Gabriella sent me this text message yesterday." He gave Ryan his phone. Ryan looked at it and saw it just had a smiley face on it.

"Yeah, Sharpay came home extremely hyper and bought me my favorite dinner. She didn't say why she was so happy, but I could have only assumed." He paused. "So, have you told Gabriella, yet?"

Troy looked down the hallway and saw Gabriella laughing with Sharpay. "Not yet, she was too busy with her own thing. Plus, I think she already knows."

"How?"

"Well, she's insanely intuitive. And plus, the whole shirt thing. She knew it smelled like lavender." Troy gave him an accusing glare.

Ryan smiled. "What? My mom accidentally used Sharpay's laundry detergent on my load. You think I like smelling like flowers?"

Troy thought for a second. "Yeah, so does Sharpay know?"

"I think Sharpay's known since I was born. But no, I haven't officially told her but she's known for some time how I felt."

"So, when should we officially tell them?"

Ryan pulled Troy into a deserted classroom. "When the time is right, but until then," he leaned over and gave him a kiss, "let's keep it between the two of us."

Troy smiled. "Fine by me."

--End--

Song used is "Head On Collision" by Abreaction

Thank you all for reading! This was my very first High School Musical/slash fic and I'm glad that you all enjoyed it. :-)