Chapter 15
Long Beach
Sharpay yawned and rolled over. She could see small rays of sunlight streaming through the cracks in the blinds of Troy's grandfather's guest room as she opened her eyes.
Sharpay took a deep breath. She smelled something. She sniffed the air. It smelled like eggs and bacon. Then she could hear faint voices and the sound of sizzling from the other side of the house where the kitchen was.
She smiled and sat up, stretching her arms over her head. She glanced at the clock. It was noon. Wow, she had slept in late.
Sharpay ruffled around in one of her suitcases until she found a hairbrush. Sharpay wasn't crazy about people seeing her right after she woke up, especially men she didn't know very well.
Sharpay ran her brush through her hair, brushed her teeth, put some makeup on, and then got dressed before she appeared in the kitchen.
She walked in on Troy and his grandfather laughing hysterically about something. Troy still looked like he had just rolled out of bed with a pair of gym shorts on and no shirt. His hair was sticking out in every conceivable direction, but he still looked incredibly attractive. Sharpay mentally scolded herself for noticing Troy in that way.
His grandfather looked comfortable in a pair of khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Troy said, acknowledging Sharpay. He looked again and his eyes widened. "Never mind. You don't look sleepy at all!"
"I hope you like bacon and eggs," his grandpa said, "because we're having breakfast for lunch today," dodging the potentially awkward situation.
"Um, actually I'm not a bit meat person," Sharpay said. She really wasn't a big fan of bacon.
"Oh nonsense," Troy's grandpa said. "You look like you could use some bacon. And I have fresh squeezed orange juice. The oranges were attached to a tree not even an hour ago."
Troy's grandpa placed three plates on the small table in the dining room.
Sharpay smiled politely and took a seat in the dining room, Troy and Troy's grandpa joining her.
"All right, let's say grace so I can eat," his grandpa said, holding his hands out.
Sharpay hesitated before gingerly taking one of Troy's grandpa's hands and one of Troy's hands.
Troy's grandpa bowed his head. "Dear Lord, thanks for bringing these two great kids to LA to keep me entertained and thanks for the food. Amen." He looked up. "Well, dig in!" he exclaimed.
Sharpay smiled. Troy's grandpa really was something else.
After the trio silently enjoyed their food for a few minutes, Troy's grandfather spoke up. "So what are you kids planning on doing today?"
"Well," Troy replied. "I was thinking we might check out some local attractions this afternoon and then I was thinking of taking Sharpay to the beach. I know she's been wanting to do that for a while."
He gave her a meaningful look and Sharpay's heart beat faster in excitement.
Troy's grandpa frowned. "I still don't see the appeal of taking off most of your clothes just to hang out near some water. And the water is full of salt. If I'm gonna get wet I'd rather get in a pool any day. You kids have fun. I need to go work out the rest of my will with my lawyer today."
Troy frowned. Sharpay could imagine that anything hinting at his grandfather's pending death was a sore subject for Troy.
"Hey, lighten up," Troy's grandfather said to him, noticing his sullen face. Then he looked at Sharpay. "Hey, maybe I'll put you in there too. You seem like a lovely young lady." He winked at her.
Sharpay smiled. Even with death on the line this man could easily make a joke.
"We'll hang out tomorrow," Troy said to his grandpa.
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Troy glanced at Sharpay, who was sitting next to him in the passenger side of his jeep. They had spent the afternoon stopping at various buildings and shops.
Sharpay was full of questions everywhere they went, and Troy found that he really enjoyed answering them. There was no denying that he was becoming more and more interested in Sharpay.
He was just so impressed with how interested she was in everything. She was kind of like a child who had just walked into a candy store for the first time in her life. It was endearing, but it was also so refreshing. Troy just loved spending time with her, and he didn't feel like denying it.
They stopped for dinner at a small café in Lakewood that had a patio outside.
When they got in the car and Troy started the ignition, he asked Sharpay, "Are you ready to see the beach?"
Her eyes got huge and she smiled, letting out a small squeal. Troy couldn't help but to laugh. It was cool to see somebody be so excited.
"I'll take that as a yes," he said, laughing.
After driving for about 15 minutes, Troy turned left into a parking lot that said "Public Beach" at the entrance. He found a parking spot, and they both got out of the car. Troy's shadow was becoming long as the evening started threatening to become nighttime. He smiled at himself. They had gotten there just at the right time.
They approached the boardwalk that led them to the beach.
"I can hear the waves," Sharpay breathed.
Troy smiled and his heart quickened in anticipation. He felt like he was witnessing a huge event in Sharpay's life.
"Wait," he said. Troy put his hands over Sharpay's eyes and started guiding her down the steps to the beach.
"What are you doing?" Sharpay asked excitement in her voice.
"Just trust me," Troy replied playfully.
He led her across the sand and closer to the water.
"I can smell it," Sharpay whispered.
Troy had to find the perfect spot to reveal the ocean to her, so he led her down the beach a ways, away from where most of the people were.
"Can I look yet?" Sharpay asked.
"Just wait a little longer," Troy replied, eyeing the best spot. In a few moments he led her over to a secluded place with rocks sticking out into the surf on their right and the beach on their left.
"Ready?" Troy asked.
"Yes," Sharpay replied.
Troy gently took his hands off of Sharpay's face. She let in a sharp breath.
Troy looked out at the ocean. It was stunning. The sun was just beginning to set. It was turning orange. It wasn't quite the brilliant orange that he had experienced in the desert, but it reflected on the water and the skyline around the sun was turning yellow. Soon Troy knew that the sun would become more orange as it sunk below the horizon and the sky would turn from yellow to pink to purple to navy blue. By the time it became an ink black color, the stars would be making their presence known by dotting the sky with tiny white lights as plentiful as the sand on the beach.
Troy put his hands on his pockets as he found himself more interested in Sharpay's reaction than the sunset itself.
Sharpay just stood there, her mouth slightly ajar, staring over the water at the sunset for a good ten minutes.
"It's so much better than what you described," she finally said.
Troy laughed. "Sorry. Guess I'm not much of an author."
"Honestly, I don't think you could have described this no matter how hard you tried."
Troy smiled. "It's pretty cool, isn't it?"
"Unbelievable," Sharpay replied.
"I'm glad you like it," Troy said. He decided to continue. "You know, it's so refreshing to be with somebody who is seeing everything for the first time. It's really helped me realize how great everything I has is. And I guess what I'm really trying to say is thank you. Thank you for helping me re-experience everything that I have learned how to take for granted."
Sharpay peeled her eyes away from the setting sun and looked Troy in the eyes. He felt his heart rate speed up. "Thank you for taking me with you," she said.
Troy could feel it. It was the perfect moment. "Can- can I kiss you?" he asked.
Sharpay studied Troy's face. "Everything about this moment seems so perfect," she said. "But something inside of me is telling me not now."
Troy frowned. The moment was so perfect, but he really wanted to respect Sharpay too.
"Troy, I can feel myself falling for you. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to kiss you back, but now just doesn't seem quite right. I think I need come to terms with leaving my family and I need to get somewhat more acclimated with life outside of Nowhere first. Troy, I like you, but can we wait?"
Troy was surprised at Sharpay's answer. But he also knew that she was right. She was in a really vulnerable state, having just left her family. Troy really needed to figure out when it was appropriate to kiss and girl and when it wasn't.
He certainly was learning. Sure it was a blow to his ego that Sharpay wouldn't kiss him, but he couldn't be upset when she was so right. Plus, she had just admitted that she liked him. Troy smiled at the thought of Sharpay liking him. It made him feel giddy inside.
After they watched the sun disappear into the water and the sky turn black and the stars come out, numerous as the sand, just as Troy predicted, they decided it was time to head back to Troy's grandpa's house.
They walked parallel with the ocean until they turned to head up the beach and over the boardwalk to the parking lot. They strolled through the parking lot, headed for Troy's car.
"Hey, that looks like Ryan's new car," Sharpay said, pointing to a white SUV with a Texas license plate. "And we're from Texas."
Suddenly, Sharpay's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. "Ohmygosh," she said through her hand. "I think Ryan's here."
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Gabriella looked down the highway. "There it is," she said to Ryan. "That must be Los Angeles." She pointed ahead at the skyline. Several tiny buildings dotted the horizon.
Gabriella and Ryan got back on the road around lunch time after the night they spent at the Holiday Inn. They drove all afternoon. It was nearing dinner time, and they finally saw the Los Angeles skyline in the distance.
The past day and a half she had spent with Ryan had been unbelievably difficult, even though everything seemed to be okay now. She still felt a sense of relief wash over her as the buildings on the horizon got bigger and bigger until they were speeding past them on the highway.
"So what now?" Gabriella asked Ryan.
"I don't know. This place is huge. They could be anywhere."
"Where would Sharpay want to go if she was in LA?" Gabriella asked out loud.
"Well, I do recall a certain incident where she claimed she wanted to see the ocean," Ryan said.
Gabriella smiled.
"Maybe that would be a good place to start," Ryan added.
Gabriella looked out her window. One of the green signs that told how far away stuff was caught her eye. "Hey, there's a sign to Long Beach!"
"Good find," Ryan replied. He pulled off at the exit that advertised its name.
With some difficulty, they found themselves in Long Beach. They pulled into a parking lot that sported a sign saying "Public Beach."
"How would you like to see the ocean?" Ryan asked, smiling over at Gabriella.
Gabriella just smiled. She was thrilled!
Ryan grabbed Gabriella's hand as they walked onto the boardwalk and down the stairs onto the beach.
Gabriella caught her breath as she looked over the vast expanse of the ocean. It was beautiful. And best of all, the sun was beginning to set.
Gabriella figured that her and Ryan must have stood there for the better part of an hour, watching the blue sky turn to yellow and then pink, followed by purple and then blue. Then the sky faded into an inky shade of black and the stars began to make their appearance.
Gabriella's hand was still tingling, holding onto Ryan's. Just the simple gesture of holding her hand was something that he had never done in such a public place before. And their small public display of affection meant the world to her.
"Maybe we should find a place to stay," Ryan murmured to Gabriella.
Gabriella sighed. She didn't want to leave just yet, but it was getting late and they needed to find a hotel.
They walked back towards Ryan's car, still holding hands.
As they approached the car, Gabriella suddenly stopped.
"Hey, doesn't that look like Sharpay and Troy?" She pointed to a man and a woman walking away from them in the parking lot.
Ryan followed Gabriella's finger.
"It is!" he exclaimed.
Before Gabriella knew what was going on, Ryan was yelling, "Sharpay!" and sprinting towards the couple.
Gabriella did what she could to keep up with Ryan as he pursued the pair.
She saw the girl and the boy turn around. Gabriella could see that it was, indeed, Troy and Sharpay in the well-lit parking lot. The look on Sharpay's face made Gabriella wonder if she was contemplating running.
Before Sharpay had a chance to run, though, Ryan and Gabriella caught up with her and Troy.
Sharpay looked scared, but that expression quickly melted as Ryan enveloped her in a huge hug.
"You really had me scared," Gabriella heard Ryan tell his twin. "I thought I would never see you again."
Gabriella watched the look on Sharpay's face soften, and she broke down into sobs on her brother's shoulder.
Then Gabriella noticed Troy, who was looking at her. Her heart dropped. She realized that he was the last person she really wanted to see after everything she had just gone through with Ryan.
"Can we talk?" Troy asked her.
Gabriella studied his face. He looked serious.
"I- I don't think that would be such a good idea," she answered.
"I do," he said. "I need to apologize to you, and I want to do it right."
Gabriella sighed. "Fine."
A/N: REVIEW! Please. So...what did you think? Surprised Sharpay and Troy didn't kiss? Do you think they should have? And are you glad Troy and Gabriella talked? Tell me tell me tell me!!!! And have a wonderful day :-)
