Author's Note: I'm back! Please review.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, people.

You're The One That I Want

Chapter 6: You Wouldn't Care

By musiclover94

Recap…

"Okay," he said, standing up. He gave Sharpay's frail hand one last squeeze, trying to convey hundreds of emotions in one. He grabbed his coat and walked out the door, facing new hardships, new obstacles.

Despite the fact that Sharpay was in a coma, Grease practices still went on. In temporary replacement of her, the Sandy understudy was brought out. She was a loud sophomore who could barely sing. Troy had to literally cover his ears during 'Hopelessly Devoted to You'. Mrs. Darbus wasn't too pleased with her either. She continuously reminded Natasha to 'not sing with her head' and 'not look so caffinated while singing'. She had even banned caffeine before rehearsals in her well-kept together rage, much to the anguish of the kids who practically lived off Starbucks and soda. Troy felt a little bit sorry for her. She must not have wanted to cast her, but was probably the best one out of all the rejects who auditioned.

Troy wasn't doing all that great either. His mind kept wandering to Sharpay, alone in a shabby hospital with gum-cracking nurses.

"Mr. Bolton, please pay attention to the scene!" Mrs. Darbus said exasperatedly.

Troy had been gazing off into space, trying to tell his ex-girlfriend telepathically that he was sorry, trying to make up for the total misery he had caused her.

Gabriella was still trying relentlessly to get Troy to be hers, like she was the Energizer Bunny.

"Hey Troy!" she squealed as another rehearsal came to a close.

"Hello,' he said tensely, but politely, signaling for her to go away. But, as always, she didn't notice this.

"Want to go out?" she asked, smiling at him.

Troy, taken off guard by this new approach, said angrily, "Gabriella, how do you think I feel right now?! My girlfriend is in a coma! And all because of me!" He didn't actually know the last bit for sure but he was almost positive that was the cause.

Gabriella faked thought for a moment and then said giddily, "Like you should be asking out her best friend?"

Troy's anger built as he continued, "Gabriella, Sharpay hated you!"

Gabriella didn't seem at all fazed by this comment. "But of course she would have wanted you to move on!"

"Not to you!"

"Probably to the first girl who asked you. That would be me." She moved closer to him.

"Gabriella, I'm not going to go out with you!"

"And why not?" she asked, still sounding sugary sweet.

Troy couldn't find a response to that. Really, the reason was that Gabriella was being an insensitive toe rag, but even he couldn't bring himself to say that.

"Oh, just get over her, Troy! She's not worth your time," she said, losing all her sweetness, "while I," she moved in even closer, "do deserve you."

Their lips met once again, one passionate, one trying to get away. Gabriella's hand was pressed against Troy's neck, so he was stuck kissing her. He finally wriggled himself free of her clutches, which he would have probably been in all day if he hadn't succeeded.

"Goodbye." He said with a tone of finality.

"Call me!" Gabriella said cheerfully and walked out the door with a new spring in her step.

Troy opened the aged door to Sharpay's room. He thought it was pretty odd that there was no receptionist to make him sign in. Thinking about it, he hadn't seen any workers on his way to her room, which was pretty far into the building. Quietly, he made his way to her bedside, as if she could hear his footsteps, but she was still in her almost sleep-like state, unable to hear or see anything from the outside world. Her hair still forming a sort of halo around her bruised head.

"Hey Shar," Troy began, sitting down again in the straight-backed chair by her sickbed, "Well, a lot's been happening. Natasha's still screeching out notes." He did not smile at the memory, but preferred to forget it. Sharpay still lay unmoving. "But I really wish you were here, nothing's the same without you." He really didn't know what to say to someone on their sick or (he preferred not to think about it) dying bed. "I'm just so…sorry for everything I've done to you. If you can hear me, I want you to hear the truth. Ga-…"

Once again, the door opening cut off Troy. But it wasn't the gum-cracking nurse this time. Instead, Chad, Taylor, and Ryan came in, filling up the rest of the slightly small room.

"Hey guys," he said, surprised by their arrival.

"Hey Troy," the said in unison, sounding a little bit mad.

"How is she?" Ryan asked, looking paler than normal.

"I guess she's ok. The monitors seem to be steady," he said, gesturing to the various pieces of equipment surrounding them.

"How long is she gonna be like this?" Chad asked, his hands in his pockets.

"They said a week, I think." Taylor said, looking at her boyfriend.

"It just wouldn't be the same if she, you know…" Troy trailed off.

"Of course, you wouldn't care," Ryan said quietly, but it dripped with quavering anger.

"What?" Troy asked, knowing that it was nothing good by Ryan's tone.

"If she died," Ryan said.

"Of course I would care! She's my girlfriend, isn't she?!" he said, starting to get angry.

Ryan gave a harsh laugh. "Ha! You should have heard her! Crying her eyes out, every night after she saw you sucking face with Montez! See and hear that, and then tell me if you were still together."

"You don't understand! Gabriella was kissing me! Sharpay just saw it at the worst time…"

"Ha! 'At the wrong moment'. Nice one. I've seen you and Miss Montez, and there is definitely some chemistry between you two." This time, Chad joined in the quarrel.

"But Gabriella just comes up to me starts kissing me! And then Sharpay comes in and rages on me…."

"And she had every right too. She loved you, Troy. And you throw that all away for a low-life like Gabriella Montez!?" Taylor said, her voice shaking with anger.

Troy was at a loss of what to say. If what Taylor said was true, and Sharpay had loved him…had he really thrown it all away? He mentally shook his head…of course he hadn't thrown it all away; he hadn't wanted to kiss Gabriella in the first place…

"I didn't throw anything away! I didn't want to kiss Gabriella!" he said, trying to show his friends reason.

"Of course you would want to kiss Gabriella. You're East High's Golden Boy." And with that, Chad left the room. Troy was shocked. His best friend had never used the nickname people called him at East High.

Ryan and Taylor left with just dirty glares pointed at a still shocked Troy.

Now he was left yet again with Sharpay. He checked his watch. Even though his girlfriend was in a coma, he couldn't fail junior year.

"I'll visit you real soon, Sharpay. I love you." He turned and opened the door with a creak and walked out of the musky building.

Gabriella Montez tiptoed out of the girls' bathroom she was posted in.

"All things clear?" she whispered to the gum-cracking nurse.

"All clear," the nurse smirked from across the room.

"Excellent," Gabriella leered.

She crept from the bathroom door across the narrow hallway to Sharpay's room. She opened the door with an eerie creak and smiled a mischievous smile as she slipped inside.

Author's Note: Hehe, a cliffy! Please review! And ideas are always welcome.