From AK-tutti; Hey guys :). Loved all of the reviews, they were awesome, thanks. I have to comment on one of them, though. Anon, Stessa and I are very aware of the fact, that there were many flashbacks, and it's not something, we need to work on, because it was all on purpose. We did it, so our readers could see a little bit of, what Gabriella, Troy and Sharpay had been doing in the year, they had all been split. If we didn't do it, we'd hear all those 'what happened in that year?' questions. We thought everybody knew that. Anyway, on with the story.
From Stessa; Hola. I knooow we've taken so long with this update. I know, okay? But we've really tried. And my part might be crappy, because I wrote it all in a rush (see, I'm warning you beforehand. I'm just great like that ;p), after Nathalie promised SOMEONE (eyes Bethany) that we would update soon.
Disclaimer; We don't own High School Musical, neither do we own Ashley Tisdale's songs, V's songs, Girls Aloud's song or any other song for that matter, unless we claim them at the end of the chapter. We cool?
Twist of Love
Chapter 15.
The crowd was massive already, when Troy arrived at the festival with his friend, Chad Danforth, and it was only noon. All ages were there, and while they waited for the entertainment, they were doing some of the activities there, like the rollercoasters. There was only 15 minutes 'till the first act would be on stage, which could explain, why so many people were beginning to gather around in the concert area, to get the best spots.
Chad had been complaining ever since, they stepped into the concert area. Troy was only paying half attention to him, because he was determined to get as close to stage, as he could, hoping she would catch a glimpse of him. If that happened, he couldn't wait to see her reaction to him being there. Had she forgotten about him? Or had she moved on? Did she still love him? Questions like that were running through his head.
"This is no fair, Troy. I could be backstage right now." Chad complained, but Troy didn't hear it, the 'fro didn't notice it, though. "And I told you, we should have gotten here much earlier, if we wanted to get some good spots, there is no way, we'll be able to push ourselves through all these people and be right in front of stage. People are going mad, because The Sweethearts are finally back in town, separately of course, but still."
At the mention of 'The Sweethearts', Troy finally paid attention, while he kept on pushing through the crowd to get to stage. Any chance to hear about her or anything, that had to do with her, he was there. He had never been able to forget about her, and he had never had the chance either, she was always in the papers and magazines, so he had never really had the chance.
"What did you say?" Troy asked, making Chad look all confused, which was quite common, and he was rambling all the time, so he had probably forgotten, what he'd said. So Troy always had to elaborate. "About The Sweethearts, what did you say?"
Chad scratched the back of his head, what had he said about The Sweethearts? "Something about them being back into town?" He guessed, as he said it, and it sounded right, so he took it from there. "Separately, like you've probably guessed, but people are going mental over it, anyways. Could have been backstage with one of them, y'know, instead of pushing through these crowds with you. And you know what else? I'm writing a song with one of them, it's called 'I Depend On You', it's a ballad, which is normally not my type of songs, but I think it's gonna be fantastic. Did I mention, I could be backstage right now?"
By the time Chad had said that, they had gotten quite close to stage, as close as they could get, because the people in front of them could not be pushed through, and Chad was now bouncing. Troy guessed he had gotten hyper from all the rambling.
"Chad, calm down." Troy said, trying to keep his friend on the ground. It was no use, Chad kept on bouncing and bouncing, as he reminded Troy of a certain girl. A girl he couldn't get close enough to, because of those stupid people in front of them, the one's he'd turned all his hate onto, if they could just get the hell out of his way.
Still bouncing, Chad kept mumbling something, that sounded like 'I could be backstage, I could be backstage'. Troy glanced at his watch, eight minutes until the first act would be on stage, eight minutes he'd have to listen to Chad. Eight minutes! And if he could be backstage, why wasn't he backstage, instead of wasting his time with Troy?
Troy gave up on getting closer to the stage, it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to see her from there, cos he would. She wouldn't be able to see him though, but that didn't matter, as long as he could get a glimpse of her, he'd be fine. He was positive, that they were soul mates, somewhere deep down he just knew, but he had let her slide, and he could never be with her, because of the mess they had made, so maybe if could catch a glimpse of her, he'd get closure? If not he'd have to become a monk, because there'd be no other.
He looked over at his best friend, who seemed to have calmed down, he was no longer bouncing and everything, but he was still mumbling, that he could have been backstage. So could Troy, if he hadn't screwed everything up, he just wasn't complaining about it like Chad. He was glad that he could at least see the event.
"I could be backstage, I could be backstage, I could be backstage."
That was enough, Troy finally snapped; "If you could be backstage, what the hell are you doing here with me then?"
Chad looked stunned by Troy's outburst for a few seconds, but he quickly got over it, and searched his mind for a decent answer to Troy's question, for him at least, he was really upset over something, and Chad didn't know what.
"You called and asked me, if I wanted to go with you to the festival, and I said yes." Chad explained, while scratching his hair, which he often did, when he was nervous. He was glad to see, that Troy seemed to calm down a little by that answer, so he kept going. "It seemed important to you, so that's why I'm here and not backstage. All I'm saying is that I could be backstage, you know me I always complain."
Troy chuckled at his best friend, and slapped his hand away from the 'fro, it didn't look good scratching it like that. Chad looked really offended, and Troy burst into laughter. He honestly didn't get, why the man's hair was so important to him, it looked ridiculous.
The laughing session didn't last long though, because a certain blonde quickly clawed her way back into his mind, bringing a pouty look to his face. This didn't go unnoticed by Chad, even though he was still offended to be slapped, the pout on Troy's face wasn't easy to overlook. And who in their right mind was upset at Albuquerque's annual festival, when the sun was high in the sky, and it was a day filled with great music? Of course Chad knew, that Troy had had a bit of a falling out with his father, who was pretty much in charge of the festival, as he owned a huge part of the festival, but Troy had had falling outs with his father before, and that hadn't stopped him from putting on a happy face and enjoying himself, then again they had never been this huge. Troy hadn't talked to his father in over a year.
"Are you okay?" Chad asked his friend, patting him on the back to let him know, that if he needed anything, Chad was the man.
"Oh yeah.." Troy replied, but Chad could hear the implied 'not really' and gave his friend a stern 'you better tell me' look. "Fine, I'm not really that great. I could be backstage too, if I hadn't messed up, and I could be with the love of my life." Chad stood with his mouth open, looking stupid and clearly not getting any of it, so Troy had to explain it to him once more. "You remember that love triangle I told you about a little over a year ago?"
Chad nodded his head to let Troy know, that he remembered. "Yeah, with Arielle and her best friend, Cheyenne, whom you fell in love with. I totally remember."
Troy smacked his hand on his forehead and shook his head at his friend, Chad clearly didn't remember. "I don't think you do." Troy said, and decided to, even though it was painful, tell the story again, at least small bits of it. "My dad was the manager of The Sweethearts, and after an award night, a big party was held at our house, where I first met Gabriella and later Sharpay. I then developed a romantic relationship with Gabby, and it was great, I really loved her. But my mom passed away at a time, when Gabriella was in Mexico, and I turned to Shar for comfort, and I think you know, what I mean." Troy sighed, but continued. "I didn't wanna hurt Gabby, and neither did Shar, so we kept it a secret, and it was only supposed to be a one time thing, but we couldn't stop. We were drawn to each other. Then one day Sharpay decided to end it, because we were doing, what we refused to do, by doing what we did, and she told Gabby about it. You can guess the rest, right?"
"You were talking about The Sweethearts back then?" Chad questioned, and it seemed like a big light went on inside his head. "Why didn't you tell me? Ok, you did, but you know me, I don't listen so well." He pointed at his ear to indicate the not listening so well, and his shaggy haired friend just shook his head. "So you fell in love with Sharpay? Does she have anything to do with, why you're here today?"
Troy glanced down at his feet, and looked back up at his friend, who awaited his answer. He took a deep breath and replied; "I just want to catch a glimpse of her, even if it's from the audience, it doesn't matter. I just wanna see her face."
--
"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!" Sharpay kept screaming, as she ran out of her 'tentrobe' (as she called it) and towards Mr. B, who was at the stage, making sure everything went as it was supposed to, and everybody knew when they were on, it was necessary after the last minute changes in the program. When he was in sight, Sharpay sped up and kept screaming. "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!"
She paced across the lawn to get to Mr. B, she fell in the process and landed on her bum, leaving a large, green grass spot on her white skirt. She didn't take notice, though, she was too excited and worked up to. She got up immediately and proceeded her run to her manager. When she finally reached him by the stage, she had lost her breath, but managed to choke out; "Oh my God!"
Mr. B turned around and smiled at Sharpay, who had bent forward with a hand on her heart, heaving for air. All the dance routines she did, when she performed, and then she lost her breath, when she ran across the lawn. He couldn't wait for her to perform in front of her hometown, she was gonna perform eight songs like all the other acts, her four hit singles, and then she was gonna introduce four brand new songs to the crowd. She had given everybody a sneak peak of one of them the other night.
He had just sent the first act on stage, it was a band called Nylon, and they were performing their first song. He glanced down at his program sheets, Sharpay was the fifth act, and she had to wait almost two hours to get on stage. Nylon was the first act, then came Carrie Underwood, then Kate Voegele, then Marié Digby, followed by Sharpay Evans, Jesse McCartney, Gabriella Montez, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, and with Leona Lewis closing the show.
He looked up from his papers and saw, that Sharpay finally stood up and had caught her breath, so he decided to get to the point; "What's up, Shar? Why were you screaming?"
"Le, Le.. Le.. Leona.. Leona Lew... Lew.. Lewis.." Sharpay stuttered, obviously getting all excited and worked up again, and started shrieking again. "LEONA LEWIS, COMING HERE! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!!"
"Sharpay, relax. Calm down!" Mr. B said with a raised voice to be heard over the music, followed by a chuckle. He had to place his hands on her shoulders, so she wouldn't bounce off to God knows where, she was really over geared, but it was nothing new. She got like this exactly, when she found out, that Carrie Underwood was performing at the festival, then came Jesse, Justin and all the others, except for Nylon - she didn't know who they were. And she wasn't too thrilled about Gabriella, but that was for personal reasons, she secretly enjoyed Gabriella's music, and she was proud of her, she had confided that in Mr. B.
"I will not calm down!" Sharpay yelled in a high-pitched voice, one that would do Gabriella great justice, so Mr. B had to let go of Sharpay's shoulders to cover his ears, he didn't wanna lose his hearing. And of course miss Evans started bouncing, as soon as he had let go. "I don't think, you understand, Mr. B! Leona Lewis!"
He squinted his eyes together to focus on her lips, he was good at reading them, and when they stopped moving, he found it safe to uncover his ears. Now all he had to do was to make sure, Sharpay stopped bouncing before she had to get on stage. She was no good like that, all hyper and out of breath. Entertaining, yes, but vocally at a low. A good way to calm her down, was probably to talk her trough this.
"I know who Leona Lewis is, Sharpay. If I didn't, do you think I would have booked her for the festival?" Mr. B began, but was cut off by Sharpay, who was getting more worked up by this piece of information.
"You booked her?" She shrieked with disbelief in her voice, she couldn't believe it. "You knew, she was coming and you didn't tell me? Why would you keep things like that from me? That's just mean. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" She paused to get some air, and then she pointed an accusing finger at Mr. B. "You ruined my skirt! Yes, you did. You ruined it, and I was gonna wear it for the show, and now I gotta like change, and I don't even have a backup outfit ready, and it takes hours to find a new one, and I don't have hours, so no way I'm gonna make it in time. You little, you jinxed us all by not telling me, you shot me in the foot. YOU! You un-Leona Lewis telling, Sharpay sabotaging, skirt ruining, will not let me meet Justin, idiotic manager!" She paused to catch her breath again. "What were we talking about?"
Honestly, Mr. B loved Sharpay like she was his daughter, and he was glad her still had her as a 'client', but at times like this when she had these weird outbursts, it would have been nice to still have Gabriella. Not that he minded them, it wasn't that, he found them funny and everything, but sometimes it got really tiring, and he couldn't bear as much as he used to, ever since Lucille's death. He had moved on, and he was happy, it just didn't change the fact, that his wife had passed away.
He was about to open his mouth and speak, but Sharpay beat him to the punch. "Okay, so you won't let me meet Justin, because I don't know why.. Anyway, can I at least meet Jesse?" Same procedure as before, he was about to say something, and she came before him. "Oh! And Leona! And Taylor! Oh, and Carrie, I gotta meet Carrie. And..."
"You can meet one of them!" Mr. B said, firmly. He held up his index finger to make a point, and when Sharpay opened her mouth to object, he cut her off. "I said, one!"
"Fine!" Sharpay snarled, crossed her arms and pretended to be mad. It didn't last long, though, she quickly cracked a smile, and she was too excited not to. She had been bothering, and bothering, and bothering Mr. B about meeting almost every single one of the festival's acts, and he finally gave in and let her meet one, now all she had to do was choose, carefully. She jumped on him and hugged him for dear life, she was that grateful. "THANK YOU!"
"You're welcome." Mr. B managed to get out, while she was clinging on to him, and when she finally crawled down from him, he took in a deep breath, as if it was gonna be his very last. "Now go back to your tent and get ready!"
She began walking back to her 'tentrobe', mumbling things such as 'unfair', 'ruined my skirt', 'I'm being sabotaged', and other things nobody could make out, and then she stopped, when an idea struck her. Why not make the skirt look like, it was supposed to have that grass spot on it, by also making one on the front.
Sharpay stripped out of her skirt in the middle of the lawn, revealing a pink pair of panties, and dragged it across it all the way back to her tentrobe. She was so gonna work the grassy look.
--
It was the fifth time, she had glanced out of her tent to see, if she could spot a certain person. Gabriella didn't wanna admit it, but she secretly hoped she'd run into Sharpay. It was kinda weird, considering what her former best friend had done, slept with Troy, while they were going out, and then she lied to her about it for months, Gabriella had even asked her straight out, if she was fooling around with Troy, and she had said no. Gabriella had been stupid enough to believe it, and why wouldn't she? They were best friends, they were supposed to trust each other, and Sharpay had broken that. They had been best friends for 15 years, and Sharpay had walked all over their friendship, and that was the main reason, Gabriella was mad at her, after so many years of friendship, you weren't supposed to do that. You weren't supposed to be able to. That was why, she was mad, she wasn't even mad, that Sharpay had slept with Troy anymore, she was past that, but fact that Sharpay had been able to do such a thing just ticked her off. That was why, she was holding an eye out for her, because she hoped and believed, that if she caught a glimpse of her old friend, it would be closure, and she'd finally be able to move fully on and forget about her.
"If you keep looking for the rain, it's gonna fall." She sang softly to herself, just as Cole walked up behind her and put his arms around his petite girlfriend, she turned her head to look at him and smiled. "Hi."
"Hi." He smiled back and kissed her forehead, he let go of her and sat down in the chair next to her with perfect view of the outside, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it to let her know, that he was there for her. He knew, she dreaded this day, and he was gonna help her get through it. "You nervous?" She nodded. "Don't be. She said, you wouldn't make it, but you did. She said, you were too afraid, but you overcame your fears. All of your singles have charted in top three, and that's higher than anybody ever expected, because you were just a girl band member, and most of them never make it, but you did. You got a number one album as well, and I'm sure she never expected that to happen. You proved her wrong, you shouldn't be nervous."
She began sobbing, the fact that her old best friend hadn't believed in her still cut her deep. She spoke through her tears; "But she charted higher than me, her album was number one longer than mine was."
"This has never been a competition, Gabs." Cole said, as he used his hands to dry away her tears. "This was about proving yourself, that's why you embarked on a solo career, and you succeeded. Screw it, that she's charted higher than you, you're still just as popular, and you get to do, what you love. And that's all that really matters, isn't it?"
"You should be paid to date me." Gabriella giggled through her tears. Having Cole there with her made her feel so content and happy, she couldn't find enough wonderful words to describe him, and he always made her feel better. She loved him. He made a sound, kinda like 'aw, c'mon, no', one of them. "You should.. You're a great talker, better than my old shrink, you should get paid."
He knew, she was joking, and he was glad actually. She didn't joke much these days, it was like Sharpay had been her inspiration to do that, but he wouldn't know, she was before his time. Gabriella had told him everything about her though, about all the fun they used to have, so he'd guessed his way to the rest. So when she joked, he felt happy, because it felt like she was getting more and more Gabby, and he loved her, every little part of her. Her personality, her looks, her singing voice, everything. Even the little things, he loved, the things most people wouldn't notice. Her coffee obsession, the squeaky little noise she could perform, whenever she spotted a spider, her philosophy that the salt and pepper shaker should never ever stand next to each, or it would unleash the wrath of the woodnymphs. He had laughed, when he learned this, and apparently it was something Sharpay had convinced her of, when they were very little, and it had stuck with Gabriella ever since. How she enjoyed eating popcorn, while watching ant wars on the TV, and that she loved to experiment with the popcorn, putting different things on them. Every little thing about her, even her habit of squeezing his nose in her sleep, if that didn't happen, he wouldn't be able to sleep properly.
"You're gonna do great today, they're gonna love you." He changed the subject, giving her a secret little pep talk, even though there was a long time 'till she was gonna perform, but she needed it, and when Sharpay wasn't there to do it anymore, he had to step in. He even did a much better job, Gabriella thought so at least, because when he pep talked her, she never walked on stage with the fear of being embarrassed, which could easily happen back in the days around Sharpay.
"I hope so." Gabriella sighed, this wasn't easy. It was her first time back in Albuquerque performing without Sharpay, and even though she had convinced herself, that bad things would happen with Sharpay around, she couldn't help but miss her. "It's just hard. I feel happy and empty on the same time, it's weird." She paused and glanced out of the tent for a few seconds, and then went back to her conversation with Cole. "I'm happy that I'm here, and that I've made it, and these are my songs, that I'm gonna perform. And then I feel empty, like a piece of me is missing. She was a part of my life for so long, Cole, and I loved being a part of The Sweethearts and everything we did, and sometimes when I'm on stage, I feel like she should be standing next to me, and when I realize she's not, I feel so empty."
Cole wrapped his strong arms around his girlfriend and hugged her tight, she needed it. She was happy, and at the same time she wasn't, he could at least comfort himself with the fact, that she was more happy than she was sad, and that was something. He stroked her hair, and he could hear her let out a squeaky little laugh, and he knew that laugh, she thought she was being ridiculous, which she totally wasn't.
He let go of her, and then he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears, there were surfacing. She shouldn't be crying, it was a big day for her, and he wouldn't let her be sad, so he got up from his chair and offered her his hand, which she took and sent him a confused look. He headed towards the opening of the tent, they were gonna walk around outside a bit, listening to the music, he knew how she loved both nature and music, so it seemed like the thing to do, and Gabriella didn't object or anything.
--
Sharpay was nervously pacing back and forth in her tentrobe, she couldn't take the wait, she was ready to get on stage and sing her heart out to her hometown. She dreaded performing her new songs, because what were people gonna think? Not that she normally cared, but these songs really mattered to her. 100 Different Ways, Forever and a Night, all of them.
She decided some fresh air would do her good, so she went outside and walked around for a bit, looking at all the different rides, booths and stuff, or that was her cover! She was really looking for the tents, that belonged to all of the artists, she could only meet one of. She had worked on her excuse; eight is one plus seven. And that was the truth.
She stopped in her tracks, when she felt a summer-y breeze. She closed her eyes and let the wind caress her arms, and her mind went off into dream world, the one he always visited. She had written Forever and a Night for him, she had 'stolen' 100 Different Ways from him and rewritten it a little bit, but she had come to hate him, even though she loved him oh so much.
Over a year back, she had taken the blame for everything, Mr. B wouldn't let her, and she finally accepted it wasn't her fault entirely. It was only her fault for not stopping him, and for not telling her best friend right away, her best friend whom she lost because of that guy, and that's why she hated him. As much as she hated him, she still loved him, she couldn't run from that, but her love for him would never come close to the love, she had for her then best friend. They had been best friends after all. She was slowly learning not to miss either one of them, so Gabriella being there today, shouldn't do anything to her.
She felt a tap on her back, and she was pulled out of her thoughts, and she was kinda glad, she didn't wanna think about these things. She turned around and faced a girl in her early teens with The Sweethearts on her white t-shirt, and The Sweethearts' debut album, The Sweethearts' Christmas album, Gabriella's debut solo album and Sharpay's own in her hands, she also had a pink cap with a white text that read The Sweethearts, her dark hair hanging out of the hole in the back. She could only be a fan.
"Hi." Sharpay greeted the fan with a smile. She really loved her fans, it was because of them, she was where she is today, and for that she was grateful. She also saw her fans as friends, so she was always nice to them, and it looked like this girl had been a fan from the very beginning.
"Oh my God!! Sharpay Evans, I can't believe I'm talking to Sharpay Evans!!" The fan pitched out, and it sounded all shriek-y. She was really worked up, much like Sharpay had been earlier, so she couldn't help but chuckle. "My name is Checotah Bunton, I'm your biggest fan!"
"I love your name, Checotah." Sharpay complimented with this soft voice, she always spoke in a soft voice to her fans, because she loved them so. "You know, I met my biggest fan last night, and I believe I've met like eight greatest fans this week alone. But it's okay, you're my biggest fan today." She giggled slightly, before getting to the point. "What do you want, Checotah?"
Checotah tripped nervously, she had done the crazy, biggest fan thing a bunch of times to other artists, she liked, but their bodyguards had always dragged her away, and now her idol, along with Gabriella Montez, was actually speaking calmly to her, and she had never experienced having to talk to a singer before.
"I, I, I uhm... I just, uh.. I just want.. wanted to, uhm.. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday." Checotah stuttered to get out, she was all nervous and a little sweaty, it was kinda embarrassing in front of her idol.
Sharpay's eyes grew big, she was completely stunned. "Is today my birthday?" She wondered out loud, she had totally forgotten, she had been too busy to keep track of the days.
"If your birthday is the 19th of august, then yeah." Checotah replied, who was a lot more calm after having gotten the very first sentence out of the way. Sharpay gulped, she couldn't believe, she had forgotten her own birthday, but she nodded slightly to let her fan know, that today was her birthday. Checotah let out an excited scream and jumped on Sharpay, giving her a tight hug. "Congratulations on your 19th birthday."
"Uh thanks, I guess." She said, as Checotah let go of her. She found it depressing, that no-one had remembered her birthday, not even herself. But wait a minute? Mr. B had refused to let her meet any of the acts today for a very long time, and then today of all days he agrees to let her meet one? Birthday present? She thought so. "You're actually the first one to wish me happy birthday today, so thanks."
Checotah did a funny little bounce, and Sharpay guessed it had to be from the excitement of meeting her idol, it made people do crazy thing, she was a living proof of that. Her fan was clearly also happy to be the first to wish her happy birthday, something she could brag about to her friends or just keep as a memory, perhaps.
"There's one more thing?" Checotah asked, cheerfully. Sharpay was amazed with how much, Checotah was beaming, that she'd do just about anything for her, she was a fan after all. Sharpay motioned with her one hand for Checotah to go on, and she did, handing the albums, except for Gabby's, to Sharpay. "Will you please sign them? It would mean so much."
"Sure." Sharpay gladly accepted the albums from Checotah, she signed her autograph upon herself in each one of them, and when she looked up and was about to hand them back to the fan, she saw that the eyes on her had grown big. Not wonder big, not surprised big, not disgusted big, but greedy big, like when there's something you really want in, like say a store, and then you spot it, your eyes grow big, because it's your deepest wish to get that thing. That kinda big. Sharpay was a little worried with Checotah just standing there. "Are you okay, Checotah?"
That seemed to snap her out of it, and she started bouncing up and down, screaming; "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! It's Gabriella Montez! Gabriella Montez is here. OH MY GOD, GABRIELLA MONTEZ OVER HERE! OH MY GOD!"
No way fate would let that happen, Sharpay thought to herself, but she still looked back over her shoulder, and to her surprise there stood Gabriella, her ex-best friend. Sharpay had known she was gonna be there, but she had thought avoiding her would be a piece of cake. Clearly not, though. In Sharpay's mind they were still best friends, even though they weren't friends, but she couldn't help it, she missed her so much, even if she didn't wanna admit it. All she had wanted to do was be strong and think about herself, and now Gabriella stood in her eyesight, Sharpay wasn't so strong, as she was let to believe.
Please don't come over, please don't. See that it's me, and refuse. Please? Sharpay begged in her mind, she wasn't yet over everything, at least not over her former best friend, and she didn't wanna see her. She didn't.
"YAY, she coming over here!" Checotah cheered, tearing Sharpay out of her thoughts once more, was this going to be a habit?
Sharpay looked over her shoulder again, and Gabriella was walking towards them, hands linked with a good looking fella. She looked back at Checotah, tempted to leave, but she voted against it, because she didn't wanna hurt a fan's feelings. She'd just have to live with being so close to Gabriella and be happy for Checotah, who'd soon have met both her idols. She deserved it, she was a nice girl.
Gabriella took one step at a time towards the brunette girl and the blonde, whom she hadn't yet discovered to be Sharpay Evans, she had her small hand in Cole's bigger one, and he squeezed it tight to let her know, everything was gonna be okay. He knew how nervous she was about everything after all.
"It's gonna be okay, honey." He said, offering her a cute smile. "It's just a fan, which means she loves you, and you have nothing to worry about. I'm here."
"Thanks, Cole." Gabriella was smiling too, an appreciative one. "You're always here for me, you're the best." She paused, also in her tracks. "But don't you think the blonde had eyes just like Sharpay's?"
"No, they didn't. They looked nothing like Sharpay's." Cole assured her, but he was lying. He knew they were headed towards Sharpay, when they proceeded their walk towards the two girls. He'd tried to keep Gabriella from looking in that direction, because he had spotted Sharpay, and he knew seeing her would upset Gabriella. When the brunette hollered at Gabriella, he changed his mind, and decided it would be a good idea, if she and Sharpay finally met and got to talk a little, maybe clear some things now.
"Good, cos I really don't wanna meet Sharpay." Gabriella announced to Cole, just as they'd reached the two girls. The brunette jumped on her and gave her a big hug, when she jumped off her, the blonde turned around, arms crossed with a frown on her face. It was Sharpay, and Gabriella gasped in surprise.
"I really don't wanna meet you either." Sharpay shot back, anger in her voice. She couldn't believe Gabriella, if she didn't wanna see her, why had she come over there? She didn't get it, it was completely idiotic.
Checotah took no notice of the hostile tension between the two Sweethearts, she was just excited about having met both of them. She did almost the same as before and shoved all the albums, except for Sharpay's, in the arms of Gabriella, much to her surprise, since she hadn't expected it, and said; "Please sign them?" As Gabriella signed the albums, she wasn't one to refuse something like that, Checotah got another idea. "Oh my God, I'm so gonna take a picture of this. The Sweethearts back together after a year and three months." She said all of the sudden, and with a voice that made Sharpay so startled, she jumped up in the air. "You wait here, while I go get my camera."
"Lovely person." Gabriella acknowledged, when she'd signed the albums, the irony heavy in her voice.
"Ya think?" Sharpay replied just the same. Checotah was a little too hyper and a little too starstruck in her taste, but she was still a fan, so they both felt obligated to be nice to her, and at some point they loved all of their fans. They still had conversations about them, though, at the end of the day, they used to discuss the crazy fans they met, and some of it seemed to be still there. It wasn't the end of the day, they weren't together as a band, but it was still there.
Suddenly Taylor was at the scenery, and they hadn't even seen her approach, but she must have seen the two together and got nosy. Taylor was a very nosy girl, but she surprised the both of them.
"Excuse me, sir?" She said to Cole and completely pretended, that Sharpay and Gabriella weren't there. He walked over to her and smiled politely. "We're gonna give them some privacy and a chance to work things out." She whispered to him, so the two girls wouldn't hear her, and then spoke out loud; "You can't be back here, without a backstage pass, but I can see you're with miss Montez, so there must have been some mistake, let's go fix it."
And then the two of them were off, leaving Gabriella and Sharpay to themselves. The situation was awkward, and it was uncomfortable being there, but neither of them had the guts to leave and disappoint their fan, so they both stayed.
There was a long silence between them, and it was unbearable. "So..." Sharpay decided to break it, as she was the one who hated, when things were quiet the most. "How long have you been with..." Sharpay paused and searched for a name, she believed she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember his name, and when she couldn't find it in her mind, she panicked and just blurted something out. "... that thing?"
Gabriella sent Sharpay a very hateful look, the most hateful one to ever access her face. "That thing's name is Cole." She said in a very harsh manner, but she couldn't help it, she just get so upset, she met Cole on the day, she found out about Troy and Sharpay after all.
"Okay." Sharpay just said, she didn't know what else to do. She was so nervous, she shivered, and she hated that kinda shivers, but something in her mind told her to keep going, that talking to Gabriella might actually lead to something, but she didn't know, why that was? "So, how long?"
"We're coming close to a year." Gabriella said in much friendlier way, because talking about Cole would always do that to her, she loved him. "What about you? Seeing anyone?" She decided to ask her ex-friend, Sharpay was nice to her, so she could be nice to her as well. Sharpay gave her a saying look, and she immediately knew what it meant. Maybe they had been apart for over a year, but Gabriella could still read her. "No?"
Sharpay shook her head and confirmed; "No."
Again there was a silence between them, but this time it wasn't as uncomfortable as before, maybe they were heading towards something? Gabriella had thought, if she caught a glimpse of Sharpay at the festival, she would finally get over her and be able to move, but she was wrong. Sharpay had thought, it wouldn't touch her at all and it wouldn't matter, that she was over it all, but she was wrong. The two girls could deny it to everybody else, but they couldn't deny it to themselves: deep, deep down they still loved each other, and was happy for each other's careers and everything.
"By the way, Sharpay?" Gabriella suddenly spoke, and she had gotten Sharpay's attention, cos she looked at her right away. "Happy birthday."
"You remembered?" Sharpay wondered out loud, actually sounding surprised. She hadn't expected Gabriella of all people to remember, but she was glad she had.
Gabriella giggled, this was classic Sharpay, and she replied; "Of course I remembered, I've always remembered." She paused, because she was about to get sentimental, and she could feel their conversation would keep going in that direction. "Sharpay, we became best friends, when were just three years old, and I believe that's because, we were too young to have best friends at age one and two. We were best friends for nearly fifteen years, hadn't that event happened for another four months, we would have been, but the point is we were best friends for fifteen years, and that we haven't been friends for a year doesn't change that fact, and it doesn't make me forget." She sighed, before adding; "I will always remember, Shar."
"I'm so sorry, Gabs." Sharpay said, picking up being sentimental, where Gabriella left off. "For everything, really. It shouldn't even have happened, you were my best friend and I betrayed your trust, and I have felt it everyday since then, and I haven't be able to live with myself. You were my best friend, and I love you, I should have told you about my mistake right away, or no it shouldn't have happened at all." She paused and hated herself for the tears now forming in Gabriella's eyes, afraid she had opened some wounds, that should have been held closed, but she needed to do this. "It shouldn't. I wish I could turn back time, back to the day when Troy's mother died, and I should have stopped him. I should have told him, that I didn't care, if he needed me, that it was wrong of him. I should have cut him off, even if he was in that state and crying, I should have considered your feelings, and when I'd told him off, I should have told you about it first thing, when you came back to Mexico. Sadly, I can't turn back time, but I still should have told you, as soon as you walked through that door." She sighed at herself, she sounded ridiculous. "I know, I'm just listing a bunch of should have's, but I should have. Not a single day goes by, where I don't wish, I could have done differently. I'm sorry for everything I put you through."
"It's okay." Gabriella said, and it was. It was okay, it was over a year ago, and when Sharpay poured it out like that, it really showed how much, she had cared, how much she still cared. She was over her now, but in a completely different way, she was over her for what she'd done, it was the past her now. Troy on the other hand, she wasn't mad at him anymore, but she was still angry with all the hurt, he had caused her, and the pain he'd caused Sharpay. Mostly for what he'd done to Sharpay, because she was with Cole now, and she wasn't hurting anymore, but from what Sharpay had just said, she knew she still was, and that she still felt incredible guilty. Gabriella knew, that by forgiving her, she would take some of it away, and she would be glad to. She still loved Sharpay, and she could forgive her now, she had, and she knew Sharpay still loved her, and she hoped that there would be a future The Sweethearts, and a future for them as maybe best friends again. "I..."
"No, it's not okay!" Sharpay cut her off, because in her mind it couldn't be okay, not after the damage she had done. It just couldn't. "I can't be. Think back on what I did! I ruined The Sweethearts career. We were the biggest thing in music, nobody came close to touching us. We had six no. one singles and a no. one album, and we also had a no. one Christmas single and album, and we could have had a bunch more of that, if I hadn't screwed up, and I..."
"Ssh!" It was Gabriella's turn to interrupt Sharpay, she had to. She knew Sharpay, and she would just keep coming up with reasons for Gabriella to be mad at her. "I never cared about The Sweethearts' success, well I did, but not as much as I cared about you, Shar, you need to know that. We all hold part of the blame, even me, so you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. I've forgiven you, and you need to accept that." Sharpay was about to open her mouth and say something, but Gabriella stopped her. "No, don't even think about it! That's the way it is, stop feeling so much guilt, cos you are forgiven. Do you understand me? And if anything, you should feel proud, you got me to where I am today, I owe it all to you. So take it, and be happy."
Sharpay's jaw dropped, she thought Gabriella would hate her forever for what she did, no matter how many times she apologized, but she really had a big heart. She got control of her mouth, and stared at Gabriella, like she was a very difficult math problem. "But..." She tried to object, but this time Gabriella cut her off by throwing her arms around her and hugging her so tight, it felt like she never ever wanted to let go again. Sharpay forgot all about what she was going to say and wrapped her arms around Gabriella as well.
After standing there for 15 minutes, hugging each other, they finally let go of each other, but they didn't go back to their old awkward postures, that involved standing in front of each other, crossing their arms. The stood next to each other, Gabriella an arm around Sharpay's waist, and Sharpay one around Gabriella. Picture ready, they both thought to themselves, because that was the way they always posed together on the red carpet. And they looked just as happy, as when they used to be on the carpet together.
"Friends?" Gabriella offered and asked at the same time, but that's what she really wanted, she just hoped the blonde wanted it as well.
"Besties!" Sharpay triumphed, and they went for another hug, and at that exact moment there was a flash from Checotah's camera, who had just gotten back from getting it, and after she'd taken it, she cheered like crazy. Then Gabriella and Sharpay took off in each a direction, to get ready for both their shows.
--
Hours later, Sharpay was on stage doing her thing. She had performed all of her four singles; Be Good To Me, Not Like That, Unlove You and He Said, She Said. She had also performed two of her new songs; Watch This Girl and A Never, and she was coming to the end of 100 Different Ways, leaving only Forever and a Night to go.
"A hundred different ways I could say I'm sorry
And every other day I try something new
I'd write it out in blood, if I thought you change
But it's not enough for you"
She finished off, and now only Forever and a Night was left, but before she went on with it, she decided to speak to the crowd; "I'm coming to the end of my set, you guys have been amazing. I've got one song left, and it's called Forever and a Night, and I'd like to dedicate it to someone." She paused and let the amazing audience cheer. "I'd like to dedicate it to this guy, I once knew and loved. We didn't get our Forever and a Night, but hope all of you will someday."
The crowd cheered again, they were fantastic like that, and she couldn't imagine a better place to be in her life. The only thing that would make being on stage better, was if Gabriella was by her side.
"I,
I never thought I'd be
Lost inside your eyes
Living out this
fantasy
But now, with every breath we take
All I think about
Is
the love we're gonna make"
Troy could somehow feel, she was talking about him, when she mentioned 'this guy'. He knew, from before they even started their thing, that she didn't have many boyfriends. She always had troubles with them. And he also knew that she had loved him. A lot. It had to be him, didn't it? It only could be…
He didn't know what to do with himself. He could feel his emotions rushing through his body. He could feel Goosebumps rising everywhere. She carried that song so well. He hadn't heard much of it just now, but it was amazing. Her voice was so clear and raw. He could tell, everyone could tell, that she really meant what she was singing.
The song carried on, and she moved around on stage gracefully. She had on a messy white skirt (well, at least it used to be white!), and she flaunted those long dancer legs off, so every girl in the audience would wish she had them. He watched her as she sung, voice floating through the speakers, hair blowing in the wind.
He almost couldn't take it. He wouldn't describe himself as an emotional guy, but he almost couldn't take this. Just the fact that he was actually seeing her again after all these years, and that she was singing a song like that, about them, about him… It was almost too much for him to handle.
He had only dreamt of seeing her again for so long. His dream was to speak with her again, to maybe touch her if he was lucky. But there she was, before him, like the angel she always had been. He was actually afraid he was going to tear up. It would be embarrassing like hell, him crying right there, so he would hold it in. Chad was right next to him, mumbling over and over;
"I'm gonna write a song with that girl, I'm gonna write a song with her…"
Troy wasn't quite sure what that meant, and honestly he didn't want to find out. He just listened to the song, and enjoyed this moment so much. He sort of wished he could stop time and just watch her perfect face on the big screen behind her, where, right now, she was singing, letting go of everything inside her.
"I
want you
For, forever and a night
(Forever and a night)
For
all of my life
(All of my life)
I just wanna hold you
tight
From now on (for)
Until the morning light
(Until the
morning light)
All I wanna do
Is be with you baby
Forever
and a night"
That was the second time she sung the chorus, and Gabriella couldn't help but bob her head along to the music. She was really great. And that song was great! It seemed like something the two of them could have done together, too. Not that she wanted to steal away Sharpay's music or anything, she was just making an observation.
She really couldn't believe they were friends again after all this time. She had missed Sharpay so much, she couldn't even explain it. And there they were – one crazy fan brought them together. They really owed a lot to that girl now. Gabriella would have to thank her properly sometime.
Gabriella leaned herself slightly forward, to gaze pass Sharpay and at the audience. It didn't even take her a second to see Troy in the crowd. Her eyes just settled on him, as if it hadn't been about a year. He was looking really sad, even if he did a good job trying to hide it. Next to him, someone with a 'fro was bouncing excitingly up and down, even if this song wasn't very bounce-able.
Gabriella chuckled, and promised herself that she would meet him one day. Even if it would be tough, and it would involve Troy, she wanted to meet him. He seemed like a great and funny guy. And she was over Troy, and had Cole, so it shouldn't be awkward at all.
Suddenly a thought hit Gabriella, when Sharpay's voice cracked slightly. She put every piece together. Troy was moved by the song… He even came to this festival? Why? Because he was still in love with Sharpay? And who was Sharpay singing about in this song? Troy, of course!
She pulled her head back and leaned against a wall. How could she be this stupid? Of course those two were still obsessed with each other. Sharpay had never had it easy with guys, and Troy had been that one. And maybe Troy had really believed Sharpay was his one as well? If that was the case, then… Then Gabriella had ruined everything for them! She had broken their relationship… She had ripped two people apart. Two people who, without a doubt, where meant to be… Could she really live with herself for that?
She had found her happiness with Cole, so didn't Sharpay, her life long best friend, deserve the same too? And didn't Troy, a guy she had once loved, deserve happiness as well?
She really believed they did.
Sharpay was finishing off her song, and Gabriella could clearly hear in her voice, that she was getting emotional – more so than usual. She peeked through the walls again, and gave Sharpay a once-over. She looked great; she hadn't changed at all. And then she turned her head to Troy, who stood still, watching the stage in awe.
What could she do to make everything okay again? What could she do to correct all her wrongs?
She could call Troy.
--
Sharpay went off stage to let them get ready for Jesse's act, and ran into Gabriella's open arms. She was so emotional right now, but also happy that Gabriella was there to greet her, now when she was done. She believed everything had gone well today, so she was quite proud with herself.
"You did good!" Gabriella cheered, and hugged her tightly, "Awesome! I loved this last song…" she wasn't about to tell Sharpay about her plans of calling Troy – she'd make it as a surprise for her friend. And she was going to get them together. No matter what.
"Thank-you, thank-you very much." Sharpay mimicked and took a funny bow.
Gabriella giggled, and helped Sharpay get off her mike. When it was off, they handed it to the show producer, and linked hands, to get outside, so Sharpay could shake the show off. Now she was free for all those pre-show-nerves, but Gabriella's were just getting worse. Not that she suffered much for them to begin with, but still.
"I want you to meet Cole…" Gabriella told Sharpay, as they both drew in a fresh batch of air.
"Cool!" Sharpay exclaimed. Her face lit up, and she couldn't help but giggle, "That thing?"
"Yes," Gabriella laughed, and dragged Sharpay with her, so they could meet up with Cole, "that thing."
"Why do I feel like I've seen him before?" Sharpay asked, as they quickly crossed the lawn. She didn't know him at all, she couldn't really place his face. Maybe she had just seen him with Gabriella in a magazine or something? Or maybe perhaps just frequently behind her?
Gabriella laughed. And this time, her laugh really was full of joy. She was truly happy, "You've seen him before, silly!" she told Sharpay, love shining through her brown orbs, "We met him when they wanted to make that 'A Year With The Sweethearts' documentary. He was the third camera dude."
"Oh yeah!" Sharpay laughed, as she recalled something about a very cute third camera dude. But she didn't recall speaking to him, "I was busy with something else, was I not?" she wondered aloud.
"Yes." Gabriella said, as a matter-of-factly, "You were making funny faces to a camera…"
"Oh yeah…" Sharpay said, as she finally remembered that day clearly, "Oh, that was a good day." She laughed.
"Anyway…" Gabriella trailed off, and decided to bring up the subject about The Sweethearts and that reunion, "What about The Sweethearts now? Got any ideas?"
Sharpay seemed to ponder about it for a few seconds. Gabriella hoped she would think of something – she was usually the best at that, "I think maybe we will need to have a few performances together. Appearances at different shows, Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America, you know? And then… and then we get that CD out. Maybe we will write some new songs, but we will also redo some old ones. We will have to make an announcement and tell the world. And I think we should have Mr. B as our manager. He's still mine, by the way."
Gabriella nodded, as she thought this over. That actually sounded pretty good. It sounded very believable. It could happen, couldn't it? "Alright." She said, "That's fine. Seems like a great idea. We can discuss it more tomorrow, right?"
Sharpay nodded excitingly, but before she managed to really say anything, they met Cole, who was about to pass them. Gabriella grabbed his arm tightly, and he was surprised to see her, so he probably hadn't noticed them. "Hi Gabby!" he quickly said, and gave her a quick kiss, "I couldn't find you, so I…" he paused, when he noticed Sharpay's presence, "Did you guys make up!?"
"Don't seem so surprised, honey!" Gabriella laughed, and wrapped an arm around Sharpay's shoulders to prove to her boyfriend that they really were friends again, "I've missed my girl so much! This is Sharpay by the way… And yeah, Shar, this is Cole. The third camera dude." She added, beneath her breath, so only Sharpay could hear her.
"Oh, he's cute!" Sharpay quickly said, and extended her hand to shake Cole's. But before he managed to grab it, Gabriella shot her a saying look, and Sharpay quickly let it fall, "No? Too soon? Good." she nodded and took a step back, giving Cole a slight acknowledging nod instead.
Cole laughed, "Aw, come on Gabby, you know I'm not Troy!"
"And he's really not that cute!" Sharpay butted in. She then bit her lip again, and placed a hand on her mouth; realizing she should probably just shut it, and let the two lovebirds talk.
"I know you're not Troy, but I'm just gonna let this sink in…" Gabriella said, and gave them both a stern look, "Do we agree on that?"
"Sure!" Sharpay said; anything to keep her best friend happy. She really had no intensions of sleeping with Cole like she did with Troy. Gabriella should know she was only always joking. Troy was a special case, because normally Sharpay wasn't like that – she would never hurt her friends intentionally.
"Of course, honey." Cole said, and took Gabriella's hand in his; linking their fingers, "But I really think you should get ready. Jesse McCartney must be done soon, and you have to get your mike done and stuff."
"Yeah, you're right." Gabriella said, and gave him a chaste kiss. Then she pulled away, and turned to Sharpay, "You're coming, right? Watching me from the sidelines?"
"Of course." Sharpay said, and shot her a huge, warm smile, "You're my best friend, Gab, I'm here for you!"
The trio then took off, so Gabriella could get ready in time to go on stage. Sharpay couldn't believe she was lucky enough to have Gabriella back in her life, even after what she had done. She would never hurt her friend again. Never.
--
Gabriella was on a groove tonight. She was doing the best she had done for a long time, and she knew it was because she had made up with Sharpay – it really affected her performance, she realized. She was so happy, and she felt like everyone in the audience could see it and feel it. Like it was radiating off of her that now she was truly happy.
She had sung six of her songs, and was now finishing the seventh
"If
I should lose your love boy
Shame on me
I was just too
stubborn
Too blind to see
That I would lose your love, boy
Just
tell me how to get you back
Cause I could never lose your
love
Don't wanna lose your love"
She finished and the audience cheered her on. She took a bow and happily laughed into the mike, "Thank you, everyone!" she said, but then she did something, something she had never believed she could do live, but now wanted to more than anything else, "I'd planned out eight songs to sing for you guys tonight, just like everyone else had, but I just… I just got an, if I do say so myself, amazing idea."
She changed the show.
She smiled, "You guys remember 'Halo', right? The Sweethearts' first song… I do. I remember it very well. And the thing is just that… I really want to sing it tonight. So I'm gonna forget all about 'Make You Mine' and do that one instead." She sighed, "I just really don't believe I can do the song justice on my own, so I might as well announce it right now!"
She turned her head to the side, and pointed at Sharpay, "Would you please come in here, Sharpay?"
Sharpay shook her head.
"Come on in here, silly!" Gabriella continued on.
Cole gave Sharpay a push, and she stumbled into the stage, looking slightly confused. Gabriella turned around and got a mike from one of the stage managers, and handed it to Sharpay.
"Sharpay and I have decided that… That The Sweethearts will soon be back together, and because of that, I want us to sing 'Halo' right now…" she glanced softly at Sharpay, "You remember it, right?"
Sharpay smiled, and held the mike to her mouth; realizing that there was no way out of this, "Always."
Gabriella smiled too, and quickly gave the band a sign, so they knew to start. She and Sharpay were going to get back together and take over the world again. And they were going to start right now.
From Stessa; Haha :D I warned you about my crappy writing, but I hope it wasn't too bad. And I really hope the length of this chapter made up for how incredibly long it took us to write it. We WILL be faster with the next chapter; there's just no way I'm gonna let you guys wait this long. And please remember to leave us a review, because… well, we crave them … xD
From AK-tutti; Finally. That took forever to write. I'm gonna agree with Stessa, never again are we gonna let you wait this long. It's my fault really, I wanted to post the next chapter of I'd Rather Be Special, before I began on this, but I just couldn't write, so I decided to let it go, and begin on this chapter, but I just couldn't write, and then I got on a roll, and yeah... Here you have it. I'd like to claim a song, I Depend On You is my song, it was only briefly mentioned, but yeah it's mine. Thanks for reading this long awaited chapter, and please review. Oh, wait! I do apologize to the ones, who pointed out, that they don't speak spanish in Brazil, it's just my teacher told me they did, but now I know the real deal, and it didn't do so much harm did it? I mean, Portugal is right next to Spain, and their languages sounds so alike, no? Anyway, again please review.
Stessa and AK-tutti were here :)