From AK-tutti; Wow, you guys :). Thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome. I'm so glad you liked our last chapter, and we hope you'll like this too :). It's coming to an end though, slowly, but it is going that way. Stessa and I had a talk about it, and we're really gonna miss this, when the time comes, but we're also glad, we'll be able to work on other stories. But no more talking, here comes chapter 16 ;b.
From Stessa; Hey there ya'll! Aw, thanks for the awesome reviews, they made me smile! :D I hope you'll like this chapter too, and AK-tutti is right… This story is nearing the end. But we're hoping to work on another fic together, so that's great. At least we're having fun! :p
Disclaimer; We don't own HSM, we don't own any songs featured in this chapter.
Twist of Love
Chapter 16.
"Do it again!"
"No!"
"Do it again!"
"No!"
"Do it again!"
"Fine.."
Gabriella and Cole leaned in and gave each other a sweet little kiss on the lips, and Sharpay found the way they kissed so adorable, that she continued to bother them about it, trying to get them to kiss again and again. Not that they didn't like to share their love that way, but when someone ordered you to do it, it felt forced and not at all romantic.
Still, even though Sharpay was being as annoying as ever, Gabriella couldn't help letting out a girlish giggle, when she and Cole pulled apart. She found it cute, that Sharpay found them adorable.
Sharpay's smile grew wide, Gabriella and Cole were so meant to be. It was so clear to everybody, the tabloids had even made celebrities' wedding predictions, and who would last. Coella was on top of both of them.
It had been a week, since The Sweethearts reunited at the festival after over a year apart, but still it felt like they had never been apart. Gabriella acted like she used to, though she was shipping Coella these days instead of Troyella, and it was preferred. Sharpay acted like she used to, being as annoying as she had ever been, but that's why people loved her. Cole... Well, Cole was being Cole, only the Latina knew, what he used to act like, but from what Sharpay could gather, he was an extremely nice guy and so right for her.
The news of their reunion had already reached around the world, and it was like the biggest thing right now. If you didn't know about The Sweethearts getting back together, you were a nobody. To prove it, there was lying ten different magazines on Gabriella's coffee table with their story on each front page.
Yeah, no change. They were still hanging out at Gabriella's as always, and now it was Cole's too. Sharpay was so surprised, when her best friend had told her, that she had moved in with her boyfriend, and at the same time very happy. Her only reply had been 'but then where do I sleep?', cos they always used to share Gabriella's double bed, and now Cole kinda occupied the other half. Sharpay was shown to the couch.
"Do it again!" Sharpay cheered, with her trademark grin plastered on her face, as she'd just given in to the temptation of ordering them to kiss again. Who could really blame her, they were the cutest thing ever.
"Sharpay..." Gabriella warned, and then her best friend offered her the angel eyes, that she couldn't resist. "Fine, one more. And then you need to gear down."
Coella leaned in and kissed again, it was pure love. Sharpay placed a hand on her heart, she was so touched by them, and she just hoped, that she'd be able to find that again. When Gabriella and Cole broke apart again, the Latina sent her blonde friend a look, that clearly said 'that better be it'.
It was. But Sharpay was just so happy for her best friend and for Cole, they had found true love. It didn't even bother Sharpay, that Cole had been there everyday, since she and Gabriella made up, she had come to like it that way. It hadn't been like back then, when Gabriella had dated Troy, and Sharpay had been bothered by his constant presence. Then again, she had secretly been in love with Troy or something like that, and then seeing him with her best friend, wouldn't that be a bother to anybody? Cole was made for Gabriella, and Sharpay wasn't attracted to him at all, sure he was good looking and all that jazz, but she could only see him as a friend, which was a good thing. There would be no repeat of last year.
"You know, what I love?" Sharpay spoke all of the sudden, she had finally decided, it was time to stop demanding them to kiss, and let them do it whenever they felt like it, which was the way it was meant to be.
"Chocolate chip cookies? Smoothies? Random songs? Funny words? The colour pink? Oh, music?" Gabriella offered, but when Sharpay didn't reply to any of her suggestions, she let it go with a sigh and a; "I give up."
"I love all those things, and you." Sharpay then revealed, but that wasn't really what she had thought of. "You know, what I really, really love? Wheetos!" Both Gabriella and Cole gave her a weird look, what the hell was Wheetos? "But the thing is, you need milk to this chocolate-y cereal thing, and here's my problem; we don't have any milk."
She fake pouted and stuck out her bottom, that always used to help her get her way with her parents. Gabriella had to laugh, cos she had known Sharpay for such a long time, that she could see the fakeness so clearly.
"Good thing, you don't actually live here then." Gabriella said and stuck her tongue out at Sharpay, who then changed her face from pouty to offended. "Though I must admit, I do love fruity loops, and you need milk for those too."
That's how they made peace, and then they turned their attention to Cole, giving him a saying look. He gave them a weird one back, but after a few minutes of blankly staring at them, he finally got, why they were looking at him like that.
"Ok, I got it, I got it." He said, as he let go of Gabriella's hand, which he had been holding, and got up from the couch. "You want me to go get the milk, don't you?" As a reply both of them nodded, and Gabriella sent him one of her sweet angel smiles, that she knew, he couldn't resist. "Aww, just for you then, honey."
He walked out into Gabriella's small hall and put on his jacket, all the while shaking his head at the two silly girls, and then he was out the door, finally giving The Sweethearts some alone time, not that they had minded him there.
There was a long silence, before one of them spoke, they wanted to make sure, that Cole was long gone and couldn't eavesdrop, when they began talking about whatever came to mind, mostly about their reconciliation as The Sweethearts, which was an important matter.
"So are we tempted to read, what the magazines have to say about us?" Sharpay asked, being the first one to speak, after Cole had left, and by we she totally meant Gabriella. She knew how curious that girl was.
"No." Gabriella tried, but it was far from the truth, and Sharpay read her right away, giving her the 'I don't believe you'-look, so Gabriella sighed and gave in. "Very much tempted. And the top one, the OK! magazine is practically screaming 'READ ME, READ ME' at me. Please just one, Shar? Please?"
Sharpay considered the option of teasing her best friend by saying no, though she knew, she could never be that mean towards her, but with those anxious eyes Gabriella sent her, she could drag it on a little.
"Hmm..." Sharpay knew her best friend couldn't take that sound, she couldn't help it, though, with the look on Gabriella's face. In what felt like forever in Gabriella's point of view, Sharpay finally continued; "Sure, go ahead, my little coffee obsessed freak."
Then she grabbed the OK! magazine from Gabriella's coffee table and handed it to her, and the Latina gladly accepted it, excitingly ripping it open to read, what it said about them. There was a picture of them from the festival, smiling with their arms around each other, Sharpay in a grassy costume and Gabriella in her white jeans and sparkly red top. What had Sharpay been thinking? Then it said a bunch of thing about the festival, about them and that The Sweethearts were back together, and then there was a little interview with them. All reporters suffered from the 2nd grade syndrome called 'first one there'.
As Gabriella skimmed the magazine, Sharpay noticed a block of paper lying in OK!'s place, and when she squinted her eyes, she could see big block letters with her handwriting that read 'Always Be Your Baby' on it. She nervously glanced over at her best friend to see, if she had noticed, because she wasn't supposed to. It didn't appear, that she had, so Sharpay quickly snatched it, which was her mistake.
Gabriella noticed, even though she was focused on her magazine. "What's that?" She asked, as she looked over the magazine and pointed at the block in Sharpay's hand, that she was trying to hide. "What are you hiding?"
Sharpay rose from the couch and placed the block on her former seat, and after having done that she sat back down on it, just so Gabriella wouldn't see it, and then she said; "Nothing, absolutely nothing. I just like to sit on paper, y'know, cos it's really... uhm, comfortable."
"We both know, it was something, so don't even try to make up some fake story to me. I see right through ya, Sharpay." Gabriella told her best friend, as she reached out her hand to it. "Now hand it over."
"Gabs, it's really nothing interesting, and I..." Sharpay tried to explain, because if there was one person, she didn't want to see, what was under her butt, it was Gabriella.
The Latina wouldn't have it and cut her off. "Hand it!"
"Fine!" Sharpay sighed, while she dug her hand under her behind and dragged out the paper block, which she handed to Gabriella, who ripped it out of her hand. There definitely was no hiding anything from that chick, and ever since they had come clean about the ages, y'know Gabriella being older than Sharpay, Gabriella had begun acting all big sisterly towards Sharpay. Well, she had done that before too, but back then it had been more like, a friend look after another friend. Sharpay felt protected, it was great and everything, but sometimes it was too much. Like right now, Gabriella did not need to see that song.
The whole time period, when Gabriella was reading the most recent song, Sharpay had written, the blonde chick was in agony. Would Gabriella be able to tell? And then it came...
"This song is about Troy, isn't?" Gabriella questioned, and Sharpay looked down, as she knew she couldn't lie to that question, but she still managed to shake her head, which couldn't exactly be described as lying. "Do you think I'm stupid, Shar? This song is totally about Troy. I know you're still in love with him, and that's ok. I have Cole, and I'm happy."
"Give me that!" Sharpay hissed at Gabriella, then she grabbed the paper from her, that girl wasn't gonna tell her, how she was feeling, and who she wrote that song to, even if she was dead on. She felt bad about it all immediately. "This song is not about Troy, and I'm not still in love with him, and I don't think you're stupid." She paused for a moment and then added; "Forever and a Night isn't about him either."
"Oh, so the song isn't about him?" Gabriella said, as she snatched the song back from Sharpay, and then she started quoting lines from. "Time can't change a good thing, needing you is something I'll always feel, you'll always be my baby. But that's not the best part, Shar baby, that's not what gave it away, no that would be the chorus; Remember we were loving every single night, you gave me all the love I needed to survive, each and every day I'd only dream of you, and every single thing we would do, remember all the plans that we made, all the things we went through, just one thing remains, you'll always be my baby." She threw the song down on her coffee table and continued her rant. "This screams Troypay, and you know it. Why won't you just admit, that you still love him? And while we're at it, Forever and a Night is totally Troypay as well, so stop pretending, that you didn't write it for him."
She stopped to see, if Sharpay had an input, but when she didn't, Gabriella went on. "And 100 Different Ways? Troypay! You can deny that, all you want, but I know you took that from Troy, because he showed that song to me, when we were going out, so the fact that you 'stole' it makes it Troypay." She paused again, but only to begin using her soft voice again. "I love Forever and a Night, don't get me wrong, I do. We have agreed it's gonna be on the album and everything, because it's so amazing, and Always Be My Baby will probably also be on the album. It appears to be a great song, so kudos on the great song, but listen to me Sharpay Denice Evans, I will not make our comeback album a love serenade from you to a certain Troy Bolton, so keep the sappy love songs that you write while thinking of him to a minimum, please?"
Sharpay had tears forming in her eyes, and her bottom lip was quivering, and Gabriella anticipated an outburst any minute, but it didn't come. Instead she jumped up off the couch, like someone had given her a fright, and then she stormed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and screaming; "I DON'T LOVE HIM!"
But Sharpay Evans did love Troy Bolton, she just wouldn't admit it, because she was afraid of hurting Gabriella, like she had done before. No matter how much Gabriella said, she was over Troy and was in love with Cole, Sharpay still wouldn't let herself love him. She couldn't, it would be too much drama, and she knew, that even though Gabriella was over him, should that be the case, it would still hurt her and remind her of what they did to her back then. So Sharpay couldn't do that, she loved Gabriella way too much to do that.
Gabriella knew, that she was gonna be alone for some time now, while the blonde girl cried out, so she decided to make herself some hot cocoa. She went into the kitchen and began finding all the things to make hot cocoa with, all the while humming this new melody, that she had never heard in her life before. It was like, she was creating a new song in her head somehow, but she wasn't humming a melody to a song, she had written, but the one Sharpay had unwillingly shown her just now. Much to Gabriella's surprise, it was a happy feel good tune, not like she had imagined it, when she read the lyrics, but now it just came to her, and she could feel, that it was right.
With Sharpay's song in the back of her mind, she took out two cups from her cabinet, making hot cocoa for herself and Sharpay, so that there would be a cup for her best friend, when she later would come out of the bathroom, after being done feeling bad about still loving Gabriella's ex-boyfriend. Gabriella was no fool, she knew, and she was gonna do something, but not now; it was COCOA TIME.
When she had made the hot cocoa, she brought it with her into the living room and placed it on her coffee table. She had given Sharpay marshmallows in her cup, because she knew how that girl love-love-loved hot cocoa with marshmallows. She sat down in her chair with her on cup and took a sip of it, just enjoying how it tasted, and then she picked up a pen and began adding keyboard chords to Sharpay's song, like she had heard it in her head. Gabriella was a kickass keyboard player, so she knew what she was doing.
After a good 15 minutes, she was finally done with the song, and she knew, that when she told Sharpay about, what she had done, she would be so happy about it. She had just put the song back on the table, when Sharpay finally came out of the bathroom, her eyes all puffy.
"You made cocoa?" Was the first thing, Sharpay asked, when she came out of the bathroom, and Gabriella nodded. "Please tell me, you made some for me. You know, we're HCWMB, so you better tell me you made some for me?"
"It's on the table, sweetie." Gabriella said, as she pointed at the cup on the table. "And HCWMB? What does that mean?"
Sharpay sat down on the couch, she quickly took the cup in her hands and sipped the cocoa, and then she turned her attention at Gabriella, giving her a weird look, like she would know, even though Sharpay had just come up with it. "Hot cocoa with marshmallows buddies, like you didn't already know." And then Sharpay stuck her tongue out at Gabriella and took another sip of her cocoa.
And that's when she decided to do it. She hurried off the chair and headed towards her bedroom, right before going in she turned to Sharpay and said; "I know, we're HCWMB, but I'm sorry you have to enjoy your cocoa alone, I have a very, very important phone call to make. Excuse me."
Then she went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, because this was a phone call Sharpay shouldn't be hearing. She picked up her cell from her pocket, and then she pressed a number, she still remembered, even though she had tried to forget it. Somehow deep inside, she had this feeling, she would be needing it again, so she dropped her 'project' of trying to forget.
Only two beeps, and then the person she had called already picked up. "Troy Bolton here, speak to me?"
"Hi Troy, it's me." She announced herself, she knew she didn't need to say her name, she knew that he remembered her voice, though the last time he heard it, it was all shrieky and helium high.
She had to hold in a giggle at the thought of that, it was typical Sharpay. She called Gabriella's voice helium high, when she got all upset, and the Latina found it to be funny name, and whenever she thought about it, it always made her laugh. Now wasn't a laughing matter, so she had be serious, plus she hadn't spoken to Troy in years, and they didn't really know each other anymore, so he would probably find it a bit weird.
But she didn't even get to anticipate his reply to hearing her voice, because he hung up faster than he had picked up his phone. She removed the phone from her ear and looked at the display, then she whispered quietly to herself; "Well, I just wanted to give you my blessing."
--
The weirdest thing happened that day Gabriella called. Troy was just sitting in his comfortable chair in his apartment, minding his own business, fighting his urge to go see Sharpay, and then Gabriella called. Why would she even call? She hated his guts, after he'd slept with her best friend numerous times behind her back and lied about, so why would she call? Maybe she could sense, he wanted to contact Sharpay, and decided to call just to remind him of everything!
After that he wanted to keep himself busy, so he didn't think about that previous event, because he knew, he'd obsess over why she'd called. He had gone with cleaning, which was a very stupid idea, he hated cleaning, and he could use his apartment for a very good argument for that.
He scanned his apartment; dirty clothes lying everywhere, old pizza boxes, filthy used plates. Let's just say, that it was a wonder, that he could find his phone, and his little cleaning project had been way overdue. That was Gabriella on you, making you do things by yourself, that you had put off doing for so long. God, he wished he could be friends with her and forget everything, but he knew that was impossible, because of Sharpay and everything. At least he had the memory of them.
He had just carried along his hope, during this year. He had been thinking about what to do if he ever heard from one of them, and now when Gabriella had called, he'd simply freaked out and hung up. He hated himself for being that stupid. He should have spoken to her, shouldn't he? It would probably have done him good to just hear what she had to say. Maybe it wouldn't even be bad, maybe it was good news. He had seen the magazines. Perhaps she had just called to let him know personally? That was the person Gabriella was, so it'd actually make good sense.
But he had hung up the phone. Had been that stupid. Right now he didn't get why that was. He simply sat down in his chair, and stared around his apartment again. With all that thinking he had just done, he believed he deserved a break. He needed to sit down and relax. He had never thought that much about one matter in so little time and it wore him out.
He had just kicked back and was closing his eyes, when the there was a knock on the door. He groaned and was tempted to let it be, but whoever was out there, was very anxious to see him, because the knocks got louder and closer together. He got out of his chair very slowly and crossed his apartment, "I'm coming, I'm coming…" he mumbled, knowing that the person wouldn't hear him, but saying it still. He reached out and grasped the doorknob, turned it down and pulled the door open.
He was very surprised to see who was at the other side of the door. He hadn't really expected her to show up. He hadn't seen Gabriella in years. He hadn't expected her to just come to his apartment, especially after he hang up on her. But she probably never gave up. He knew he would have, though. If he'd called someone, only to have them smack the phone down, he definitely wouldn't have had the guts to show up at their doorstep.
"Don't smack the door in my face." She quickly said, her brown eyes locked with his; her voice calm and collected. "I really need to speak with you, Troy."
He chuckled nervously. He was tempted to close the door again, but he had just agreed with himself that it was stupid of him to hang up on her. Now she had gone the few streets to his apartment in so little time, and still wanted to speak with him. He really should do that. It seemed like it was important. But still… if it was just about their break-up again, what would it matter?
"It's about Sharpay." She said, as if she had read his mind.
Now, this caught Troy's attention. He stepped aside to let her come into the apartment, and closed the door behind her, before leading her to his living room, "Uhm," he started, but then told himself to step up and act normal, "sorry about before, I…" he trailed off, not knowing how to phrase how he had felt before when she had called.
"It's okay. I understand." Gabriella simply said and looked around the living room, taking in everything.
"Sorry about the mess." Troy quickly said, and moved past her to push a bunch of magazines off of his couch so she could sit down, she did so and he watched her dumbly, "Uhm… do you want anything?" he awkwardly questioned.
"That'd be nice, thank you." Gabriella said, and as he turned to leave, she stopped him, "And Troy, don't be so awkward. I know we used to go out, but this has nothing to do with us. It's in the past." She paused and bit her lip for a few seconds, "And I'd really like it if we could become friends. Let's just… not be awkward around each other. I know you're pig, I used to date you. Don't excuse the mess."
Troy sighed in relief. That was just what he needed to hear. He actually felt stupid for thinking Gabriella would expect all kind of things from him. Of course she wouldn't. She was one of the people who knew him best in the entire world. She knew what he liked and what he disliked. She knew he didn't pick up his dirty clothes and didn't vacuum. And it still didn't bother her. She always used to tell him that it was his apartment, and he could do what he wanted.
"I'll just go get the drinks, then." Troy said and hurried out of the living room, a more happy bounce in his step. He went to the fridge and pulled out some coke. He knew Gabriella wouldn't expect anymore, so he also just grabbed two glasses and went back to the living room, where Gabriella was studying the front cover of a magazine.
She looked up when she heard him place the two glasses and the bottle on the table, and offered him a small smile. She turned the magazine around so he could see the front page, which was covered by two smiley faces – herself and Sharpay's, "I guess you already know, huh?"
"Yeah." Troy shrugged, and sat down in his chair. He had read everything about it. You were a nobody if you didn't know about The Sweethearts, and of course he knew. It was on every front page, every headline was about the two sweethearts, "…and surprisingly enough," he added, with a small smirk, "I'm only mentioned in a few of them."
"Yeah, I didn't see your name too many times." Gabriella concluded, and took the glass Troy offered her. He had just poured coke into it, "And that's kinda nice. Because… because it makes what I want to do so much easier. Everyone has forgotten about Troy Bolton, which is good. Just for this."
Troy cocked his eyebrow. What the hell was that woman going on about? She wasn't even making sense right now. Sure, it was nice that he wasn't known as the guy who ruined The Sweethearts any longer, but what was she talking about? "What do you mean?" he questioned, "What do you have in mind?"
Gabriella placed the glass on the table again, and turned around, so she was staring fully at him. She had just turned much more serious, like this was a really big deal, and perhaps it was, "I already told you it's about Sharpay." She started, and reached a hand out to grasp his.
"How is she doing?" Troy asked, not even jerking away from Gabriella's touch. It felt kinda nice and very familiar to feel her skin again. He wouldn't say he had missed the feeling, because he hadn't. He'd missed the feeling of Sharpay's skin on his, but having Gabriella there again felt secure and relaxing.
Gabriella took in a deep breath, getting ready to explain, "She's doing alright, I guess." she told him, "She's happy now that I've forgiven her for everything. I think she's been living in hell this past year. She's had her new friend Taylor, you remember her right?" Troy nodded, and she continued, "Plus this new hair-girl. I believe she's been dating a bit, but nothing serious. Sharpay has never been good with guys. Until you."
Troy had figured that much. Gabriella had told him all about her best friend, and when he started seeing Sharpay too, she had warned him a bit about herself. She had told him she was never good with this stuff, and that she'd probably screw up.
"But she's really happy now that we're back together." Gabriella told him, and pulled back; leaning herself against his couch, "I'm happy too. I'm dating this guy, Cole. It's been a long time, and I love him. I'm not mad anymore. I trust Sharpay again now, and I just want her to be happy. I know her Troy, I know her inside and out." She paused, and thought things over for a few seconds, "And I make myself believe that I somehow know you too. That's what I convince myself."
Troy smiled, "You don't know everything about me." He said, and leaned back in his chair too. He could already feel some of their playfulness coming back full force, and that made him happy. He'd missed their friendly banters.
"No." Gabriella firmly said, and looked up at him, beneath her long eyelashes, "But I do know that you still love Sharpay very much and that you went to the festival only so you could see her. I know you looked up at her from your place in the crowd and thought about everything." She almost giggled, but held it back, "I saw you through those walls."
Troy didn't exactly know what to say. He was a bit embarrassed that she had seen him, because he had been really moved by everything, and he was sure it would have shown in his face.
"It's okay, Troy." Gabriella said, her voice getting soft and tender, "She still loves you too, you know…"
"No, she doesn't." Troy quickly cut her off, without even a doubt in his voice. He knew Sharpay didn't love him. She was the one who broke it off with him and if she really loved him, she wouldn't have done that. He was sure of it, "She's over me, Gabriella. She broke up with me, remember?"
"That doesn't mean she doesn't love you anymore!" Gabriella told him, voice getting more demanding; she needed him to understand this. He had to know, "She does, Troy. She didn't break up with you because she didn't love you. She broke up with you because of me. Because she felt guilty and because she wanted to save our friendship."
"She still wouldn't have broken it off with me if she loved me enough." Troy said, voice determined.
Gabriella almost rolled her eyes, but she held it back because she didn't want to upset him, "Of course she would have, Troy. It was more complicated than that, and I bet she was really confused."
"Okay fine," he said, and shrugged, "so let's say that she really did love me even if she broke it off with me." He paused and gave her a look, "That doesn't mean she still loves me now."
"Oh," Gabriella said, and went into her jeans pocket, picking out a piece of folded paper, "but she does."
Troy curiously got the paper from Gabriella and shot her a confused look. She just motioned for him to open the paper, a mysterious smile on her face. He opened the paper slowly and came face to face with something he immediately recognized as a song. It was titled 'Always Be My Baby', and he scanned the word silently.
Gabriella stood up and looked down at him, when he lifted his gaze to meet hers. She could tell he was happy now. "And with that being said," she motioned to the paper, before continuing, "I just wanted to give you my blessings."
She finished with that and turned around on her heel, leaving the apartment.
--
They'd had a blast all day. They had goofed off and danced and laughed and had fun ever since they arrived around six o'clock that morning. Gabriella had been a bit worried about how it would go since it was so long since they had recorded together, but everything went perfectly fine. They had soon went back into their old ways and their voices sounded better together than ever.
"So awesome girls!" Jack said and applauded them a few times, as they stepped away from the microphones and gave him thumb-ups. "Everyone's gonna love this song." He continued, and then turned to Tanya, "How much more is scheduled for today?"
Tanya quickly checked their calendar, just to make sure, even if she knew the schedule by heart, "Only… Forever and a Night." She smiled at them, "You girls already agreed on everything, didn't you?"
Sharpay nodded, "Yup, everything is planned out." She said, and placed an arm around Gabriella's shoulders.
"We talked about it," Gabriella added, to explain it to Tanya, "since it was Sharpay's song, I didn't want to do any of the stuff she wanted to, so I let her choose just about everything."
"Which you didn't have to do." Sharpay added, "We've done your stuff before, and I did some of that. You're just being silly."
Gabriella stuck her tongue out at her, "Says you."
Jack and Tanya couldn't help but chuckle. Those two girls never seized to amuse them. "Alright girls, fun's up." Tanya said, and gave them both a stern look, "If you want to go home tonight you're gonna have to start."
"Alright." Gabriella mumbled, and made sure her ear buffs were pressed tightly to her ears, before she stepped closer to her microphone again, "Get it moving, Tanya."
Tanya smiled at the two stars and started the music. She and Jack leaned back in their seats and watched the two girls work, just singing their hearts out. They could tell that they really enjoyed this. They had been smiling all day long, and more days like this one were to come, since this was only day one, and recording an album took time. Their next day was already tomorrow and the week out. They had been rehearsing and discussing everything with Tanya too, and they had to do that with every song.
…When they finally were done with work for that day, Sharpay and Gabriella made their way out of the recording studio, happy smiles on their faces. The last song had been amazing to record, and both of the girls couldn't wait to hear the outcome whenever it was ready. They felt really good about their work that day, and they were really worn out, so they were just looking forward to going to their beds.
Well, Gabriella was looking forward to her bed, while Sharpay was looking forward to Gabriella's couch.
"I had fun today." Sharpay told her best friend, as they stopped outside to breathe in the cold night air.
"Yeah, me too." Gabriella agreed, nodding her head a bit, her brown hair blowing in the wind, "I've really missed doing this with you. It's more fun than alone."
"I agree." Sharpay smiled, and then continued, "Soo, you wanna walk home or-" she paused, when she saw the look, Gabriella gave her, "…or do you wanna take a cab? Whyy…" she paused, "Why, Gabriella? Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face? Oh my God, I have something between my teeth, don't I? Gosh, have I been singing with that all day long!?" she breathed out and tried to calm herself, "Gee, you could've told me, you know!?"
Gabriella swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on that certain person, "Sharpay… that's not what it is…"
"What?" Sharpay then questioned, and Gabriella just grabbed her shoulders with both her hands and turned her around, blonde hair whipping in the wind, hitting Gabriella across the face, "Ohh…" Sharpay mumbled, when she came face to face with no other than Troy Bolton.
"Sharpay, hey." He said and took a step closer, a nervous smile on his face.
It felt like her throat was tightening so she wouldn't be able to speak, but she just managed to squeak out a, "Hi."
"Sooo," Gabriella begun and smirked at Troy, before she lowered her mouth to Sharpay's ear, "I'm gonna go home now. Just walk home later by yourself, okay?"
"Gabriella, no!" Sharpay said, but of course she didn't stop. Her best friend was out of there, before Sharpay could count to three, and she felt hopeless. She didn't want to be alone with Troy right now. She didn't want to speak with him after how everything ended. Sure, she still loved him with all of her heart, but being alone with him… that hadn't been in her plans at all.
Troy chuckled nervously.
"Oh, this could get awkward." Sharpay mumbled to herself, and turned back around to look at Troy. She shot him a small smile – it was all she could muster – and wrapped her arms around herself, to keep herself warm in the chilly night.
"Only if you want it to be." Troy said, and motioned for them to start walking, "We'll walk towards your place, it'll save you a cab later, listen…" he paused when he realized that he was rambling off, and chuckled again, "Sorry, you must wonder why I'm here."
"Yeah, I do." Sharpay confirmed and moved her phase up a bit, to keep herself warm, "And we should walk towards Gabriella's, I'm staying there. So why are you here?" she bit her lip, when she realized that she was making the same mistake as Troy. She was speaking fast too, and she shouldn't. It was just Troy. She had known him for longer than a year; he was the only guy she had ever really loved, so why was she this nervous? She should just calm down and take a deep breath…
"Cool." Troy confirmed, and glanced up at her, "And I'm here, because…" he searched for his words, "Because I really need to speak with you." she could tell that he had troubles telling her what was on his mind, and she figured it was because it was very personal or something, "It's about us, really."
Sharpay froze and stopped to turn to him, "What about us?" she quickly questioned him, afraid to dig up in that old stuff; her wounds were just healing, "There's no us, Troy."
He shot her a saying look, a little hurt of what she said, even if it was the truth, "There was an us, Sharpay." He said, and grabbed her hand, even if she attempted to move it, "I want to talk about that, and I want to tell you that… That I want there to be an us. I want to be with you, Sharpay. I haven't stopped loving you since we were together, and I think about you practically every day. I know, deep down, that you feel that same about me…"
"Troy, I…" she paused, not sure what to say to him. On one hand she was thrilled to hear what he was saying. That he still loved her was amazing to know and that he wanted to be with her, made her so happy, but… things still hadn't changed since she broke it off with him. She was still Gabriella's best friend, and you don't date your best friends' exes. She loved him back when she broke it off with him and she still loved him now. She couldn't do anything to change the fact that he had dated Gabriella. And she refused to hurt her best friend like that again, she really did. "I'm sorry, but… I can't be with you. I just can't. You're Gabriella's ex-boyfriend, and I don't wanna hurt her. I hope you can understand that."
Troy arched his eyebrow. Didn't she know that Gabriella had spoken to him? Didn't she know that Gabriella had given them her blessing to be together and be happy? If she didn't, he had to tell her… Before she left. "But Gabriella said that-"
"No, Troy." She said, her voice firm and hard. She shook her hand out of his grasp and took a step away from him, "I won't hurt her, okay? We just became friends again; we're working on a new album. I refuse to make her cry like I did."
"But Sharpay, I-"
"Forget it, Troy!" she cut him off. It hurt her, it really did. It hurt her to see him freak out this way, because she shot him down, and it hurt herself that she was never gonna be with the love of her life. "I'm gonna go home now. Don't – don't come see me again, okay?"
She turned around on her heel, before Troy could even manage to begin his explanation of how Gabriella had been at his place, and how he had seen her song… She just walked away from him again, not looking back. It hurt him to see her like that, but he refused to give up. He was going to talk to her, so he could have her back; there was no doubt about it.
--
When Sharpay came through the door she went into the living room immediately. She was sad and angry at the same time. It had been hard to turn away from him again, knowing it hurt him like it hurt her, but she was sure she had made the right choice. She stopped though, when she saw a smiley Gabriella sitting in her chair, excited (that thing was evident – it was the shine in her eyes that did it).
"How did it go?" she immediately asked, her eyes following Sharpay as the blonde girl sat down on the couch and kicked off her heels, "What did he say? What did he want?"
Sharpay didn't reply. She just crossed her arms firmly across her face and turned her head away from Gabriella. She didn't want to talk about it. It was supposed to be in the past, and she didn't want to even think about what could have been. She knew it was kinda selfish to say it, but she did sort of blame Gabriella that she and Troy couldn't be together. But she would never say so, because Gabriella meant everything to her, and she'd always respect her wishes.
"Oh come on, Sharpay!" Gabriella said, and moved from her chair to the couch, right next to Sharpay, "Please tell me what happened. It couldn't have been that bad, could it?"
Sharpay turned around to look at Gabriella and blinked a few times, before saying, "It wasn't horrible, no." she confirmed, "He wanted to get back together with me."
"Oh my God!" Gabriella exclaimed, acting surprised even if she wasn't at all, "That's so great, Sharpay!"
Sharpay froze, surprised. Did Gabriella just say that it was great that Troy wanted to get together with her again? That was weird. Sharpay had thought she would freak out and immediately ask her if she had said yes or no. And if she had said yes, she would have ruined The Sweethearts reunion before it even begun for real. But she just seemed happy for her and excited about it… Why was that?
Sharpay cocked an eyebrow, "Uhm, excuse me? Great?" she questioned, "How so?"
"What did you say!?" Gabriella exclaimed, almost jumping out of her seat. She really wanted to know; she hoped Sharpay had had enough sense to arrange a date of some sort with him, "You did say yes, didn't you?"
Sharpay paused, "No!" she said, and leaned back in the couch, shooting Gabriella a bunch of weird looks, "Why would I say yes?" she asked, "I remembered what happened the last time and I didn't want a repeat of that. I told him that I'd never hurt you like that again and that he had to respect that."
"But Sharpay!" Gabriella whined, now clearly upset. She couldn't believe that Sharpay had shot Troy down. That had got to be the most stupid thing she had ever done. Gabriella had really thought she'd have sense enough to actually tell him yes and just get him back and be happy! But she hadn't… Gabriella now cursed her best friend for being so blonde.
"What?" Sharpay questioned, "I just didn't want to risk you again."
"I contacted Troy." Gabriella explained, knowing she had to come clear. She had to tell Sharpay, because if she didn't, maybe everything would be even more messed up. If she told her now, maybe Sharpay would still be able to fix things between her and Troy, which was everything Gabriella wanted. She just wanted them both to be happy.
"You did?" Sharpay asked, disbelief streaming through her voice. When exactly had Gabriella had time to contact Troy?
"Yes." Gabriella confirmed, reaching a hand out to grab Sharpay's, "I went to talk to him just today. We discussed everything and since I'm completely over Troy and everything's in the past, I told him that you guys have my blessings." She paused and squeezed Sharpay's hand tight, "I know you still love him very much, and I want you both to be happy. I told him to go for it." she scoffed, "I just didn't think you'd be blonde enough to shot him down."
"I did that for you!" Sharpay said, and stood up from the couch, looking down at Gabriella, her hands on her hips, "I did that because I care about you, Gab. Don't call me blonde like that, because everything I did, I did for you, and not for me."
"I know, Sharpay." Gabriella said and stood up too, to be on eyelevel with Sharpay, hoping the other girl would calm down again, "And I appreciate that. But I'm telling you now… You have my blessing, you have my permission or whatever you want to call it." she paused and stared deeply into Sharpay's eyes, "Just… fix it with him. Go be happy."
Sharpay took a step away from Gabriella, the brunette's intense stare becoming too much. She bit her lip and seemed to think about everything for a few seconds, before coming to a decision. She looked back into Gabriella's eyes and said, "No, Gabby… I don't think…" she paused and struggled with her words, "I don't think I'm quite up to that anymore. I'm through with getting my heart broken."
"But you won't get your heart broken, Sharpay." Gabriella objected, desperately trying to get her to see the light, "Troy loves you. He does. He won't hurt you."
Sharpay shook her head, "I'm sorry, Gabriella, it was a sweet thought, but I…" she paused a took in a deep breath, "I'm gonna have to pass…"
"But-"
"Please don't talk about this anymore." Sharpay finished, before she turned around and went into the bathroom to be alone.
--
Later that night, when Sharpay was lying on Gabriella's couch, listening to the soft breathings of Gabriella and Cole in the next room, coming through the half-open door, she couldn't help but wish to have that. She wanted someone to share a bed with at night, someone to wake up next to; just someone to love. She wanted to have what they had. It was so amazingly cute, and she sorta wanted to be one of those couples who made you want to puke because of their absolutely sick sweetness.
She wanted to kiss and kiss and kiss like Gabriella and Cole had done earlier. And she hated to admit that she sort of wanted to have that with Troy, even if she was scared. She was so scared of what would happen to her, and she knew her heart was fragile, and she didn't want to take a risk.
She had been so surprised earlier about Gabriella and all her blessings. She honestly hadn't expected that, and when it happened she was too shocked to really do anything about it. She had told Gabriella that she still didn't want Troy, and that was actually true. Because she was taking care of her heart; she didn't want it to break into tiny pieces like last time.
She turned onto her side and glanced at the big watch on the wall. It was lit up by the streetlight from outside, and she could clearly see that it was already past twelve. She knew it wasn't specifically late or anything, but she knew she had to get up early, and she really wanted to sleep.
She closed her eyes tightly and prayed to get sleepy, but she couldn't. Millions of thoughts kept streaming through her head; they made her confused and she didn't know what to do or what to think. She just wanted everything to be okay. She just wanted to be happy. Would she be happy without Troy?
Before she managed to answer herself, her phone went off right next to her. She reached for it, not minding the caller, knowing it would probably be important since it was this hour. She flipped it open and placed it next to her left ear, since the right one was pressed against her pillow.
"Yes?" she tiredly asked, holding back a yawn.
"It's Troy." He softly said, but then quickly added, "Don't hang up on me! I need to say something."
Sharpay furrowed her brow in confusion. Why would Troy be calling her now? Especially after the way she treated him just earlier on. She didn't understand that, "Uhm… Okay." she softly breathed, just happy to hear his voice. "What do you have to say?"
"Just listen, okay?" he said. There was a long pause, before he softly began singing, "Out of sight, out of mind. That's what they all say, But I learned that ain't the truth with me and you babe…"
Sharpay held back a surprised shriek. He was singing her song. He was singing her song, and he was doing it well. How did he know her song? She had no idea, but she knew how it made her feel. Her heart started beating faster, her head started spinning. She felt happier than she had done in a long time… Troy was singing to her.
"Time can't change a good thing, Lovin you is something I still feel, You'll always be my...baby." he paused for a few seconds, before going straight for the chorus, "Remember we were lovin' every single night, You gave me all the love I needed to survive, And each and every day I'd only dream of you, And every single thing we would do, Remember all the plans that we made, All the things we went through, Just one thing remains, You'll always be my baby…"
She chuckled into the phone, choking back happy tears. She didn't want him to know how he made her feel, though he probably already knew, since he knew her inside and out. She just… she couldn't believe he was doing this for her. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much.
"Life's too short, don't look back, that's what they all say," he continued, singing every word clearly, just the way she had imagined them, "Cos you don't know what you've got, no, until it's gone babe., Same mistakes, we make again, Needing you is something I'll always feel, You'll always be my...baby."
He took another breather, before finishing off, "These days I find myself remembering what we had, Each time I walk away, I just keep turning back, And every night and every day, The love we had, the love we made, And I wonder if it's true, Am I still your baby too…"
From Stessa; There you go, guys ;D I hope you enjoyed! I know it was a long wait, but we were still faster than the last time. Please remember to drop off a review, it means the world to us. I'm very sorry if some of these parts are crappy (if they are, they're probably my parts). I don't know what I was thinking writing some of these, but at least I tried. Haha xD I hope you enjoyed the whole lot of Troypay-ness we had in this chapter!
From AK-tutti; Finally, it's done. This took forever, but Stessa is right, it didn't take as long as last time. I take the blame for the long delay, because I told her I would start the chapter, and then after a month I did. Anyway, not that it matters now, the chapter is here, and the next one will be there as fast as possible.
Stessa and AK-tutti were here :)