Eeek!! Don't hurt me! I'm sorry for taking long to update. They're really piling on the homework, this semester. & school just started back last week! Gah, I'm having school-data overload! I'll try to post next chapter faster, though.

On the upside, this is actually a pretty good chapter (in my opinion). & that actually means a lot, because I usually hate everything I write ;D

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except all Sharpay's clothes. LOL :D Okay, so I don't own that either (unfortunately). But wouldn't that be radtastic, if I did? ;]

"So, did you hear about Gabriella and Jason?" Sharpay asked Troy, when she saw him in the school parking lot.

Troy nodded. "Yeah, she told me. Jason told me, too. But yeah, Gaby told me first."

"Oh. So, what do you think about it?" she asked, trying to read his expression.

"About Jason and Gabriella? Well, at first, I thought it was kinda weird. You know, because Gabriella's all smart and Jason is…well, not. Because I guess, since— "

Sharpay interrupted, "That's not what I meant. I meant, like, you don't mind that they're going out? You told me that you liked her."

"I do like her," Troy said. Sharpay looked at him, as if she was waiting for him to say something else. So he continued, "If she likes Jason, she can go out with him if she wants to."

"Oh. So, you are okay with it?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sharpay."

--

Gabriella and Jason walked in the classroom, hand in hand. Sharpay watched the lovely sight from her desk.

"Isn't it wonderful, Ry?" she asked her brother, who was sitting in the desk next to her.

"Isn't what wonderful?" Ryan asked.

"Gabriella has a boyfriend," she said, gesturing to the couple who had just walked in the classroom. "It's beautiful."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You're not happy because Gabriella's going out with Jason. You're happy because she's not hanging around Troy."

"Are those the same thing?"

"Not exactly."

"Well, whatever. The point is, Troy and I can be together now," she said, dreamily.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever," Ryan mumbled. "I still don't understand how Gabriella got over Troy so fast. You didn't have anything to with this, did you?"

"What? Me? Why would I do anything? I didn't do anything," Sharpay stammered, nervously. Ryan eyed her suspiciously. "I didn't do anything, Ry. All I did was tell her that Troy didn't like her."

"But, he does like her. Doesn't he?"

"Not as far as Gabriella knows… So, be quiet. She might hear you," she hissed at her brother.

"How could you do that, Shar? What's gonna happen when she finds out that you lied to her?'

"She's not gonna find out, as long as you don't tell her," she said.

Ryan was offended. "What makes you think I was going to tell her?"

"Hello?" Sharpay said. "You're the one who blabbed to Troy, about our 'let's pretend to be friends' plan. You can't be trusted."

"Whatever, Sharpay. Troy was going to figure it out, eventually."

"Sure, sure," she said, brushing him off. "Just don't tell Gabriella."

--

About a week later…

"Hi Troy," Gabriella said, walking up to his locker, which he was trying to stuff his backpack into.

Troy looked at her, surprised. "Gabriella? Gabriella Montez? Is that you? God, it's been ages."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that I've been out with Jason a lot and—"

Troy interrupted. "I know, Gabs. Chillax. I was just kidding. Life is better with a sense of humor."

"Are you insinuating that I have no sense of humor?"

"No…" he said, unsure. "At least, I don't think I am. Seeing as, I have no idea what 'insinuating' means."

Gabriella sighed, "Troy, you really should read more often. It will expand your vocabulary."

"Yeah, me and books don't exactly like each other."

"Books and I," she corrected him.

"Whatever. Does it really matter?"

Gabriella was about to answer, when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and read her text from Jason. Then she looked back up at Troy. "I have to go."

"Alright. Later."

"Later," Gabriella called over her shoulder, as she walked off to find her boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Sharpay had been watching from around the hall as Troy and Gabriella were talking, waiting for Gabriella to leave so she could go talk to Troy.

"Hey Trojan," she said, coming up behind him.

"Whoa. Where did you come from?"

"Nowhere."

"Well, you had to come from somewhere."

"Not if, I've been standing here the entire time," she said. Troy looked confused, so she continued, "You know, when you were talking to Gabriella. And she got all peeved because you said she no sense of humor. Which, I totally agree with, by the way. Then she started saying how you should read more often. And, well, I kind of agree with that, too. And then you 'books and me' instead of 'books and I' and — "

"How do you know all that?"

"I told you. I was standing right here."

"Or maybe, you're just psychic."

"Right…" Sharpay laughed. "We'll go with that."

--

Sharpay walked in her house, after having been at the mall with Troy, and went straight to the kitchen. Not bothering to say hi to Ryan, who was sitting in the living room, watching TV.

"Hi, Shar." Ryan said, getting up from his spot on the couch and walking into kitchen after her.

"Hello, Ryan," she said, searching the freezer for some chocolate ice cream, still not bothering to look back at her brother.

"Where were you?" he asked.

Sharpay pulled a carton of ice cream and sat it on the table. "With Troy."

"Really? And you're not prancing around, talking about giddily about how it was the best day of your life?" he asked. Sharpay considered everyday she spent with Troy to be the best day of her life.

"Nope," she said, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"What happened?" Ryan asked, sensing something was wrong.

"Nothing happened. That's the problem," Sharpay answered, stabbing the bottom of the ice cream carton with her spoon. It was empty. "Damn," she mumbled, throwing the carton in the trash.

"What did Troy do?" he asked, using his tough big brother voice, which cause Sharpay to roll her eyes. As if, Ryan would actually do anything to Troy; he wouldn't hurt a fly.

"It's not what he did. It's what he didn't do." When Ryan looked confused, she added "He didn't ask me to be his girlfriend."

Ryan still looked confused. "Was he supposed to?"

"Yes, he was supposed to!" Sharpay yelled. "He implied that when either me or Gabriella got a boyfriend, he would ask the other girl out. Gabriella has been dating Jason for a week, and Troy hasn't ask me out yet!"

"Well, maybe he's just waiting for the right time."

"The right time? The right time is right now! Seriously. He could call on the phone right now, and ask me. But is he going to? No! And do you know why? Because he'd rather torture me!"

"I'm sure, Troy doesn't know that he's torturing you," he said. "Here's an idea: You ask him out."

Sharpay looked at her brother like he was a mental case. "I…can't…do…that," she said, nearly choking each word. How could Ryan suggest something like that? Was he insane?

Okay, was that an awkward place to cut off? So sorry, if it was. (:

Oh, & I just re-read this chapter, it turns out: I actually don't like it ;] LOL. It's about ten times better than last chapter though.