Chapter 17

"Oh, puh-leeze..."

"It's the truth!"

It was after school. The bell had just rung and kids were already pouring out of the exit doors. Sharpay had been checking off every possibly afternoon activity available when someone had suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

"OW!" she screamed. "What the hell?!"

She turned around and came face to face with a vaguely familiar girl...

"It's Tori, right?" she said.

The girl didn't flinch. "Taylor."

"What do you want?" Sharpay asked with narrowed eyes.

"Troy didn't do it," Taylor began. "That ring was meant for Gabriella. He--"

"Oh, gawd, not this again!" Sharpay cut in. "Look, I know Troy and--"

"So you'd probably know how much he hated Tiffany," Taylor said.

"No," Sharpay snapped. "I know he's a good actor. And trust me. That little skit that he performed at school today about being all angry and stuff. That was totally an act."

"But he hates Tiffany!" Taylor insisted. "Surely, you know that!"

"I also know he used to hate Gabriella," Sharpay went on. "And he liked her for a while--"

"Look," Taylor sighed. "I may not know Troy as much as you do. But I know he's telling the truth-"

"How would you know?" Sharpay demanded.

"I was there!" Taylor shouted.

That's when the words came out: "Oh, puh-leeze!" "It's the truth!"

"How much did Troy pay you to feed me this stuff?" Sharpay asked.

"He didn't do anything," Taylor said. "But I was there myself. I saw it with my own eyes. He meant to give that ring for Gabriella! Not Tiffany!!"

"And I should believe this because--" Sharpay was suddenly yanked by her hand. It took her only seconds to realize that Taylor was pulling her towards the school.

"Hey!" Sharpay shouted. "What are you doing! Let go of me!!"

"You have to see for yourself," Taylor said.

"See what?!"

Without answering, Sharpay got pulled into an empty, deserted classroom. She recognized it immediately when she aw the cherry wood roll-top desk.

"The old AV room?" Sharpay snorted. "This is what you wanted me to see? How is this gonna prove that Troy--"

"Just shut up!" Taylor said as she went behind the roll-top desk. "The proof is in here."

Sharpay gasped. Well!

When Taylor came out from behind the desk, she had a small camera in her hand. "This was on one of the chairs. I didn't know it was on till i saw it. And it has everything."

Taylor turned the camera on and set it to 'Playback' mode. A dark classroom came into view. And there was Troy.

"Hey--" Sharpay started.

"Ssshhhh," Taylor said. The video started.

(Troy/Taylor)

"You should've just killed me, Dad. You were right. I deserved to die."

"Now you shouldn't be saying that about yourself."

"Who are you? Eavesdropping, huh? Don't you have something better to do?"

"Well, excuuuse me. For your information, I was in classroom waaay before you. So technically, it's your fault."

Sharpay giggled before Taylor shushed her again.

"I'm Taylor. Taylor McKessie. No need to ask who you are. You're that Bolton guy."

"That Bolton guy?" Sharpay repeated.

"Yeah."

"I've heard a lot about you."

"That's great. What did you hear then? Pleasant stuff, huh? Or the usual? Pushing girls down the stairs. Oh! how about the latest one..."

"How you gave that Tiffany girl your ring and humuliated Gabriella? I don't believe that."

Troy's head shot up.

"You don't seem like the type of person who would do that. Besides...I was there. I saw everything, including the look on your face. And I see the way you look at Tiffany. There's no way you like her. You like Gabriella. I can tell."

Troy's mouth fell open.

"Yeah, I know. It seems like everyone is against you. But like I said, I was there. I know everything."

"Too bad the whole school doesn't. Even Gabriella hates me now. And Sharpay, too."

"Yeah, well, Gabriella's stubborn. And Sharpay...I don't know her too well, but..."

"Well, at least someone believes me." He stood up to leave.

"Wait. Just answer me one thing." Short pause. "Do you really love Gabriella?"

Sharpay gasped as she saw the look on Troy's face as he said, "More then you can imagine."

Then it went black.

"The tape ran out after that," Taylor told her. "But you see it now, don't you?"

Sharpay couldn't believe it. And she felt so bad. All this time, he was telling the truth.

"Ohmygawd!" she exclaimed. "We have to show Gabriella this tape!"

Taylor smiled. She and the blonde were thinking on the same frequency.