Author's Note: Hey up =) thought i'd post another chapter before i forget, and before i get too carried away with my Gilmore Girls one =S thanks to everyone who has read, alerted, favourited and reviewed - although if you could gimmie a few more of the latter i'd be eternally grateful to all of you!

Anywho, enjoy =)

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, it sucks.

Chapter 14

I got to Homeroom late, having had to sneak Sharpay down from the roof and into the nearest girls' bathroom so she could 'fix her face', as she put it. I thought she'd never looked so beautiful in all her life, but she'd only rolled her eyes and dug in her bag for her makeup. I wanted to stay with her, make sure she was okay… that was until she reminded me that she could get away with being late, since she was Ms. Darbus' favourite, I, on the other hand, could not.

I tried to slip in unnoticed, but the second I opened the door every pair of eyes were on me. I swallowed the horrible knot in my throat and forced myself to walk, sit, breathe…

"How good of you to join us, Miss. Montez! I hope my lesson isn't getting in the way of anything!"

I shook my head. "Sorry, Ms. Darbus, it won't happen again." I didn't think it was the time to tell her that Homeroom was hardly a lesson.

She harrumphed. "It better not! Now, back to what I was saying…" I tuned her out, preferring to bury my head in a textbook and hope against hope I could move faster than Taylor, therefore escaping another of her lengthy interrogation sessions.

Sharpay arrived a few minutes after me, walking in like nothing had happened, looking flawless as always. She breezed right past Ms. Darbus, flashing her a smile that could melt gold, before taking her usual seat in front of me. It had been unnerving to have everyone staring at me, but now that they were looking back and forth between me and the blonde, I just wanted to disappear under the desk. I daren't look anywhere but at my book.

The second the bell rang I was out of my seat and headed for the door. I think I even managed to beat Ms. Darbus out. I heard my name being called but I ignored them and surged through the crowd towards my first lesson... Math… that I had with Taylor and Sharpay… Fuck's sake. I reached the classroom before anyone else and dropped my bag on the table at the back furthest from the door, I wasn't looking forward to this, but it had to be done.

The door opened and my head snapped up. It wasn't Taylor; it was some boy whose name I couldn't quite remember. I smiled at him, which he returned, hesitantly, before taking a seat at the front. Slowly more people arrived, and every single one of them stared at me like I'd grown an extra head overnight. The whispering had already begun, I didn't need to hear to know they were talking about me; they weren't exactly inconspicuous with the staring.

I let my head hit the table, wincing slightly at the contact. It was going to be such a long day, I could just tell. I felt someone sit down to the left of me, thinking it was Taylor I didn't bother to move. I could tell her everything she wanted without having to look at her and see the hurt, the disappointment, the disgust in her eyes.

"Hey." The voice was soft, one I knew well, but was so not Taylor's. I looked up to find beautiful brown eyes watching me with concern.

"Hey." I smiled, feeling my heart rate increase at having her so close to me.

"You okay?"

"I don't know. You?"

She sighed and sat back in her chair. "Same." There was a long moment of silence between us that was only ruined by the ever increasing whispering going on around the room. "People are already talking."

I put my head back on the table. "Really? I hadn't noticed. They're all being so subtle about it." She laughed quietly before shifting closer to me. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For getting you into this mess. I know you didn't want this."

"No, I didn't. But now that it's out there maybe we can-"

"Gabriella Montez, what the hell is going on?" Taylor came storming into the classroom, heading straight for where we were sat. I groaned, wanting to throw something really heavy at her for interrupting what Sharpay was going to say, and for making sure that every single person was completely focused on us.

"Taylor-"

"Don't you 'Taylor' me! I want answers and I want them now!" She came to a halt right in front of me, hands firmly on her hips.

"Well, whatever Kelsi said is the truth."

"Kelsi? Kelsi didn't say a damn thing! She high tailed it out of there the second you disappeared! So come on, spill!" I looked at Sharpay in desperation, hoping she'd have some idea of what to do. No such luck. I was met with nothing but more desperation.

"Tay, please-" I didn't get any further because the door opened again and the teacher walked in.

"Run out of chairs, have we, Miss. McKessie?"

"No, Miss. James."

"Good, then if you'll be kind enough to find one to sit in we can get on with the lesson."

"Yes, Miss. James." Taylor's frustrated frown would have been funny if I hadn't been so tense.

"Alright, if everyone can take out their textbooks and turn to page 85, we can start where we left off last week…" I tuned the lesson out as Taylor took her seat in front of us. She wasn't a happy bunny but I didn't care because Sharpay had slipped her hand onto my leg and squeezed gently, making me bite my lip to stop the gasp that had threatened to slip out. I saw her smile out of the corner of my eye and couldn't help my own smile.

I slid my hand slowly off the table and into my lap, twining our fingers together tightly. It was going to be one hell of a day and I needed all the courage I could get, we both would. Just sitting there, with Sharpay by my side, her hand in mine, I felt happier than I can ever remember feeling. I didn't want it to end.

So instead of dwelling on the impending Taylor-pocalypse, I picked up my pen and tried my hardest to concentrate on what was going on at the front of the class. All the while trying to ignore the shivers Sharpay was sending down my spine every time she stroked her thumb over mine.

Author's Note: I know it's only short but there's some more action in the next chapter so keep your eyes peeled for it in a few days =) Peace Out