Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed the last chapter. We are officially done with the thanksgiving arc and are approaching the end of semester one.

This chapter will have multiple fantasy sequences that are italicized.

The concept for this chapter was inspired by an episode of Daria called Write When it Hurts

Warning: high amounts of sexual content

Chapter 23 What Is Your Fantasy?

December 5, 2008 11:25 AM

Sharpay made her way to the office section of the Drama building. This morning it took her 15 minutes to lose the media following her around. She wasn't sure if they were following her to get the dirt on her parents' divorce or the whole mess with Troy and Kim. The media was currently focusing on the fact Lucy was out on bail by Kim. Kim decided the best way to hurt Lucy was to be nice to her.

Sharpay had a 11:30 AM appointment with her drama advisor. She was supposed to meet with her faculty adviser in the drama department before scheduling for spring semester but was unable to because of scheduling conflicts. Her advisor still insisted that she come see her anyway.

Sharpay had no idea what good it would do at this point. She was able to meet with her adviser in the school of business a few weeks before she scheduled classes. Because of her double major, she wouldn't be graduating until spring 2013 unless she took summer session. In contrast, Chad could graduate as early as fall 2011 even with his minor.

This meant that Chad would be stuck waiting around New Mexico until she graduated. Albuquerque wasn't exactly known for computer programming jobs. They were not even married yet and they were already experiencing the two bodies' problem.

Sharpay was broken out of her thoughts when she finally found her advisers office. Sarah Long was a former stage actress who specialized in classical Greek tragedy. Her office was decorated with posters from some of her previous shows. Sharpay thought it was over the top. Her high school self would have did something similar.

"Hello Sharpay. Have a seat. I wish we could have met a couple of weeks ago before you register for spring classes. I guess that's what pink slips are for." Sarah said as Sharpay quickly made her way to one of the lush velvet couches.

"That's okay. Thank you for seeing me, but I don't think it's necessary. I already met with my other faculty adviser Mr. Carl and have my classes together for next semester. He thinks I'm crazy for double majoring in acting and business."

"Personally I think it's brilliant if that's what you want to do. I don't know how many actors have been taken advantage of by their management or have squandered everything away." Sarah said as she took a sip of her tea.

"What do you mean by 'if that is what I really want to do'?" Sharpay found that turn of phrase unusual for some reason.

"Let me ask you this Sharpay, why are you a business major?" It wasn't like Sharpay was never asked that question before.

"I don't want to be an E true Hollywood story." Sharpay said with a tiny laugh that was obviously forced. Everyone believed that explanation except Chad.

"Good stage answer. Now give me your real answer." This woman was as good as Chad when it came to catching her in a lie.

"Somebody has to carry on the Evans corporate legacy. My brother cannot balance a checkbook half the time. He is a dancer, not a real estate developer. My friend Kim has the same problem. However, she is going to hire good advisers instead of running the company herself." Sharpay doubted that she had the same freedom as Kim.

"Good you are being honest. That's the first step in figuring out who you want to be. Now here's the harder question, why do you want to be an actress?" No one ever asked Sharpay that question before.

"I've been performing since I was barely older than my friend's toddler. In Fifth grade, I wrote my first Oscar acceptance speech for a creative writing assignment. I'm supposed to be on Broadway someday." Sharpay said giving the answer that everyone expected from her.

"That's not an answer Sharpay. Why do you want to be an actor now?" Sharpay sat there silently for a few minutes. Why did she still want to be an actor? She thought back to last spring during the senior year play fiasco. She was miserable.

Last year she wanted to be an actor for the fame and fortune. Last year she wanted to be the center of attention. That was last year. She wasn't that person anymore, if she ever really was. Why did she want to act now? She didn't have an answer anymore.

"I don't know. I used to want to be famous."

"What do you want now? What's your fantasy?" Sharpay groaned the moment she heard the phrase.

"Please don't mention that phrase."

"I forgot about the unfortunate You Tube incident. I am sorry to bring it up. What I meant was, what do you want now?" Sarah said in apology with a slight blush. Did everybody see that tape?

"The You Tube thing is why I don't want to be famous anymore. I don't really enjoyed people running up to talk to me at the store. If I don't want to be famous, than why do I want to be onstage? I never really had much of a choice before. If you're reading the Albuquerque newspaper you know all about my parents' messy divorce. You may have even seen the interview from my old acting coach who remembered seeing me covered in bruises if I miss too many lines during rehearsal that day. Of course he was my acting coach when I was seven." Sharpay notice the sad look on professor Long's face. She's been seeing that look a lot lately.

"Now that you actually have a choice about whom you want to be? Maybe it's time to reevaluate your choice of major. Honestly, is this who you want to be in 25 years?" Sarah asked in a calm voice.

"The fact that I will not graduate until 2013 at the earliest is making me wonder if this is a good idea. I do not want to graduate a year and a half after my fiancé. On the other hand, I'm having a lot of fun working with the students at EHS this semester. Next semester I am going to be working with the Drama II class." Sharpay said with a smile that was actually genuine.

"You did a wonderful job with that play." Sarah's praise shocked her.

"You saw the play?" Sharpay asked in surprise.

"My daughter was cheerleader number four. I had to see her performance debut. My favorite part was the principal being carried away in a stretcher after that surprise ending." Sarah said as she grabbed a binder off her desk.

"Renee is your daughter? She did a really good job when Tierra tried to screw up her lines." Renee was in the other Drama I class with Chad's cousin Carmen.

"She told me what a brilliant director you were. I also know that you did the majority of the writing on that project. That was probably one of the best-written plays I have seen in a while."

"I cannot take credit for the ending. That was all Jason. " What most people remember about that play was the end.

"I assume that was your fiancé that you were kissing up there. That was not a stage kiss." Normally Sharpay would take that as a compliment, today it just pissed her off a little bit.

"You assume I don't have the acting chops to pull something like that off if it were not real?" Sharpay said defensively.

"I assumed it was real because your boyfriend had his hand on your ass the entire time. If you want to be an actor, you'll make a fine actor someday. I saw your performance this summer at the Albuquerque community theater. You were good. I'm just not sure that's what you want to be. I believe that you will be accepting an Oscar some day. I just think it's going to be for best original screenplay." Sarah past a binder to Sharpay containing information about the dramatic writing program at A of U.

Sharpay Evans-Danforth sat in the Kodak Theatre with her husband of five years waiting to find out if she finally achieved her childhood fantasy.

"Why do they have to put the screenplay awards tours the end of the show?" Sharpay whispered to her husband during the commercial break right before her category.

"I have no idea baby. Just think of it this way, if you were nominated for best actress we would have to wait another 35 minutes. It's supposed to be an honor just to be nominated." Her husband said to her as he placed a hand over her protruding abdomen.

"Tell that to Troy who just lost best supporting actor to Will Smith's son. I am here to win. Can you please stop playing with my stomach? Everybody's going to know if you keep doing that." She was referring to the fact that she was three months pregnant with their first child. She found out that she was pregnant from her best friend/Gynecologist Amanda the same day the nominations were announced.

"You're in the second trimester now. I think it would be okay if people found out." Chad said as he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"I'm just waiting for the perfect moment to tell everybody." So in their own conversation they missed Troy and his co star from his upcoming film approached the podium.

"I'm pleased to be up here to announce the nominees for best original screenplay. This year's nominees have truly elevated the art of writing in film." Troy said as the traditional award show banter began. Sharpay knew for a fact that Troy asked to do this award just in case she won.

"The nominees for best original screenplay are: Sharpay Evans-Danforth for Fear and Loathing in New Mexico; Nicolas Last for Death of the American Dream: Jose Flores for American self; and Natasha Cook for Good Bye Love. The winner is Sharpay Evans-Danforth for Fear and Loathing in New Mexico." Sharpay's mouth went wide open as Troy called out her name. Then she felt her husband mouth descend upon her in a searing kiss that was too hot for an Oscar telecast.

She could have sworn she heard Troy say, "You should probably cut to a commercial. This could take a while." After what seemed like an eternity, Chad let her go and she made her way to the stage. Troy gently kissed her on the cheek before handing her the award. "I always knew you would win." Troy whispered to her so the microphone would not pick it up.

"I think I took most of my speech time with that kiss." Everyone in the audience laughed at that. "I've been working on this speech sense the fifth grade. I'm going to deliver it. I like to thank all my friends, my producer, the brilliant cast who brought my words to life, and everyone else involved in the production. I like to thank my brother who was always there for me growing up. I just like to say I got an Oscar before you got a Tony. I win." She could see Ryan sticking out his tongue at her from the audience.

"The person I want to thank the most is my husband who has been with me since kindergarten. Thank you for being my sounding board and for telling me when my ideas are crazy. Thank you for loving me despite the fact I'm a bitch 90% of the time. I love you. I also want to thank someone who is not here with us yet. Stop playing the music you want to hear this. The day I found out I was nominated for this award, I also found out I was pregnant with our first child. Mr. Hilton you can stop blogging about my weight gain." Everyone started clapping. Troy was in shock behind her. They didn't tell anybody that she was pregnant yet, not even Ryan and Troy.

"Only you would tell everyone you're pregnant during your Oscar acceptance speech. Most people just put out a press release. My wife is going to hurt you for not telling her first. " Troy said as he walked her backstage.

"I'm not most people. Kim will get over it. Chad was getting antsy about keeping it from everybody. This is the perfect opportunity. Darby probably had a heart attack when she saw this." Sharpay said as she stepped away from Troy into the waiting media.

Chad was supposed to meet Sharpay at Martha Evans Hall for lunch at 12:15. They've been eating at the cafeteria for most of the week because the reporters wouldn't follow them in there. They have repeated the phrase "no comment" so much recently that even Alex could say it.

He found his girlfriend hiding in the side room with a waffle Sunday on her plate, with a binder sitting next to her about the dramatic writing program. When Sharpay consumed anything like that meant something bad happened.

"How bad was the meeting with your faculty adviser?"

"How do you know it went badly?"

"You're eating a waffle Sunday with hot fudge, regular ice cream, and chocolate pieces. You only eat that when you are depressed or on your period. Considering what we did this morning I know it's not the latter." Chad said as he leaned down to kiss her.

"If you say that any louder, you won't get to venture down there any time soon." Sharpay said swatting him away.

"Like that's going to happen. You love all of the wicked things I can do with my tongue down there too much to actually follow through with that threat. I promise no more talk about what goes on in the bedroom until we get to the bedroom tonight. How did the meeting go? "

"My adviser feels that I shouldn't be an actor or a business person. Apparently, I don't have the talent for it either." Sharpay said as she took another bite of her Sunday.

"Is that what really happened?" Chad asked her skeptically.

"She didn't say it like that. It was more as if she said that I really didn't have an interest in those two areas."

Over the next 15 minutes, Sharpay preceded to tell him everything that was said at the session. This included the binder on information on the writing program and the suggestion for Sharpay to take a special creative writing class next semester.

"I know you may not want to hear this, but I think she's right." Chad said as he grabbed his girlfriend's hand.

"Why do you feel that way?" Sharpay said in a calm voice.

"I know you are majoring in business because you feel like you have to take over the family business someday. Do you really want to be the next Donald trump?" He asked her in all seriousness.

"Not really. I will admit I don't want to be a corporate tycoon like my father. In contrast, I always wanted to be onstage." He knew that was a lie.

"A couple of weeks ago you told me that you considered not majoring in acting this summer. You were absolutely miserable last year during the senior production."

"If Troy could actually remember the choreography instead of moping over Gabriella, I would not have been miserable. Thinking about it now maybe he was actually moping over Kim." Sharpay said with a pout as she grabbed one of his French fries and dipped it in her ice cream.

Last week Chad found out that Troy was miserable back then because he thought it was a repeat of the Kim situation. His mom kept making him see the similarities. She was the one who suggested that Troy drive to San Francisco to talk things out with Gabriella. She filled out the application on Troy's behalf for Berkeley. It was the former Mrs. Kim who arranged for the Berkeley scouts to come to East High in the first place.

This best friend heart to heart took place when Troy was yelling at him Last Sunday morning. Troy figured out that Sharpay gave Chad a hand job in Troy's bedroom during the great thanksgiving incident. That was a very uncomfortable conversation.

"That's beside the point Pay. I already know that Darby was the one who pushed you and Ryan to be in all those productions. I know you're a great actress. I will not argue that point. Do you want to be that for the rest of your life? I know that since you have been a little girl you have dreamed of being on Broadway. I also know that there are other things you love doing. You don't have to be Darby's lap dog anymore. You don't have to be a certain person just to carry on the Evans' name."

"That is because I will be carrying on the Evans–Danforth name instead." Sharpay said sarcastically. Last weekend they decided that they would both change their last name to Evans-Danforth once they got married. Chad was so pissed off at his father that he was willing to take the name Evans. Evans-Danforth was the compromise.

"All people who carry on the last name Evans–Danforth must be themselves. You need to find your new fantasy that is not influenced by Darby, your dad, or even me. You should take the creative writing class. You loved writing the play this semester. Last weekend when we were staying at the mansion, I found your boxes of short stories and poems. I even found this one thing that looks suspiciously like an Oscar acceptance speech." He remembered her giving that speech in fifth grade. Everyone thought she was crazy. He personally thought it was brilliant.

"On the way here I came up with this fantasy sequence about me excepting the award for best original screenplay." She admitted quietly.

"That just proves you're considering other options. You should take the class." Chad said as he placed an arm around her protectively.

"Because the special class is at the 300 level, the professor won't pink slip me in unless I write an audition piece. I need to write a 1000 word short story by Monday."

"You could write that on your smart phone." Chad said kissing her on the forehead.

"Yes but the story must be about my future. Other than us getting married at some point, I'm not sure of anything else."

"This is you pay. I'm not worried. I have an away game this weekend. That means you have plenty of time to write."

After her conversation with Chad, she spent an hour in the library trying to write her short story. She started writing a piece about her and Troy talking about their brand new film on a TRL like show. The whole thing ended with her and Troy being mobbed by fans. She was starting to think Chad and Sarah were right about her desire not to be an actress anymore.

On the drive to East High, she was going to ask Kim how she decided to be in education major. She never got the chance. Kim kept complaining about her evil almost mother in law who keeps calling the house, her crazy mother who was still a fugitive, Troy's grandmother who criticize everything she does with Alex, and the media that keep following her and Troy everywhere. Kim was so desperate to get away, she volunteered to be a chaperone at the winter ball next week.

Now they were talking about Kim's Gabriella problem. Sharpay personally wanted to forget about Gabriella.

"I really think you should go see her. It might help." Kim said as they started walking to the classroom.

"How will me yelling at her about the almost sex tape incident help her recovery? I don't want to talk to her right now or ever again for that matter. Can we talk about something else?" Sharpay said as they walked into Ms. Darbus's class room.

"How did your meeting with your adviser go?" Of course, Kim would bring up the other thing she doesn't want to talk about.

"She suggested I find a new major that I actually like and Chad agreed with her." Sharpay said as she placed her things in her usual seat.

"I wasn't going to say anything but…" Kim started but Sharpay already knew what she was going to say.

"You think they're both right." Sharpay said finishing for her.

"I saw the footage of the senior musical rehearsals and production. You were miserable. According to Troy this summer at the community theater production you were only happy if you were helping to direct the show or if you were rewriting the script. Troy told me the director gave you a smaller part just so you had more time to do the things that you actually liked doing. The love you once had for performing is gone."

Everybody knew she lost her love for performing including herself. She didn't want to admit it out loud to anybody except for Chad.

"Hypothetically, let's say that you're right and I don't want to be an actress anymore. How do I figure out what I want to be now? How did you decide to be in education major?"

"I want to hear this answer." Coach Bolton said to them as he walked into the room. It was the third time this week that Ms. Darbus wasn't in. Sharpay was starting to get worried that Ms. Darbus was sicker than she told Sharpay she was. She hoped this was not a repeat of ninth grade when Ms. Darbus missed a good portion of the first part of the school year because she was going through chemotherapy. Sharpay was one of the few students who knew Ms. Darbus was a breast cancer survivor.

"She's out sick again?" Sharpay asked with a hint of worry.

"Yes. I am the only teacher at East High that can actually work with you." Jack said to her.

"There is a good chance you're gonna be my future husband's stepfather. We have to get along. At least you didn't turn this into a study hall like Mr. Winter. The winter talent show is in less than two weeks and several of my students are performing. We need to rehearse."

"You're getting way to into this. To answer your question, I figured out I needed a new major when the doctor told me I was pregnant. I don't think my realization will help you." Kim told both of them.

"Many life choices have been determined by that statement. There's a reason why I taught high school English for several years even though it was my minor." Jack said to the two of them. At that moment, the bell signaled the beginning of the last period.

"I got to go. I'm riding back to the house with Jack tonight so you don't have to wait for me." Kim said as she left for Ms. Ortega's class.

20 minutes later after Sharpay had everybody working on their various assignments she walked back over to Jack who was grading quizzes for his health class.

"You know you're actually good at teaching." Jack said as he looked up from his quizzes.

"This is not teaching. This is directing. I'm great at telling people what to do."

"You're also great at showing students how to perform there scenes better. You know how to explain things in a way that students understand. I know that you're looking for a new career path. Have you ever considered being a teacher? Teaching is not the most well paid profession. Considering you have a trust fund just like Kim, I don't think you will care about that too much."

"Can you seriously see me as a teacher?" Sharpay asked Jack in all sincerity.

"Yes I can. The more important question is can you?"

Sharpay sat on her bed with laptop in hand, as she started to review the English exams. She had 20 essays to get through tonight. She was just glad students now typed everything in class instead of writing things out by hand.

She felt a headache coming on as she finished reading essay number 12. Some of the essays were good. A few were horrible. This one came straight from spark notes. Sharpay save the file she was working on as she heard her husband walked into the bedroom.

The best part of Chad's job as a software designer was he got to work from home. This meant a clean house and edible food that wasn't take out. Of the two of them Chad, was the one who could actually clean and knew how to cook.

"How are the exams coming?" Her husband asked as he sat on the bed next to her.

"12 down, eight more to go. I'm going to have to send Larry to principle Bolton's office for plagiarism. Kim is going to go off on him and I'm going to have to give him a zero for the project." As she was telling him this, he started massaging her shoulders.

"Pour baby." Chad said as he placed his mouth on her neck and began to suck gently as his hands began to move down to her waist. "I know what will make you feel so much better." Chad said as his hands began to undo her pants and his mouth continued kissing her heated skin.

"If I let you do that I'm never going to get done. " Sharpay said to him, but didn't do anything to stop him as he started lowering her jeans down her hips. He placed a kiss just above her navel as he did this.

"I can be quick." Chad said as he began to remove her top.

"Chad your idea of quick is anything under an hour. Not that I don't enjoy that." Sharpay said as she removed Chad's T shirt and threw it next to her discarded clothing. She wasn't going to stop this from happening. If she did, she would be too distracted to continue grading papers.

She let out a breathy moan as he took one of her lace covered nipples into his mouth. She always loved when he did that. As his hands and mouth continued to explore her body she made sure that, he was as equally naked as she was. Eventually his hand went to the nightstand where they kept the condoms.

A few months ago, she started having problems with her birth control pilsl and had to go off them. Ever since then they have been going through about three or four family packs a week. Tonight however Sharpay stopped him.

"I'm ready." Sharpay said as she took the condom out of his hand and threw it across the room.

"That's why I'm trying to get a condom." Her husband said to her.

"I mean I am ready to have a baby with you." Sharpay said as she began kissing him once more. They've been talking about this for a while, but Sharpay was always a little hesitant. She was terrified of ending up like Darby. Now she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"You really want to do this." Chad asked as he positioned himself at her entrance. She nodded yes and with that he was inside of her. Since the first time they made love all those years ago she always felt this sense of peace and completeness when he was in her. Even if they were going at it on the kitchen table or handcuffs were involved, she was most happy when they were connected like this. She loved everything they did together.

Chad had her so distracted she forgot to remove her computer from the bed. As her and Chad approach there orgasm she heard a crash. So caught up with the sensation of Chad comeing inside her during her own orgasm she didn't realize she just lost 2 hours of work. In the morning she would have to come up with a very good excuse for why the exams would be late that didn't involve her telling her ninth graders that she lost their test while she was having sex with her husband.

"You cannot turn that one in." Chad said as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. He showed up a few minutes ago after practice. They were supposed to go out tonight with Amanda and company. However, Sharpay was too into writing to get ready. Sharpay didn't realized he was standing behind her. After reading her essay, he was starting to come up with better things to do then go out to dinner with friends.

"How much of that did you just read?" Sharpay asked as she went slightly red.

"You're not allowed to blush because you wrote that. I read enough to know you have a very lucrative future in the erotic literature industry. That paper is going in the private collection right next to the DVD. How did a story about you being a teacher become a porno?" Chad asked his girlfriend as he kissed her.

"It wasn't that graphic. It is not pornography. It is art. I started writing a story about me being a teacher and it ended up becoming a story about us trying to conceive our first child. We were married for nine years in this story before we began trying to have a child." His girlfriend knew he was easily freaked out over the idea of an unplanned pregnancy.

"That part I find kind of sweet. This piece is just for me and you to enjoy." Chad said as he leaned over and kissed her once more.

"I completely agree. That means I'm going to have to write something else." Sharpay said as she powered down her laptop and moved over to their bed.

"Maybe you can just edit out the sexual stuff." Sharpay gave him the "you're absolutely crazy" look.

"There won't be anything left. That whole thing was sexual."

"You'll just have to write something else and hope it doesn't become a porno again." Chad said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around her on the bed.

"This is so unfair. I had no problem coming up with a story about my possible future last year. I was going to be this big Star with tons of fans and lots of awards. I would have the best parts on stage and onscreen. My fantasy was complete with Oscar nominations, penthouse apartments, and dancing girls." Sharpay said as she leaned back into him.

"Where was I during this fantasy?" Chad asked her as he kissed her once more. He noticed her cheeks go very red. "I was actually there?"

"Everyone was there. Jason Cross and Zeke were my bodyguards. Taylor was a flight attendant. Kelsey was a cab driver. Troy was a crazy fan begging for my attention. Gabriella was my maid."

"I bet that was your favorite part?" He said as he started peppering her neck and back with soft kisses.

"No my favorite part was Officer Chad." He heard sharpay whisper. He remembered exactly who Officer Chad was from that drunken night months ago when they had their first kiss.

"Tell me what happened with you in Officer Chad?" Chad said in a breathy whisper.

"In this fantasy you as Officer Chad were knocking on my apartment door to yell at me for my numerous traffic violations. I answered the door in a bathroom and white lingerie. Suddenly you realize it's me and follow me into the apartment."

"I'm starting to like this fantasy." Chad said as he started to remove her top.

"I thought we were going to go out?" Sharpay asked but didn't stop him as he continued to undress her.

"We can order pizza later. I want to play with you now. What did we do in this naughty fantasy of yours?"

"You have me up against the wall and your mouth was covering mind as you start undressing me. Your hands are touching me in all the right places. Your tongue was doing very wicked things to me. I destroy the police uniform because I literally ripped it off you. I do not think about it because within seconds you're inside of me. I cannot think at that point." The last time she told him about Officer Chad she wasn't this graphic.

"Last year you had a sex dream about me?" He asked her in surprise. Even their subconscious knew that they had feelings for each other last year.

"I was conscious when I came up with this little fantasy." Sharpay admitted sheepishly. Chad's mouth dropped open in complete shock.

"You were fantasizing about having sex with me and yet you freaked out at the thought of the senior play being about me? You passed out in class."

"Even though Kelsey wrote all the songs, I wrote everything else. If the senior musical was going to be about you that meant we would have to work together. That's what had me so freaked out." He didn't believe that.

"Are you sure you were not flashing back to your little fantasy?" He said teasing her.

"No, I came up with that fantasy after I passed out." Sharpay said blushing.

"What do you think about that fantasy now?" Chad asked he pulled away from her. If he kept kissing her, he wouldn't get a straight answer.

"The only part I still want is where you and I make love against the wall of our apartment."

"I'm looking forward to that."

"I'm sure you would. The only good thing that came out of the almost sex tape incident is I found out I don't want to be famous. I do not want people running up to me in the grocery store as I pick out cereal. I don't want people making nasty comments about my personal life. Last year I would have loved to have the press follow me like they have been this week. Now I have the sudden urge to punch out a photographer."

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to consider a different career path?"

"I don't necessarily need to be famous to be an actor. I have more fun writing plays than actually acting in them."

"Spike Lee and Tyler Perry put themselves in all their films. You can always do the same thing." Chad said kissing her.

"I know all about Spike Lee. I have to analyze three of his films for our film class final project. You're the lucky bastard that drew George Lucas. Truthfully, I always preferred to write. That's why I was so mad about the Twinkle Towne fiasco. Kelsey wrote the entire play without me. Honestly I only wanted to do a one woman show senior year, because I would get to write it all by myself. Kelsey signed everybody up for the play to purposely keep me from writing it." Sharpay said that last part with a hint of anger.

"You don't have to finish this right now. You have all weekend to come up with something as you work on your other projects. How about I get your mind off of everything by acting out some of the things from your story?" He asked her as started kissing her body again.

"Just because I can write about us having sex doesn't mean I'm ready. I'm not afraid of being with you. I am more afraid of that act in general. Writing has always been away for me to work out some of my issues."

"I was personally thinking of the massage, but if you have other ideas at all for it. So you're adventurous in erotic writing are a way for you to process everything and move forward.

"Yes."

"Good. Do you have any other pieces like the teacher fantasy? If so, can I read the stories?" That statement got him a pillow in the head.

After Chad left for his away game at 9:00 AM that morning Sharpay started working on her many projects for the end of this semester. She managed to analyze two Spike Lee films and prepare her outline for her Mandela paper. She would start writing on it tonight.

Around noon, she tried to go back to the audition piece. She was out of ideals so she chose random careers from the Internet. All the stories came out horrible. So frustrated, Sharpay agreed to go shopping with Tiffany and Karri when they called her.

Sharpay spent a good half an hour telling Karri and Tiffany what happened yesterday as they looked for baby things.

"In high school I wanted to be a fashion designer. Then I had to take care of my sick grandmother and decided I wanted to help people. I changed my major to premed and did wonderfully." Tiffany said as the left the Baby Boutique with the starter wardrobe for the twins.

"How have the twins affected that?" Sharpay asked Tiffany. Even though her and Chad weren't doing anything yet, Sharpay knew she could just as easily end up an Tiffany's position. She knew her and Chad were going to get married before they were out of school.

"I'm taking the next two quarters off until the babies are born. I will start classes again in the summer back in Cleveland. I'll be done with undergrad by the end of December 2009. I'm hoping to get into the medical program at Albuquerque Medical center so I will have a support system. I'm going to finish med school."

"I think I would be absolutely terrified in your shoes." Sharpay said quietly.

"I'm terrified. The fact that I'm going to be doing this all on my own makes it worse."

"Have you heard from Charles?" Sharpay asked Tiffany. Chad has not heard from his dad since he punched him out on Thanksgiving.

"My lawyer has not been able to get a hold of his lawyer yet. He's not returning my calls. I really am going to be doing this on my own." Tiffany said as she sat down almost in tears.

"No you're not." Sharpay said as she sat down next to her. "I think I just spent $3000 on baby close alone today. You're carrying my future sister in law and brother in law right now. That makes us family. Chad and I'll be there even though the daddy is most likely ditching all of us. Welcome to our dysfunctional family." Sharpay said as she hugged her.

She and Chad had been having many conversations about what to do regarding his new brother and sister as well as his absentee father. They both decided they would be there for Tiffany as much as possible.

"Does this mean I can talk you and Chad into going with me to the doctor next week?"

"I'm sure I can talk him into it." Sharpay said with a smile.

"That is enough resting. We still need to pick out Karri's dress for the winter ball." Tiffany said as she got up from the bench.

"No we don't. I am not going." Kerri said as she reluctantly got up from the bench. Considering what happened at the last dance, Sharpay understood why Karri didn't want to go.

"Why don't you want to go? The Winter Ball is always so much fun." Tiffany asked her cousin.

"The welcome back dance was supposed to be fun. Because my then boyfriend was a prick, I ended up in ICU because he drugged me to have sex with him against my will."

"I seriously doubt that's going to happen again." Tiffany said to her.

"Probably not considering the principle has doubled the amount of chaperones and is most likely going to be strip searching everybody. "

"I don't remember him being this bad." Tiffany said in confusion.

"He wasn't. The real reason I don't want to go to the dance is their only three boys in the entire school that I actually trust that still speak to me. One has a girlfriend, the other one has a secret boyfriend, and the third one hasn't gone through puberty yet. Of the three, the only one that likes me more than a friend is Jason. Jason is sweet, but he's also 12." Kerri said with a sigh of annoyance.

"You could still go with Jimmy. I doubt he's going to be able to bring Marc." Sharpay said pointing out the obvious. This is the first she heard about Marc and Jimmy actually dating. She shouldn't be surprised because she hadn't talked to Marc since the incident Monday.

"The captain of your basketball team is gay?" Tiffany asked in surprise.

"Yes, but only a handful of people know. He's going to the dance with Jackie as a friend."

"Does she know that he's going with her just as a friend?" Sharpay asked Karri.

"No, because she's so freaked out about the whole Kelsey thing we've decided not to tell her. Can we please talk about something else right now?" Karri asked not wanting to go any further into the conversation.

"You can always suggest possible careers for me." Sharpay said as she led them to another baby store. She wasn't going to force the dance issue with Karri.

"Rape counselor," Karri called out without thinking. "I do not think I would've been able to get through everything without you. You're really great at listening and you understand what's going on with me. I'm doing much better talking to you than I was with the therapist my mom was paying 200 bucks an hour for." Tiffany said as they walked into Baby Land.

"She is right. You are great at listening. Maybe you and Kim could put your own nonprofit together."

Olivia Evans and her Aunt Michaela Jackson walked through the Eastside mall with her mom and dad looking for the perfect prom dress. Michaela was going dress shopping with her because her mom was on call at the hospital and wouldn't have the time before the dance.

Because she is a super genius like her father she is in the same grade with her aunt and uncle even though she's a year younger. Many people found it odd that Olivia was in the same grade as her aunt and uncle. Their mouths were on the floor when she told them about her aunt from Grandma Caroline and Grandpa Jack that was currently in the ninth grade.

Neither her or Michaela carried the last name Danforth because her Grandfather Charles was an ass. Olivia only met the person once at her great Aunt Claudia's funeral two years ago. Her Aunt Michaela and Uncle William really didn't care about their absentee father because they had their big brother instead.

Her parents were currently making out behind her as they walked through the mall. Even though they have been married for almost 18 years they still act like newlyweds. Her dad was really famous for creating voice recognition software that actually works. Thanks to him, everybody talks to his or her computers now. Her mom and her best friend ran a nonprofit organization that focused on sexual assault prevention and survivor services.

"Can you please stop that? We are in public. Do you have to make out all the time?" Olivia practically yelled at her parents

"If your special friend Jordan was here you probably would be attached at the lips." Michaela pointed out to her niece. As soon as Michaela said Jordan's name her father started to tense up.

"You don't find their behavior creepy?" Olivia asked Michaela as she ignored her father's reaction.

"He is my brother. I view things differently than you do."

"Sometimes I forget you're my aunt and not my sister."

"It's probably worse with Teresa because she is three years younger than you."

"Did I thank you guys for giving me aunts and uncles that are my own age?" Olivia said to her father sarcastically.

"That was not my fault. I was an only child until the year before you were born. Remember to mention that to Grandpa Jack next time you see him." That earned her father a smack from her mom.

"Let's go in the store and pick out your dresses." Sharpay said ushering everyone into the dress shop.

"You're such a bossy sister in law," Michaela said as they walked into the store. "Come on Olivia; let's see if we can find you something that's easy access for Jordan." Of course, she said that loud enough for her parents to hear.

"Just because everybody supposedly loses their virginity on prom night doesn't mean it's a good idea. Just ask your Uncle Ryan." Uncle Ryan and Aunt Taylor were the only aunts and uncles that really felt like aunts and uncles.

"How do you know Olivia is still a virgin? I'm not." Michaela said to her brother.

"What do you mean you're not a virgin? It had better not be that Matt boy that you're always with. I hate that boy." At that moment her dad and Aunt Michaela got in a huge argument in the middle of the store. Olivia and her mom retreated to the dressing rooms.

"Sometimes I think dad forgets that Michaela is his sister not his daughter." Olivia said as she grabbed a pink dress from the rack to try it on.

"Their relationship is probably closer to father/daughter than brother/sister. Michaela and William didn't get to have a mom and dad like you and your brother. Michaela and William have a mom and a big brother. You don't know how lucky you are. I would have loved to have a family like this growing up." Her mom said to her.

"I thought that grandfather Evans didn't divorce your mom until right before you and dad got married." Olivia knew hardly anything about her maternal grandmother except that her first name was Darby. Darby was not talked about in their house. There was not even a picture of her.

"Just because both my parents were married to each other, didn't mean we had the perfect family. It wasn't until me and your uncle were in college that my dad realized being a workaholic was a bad thing. Your father and me have always put you in your brother first before our careers. We don't talk about the woman who gave birth to me because she was abusive." Her mom's body language told Olivia not to ask a follow-up question.

"Do you think they have the dress in blue? I am not a pink person".

"Neither am I."

For once Chad was actually having fun at an away game. After losing the last two games, they won tonight by 15 points. Best of all Penelope did not hit on him at all today. Actually she's been avoiding him since Monday's incident in the cafeteria. Penelope was also quiet on the plane. Even Amanda picked up on it. He really didn't care as long as she stayed away from him.

Chad was currently sitting in his hotel room re-watching American Graffiti as he worked on his analysis of the film for his film class. Halfway through the film, Sharpay called him.

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep right now?" Chad asked as he answered the phone.

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" Sharpay asked instead of answering his question.

"I haven't come down from the game yet. If I stay up here and quietly do my homework, nobody says anything to me. I'll sleep on the plane tomorrow. So why are you up at one in the morning when I'm not there to keep you up?"

"I had a weird nightmare. I can't go back to sleep. I figured if I talk to you I could go back to sleep."

"Was it another Richard nightmare?"

"No, it was Penelope this time. I had this dream where you were the NBA superstar and I was the basketball player wife. I ran a charity that specialized in giving inner city children a chance to spend the summer at drama camp in New Mexico. I was giving an interview on some Oprah like talk show with you when Penelope showed up pregnant. She said that you were the father and then eight other girls show up claiming that they had slept with you." He would find the situation funny if Sharpay wasn't so unsettled by the dream.

"You do realize that is never going to happen." Chad said wishing he could hold her right now. He was really starting to hate away games.

"I know. I Trust you. It's this stupid project. I have written all these different short stories and nothing is good enough. I still have no idea what I want to be.

"How many stories have you written?" he asked her.

"Between today and yesterday I've started on 15 different ideas. I have drafted out 8 short stories."

"E-mail me everything you have. We're going to figure this out tonight." Chad told his girlfriend.

"You don't have to do that. You should work on your own projects."

"If I don't help you will not go back to sleep."

"Fine I will e-mail you everything. Call after you read everything. I love you for doing this." Sharpay said as she hung up the phone.

45 minutes later after reading through all the short stories he called his girlfriend back. He particularly loved the one where she was the CEO of the Evans Corporation and they were having sex on her desk in the middle of the day. There was no way he was letting her turn that one in.

"So how can you help me?" Sharpay asked him.

"Sharpay you don't need my help. You know exactly what you want. I am kind of happy, because I want the same thing."

"No I don't. I have no idea what career I want to have."

"Sharpay that's the only thing you're not sure about. In every single one of these stories we are married. In most of them, we have children. In your fantasies stories we have the type of family life that we didn't have growing up. In most of these fantasies you are working in careers that help other people."

"I didn't realize any of the stories have common themes." sharpay said as she realized he was right.

"It's okay that you don't know what career you want. I remember reading somewhere that the average person changes careers five times during their life. Most people end up working in a career that has nothing to do with their major. Do you really think my father went to college to be a CPU?"

"I don't think your father wants to do anything. Apparently, I know exactly what I want in the future. How do I declare that major?"

"Since you asked I have a plan." Chad said to Sharpay as he outlined his strategy.

At 11:50 AM on Monday Chad stood outside Sharpay's class holding her lunch that she wouldn't get to eat until she was on her way to EHS. Sharpay kissed him on the cheek and grabbed the bag from him when she finally made it to the classroom. "Thank you for making sure I don't starve." Sharpay said as she kissed him on the mouth.

"So how did everything go at the registrar's office?"

"I'm officially no longer an acting major. I also signed up for my minor in women's studies. You better keep your part of the deal and declare your extra minor tomorrow." They came to an agreement early Sunday morning that for now Sharpay would only major in business until she decided if she wanted to switch to the writing program. They agreed to take a similar minor so they could have some classes together. By him taking an extra minor and her no longer being a double major they would graduate at the same time.

"I promise. I'm going to be the only guy in all your women's studies classes."

"That's not going to happen. There is at least one man who takes the class to try to get a date."

"What about the essay?"

Sarah looked over the story quickly and said it was really good when I dropped it off. She's going to send it off to professor Rollins today. I will know by the end of the week if I'd get to take the class."

"I'm sure you'll get into the class. Which story did you turn in?"

"I wrote a different one yesterday when I was waiting for you to come in. I decided to write about our 25th wedding anniversary. I emailed you a special version of the essay." Sharpay said as she kissed him before walking into her final chemistry class of the semester and took her usual seat next to Amanda.

When Chad got home from basketball practice that afternoon he read Sharpay's paper. He absolutely loved it and hoped that she didn't accidentally send the professor this version.