Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I live in the DC area and I ended up being snowed in this weekend. What does that mean for the readers of this story? I already have chapter 25 done. I will post as soon as I get sufficient encouragement.

This is probably the first chapter under 7000 words in forever. My goal for 2010 is to write smaller chapters and update more frequently.

Chapter 24: Final Exams: Part One

December 12, 2008 3:45 PM

Chad sat in the doctor's office going over his notes for his Chemistry exam tomorrow morning as Sharpay did the same. His mind was still recovering from this morning's calculus exam. Tiffany was already inside the room getting ready for the examination. He may have made peace with Tiffany, but that he didn't want to see her undress. The only woman he wanted to see that way was in the seat next to him trying to memorize all her chemistry formulas.

Sharpay was mad at him because he kept her too distracted last night to study her calculus exam this morning. It was all her fault.

He didn't want to go to the doctors appointment today. He was still adjusting to the fact that in less than three months he was no longer going to be an only child. He wasn't ready to see the evidence on an ultrasound monitor.

Sharpay argued that they both agreed to help Tiffany in any way possible and Tiffany didn't want to go to the appointment alone. Therefore, they needed to go with her.

When that didn't work, Sharpay argued that this was a great way for him to start bonding with his new siblings. He pointed out to her that he wasn't ready to bond with his new siblings.

This led to Sharpay saying, "Chad you need to get over it. They're here and barring some extreme tragedy you will have a new brother and sister by Valentine's Day. Your daddy is most likely ditching both you and your new siblings. He hasn't called you and Tiffany since Thanksgiving. Those two are going to need their big brother. You need to grow up and get over it."

This led to him being whiny for a few minutes. Once Sharpay realize none of her verbal arguments were going to work, she unzipped his pants and wrapped her hand around a certain appendage. He was unable to argue with that particular "argument". Sharpay discovered two weeks ago that any argument could be won by making him come. That's why he was here at the doctor's office against his own free will.

That particular "argument" also led to 3 hours of "not studying". Just because they weren't doing anything that could get Sharpay on the examining table, didn't mean he wasn't having fun. If they both flunked their calculus exams, he would blame her. It was so much fun at the time.

Chad was broken out of his dirty thoughts of the night before when the nurse came to get them. When the nurse noticed Chad holding Sharpay's hand, she said something stupid.

"I don't know if I could go with my boyfriend to the doctor's appointment of the other girl he knocked up."

Chad shouldn't be surprised, but he was. Given the fact that he was less than four years younger than Tiffany, it seems more likely that he was the father then the big brother. This is giving him another reason to hate the man he formally referred to as father, in addition to what he heard in the car.

"I don't think I could do that either. Fortunately, for me I'm going with my fiancée to the doctor's appointment of the mother of his half brother and sister." Sharpay said in the tone of voice that she normally reserved for people like Gabriella or Penelope who she wanted to stab with a blunt object. Sharpay also flashed her engagement ring in the woman's face. The nurse stayed quiet after that.

They sat together in the room waiting for the doctor to arrive. The only conversation going on was between Tiffany and Sharpay. They were talking about doing more shopping this weekend. Finally, the doctor arrived who just happened to be Taylor's mother. He completely forgot about Mrs. McKessie's real career.

"Chad and Sharpay what are you doing here?" Dr. McKessie asked them. "You better not be the father. Ms. Jackson is seven months along. That means that you would have had to sleep with her when you were dating my daughter. I can forgive you for the Sharpay thing because I know that you love her. If you did anything with Ms. Jackson, I swear I will cut off your dick."

Suddenly Chad was reminded of his conversation almost a month ago with Sharpay's father. He wondered if Taylor's mom (adopted) knew about her relationship with Sharpay's brother. Ryan should be the one getting the threats of genital mutilation and castration.

"My babies don't have a father, since the prick in question decided to sign away his parental rights. My children's big brother is actually more mature than his father." Tiffany said in irritation.

Tiffany told them this painful fact in the car. At this point in his life, as far as Chad is concerned Charles Danforth was just a sperm donor.

"Why does everybody assume I am the father? Although my dad has decided not to take responsibility for knocking up Ms. Jackson, he is in fact responsible. I haven't done anything that could get anyone pregnant, not even Sharpay or your daughter. When Sharpay and I do anything, I will be smart enough to use a condom correctly. I will also take responsibility for my actions. Because my dad is deficient in that area I'm losing my status as an only child at almost 18." Chad said with an extreme amount of anger and bitterness.

"You have to ignore him. He's not adjusting very well to becoming a big brother." Sharpay said grabbing his hand.

"That's okay. Taylor went through the same thing when Jason was born. She placed pictures of herself in my bag for the hospital so I wouldn't forget about her. Tiffany is it okay if we start with the ultrasound. I'm sure that's what big brother came here for anyway." Dr. McKessie said as she prepared to do the examination.

Big brother personally did not want to see the ultrasound. However, he knew Sharpay would make him sleep alone tonight if he ran away. He did not like sleeping alone.

"Have you talked to Taylor?" Sharpay asked her.

"Only a little bit. She still upset about what happen. I think Jason is taking it worse than her. He has been moping around the house for a few days. Maybe that also has something to do with him not going to the Winter Ball. It's hard to get a date in high school when you're 12."

"Kerri is doing the same thing. She says she doesn't want to go to the dance but I know she does. She's pissed off that Jimmy decided to take Jackie to the dance as just a friend instead of her." Tiffany said as the doctor placed the jelly like substance on her stomach.

"Considering what happened I cannot blame her for not wanting to go to another dance." Sharpay said very quietly.

"She shouldn't let what happened keep her from enjoying high school or finding someone else. That's exactly what she is doing." Tiffany argued back.

"Don't worry I have a secret plan to deal with both sulky teenagers." Chad said mysteriously hoping to end the argument between his girlfriend and the mother of his siblings. Sharpay didn't even know his secret plan yet.

"As interesting as this little argument is, please turn your attention to the screen." Dr. McKessie said to the three of them.

"They don't look like squiggles anymore." Tiffany said as she looked at the screen. Chad looked on with wonder as he watched his brother and sister. For the first time since hearing about their existence two weeks ago, he finally accepted that this was real. Soon he was going to have two people who will look up to him for everything. He was absolutely petrified.

"Did you already choose names? I'm kind of tired of referring to the twins as blob one and blob two. They're very cute and they are not blobs anymore." Sharpay asked as she continued to watch the screen in fascination.

"I pick out the names a couple weeks ago when I first agreed to marry Charles. I'm going to have to pick out a new name for a boy. I was planning to name both after my deceased grandparents. Olivia Jackson sounds just as good as Olivia Danforth. The problem is I can't name my son after his grandfather, if he has the last name Jackson. The kids at school would eat him alive." Chad remember that Olivia was the name Sharpay gave their daughter in one of her short stories.

"Whatever the name is, I'm sure you can still use it as a middle name. We'll go through the baby book tonight to find a new first name." Sharpay said squeezing Tiffany's hand.

"Speaking of changes in plans, have you had a chance to put together the birthing plan we emailed to you a few days ago. I'm sure you need to find a new birthing coach." Dr. McKessie asked Tiffany.

"I have most of the plan ready. I already found two new birthing coaches."

"Who's that?" Chad asked her.

"Your mother hasn't told you yet?" Tiffany asked in shock.

"I can't believe she's doing this." Chad said as they got on the elevators in Evans hall. Chad spent the entire ride back from the doctor's office yelling at his mom on his cell phone. It was not a very pretty argument.

To say that Chad's mother was not okay with the thought of him getting married any time soon was an understatement. Their talk a few weeks ago didn't help too much.

Caroline was even more upset after she found out about the special clause in Sharpay's trust fun. Chad's mom was worry that they were not mature enough to deal with that much money. To ease her fears his mom and her dad were going to put her and Chad through a special test during winter break.

"I know you're upset, but if this gets her to be okay with us getting married then we should do it. It's not going to be that bad. This is going to be just like that life science assignment in 10th grade. The only difference is we are going to have a real apartment, real money, and we actually get to sleep in the same bed." Sharpay said as the elevator doors opened.

"You forget my mom is turning this into her own version of scared celibate. She volunteered us to be Tiffany's birthing coaches." Chad said with a touch of annoyance as Sharpay turned to her dorm room.

"So we're going to have to spend winter break at Lamaze class. It's not going to be that bad."

"I'm fine going to Lamaze class. I'm worried about going through live childbirth. Where are we going?" Chad asked her once you realize that they were not going back to his room.

"To show off the baby pictures," Sharpay said with an extreme amount of enthusiasm.

"You know you're a lot happier about this, than I am." Chad said to her as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"I always wanted to have a baby brother or sister. I never asked dad and Darby for one because I didn't want another sibling to be raised by that monster. Thanks to you, I get to have a baby sister in law and brother in law instead. I can't wait to buy them all the cutest things. This weekend I picked up some matching outfits like Ryan and I used to wear when we were little." Sharpay said with bounciness that she thought she left behind in high school.

"What do you mean when you were little? You and Ryan dressed in matching outfits until you both started college. Now you use me as your own personal Ken doll to play couples dress up." Chad said pointing to his own outfit that matched hers perfectly down to the shoes.

"I don't know why you're complaining, you think it's cute. Why do you have an overnight bag in my room Nikki?" Sharpay asked Nikki as soon as she noticed her in her bedroom. She has not spoken to Marc and Nikki sense the lunchtime blow up a week and a half ago.

"I can't deal with my room anymore." Nikki said as she sat down on the bed that was technically Sharpay's.

"I can understand. If I had Penelope for a roommate, I would probably be in jail by now for physical assault." Sharpay said as she sat down on Amanda's bed.

"It turns out Penelope is not as evil as we all thought she was. I can deal with Penelope. She is too distracted with studying for finals to cause any problems. Also, it's not like I have a boyfriend for her to steal." Nikki said that last part quietly.

"That doesn't matter. If it wasn't so obvious she would probably hit on Marc." Sharpay said as Chad sat next to her.

"It's her boyfriend that I find creepy. The guy is a complete bastard and he is so nasty to her. After he tried to grab my ass last night when Penelope was in the restroom, I decided to spend the rest of finals week here." Nikki said with a shudder.

Sharpay knew exactly whom Penelope was dating. Even though Penelope was up there with Gabriella on her people she hated list, she wouldn't want anyone to be involved with an evil person like Richard. No one deserves that.

"It would probably be best if you stay here. You shouldn't be alone with that guy any way. You can never trust any guy that Penelope would date." Sharpay said cryptically not wanting to give away the real reason why she didn't trust Penelope's boyfriend.

"So why exactly did you visit your own dorm room? Did you run out of closet space again? I thought you and Chad were avoiding me after I walked in on the one thing I specifically asked not to see." Amanda said sarcastically referring to last Friday night when she accidentally walked in to see Chad's overly fluffy head between a very naked Sharpay's legs.

"That was so not my fault. I had no idea Chad forgot to lock the door. Most normal people knock. I brought baby pictures." Sharpay said as she pulled out the ultrasound photos and pushed all thoughts of Richard out of her mind.

"I did. You were too busy calling Chad god at the time to actually hear me knocking." Amanda said as she grabbed the ultrasound pictures from Sharpay.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nikki asked in confusion.

"No comment," all three yelled out simultaneously.

At 4:30 PM on Thursday afternoon, they were back in the cell phone waiting area at the Albuquerque Airport. This was starting to become a normal ritual. This time they were there to pick up Troy who was flying in for a few days to see his mom and Gabriella.

Kim would be going back with him to spend winter break in the San Francisco area looking for their new apartment. If the doctors said she was okay, Gabriella may be flying back with them Monday.

Chad's mind was still numb from this morning's chemistry exam to think about anything else. Nothing like a one hundred question multiple choice test to completely fry your brain. This was his last exam for this semester. The only things left were to turn in his Darth Vader essay tomorrow and e-mail his George Lucas essay to his professor by Tuesday.

He decided to argue that Darth Vader was not evil but mentally ill. He was inspired by the entire Gabriella situation. His thesis stated that the entire downfall of the Republic was caused by inadequate mental health screenings by the Jedi Council and a lack of understanding.

In his paper, Chad argue that Anakin Skywalker really suffered from undiagnosed multiple personality disorder. His fall to the "dark side" could have been prevented with proper medication and therapy. Chad would either get an A for the brilliance of his paper or fail miserably for taking the assignment too seriously.

Sharpay was sitting in the backseat proofreading her Mandela paper on her mini laptop. This time to avoid a cranky Alex in the backseat, they decided it would be best if Sharpay stayed with Alex. At least Chad didn't get a car at his head this time. Nor did he get any surprises. He already dealt with the shock of finding out Troy had a secret child in September.

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule of heavy petting with the mountain lion to come get me." Troy said as he placed his luggage in the trunk. That comment Chad made junior year was coming back to bite him on the ass. Fortunately, his girlfriend didn't say anything.

"You're still mad about the bedroom thing." Chad said as he got as the car to hug his friend.

"You had sex in my room." Troy said with just a touch of anger and a deadpan expression.

"We did not have sex in your room." Sharpay said as she got out of the backseat to give Troy her spot.

"I don't care what our former president says, if you get off and another person is involved it counts." Troy said as he got in the back with his son and quickly hugged him.

"You and Kim had sex sex in my dressing room on my couch sophomore year during the Winter Ball. We are even." Sharpay said with a hint of discuss. This is the first time Chad heard about this.

"Did you actually make it to any dance in high school?" Chad asked his friend.

"Not really. Now Kim is making us chaperone tomorrow night. This is just what I wanted after surviving the finals week from hell. I get to spend Friday night with my girlfriend chaperoning high school students. Of course, this is after I will spend tomorrow morning talking to my mother who blackmailed Kim, conspire to hide my child from me for two years, and did things that lead to Gabriella's spending time in a psychiatric ward." Troy said with a sigh as Sharpay got in the front seat.

"Kim volunteered to chaperone, because she can't take your grandmothers and your aunt much longer. Chaperoning isn't that bad." Sharpay said to him.

"Just remember as chaperones your duties are to keep Joshua Steiner from dumping Jack Daniels in the punch and make sure no one has sex on the roof. That includes you and Kim not having sex on the roof." Chad said with an evil laugh as he pulled away from the front of the Airport.

"You are never going to let go of that are you?" Troy asked his friend.

"Not very likely. You conceived Alex on top of the school roof. There's no living that down." Chad told him.

For the last few weeks, Kim Bolton's home has been over run by condescending aunts, overbearing grandmothers, and noisy reporters. Of the three, she could only deal with the reporters with any degree of success. At least they left her alone if she answer some of their questions.

Grandma Karen was generally nice to Kim, even if she constantly criticized everything regarding Alex. Aunt Julia and her mother absolutely hated Kim and blamed her for the whole Lucy situation. They don't understand why she was staying in New Mexico when Troy was at Berkeley. They don't understand why she's not staying at home with Alex when she has no financial need to work. They also called her all sorts of nasty names behind her back because she got pregnant at 18. They never said the same nasty things about Troy when he was the one who got her pregnant.

Troy's Aunt Julia, Grandmother Karen, and Grandmother Melinda were in her kitchen preparing a welcome back dinner for Troy. Kim didn't see the point in doing this because they could just go out to a restaurant instead. If she wasn't trying to make a good impression on the three women, she would kick them all out of her house. With the exception of Grandma Karen, Kim wondered if it was possible to make these women like her.

She was sitting in the living room, trying to complete her final project for her education class. It wasn't easy because the treacherous three were talking about her behind her back as usual. She just returned from her exam and her mind was still fuzzy. If it wasn't for the fact that Troy would be arriving home any minute she would have stayed at the library.

"Why isn't she helping us?" Aunt Julia asked the other two. At least she wasn't blaming Kim anymore for Lucy being arrested.

"She is studying for finals. It's more important that she passes her exams than kiss up to you." Jack said as he walked into the kitchen. Looking at the clock it appeared that basketball practice was over for the day. At least her almost father in law defended her.

"I don't see why. It's not like she really needs to work. She has that trust fund to fall back on even if Troy decides to stay in the frivolous field of acting. It's not like poor Lucy who had to work all the time because you want to be a teacher." Said Troy's maternal grandmother. The woman reminded Kim a whole lot of Lucy. They both had the same acidic personality.

At this point the two parties would begin arguing about who was responsible for Lucy being arrested on embezzlement charges. 10 minutes later the fight will deteriorate into an argument about the divorce proceedings and about Troy getting her pregnant at 15. After two weeks of listening to this argument repeatedly, she couldn't take it. She quickly unplugged her laptop, grabbed her jacket, and went out to the front porch hoping for some peace. 10 minutes Later her almost father in law joined her.

"Are they always like this?" Kim asked looking up from her computer.

"Yes, we usually try to keep everyone apart to avoid the sort of thing. On the bright side, at least I get along with your father better than my mother gets along with Lucy's mother."

"I think I get along better with Penelope and Gabriella better than those two women do with each other. I just wish they would argue someplace else when I'm trying to finish my projects." Kim said as she went back to working on her laptop. She wanted to get everything done before Troy arrived. They were supposed to meet Miss Darbus for tea this afternoon anyway. She conveniently forgot to mention this to the extended family.

"What project are you working on?" Jack asked her.

"A five page report on my experiences in Ms. Ortega's class. Then I have to work on my essay for film class due Tuesday. Fortunately I can e-mail that from San Francisco." Kim said as she noticed Sharpay's car pull up in front of the house.

She hated being away from Troy these last few weeks. She wished he were here to help her deal with the crazy extended family who was sticking around because of the whole Lucy situation. She wished he were here to help her deal with the media. She really wished he were here to help her deal with her dad, her stepmom, and her new baby sister that would be coming soon.

She was looking forward to spending the next three weeks with her boyfriend in San Francisco as she looked at schools and they started looking for their new home together.

As soon as the car stopped, she placed her laptop on the porch and ran to Troy and their son.

The ride to Miss Darbus house was relatively comfortable. He could tell his girlfriend couldn't take spending much more time with his extended family. He didn't get why they were sticking around. Grandma Karen he understood because she would do something like this. Everyone else made no sense. They never really call or visit except on Thanksgiving.

"Why are we going to Miss Darbus house?" Chad asked from the front seat of the car. Troy had been wondering about that himself. "You know she has been out a lot the last couple weeks. She called me last night and asked if we could all come over today. I personally think she wants to yell at me for no longer being an acting major." If Troy was in so focused on the fact that Sharpay was no longer majoring in acting, he would pick up on the fact that Sharpay was hiding something.

They pulled up in front of the brightly colored house a few minutes later. Miss Darbus's house was exactly what he expected to see, bright colors and interesting decorum. He was glad they didn't bring Alex because he would most likely break something. He noticed Miss Darbus sitting down on one of the purple couches. She seems so much more tired than two weeks ago. He noticed the young woman who looks a lot like Miss Darbus sitting next to her.

"Have a seat." Miss Darbus said as they walked into the sitting room.

"This is my daughter Sasha." Miss Darbus said in introduction. Sharpay apparently was not in the mood for pleasantries.

"It's back isn't it?" Sharpay asked in a very quiet voice

"Yes it's back." Miss Darbus said this quietly. Troy had no idea what that statement meant. Sharpay and his girlfriend did. He felt Kim grabbed his hand for support as Sharpay started crying. Chad's arms were wrapped around her in seconds.

"I was hoping to put off this conversation until Ryan arrived Monday, but that is not possible. I felt it was best if all of you heard it from me. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I fought and I won the battle. Unfortunately, it wasn't the war. The cancer is back. It's best that I move to LA with Sasha for a while. We will be leaving Saturday and will be starting treatment Monday."

Troy couldn't breathe. He just kept holding on to Kim's hand. This is too much for him to take. This is not what he wanted to hear after surviving finals hell.

"Is a terminal?" Trust Sharpay to ask the most painful question.

"We're all going to die eventually Sharpay. Whether it is in 50 years or in a few months, it really doesn't matter. I could walk outside tomorrow and be hit by a bus. I want to go to LA, because they have better doctors there and I want to spend time with my granddaughter." The room stayed quiet for a while after that statement that didn't answer the question.

"What is going to happen to your classes?" Chad asked trying to change the subject. Thank god, his best friend picked up on his uncomfortableness.

"Substitutes don't work well in there, so one of the teachers will be reassigned next semester. The last two weeks Principal Matsui has been auditioning teachers to take over the class next semester. Any teacher who has a background in English or performing has been asked to watch the class during these last two weeks."

"My dad told me that he's been watching your class a lot lately. He's actually being considered to take over? Principal Matsui has really lost it." Troy muttered under his breath.

"Your dad has been the only one so far that has any idea whatsoever what they're doing." Sharpay told him. He didn't know what to say to that.

Penelope Castro was studying in the community room for her history exam with her roommate Nikki and her friend Amanda. Even though they didn't have the class at the same time, they had the exact same professor who was too lazy to make more than one test. 30 minutes into the study session she saw her worst enemy enter into the room in tears as Chad held onto her.

Penelope hated Sharpay just a little bit more because she had a boyfriend who would actually be there for her. Penelope knew Richard just saw her as a way to get off. What he did to her last night told her that. He didn't love her, but at least it meant she wouldn't be Alone.

"Is she okay?" Amanda asked in genuine concern for her friend as Chad return from placing Sharpay in their bedroom. At this point Penelope was already preparing to go back to work on her English paper.

"Not really. She found out her favorite teacher from high school is sick." Unlike everyone else, Penelope knew Chad was talking about Miss Darbus. That statement had her worry too.

"This must be some favor teacher. She's acting like I did when they told me that mom wouldn't make it to Christmas when I was 11 years old." A week ago Penelope found out that Nikki's mother died of lung cancer when Nikki was 12. Penelope found this out when Nikki found Penelope's secret pack of cigarettes. After hearing Nikki's story, Penelope hasn't picked up a cigarette since that day.

"Miss Darbus is probably more like a mother to Sharpay than Darby ever was." Penelope said as she got up from the table. Everyone in the room looked at Penelope as if she was crazy.

"You know Miss Darbus?" Chad questioned her as he followed her back to her dorm room.

"During the summer she always taught the all city drama program. I did the program from six grade until the summer before senior year. I always had the starring role, but that was probably because your girlfriend was too busy living the country club life. Miss Darbus is the reason why I am majoring in education. I was surprise to see Sharpay doing the community theater production last summer." Penelope said as she opened the door.

"You still got the lead this summer."

"That was only because your girlfriend is a better writer then actress." Penelope said as she put her books on her desk.

"Did you just say something nice about my girlfriend?" She winced when he said this.

At least he was not saying fiancée. She gave up on trying to get with Chad after she found out about the engagement. She already knew she didn't have a chance with him. Let's be honest, this was the first conversation they've ever had that didn't involve her flirting with him. She started to have a crush on him because he was hot but it changed into something more when she realized he was a nice guy. She doubted he would do to her half the stuff that Richard has done.

The fact that he was now marrying Sharpay completely shattered her fantasy of ever being with him. She learns a long time ago that you can't compete again Sharpay Evans. At the last away game, she didn't even bother talking to Chad on the plane.

"I blame the nicotine withdrawal." Penelope said with a sigh as she sat down on her bed."The cancer is back isn't it?" Penelope said in an almost whisper.

"Yes. How did you know she had cancer before? Only a handful of people knew."

"During the summer before ninth grade Miss Darbus left the summer program abruptly. I found out the reason why the next year. Judging by Sharpay's reaction the diagnosis is not good."

"No it is not." Chad said to her.

"What are you doing here?" Sharpay said being her normal ice queen self.

"We're just talking. It's not like I am going to tried to jump your fiancé." Penelope said the fiancée part with a high amount of animosity." I know that you and your little friends think I'm the easiest girl on campus. Contrary to your believe I do have standards. I don't hit on the married or the engaged."

"You had no problem trying to steal someone else's boyfriend." That comment just pissed Penelope off. How their little miss perfect act so high and mighty.

"That's rich coming from the girl who took Chad from Taylor. Nikki told me all about the fact that you two really didn't start dating until October after he actually broke up with Taylor. I was going to tell you that I was sorry about Miss Darbus, but you can even go 30 seconds without acting like a bitch." Penelope practically yelled at her.

"It's kind of hard not to act like a bitch to the girl who stole my boyfriend in high school and tried to steal my boyfriend in college." Sharpay yelled right back at her.

"I will admit I tried to get with Chad while you are dating. I was just doing the same thing you did to me ice queen."

"What are you talking about? You had no problem telling me that you were fucking my boyfriend the entire time we were dating. Of course this is after you spiked my drink with vodka." So Penelope put a couple of shots in her drink a couple months ago. How was she to know Sharpay couldn't hold her liquor at all and the whole thing would end up on the Internet?

"You should be thanking me for that. According to the Internet, you got a very good lay out of it." She was sure Sharpay was going to slap her if Chad didn't stop her. "I was with Zeke long before he was bringing you chocolate fudge brownies. I wasn't the other woman, you were." Sharpay's mouth went down to the floor at that moment.

"That's a lie." Sharpay screamed as her body started to shake.

"It's the complete truth. We got together sophomore year. He didn't want anybody to know because of the whole East/West rivalry. I didn't say anything. Imagine my surprise when I see him show up to the first day of play rehearsals this summer with a plate of brownies for you. That's when Troy tells me that you and Zeke have been dating for over a year. You got to be the public girlfriend and I was the dirty little secret that he fucked in the locker room." Penelope said practically screaming at Sharpay.

"How am I supposed to believe you when you tried to sleep with every boy on the East High basketball team? " That was a complete exaggeration. Penelope is a naturally flirty person. People assume when she says the word hang out that she means go fuck. The only guy she actually slept with on the East High basketball team was Zeke. She only started flirting with Troy to piss off Sharpay after she found out that she was dating Penelope's boyfriend. She also said all those nasty things to Sharpay at Kim's party for the same reason.

After that initial rejection, she mostly chased after Chad just to make Sharpay angry and because he was a nice person. The thing with the sophomore last year was to make Zeke jealous after a fight they had. Penelope knew that Jimmy wouldn't try anything with her.

"Believe whatever you want." Penelope said on the verge of tears. She wouldn't let Sharpay see her like this. She quickly got up and tried to run past her. Sharpay stopped her half way to the bathroom as she grabbed her arm. Unfortunately, Sharpay's hand landed on the same part of her armed that was black and blue for yesterday's incident.

After tea with Miss Darbus Sharpay couldn't deal with Penelope's usual antics. She trusted Chad, but not Penelope. When Penelope told her that she was Zeke original girlfriend Sharpay was furious. She didn't want to believe her. After hearing Tiffany side of the story with her relationship with Charles, Sharpay knew it was highly possible that Penelope was telling the truth.

She wasn't going to let Penelope run away from this conversation. That's when Sharpay grabbed Penelope by the arm and heard her scream. Sharpay knew she wasn't using that much force. As she let go, she purposely pulled up the fabric of Penelope sleeve to reveal bruises that were least one or two days old.

"What happened?" Sharpay asked as her anger started to go away. Sharpay really didn't need to ask the question because in her mind she already knew what happened.

"I fell during cheerleading practice yesterday." Penelope said in a way that Sharpay couldn't believe.

"I use to tell everybody that I fell during dance rehearsal. Of course, in my case I fell into Darby's fist at dance rehearsal. Did Richard do this to you?" It looks like her ex graduated from pills to actual physical violence.

Wasn't that her fault. She never told anybody what happened except for a few people. She never pressed charges. Richard was free because she never said anything.

Penelope never answered her question. Instead, she ran out of the building. Sharpay didn't have the emotional energy to follow her.

A/N: I know that Penelope may seem out of character in this chapter. However, this is the first time we're seeing her from her own perspective. Before she was filtered through the perceptions of other people. Remember in this story nobody is what he or she seems.