A gloomy Monday rolled around. Everyone at East High was coming in, slightly soaked or carrying an umbrella due to the rain. Sharpay walked into the school, elegant as always but didn't feel like she was. She felt like a horrible person. She always had someone under her finger, but the one she had under there this time was someone she didn't want to hurt at all. While she walked to her locker, she went past Zeke's locker, smelling his scent.

Sharpay knew that things between her and Zeke could possibly never be rekindled. So, that meant no more homemade food, no more kisses, hugs, love—no more of it. She felt herself get overwhelmed by the remembrance of what they did together, crying as a result. People around her saw her crying but didn't care since rumors about her were already circulating.

"Well well well, look at what we have here. East High's primadonna is finally breaking apart. Now look, I'm not looking to steal your "crown" or anything, but just know that things always come back around. It may seem like they're gone in the long run. But in reality, they're coming out of the cracks you've created."

Taylor walked away, knowing that all of her private work was paying off right now. Sharpay knew that Taylor had tricks up her sleeve, but she didn't expect this. She didn't expect a train of things to be spilled at one time. She knew that her section in the student newspaper would be filled to the absolute brim with drama, and she didn't want to read about that.

All she wanted to do was burn out the fire that was surrounding her, starting with the epicenter of all of this: Zeke Baylor. Sharpay knew he was going to avoid her at all costs, except if it included basketball. What if Sharpay sneaked inside a practice one day without anyone knowing? Maybe something could happen between the two?

— — — — — —

The day went slower than usual. Every minute felt like an hour, and Sharpay was bored out of her mind until the bell rang inside the hallways and classrooms. She raced out of Ms. Darbus's room and went straight to her locker, determined to be on time for this practice.

She rushed to the basketball court, surprised by how empty it was since she expected some players to at least be there. She went behind some seats and hid until she saw a pair of legs get near her and take a seat. Sharpay quietly got up and sat next to the girl, making her jump.

"Shh! It's just me!"

"Who's me...Sharpay? What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to speak with Zeke."

"I doubt he even wants to talk to you, Sharpay. You broke his heart, remember?"

"I know what I apparently did."

"Apparently? Sharpay, you do realize he stopped cooking because of you, right? He said it reminded him of you too much."

"...Wait. Those rumors did that to him?"

"Rumors? What do you mean by rumors?"

"By rumors, I mean what Taylor's been saying about me recently. Everything is fake and she's making everyone turn against me."

"Then why didn't you defend yourself from it Saturday?"

"Because I knew I would look stupid against Taylor. Everyone always sides with her whenever it comes to arguments since she's a smart girl, but they don't do the same for me since they know I'm the "dumb blonde." The only true thing about her thread was the fact that Ryan suggested the idea of me getting with Zeke. She just twisted it to make it seem like he was saying I should play Zeke."

They looked out into the team of players who were practicing, already catching the eye of someone. He looked at the blonde for a second, then went back to focusing on the ball.

— — — — — —

Practice went on for about thirty minutes until they decided to call a five-minute break. Everyone went to sit down, get a drink of water, use the bathroom, etc. Sharpay was just focused on Zeke. As Gabriella went over to talk to Troy about upcoming dates, Sharpay went to go see her ex. He was at a water station, rehydrating himself for a brief second. The blonde decided to go up to Zeke and try to talk to him but in a more, private place.

"Zeke, can we—"

"Why are you trying to talk to me? Wasn't I just eye candy to you?"

"...Zeke, it's not—"

"Then what is it, hm?"

"It's..."

"Don't take forever talking to me. I have practice, remember."

"...I'm not trying to play with your feelings, Zeke. I still like you, a lot."

Zeke wanted to break his character and say that he still loved Sharpay, but knew that it wouldn't get him anywhere besides being heartbroken for the second time (possibly).

"Then explain what Taylor's been saying."

"Ryan suggested that I should get with you and see if we were a good match. He didn't mention anything about what Taylor said."

"What about—"

Sharpay's heart came over her. She lightly cupped Zeke's cheeks with her hands and pulled him in for a kiss, making him get quiet. It was a brief kiss, nothing deep or sensual. Zeke didn't push Sharpay away at first since he missed the feeling but backed out in seconds.

"...We're talking after practice."

— — — — — —

Another hour passes by and practice is now over. Everyone's catching rides from each other or going inside their parent's car. Zeke was originally going to go with his boys but ultimately decided to ride with Sharpay since they had to discuss some more things, privately. Once they pulled inside the driveway of his house, things stirred inside Sharpay's stomach. She felt a rush of nervousness in her system, but ignored it and went inside once Zeke unlocked the front door.

"Don't sugarcoat shit, Sharpay."

"I'm not."

"So go on and try to debunk everything Taylor has proven to be true. She already posted all of the evidence on her blog."

"What's this so-called "evidence" again?"

"Her notes. She documented everything. From what she overheard you and Ryan talking that day to when you said that you were fucking with me for fun."

"When did I say that?"

"Recently. Pull up her blog page and you'll see what she said."

Sharpay went on her phone and went to the student website, already seeing a lot of her plastered across the board. She clicked on a link that directed her to Taylor's page, and there she saw what Zeke was talking about.

"All of this is fake. The only true thing is me talking to Ryan that day. Other than that, everything is false."

"Are you serious? So she's been lying about everything?"

"Mhm."

"...Wow. I—"

"I know you're sorry. It's okay because I am too. I should've defended myself when she said everything instead of going quiet."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I've never had to defend myself from that type of stuff. I can defend myself from a million things. But allegations of me playing around with people's feelings? Maybe I've done it once or twice but I would never do it to you. Plus whenever I defend myself from something, people obviously side with the person who's not the dumb blonde."

"I hoped that you wouldn't play with people like that. That's why I was surprised when she initially said it. But I should've..."

"Should've what?"

"Expected it. I mean, you are, or were, known as East High's ice princess. The coldest girl on Earth who would do anything to get whatever the fuck she wanted. So I just assumed the worst, even though my crush on you was saying otherwise."

"Are those feelings still there Zeke?"

"...Maybe, maybe not. You'll just have to—"

Zeke knew Sharpay wasn't gonna figure out his feelings like it was a puzzle. So the last thing she resorted to was her lips.