Chapter Twenty

Sharpay couldn't even muster a smile as she walked into school the next day with Troy. She was wearing a simply white sundress and white flip flops. The teachers were always lenient about the dress code on the last day of school; you could practically get away with anything as long as it was within reason.

Sharpay glanced up at Troy as she made her way to her locker; she still had to clean some things out. He smiled down at her, taking her hand and giving it a small kiss. She smiled gently, turning to open her locker.

A group of guys were just across the hall making face and pretending to kiss someone else's hands. Troy tried to ignore them by making small talk with Sharpay…but it was hard to block out when it's right in front of you.

He was about to go say something to them when Chad walked up to them. He shook his head and said something that Troy couldn't understand. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched the guys walk away down the hall. Chad turned to him, seeing Troy watching, he nodded to him. Troy, not understanding gave him an uncertain nod in return. Chad smiled and walked off down the hall, leaving Troy very confused as to what was going on.

Sharpay shut her locker door, taking her lock off it before turning to Troy. He smiled at her, taking her hand as they walked down the hall…

Sharpay was sitting by herself during Chemistry first period, not that anyone really sat with her to begin with. She was reading a small book she had brought with her to keep her occupied during class…completely unaware of the group of girls behind her silently laughing at her.

Gabriella looked up from the conversation she was having with Taylor and the Chemistry sub to see a group of girls pointing at Sharpay. She squinted as one girl got up, put her hand to her mouth, and spit something into it. Gabriella's eyes widened as she saw the girl make her way to an unsuspecting Sharpay.

She excused herself from the conversation and hurriedly made her way over to where Sharpay was sitting. "Hey Sharpay," she said, taking a seat next to her, glaring at the girl who had come inches away from putting gum in Sharpay's hair. "What are you reading?" she asked, as she girl went to the front of the room to throw out the gum…better to throw it out than keep it in your hand.

"Huh?" she asked, looking up to see Gabriella sitting next to her, "Oh…Hi…Gabriella…" she was completely confused now, "I'm just reading 'Red Gardenias'." (A/N – entirely made up…at least I think so…)

"Really?" Gabriella asked, "How far have you gotten in it?"

"It's my second time reading it," Sharpay replied, looking away embarrassedly.

"I must have read that book like three times!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Really?" Sharpay asked, turning to face her.

"Yeah…I mean, it just draws you in!"

"I know!" Sharpay said smiling, "And Fabio's death at the end was a complete surprise!"

Gabriella agreed, talking with Sharpay about that book and some other they had read for most of the period…

Kelsi sat at the balcony table during lunch that day, it was the only table she had been able to save…and boy was it a good thing that she had. She looked up as Jason place a tray next to her, he had insisted on buying her lunch that day, claiming she had to at least try the cafeteria food once. Her gaze drifted however, when she saw a bunch of students…they looked like some of the skaters and academics…practically running up the stairs together. If anything good had come out of the whole Troy and Sharpay fiasco it was that all the different groups had something else to target their thoughts at, they were all getting along rather well now that Kelsi thought about it…

But her thoughts took a turn for the worst when she saw the skaters opening some sort of plastic bottle with a disgusting looking bluish brown liquid in it. Her eyes widened as she shook Jason's arm. He looked up and followed her gaze before getting up quickly and heading over to them. Usually, when someone had a liquid open near the railing of the balcony, it meant that they were going to pour it on someone.

He grabbed the skater dudette's arm before she had a chance to turn the bottle and empty its contents on the pour soul who wandered beneath it. He took the bottle, glaring at them as they walked away. He leaned over, peering down to see Sharpay and Troy standing just beneath him. Kelsi walked over to him, looking down as well to see who they were about to pour the liquid on, when Troy looked up. He caught brief glimpse of Jason and Kelsi smiling at him before he was pulled away by Sharpay…

7th period would find the boys playing one last game of basketball while the girls sat on the bleachers watching. Sharpay felt a little bit better, none of the girls were sitting near her…but none of them were talking about her either…which was good enough for her.

Zeke walked back into the gym after having gotten a quick sip of water from the water fountain in the boy's locker room when he saw two boys pointing at Sharpay, who was focused on the game. One of the boys smirked and nodded, taking a few steps in he direction. Zeke walked around the game so he could intercept the boy before he got too close to Sharpay.

His eyes narrowed when he saw the boy get ready to chuck the ball at her. He knew from experience that getting hit with a basketball really hurt. The boy chucked it just as Zeke walked in front of its path, catching the ball as if it had been passed to him. He passed it back to the boy as hard as he could, knocking some wind out of him. He glared at the boy nodding for him to go back to his friend. He did so as Zeke looked over his shoulder to see Sharpay looking at him gratefully; she had seen what he'd done. He simply gave her a small smiled before jumping into the game…

Sharpay was waiting in the hall for Troy…everyone had been acting really weird today…no one was really talking about her anymore…the gang was smiling at her…and Gabriella and she had had a civil conversation…

There was only one explanation…there was something in the water…

"Hey Shar…" she heard a tentative voice said beside her.

She looked over to see Ryan walking towards her, an apologetic smile on his face, "Hey Ry…"

He sighed, with his sister it was better to get right to the point, "I'm so sorry for what I said to you Shar…I really and truly didn't mean any of it."

She looked at him, he was apologizing, but before she could forgive him she had to say something, "It really hurt me Ry…you know how much it gets to me when other people say things like that…can you imagine how much it hurt when it came from you?" He looked down, "And it wasn't even the first time you said something like that." He looked up; shocked…she had heard him? She nodded, reading his thoughts, "I heard you," she confirmed, "I heard what you said to the guys when you thought I wasn't around."

"I'm so sorry Shar, I was…I was just…stupid." He really was. How could he have said all those horrible things about his sister? How could he have not defended her when they mocked her shamelessly? He thought back to what he had said a month ago…she had never actually forced him to give up the golf team…it had been his own choice, he could have done both he realized now, making him feel all the more guilty about saying that to her.

Sharpay smiled softly, she could tell how badly he was beating himself up over all this. 'Damn twin telepathy,' she thought. If it hadn't been for that, she probably would have been able to really give it to him for how he'd made her feel…but she couldn't. "I forgive you."

"What?" he asked, looking up quickly, hope and happiness filling his eyes.

"I forgive you, you goof!" She laughed slightly as Ryan picked her up in a hug and spun her around. When she caught her breath after he'd put her down she added one more thing, "Just don't do it again."

"I promise," he replied as fast as possible, he crossed his heart. "Thank Shar."

"You're welcome," she said giving him a smile.

"Hey Pay," Troy said walking up and giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Hi," she said, looking over his shoulder to see Gabriella, Zeke, Chad, Jason, Kelsi, and Taylor walking up behind him.

"Hey…guys…" Troy said after a moment.

They smiled, "Hey Troy, Hey Sharpay," they'd said. They fell into an awkward kind of silence for a few moments before Taylor spoke.

"Hey Sharpay…" Taylor started, taking a step towards her, "Can I talk to you a minute?"

Sharpay nodded, "Yeah, sure," she said, taking a few steps away with Taylor. She waited a few moments as she watched Taylor debate the best way to start.

"My little brother" she said after a moment or two, "…Charlie…he broke his arm last year…he had to spend the weekend at the hospital till they could get him for surgery."

"Charlie…" Sharpay trailed off in thought. She looked back up at Taylor, "He liked…um…"

"The Little Engine That Could," they said at the same time.

Taylor nodded, "My mom and I went to go see him after lunch, and we were preparing ourselves for him to be crying and begging us to take him home but …he wasn't." She laughed as tears came to her eyes, "He was laughing and playing with the kids, and…and he told us about a girl from my school who came to read them stories. He said that since he was new, he was allowed to pick the story and the girl read it to him…that was you?" Sharpay nodded, Taylor looked down at the ground, "I'm so sorry Sharpay…"

"It's ok," Sharpay said, cutting her off.

"No!" Taylor remarked, "No, it's not! I acted more like an ice bitch to you than you ever did to me."

Sharpay laughed, shaking her head, "I doubt that…"

Taylor laughed as well, "Friends?" she asked.

Sharpay nodded, "Friends," she confirmed before being pulled into a hug by Taylor.

"So what are we doing today?" Gabriella asked walking up to the two with Kelsi.

Sharpay's eyes widened…she was stunned into silence till Troy walked over to her and nudged her gently in the side. "Oh…um…I volunteer…at an orphaninch…teaching crafts…"

"What are you making today?" Kelsi asked eyes wide in excitement.

"Well…I bought some lanyards…" Sharpay trailed.

"I love lanyards!" All three of the girls shouted, two of them taking one of Sharpay's arms and leading her away with the third girl in tow, all talking excitedly while Sharpay looked slightly terrified.

"Women…" Chad said shaking his head before walking off after Taylor with Zeke, Jason, and Ryan.

Troy stood in the hall way a moment longer, smiling and shaking his head. Sharpay was definitely some woman…

He looked up when he heard the door at the end of the hall open once again. There was Sharpay, walking towards him, a vision in white…

The scene before him dissolved as another one took its place. Troy's smile widened as he watched Sharpay walking down the aisle behind Taylor, Gabriella, and Kelsi who were dressed in their baby blue bride's maids dresses. She walked gracefully, nearly floating, as her simple white gown flowed around her. He glanced over at Chad, standing beside him as the Best Man, Jason, Zeke, and Ryan stood just behind him. Chad smirked, nodding his head for Troy to turn back around.

He held out his hand as Sharpay stepped closer. They looked out at all their friends and family coming together on this very special day. Mother's crying and father beaming proudly.

One face in the audience smiled gently at the two, old eyes twinkling. Troy nodded slightly at the man, who nodded in reply. Troy and Sharpay owed him much…when they were nearing graduation time he had come to East High looking for them…he wanted them to audition for Wicked! He had seen them singing and had been trying to find them and find time to meet them for nearly a year. They had auditioned, going to college together in NY, earning understudy positions. Just as they graduated, they were moved up to the actual performers, Fiyero and Elphaba…it was a dream come true!

Troy smiled at the memory of the day they got the call for the leads before he turned back to Sharpay, "You ready?" he asked.

She smiled, "Yes." And with that, she took his hand and turned to face the priest…

A/N – It's over! Now what am I going to do with my life? I should probably start that home work I've been putting off all semester…yeah, that would be a good idea…But anyway, what do you think?! I tried to fade the scene from school to wedding, while also adding in something from the past, when they went public to the school. I don't think I'll write a sequel, I think I'll just leave it as a…

And they both lived…Happily…Ever…After…

The End