Third installment to the Endless Love series: Spring!

Oh, there's going to be some delicious drama in this one, but there's not going to be alot of new characters, or old characters either. I know this first chapter is really short and probably crap, but I swear to you things are really going to get interesting.

The main theme for this story is mainly morality, guilt, remorse and fate, of course. :) For the full summaries, see my profile.

"Bon après-midi, passagers. C'est votre parler de capitaine. Nous débarquerons dans l'aéroport d'Albuquerque en exactement 15 minutes. Veuillez prendre votre siège et attachez vos ceintures de sécurité comme nous nous préparons au débarquement."

Sharpay's eyes snapped open at the announcement. She yawned and stretched, leaning back on her seat in First Class. She felt the pressure in her ears as the plane flew down lower and lower. She glanced out the window at the dawn sky, feeling the warmth of Spring beam down at her through the rays.

It had been a long time since she'd been home. She had been studying in Paris the past five years, not having contact with anybody from home in that period of time. It felt strange to be coming back, because she knew things would've changed in such a while.

Sharpay, like any rich aristocratic kid in America, was shipped off to a fancy boarding school in Europe where she was to be given the best education there could be, even though she knew it would be utterly useless after she graduated to become a carefree heiress. She had always been spoiled with riches and fortunes, but that meant in exchange she had to give up any chances of a normal life. Her parents were rarely around, and it was usually just her and her twin brother Ryan. Any kid who saw this from their perspective would argue that she was a girl whose happiness couldn't be bought with money, but Sharpay had become so used to her life, she didn't even care. What she did care about was living in a foreign country and leaving all her friends behind. She was uncomfortable for many years, but learned that she had to eventually accept the terms of coming from a rich family.

However, despite not liking the idea, Sharpay found Paris to be interesting in many ways, and she was quite happy to learn a few things there.

Among those that she loved, Sharpay was now able to speak fluent French, and she learned that it would be useful in many other countries beside France. She also learned how to sculpt, paint, play the piano and violin perfectly, and dance. It was required for her to take up these things for her image, as well as a few other unlikable subjects, but Sharpay managed to live through it. She made new friends, and eventually forget her old ones, and by doing so she seemed to fear ever going back to face them. She never intended to ever leave Paris at all, but certain events had changed her mind, and because of them, Sharpay felt she had no choice but to go back.

The trip back to Albuquerque was quite hurried, and she had accepted any offer to get there. She was nervous, though, especially because she had no family members available to pick her up at the airport. The only people who hadn't left Albuquerque for work were a few friends from high school, and even they were surprised when Sharpay gave them such a last-minute notice. They were to be waiting at the airport for her, and Sharpay braced herself for when she saw them again in so long.

The plane shook violently, and Sharpay quickly buckled up her seat belt. The captain again gave an announcement in rapid French, telling the flight attendants to take a seat just a few moments before Sharpay felt her ears pop. The plane gracefully dove down to the runaway and landed with great effort. Sharpay could see the gleaming sun outside the plane, and she felt a rush of relief. As the plane halted entirely, the French passengers erupted in applause. (A.N. Seriously, the French always clap when the plane lands.)

"C'est maintenant de 22 degrés de Celsius sur la terre et il est maintenant 9:34 AM. C'est votre parler de capitaine. Nous souhaitons que vous ayez eu un vol agréable, et au revoir."

The flight attendants stood up first and directed the passengers over to the exit, helping some with their various luggage cases. Sharpay managed to squeeze her way out first, having the convenience of being in First Class, and she stepped out of the aircraft, onto American land in more than five years.

It was Springtime now, Sharpay's first American Spring in more than five years. Even though she was inside, she could feel the warm atmosphere come in through the windows, the sound of songbirds and fresh breeze filled with blossoming flowers and honeysuckles. She could hardly wait to go outside.

While collecting her luggage, she was still quite curious at who she was going to see when she stepped out of the gates. She remembered herself being quite unpleasant to her classmates in high school, but she knew they all have always been very nice people, despite Sharpay's prejudice and biased view on them.

She remembered Troy, the only one she actually got along with among them. He had always been polite whenever she treated him like she did, but she had a feeling he was too scared of her to do anything otherwise. He was the one who picked up the phone and the one who agreed to be at the airport for her. Still, Sharpay could hazard a guess that there would be more than one person waiting for her there. She didn't know who; nearly all of their classmates had moved since graduation.

Making her way out the gates, she was surprised at how crowded the waiting room was. She looked around, slightly disorientated, pulling her baggage along. She felt a little lost in the mob, but she then saw two people approach her. They were several feet away, but Sharpay could clearly see who they were.

She could see that the young man was Troy, still with his sandy brown hair and warming smile. He seemed to have grown even taller than he had last time, and he looked like he had been working out. Troy waved at her and then notified his companion. Sharpay's smile disappeared when she realized who it was.

It was Gabriella. Dear Gabriella, still sweet as an angel. Sharpay never really liked Gabriella, and over the years, she wasn't even sure why she never liked her. Perhaps it was the fact that after Gabriella came to the school, Sharpay was pushed out of the limelight in Drama. They never got along well, but did so anyway for their friends' sakes. Sharpay remembered Gabriella had always put in an effort to warm up to her, but Sharpay never even bothered attempting. She just didn't like her.

Sharpay quickly dropped her eyes to the ground and acted like she couldn't see them.

"Sharpay!" she heard Troy call out. She turned around quickly and walked away, but their footsteps grew louder.

"Hey!" a shrill voice yelled. It was Gabriella now. "Wait up!" Sharpay took a deep breath and plastered on a smile as she turned around to them.

At once, Sharpay's dislike for Gabriella returned from the moment her auburn eyes locked onto the chocolate ones. She narrowed her eyes intimidatingly, but once she saw Troy, her expression softened.

"Hey, Troy!" she said, hugging him. "It's great to see you!" Troy chuckled and returned the hug as Gabriella watched, a little nervously. Sharpay pulled away and glared at Gabriella.

"I guess you two are still together, then," she muttered in a contempt voice. Gabriella cleared her throat.

"Well, yeah," she laughed. "We… we're still dating."

She had always thought the whole Basketball King and Freaky Math Girl relationship to be a totally Disney cheeseball romance, and she never thought it would last in the real world after high school. Sharpay had always thought Gabriella wasn't ever good enough for her friend, but since Troy seemed so happy with her at the time, Sharpay just played along.

Who knew. Sharpay gave Gabriella a stony non-smile.

"Mmm-hmm." She picked up her bags again, her smile again softening as she turned back to Troy. "So, how are you?" Troy, obviously noticing the tension, quickly grabbed one of her suitcases and led the girls toward the exit.

"Good," he replied perkily. "How's life in Paris?" Sharpay wrinkled her nose and shrugged.

"It's okay," she said, carelessly tossing her hair over her shoulder. "It's not as romantically stereotyped as you'd think, you know, not all red roses and champagne with violin and accordions and candlelit dinners for two." Troy laughed. "But I learned alot from staying there. The people are really polite and nice, oh, and the views are awesome too." She patted her bag. "I've got amazing photos." Troy smiled. He glanced over his shoulder.

"Where's Ryan?" he asked. "Shouldn't he be here with you?" Sharpay swallowed hard before answering.

The twins had both left for Paris together 5 years ago, and both of them went on to study. Troy had expected the twins to come home by each other's side, like they always did. It was strange seeing Sharpay by herself.

Sharpay had a very, very good reason to why Ryan wasn't with her, and he was also the reason she had come back to Albuquerque in the first place. However, even though she knew it was probably foolish not telling Troy the truth, Sharpay felt it to be too personal.

"Ryan… uh…" she stuttered. "… Ryan decided to stay in Paris. He… he said he found a girl there… and so…" She trailed off, hoping Troy wouldn't ask anymore of it. He didn't.

As Sharpay stepped out of the airport, the feel of Spring heightened. The birds, the fragrance of fresh flowers, the warmth of the sun. Sharpay smiled to herself, finally feeling alot happier than she had been in a long time.

"Where are you going to be staying?" Gabriella asked. Sharpay was about to snap at her again, but felt it wise not to. She was trying to be nice, might as well try it back.

"I don't really know yet," she said. "I was thinking of going back to my parents' old house." She paused, saddening a little. Gabriella gazed on sympathetically and knew better than to push her luck prying into Sharpay's private life. She smiled.

"You can stay with us if you like," Gabriella said brightly, looking over at Troy. "We've got an extra room in the house, and it's going to be really dusty soon if no one's going to sleep in it." Sharpay scoffed.

"In your house?" she said in a mocking voice. She made it sound like it was a dirty word. Gabriella's smile faded a little, looking hurt. Troy stopped by the sidewalk, turning around to the two women. He bit into his lip as the tension between them thickened.

"Well, if you haven't anywhere else to stay," Troy said matter-of-factly. "You're welcome to stay with us." Sharpay had a strong sense of pride, and even when she was in a crisis, refused to make herself seem pitiful. She wanted to be mean again, like she used to, but she had always felt a kind of gratitude towards Troy, so she relented.

"I'll let you know," she said with a brushing-off kind of tone. "But I'll be alright by myself. Really." Gabriella exchanged a confused look at Troy, who merely shrugged. He laid all the suitcases by the side and told Sharpay and Gabriella to wait for him as he went to get the car. Gabriella couldn't really make any more small talk with Sharpay, so she excused herself to the bathroom. Sharpay was finally left alone. She shuffled through her bag and pulled out a small notebook. She flicked through the pages, stopping at one with a folded corner, an address written in faded lead pencil just at the brim.

54 Perkins Road, Green Valley

She had come back for a reason, and she wasn't planning to tell anyone why. A bluebird and its mate chirped harmoniously, picking at the flowers by the tree nearby. Sharpay smiled as she watched. She sighed, looking away from the page and back up at the clear blue sky, singing a song she heard her friends in France, every time they needed to look on the bright side.

Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose

When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose

When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom

And when you speak… angels sing from above
Everyday words seem… to turn into love songs

Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose…

Sharpay bit into her lip, shutting the book with a snap and slipping it back into the bag.

Suddenly, she let out a soft gasp as a shooting pain plunged into her chest. She clutched it tightly, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down without making a scene. She glanced around; no one was looking at her and Troy and Gabriella were nowhere to be seen. Sharpay quickly took out a couple of medication pills and popped them into her mouth, exhaling deeply.

A white butterfly fluttered by, over to the blooming rose bush a few feet away. A cool fragrant breeze swept through the airport, distracting Sharpay.

The pain eased and she rubbed her chest. Right, back to business, and she put on her smile again, getting up as she saw Troy in the approaching car.

Yes, Sharpay is a bit bitchy to Gabriella, but I had to make her that way after seeing bits of HSM2. :P

Next: Troy and Gabriella try to open up to Sharpay, but she again brushes them off. Troy is curious her peculiar behavior…