Hi, this is a one-shot, because our super amazing Ashley Tisdale is turning 22! So happy birthday, Ashley! And thanks to both the amazing Catie and the wonderful Bethany for giving me their opinion on this one-shot before I posted it. I love you girlies.
Disclaimer; Don't own HSM or Alphabeat – listen to their music though, it's amazing, ask Catie and she'll tell you.
A Super Duper Birthday?
"People will be over in 10 minutes, Shar, you better put on your bathing suit." Ryan said, popping his head into his sister's room, where he found her, lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"What's the point?" she mumbled, turning around to lie on her stomach. She looked him in the eye, but he didn't see the happy look kids got when it was their birthday, she looked so depressed. There was a lot of reasons for that, and he had expected it, "It's 10 years now, Ry. 10 years."
"I know," Ryan replied, walking into her room, sitting down on her bed, "But you gotta let it go, Sharpay. Just have fun today. Everyone is gonna be here. Don't you think it's time to face your fears? I'm not gonna push you, but think about it?"
"No," Sharpay replied, sitting up, "I can't Ry, I just can't." she bit her lip, "I'll put on my bikini and go downstairs to tan."
"Okay," Ryan said, standing up again, "Be down in a minute, Sharpay. And happy birthday, lil sis."
"You too."
--
Chad and Zeke made another water bomb, splashing water over all the people around the pool. Sharpay scoffed and pushed her chair even further away from the pool, wanting to tan without getting wet. That was kinda hard though, since everybody was jumping into the pool, or splashing water at each other.
Gabriella took a seat by the end of her tanning chair, "Please, hop in with me, Pay?" she begged. Her hair was dripping wet, which made little drops fall on Sharpay's feet.
"No, and get away from me, when you're wet like that!" Sharpay argued, kicking her off.
Gabriella let out a deep sigh and went to find her something to drink. Sharpay looked after her, wishing things were easy. But they weren't. She couldn't just hop into the pool like everyone else could. She leaned back in her chair to relax, letting the sun hit her face. She could hear all her friends and the kids from school having fun in the pool, but she didn't care, she blocked it all out.
She felt someone near her, and looked up to come eye to eye with the hot, wet basketball king. He said on the chair next to hers, droplets trailing down his chest. She had to admit, it worked very well on his tanned chest. She narrowed her eyes in on him though, "What?"
"Why aren't you getting in the water?" he asked, his eyes wandering down her body, taking in the curve of her hips.
"Because I'll rather lie here and look hot." Sharpay simply replied, taking on her sunglasses.
"You're doing a good job at that." Troy smirked, his eyes resting on her body once again.
"Shut up, Troy," Sharpay said, even though a slight blush found its way onto her cheeks.
"So, did you get any good gifts?" Troy asked, nodding his head towards the table where all the gifts were sitting.
"Shut up, I didn't see you bringing me anything." Sharpay just replied, sending him the eyes, even though he couldn't see them because of her sunglasses.
Troy leaned in and looked at her, closer, "You'll get my gift later, it's special. Ryan already got his."
"What is it?" Sharpay asked, her face lightening up by the thought of a 'special' gift.
"I'm not gonna say," Troy mocked her, just as her grandmother made her way towards them, carrying an old picture.
"Sharpay honey?" she said, sitting down on Sharpay's chair, as Sharpay sat up, removing her sunglasses, "I found this for you. I thought you might want to look at it? It's been 10 years."
Sharpay took the picture, which was all crumbled and yellow around the edges. She got a soft look in her eyes, and smiled sadly, "Yeah, it's been. But this is a happy day! 17 years, huh?"
"You don't have to act cheery, sweetie." Her grandmother smiled, brushing Sharpay's blonde hair away from her face, "Just try to have fun, and I'll be inside with your grandpa. Call if you need anything, okay?"
"I will, granny." Sharpay replied, kissing the old woman's cheek, "Have fun too."
The old woman winked at her granddaughter and made her way inside, slowly but surely. Sharpay leaned back in the chair, looking at the picture, completely ignoring Troy, who let out a sigh and stood up to leave.
He stopped by the side of the pool and opened his arms, "Who's up for Marco Polo?" he asked, as they all got silent, listening to their king.
"I am, me!" Taylor said, jumping up and down like a little girl, "But if there's too many it's not fun! Let's be around 6 or 7. Troy, you close your eyes!"
A lot of the kids from school jumped out of the pool, leaving the friends, Ryan, Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, and Zeke. Troy jumped into the pool and swam into the middle, giving them some time to move around. When he'd waited for a few seconds, he yelled out:
"MARCO!?"
"POLO!" they all cheered, and Troy made his way towards where he meant one of the voices were. He didn't do a good job, because their pool was huge, and the 6 targets moved around all the time.
Sharpay watched with amusement. She wondered when he was gonna give up. The other kids from school stood around the pool watching the hunt. They all cheered, and some even teased Troy by sticking their feet into the water, or yelling "POLO!" too. Sharpay giggled, and looked at the old picture in her hand. She traced her fingers along the faces and let out a deep sigh. She wished things were as easy as they were before her 7th birthday. Back then everything had been good. But of course the tragic thing had to happen, and she… she was never the same, as she knew it herself.
It seemed like Troy had finally caught Kelsi, and everybody broke into cheer and jumped in the pool too, splashing water everywhere. Sharpay decided that some music would be fun, so she approached the table with the stereo and looked through the CD's there, wanting to find a special one. She got a smile on her face when her eyes caught the pink CD cover. She quickly opened it, and popped the CD into the stereo, pressing play.
No pool party was good without Alphabeat, so soon '10.000 Nights of Thunder' streamed through the speakers, and people immediately started bopping their head along to the lyrics, while Sharpay hummed to herself.
"I was not looking for arty farty love, I wanted someone to love completely, Someone more than weekly…" her mood got better by the second, and she danced along the pool side, enjoying the music. She couldn't help it, Alphabeat was just amazing. It was her current obsession, and it had been for a long time.
"Sharpay…" Taylor said, as her and Troy stopped her, "You wanna play chicken? We need another girl!"
"No thank you." Sharpay quickly replied, again bobbing her head.
"But you haven't been in the water all day." Troy said, arching his eyebrows together.
"So?" Sharpay questioned, looking over Troy's shoulder, at Gabriella and Ryan who were both listening to their conversation, eyes open.
"It's your own birthday." Taylor said, "Why invite to a pool party when you don't want to go into the water?"
"I'm not in the mood." Sharpay simply replied, trying to step pass him, even though she loved the view of Troy, once again dripping wet.
"C'mon, Shar!" he said, stopping her by placing a hand on her arm, "Just come into the water with us. You can be with me, sit on my shoulders?"
"No." Sharpay said again, this time her voice was slightly quivering.
"Sharpay…?" Troy said, thinking she was being really ridiculous. Who didn't want to get into the water? It was like 20 degrees outside, and it was getting hotter. Everybody needed a cool-off. He made a quick decision, thinking she was just being her usual self, so he grabbed her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder, making his way towards the pool again.
"Troy!?" she shrieked, her voice squeaky, "What are you doing?"
"I'm getting you in the water!" Troy said, raising his voice so everybody could hear.
"No!" Sharpay yelled, her heart starting to beat really fast, "No, Troy!" she said, "Put me down, now! TROY!?"
Everybody around them started cheering for Troy to throw her in, while Sharpay started hitting his back, telling him to put her down. She lifted her eyes and shot Ryan a look, begging for him to help her, but the crowd around East High's basketball king was too big.
"Throw her in!" Jason cheered from the pool, where him and Kelsi were goofing off.
"TROY!?" Sharpay shrieked, banging her closed fits into his back, "Put me down, Troy! Now! I don't want to go in! Troy, please!" she could feel his hands on her waist again, as he lifted her off his shoulder, ready to throw her, "No!" she yelled, just as she flew through the air, hitting the water with a splash.
She kept on screaming underwater, splashing her arms everywhere, taking in gulps of water. It wasn't her fault she didn't know how to swim. It wasn't her fault that water terrified her. Her heart was beating faster and faster, and she was positive that she was going to die that minute. Her lungs filled with water, and she got tired in her arms and legs immediately.
…Ryan brushed through the people, Gabriella right behind him. He quickly jumped into the pool, as it looked like no one else was going to. He grabbed Sharpay's arm, and pulled his crying, and choking sister towards the railing, where Gabriella grabbed her hand, helping her up.
Sharpay shivered and cried, her sobs echoing all over the ground. Gabriella took a towel and wrapped it around her friend, leading her to a pool chair, where she sat down, tears still streaming down her face. She was calming down, while everyone looked at her, their jaws hanging open. What just happened?
"Shar…" Ryan tried, still dripping wet, to sit down next to her.
She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot. But then she hugged her towel closer, stood up and ran into the house. Everybody looked after her, not understanding what was going on with her.
The minute the door closed though, Gabriella hit Troy across the face, "You jerk! Couldn't you see she was scared!?"
"She was just being a drama queen as usual." Chad shrugged, already forgetting the incident.
"It's just some water…" Troy replied, feeling bad though.
"Our parents drowned, you idiot!" Ryan yelled, looking at Chad and Troy, who both froze, as well did the rest of the people around there. They all paused and looked at Ryan, questions floating through their eyes.
Ryan shook his head at Troy and followed in Sharpay's steps, running into the house, screaming her name.
Gabriella turned to Troy again, anger flashing through her eyes, "JERK!" she yelled, pushing him into the pool with all her might, "How could you do that?"
Troy resurfaced and shook his hair out of his eyes, "Chill Gabby, I didn't know!"
"But she yelled for you to take her down!" Gabriella argued, "You could at least have listened to her!"
"I thought she was being dramatic!" Troy said, making his way out of the pool, "She's Sharpay for God's sake! I'm sorry, I had no idea her parents drowned! Did you!?"
"Yes!" Gabriella said, stomping her foot into the wet tiles, "She told me some time ago! I thought you knew… was I the only one who knew?" no one answered, so Gabriella let out a sigh, "Look, Sharpay hasn't been in the water since they drowned. Not on the beach, not in a pool. The only thing she can handle is a two minutes shower every morning. She can't go in a bath tub either. And it took her grandparents forever to get her to drink water! She's scared."
Troy looked at his feet, "God, I feel like a jerk now." he mumbled, and looked up at her again, "But honestly, I didn't know. And Ryan has no problem getting in the water."
"He wasn't there when they died." Gabriella said, "Sharpay was."
"I better go apologise." Troy said, making his way towards the door.
--
Sharpay was still wrapped in the fluffy towel, sitting on her queen sized bed, looking at the old picture of her parents that her grandma gave her. It was from her and Ryan's 7th birthday. 10 years ago. They had been at the West Coast in a nice vacation house, the whole family. But Ryan had gotten sick, so he was staying home with their grandparents while Sharpay and their parents went to the beach.
And that was when it happened. The picture was one her grandfather had taken of the three of them before they left for the beach.
She hugged the picture closer to herself and leaned back against the headboard, letting out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes and was glad that her grandmother had yelled at Ryan not to follow her. She honestly just wanted to be alone right now. She didn't even care about all the crap down there. She knew she just humiliated herself into the next century, but it didn't matter. She had been honestly scared. She always was, and she couldn't help it.
She had believed she was about to die, when Troy threw her into the pool. And she would have died, if Ryan didn't pull her up. She had learned how to swim when she was younger, but not being in the water since the age of 7 did something to those skills. And the fact that she kept on screaming, getting water into her mouth wasn't helping that much either.
She let her tears slide down her cheeks again, sobbing quietly. She hated her birthday more than any other day of the year. Ryan was okay, he had gotten over it, because he believed that he had a great life. He was sad that his parents weren't with them, but he managed to live with it. Sharpay found it harder, and she just couldn't move on… she was there.
There was a knock on the door, and she ignored it, not wanting to talk to anybody. It was either Ryan, who had slipped past their grandma or Gabriella, who wanted to see if she was okay.
There was another knock, and Sharpay threw a pillow at the door, "Leave me alone, Ryan!" she yelled.
"It's not Ryan! It's Troy!" Troy yelled banging on the door, "Let me in! I'm so sorry, Sharpay, I didn't know… Can we talk?"
"I don't want to speak to anyone…" Sharpay sniffed, drying her eyes.
"Please, I want to apologise." Troy begged, "Sharpay I… I need to speak to you, I have something else to tell you! And your gift, okay? I want you to open it. It's important!"
"Come on in, then…" Sharpay whispered, giving into his Bolton charm. He was irresistible. She loved him so much, but he didn't know. Had it been any other guy to throw her in the pool, she would have killed them, but because it was Troy, she took things calmer.
Troy opened the door, and she could hear him let out a deep sigh of relief. He peeked in, and saw her on the bed. He shot her a small smile and closed the door behind him, awkwardly standing there in his wet bathing trunks, looking really ashamed of himself. "Sharpay… I'm really sorry," he said, sitting down on the bed, a little away from her, "I had no idea… I didn't even know your parents were dead!"
"You've been here before Troy," Sharpay replied, scooting closer to him, "They've never been here."
"I thought they were on business trips!" Troy exclaimed, "And you never told me anyway. Why didn't you tell me?"
Sharpay shrugged her shoulders, "I don't like talking about it. I only told Gabby, 'cause she asked how my parents died." She took a pause to look him deeply in the eyes, "They died when I was 7. On my 7th birthday to be exact. It's 10 years since."
"Oh…" Troy said, "Come here, Shar…" he pulled her in for a hug, wrapping his arms around her, while she rested her head on his chest, letting tears fall again, "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this," Sharpay replied, pulling back, "But I cry like this every year. My birthday is not a very happy thing. Ryan insisted to hold a party this year though, so…" she giggled, "That's why you're here."
"You want to talk about that day?" Troy offered, "I'm here for you, Sharpay. I care about you, probably more than you think."
She shot him a small smile, looking at him with those big chocolate eyes, "We were on the beach, and I was playing in the sand. My mom and dad had a rubber boat with them, so they took it out while I was playing. But suddenly the weather changed out of nowhere, and they were pushed away from to coast. I watched them screaming and struggling, but I couldn't do anything. Then the boat turned over, and they didn't resurface. I ran back to the house, and when we all got down there… there was really nothing to do. It was too late, had been for a long time."
He pulled her in for another hug, and she cried again, wrapping her small hands around his neck. He kissed her hair, and let her get it out. He suspected this was something she had to do every year, and it was okay, he understood her.
"I haven't been in the water since," Sharpay told him, looking up at him, a small smile playing on her lips now, "I take a two minutes shower every morning, but I'm so scared. And it's not like I can drown in my own shower, but I just… I freak out."
"It's okay, Sharpay…" Troy whispered, planting a kiss on her forehead, "You wouldn't be Sharpay if not – this has made you who you are. And I wouldn't change you one bit, okay? You're amazing, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. You have the rights to be scared."
"I feel like a baby though." Sharpay replied, pulling away from him.
"You're not a baby, Sharpay," Troy said, trying to make her feel better, "You're a beautiful girl, look at yourself. Okay? Don't worry about what other thinks. I don't think any less of you. You're the same old, amazing Sharpay."
"Thanks Troy," Sharpay said, as he made yet another blush creep onto her cheeks, "That means a lot."
He looked at her, and tugged a strand of her wet, golden locks behind her ear, "Can you forgive me for throwing you in the pool?" he held out a piece of paper, which was slightly crumbled after being held in his hand for so long, "This is your present. I know it's not much, but I have to do this… I hope you… want it, after what I did to you."
She shot him a confused look and cocked an eyebrow, taking the piece of paper that he held out for her. He watched her expectantly as she opened it, and read over the lines. He didn't know if he should leave or not, but he figured it would be better if he was there, even if she was gonna turn him down.
Sharpay read over the lines…
Happy birthday Sharpay.
I know this may not seem like much, but it means the world to me. I wanted to give you something special, because you're very special to me. I hope you understand that. Truth is, I couldn't find anything worth giving you, when all I ever wanted was to tell you something.
I love you, Sharpay. I have for a long time. I hope this won't ruin our friendship if you turn me down, but if you (and this is my hope speaking up) could possibly feel the same was as I do, tell me, because you'd make me the happiest man on earth. I just want to be with you. And if you like me like I do you, I'm gonna take you out for an amazing dinner tonight, and that can be your gift. If not, then I have no idea what to give you. I hope it's okay though.
Take care of yourself,
Troy.
Sharpay looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Was he really feeling that way about her? Was it possible that he felt the same way? That was like… a dream come true! "Troy…" she whispered, "I… I have no idea what to say."
"Uhm… okay," Troy said, his heart sinking. Well, that could only mean she didn't like him too, "Don't say anything then. Just… let's never speak of this, just.. let our friendship be the way it was. Can we? Please?"
"I… what!?" Sharpay said. Did she miss something? "Friendship? I'm not… Troy?"
"I understand." Troy said, looking at her, "What was I thinking anyway? Of course a girl like you won't like a guy like me. I'm a jock… you're a thespian. I was just stupid!"
"No, Troy!" Sharpay said, grabbing his hand, as he stood up to leave, "I like you too." She blurted out, and that made him stop in his tracks.
He turned around, a smock smile playing on his lips, as he looked at her, disbelief streaming through his eyes. His heart beat faster again. That was some news… if she wasn't joking, "You do?" he got out, breathing hard, as he took a step closer to her.
She took a step closer to him too, placing a delicate hand on his cheek, "Yes…" she whispered. And then the most amazing thing happened, she pulled his head down, and placed her lips on his, sending a chill down his spine. He immediately responded to the kiss and pulled her closer, resting his hands on her slender waist.
She traced her tongue across his bottom lip, begging for entrance, which he granted. Their tongues fought, and he had never felt like this before. Sparks erupted around his mouth, and his skin rose goose bumps where her hands were delicately placed around his neck. He felt like he was soaring. This was amazing. He couldn't even describe it. She was kissing him. Sharpay was kissing him, and it was the most amazing kiss he had ever shared with somebody.
Sharpay pulled away, resting her forehead against Troy's, as they both caught their breaths. He looked her in the eye, and for the first time that day, he saw real happiness. Not the fake look she had on when she opened Gabriella's present. She looked really happy, but also really vulnerable. But most importantly, she looked amazingly beautiful.
"I love you too, Troy." She whispered, her lips brushing against his as she spoke, "I have for a long time. You're totally forgiven. Everything is forgotten. This was the best gift I've ever gotten. In my life. You just made my day a whole lot better."
"Who knows?" Troy whispered, "Maybe your birthday will from now on also hold great memories?" he paused, and swallowed hard, "Want to go out for a movie tonight? And pizza?"
"Yes…" she told him back, a huge smile covering her face.
"Want to go downstairs now then?" he questioned, looking towards the open window where they could hear screams and giggles from all the party guests.
"Nah," she told him, walking backwards to the bed, "I'll rather do this…" and then she kissed him again, falling backwards onto the bed, with him on top of her, kissing her back with equal force.
They didn't get to kiss long though, because Gabriella burst into the room, "Sharpay! Come on down! There's cake-ooh…" she paused and tried hard not to giggle of the sight of Sharpay on the bed, with Troy on top of her, "I'm sorry," she said, walking backwards, "I'll be going again. Anyway, the cake is there. If you want a .. piece." She turned around and left the room, smacking the door behind her.
Troy and Sharpay broke into laughter, and Troy rolled off Sharpay's, taking her hand, "You have to have some of your own birthday cake, silly."
"Yes," she smiled, standing up, "I do."
"Here, let me carry you!" Troy said, and before he got an answer, he grabbed Sharpay around the waist, and threw her over his shoulder, just as he'd done earlier, "Don't worry, I won't throw you in the pool again!" he exclaimed, and then he hurried down the stairs, with a kicking Sharpay over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" she demanded, as they stood outside, in front of the table, where everybody were gathered, watching Ryan cut the cake, "Now, Troy!"
"I'm on it, I'm on it!" Troy said, sitting her down on the titles, "Watch it, birthday girl coming through!" he told everybody, laughter in his voice.
"Haha, you're funny." She said, slapping him softly across the chest.
"I know," he replied, pulling her body closer to his, so she could rest her arms around him. He reached out to take the piece of cake Ryan handed him, and held it out for her to see, but he swept it away the minute she tried to take a bite. Then he stuck out his tongue and left her next to Gabriella, giggling madly.
"Are you feeling better now, Shar?" Gabriella questioned, eying her blonde friend, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Sharpay said, looking after Troy, as he ate his piece of cake like a pig, "I'm okay."
This is it, guys. I hope you liked it. In honour of Ashley's 22nd birthday, I even wrote a message for her in her Birthday Project, and I know several other people on here who did too (Pennia and Bethany, lol). Anyway, leave a comment?
ASHLEY TISDALE ROCKS! XD HAPPY BIRTHDAY!