Title: A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Rating: M just to be safe. Dramatic/angsty moments and language.. possibly intimate scenes later on...
Pairing: Sharpay and Troy. Eventually. But shhh… you don't know that yet.
Disclaimer: Uhh.. I SO don't own anything.. You know that. I know that. That's settled. Song title from Disney Channel, btw.
A/N: So. I completely adored the character Sharpay, but I thought she was way too damn perky and mean. There HAD to be a dark side to her. So this story is portraying her REAL side. Or so I believe. :)
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes...
"when you can dream... then you can start... a dream is a wish you make with your heart..."
Rain slowly trickled down the glass window and Sharpay stared at her frail reflection as she sat and listened to the rhythmic pitter-patter of the water drops from the warmth of her bedroom. But inside she felt so cold. She sighed deeply and hugged herself while her dark brown watery eyes were fixed upon the gray and gloomy busy world outside. Uncertainty and frustration reeled in and out of her mind and she ran a pale shaky hand through her perfectly cut blonde hair. She felt like her whole life was all building up to something, and right as she reached the top of it there was absolutely nothing. She wanted to give up. She felt so… empty. Lifeless. Unimportant. But most of all, she was just utterly and downright confused.
Sharpay Aurora Mackenzie Evans seemed to have it all. Her parents were unbelievably rich, so her and her twin brother Ryan could have anything their little adolescent hearts desired. But clothes… money… popularity… All for what? Sharpay thought disgustingly, feeling the need to rip everything she owned to shreds. It means nothing! She wanted to scream. But of course, 'little-miss-perfect' can do-no-wrong. She clenched her eyes tight and leaned her head against the wall behind her, a stray tear escaping from her pools of chocolate-brown. She sniffled as she tried drying her eyes, mentally kicking herself for being so weak. Why? Sharpay asked herself. Why am I like this? With her head in her hands, a meek little voice was heard from the back of her mind.
Maybe it's because you don't have a single person in this world who knows the real you.
Sharpay frowned. But who the hell am I anyway? She argued with herself, another silent tear falling down her cheek. A small knock on her closed bedroom door interrupted her thoughts and made her pop back into reality.
"Ray?" She quickly recognized the gentle muffled voice that was standing behind the door. He was the only one in the entire universe who was allowed to use that nickname for her. "It's Ry."
Time to put on the mask again…Sharpay thought as she tried composing herself to become her prissy and bitchy 'self'. "Wh-What do you want?" Her voice trembled. Not at all believable… shit. She winced.
"Well," Ryan's voice answered simply, "It's 1:30 in the afternoon and you haven't come out of your room yet today… I'm just… concerned, I guess…"
Sharpay was silent for a moment; she tried making her voice sound convincing. "I'm perfectly fine," she said cautiously, feeling the anger rise within her. She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes, wishing her twin brother would leave her alone. She couldn't deal with anyone right now, not in the emotional state she was in at the moment.
"Mother and Father are getting worried also."
"I. Don't. Care." Sharpay said through clenched teeth. She was staring at her closed wooden bedroom door, thankful there was a barrier in between the two of them.
"What should I tell them then?"
Sharpay stood up and walked over to her feathery pink and white bed and laid down, putting her palms over her eyes, desperately trying not to lash out at her brother. "Tell them," she said slowly, "that I'm diligently memorizing and reciting my lines for the upcoming play."
"Sharpay… It's summer. School ended just a week ago, they'll never buy that excuse—"
"JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, RYAN!"She shouted before he could finish his sentence. Sharpay reached her breaking point, she didn't mean to react in such fashion, but he just pushed her over the edge.
Ryan froze in his tracks. He definitely wasn't expecting a reaction like that. Confused and hurt, he walked away speechless, listening to the heart-wrenching sobs coming from inside Sharpay's room.
Everything she'd ever held in, every emotion that was ever bottled deep inside her burst out of Sharpay like a tidal wave. Her sobs shook her body to her inner core and she felt entirely helpless. She was positively sure her parents and her brother and even maybe some neighbors could hear her, but at this point in time, Sharpay really didn't care. It was a huge mansion; chances are her parents were probably oblivious to the entire situation.
She used almost all of her effort to roll herself over so she could cry harder and louder into her pillows. It muffled the noise greatly, but it didn't help the pain inside. All of her emotions were spilling out of her and she cried out more in exasperation. Almost hyperventilating, Sharpay tried taking deep breaths, but when she attempted and realized that she couldn't calm down, she let out a long wail, which made her whole body tremble, and that only made her cry even more. Her world was crashing down fast. And she had absolutely no idea how to rebuild it.
.
Ryan sat in his room, frozen and horrified. His room was right across the hall from Sharpay's. Her cries sounded as clear as day and they echoed and repeated inside his mind like a nightmare. Sharpay was always strong. Always tough. Or… so Ryan thought. He had his hand on his chin, his gray blue eyes hypnotized and staring at his bedroom door. He had completely no idea that Sharpay was hurting that badly inside. She always fended for herself and depended on no one else but her. That was just how she lived. Nothing and no one could ever break her down.
Well, that was until now.
Why? A-And how? Ryan wondered. How long has she felt like this? Was it because of me? What did I do? Or… God damn… what has happened to her? He rubbed both his temples, trying to block out Sharpay's pitiful cries. Every minute that slipped by, more and more of his heart started to break. Never in his entire life has he ever heard Sharpay cry this hard and for this long. It was getting too much for him to handle. He racked his brain for the right thing to do. It was definitely a miracle that his parents hadn't heard her yet. Not like they'd care, he thought, rolling his eyes.
He couldn't take it anymore; he stood up abruptly, knowing in his heart exactly what he should do. Though hesitating for a couple seconds with his hand on his doorknob, he threw open his door, ran across the hall and ripped open Sharpay's door. He immediately spotted Sharpay lying on her stomach on her bed. Her hair was in a loose ponytail and it was all tousled and frizzy, her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and her pillows and blankets were all wet with salty tears. She was wearing nothing but a small pink camisole tank top and matching striped boxer shorts, but none of this mattered to them at the moment. Sharpay needed him.
Ryan sprinted towards the bed and carefully lifted his petite sister up into his arms. Still crying as hard as ever, Sharpay accepted his hug gratefully and completely broke down further in his embrace. Ryan rocked her back and forth making soothing noises in her ear.
"Ray…. What is wrong?" Ryan whispered faintly. She tried responding, but all that would come out were choked sobs and gasps. Sharpay clung onto him as if Ryan were her last lifeline. Since Sharpay was showing no signs of stopping soon, Ryan scooted backwards into a more comfortable position on her bed and just held his sister tight, rubbing her back occasionally.
"Please, Sharpay…" Ryan said seriously after some time passed, "I want to help! Tell me what the hell is going on! I hate seeing you like this!" Sharpay gave one great whimper and a sniffle, followed by another soft cry while she swallowed, but she was showing signs of calming down. Ryan held her close, still not knowing the reasoning behind this breakdown. But he didn't care. He was patient, and waited until Sharpay lay completely still, not saying a word.
Ryan didn't dare speak; in fear Sharpay would lose her courage to say what's on her mind. So he waited very patiently, even when Sharpay shifted positions to become more comfortable. Her head now rested on his left shoulder, and Ryan's back was leaning against the headboard. She sniffled again, and he sighed deeply, making her move with the rise of his chest. She was still very silent, and neither twin said anything for quite some time. Ryan thought his sister had fallen asleep.
"Life."
Ryan's ears perked up. "What?" he asked gently.
"Life is what's wrong," Sharpay said in just a barely-heard whisper. Her eyes started to get watery and her lip started to tremble dangerously.
"Hey, hey, hey… shhh…" Ryan said, comforting her again. She started to cry again, this time silently. Her abs were tightening and her face was scrunched up, she was using all her effort to not let the sob come through. She let out the breath she was holding, but quickly sucked back in.
"Ray, you're exhausted, hun," Ryan said looking down at Sharpay, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. She took a couple deep breaths, which were more like gasps. "You're going to take a nap for a little bit, and then a shower to clean up, all right?" Ryan ordered. "We're going to talk once you've calmed down." She nodded meekly, knowing he only said that because he cares.
Ryan slid out of Sharpay's arms and scooted off the bed and into the other room. Sharpay slowly lay down on top of her covers, now depressed because she was alone again. But not soon after, her eyes lit up suddenly once Ryan entered the room with a fresh dry pillow. Sharpay noticed it was his own that he was giving her. They smiled at each other, no words necessary as he exchanged the damp pillow with the clean one. Sharpay buried her head deeper into the pillow, and was suddenly embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed a deep red and she couldn't look her brother in the eye. Ryan looked at her sympathetically, and he pulled the covers she was lying on out from under her and tucked her in.
"Get some rest, sis," Ryan muttered quietly, and he kissed her forehead. Sharpay watched her brother walk away a couple steps.
"Don't leave," she choked. Ryan's expression changed drastically, and he went straight back to the bed to be by her side. Embarrassed again, Sharpay watched Ryan's figure climb into her bed with her from the corner of her eye. But she breathed a sign of relief, feeling at peace when he was around.
"I won't leave," he said tenderly but firmly. The way Ryan was sitting, he was leaning against the headboard again, but this time with the support of a couple pillows for his back. He looked to his left and saw Sharpay, eyes closed, lying on her side facing him, her breathing gradually becoming calmer by the second. He could see it in her facial expression, she was really hurting inside. And whatever it was, Ryan wanted to make that pain go away.
Ryan brushed the hair out of Sharpay's face again, and she sighed deeply. He sat by her side until he was fully sure that she was fast asleep. He could tell because her breathing patterns were now slow and rhythmic instead of short and choppy. He silently slipped off her bed, tiptoed to the door and looked back one last time, hand lingering on the doorknob. He frowned when he noticed Sharpay's expression. It was a look of confusion and doubt, and that killed Ryan inside. He wanted the best for his sister, but he couldn't help if he didn't know what was going on. But for right now, all Ryan could do was wait.
A/N - I probably won't be updating this for a few weeks, but I loooove reviewers. Like WOAH. :) Even if it just says something like "Hey this was good." Or "hey I think you suck" I don't careeeee. I like criticism, btw. Well.. to a point.. whatever. This is my first High School Musical fanfic, and I would appreciate some feedback. Just please… review review reviewwwww!