Wow. It's been a while, ne? I am really sorry about that! There has just been a whole bunch of stuff going on that's tied me up, so once again, I am very sorry. Hopefully, this chapter will make up for it!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and the writing. Everything else is owed by...someone else.

...

Chapter 6- Beneath the Ice

"You cannot tell me that you have never learned how to ride a bike." Troy demanded, taking another bite of his cookie. The pair had finished their frosting of the cookies just minutes before, and were now "getting to know each other" as they sat across from one another on the comfortable leather couch in the basement. In front of them was a coffee table that matched with the rest of the décor flawlessly. On top of the small table sat a large plate of the peanut butter fudge cookies they had made that they were now enjoying.

"I can because it's true."

"Wow. You did live a sad childhood." he told her, a sympathetic expression on his face.

"Oh come on. It's not that wonderful to ride a bike. Your legs get tired, not to mention you get all sweaty." she defended. Troy stared at her with an incredulous look.

"Riding a bike is a huge part of the childhood experience, Shar. When you're on that bike, riding faster and faster, and then you let go of the handlebars, man, it's amazing!" he exclaimed. Sharpay sent him a look. "When you're a kid, of course."

"Of course." she agreed, a knowing smile gracing her lips. She took a bite of a chewy cookie, accidentally landing a spot of chocolate frosting on the tip of her nose. Troy laughed, and she sent him a quizzical look.
"What?" she mumbled through her cookie.

"You've got frosting on your nose."

"Aw, man! Could you get it for me?" she asked. He chuckled and nodded.

"Sure."

Troy leaned forward and gently wiped the spot of chocolate from her nose with his thumb. The blond in front of him caught his eyes, making it hard for him to tear his gaze away from hers. Eventually, she was the one to break the trance.

"So..." she mumbled.

"Okay, question time." Troy stated, recovering quickly from the awkwardness, "I'm going to ask you however many questions I want to, and you're going to answer them, okay?"

"Alright." she said.

"You have to answer them truthfully, too."

"Okay! Just start already!" she joked. He smiled.

"First question. What is the craziest thing you've ever done?"

"Go bungee jumping."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. A year ago. I was all ready to go, chickened out at the last second, but Ryan pushed me off anyway." Sharpay recalled. Troy laughed.

"Alright. What is your favorite genre of music?"

"I don't have one. I like at least one band, artist, or song from every genre."

"What are your favorite bands then?"

"Hm...that's a tough one! I'll have to say: The Fray, Missy Higgins, Colbie Calliet, Sugarland, Joshua Radin, Susie Suh, and Augustana."

"Interesting." the brunette teen mused, "Favorite food?"

"There's two. Steak with homemade mashed potatoes, and tomato soup with sourdough bread grilled cheese sandwiches."

"What's the one thing about you that everyone thinks is true, but isn't?"

"That I have no feelings towards anyone or anything." Sharpay told him immediately. He nodded.

"One thing about your life that you'd change?"

"Nothing."

"Not even one thing?"

"Nope. The way I see it, everything that I've been through and go through makes me who I am."

"Favorite thing about yourself?"

"That I focus most on the present and the future."

"Least favorite?"

"That I'm a perfectionist."

"Favorite thing about me?" the girl laughed.

"That no matter how much you try to say otherwise, you're a real soft, sweet guy at heart."

"Least favorite thing?"

"You've got the biggest ego in the history of egos."

"Understandable. Biggest revelation?"

"That I'm not always going to get what I want." she answered, a longing look crossing through her thoughtful brown eyes.

"Favorite feature about yourself?"

"My hair! And just because I know you're going to ask it, my favorite feature about you is your eyes because they always show what you're really thinking."

"You know me all too well already!"

"I'm good at reading people."

"I can see that! Um, proudest moment of your life to this date?"

"That Ms. Darbus has enough faith in me to put me in a part that has nothing to do with who I am."

Troy looked at her for a moment.

"You're lying."

Her eyes shot up to meet his, confusion flowing through them. He shrugged.

"Okay, you're right. My proudest moment was the first time my father told me he was proud of me. It was 4 months ago, and I had been offered a chance to attend the most prestigious acting camp in the world, for free. It was the only time he ever told me that." she revealed. Troy wanted to know more, but he knew when not to push it.

"Happiest moment?"

"The day I was finally a big sister." Sharpay answered after a moment's hesitation.

"Saddest moment?"

"When I lost that." she whispered.

"Shar, I-"

"Don't, Bolton." she interrupted, holding up her hand, "I don't need your pity."

He nodded.

"Okay."

"Your turn." the blond actress stated simply.

"Well, my favorite genre of music is probably Rock, both Alternative and Classic. My favorite bands are The Fray, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Bright Eyes, and Three Days Grace. Food is macaroni and cheese, the homemade kind, of course. Everyone thinks that I like being in the spotlight all the time, but I don't. Sometimes, I just wish I could blend in. If I could change on thing about my life, it would be that I have this inability to express my feelings in adequate ways. Favorite thing about me is that I'll do pretty much everything I set my mind to, least favorite it that I'll do pretty much everything I set my mind to. My favorite thing about you is...everything, and my least favorite doesn't exist. My biggest revelation is that things aren't always how they seem to be from the outside. Favorite feature about myself is my athleticism. My favorite feature about you is your nose. My proudest moment is when I finally did something that I wanted to do. Happiest moment is when I thought I had everything, saddest is when I realized that I was missing one thing in my life that I wanted most. Did I leave anything out?" Troy informed, telling everything truthfully.

"Yeah, you never told me what the craziest thing you've ever done was." Sharpay pointed out breathlessly, still reeling from what he'd said about her.

"Ah yes. Craziest thing I've ever done is kiss you." he told her. She cocked her head to the side.

"Bolton, you've never--"

And his lips were upon hers.

Kissing Sharpay was something that Troy had wanted to do since the second he saw her cooking in the kitchen. He wanted to feel her soft lips up against hers, feel her right next to him. He tasted the strawberry chap stick on her lips, tasted the chocolate lingering on her tongue. He felt her soft as silk blond hair between his fingers, and he couldn't help but want everything to always be like that.

Kissing Troy was something Sharpay had wanted to do for 3 years. No matter how much she hated to admit it, she really liked Troy, and had for years. But she never thought she was good enough for him. Even now he had his precious Gabriella. However, Gabriella didn't matter right then. Because at that moment, his lips were on hers, his hands were running through her hair and, if even for a moment, he was hers.

...

Hours later, the two of them were laying in the grass of the Evans' grand backyard. They were long past the pool and the large patio, the big sound system and the huge house, and were looking up at the stars with nothing but more grass around them. Sharpay's head was resting on Troy's shoulder, his fingers entwined with hers.

"Hey Shar?" he whispered carefully, not wanting to break the feeling encompassing them that left him nearly breathless.

"Hmm?"

"What's something you've never told anyone before?" he asked, looking down to meet her gaze. She was quiet for so long that he was afraid she wouldn't answer, afraid that he'd upset her.

"That I act because it's the only thing that keeps my feet on the ground." she finally said, "I guess that there's just so much going on in my own life, it's easier to just pretend to be someone else. That's why I act like I do at school all the time, you know. I know I seem like this ice covered girl who doesn't feel anything and only cares about getting the lead in the school productions and making it big and always looking perfect...but that's not how it is. I'm like that so that no one knows how I really feel. Then I go and act, and at that moment, during practice, during performances, I don't have to be me. I don't have to worry about what I'm going through, I only have to worry about what my character is going through, and the bigger the part, the more I get to pretend. That's why I was so upset last year when you and Gabriella took the leads. Acting is more than just a hobby to me, Troy. It's everything. It's what keeps me sane." she revealed quietly, finally meeting his eyes. The boy in front of her wiped a tear from her cheek as soon as it fell, knowing she wouldn't want it to be there. She sniffed slightly before letting a small smile grace her lips.

"What about you?" she inquired.

"No one knows that I almost never do what I really want to do. Don't get me wrong, I like having a lot of friends, and I love basketball...but my life isn't what I want to to be. I wish it was more low-key, that I could just live a sort of simple life. Maybe I don't even know what I truly want, so I just go along with what everyone else expects of me. Instead of finding out what I want, I let everyone else tell me what I want, and I do that." he sighed, "I don't know any other way to live my life then that way."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, thoughts drifting between the two.

Sharpay wondered why she had told Troy what she had. She had truly never told anyone that before, not even Beth, her best friend of years. Of course, Beth knew what had happened, but she never knew how much it effected her. And yet, she just told Troy Bolton, her archenemy, what she was feeling. Granted, he had kissed her hours before, but...she still didn't understand herself.

Troy knew exactly why he told Sharpay what he had told her. It was because he liked her. There was more to the girl then he had originally thought, and with everything he found out about her, he wanted to know more, meaning he had to trust her, too. Not to mention, he was just so sick of keeping that from everyone. He wanted to tell someone, and she just happened to be that someone.

He looked down at the girl laying next to him, a contemplative look on her face, chocolate brown eyes deep in thought. She bit her lip and chewed on it slightly before heaving a sigh. To Troy at that moment, she looked amazing, she looked human. Suddenly, he wanted to kiss her again.

So he did, because he was tired of not doing everything he wanted to do.

And she kissed him back, because she was tired of pretending she didn't want to.