Title: Curious Girl Under Glass

Author: Me, duh.

Summary: "Do you want me to say 'I love you and only you'?" he asked. "I don't want you to love me," she replied. Troypay.

Author Note: I don't know if I'm going to go on with this or not, but it popped into my head the other day while watching a movie and I just had to get it out. The title comes from a Bright Eyes song.

Disclaimer: I don't own HSM or anything like that. I do own an awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe, though. But it's just not as fun to write about...

The sun was coming through the blinds in misshapen lines that cut across the white carpet in Sharpay Evans' room like jagged scars. It made the walls of the room look dark and lifeless. She traced the closest line with her bare toes, digging them into the plush carpet. She giggled softly at the thought feeling, the movement making her sway. The drugs were starting to go to her head, and they were making her vision swim.

Troy Bolton, who sat beside her on the bed, nudged her, telling her to hold still. The razor blade in his hand flashed as it caught the light from the window, and Sharpay froze to watch his movements. Troy was carefully cutting two even lines of coke on the cover of last year's yearbook, cutting right through the word 'Wildcats'. She giggled again, taking care to not shake the bed this time. Troy glanced at her as he dipped his head down and gave her a half-hearted smile. Sharpay grinned in response.

Moment later, Troy was relaxing back on the bed beside her, his head propped on her pillow. He gestured for her to join him, and Sharpay slowly lay back, until her head was on his chest. She laid one hand on his stomach, gripping his shirt. Troy pulled her closer until she could hear his rapid heartbeat against her ear.

"I heard something today," Sharpay said softly. "Kind of interesting."

"Yeah? What?"

"A rumor about you." She turned her body slightly, so that she fit against his side neatly, moving her head up to his shoulder. His hand slid from her waist down towards her lower back, resting just above the curve of her ass.

"There's always a rumor about me, Shar," Troy replied lightly. He was starting to feel the effects of the drugs, and his voice sounded distant. "You'll have to be a bit more specific." His fingers were playing with the waistband of her jeans, making her skin tingle.

"It was about her. That new girl." She turned further, so that she could lift her head to look into his eyes.

Troy smiled slightly as he said her name, "Gabriella."

"Yes, her." Sharpay frowned. "They were saying you're going to go out. As in boyfriend and girlfriend." She said the last part in a rush; as if afraid the words wouldn't come out unless she forced them.

Troy rolled Sharpay off of him in one quick movement, pushing himself up so he sat at the edge of the bed. Sharpay scrambled to sit up, a little unnerved by his sudden movement. Troy was bent over, searching for the bottle of vodka he knew she kept underneath the bed. He found it after a moment, twisting off the top and taking one long drink. When he finally spoke, it was a simple, "Yeah."

Sharpay moved closer, being careful not to touch. "So it's true?" she asked, trying to sound casual. She knew she had failed when Troy turned to her with a sideways look and shoved the bottle into her hand.

"Just ask me, Sharpay. Am I going out with Gabriella?" Troy sighed.

Sharpay took a second drink before handing the bottle back to Troy. "Are you?" she asked.

"I guess I am," Troy nodded.

"Oh."

Sharpay left the conversation at that, not caring to say more. They passed the bottle back and forth a few more times before Sharpay's head began to swim and she had to lie down again. Troy took one more drink before placing the bottle on her nightstand. He turned to her, taking a moment to just stare. She recognized the look in his eye even before he reached for her.

Troy kissed her hard, and she used her tongue to taste the last remnants of the vodka in his mouth. Her hands were in his hair, drawing him closer. His hands were under her shirt, pulling on the lacy material of her bra. And then he was on top of her, his knee nudging apart her legs to make room for his body. His hands become more insistent, until she pulled away long enough to remove her shirt, tossing it aside.

He moved towards the newly exposed flesh, leaving small marks all along her neck and chest. She tightened her grip on his hair until he hissed in pain and pulled away, but only for a moment. He returned to her lips, his kissing bruising in urgency, even though his lips were soft. He was the first boy she had ever kissed that had lips as soft as her own. She wondered if Gabriella's lips were soft, too. She began to picture Troy and Gabriella together, the other girl with skin darker than her own, smaller breasts, and slightly wider hips for Troy to grip. The image became too vivid and Sharpay abruptly moved away from Troy.

"Is she a virgin?" The question took them both by surprise, and Sharpay bit her lip as if she could take it back. But the words were already there, hanging in-between them like a dark cloud.

"Does it matter?" Troy asked, annoyed now. He sat back up, leaving Sharpay cold and lonely in his sudden absence.

"No, I guess not," Sharpay said softly, folding her arms in front of her exposed chest.

"Sometimes, Sharpay..."Troy began, but his voice trailed off before he muttered, "Goddamn!"

"Just say it," Sharpay urged.

He turned towards her again, but this time his eyes were hot and angry. "I'm not your fucking boyfriend, Sharpay," he spat at her.

"Fuck, Troy," she cursed, scooting back on her bed so that the gap between them grew. She felt awkward fighting half nude, but her anger drove her on. "I didn't think you were. Why would I?"

"Then why are you harassing me about Gabriella?" he cried, standing up suddenly.

"I'm not harassing you," Sharpay replied. "I asked a question. Big deal. Get over yourself." She glared at him.

"Get over myself?" Troy echoed. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Sharpay cried.

"What do you want from me? Do you want me to say I'll stop seeing her?" Troy asked, kneeling on the bed as he faced her. "That I won't fuck her?" He laughed a harsh, bitter laugh, pushing Sharpay back so that she was pressed against the mattress. "Do you want me to say 'I love you and only you, Sharpay'?" As he spoke, he moved their bodies together, so that Sharpay was no longer able to move.

"I don't want you to love me," Sharpay replied, her voice too soft to carry the words.

Troy didn't say any more. Instead, he roughly began to pull Sharpay's remaining clothes off, taking no care to be gentle. When she was disrobed and lay naked against the comforter, he removed his own pants. The sex was rough and uncaring, as he pounded into her. But one of his hands was wrapped in her blonde hair, his thumb stroking her temple softly, as if to comfort her. Sharpay closed her eyes, letting the motion of Troy's thrusts mix with the spinning of her head.

When it was over, Troy dressed and left quickly. Sharpay lay still for a moment, her head still spinning. After a long moment, she sat up, reaching for her bathrobe. As she tied the belt, her door swung open, revealing her brother. He came in without waiting for an invitation, barely restraining a sigh as he caught sight of her.

"So, I saw Troy leave," Ryan said. "I don't think I have to ask what you were doing." He kicked aside the discarded yearbook, moving to sit beside her on the bed.

"It's none of your business, Ryan," Sharpay sneered, pulling her robe tighter around her.

"Right. My perfect twin sister can handle everything herself." He laughed, but it sounded angry. "Mom called from New York. They decided to stay another two weeks. She wanted to know how you were. Don't worry, though. I didn't mention that you had transformed into a drugged up slut." The words were meant to sting, but Ryan no longer sounded angry. His eyes were sad as he glanced at his sister.

Sharpay turned towards him, smirking, "I'm not a slut."

"Well, one out of two ain't bad."

They sat in silence for a moment before Sharpay asked, "Did you hear he's dating the new girl?"

"Yeah, I heard. They're a sweet couple. Sort of." He glanced at Sharpay again. "I don't think she knows about this side of him."

"No, I bet she doesn't," Sharpay agreed.

"She's really nice. Gabriella, that is. Friendly. She's smart, too. You'd hate her."

"I don't know her. She doesn't matter."

"To you or to Troy?" Ryan shook his head, "Never mind, I don't want to know. I prefer the Troy Bolton from school over the one from your bedroom."

"Yeah, well..."

"Go to sleep, Sharpay. You look terrible." Ryan stood, glancing back only as he pulled the door shut.

The sun was low in the sky now, leaving the room dim. The lines from the blinds were barely visible on her carpet as she crossed her room towards her dresser, pulling out a shirt. She changed quickly, not bothering to run a brush through her hair or wash off her makeup from the day. Instead, she finished the last of the vodka in one long drink before falling back onto the bed. She fell asleep on top of the covers with the now empty bottle lying beside her and dreams of rough touches and soft lips haunted her through the night.