Chapter 1
His bags were packed, by the door and ready to go, and he still had three hours until the taxi picked him up. He was just so excited about his trip. He was going to spend Christmas with two of his best friends from high school, Ryan and Gabriella Evans, formally Gabriella Montez. Ryan and Gabriella had gotten married when they were nineteen and had been together ever since. They were happy. They had a big house, good jobs, and a three-year-old son. They were living the life they had always dreamed of.
And here he was, five years after high-school, and five years since he had physically seen any one of his classmates. Well, except one. He hadn't actually talked to her, but he had seen her in a Broadway musical about eight months ago. Sharpay Evans had not changed at all, at least not physically. She was still skinny, blonde, and a bit obnoxious, so it seemed. Nope, she definitely hadn't changed.
The honk of a horn woke Troy out of his thoughts, and made him jump. Ever since he graduated from NYU, he hadn't moved back home, so here he was, in jolly-old New York City. It was a wonder that he and Sharpay had never run into each other, in such small quarters. While he was at NYU, she graduated from Juilliard and went on to be a Broadway star, no surprises there. He used to hear and see her name everywhere, but lately it seemed as though she just disappeared.
Sitting on the couch that afternoon, Troy Bolton thought about his life. Even though he was living in New York now, he had thought lately about moving back to Albuquerque and taking a coaching job at East High. For some reason, he felt as though he belonged back at East High; that was where all of his happiest moments had happened. As a freshman, he had gotten his first kiss, though from the most unexpected person, quite enjoyable. As a sophomore, he was voted basketball team captain. As a junior he had gotten his first girlfriend, though it only lasted a few weeks. And as a senior…wow, that year had been eventful. In Troy's senior year, he dated the hottest girl in school…Sharpay Evans.
Over the previous summer, Troy went out with Gabriella again at the country club, but after that summer, the fire died. Sharpay had finally given up on Troy, but he could tell that she still liked him, so he gave her a chance. She turned out to be very sweet and lovable, but that was only a side that Troy got to see. He told her he loved her, many times actually, and he did. Now, he regrets not speaking to her or visiting her after the summer before college.
Another honk outside of his apartments took Troy out of his thoughts. He looked out the window to see a taxi waiting outside for him, so he grabbed his bags and ran down the cement stairs outside. Once he had thrown his bags into the back of the small car, he climbed into the backseat and directed the man on where to go. The ride to the airport was a quiet one. For some reason, Troy could not get the image of his high-school sweetheart out of his head. He remembered all the times they went on dates, all the times they kissed, and all the times they…yeah, he definitely remembered those times. She was the only girl then and she was the only girl now. His cab pulled up outside the airport and, after paying the driver, Troy walked in to find his plane.
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"Mr. Evans?" the secretary called from outside of the large office.
"Yes, Stephanie?"
"Your wife is on line one for you. She said it's important."
"Thank you… Hello?...Hey babe…Yeah, I'll pick him up…don't forget, I also have to pick up Troy at the airport…ok, I love you…bye." The man stood up, grabbed his coat and briefcase and walked out of the office. "Stephanie, I'm leaving for the day. You can go ahead and take off too if you would like."
"Thank you. Have a nice Christmas Ryan!" And with that, the skinny blonde man opened the door and stepped out into the cold, winter afternoon.
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"It's going to be a cold one tonight, Fred. Probably the coldest of the winter." The weatherman said on the television at the grocery store. The young Hispanic woman was brought back from her thoughts when the cashier had finished ringing her up.
"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."
"Thank you." Gabriella Evans took her cart full of groceries and walked out the door, just to be hit in the face with a cold blast of air. "I don't know how we're going to survive tonight. They don't know each other are coming, and someone is going to have to sleep on the couch." She thought to herself as she loaded the groceries into the back of her car.
Once she was inside and away from the cold, she just sat there for a moment. "This should be an interesting Christmas."
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"IT'S THE PEDAL ON THE RIGHT JACKASS!" she didn't know why she was in such a bad mood, but she was just really anxious to get out of this awful New York traffic.
She looked up and saw the billboard for her new show: Legally Blonde. 'Sharpay Evans as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical' is what it said exactly. And then there was a huge picture of her sporting her 'omigosh' face. She was really glad that she had gotten this role because it a female empowerment role. The last role she played was a prostitute in Moulin Rouge. She had so much fun playing that role as well, but it was time for a change.
As she accidentally passed up the turn for the airport, she mumbled a few curses and then quickly turned around the next chance she got.
Her flight didn't land back in Albuquerque until one o'clock their time, so she had a while until she would get to see her brother and sister-in-law. The last time she had been home was just less than a year ago when her mother died. She never would have thought that she'd be standing here right now, checking in her bags getting ready to fly back home.
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"Troy! Long time no see!" Ryan Evans hugged his friend and then stepped back to take a look at him. "Wow, all that basketball must really be helping. You're like twice the size that you used to be!"
"Yeah, I have grown a bit, but what about you? The big DAD. I'm so happy for you! And how's Gabi?" Troy Bolton said as Ryan led him out to the car.
"She's great."
"Good."
"So, are you still living in the Evans' mansion?"
"Nah, Gabi and I went for something more conventional. Shar owns the house and everything now. You know she's the big money-maker in the family. Have you seen her?" Troy swallowed at the blonde's name
"I mean, I've seen her in shows and everything but I've never spoken to her. I tried once, but it didn't work out. She refused to see me." Ryan could tell that it was a sensitive subject, but didn't know why. He decided to change the subject anyway.
"Are there any women in your life?"
"Nope, not since senior year. I just can't find time for a girlfriend anymore." This was the excuse he always used. He couldn't very well say: there's a girl I have loved all my life and I haven't spoken to her in five years, now could he?
"Wow, dude. Ah, here we are!" Ryan and Troy got out of the car and carried Troy's bag in. Once they had put his stuff in the guest bedroom, they went to find Gabriella in the kitchen. Troy snuck up behind her and poked her in the side, causing her to squeal."
"Troy, it's so good to see you! How have you been since high school?" she hugged him and then got back to cooking.
"Great! Basically basketball 24/7."
"Some things never change." She smiled at him and then turned to her husband. "Can I speak with you for a minute?" Once they had walked into the living room, she began. "Did you tell him?"
"I couldn't"
"Ryan!"
"Did you tell her?" Gabriella looked at him sheepishly.
"I couldn't. She was just so happy to be coming home and I couldn't spoil that for her. Ryan, she's finally happy again. Maybe we should just find somewhere else for one of them to stay."
"We can't do that Gabi. We promised them both a great Christmas. Sharpay and Troy will just have to get over their differences. I'm sure we'll find a way through this." They heard someone clear their throat behind them.
"Umm, I'm going to go to bed. I've had a long day." As quick as he came, he disappeared. Ryan and Gabriella went back into the kitchen.
"Gabi, we'll tell them in the morning, after they've had a good night's rest."
"But what about when you get home with Shar tonight. Don't you think she'll wonder why she has to sleep on the couch?"
"Shar always falls asleep on the way back to house from the airport. She'll be so exhausted that I'll probably have to carry her in. There's nothing to worry about, I promise." He kissed her and went into the bedroom to get a couple of hours of sleep until he had to pick Shar up.
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"Ryan!! I'm so happy to see you!" the blonde twins stood in the airport and hugged. "It's been too long. And the last time I was here things weren't really under the best circumstances."
"I know. But you're here now, and this Christmas is going to be great."
"I know, Ry. I just have a feeling that something's not right." She laid her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the terminal doors and into the bitter cold.
Once they were in the car and the heat was turned on high. Sharpay snuggled up in her seat and, as Ryan had predicted, fell asleep. She slept the whole way there, only opening her eyes once when Ryan lifted her out of the car to take her inside.
Careful not to wake anybody up, he quietly, and one-handedly, unlocked the door, carried his sister inside the living room, laid her down on the couch, and covered her up with two blankets and a quilt. The quilt had been their mother's, and one of Sharpay's favorites.
Ryan leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Shar." He smiled and walked into his own bedroom to let sleep overtake him.