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Two weeks have passed and on Monday afternoon, after she finished her tutoring sessions, which included a productive one with Troy, Gabriella walked towards the theater with Taylor in tow. The two girls wanted to get a sneak peek as to how rehearsals were going for Ryan and Audrina. Both had been pretty closed mouthed about how they were doing, so Taylor and Gabriella agreed they needed to sneak in to see how the two leads were doing.
"I don't know what's wrong with me, Rex," cried Audrina. "All I want to do is dance and sing but this town, this town makes me feel like it's a crime!"
"You mustn't say that Val," returned Ryan, advancing on her. "You have gifts only other people could dream of. Don't give up!"
Taylor and Gabriella sat down in the back of the theater and watched as the two continued on with the scene on the stage. Gabriella was fascinated with how very into their characters both Ryan and Audrina appeared to be. 'Reminds me of when Troy and I were doing Twinkle Towne last winter,' Gabriella thought, never taking her eyes off the two as they got deeper into their dialogue and the emotions of their characters.
"Hey, is it me or are they really good at acting?" whispered Taylor.
Gabriella thought for a moment. "Actually, I was debating on if it was really good acting or natural chemistry they have developed."
Taylor quickly looked at Gabriella to see that she was serious. "You really think Ryan and Audrina would betray you like that?"
"Taylor, I'm not saying they are having an affair or cheating on me. I'm saying that I think there's a chance that maybe Ryan has found someone that truly deserves him," returned Gabriella.
"Ugh, not this again Gab. I've told you time and time again that you deserve him. Just because you are confused does not mean that you don't deserve happiness too," responded Taylor. "Besides, if Ryan was having doubts, I'm sure he would have said something to you by now. He's that honest of a guy."
Gabriella gave a shrug of her shoulders. "He is honest, I would agree with that, but Ryan is also very zoned into my emotions. Ryan wouldn't tell me something if he thought it was going to hurt me in anyway."
"So we are talking the same thing. You think Ryan has a thing for your little sister and that she returns it," concluded Taylor.
Gabriella let out a sigh. "I don't know Taylor, maybe. Thing is, they could just be acting up there," Gabriella whispered back. "Instinct tells me that something beyond acting though is going on."
Taylor wrapped an arm around Gabriella's shoulders and squeezed to send her some love. "We'll both watch and see together, okay? If it is, we'll cross it then but until then, let it ride, all right?"
Gabriella nodded her head as she turned her attention back to the stage. She watched silently as Ryan and Audrina played out the characters as he took her into his arms and delivered more lines. It wasn't that long ago that she had rehearsals of her own.
"How could I have been so blind?" asked Troy with a confused voice after they had finished singing. "I've spent years looking for the love of my life only to find you now, so much time wasted."
Gabriella reached out her hand and placed it on Troy's cheek. "You were always looking for the one, the perfect girl. I certainly never felt like that fit me, I'm far from perfect."
Troy placed his hand over hers and entwined their fingers together with their free hands. "You are in my eyes."
He leaned in his head towards Gabriella and was about to kiss her when Darbus called out, "CUT! Troy, that's not what your lines and actions are, young man!"
Gabriella looked over at Troy and saw a deep blush had formed on his cheeks. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand in encouragement. She too had gotten lost in that scene that was only in the middle of Twinkle Towne, far from the resolution that they had just played out together.
"Sorry Ms. Darbus," replied Troy, as he lifted his hand that had covered Gabriella's to the rub the back of his neck, which was a nervous habit of his.
"No apologies, Troy Bolton, let's just get this right. Start again from the top of the song!" commanded Ms. Darbus.
Troy rolled his eyes, which made Gabriella laugh. "See you in a few seconds," said Gabriella with a playful smile. "And get it right this time Romeo, although I did appreciate the words from your true heart."
His blush deepened as he let go of her hand and backed into his starting position.
For the rest of rehearsal, Troy and Gabriella had a difficult time not smiling at each other with goofy looks. After two hours of practice following the slip up, Darbus finally dismissed everyone. Gabriella and Troy walked out of the theater together, grasping each other's hand. They sat out on the bench in the courtyard and waited for Coach Bolton to pick them up as was previously arranged.
"That was actually pretty sweet," commented Gabriella, breaking their comfortable silence. "That little slip into reality you had."
"Gabriella, are you trying to make me blush again?" teased Troy. "If so, I feel on my cheeks that it must be working."
Gabriella giggled as she realized he was right, his blush had crept back onto his face. "But Troy, I find that so adorable," she confessed.
"Oh yeah? You know what I find adorable?" asked Troy.
"What?" questioned Gabriella.
Troy immediately launched himself in her direction and started tickling Gabriella's sides without mercy. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh and squeal as she tried to get away from his torturous fingers. "This is what I find adorable, you being completely and innocently happy," answered Troy finally as he ceased with his tickling.
"Cruel and unusual punishment if you ask me," Gabriella returned as she paused to try to get her breath back. "One day Bolton, I will find your weakness and expose it for the world to see to get my revenge, you know that right?"
'If only she knew she was my weakness,' he thought in his head before he smiled back at her. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and brought it up to his lips to kiss softly. "Now, why would you want to torture such a sweet guy like me?"
"You may be sweet Troy, I give you that, but you are far from innocent and need to be reminded that you too are human with your soft spots," she returned.
Troy shook his head. "I never said I didn't have them. I'm just not going to volunteer them up to you, especially after you threaten me like that!"
Not having anything else she wanted to say, Gabriella ended up sticking out her tongue at him to which he stuck his tongue out back to her. Both dissolved in laughter at this and were still laughing when Coach Bolton drove up to pick them up, leaving him wondering what he missed.
Gabriella smiled at the memory and realized that she had developed a real soft spot of her own for Troy Bolton. 'God, when am I ever going to sort all this out what I feel for him?' she wondered, immediately being reminded of her boyfriend as he spoke another line up on the stage. 'I need to do something about all this otherwise I am going to be that girl who ends up hurting everyone around her, including herself, because she was Ms. Indecisive. The thing is, what do I want?'
Gabriella's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a muffled cough and giggle from the right corner behind her right after Audrina messed up a line. Gabriella and Taylor both turned their heads and spotted Sharpay, who had been evidently observing from the back. "She never changes," murmured Gabriella. "This is exactly what she did in the winter musicale, sat back in that corner and laughed at all the mess ups."
"What is that girl's problem anyway?" asked Taylor. "She thinks she owns everyone and can entice them into whatever she wants with bribes."
Gabriella groaned. "Don't remind me, all too familiar with that thank you."
"Sorry," replied Taylor.
Sharpay stopped her cackling and noticed the other two girls were looking at her. "Discovered me, huh? Gabriella, I thought you were secure enough in your relationship with Ryan not to be spying on him," stated Sharpay, turning the table around on Gabriella.
"Girls, this is not a mall and this is a closed practice. Sharpay and Gabriella, if you want to talk, I suggest you do it outside of the theater on Gabriella and her friend's way out," called Ms. Darbus after hearing Sharpay's voice from the front. "Now go!"
Gabriella and Taylor both blushed at being caught by the drama teacher and saw that Ryan and Audrina were also staring at them, along with the other cast and crew. They ducked out of the theater as fast as they could only to find that Sharpay had followed them out of the theater. "What do you want?" asked Gabriella, stopping her walk with Taylor while she continued on down the hall as she saw Chad.
"I'm just curious Gabriella, why were you here today? Did you hear the whispers in the hall about how much chemistry Audrina and Ryan have and wanted to check it out yourself?" questioned Sharpay. "Or did you just want to come back and think back of your fond memories of a musicale you will never be in again?"
Gabriella eyed Sharpay for a moment then said, "Although it isn't any of your business, Taylor and I wanted to see how our two friends were doing. That's not a crime Sharpay."
Sharpay shrugged her pink clothed shoulders and placed a thoughtful look on her face. "No, not a crime, but I do think that it is awfully naïve of you to not acknowledge the fact that my twin has another love interest. Aren't you at all jealous? Threatened even?"
"Should I be? Last time I checked, Audrina wasn't making dirty plans and attempts for my boyfriend unlike someone this past summer, no names mentioned," replied Gabriella, anger in her voice. "What's wrong, Sharpay? Do you hate seeing everyone else around you happy when you are sad? You are just clearly upset from Troy finally dumping you!"
"Troy did not dump me, I dumped him, but that was just temporary anyway. I'll have him back in no time, don't you worry. I've got all the cards to play when I want him, I just got bored," stated Sharpay. "But don't you get any ideas of going after him now that he's free, Gabriella. As soon as I see you make a move, bored or not, I will take him away just as I did this summer."
Gabriella just stared at Sharpay and her attitude. "Honestly, I have to tell you right now, I am super glad you and Troy are over. Not for any selfish reason, but for his sake. It was clear to me this summer that you corrupted him just enough to change who he was, but in any future dealings with you, I think he may just sell his soul to you as that is your payment for any 'favor' you do for him. To put it simply, Sharpay, not only do you cause chaos and destruction in all the lives that you touch but you do it with the satisfaction that you have made someone else just as miserable as you are."
Sharpay scoffed at this. "As if! You are just mad because I won this summer. I took Troy away from you and you can't stand it. You had to go out and get with my brother to attempt to upset me but I honestly could care less, especially as it looks like he is moving onto one of your friends, which, by the way, I find absolutely hilarious. Face it, Gabriella, you are always going to be the heartbroken, pathetic little girl that you are until you grow up and learn how to fight like us big girls do. I'll always win whenever I am up against you because I know how to play things and you simply do not."
"If it is games that we are playing and games that you are trying to entice me into playing with you, I won't do it. I'm not interested in being manipulative to get things to be the way that I want them to be. If Ryan really cares for Audrina, I won't stand in his way, but don't you think for a second that anything that happens between me and your brother has anything to do with you. See Sharpay, this is the difference between you and me. In my position, you would exploit Ryan and do everything you could to keep him and then rub it in my face, that's essentially what you did with Troy. But I'm not you, Sharpay Evans, and I far from dream of ever being you. So do us all a favor and step off your pedestal and try to corrupt your own life for a change," Gabriella got out as she turned on her heel and walked down the hall, leaving Sharpay to stare after her.
When Gabriella rounded the corner she found Taylor, Chad, and Zeke standing there, embarrassed looks on their faces at having been caught eavesdropping. "Guess you heard all of that," stated Gabriella.
All three nodded. "Guess she never changes," commented Chad, looking over to see Zeke, who still looked a bit sick to have heard all that. "Zeke, you cool man?"
"Sucks to hear that but at least it dampens my crush on her. I actually feel bad for Troy now, knowing how badly he got duped this summer," confessed Zeke.
"I feel bad for Troy too, having to deal with her all that time this summer but remember guys, Sharpay did not put a gun to his head to dump us all in the process of his scholarship quest," added Taylor. "I am happy that Troy seems to be correcting his mistakes, but Sharpay is not responsible for brainwashing him against his will."
"Also a good point," agreed Gabriella.
"But you know that you still care for him, Gab," corrected Chad. "I can see it in your eyes again, and if I can, that means Sharpay did back there. I have to say I'm pretty proud of my little sister standing her ground against the Ice Queen, but whether you continue to date Ryan, you date Troy, or you stand on your own without either, you need to watch your back with that one."
Gabriella smiled. "Don't worry, big brother. I know better than to turn my back on that one back there. Thank you for your concern though, it's sweet," she said as she pinched Chad's smiling cheek. "And you, Zeke, keep your chin up. You'll find someone better for you, I promise."
"Yeah Zeke, we'll help set you up on countless blind dates if that's what it takes," added Taylor. "Just tell us when."
Zeke chuckled at the two girls. "I am so lucky to have you guys as friends," he said. "I appreciate the concern and the thoughts, but I don't think I'll be using your services anytime soon. Maybe in another lifetime?"
Taylor and Gabriella rolled their eyes as Chad laughed. "Well said Zeke, I couldn't have said it better myself!" exclaimed Chad.
Taylor smacked Chad on the arm as the four friends started walking to the parking lot still in the middle of their conversation, not seeing that a lone figure further down the hallway had been watching the entire exchange, Troy.