Part Three: Confused

“Shar?” I called a week later, stepping in through the front door. “I thought we had rehearsals. Where were you?” I paused in the front hall, listened. There was no response, but I could hear movement in the lounge. “Shar, what are you-?”

I froze in the archway leading into the living room. My sister was half naked on the floor, with none other than Troy Bolton on top of her. I don’t know why this surprised me so much. Sharpay had always had a thing for him, and Troy wasn’t connected to anyone. The thing with Gabriella had fizzled out as soon as it had started, with them deciding they were better off as friends. But…he hated Sharpay, didn’t he?

“Oh,” I said breathlessly as they both snapped up to look at me. “That’s what you’re doing. I’m just gonna…” I motioned behind me lamely, before turning and running off as fast as I could.

Sharpay ran into the kitchen after me a few seconds later, still buttoning her shirt as I slammed my bag down on the countertop, “Ryan, I didn’t mean-”

I braced my hands on the breakfast counter, gripping the edge, closing my eyes as I tried to regulate my breathing, “I know you have sex, Sharpay. I just don’t want to see you doing it.”

I sensed her nodding, “Understood.”

I opened my eyes, looked up at her, “And Troy Bolton?! How did that even happened?!”

She walked to the fridge, removed two bottles of juice, throwing me one. “We were paired up for a Social Studies assignment.”

I swallowed a mouthful of juice, “Uh-huh. And I see you’re making steady progress on that assignment.”

“Look, it just happened. I’m not sure how, but-”

Someone cleared their throat at the door, “Erm… Guys… I’m just gonna head off.”

I shook my head, “Stay.”

Troy blinked in surprise, “What?”

“Stay. I don’t care.” I headed for the door, moved out past Troy, “I’m going to my room. You can get back to your ‘assignment’.”

*****

“Evening, duckie,” my mom said fondly as I strolled into the kitchen later.

“Hi, Mom,” was my cheerful response. I stopped by the counter, plucked a grape from the bunch sitting there. “Where’s Shar?” I asked as I chewed.

“In her room, hard at work with Troy,” she told me with a slight knowing eyebrow wiggle that had me laughing. You couldn’t get anything past our mother.

“She’s hard at work at something all right…” I swallowed another grape, “You all packed for Europe?”

Mom was going on vacation with a group of her friends for three months, starting tomorrow morning- touring around Europe. So that meant, as Dad only came home once every two weeks at the moment since he was so busy at work, that Sharpay and I would effectively be home alone. But we were able to manage.

She nodded, “I am. Are you sure that you two are going to be okay?”

“We’ll be fine,” I assured her.

She leaned over to kiss my cheek, angling her head carefully so she didn’t dislodge my hat, “It’s my job to worry. And remember, no wild parties.”

“The repercussions of breaking anything are enough to put us off that idea,” I muttered.

“You could always have Chad round.”

I looked over at the far-too-innocent tone of her voice; saw her busying herself with the coffee pot. I shook my head in amusement, “You love the fact that I have a boyfriend, don’t you?”

She flushed, “Well, it seemed that your sister had lots of boyfriends while you were on your own. And Chad’s a lovely young boy…”

I grinned, turning my attention back to the grapes, “Yeah. He is.”

She smiled at me, “Could you go and tell Sharpay and Troy that dinner will be ready in about ten minutes?”

I frowned, “He’s staying for dinner?”

“Yes. I know you don’t get along with him, but it seemed the polite thing to do. Is this a problem?”

I shook my head, forced a smile at the thought of having a meal with the guy who hated my guts, “No problem.”

“Glad to hear it.”

I scowled to myself as I left the kitchen and started up the stairs. Whatever my personal feelings for Troy were, I couldn’t ask Mom to uninvite him from dinner. I paused outside Sharpay’s door, knocked thrice. “You decent?” I hollered through it.

“Yeah,” was the immediate response. I opened the door to see Sharpay sitting on her beanbag while Troy lay on his stomach on the floor, mind-maps and other pieces of paper scattered over the floor in front of them.

“Wow,” I acknowledged. “We didn’t think you’d actually be working. Dinner’s in ten.”

Sharpay nodded at me, and I went to close the door, but Troy scrambled to his feet. “Wait. Ryan, can I talk to you?”

“It didn’t work out too well last time you said that,” I remarked once he’d moved out into the hall and shut the door.

He sighed, “I just wanted to say: I’m sorry if me and Sharpay make you uncomfortable.”

I gave him an incredulous look, “Why would I care?”

His eyebrows winged up, “I-”

“You’re hardly the first if her guys to hate me,” I told him evenly. “We don’t have to get along if you start dating her. Matter of fact, we don’t even have to talk.”

His eyes narrowed, “Under it all, you’re colder than she is.”

I laughed in surprised amusement, “We’re about even, actually. I’m just not trying to charm you out of your pants…”

His lips curved, and a glint came into his eye, “Can’t say I’d oppose if you did.” And, with that, he turned and walked back into Sharpay’s room, leaving me slack jawed in the hall.