MUMUS: True Friend
Enjoy.
Requested By: Troypazash @ ff.net
Couple: Troy & Sharpay
Rating: T
Quote: Booze is the answer. I don't remember the question
Setting/Event: College frat party
Random Stuff:
- Keg
- Sharpay's broken heel
- Crazy mascot
Spending his first college Spring Break in his childhood bedroom was not how Troy imagined it being. When he was in middle school, he and Chad had decided they’d go to the MTV Spring Break, but they had grown up (not to mention had different weeks off). When he had gotten together with Gabriella and had moved to California for school with her, he had imagined them spending Spring Break on one of California’s beaches, but she had accepted an invitation from her roommate and a few other friends from her school to spend the week building a house for Habitat for Humanity, which left Troy with two options: stay on campus for Spring Break or go home to Albuquerque, and his mom made that decision for him.
So after his last class of the week, Troy caught a ride to the airport from a friend and flew home. His parents picked him up at the airport and took him out for a late dinner before heading home. When they got there, Chad’s car was parked out front.
Since he was spending the weekend at Chad’s apartment near campus, Troy tossed his dufflebag into his friend’s car.
Before they could leave, his dad pulled him aside and said, “I know you guys are probably going to party this weekend and while I can’t tell you what to do because you’re 18, I just to remind you that you are underage and if you get caught, you have to live with the consequences.”
Even though he wanted to forget his dad’s words, they stood at the front of his mind as Chad drove to his apartment. The words remained in his mind as he and Chad went into the apartment, dropped off his stuff then headed to a frat party a few blocks away. He had partied in California before, but never with a warning before hand.
Entering the party, which had started a couple hours prior, Troy followed Chad through the maze of people and into the kitchen. They both grabbed a red plastic cup filled with beer from the keg then made the rounds. Troy said hello to the people he knew and Chad introduced him to people he didn’t know.
“Troy!”
Troy turned around when he heard somebody call his name and came face to face with a very drunk Sharpay, who was caring a cup in one hand and a shoe with a broken heel in the other. He barely caught her from falling over when a crazy mascot bumped into her.
“You’re so sweet,” Sharpay cooed as she ran a pointer finger down the side of his cheek. “I missed you, Troy.”
“Thanks,” Troy said, helping her stand on her own two feet again. He glanced around looking for Chad, but couldn’t find him.
“So how come you’re home?” Sharpay asked, slurring her words.
“Spring Break,” he replied.
“Ooo,” Sharpay said. “Did Gabriella come with you?”
“Uh, no, she’s back in California,” he replied and instantly regretted it when a happy look crossed her face.
“You wanna come back to my place and have some fun?” Sharpay asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. Troy wasn’t sure if she was trying to create intimacy or if she just needed some help standing up.
“Hey guys,” Chad said, appearing out of nowhere. He took one look at Sharpay and shook his head. “How much have you had to drink tonight, Sharpay?”
“Booze is the answer. I don’t remember the question,” she replied, lifting her cup to her lips then frowning when she realized it was empty.
“Is she always like this?” Troy asked Chad.
“Her nickname is Boozy,” Chad replied, frowning as Sharpay reached for a nearly full cup left on a table.
Troy saw it too and grabbed Sharpay’s hand before she could grab the drink. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said.
“Oh! Finally!” Sharpay exclaimed wrapping her arms around Troy’s neck.
Curious, Chad followed Troy and Sharpay out of the frat house.
“We’re going to your apartment,” Troy told Chad. “Help me get her there.”
Together, Troy and Chad part-carried part-drug Sharpay back to the apartment. By the time they reached the complex, Sharpay was practically dead on her feet, so Troy carried her up the stairs to Chad’s apartment.
She didn’t fight or make a sound as Troy laid her down on Chad’s couch.
“Now what?” Chad asked as Troy slipped off her shoes.
“We let her sleep it off,” Troy shrugged. “Do you have a bucket or an empty trash can we can put out for her?”
While Chad got a trash can, Troy put a blanket over Sharpay then sat down on the recliner. When Chad returned, he had the trash can and a blanket for Troy.
“It’s the best I can do,” he said, handing Troy a lightweight blanket that said East High on it.
“Thanks,” Troy said, taking the blanket. He spread it over his body after putting the chair in the recline position.
“Night,” Chad said. He shut off the overhead light then went into his bedroom.
Troy woke up hours later to the chant of “I’m going to be sick. I’m going to be sick.” He looked over and saw Sharpay fighting her blanket, trying to break free.
“There’s a bucket by your head,” he told her.
“I want the bathroom,” she replied.
He pulled the blanket off to free her then pointed across the room to the bathroom door.
She jumped from the couch and ran to the bathroom. Seconds later, he cringed as he heard her vomit.
Getting out of the recliner, he went to the kitchen and got several wet paper towels then went to the bathroom door and knocked. “Sharpay?”
“Come in,” she groaned.
He went into the bathroom and handed her the paper towels. “Thought you’d want these,” he said.
“Thanks,” she replied. She cleaned herself up with one then pressed another against her forehead.
“Can I ask you something?” He asked.
“I guess,” she replied.
“Why do you drink so much?” He asked.
“Why shouldn’t I?” She responded. “My life has gone to the shithole anyway.”
“What? No it hasn’t,” he said.
“Ya, Troy, it has,” she stated. “Julliard didn’t want me. Broadway didn’t want me. Hollywood didn’t want me. Hell, the theater department here doesn’t want me. What else is there for me to do?”
“So you hit a few stumbling blocks,” Troy said. “The Sharpay I know doesn’t let anything stop her.”
“Well that Sharpay is gone,” she replied. “And this is what is left.”
“I think you’re giving up on yourself too early,” Troy stated. “So people wrote you off. Now it’s time for you to show them that they’re all wrong.”
“And how do you suggest I do that?” She snapped.
“You’re the best schemer I know,” Troy stated. “If anybody could figure something out it would be you.”
He returned to his recliner after that and when he woke up a few hours later, she was gone.
Troy spent the rest of the weekend with Chad, playing videogames and shooting hoops. Sunday night, Troy went back to his parents’ house and spent the rest of the week helping his mom with her spring cleaning list.
He returned to California Saturday afternoon and enjoyed one day of Spring Break with Gabriella on the beach.
A few months later, Troy picked up his mail and saw a hand addressed envelope from London. He opened it up and recognized the elegant scrawl as being Sharpay’s. He unfolded the letter and read it:
Troy,
I want to thank you for what you said to me while you were on vacation in Albuquerque. You weren’t the first to question my behavior, but you were the one who witnessed me at my worst. Your words stuck with me and I realized that you were right; I had given up on myself too early. I quit school and joined a theater group in London.
I lost sight of myself and my goals for awhile, but thanks to your brutal, but caring honesty, I’ve found myself and my goals again.
Thank you for being a true friend,
Sharpay
Story Index
Requested By: Troypazash @ ff.net
Couple: Troy & Sharpay
Rating: T
Quote: Booze is the answer. I don't remember the question
Setting/Event: College frat party
Random Stuff:
- Keg
- Sharpay's broken heel
- Crazy mascot
Spending his first college Spring Break in his childhood bedroom was not how Troy imagined it being. When he was in middle school, he and Chad had decided they’d go to the MTV Spring Break, but they had grown up (not to mention had different weeks off). When he had gotten together with Gabriella and had moved to California for school with her, he had imagined them spending Spring Break on one of California’s beaches, but she had accepted an invitation from her roommate and a few other friends from her school to spend the week building a house for Habitat for Humanity, which left Troy with two options: stay on campus for Spring Break or go home to Albuquerque, and his mom made that decision for him.
So after his last class of the week, Troy caught a ride to the airport from a friend and flew home. His parents picked him up at the airport and took him out for a late dinner before heading home. When they got there, Chad’s car was parked out front.
Since he was spending the weekend at Chad’s apartment near campus, Troy tossed his dufflebag into his friend’s car.
Before they could leave, his dad pulled him aside and said, “I know you guys are probably going to party this weekend and while I can’t tell you what to do because you’re 18, I just to remind you that you are underage and if you get caught, you have to live with the consequences.”
Even though he wanted to forget his dad’s words, they stood at the front of his mind as Chad drove to his apartment. The words remained in his mind as he and Chad went into the apartment, dropped off his stuff then headed to a frat party a few blocks away. He had partied in California before, but never with a warning before hand.
Entering the party, which had started a couple hours prior, Troy followed Chad through the maze of people and into the kitchen. They both grabbed a red plastic cup filled with beer from the keg then made the rounds. Troy said hello to the people he knew and Chad introduced him to people he didn’t know.
“Troy!”
Troy turned around when he heard somebody call his name and came face to face with a very drunk Sharpay, who was caring a cup in one hand and a shoe with a broken heel in the other. He barely caught her from falling over when a crazy mascot bumped into her.
“You’re so sweet,” Sharpay cooed as she ran a pointer finger down the side of his cheek. “I missed you, Troy.”
“Thanks,” Troy said, helping her stand on her own two feet again. He glanced around looking for Chad, but couldn’t find him.
“So how come you’re home?” Sharpay asked, slurring her words.
“Spring Break,” he replied.
“Ooo,” Sharpay said. “Did Gabriella come with you?”
“Uh, no, she’s back in California,” he replied and instantly regretted it when a happy look crossed her face.
“You wanna come back to my place and have some fun?” Sharpay asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. Troy wasn’t sure if she was trying to create intimacy or if she just needed some help standing up.
“Hey guys,” Chad said, appearing out of nowhere. He took one look at Sharpay and shook his head. “How much have you had to drink tonight, Sharpay?”
“Booze is the answer. I don’t remember the question,” she replied, lifting her cup to her lips then frowning when she realized it was empty.
“Is she always like this?” Troy asked Chad.
“Her nickname is Boozy,” Chad replied, frowning as Sharpay reached for a nearly full cup left on a table.
Troy saw it too and grabbed Sharpay’s hand before she could grab the drink. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said.
“Oh! Finally!” Sharpay exclaimed wrapping her arms around Troy’s neck.
Curious, Chad followed Troy and Sharpay out of the frat house.
“We’re going to your apartment,” Troy told Chad. “Help me get her there.”
Together, Troy and Chad part-carried part-drug Sharpay back to the apartment. By the time they reached the complex, Sharpay was practically dead on her feet, so Troy carried her up the stairs to Chad’s apartment.
She didn’t fight or make a sound as Troy laid her down on Chad’s couch.
“Now what?” Chad asked as Troy slipped off her shoes.
“We let her sleep it off,” Troy shrugged. “Do you have a bucket or an empty trash can we can put out for her?”
While Chad got a trash can, Troy put a blanket over Sharpay then sat down on the recliner. When Chad returned, he had the trash can and a blanket for Troy.
“It’s the best I can do,” he said, handing Troy a lightweight blanket that said East High on it.
“Thanks,” Troy said, taking the blanket. He spread it over his body after putting the chair in the recline position.
“Night,” Chad said. He shut off the overhead light then went into his bedroom.
Troy woke up hours later to the chant of “I’m going to be sick. I’m going to be sick.” He looked over and saw Sharpay fighting her blanket, trying to break free.
“There’s a bucket by your head,” he told her.
“I want the bathroom,” she replied.
He pulled the blanket off to free her then pointed across the room to the bathroom door.
She jumped from the couch and ran to the bathroom. Seconds later, he cringed as he heard her vomit.
Getting out of the recliner, he went to the kitchen and got several wet paper towels then went to the bathroom door and knocked. “Sharpay?”
“Come in,” she groaned.
He went into the bathroom and handed her the paper towels. “Thought you’d want these,” he said.
“Thanks,” she replied. She cleaned herself up with one then pressed another against her forehead.
“Can I ask you something?” He asked.
“I guess,” she replied.
“Why do you drink so much?” He asked.
“Why shouldn’t I?” She responded. “My life has gone to the shithole anyway.”
“What? No it hasn’t,” he said.
“Ya, Troy, it has,” she stated. “Julliard didn’t want me. Broadway didn’t want me. Hollywood didn’t want me. Hell, the theater department here doesn’t want me. What else is there for me to do?”
“So you hit a few stumbling blocks,” Troy said. “The Sharpay I know doesn’t let anything stop her.”
“Well that Sharpay is gone,” she replied. “And this is what is left.”
“I think you’re giving up on yourself too early,” Troy stated. “So people wrote you off. Now it’s time for you to show them that they’re all wrong.”
“And how do you suggest I do that?” She snapped.
“You’re the best schemer I know,” Troy stated. “If anybody could figure something out it would be you.”
He returned to his recliner after that and when he woke up a few hours later, she was gone.
Troy spent the rest of the weekend with Chad, playing videogames and shooting hoops. Sunday night, Troy went back to his parents’ house and spent the rest of the week helping his mom with her spring cleaning list.
He returned to California Saturday afternoon and enjoyed one day of Spring Break with Gabriella on the beach.
A few months later, Troy picked up his mail and saw a hand addressed envelope from London. He opened it up and recognized the elegant scrawl as being Sharpay’s. He unfolded the letter and read it:
Troy,
I want to thank you for what you said to me while you were on vacation in Albuquerque. You weren’t the first to question my behavior, but you were the one who witnessed me at my worst. Your words stuck with me and I realized that you were right; I had given up on myself too early. I quit school and joined a theater group in London.
I lost sight of myself and my goals for awhile, but thanks to your brutal, but caring honesty, I’ve found myself and my goals again.
Thank you for being a true friend,
Sharpay
Story Index