In life, people strive for certain moments, moments that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

In life, there are good and bad moments, and it all depends on the way you look at it.

When you reach a goal, for just one moment, it's as though your life is complete.

The next day, I felt this completion. The world backstage was chaotic, the way I sort of liked it. As I glanced toward the stage I thought to myself.

I thought about all the people that had graced that stage before me. People who were nervous like I am and people who were feeling completion upon their performance upon that very stage.

I was lucky, in my moment I had one person standing right next to me, Troy. Of all people, he was tied with the strongest people I knew, my brother being the other of course. Troy went against stereotypes and proved to everyone that he was more than just a basketball star. Tonight, he should be more nervous than me, showing his talent and proving it to the world… and his dad that he could do something else.

Carlos was still in the hospital, but my mom was in the audience taping the show. This entire journey so far had felt like a movie, and now it was finally ending.

When the musical ends, it would be the end of the movie.

But of course, I was ready for a sequel.

The night passed by as though it were magic. I didn't think about anything. I didn't think about Sharpay and Ryan, delivering the same lines the night before. I didn't think about the many faces, cheering me on and wishing for my downfall. All I could think about was how I was Minnie, and Troy was Arnold… and we became the characters in a world of our own.

The End.

The curtain dropped, and the applause didn't die down. No other play in my childhood had felt like this one. In my mind, I was hoping Carlos could feel the way I was, like a twin connection.

It all seems so rushed, but it was really the end, and for a moment, I remembered Troy was leaving and I came crashing down temporarily.

"Gabriella!" Troy called after me as I was leaving my dressing room, ready to go to the after party.

"Yes?" I asked, spinning around and smiling as I saw his face.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Why?"

"Well, I have good news and bad news," he explained.

"Good news first please!" I laughed, taking his hand.

"I just talked to my dad, and we had a talk," he said, "he was actually impressed with the musical, and he's letting me stay at East High next year."

"OH MY GOSH! Troy, that's awesome…I'm speechless!"

But then I remembered.

"So what's the bad news?" I asked.

His face turned to a frown, and I got a bad feeling.

"Well . . . THERE WAS NO BAD NEWS!" he laughed.

I punched him playfully.

I guess in life you've got to roll with the punches.

Real life ain't no fairytale right?

THE END