The celebration had died down. All that remained was the occasional firecracker shooting off in the distance. Everything had turned out perfectly in the end, Ryan thought as he stared out the window of the room he shared with his twin sister at their parents' country club.

Ryan had been happy when Sharpay had seen the error of her ways, happier than he had let on. He was also glad to have become his own person. For years he had been Sharpay's poodle, doing whatever she said without much—or any—question.

But that had changed. He knew that Sharpay had truly seen the light, he had seen it on her face, felt it through their twin bond. Things were going to be a lot better now.

The sound of a soft sniffle behind him brought him out of his reverie. He turned his head to see Sharpay sitting cross-legged on her bed, her head hung. Ryan cocked his head, momentarily puzzled.

Then he realized: Sharpay was crying.

Ryan instantly moved to her side, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"Shar?" He placed his hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Sharpay looked up, not quite making eye contact with him. "I—I feel so stupid." she replied slowly, her voice quivering.

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"For the way I've been acting." Sharpay admitted shakily. "All I cared about was winning Troy's affection. I became so focused on what I wanted that I was willing to do anything to get it. I didn't care what I did or who I hurt. And I wound up hurting the one I care about more than anyone else: my own brother."

Ryan moved closer to his sister, now mimicking her position. He put his right arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his chest as the tears streamed down her face. Ryan moved his left hand up to her, gently stroking her hair.

"I don't see how you can still be so nice to me." she said softly. "After the way I've treated you these past few days."

Ryan slid his hand under her face and lifted her chin. She still avoided eye contact. "Hey, hey, look at me." he said softly. Reluctantly, her eyes met his.

"You're my sister, my twin, my best friend," he said. "And you should know by now that nothing can change that, even if you treat me like dirt—although I'm really glad that you've stopped that."

Sharpay managed a laugh. "So am I.' she admitted. "I don't think I ever really liked being so mean." she admitted. "I just got so caught up in trying to get what I wanted, but I'm really going to try to change that now."

Ryan smiled and pulled his sister into a hug. Sharpay knew that she would have to work hard from now on to keep from slipping back into the old her, and she knew it wouldn't be easy, but right now she felt safe.

Safe in her brother's arms.