This is dedicated to everyone who was in the recent performance of High School Musical at my school. I wrote this right after closing night, as a way to try and describe how I was feeling, and it kind of evolved into a little bit of Rypay fluff at the end. Enjoy, everyone!!

The lights go down. The curtains swing shut. Suddenly, I'm not Cinderella anymore. I'm just a girl in a princess dress with way too much makeup on.

Everyone else turns to each other and starts talking, but the ice queen isn't welcome in any of their conversations. Instead, I leave the stage, my real home, and retreat to my dressing room, my place of solitude. For the millionth time I examine myself in the full length mirror hanging from my door. But for the first time that night, I don't like what I see. My curls have gone limp, so my hair hangs sadly around my face. My mascara is beginning to rub off under my eyes, giving me small dark circles as if I haven't slept in awhile.

I haven't.

But the most notable change by far is the one only I notice. There's something about my demeanor, about the way I'm carrying myself. It's changed. After a moment, I realize what it is. The light in my eyes, the passion for theatre and for my character, the pure joy I get from being onstage. It's gone. Because I have no idea when I'm going to be onstage again.

Slowly, I change out of my costume. I hang it on its hanger and put it in the small closet. Then I pull on my sweats and one of Ryan's old shirts that I borrowed. I pull my hair back so that it doesn't look quite so pathetic. I sit down at my vanity and spend ten minutes scrubbing off my makeup, then another ten trying to control my tears. When I finally have them under control, I starts to leave. But the image in the mirror stops me.

I barely recognize myself.

Before I lose it again, I wrench the door open so I don't have to see myself anymore, the broken shell of what I used to be. The theatre is empty. Everyone's already left, gone off to the cast party, wherever they decided to have it. I'm not invited. I'm never invited. Because no one wants to hang out with the ice queen.

I turn to lock the door of my private dressing room, and then I notice the picture hanging on the door. It's me and my Prince Charming, taken about two weeks ago after we had just gotten our costumes. I trace the outlines of our faces with my finger, the tears flowing freely again. That's when I lose it. I collapse against the door, sobbing. I pull myself up so I'm sitting with my back against the door. I don't know how long I sit there crying before he finally finds me.

"Shar?" he asks, sitting down beside me. He puts his arm around me and holds me close. He really is Prince Charming, both on and off the stage. As for me, I'm just a girl who wants to be something, anything at all, as long as it's different from what I am. We sit there quietly for awhile, him cradling me in his arms, me sobbing gently against his chest. Finally, I speak.

"It's over," I whisper, looking up into his eyes. He smiles at me.

"For now. But it's not the end of the world you know, Shar. There'll be other shows. You'll be back onstage again."

"But not this stage," I say. "And never again with you." It's true. I graduate in a few weeks, and I will never again be the star of East High. I don't even know if I'll be in drama in college. And the worst part is that he won't be with me. I'll be all alone.

"Sharpay, you are my world. We may be going to different schools, but one day, we will be onstage again together."

I smiled, my first real smile in a long time. "Promise?"

We stare into each other's eyes, and I lose myself in his. I'm so completely in love with him. I would cross through hell and back for him. He's everything to me. And in a few weeks, I'm going to lose him. He leans over and kisses me, gently at first, and then with more force, more passion. I twist my fingers into his hair and deepen the kiss. After a few minutes we break apart, slightly breathless. He kisses the tears on my cheeks.

"I promise. I love you." He pulls me to my feet. "Now let's go home." He wraps his arm around my waist and supports me to his car. He holds the door open for me, but I don't get in yet.

"I love you too, Ryan," I murmur. Then I kiss him one last time.