Disclaimer: All characters and events related to High School Musical are owned by First Street Films, Salty Pictures Inc, and Walt Disney Pictures. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" was written by James "Kim" Gennon, Walter Kent, and Buck Ram, published by Gannon & Kent.

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Glad to Have You Back

Ryan Evans headed down to the kitchen, starting the coffee maker. Walking over to the white tiled island counter, he flipped open his laptop. The digital calendar and clock uploaded onto the screen once he had turned the computer on. Four more days until Christmas, he noted. Happy tears started to well up in his eyes. Celebrating Christmas this year did not mean so much to him as much as being able to spend it with his twin sister, Sharpay.

Once the coffee finished brewing, Ryan took down his favorite mug- the one with a picture of him, his sister, and their friend Chad Danforth printed across the ceramic surface. Chad pretend to pull on their hair like a mean older brother. He had put on an exaggerated, incredibly goofy pained look on his face. Sharpay had acted like a crying younger sibling. The blonde poured the coffee in the mug, and brought it out of the kitchen, and into the living room.

Ryan stared at the Christmas lights lying lonely across the cream-colored carpet. He wished that he hadn't caused a disaster while trying to decorate the tree. He really wanted to decorate the house all nice for Sharpay. If it wasn't for her, he would have otherwise not have bothered to decorate. Besides, he had promised his mother that he would finish decorating the tree.

"I'll be home for Christmas," he sang softly to himself as he untangled a string of lights, and began to wrap the cord around each branch. It was true, the song actually held some meaning to him. Sharpay would be home for Christmas.

Sharpay had been gone for half a year now. She had went off to school in San Francisco. Majoring in theatre, of course. He had been offered to go to the same school, but he decided to stay home in Albuquerque for another year before going away for school. Ryan reflected back on the day when he had last seen his sister.

"I've never been away from you for so long!" she sobbed in his arms as they stood outside the terminal gates. She clung onto him, her salty tears dampening his pink, striped collared shirt. Ryan did not know what to say. He could not cry, even though he felt like it. Maybe it was because he kept repeating himself in his mind, I'm not going to cry. He expected Sharpay not to have cried. She seemed too excited to be crying.

It was three o'clock in the morning, but at the airport, everyone was awake and busy getting to places. He did not even see one other person dressed in pajama pants like he expected to see. He had thought about staying dressed in his pajamas, but he felt relieved that he had decided to have changed into khakis.

Ryan watched Sharpay walking farther and farther away. He waited until she was out of sight, then readjusted the newsboy cap on his head, turned around and made his out. He drove back home in silence and when he finally arrived, he slowly opened the front door, and walked back into the house. It was not only dark and empty, but it felt like all the joy and energy that she produced was sucked out of the entire household. It was like all the happiness had gone.

He walked up the stairs, into his bedroom, and lied down on his bed. Resting but not sleeping, he got back up in a couple of hours. There was nothing else to, so he forced himself to eat a banana, then sat down at his laptop computer and began to write. He shut his eyes and let his fingers type rapidly across the keys. Once he reopened his eyes, he read over the typed document that was in front of him.

The blonde had no idea why he was writing, nor could he decide whether it was either good or bad. Nothing seemed to be coming out right, anyway. He snapped his laptop shut, and went back to bed for another couple of hours.

The next three months were easier than he expected. He was so grateful for the era he lived in. Internet, e-mail, webcasting, and instant messaging kept him in touch with Sharpay in a snap. Ryan admired how, after she discovered that he had been struggling with his music theory class at the local college, she was willing to put all her time and energy to tutor him, even when she was miles away. Having tutorial sessions through instant messaging was quite… interesting, but Ryan was relieved to have her help.

Yet, despite that he got to talk to and saw her almost every day, she was not really there, and those times when she was not there, he felt like crying. Then finally it was the second week of December. Zeke was flying out to San Francisco to visit Sharpay for the next two weeks, taking a vacation around the Golden State before returning to Albuquerque, right on Christmas morning.

As Ryan studied for his finals the same night Zeke left town, Zeke had called him on his cell phone.

"Hey, Zeke. What's up?" Ryan greeted.

"Hey, Ry. I'm at the airport. I'm just about to go through security," Zeke said, but after that, his speech began to break up. "H-y, I-e g-t s-m-th-ng t- ask y-" The call was dropped, and with nothing that Ryan could do about it, he shrugged, and hung up. He would talk to them the next day. Besides, he had his finals to concentrate on.

"Ryan!" Sharpay cried excitedly on the phone at the end of the week. "Ryan! Turn on your webcam!" He flipped open his laptop. A melodic beeping noise signaled that his sister was calling him through the internet. Pressing the round green button on the screen, answering the phone call.

Sharpay's image appeared on the screen, and she held up her hand up to the camera. With minimal lighting, it was difficult to make out the detail of what he was seeing, but no matter how good or bad the lighting was, it was obvious. There on her left ring finger was a large, princess-cut diamond.

"We're engaged!" Sharpay announced as she fingered the band. Then she had went into detail about how they went strolling together, alone, in the Japanese tea garden at the Golden Gate park late that night. She was being silly, singing Billy Joel songs to Zeke when he had gotten down on one knee.

"What are you doing?" she had giggled to him. And just like that, they were engaged. Twenty minutes later, they got back to Sharpay's apartment as frantically they could, calling up everyone they knew to spread the word.

Ryan stared at the computer, dumbfounded. Everyone had expected this would happen, if it hadn't happened already. At the age of twenty-three, and after being together for five years, everyone knew that, without a doubt, Zeke and Sharpay would be together always. But the both of them never mentioned anything of marriage until after they finished school. Ryan was included with the group that believed that they were obviously going to marry. Still, this news was a shock to Ryan.

Zeke came into view beside Sharpay. "I tried to ask you, but my phone lost connection after I went through security at the airport," Zeke explained. "Are you mad?"

"Mad?" Ryan echoed. A huge smile broke out on his face. "Nah…" he replied, shaking his head. "It's about time you asked her," he finished. If Zeke had been there physically, he would have punching arm lightly, playfully.

The long-awaited Christmas morning finally arrived. It had been a wonderful day, but nothing more special than any other holiday. Ryan was spending it with his family, and that was all that mattered to him.

At the end of the day, eleven-thirty at night, when everyone else was asleep, Ryan buried himself underneath piles of assorted fleece and polyester comforters, while he stared at the lit Christmas tree from the couch, thinking how he would need to throw an engagement party for Zeke and Sharpay. His mother decided to give them a gift basket of red wine and crackers, which meant she had to go out to find them something else for Christmas.

He saw his sister walk into the room, wearing an ice blue tank top and royal blue boy shorts, decorated with white snowflakes and cartoon penguins wearing scarves and earmuffs. Wasn't she cold?

"What are you doing up?" he asked, shifting to the side so she could join him underneath the covers. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Mm-mm," she hummed, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes peacefully. "You aren't upset, are you?" He looked down at his twin sister in his arms. Him? Upset? Upset that she went to school in San Francisco, and he didn't? Upset that Zeke didn't ask him permission before proposing?

"No," he said, holding her tightly. "I'm just so glad to have you back."

The End

Author's Note: Dedicated to my older sister, who's taught me everything I know. If there was any story that closely fits to what is going on in my life right now, this would be it. My older sister left for Spain in early September. While having computer resources handy to keep in contact, it still been difficult to not have her physically here. On my birthday, my sister's boyfriend of five years- my brother-like figure- flew out to meet her in Switzerland, and only four days later, on Friday, December 14th 2007, the word was spread all over that they are now engaged. Happy holidays, everyone!

21 December 2007