chapter sixteen
meet me in the space between?

The show progressed, and it was going very well, considering the whole livestream thing and how Channing said he was going to throw extra things at them. Dylan watched in the wings for most of the show, watching as Ricky, Gina and Carlos performed In Summer with a smile on her face.

Dylan left the wings, moving to stand with Kourtney. "Hey Kourt."

"Hey D." Kourtney smiled, the girl sitting in her costume for the ensemble. "You okay?"

"Anxiety sucks, right?" Dylan stated.

"So much."

"But we have to push through." Dylan told her, almost as if she was trying to convince herself.

"Do you think we need therapy." Kourtney asked. "Alex told me she has therapy and it's great."

"Let's make a pact." Dylan proposed. "We help each other through our anxiety senior year."

"Deal." Kourtney nodded. "And we stop hiding in the shadows."

"Yeah..."

"You need to stop hiding in the shadows, D." Kourtney stated. "How you feel right now, if the feeling you feel right before you do something brave. So do it. You told someone you loved them, how bad could this be."

Dylan cracked a smile, letting out a small laugh. "Yeah."

"I'll be cheering you on from the wings." Kourtney told her.

Dylan smiled, making her way towards the stage as it was now time for Let it go. She stepped onto the stage. Dylan locked eyes with Kourtney, who gave her a reassuring nod. She could do this.

Dylan walked further onto stage, starting to sing. "The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen." Dylan began to step up the steps so it looked like she was walking up the mountain. "The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside. Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried."

She turned, stepping down the stairs and standing centre stage as she gained confidence. "Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. Well, now they know."

She took her gloves off as she sang the chorus, throwing them off to the side. "Let it go, let it go. Can't hold it back anymore." She opened her hand, a prop jumping up so it looked like she had ice powers. "Let it go, let it go. Turn away and slam the door. I don't care what they're going to say."

Dylan flung her cape to the side so more 'ice' appeared, her confidence ever growing. "Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered me anyway."

And just as the tempo picked up and Dylan's confidence had reached an all-time high, her anxiety long gone. The lights turned off. The audience gasped and Dylan felt her fear growing. She looked to the wings, Kourtney telling her to breathe.

Miss Jenn and Big Red then turned their flashlights on their phones, lifting them up to illuminate Dylan. Everyone else in the audience followed suit until Dylan was completely illuminated.

Dylan took a deep breath, she had to take her own advice and trust the process. She began singing again, this time much softer. "It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small. And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all."

Her voice grew in confidence once more. Everyone had told her she was Elsa, and if this was Elsa realising she was free and could do anything than it was Dylan realising it too. And as everyone stared back at her with smiles on their faces, she realised that she, truly, could do anything.

"It's time to see what I can do to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free. Let it go, let it go. I'm one with the wind and sky. Let it go, let it go. You'll never see me cry. Here I stand, and here I'll stay. Let the storm rage on..."

And as she held the last note, the lights flickered back on. Dylan smiled as she spun around, her confidence back and better than ever. "My power flurries through the air into the ground. My soul is spiralling in frozen fractals all around and one thought crystallizes like an icy blast: I'm never going back, the past is in the past!"

She did her choreo, flicking her hand so the stairs light up as if they were now her castle and as she held the last note, she swung off her old costume, revealing Elsa's blue dress. She threw the old costume into the wings.

"Let it go, let it go and I'll rise like the break of dawn." She climbed up the steps, letting her updo down into a braid, one that Kourtney had added extensions to so it was longer. "Let it go, let it go. That perfect girl is gone. Here I stand in the light of day. Let the storm rage on! The cold never bothered me anyway."

She held out the last few notes off the song, making the audience give her a standing ovation.

"Go, Dylan!" A voice screamed from the audience.

Everyone was cheering loudly, the girl smiling widely. After that, it was time for the intermission of the show. Everyone went back to the canteen, and Dylan was sitting in her seat.

"Ten minute intermission." Maddox told them. "And if anyone sees Channing, punch him."

"Say less." Gina said.

"Thank you ten." They all chorused.

Dylan then got up, leaving the barn. She just had a feeling there was someone waiting for her in her cabin. Dylan walked over to Honeycomb, opening the door and coming face to face with Nini Salazar Roberts herself.

"Nini!" Dylan squealed.

"Dylan!" Nini replied in the same pitch, the two girls hugging each other tightly.

Dylan then looked around at the balloons with pictures of them and notes on each of them. "Oh my god. What is all of this?"

"Girl, it's intermission. Save your voice." Nini told her.

"It's just a stupid show." Dylan waved her off.

"And you're everything in it." Nini stated before gasping. "Oh, God. You weren't supposed to see me. This was a surprise. Did Miss Jenn tell you I was here?"

"She didn't have to." Dylan deadpanned. "Nini, you're my best friend and you yelled very loud after Let it Go, I'd recognise that yell anywhere."

"Oh, God. I haven't screamed that loud at Shallow Lake since I found out I was going on in The Music Man." Nini reminisced. "Feels like a lifetimes ago."

"This place is truly life-changing." Dylan sighed. "Nini I have missed you so much this summer."

She hugged the girl once more as Nini chuckled. "It's been a huge few weeks."

"I know, you need to tell me all about it. I got all your letters and everything." Dylan demanded. Dylan then noticed something was off with Nini. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Nini nodded. "You're all really special to me, I think I needed to get away to see that."

"You glad you came back." Dylan teased with a small smile, but something felt off.

"Uh, yeah." Nini nodded once more with a small gulp.

"You're leaving aren't you?" Dylan asked.

"How did you know?"

"You're my best friend Nini, I know you." Dylan stated. Dylan looked between Nini's eyes, tears prickling at her own at the thought of not sharing senior year with her best friend. She wrapped her arms around the girl, hugging her tightly. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'm gonna miss you too." Nini whispered.

Dylan pulled back slightly. "Promise me you won't forget me."

"Never." Nini shook her head. "I will write you letters and send you postcards every day."

"Good." Dylan nodded. "You're gonna do so well. I'm so proud of you."

"You are gonna succeed here. I'm proud of you too." Nini commented. "And just know that wherever I am, I am still one phone call away. You can call me anytime no matter what, you are never a burden and I will never be too busy for you. I will be there, no matter what."

"And wherever you end up, whatever happens, you will always find a home with me... and the wildcats but especially me." Dylan laughed softly, Nini laughing too. "You can always just come home to me and just smile. I love you Neens."

"I love you too Dyl." Nini smiled softly.

Dylan hugged the girl again before pulling away for the final time. She stepped towards the door, turning to face Nini and holding her hands up in a heart before mouthing 'I love you'. And just like all the times before Nini reciprocated the action.

"Goodbye Dyl." Nini stated.

"Meet me in the space between?" Dylan smiled.

"I'll see you in the space between." Nini nodded.

Dylan smiled softly, tears streaming down her face as she walked out the door and away from her best friend for what could be the last time for a while. Nini wouldn't spent senior year with her and Dylan didn't know when the next time she would see Nini in person would be.

The girl leant against the cabin door as she broke down in tears, an alert sounding that Act Two would start soon. Dylan continued to cry when a figure approached her, the person furrowed their eyebrows as they walked up to Dylan.

"Hey D—"

Dylan collapsed into EJ, who caught her instantly as she sobbed. She let out everything she had been feeling for the past few days as EJ simply stroked her hair. The alert sounded again making Dylan sit up again, looking at EJ, who was also sad.

"What's wrong?" Dylan asked.

"My dad hung up on me." EJ told her.

"Oh EJ." Dylan brought him in for a hug, the two comforting each other before they had to leave to get ready. "Come on, we have a show to finish."

The two walked back to the canteen, Dylan hugging EJ close. The two then passed Kourtney, Dylan placing a hand on her arm.

"Hey, Kourt, uh, I left my water bottle in Honeycomb, can you get it? I really have to get ready." Dylan asked.

"Yeah, sure." Kourtney nodded, bouncing off to Honeycomb where Nini was waiting for her.

Dylan walked to her seat, noticing a card on the table. She got into her costume, it taking her less time than anticipated before she sat back down again. She picked the envelope up, her name written across the front. She opened the envelope and pulled out the card covered in polka-dots, beginning to read the message inside.

Dyl,

Hi, sweet girl. You have been my best friend since we met in kindergarten and I wouldn't change any of our years together for the world. You are the most incredible person I know, and you have so much talent built up inside of you. It has been an honour watching you FINALLY embrace it – thanks to me, I know – and I know you are gonna go far. Have an amazing senior year at East – if you guys do HSM 3 please go for Sharpay, I wanna hear you sing I want it all so bad.

Your fav girl,

Nini

P.S EJ has looked at you like you put the stars in the sky since Homecoming last year, and it's been getting stronger ever since. You have it too. He loves you so much, and I do not want two people to last more than I want you two to. You belong together, I know it. Remember that, no matter what happens.

And I'm always here to gossip about it.

Dylan stared down at the card, a smile creeping onto her face. Words couldn't describe how much she adored Nini. She was her best friend in the entire world and she was gonna miss her so so much.

Before Dylan even realised it, the show was over. The audience cheered and clapped as they all went on stage for curtain call. Dylan watched as Ricky and EJ took their bows together as Kristoff and Sven. Dylan looked eyes with Gina across the way and Gina nodded.

They walked out onto the stage, meeting into the centre. Dylan's hand grasped onto Gina's hand as she smiled brightly. They walked to the edge of the stage and Dylan lifted up her cape, bowing to the audience. The rest of the cast came up behind them and they all bowed together while holding hands.

Dylan waved her hand, and Maddox pulled a lever from the wings, letting fake snow fall. Dylan let out a small laugh and she looked at Gina. The two shared a look before they hugged.

Dylan then looked down at Emmy next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did it, Em! I knew you could."

Emmy smiled up at her and threw her arms around Dylan's waist, hugging her tight. Dylan laughed and hugged her back just as tight.

After two opening nights of things going wrong, it was nice to have something actually go her way. The group made their way backstage, Dylan cheering with everyone else. She went to her table once more, noticing a note on it. She opened it up.

There's a surprise waiting outside for you xx

Dylan furrowed her eyebrows, grabbing EJ. "This card says there's a surprise for me and it could be a serial killer so you're coming with me."

"Okay." EJ nodded with a small laugh. The couple walked outside, rounding towards the front of the barn where two people stood with their arms open out.

"Surprise!" They shouted in unison.

"Eve!" Dylan ran at her step-mother, wrapping her arms around her. Eve laughed, picking the girl up and spinning her around.

"Oh, Dyl, you were amazing." Eve complimented. "I told you, you'd be fine."

"Okay, can I see my daughter now please?" Sebastian spoke in a faux-annoyed tone.

Dylan pulled away from Eve and moved to hug her father, holding him close and burying her face in his shoulder as he lifted her up too. "Hi daddy."

"Hi sweetheart." Seb smiled. "You really were so amazing."

"Thank you." Dylan scrunched her nose up in appreciation.

"And you!" Seb exclaimed, looking at EJ. "You directed all of that?"

"Yeah." EJ nodded sheepishly, almost afraid of Seb's comments.

"And you acted in it?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wow." Seb breathed out in amazement. "You did a fantastic job, kid. I'm proud of you."

Dylan looked over at EJ, who was frozen to the spot. She was sure no one had ever told EJ they were proud of him, especially an authority figure, and for sure his own father had never said it. EJ looked as if he was about to cry. This man, his girlfriend's father, his someday father in law was proud of him. Someone who had only known him six months was proud of him, and it meant more to EJ than he did ever saying it to him could.

"Thank you, sir." EJ nodded.

"Oh no need for sir, we've gotten past that stage. It's Seb now, son." Seb stated. "Come here."

Seb brought the boy into a hug, and Dylan watched as her boyfriend practically gripped onto her father. She smiled at the interaction, glad her dad and her boyfriend got along.

"I'm proud of you, D." Eve whispered to the girl.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Eve nodded. "We recorded the whole thing, you were amazing. You stepped out of your comfort zone and you told a boy you loved him. Big steps."

"I know." Dylan smiled. "I know. I've missed you."

"Ditto." Eve responded. "Can't believe you left me with your father for two weeks all by myself."

Dylan couldn't help but laugh. "What about when I go to college?"

"You're not allowed." Seb suddenly stated.

"What?"

"My baby is never going to college, I'll miss her too much." Seb pouted.

"You're such a child." Dylan shook her head, hugging him once more.

"We should get back." EJ spoke up.

"Yeah."

"We have a long trip home." Seb added. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Dylan and EJ waved the two off before turning to each other. "I love you."

"I love you more."

( 💌 ) isobel's notes
i just know dylan slayed let it go
nini is gone i'm so sad rn gonna miss
my fav besties
my fav family at the end because
ej deserves a better dad and who
better than sebastian valdez
one more chapter until season 4 :)