Tabitha was honestly excited about the New Year's Eve party at Ashlyn's. The last party at her house was fun and definitely interesting. She and EJ was going to go to Ashlyn's together, but was helping out the water-polo team at the soup kitchen before the party and was possibly going to be a bit late because of that. She decided to invite Maeve to go with her and hoped it wouldn't be a problem that she did.

"Tabitha," Ashlyn smiles as she opens the door when Tabitha and Maeve got there. "Glad you're here!"

Tabitha smiles, walking inside along with Maeve. "I hope it's alright I brought Maeve with me."

"Yeah, of course." Ashlyn smiles, closing the door behind them. "Maeve is like an honorary drama club member."

"Oh, good." Maeve grins. "I was hoping it wasn't a problem." She gestures with a nod of her head to the cupcakes on the tray she held. "And I made these cupcakes to give you if you were upset about me with you guys."

Ashlyn chuckles lightly. "We would never be upset with you hanging out with us." She takes the cupcakes from Maeve, looking at her with a smile. "And awe, thank you for the cupcakes. You didn't have to do that." Maeve smiled and shook her head. Ashlyn excused herself and went to put the cupcakes in the kitchen where the rest of the food was at. 

"Hi, girls!" Kourtney greets, walking over to the two with a smile. "Write your New Year's resolution on this, okay?" She handed them both a small piece of paper. 

"Kinda confused but also curious." Maeve commented, raising her eyebrows.

Kourtney chuckles. "We're playing a game involving resolutions later."

"Ah, makes sense." Maeve nodded and smiled. Tabitha chuckled and smiled.

Tabitha and Maeve followed Kourtney into the living room where they were greeted by the rest of the drama club members. Tabitha noticed that not everyone was there yet, like for example, EJ, Ricky, and Nini. Tabitha was conversing with Maeve and Gina about the musical they were going to put on. It only made sense that they would do 'High School Musical 2' considering the fact they did the first movie last semester.

After hearing the sound of EJ's voice, Tabitha glances over to her right, seeing he was talking to Ashlyn who had started to walk into the living room but stopped when she saw EJ was standing still. "Are you gonna go in or..."

"Sorry." EJ apologizes. "I'm just taking it all in. Not to be like your stereotypical second-semester senior, but starting to realize that every day is the last time I'm doing stuff with you guys."

That sentence hit Tabitha like a brick. She didn't realize how close graduating high school was getting. Before she knew she would be at college. She glances around at everyone with a sad smile. She's for sure gonna miss everyone when she leaves for college. Espeically EJ. The two planned to go to the same college or at least go to colleges near each other so they wouldn't have to do the long distance. 

"Oh, that's really sweet." Ashlyn smiled at her cousin. Tabitha looked back at the cousins as they continued to speak.

EJ narrows his eyes at the red-haired girl in front of him. "It's weird. You literally look so young to me now." Ashlyn slowly nods, looking at him with confusion. "Oh," EJ gestures to the beard he was starting to grow. "I'm growing a beard."

"Oh." Ashlyn drags out the word, of look of realization forming on her face. "I thought that was dirt on your face."

"Might grow it out." EJ shrugs. "Depends on what musical we're doin'. Jean Valjean isn't Jean Valjean without the facial hair."

Tabitha furrows her eyebrows. How did he not know they were doing 'High School Musical 2'? Ashlyn walks into the living room as Gina looks over at EJ with confusion. "Wait, have you seriously not heard what musical we're doing?"

"No." EJ shakes his head. He looks at her excitedly. "Was it announced?"

Tabitha opens her mouth to reply, but closes her mouth when Carlos stood from the couch, shouting, "Nobody say anything!"

EJ looks at everyone with confusion, dragging out the word he speaks. "Okay."

After putting his coat on the coat rack he walked into the living room, going to take a seat beside Tabitha, who was sitting on the floor beside the chair Gina sat on. Maeve was standing by Carlos and Seb, talking with them. A few seconds later, the front door opened and Ricky walked in, singing the song 'Bet On It' from 'High School Musical 2' with Nini following him.

Nini closed the door behind them as Ricky moved into the living room, continuing to sing the song and even did a little dance. He moved to stand in the middle of the living room and at the end of his performance everyone cheered for him. 

"Okay, okay, okay!" Carlos yells and the cheering stopped. "Does anybody not know we're doing 'High School Musical 2'?"

"We are?" EJ's eyes widen. He had a look of both shock and excitement on his face. "Whoo-hoo!"

Tabitha chuckled lightly at her boyfriend, patting his leg. Carlos groaned and fell back onto the couch. Tabitha got her piece of paper out and started writing her resolution after getting a pencil. She wrote down, 'I want to wave goodbye to the old and embrace the new with hope, dream, and ambition'. She folded it up with a smile on her lips and put it in the glass bowl that was on the coffee table. 

The room was filled with conversation for the next few moments. There was only one more hour until the near year. A lot of memorable things had happened for Tabitha this year. Meeting EJ, joining the drama club and befriending everyone in it, her parents getting a divorce, becoming a couple with EJ, having her first kiss with him, finally getting the courage to sing and dance in front of people, and the list goes on. This was a year she for sure was never going to forget and she had a feeling she won't ever forget the next year either.

Soon it was time for the game to start. Tabitha was still sitting on the floor but this time in front of where EJ sat, leaning against his legs that he let her use as a back rest and Maeve sat on the floor beside her. "Okay, listen up." Kourtney gets everyone's attention, standing off to the side of the living room, holding the bowl full of resolutions. "Rules of the game. This is important."

"We need to set intentions and be accountable to one another this year." Kourtney continued.

Ashlyn nods in agreement. "True that."

"This is a terrible party." Natalie commented and some of the drama club members chuckled at that comment. 

"Hey, watch yourself." Kourtney points at her and playfully glares at her. She laughs and picks one out of the bowl. "Okay. Alright, resolution number one. Anyone's guess. 'I resolve to...'" She chuckles, shaking her head. "This is so stupid. I can't."

"Come on, Kourt." Nini encourages her. "You have to read it."

"'I resolve to remember everybody fondly when I go to Duke'." Kourtney read off. She looks at everyone. "Any guesses?"

Everyone looked at EJ. "EJ! You got into Duke?" His cousin asked him. 

Tabitha looks back at him with surprise and excitement, resting her left arm over his knees. "Seriously?! Why didn't you tell me, babe?"

EJ sends her an apologetic smile, ignoring the butterflies that swarmed in his stomach when she called him 'babe'. He shrugs. "I mean, have I 'technically' gotten 'into' Duke? Did my father and our grandpa before him also 'go' to Duke? Guys, I think it's just 'a matter of time'." He did air quotations around the words 'technically', 'into', 'go', and 'a matter of time'.

"Okay." Ricky chuckles, shaking his head. "I lost track of the air quotes."

Everyone laughs and as Kourtney went to pick out another resolution, Tabitha squeezes EJ's right knee gently to get his attention. He looks at her with a smile, his smile widening when she smiled at him and whispered to him, "Proud of you." 

"Proud of you too, Tabs." EJ whispered back to her, putting his hand over hers. Tabitha smiled widely as he squeezed her hand gently.

"This one reads 'I want to wave goodbye to the old and embrace the new with hope, dreams, and ambition.'" Kourtney read off the next one she picked out of the bowl. She looks at everyone. "Any guesses as to who wrote that?"

Tabitha pretended to not know that that one was hers and stayed quiet. While everyone started saying their guesses as to who wrote that resolution EJ glances down at his girlfriend with a smile, knowing that she was the one who wrote it. Tabitha felt eyes on her and glanced up at EJ to see he was already smiling at her. She blushed a bit, but smiles back at him, knowing that he knew she was the one who wrote the resolution Kourtney just read.

"Wait, it has to be Tabitha." Maeve realized and everyone murmured in agreement as they each looked at Tabitha in question.

Tabitha sheepishly smiles at everyone and nods. "Yeah, it was me."

"Okay, next one." Kourtney smiles, picking out the next resolution. She furrows her eyebrows when she read it. "Oh, I don't get this one." Everyone encouraged her to read it. "This one doesn't say anything expect the words 'my cows'."

"You guys," Seb speaks up. "I thought we were writing down what we're thankful for." 

Everyone awed at him. "Seb, you are so precious." Maeve commented, looking at the blonde-haired boy with a smile.

EJ chuckles lightly and nods. "A for effort, Seb, a for effort."

One of the dancers named Steph holds up the glass bowl for Kourtney. "Read another clue, Kourt."

Kourtney nods, taking out another resolution. "Okay, let's see what we got. 'I resolve to follow my dreams, however far away they take me'." 

"That's gonna be Gina," Ricky guesses, glancing at the dark-skinned girl. "Right?"

"Nope." Gina shakes her head, smiling a bit. "Not me."

"Uh, it's me, actually." Nini confessed. Ricky looked at her with confusion and Nini told Kourtney to get back to the game.

The next resolution Kourtney read was, "'All I want is for our generation to save the planet, and I would also like absolute clarity about my love life. Thank you'."

Chattering filled the room, everyone saying their guess as to who wrote this one. Tabitha, however, looked directly at Ashlyn with a smile. She noticed how stiff Ashlyn was when Kourtney read that resolution and she had a feeling that Ashlyn wrote this resolution. She knew that her relationship with Big Red was kind of awkward, but Tabitha knew they would work things out. She honestly thought the two were really cute together.

Speaking of Big Red, he walked inside the house a few seconds later carrying six boxes of pizza after ringing the doorbell and opening the door. Tabitha then remembered that he was working at his family's restaurant that night which was why he was so late, but she was glad that he made it. 

"Six pizzas. Two with lactose-free cheese. I'm here." Big Red said, walking into the living room.

EJ pats Tabitha's shoulder, as if that was his way of letting her know he was going to get up. Tabitha scoots out of the way so that he could stand without accidentally hitting her. EJ went over to Big Red with a smile on his face. "Yes. Thank you." He takes the boxes of pizzas from Big Red, furrowing his eyebrows. "Good Lord, dude, did you fall in a bucket of cologne?"

EJ sat the boxes of pizzas down on the coffee table and everyone began getting what slice of pizza they wanted. Tabitha noticed that Big Red had left and went into the kitchen. She assumed he was going to try to somehow rub off the cologne he had on. A few minutes later Ricky got up and went to check on Big Red since he was still in the kitchen.

After eating they decided on ending the resolution game and instead sing a mashup of 'High School Musical 2' songs to prepare for the musical. They moved the coffee table out of the way and moved Ashlyn's piano out so that Seb could play it.

Tabitha stands behind the piano next to her boyfriend while Maeve stood beside the right side of her by the side of the piano. "Remember, my feedback is both precious and invaluable." Carlos said to everyone. "So, think of this as a pre-audition workshop." He points at Seb who sat at the piano. "You may begin."

Seb begins playing a familiar tune. Tabitha grinned. She recognized it immediately as the song 'I Want Fabulous'. "Out with the old and in with new. Goodbye, clouds of grey. Hello, skies of blue. A dip in the pool. A trip to the spa. Endless days in my chaise." Carlos sits beside Seb as the blonde-haired boy continues to sing. "The whole world according to moi."

"Just sing it." Seb said to Carlos.

Carlos smiles and gets up, harmonizing his voice with Seb's as he began dancing around the living room. "I want fabulous. That is my simple request. All things fabulous. Bigger and better is best. I need something inspiring to help me get along. I need a little fabulous. Is that so wrong?"

"Take it, Ash!"

Ashlyn and Seb switch places and Ashlyn begins playing 'You Are The Music In Me'. "Na na na na. Na na na na. Yeah. You are the music in me." 

EJ smiles proudly, pointing at Ashlyn. "That's my cousin." Tabitha giggled a bit and leaned her head on his shoulder which made him smile at her. 

Gina walks over to the piano, standing beside Maeve and shared a smile with the brunette-haired girl. "You know the words 'once upon a time' make you listen. There's a reason," Ashlyn gestures with a nod of her head for Gina to join in on singing with her. "Come on, G."

Gina smiles, singing along with Ashlyn. "When you dream there's a chance you'll find a little laughter or happy ever after."

Ricky walks into the living room with his acoustic guitar and taps Ashlyn on the shoulder, signaling her he and Nini were going to sing next. Ricky and Nini stand in front of each other, looking at each other with smiles. "You're the harmony to the melody. Echoing inside my head."

"A single voice," Nini sings.

Ricky repeats what she sings. "Single voice." while Nini sings "Above the noise."

They sing together for the next verse. "Like a common thread."

Then just Ricky. "Ooh, you're pulling me."

After they sing the rest of 'You Are The Music In Me' Natalie announced that it was one minute until midnight causing everyone to cheer excitedly.

Seb got back at the piano, encouraging Big Red to sing while everyone formed a circle in the living room. Tabitha stood between Maeve and EJ and as Big Red sings Ashlyn gave out party blowers. "Everybody, all for one. Our real summer has just begun."

Kourtney sings next. "Let's rock and roll, and just let go."

"Feel the rhythm of the drums." Gina sang.

Tabitha put on star shaped glasses she found in the living room on EJ which caused him to laugh a bit. "We're gonna have fun in the sun,"

Carlos sings after EJ did. "Now that all the hard work, work is done."

Everyone sings together for the next verse. "Everybody one for all," Big Red puts his hand out into the middle and everyone did the same. Then they each raise their hands up at the same time. "And all for one. All for..."

"Ten seconds 'till midnight!" Natalie exclaimed and the room erupted with cheers of excitement.

Everyone began counting down until it was midnight. She was starting the new year and ending the new year with her best friend, Maeve, just like they've always done each year. And now she was starting the new year with EJ, and she hoped she can always start the new year and end the new year with him. 

Just when it was two seconds to midnight EJ wrapped his arm around Tabitha's waist, pulling her closer to him and they smiled at each other. When it was exactly midnight they kissed. Ashlyn and Big Red happened to be kissing exactly when it was exactly at midnight as well.

"I have an announcement!" Miss Jenn yelled just as everyone counted the last second until midnight.

Tabitha and EJ pull away from the kiss, both were blushing and smiling at each other. EJ takes off the star shaped glasses, setting them on the nearby coffee table. He kept one arm wrapped around Tabtiha's waist as they turned to face Miss Jenn. 

"You cut your hair!" Carlos gasped.

Miss Jenn smiles. "Thank you. Wait, do you like it?" Carlos nods in response. Miss Jenn shakes her head. "That's not the announcement. Um, contrary to rumor we are not doing 'High School Musical 2'."

Everyone looked at her with a shocked expression. Carlos would've fainted if it wasn't for Kourtney and a dancer that was beside him catching him and setting him down on the couch behind them.

"We are doing an American classic." Miss Jenn continues with a smile on her face. "'Beauty and the Beast'." A grin tugs on Tabitha's lips. 'Beauty and the Beast' was one of her favorite Disney movies of all time. She had a feeling everyone else was just as excited as she was about this because of how they reacted. "And I know East High just did it a couple years ago, but you didn't do it my way. And you didn't win the most important award in all of the theater."

Gina guesses, "The Tony?"

"Okay," Miss Jenn shrugs. "The second most important award?"

"The Drama Desk?" Seb questioned.

"The what?" Maeve asked in confusion, staring at Seb with furrowed eyebrows. The other drama kids who knew what he was talking about stared at her in shock that she didn't know what The Drama Desk was.

"Everyone, just calm down!" Miss Jenn exclaims, stopping everyone before they started chatting excitedly about this. "This semester, we are entering the Alan Menken Awards for High School Musical Theater. And we are going to win."

Everyone cheered excitedly. "Um," Carlos speaks up and the cheering dies down. "That means beating North High, Miss Jenn. They have a thousand-gallon 'Little Mermaid' aquarium."

"Then we will have an aquarium too." Miss Jenn smiled.

Tabitha shakes her head. "Beauty and the Beast doesn't have an aquarium in it."

Miss Jenn sheepishly smiles. "Okay, I need to study the text. So, who is ready to show the world they deserve to get that scholarship to NYU? I mean, who is ready to go from amateur thespians to statewide award winners?"

Ricky stands beside Miss Jenn, smiling at everyone. "What team?"

"Wildcats!" Everyone responded.

Gina smiles, turning to Nini. "This is gonna be everything."

Big Red points at Nini with a smile on his face. "You were born for this show."

Ashlyn looks at Nini with a smile. "I can already picture you in Belle's gold dress."

Ricky looks at his girlfriend with a smile. "I'm in if you're in."

Everyone looked at Nini, each of them curious as to what Nini will say. Tabitha most certainly did not expect her to say, "Ricky, I'm moving to Denver." 

Everyone stared at Nini with surprise and Tabitha jumped, instinctively moving closer to EJ while his grip tightened on her as if he was startled by the sudden popping sound of a balloon as well. 

Wildcats, you better buckle up because this was only the start of a new year full of drama and love.

A/N yay nelswell got a new year's kiss :) they're so cute