After her long program, Casey waits on the sidelines for her scores. With her combined technical and artistic scores, Casey places second, right behind Nikki. Michelle Kwan observes that Casey will go on to nationals, and perhaps the 2006 Olympics.

Later, Casey and Joan reconcile next to the empty rink. Joan apologizes for not seeing Casey for who she is, and Casey replies that Joan sees her better than anyone else. Casey skates back onto the ice, where Teddy offers to let her "drive the Zamboni" anytime she wants, before kissing her.

Meanwhile, Nikki throws a temper tantrum over almost losing to Casey. When a reporter comes over to interview Nikki, she instantly becomes nice and says she simply skated her best.

Joan, Tina, and Casey eventually leave the rink together. Joan and Tina argue over Casey's sponsorships, and which one of them deserves more control over Casey's life. They continue fighting in front of Casey as Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" plays us into the credits.

As Casey excitedly receives her scores, it seems fitting that -- despite skating with her heart -- she is still only good enough for second place. Nevertheless, Casey can be proud of placing higher than Tiffany, whose dad must be mortified that his daughter is now officially less worth it than Michelle Trachtenberg. In fact, it is hard to imagine how badly Tiffany must have blown her long program to rank below someone who fell on her ass, and later just stood there staring for a while in the middle of her routine.

Meanwhile, Joan, having arrived at the conclusion that Casey is even more worth it now that she's won, loudly supports her by taking credit for her existence ("That's my daughter! That's my daughter!") even though she didn't believe in Casey enough to speak to her the entire time she was training for this event. Although it appears that Joan is crying because she is so happy for Casey, it is quite possible that she is actually driven to tears because her two-month vacation from Casey's stuttering is over.

It is also important to note the efficient conclusion of Ann and Gen's storyline, as the film includes a brief shot of them leaving the area with linked arms, presumably to get busy with some "math tutoring." This is extremely different from "driving the Zamboni," another example of Ice Princess pushing the G-rated limit with a rather graphic euphemism (which is what it must be, since Casey never expressed a desire to operate the Zamboni herself). On a side note, perhaps if Casey had remained faithful to the sciences there might be more chemistry between herself and Teddy.

In the film's closing shot, Casey walks away with two moms and no dad, a remarkably appropriate conclusion for a movie with such potent Sapphic overtones. To the average viewer, this might seem like a "happy ending," as Casey's passion brings everyone together at last; on the other hand, this scene provides a chilling glimpse into Casey's future as Tina and Joan immediately start fighting about Casey in front of her. Despite the upbeat pop music soundtrack, this is surely one of the most deceptively tragic movie endings of all time, as an unbroken take lasting 1:11 chronicles what can only be described as a leisurely march into Hell.