𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒𝐘 - 𝐡𝐬𝐦𝐭𝐦𝐭𝐬 | ✔

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒗. 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫
━━ 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂

     And with that, the show began. Ricky and Nini stepped into the stage with microphones in their hands and singing the first song of the many that were ahead of them that day. They were doing amazing, even better than they had done all those days at rehearsal, and people knew that. The audience could not stop smiling and, once they finished their song, they clapped for a solid two minutes non-stop.

     "Next thing I knew, I was looking at the ceiling," Nini said, following the script, "but you sounded like you've done a lot of singing."

     "Oh, yeah, lots," Ricky continued, making the audience laugh "my shower head is really impressed with me."

     Everything seemed to be going according to plan until Big Red failed to play the fireworks and Mr Mazzara had to step into the show and help him. With Kourtney as Taylor, the next two scenes went as planned and Juliette felt her heart accelerate as her moment to step into the spotlight approached.

     Once on stage, she focused on what Carlos had just taught her and did as good as she could, but lost concentration when Gina appeared dancing as well with her green jacket and white jeans. Her sight was diverted to the left wing of the stage, where Ricky stood looking at the stage as if he had seen an angel. And honestly she looked like it, a saving angel that had appeared to save the night.

She tripped with her own feet and lost balance for a moment, but Gina caught her and directed her to where she was supposed to be dancing, enabling her to continue with the number.

     The redhead could not even process what was happening, everything was so frantic that she could not focus on anything else other than her own steps, she didn't even hear the audience.

     When the music stopped after Seb's scream as Sharpay, she ran off the stage and off the gymnasium altogether, breathing heavily. She sat in the hallway and put her head between her knees until a female voice interrupted her. It was Gina asking her if she was okay.

    "I am I just... I didn't expect to have to go out there and dance," she explained as the other girl sat by her side, she could hear Nini singing on stage, "thanks, by the way, for what you did. I got... a bit distracted."

     "Ricky, right?"

     "Absolutely not," she tried to hide it, but she knew it had been as obvious as could be, "why would you say that?"

     "I saw you looking at him, countless times actually," she smiled looking at her, "and I saw him looking at you."

     "I don't think he was... we are actually not really talking, right now. What are you doing here, anyway? I though we would never see you again."

     "One night only, a friend bought me a plane ticket. Let's go backstage, in case you are desperately needed for another musical number."

     "If I have to go there and dance again, I think I'll faint," she laughed and both girls marched towards the same room as the rest of the cast and crew.

     "Juliette!" everybody exclaimed as she entered into the crowded room alongside the taller girl, "you did amazing out there!"

     "Troy and ballers, five minutes! Ricky we want you in your harness pronto," Carlos interrupted. He was constantly running up and down, trying to make everything perfect. And everything was going amazingly well, the sense of pride that everybody was feeling could not be described with words. All their hard work was paying off.