𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 - 𝐡𝐬𝐦𝐭𝐦𝐭𝐬 (𝐢𝐢) | ✔

twenty-nine

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twenty-nine: our differences
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Fourteen days to opening night:

     "Ricky, can you stand still?" Juliette asked, looking harshly at him. She and Kourtney were desperately trying to fix his costume so as to make his cast as little noticeable as possible, but the task was proving itself impossible.

     "I could if you were not pricking me with the needles," he shifted once again.

     "I can't do this," Kourtney declared, "good luck Juliette."

     These days were, clearly, a time of distress and misery for all the members of the drama club. After learning what had happened with their protagonists, Miss Jenn had become even more strict, seeing that they had two injured cast members, no transformation and, most importantly, no tech rehearsal done. It didn't help either that North High did not stop posting pictures of their nearly-Broadway production.

     "Ricky, I swear to God. Either you stand still or..."

     "Juliette," he took her hands, making the girl look at him directly. "I don't think I have apologized for everything that happened between us. I wanted you to know that I really am sorry, for everything."

     "Ricky I... I can't do this," she told him, her voice breaking in the process. Although Ricky attempted once again to talk with her, the redhead left all her utensils in the little table besides her and walked out of the room, tears staining her cheeks already.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Ten days to opening night:

     "What is wrong with all of you today?" Miss Jenn asked from her privileged spot, from where she could see the whole stage. "You cannot stop messing up your lines, the dances are not right and this whole production is a mess!"

     The whole auditorium fell silent as they all took in their teacher's words. No matter what they did, it never seemed to be good enough to win the awards they so much desired, and they could all feel the competition slipping away from their hands, especially after being witnesses to North High's production the previous night.

     "Miss Jenn..." Gina whispered, afraid of the teacher's reaction, "we have been rehearsing for hours straight. Maybe we could all take a rest."

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Eight days to opening night:

     "Do you really think we can win this?" E.J. asked the redhead, looking at the ceiling from his bed.

     The girl, sitting in his desk with her English homework in front of her, turned around to look at the boy: "I don't know. I would like to think so but... Miss Jenn does not seem to have faith on us and it is honestly exhausting."

     "Yeah, like it's not even fun to rehearse anymore. One day we're going to end up killing each other just from pure exhaustion."

     "Well, I hope you don't attack me. I don't stand a chance."

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Six days to opening night:

     Ricky and Juliette had finally decided that whatever relationship they had at the moment was straining for both of them. For the teens, who had loved each other so dearly and who had spent to much time together, not being able to speak to one another felt strange and wrong. Thus, they had agreed to go for an ice-cream, one of their favourite plans and one they could still do without dating, and talk everything through.

     At the moment, Juliette and Ricky walked along the park, remembering how some months ago they took the same path but holding hands and leaving small kisses on each other's lips. Now, however, they barely knew what to say.

     "Juliette, I really wanted to apologize for everything that happened. I never wanted for us to end like that."

     "Ricky, you cannot even begin to image how bad I felt after everything. I'm sorry I... I'm sorry I was the one to ask for a pause, you needed me and I wasn't able to be there for you," the small girl stopped, making Ricky look at her.

     "No, Juli, that's not what I wanted to... You had all the right to ask for a pause and even for a full break-up," he said, wiping a tear from Juliette's face. "We were both wrong, because we let us end how we did. But I want you to know that I, and even my dad, appreciate everything you and your family did for me. I can't continue not talking to you, please."

     "I cannot either. I can't stand seeing you across the room and knowing that we aren't speaking to each other. Now, don't let Lisa and Ava know we are on good terms again, they wanted me to key your car," she laughed, making the boy do so as well. Ricky's laugh had always been music to Juliette's ears and this time was not different, he was still her soft spot after all.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Five days to opening night:

     "Juliette, can you please count your steps right? You have messed up on the same spot four times," Miss Jenn told her in front of everyone, making all her peers look at her.

     The girl, completely blushed and feeling faint from all the hours of rehearsal, could only nod and ask for a two-minute rest so she could drink some water and cool down. Unbeknownst to her at first, none other than Ricky Bowen followed her.

    "Ricky, oh my God, you nearly kill me," she let out a soft laugh after the fright of seeing someone following him. 

     "Sorry," he laughed as well, looking attentively as the girl took off her shirt, leaving her in her sports top, and let her hair loose. 

     "I swear Miss Jenn wants to kill me today."

     "I know, she is far too stressed for her own good. I just wanted to tell you that... you're doing great. I know that you are doubting yourself right now and— just that, you're doing great," Ricky let out, barely breathing in the process.

     "How do...?"

     "I saw you look at your shoes more times than I can count, you always do that when you're insecure."

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

One day to opening night:

     All the members of the cast were now together in the bomb shelter, running away from their stressed drama teacher and trying to calm each other before their second-to-last rehearsal. They had never felt so unconfident about a production before, not even when the second act of HSM was about to being; and one could think that the inhuman rehearsal they had been submitted to would have made them confident about their possibilities but it had achieved quite the opposite. They were all now doubting their acting, dancing and singing skills, asking themselves whether they were good enough to win the awards.

     E.J., who had become Juliette's biggest support those past days, was sitting with Gina, gushing about their risotto date the next day. Juliette, on her side, sat with Nini and Ashlyn, who were rehearsing the latter's main song. The redhead's eyes travelled all around the room, dreading the time she would have to rehearse her own dance and her part of the song. In the process, her eyes connected with Ricky's, who was trying to calm Big Red down in the other side of the room.

     Knowing very well what the other was thinking, the two teens laughed quietly, gracing each other with a small smile. However, it did not go unnoticed to the two girls besides Juliette, who quickly stopped what they were doing and focused on her.

     "I didn't know you and Ricky were friends again," Nini looked at her.

     "Well, we did talk our differences through. It was horrible not talking to each other after... everything we went through."

     "Let us hope that he sees sense and realizes what a girl he has let go," Ashlyn commented, smiling and hugging the shorter redhead.