𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 → RICKY BOWEN

twenty → opening night

"Okay so let me get this straight," Big Red shifted in the beanbag chair across from Ricky. "You two kissed, you love her, but you haven't gotten to talk to her yet?"

Ricky sighed, placing his guitar down beside him on Big Red's bed. "Yeah pretty much..."

"And so you're gonna serenade her with this song that tells her how you feel?" Red questioned.

"Y-yeah that was kind of what I was thinking? Like an opening night thing..."

Big Red nodded slowly. "Okay cool, I dig it. I always thought you guys would be a cute couple."

Ricky lightly chuckled. "Thanks dude, but I don't even know if she feels the same way."

"I mean she kissed you..." Red pointed out, "Shawn Mendes himself said it, friends don't know they way you taste... la la la.... unless they have some sort of feelings for each other."

The curly haired boy pursed his lips, rolling his eyes at his best friends remark, "I guess..." he muttered, still nervous as hell.

Meanwhile, across town Reagan was seated on her bed while Nora stood across from her. 

"So what are your thoughts?" she wiggled anxiously as she watched Nora stare at the box in front of her. 

"You're giving him jewelry?" she furrowed her eyebrows at the girl. 

Reagan scoffed, "Nora it's a dog tag!"

"But he's gonna wear it around his neck, it's jewelry."

"It's just a silly opening night gift," Reagan shrugged, grabbing the dog tag from Nora's hands and slipping it into the little bag she bought it in. "I might not even end up giving it to him."

Nora looked at the girl questioningly, "Why do you say that?"

Reagan took a deep breath in before sighing. "He kissed me Nora. And we haven't talked about why he went to Nini's on Thanksgiving. A-am I just a rebound because Nini rejected him again?"

The blonde took a seat beside her best friend and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, "It's gonna be okay, I promise. Put all your worries aside for now because you," she playfully poked the girl's side, "have an incredible musical production to star in tonight."

---

After an awkward run in with Miss Jenn, and realizing half of the drama department was hours early to their production, Ricky and Reagan made their way out into the hallway for a long-awaited chat.

"Can't believe we made it here," Ricky mumbled, his eyes focused on his worn-out Converse sneakers. 

"Yeah," Reagan lightly chuckled, "Against all odds, right?"

Ricky chuckled in response. "Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing."

The air was awkward and tense around the two teens who were too nervous to discuss the moment they shared.  

Reagan didn't want to be the one to bring it up, but she knew if she didn't she'd never get the closure she needed to move on. So, with a deep breath in and an internal pep-talk, she glanced up at the curly-haired boy in front of her. "Hey... that other night at the theater in that room...I-um...." she fiddled with the zipper of her backpack, slowly slipping out the opening night gift she had planned for Ricky.

"Oh, uh," Ricky nervously shook his head, "Listen, that-uh... No worries, I get it." But internally his heart broke. He wished he hadn't had to play that off so casually. There was so much he had planned to say to her.... sing to her. But if she didn't feel the same way, it wasn't worth it. "It was a tough day and we were in a weird uh... place."