Chapter Text
Winter break has come at the expense of one Gina Porter and her sanity.
She treads the room at a slow pace if she does do slow. She’s worried that Ashlyn’s bedroom will smell of a racing track someday. “Where are you?” she asked, phone pressed to her ear. Gina heard inchorrent chatter from the other end. “Um…” replied (finally) the recipient of the call. Gina didn’t sit right with being left alone at someone else’s house, especially when it’s listed as a couple of her firsts. She woke up late in the afternoon, a bit shaken that Ashlyn had left without a trace. (A note on the refrigerator would have sufficed. Just saying.)
“Ashlyn?” Gina asked.
“Sorry, Big Red, I gotta take this,” Ashlyn said, in the background. Gina rubbed her nape. Oh, she thought.
“Yeah, yeah,” Ashlyn said, voice clear. “I’m here.” Gina stops, chest heaving slightly. She's infront of the drawer unit beside her roommate’s bedroom.
“Thanks for my new house.” She gazed around. Ashlyn’s room is bigger than hers and fills the familiarity of a long-time Utah resident. A collage of the East High Theater kids from last month’s performance sat at the top of her headboard. Gina didn’t know what to make of the photo. Her bright smile mirroring everyone else’s around her. She looked down at Ashlyn’s drawer, with its stylish lamp and missed her own, even if it did pale in comparison.
“You’re welcome,” Ashlyn replied. “Ohh-” Realization struck her. “-right.”
“Yep.”
“Alright, I meant to tell you,” Ashlyn said in a voice that conveyed the opposite.
Gina blew a raspberry. “Tell me what to do around here.”
The Caswell Family’s disposition reflected their home. Besides their fireplace, warmth radiated from every room. The smell of newly cooked food filled her nostrils almost every day.
She mostly loitered for the entirety of her stay (2 weeks and counting!) Except for the few instances where she offered to wash the dishes and the Caswells dismissed it. Every. Time. Maybe this is her chance to repay their kindness.
“I’ll only be gone up until dinnertime,” Ashlyn replies, flabbergasted.
“Ash?!”
“There’s food in the fridge. You’re our guest, Roomie. Where’s this suddenly coming from?”
“The house is sentient and it’s judging my Spotify.”
“That seems to be your problem.”
Gina and Ashlyn were like chalk and cheese. Gina’s first impression of the girl is that she was a literal (judgemental) cat on hot bricks. She never thought Ashlyn would actually grant her permission to stay at her home and now… Gina has been looking forward to another morning of piano music carried into the air.
“Ow,” Gina replies, and sits down at Ashlyn’s bed.
Because she couldn’t help it: “Have fun on your date,” she added.
Ashlyn started coughing. “W-w-what?”
Gina covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “I’m still in awe that your family is with you.”
“Big Red and I thought that a family dinner at his family’s restaurant would be nice.” She can hear the smile in her voice. Gina grinned.
“I’ll leave you to it,” she said, to salvage the wasted time caused by this phone call.
“No, no,” Ashlyn replied, hastily. “I mean— I don’t want to get back yet. Because you know, toilet break!”
You’re literally not in the toilet??
Gina frowned. There hasn’t been a snowstorm but she felt the temperature drop, nonetheless. “Ash, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” Ashlyn replied in a high voice. “You know me.” That didn’t sit right with Gina either.
“Yes, I do,” Gina replied. She shifted her weight in the bed. “I know that you’re going to kill it out there.”
Ashlyn remained silent for a few seconds.
“Redlyn is my otp, by the way.”
Ashlyn snorted.
“I’m serious, you guys are so cute.” Gina saw a recurrence of Ashlyn kicking her feet in the air because of a phone call with Red. “You guys would enamor both of your families into a marriage at this point.”
Ashlyn let out a surprised laugh. “Gina!”
“Redlyn for the win.”
“Fine, fine,” Ashlyn said, her usual tone returning. “I’m gonna go back.”
“Save me a slice,” Gina replied, cheekily.
Ashlyn made a noise that resembled a sticked out tongue. “Don’t do anything, okay?” Ashlyn added, with finality in her tone. “It’s winter break soo go break a leg.”
“Bye, Ashh,” Gina replied, with a smile.
“Thank you again,” Ashlyn said, gratitude in her voice. “Bye, Roomie!”
Gina pressed a button to end the call.
She laid down at Ashlyn’s bed and placed the phone beside her head.
Gina believed Ash and Big Red’s date is going to go well. She just wished… she was better at situations like this. The last time she did it was back in…. Gina closed her eyes to block off the memory.
Anyway.
Now Gina grew curious about her date. Would it be awkward for Gina to ask Ashlyn? They were at the comforting-you-during-your-date stage of friendship so that.. counts?
Gina shook her head, fighting a strange feeling in her chest. She bet it is going well. Ashlyn’s kicking feet in the air is proof enough. Gina blew a raspberry. Frankly, her curiosity is also proof of her inability to catch a date. Cuffing season is at work.
Ashlyn’s date would probably disallow information about today to be known to her or whatever. Gina isn’t that close with Big Red. She highly suspected he was intimidated with her just as Ashlyn initially was. It is kind of ridiculous that Ricky didn’t even try to defend her honor, just once.
The thought of Ricky made Gina’s heart… she doesn’t know what. She was standing beside him in that photo. She’s surprised she hasn’t thought about him recently.
Her phone sent a ping.
Please don’t tell me, Gina thought. She sat up and saw her phone light up with the following text:
“Happy Holidays, Gina! ♥️ ”
The room grew warmer.
She turned off the phone and got off the bed.
Gina couldn’t pinpoint what this exact feeling was but she knows that she doesn’t miss Ricky Bowen.
She felt her stomach rumble— which must be it.
Ash’s words returned to her. “It’s winter break soo go break a leg.” She had been itching to get back onstage ever since the school closed for the holidays. Not even Youtube can save her from winter break’s impending doom. She bent her neck and started to do light stretches.
She looked at that collage photo again. Staying at Ashlyn’s showed that East High’s presence in her life is becoming more and more solid. She’s here. She (might be) here to stay.
Gina sighed.
She really wished the Caswells would allow her to at least clean the house!
After winter break, she’s going to be ready for Ricky Bowen’s sneak attacks, more sleepovers with Ashlyn and more theatre performances.
She heads downstairs to eat dinner.
𝄗𝄗𝄗 ✤ 𝄗𝄗𝄗
One night, Ricky plucks his guitar and plucks it some more
The thought of Gina Porter crossed his mind
He stops, feeling it a chore
She opened a door that he thought remained closed
He lay in bed, jealous beyond his mind
Concentration, shattered
Mind, cluttered
Ricky paces the room
Shakes off this gloom
He plans to practice a dance
This is his chance
Next year will be the year
He'll hear Nini's cheer
He thinks of Gina aiding him
The gloom returns
How can he just let their memories burn?
Their conversations dwindled out of a whim
Gina, oh Gina, who dominates the stage
Who's better than all of them at any age
She'd know what to do
Him, however, has no clue
He paces and paces
Should he call for a truce?
He finally admits it, Gina is his muse
In his text, however, there is no trace
He heads to bed to sleep
Ricky doesn’t get a wink of sleep last night. He replays the conversations he had with Gina.
A recent text from Nini goes unread as the first rays of sun peek out of the sky.