Chapter Text
The fire. It had burnt down pretty much the whole theater at East High. All of their hard work for the whole year, burnt down to a crisp. It was sad, yes, and all of the theater kids plus Ms. Jen were pretty much freaking out, but not all hope was lost when Carlos presented the idea of the El Ray theater. It wasn’t much, but it would suffice.
Theater aside, Ricky was a mess inside. Thanksgiving—well—happened, and he was a jumble of confused thoughts. With his mom and her new boyfriend (Todd was it?), and Gina having to move away again, and Nini. Nini. What could he even say about that situation? She had called him her buddy— was he officially friend zoned? Every time he thought about it it made him feel so—so angry, and then so upset. His feelings for her were strong and undeniable. Whenever he looked at her Ricky felt so in love. Everything about her was perfect and beautiful and graceful, and he was just about to figure it all out when Thanksgiving hit. And it hit hard.
He sat in the window seat on the bus, waiting for the rest of the cast to get in so they could make their trip to the theater. Big Red was going on about some video game that they just had to play once they were finally done with this show, but Ricky didn’t hear a word. He stared at the bus door just waiting for Nini to walk through, just to catch a glimpse of her. How was she feeling about the change of theater? Had she heard from Gina? How was she feeling about that? Would Nini call him buddy again? He wondered. Ricky just wanted see inside that incredible mind of hers, be at peace there in the midst of all this chaos. When she finally walked through it was almost like a relief—but it only lasted for so long. Nini scanned the bus with her eyes, and when they reached Ricky he quickly looked away.
—————
The El Ray theater was, nicely put, a little dusty here and there. A strong smell of mold and wet wood permeated the air. The curtains looked like they had been eaten by termites, and half the controls looked old and broken. Nini let out a huge sigh, knowing that they would have to pull off a miracle for this to work.
“I know it doesn’t look so good right now,” Ms. Jen explained, with too much pep per usual, “but I believe that if we work together and give off some positive energies we can make it work!”
Seb chuckled and turned to whisper to Ashlyn, “The only thing giving off ‘energies’ is the asbestos in the walls.” Ashlyn giggled at the joke along with a few others that heard before Ms. Jen gave them a death glare.
Nini watched as Ricky made his way through everyone, stopping right next to her, but not too close. She had been so disheartened by Thanksgiving, seeing him all friendly with Gina. He seemed like he was moving on. Yes, she had gone off and gotten a boyfriend, but was it really because she was done with Ricky, or was it a lapse in judgement fueled by her broken heart? She had a strong feeling in her gut that it was the latter. Ugh. It was all so confusing. He was her first love, but was she his? Maybe she would never know.
Out of the blue, they heard a shout from the wings of the stage. “Hey! I think I figured out the lights!” Big Red called. All of a sudden the atmosphere turned blue, making the mannequins and their clothing go all aglow. Ms. Jen squealed.
“Sorry, I think they had a fashion show the last time this place was open,” Carlos apologized. “Apparently that show was in the 80s” he said under his breath.
Suddenly they all heard a popping sound and saw sparks as one of the lights blew out over head. More yelps and small screams came from the cast.
“Is this really gonna work?” Seb interjected
“Yeah,” EJ added, “I don’t know if this is safe.”
Several kids chimed in in agreement, but Ms. Jen wasn’t having it. “Don’t lose hope so soon, you guys—“
“But I don’t want to lose my head in here!”
“Yeah!”
“If I get hurt my parents will sue!”
“We don’t even have a set!”
“Everyone settle down!”
They were all arguing at this point when Nini closed her eyes and rubbed her temple. She was finally the lead in something and it was all going downhill. Was it her? Was she just a bad omen for all of this? She felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
“Hey, Nins, are you okay?” She heard Ricky ask. His voice was so gentle, so calm amidst the arguing. She turned to him him and gave a weak smile. They were in a weird place right now, but she did really need a friend.
“Yeah, this is all just so chaotic. And I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault.” She admitted.
He almost chuckled. “How is it your fault?”
“All my life I’ve gotten supporting roles or irrelevant roles, and the one time I’m the lead we don’t even have a show? Maybe I’m just not meant for this.”
“Are you kidding me?” Ricky put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You are the most talented person I know. It might be crazy right now, but if anything it’s crazy despite your talents. You’re meant for this, Nini.”
How could he always make her feel so much better? She gave him a thankful smile and placed her hand to rest on top of his. Nini didn’t even notice she was doing it, but it felt so natural. Her eye contact was locked with his. For a second she wasn’t thinking about the past, or her broken heart, or his little relationship with Gina. For a second she was just thinking about his gaze and his company and his kind words. For a second she wasn’t so confused, and she realized what she truly wanted. It was just a second later, however, when they were sadly interrupted.
————
Everybody silenced when they heard that cracking sound coming from the ceiling above them. It was loud and ominous, and given the current condition of their surroundings it didn’t seem all that safe for everybody to just be standing there, frozen with hesitation and fear, but no one could move, or even make a sound at least for a couple of seconds.
“What… what was that?” Kourtney asked in a low voice.
“I’m not sure, nothing good I bet,” Carlos replied.
Ricky stared up at the ceiling, trying to find the source just like everybody else. Nearly forgetting the moment he just shared with Nini, but not quite. She was still to his right, no doubt, just as concerned as the rest of them. After this I’m going to tell her, he decided right then and there. I’m going to tell her how I feel.
It was just moments later when the cracking noise filled the air once more, but this time it was accompanied by some screams. That’s when it happened. The last crack and then he saw it. A large metal brace from the ceiling, falling. And it was too late when Ricky realized Nini was right it it’s path. It was too late when he heard one last scream and a crash right beside him.
“Nini!” He screaming out, but his lungs felt empty, and his head filled with panic.