Chapter Text
Kourtney pulls Nini away from me and our conversation as Carlos waves a piece of paper above his head.
"Clear!" Carlos shouts as a group of students eagerly follow him.
I stand there, feeling defeated after my conversation with Nini. Was she really that upset with me? To the point where she questions what I'm doing here and if I believe in her? Of course, I believe in her. Certainly more than her new, dense, and obnoxiously fit boyfriend.
This day has been a clusterfuck. I woke up thinking I could swoop in, let Nini know I've reconsidered everything, and I'm ready to get back together and say what I struggled to say before. Instead, I was met with a Nini with fire in her eyes I hadn't seen before. Even worse, E.J. Caswell has taken my spot over the summer. Who finds a boyfriend that looks like that at a music summer camp?
"I don't not love you…" I mutter to the spot Nini once stood, my eyes turning to where she is now.
Reluctantly, I follow the crowd of students to the board where the cast list is taped. Little by little, I see the crowd disperse as people see their role. Some are smiling, giddy to themselves. Others are wrapped in their friends' arms in a celebratory way, while some hugs look bleaker.
I catch Kourtney and Nini both turning to each other and gasping, Kourtney's hands on Nini's arms in excitement. Nini's expression looks like a mixture of things I can't place.
Curiously, I get closer, but the crowd backs up into me as a girl with tanned skin and curly hair lays both her hands on either side of the cast list. Her steps and aura are confident enough to make the crowd move around her to give her even more space. A smirk forms on her face, and she whips around in her leather jacket that's imprinted with white stars.
"Nice try," she says smugly, her words aimed right at Nini. "A lead in a camp musical, right? And now understudy for Gabriella? I'd say for someone like you, those are great stats."
Hearing that girl talk to Nini that way enrages me, but before I can speak up, Kourtney shoves Nini behind her and goes nose to nose with the girl.
“Hey, back off,” Kourtney stepped forward, forcing the girl to take a step back. “Nini can walk circles around you. If Miss Jenn casted her as Gabriella’s understudy, it also means she can play it just as well as you, if not better.”
The girl’s eyes were as sharp as icicles, and I could only imagine her response was going to be just as cutting, but Nini wedged herself between Kourtney and the girl before she could reply.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Nini stammered out, smiling hesitantly between the two girls. “There’s no need to fight, and we should all be happy for one another. I mean, Taylor is a cool role, and so is Gabriella.”
Kourtney and the girl backed off each other, both muttering “whatever” in response to Nini. Just then, E.J. broke through the crowd with a quizzical look on his face.
I hated everything about the fact that he was here. He was making everything so complicated. If Nini hadn’t met him over the summer, coming back to school and making up with her would be a breeze. But now he had her distracted with his perfectly styled hair and letterman jacket.
“Hey,” E.J. said, his arm protectively going around Nini, causing my fingers to press into my palms. “What’s going on here?”
To my surprise, the crowd looked from E.J. then directly to me. My eyes went wide, and my hands raised up in defense, already assuming they thought I had done something given Nini and I’s history.
“Hey, I didn’t do anything,” I defended myself as I felt someone tugging on my arm. I looked back to see Big Red looking at me with a huge smile on his face. “What? What is it?”
“Dude!” Big Red said, gesturing towards the paper. “You’re Troy!”
At that announcement, E.J., Nini, and Kourtney’s heads whipped to the paper. Even the girl who had been shooting insults at Nini uncrossed her arms slowly in wonder, gazing at the paper with renewed interest.
Me as Troy? I mean, I know I auditioned for it, but I didn't really think I would get the part. My audition was a disaster. I was late, I didn't sing a High School Musical song (I haven't even seen the movie...), and I only auditioned to be next to Nini and impress her.
"Wait, what?" Nina asked incredulously as E.J. leaned in closer to the paper to make sure he was reading it correctly.
"Chad Danforth. Troy Bolton... understudy," E.J. said, his voice falling flat as he read out the entirety of his role. "Wow," he turned to me, not even bothering to make his smile look genuine. "Congratulations, dude."
I returned his insincere smile with an apprehensive one of my own, and for the first time, I looked at the cast list paper. There it was, at the top of the page.
Troy Bolton... Ricky Bowen
I looked at the name just below it.
Gabriella Montez... Gina Porter
"Gina Porter?" I asked out loud.
"That would be me," the tan girl from before appeared by my side, smiling sweetly. It was hard to believe that she had just been shooting daggers at Nini and Kourtney. "And you," she grabbed onto both of my hoodie strings, pulling me closer to her, "must be Ricky."
I blinked dumbly at Gina and then pulled away from her. The room started to spin. No, no, no. I'm Troy, but Nini is not Gabriella. I turned around to look for Nini, but she was already walking away with E.J. and Kourtney.
"Nini!" I called after her, ignoring Big Red beside me, who started saying something. "Nini, wait up!"
I ran to catch up with them and grabbed Nini's arm, but she instantly pulled away. E.J. and Kourtney stepped in front of me like guard dogs.
"Guys, come on," I said, backing up. "I just want to talk to Nini."
"It's okay," Nini broke through both, making eye contact with E.J. and giving him a reassuring smile. "I promise, it's fine."
Both E.J. and Kourtney slowly backed off, giving Nini and me some room to speak.
"I'm sorry you didn't get Gabriella, you know I had nothing to do with--"
"Ricky, please stop," Nini cut me off, waving her hands in front of her. "It's not about me not getting Gabriella. I'm Taylor, and I have a part. That's cool, and I'm grateful," she huffed, and I knew she was telling herself that to avoid being selfish. "It's just... you are doing exactly what I said you're doing. You're confusing things. And now you took a part from someone who really wanted to play Troy." She glanced over at E.J., and I rolled my eyes.
"Please, he only wanted Troy for the exact reason I wanted Troy," I pointed from E.J. to myself. "We both thought you'd be Gabriella! That's what I'm trying to say. I've always believed in you."
"Well, it's a little too late for that, Ricky. Don't you think?" Nini stepped back from me. "Like I said, all of what you knew before was the old me," she looked past me. "Looks like your actual Gabriella wants you."
Nini walked back to E.J. and Kourtney. E.J. threw a threatening look at me as his arm protectively draped over Nini's shoulders like before. I watched as the three of them walked off, and I felt like the world could swallow me up right now.
"Bummer," a voice said behind me. I turned to see Gina standing with her arms crossed. "Looks like all your friends are jealous. Don't worry, it happens when you're on top."
I rolled my eyes and tried to push past her, but she gripped my arm.
"Let go of me," I told her, pulling my arm back. "What do you want?"
"What do I want? I'm sorry if I just want to say 'hi' to my leading mate. Gosh, what is it with you people at this school?" She shook her shoulders as if she got a chill. "You all act so jumpy and sensitive."
"I heard exactly what you said to Nini," I told her. "After you saw you got Gabriella."
"And?" she asked, uninterested. "It's true."
I saw Big Red coming up from behind Gina.
"I gotta go," I told her and didn't wait for her response.
"Dude, hey," Big Red turned around and quickened his pace to match mine. "What was all that about? What did Nini say? And Gina?"
"Nini still hates me, and Gina doesn't matter," I told him. How could this be happening? How'd I mess this up so badly? I didn't even know where I was walking to, I just needed some air.
"Oh... well," Big Red started to fall behind and did a light jog to even our steps out again. "Well, sorry. But you got Troy! That's actually cool. I mean, I know Nini isn't Gabriella, she's Taylor. And E.J. is Chad, who is eventually Taylor's boyfriend. So Nini and E.J. will also be together in the show. But Gina seems—"
I stopped walking and turned to Big Red. "Wait, what did you say?"
"I was saying Gina seems pretty—"
"No, no," I shook him. "I meant about Taylor and Chad."
"Nini is Taylor and E.J. is Chad?" Big Red responded, looking confused.
"And they're dating?" I clarified, as a plan began to form in my mind.
"Who? Nini and E.J.? Or Taylor and Chad? Or I guess it doesn't matter, because they both are! Miss Jenn said she’s making a slight change to the script so there’ll be, like, two power couples. Did you listen at all during the whole audition?" Big Red shrugged and smiled, then he looked confused again. "Wait. Why does any of this matter?"
"Dude!" I felt my spirits lifting. "Can't you see? E.J. is my understudy, so I'll just tell Miss Jenn that I don't want to be Troy, and she'll give me Chad instead. And then, boom! I'm with Nini in the show, just like I want to be."
“But, dude, are you sure about this? Giving up Troy for Chad just to be with Nini in the show?”
“Positive,” I said, my mind made up. “I’ve got to try.”
Big Red was responding, but I wasn't listening. This was going to be okay. I could still get Nini back.
I glanced back at the spot where we had all crowded around the cast list. Gina stood in front of the paper, her phone out and a bright light flashing after she took a photo of it. I watched as she pulled the phone closer to her and began smiling down at the device, her fingers tapping quickly on the screen.
"You know, she's a transfer student," Big Red said beside me. "Sophomore. Just got here. She really nailed her audition. I'm kind of intimidated by her."
I looked at him, my eyebrows raised.
"What? I listen to people's conversations sometimes," he said defensively. "Anyway, I also heard she's been on tour before, as Annie. Like...on Broadway or something."
My brows raised. I wasn't too sure what Annie or Broadway was, but I knew it was impressive. "Well, I hope she likes being Gabriella at East High with E.J." I bumped my shoulder against Big Red's. "Do you know where Miss Jenn's office is?"
"What? Miss Jenn, why not?" I asked, exasperated, when she shot down my proposal. "What's the big deal? E.J. auditioned for Troy, and I want Chad. A switch wouldn't hurt anything. We haven't even started rehearsing!"
I felt helpless and frustrated sitting on the overly cozy couch in Miss Jenn's office.
Miss Jenn folded her hands on her desk. "Now, Ricky. I hear you; I really do. But I cast all of you talented students in the role I know you will excel in." She picked up a pen and started flipping through a manila folder. "I truly thought you'd be ecstatic to get Troy."
I would, I thought grumpily, if you cast the right person to be Gabriella.
"Miss Jenn," I tried to start again, having already gone in circles with her for five minutes. "I really just think you should switch E.J. and me. Plus! He has way more of the Troy qualities than me. He actually plays a sport. And, and, and," I stuttered and then trailed off after realizing I didn't know anything else about E.J. "And he has arm muscles?" I finished weakly, in a question.
Miss Jenn's head tipped at me, and she smiled gently. "Is this a confidence issue, Ricky?"
I rubbed my hands across my face. "No, Miss Jenn. It's—Okay, okay, then what about Gabriella? I mean, Gina? When she saw she got the role, she totally rubbed it in Nini's face. She was so mean. Then she called the rest of us jealous of her. How can that be a good fit for her?"
I felt a pang of guilt right in my chest. I was doing a low blow. Technically, I didn't know Gina. But what more is there to know about a girl who would say that to Nini? I felt angry all over again about it and hated that I missed an opportunity to openly defend Nini in that moment.
Miss Jenn leaned in towards me. "Maybe Gina didn't react perfectly to the news. And I'll take note of that. But what are you doing? Did you congratulate your castmates? Did you show gratitude for getting the lead?"
By now, I had grabbed one of the pillows on Miss Jenn's couch and hugged it close to me. "I'm sorry, Miss Jenn, but I'm confused."
"Ricky," the back of Miss Jenn's pen tapped on the papers in front of her. "I saw all of you kids audition. All of you. And after many years in the arts," she made a motion I thought would only look normal if she were in some sort of sitcom, "I know what I'm doing. Maybe there's a lot you can learn about yourself by being Troy. And by getting to know our leading lady, Gina, as well."
"Miss Jenn…" I thought about the way Gina looked at me, her hands clutched around the drawstrings of my hoodie as she pulled me closer. "I just really don't think so."
"I'll tell you what," Miss Jenn got up out of her seat and headed to a calendar on her wall. It was currently the first week of September. The pen in her hand drifted across the dates and landed on three Fridays from now. She circled it in red ink. "If by this date, you still feel the same, I will reconsider the casting. E.J. will be practicing for Troy since he's the understudy, and there'll be plenty of time to still get acclimated to a switch."
A surge of hope began igniting in me and I shoved the pillow in my lap to the side. "Miss Jenn, thank you—"
"But," Miss Jenn cut me off sharply, and then her expression softened. "Ricky, you really have to try. Try to get to know the part. Try to get to know your castmates. And try to see something in yourself that I saw when you were on that stage."
"I got it, Miss Jenn," I nodded throughout her speaking and made my way to the door, bursting with excitement. "Thank you!"
I was out of there in a flash.
"Nice to have all of you back, and let's have a great semester," my Algebra teacher said after the bell rang.
It was the next day, and I hadn't talked to Nini since the cast list went up. Last night, I went through several scenarios with Big Red on what I should text her, only to decide the best thing to do was wait to talk to her in person after Algebra. Most importantly, this class had no E.J. and no Kourtney, so I lifted my odds of being able to talk to Nini without interruptions.
As all the students began packing up, I followed suit. I had barely concentrated all class; I just kept glancing at Nini, who was a few rows ahead of me. With each glance, a script ran through my head of what I should say to her.
While I dumped all my belongings into my torn-up backpack, I noticed Gina at the teacher's desk. She was discussing something with him and had the same syrupy sweet smile on that she gave me yesterday. I felt a chill wash over me. How was it that Miss Jenn thought she'd be a better fit than Nini for Gabriella?
To ensure I didn't miss Nini, I rushed out of the classroom and stayed near the exit to catch her as she walked out.
"Nini, hey," I said the second Nini stepped out of the classroom.
Nini spluttered back in shock and blinked at me before putting on an annoyed expression.
"Ricky, hey." She responded and carried on walking.
"Nini, I just wanted to tell you I was serious yesterday. I didn't do any of this to confuse you."
"I know. You don't have to keep repeating yourself."
I nodded slowly. "Right… yeah. Well, I hope that, you know… We can get back to where we were before."
"Ricky," Nini's head tipped back, and she stopped walking. "I'm with E.J. Why can't you get that through your head?"
“I know, I know. And he’s a…” I waited for my mouth to say ‘great’ but nothing came out. “He’s a guy. It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?”
“Ricky,” Nini sighed. “I’ll see you later.”
I stood where I was and watched her walk off. That did not go how I imagined at all. I turned the other way to meet up with Big Red.
I am going to need to really kick some things into gear if this is going to work, but I’m already running out of ideas.
“Hey, Big Red,” I greeted him, leaning against the locker he had opened. “Can we go to Slices? I’m broke and starved. Also, my conversation with Nini went to shit.”
Big Red shoved the last of his books in his locker and looked at me, “yeah sure. But I thought you told me you couldn’t today? Because of that rehearsal?”
My eyes went wide, and my body straightened up, “shit!”
I had completely forgot Miss Jenn called for an early rehearsal today, directly after the final bell. How is she going to take me seriously if I’m late? I’m supposed to be ‘trying’ hard and when that Friday comes, I’ll be able to go to Miss Jenn with a believable case of ‘yeah, I gave it my all and I still rather be Chad!’.
I was already rushing off, Big Red needing no further explanation to know I forgot. I also forgot which way the auditorium was two times on my way there, so I was even more late.
“Miss Jenn, I’m so sorry,” I came clambering into the auditorium breathless. “That won’t happen again, I promise.” I dropped my backpack down and laid my hands on my knees. When I looked up, I just saw Miss Jenn standing there. Wait, don’t tell me she told me to come here early because she knew I’d be late. Is she already catching onto my game?
Just then, I heard someone’s shoes slapping against the ground. I turned to see Gina. She must’ve been sitting on the piano waiting for me to arrive. She looked at me with an amused expression. I instantly quieted my panting and cleared my throat, not wanting her to think I’m disorganized. Or even worse, unable to run for 30 seconds without heaving over out of breath.
“What’s going on here?” I questioned, looking between Gina and Miss Jenn.
“Ricky! Gina!” Miss Jenn started with enthusiasm, “thank you so much for coming early today. I thought it’d be good for us to run through some scenes, given that you're the two leads and all.”
Miss Jenn handed Gina and me a single piece of paper. I glanced down at the sheet.
Troy gazes into Gabriella’s eyes as the song ends.
Gabriella gazes right back into Troy’s eyes.
THEY KISS.
“What is this, Miss Jenn?” I said, lifting the paper in the air while Gina snorted beside me.
“Well, it's important for the two leads to practice the challenging scenes first so that we know what we’re building up to,” Miss Jenn explained.
“This has to be a joke, right?” I panicked. There was no way I was kissing Gina. There was no way I was kissing anyone unless they were Nini, acting or not.
“Calm down, it's just a kiss,” Gina said, pushing her copy of the script against my chest, simultaneously getting rid of it as well as shoving me back. “Miss Jenn,” Gina started diplomatically, “I'm all for the arts, you know that. And a stage kiss is nothing to me.” Gina changed her tone and crossed her arms. “But I'm also for staying true to the story. Troy and Gabriella don't kiss in the first musical.”
Miss Jenn seemed to take this into consideration. I kept silent, hoping Gina was better at getting us out of this than me.
“I see what you're saying, Gina,” Miss Jenn agreed. “But I already said in auditions I will be making some edits to the script. And it's important to me that my two leads find that Troy and Gabriella chemistry.” Miss Jenn made a closed fist and raised it into the air.
I held my breath, anticipating Miss Jenn to take Gina's script out of my hand and give it back to her. Instead, Miss Jenn pulled out another set of papers.
“But I am understanding, so this will have to do instead. Oh, thank Carlos’ soul for telling me to come up with a plan B. Now, go into the green room and give this a shot!”
“Stare into each other’s eyes for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds is up, explain what you feel,” I read off the paper Miss Jenn handed to Gina and I. “Oh my gosh, she has to be kidding, right?”
I’m sitting on a stool in front of a vanity mirror while Gina thumbs through costumes hanging from various clothing racks in the room. I set the paper down after skimming through the rest of the numbered exercises. I cringe at the thought of doing any of them with Gina.
But imagine how perfect this would be if Nini was Gabriella, I think to myself. Just hang in there Ricky, a few more weeks and you’ll be Chad and you and Nini will be back to where you left off.
“Let me guess,” Gina says as she pulls out a bright green feathery jacket from the rack, her nose upturning at the dust that flies from it. “One of them says to share our deepest darkest secrets and then hug it out.”
I wave my hand when the dust starts flying its way to me. “Did you know she was trying to set us up?”
Gina pulls on the jacket. “No, I didn’t know she was trying to Parent Trap us.”
I snort at her analogy and then thump my fingers on the vanity dresser. “So…” I said awkwardly. “Looking for a Big Bird costume?”
Gina walks over to me and swipes her hand across the sleeve of the jacket, causing dust to fly directly into my face. I nearly fall off the stool as I try to block it.
“H-hey!” I say, a loud sneeze erupting out of me. “What’s your deal?” A huff with frustration and move to another vanity so I’m away from the dust cloud. Something is seriously wrong with her.
“Oops, sorry,” Gina laughs as she pulls the jacket off. “What? Would you rather be doing the exercise?” Not seeming sorry at all, she hangs the jacket back up. “These costumes are so outdated. I hope Miss Jenn has an idea on how to make us not look fresh out the 80s during the show.”
I continue to watch as Gina distastefully looks at each article of clothing she pulls out. I only now notice how athletic she looks. With long legs and lean muscles, I felt like with one swift kick she could knock me out cold. Big Red was seriously onto something when he said she was intimidating. How was I supposed to fake trying hard to be Troy when Gina would probably eat me up if I made a mistake?
“Nice going with Nini earlier, by the way,” Gina said as she rearranged a barrette in her hair while looking at herself in one of the vanity mirrors. I felt a pang of defensiveness as she continued, “I hope that... you know…” She mimicked my tone. “We can get back to where we were before,” she finished, turning to me with an uninterested expression. “Real smooth, Troy. Real smooth.”
My chest grew hot. Was she eavesdropping on Nini and I’s conversation? To be fair, we were in the middle of the hallway, but I didn't remember seeing Gina there.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, pretending not to know what she meant.
“Don’t play dumb,” Gina retorted. “If that’s your plan to get her to like you again, I hope you’re ready to watch her suck face with E.J. for the rest of the semester.”
“Dude,” I said, not caring how irritated I sounded. “You don’t know anything about that situation. I know you’re new around here, but Nini and I dated for over a year. E.J. is nothing but a rebound at best. The amount of history Nini and I have is insane. E.J. really doesn't stand a chance once Nini sees through him.” Toward the end of my argument, I felt like I was trying to convince myself more than Gina.
“You want to know what I see?” Gina's gaze shifted toward me, and I felt like she was sensing my vulnerability and preparing to strike. I leaned back against the vanity dresser as she walked over to me and placed her hands on either side of the stool, our faces inches apart. “I see a girl who has moved on and found herself a boyfriend who appreciates the new and improved her.” Gina smirked. “If you want any chance of getting her back, you have to show her that you've changed. Why would she want to go back to her jilted ex?”
I blinked up at Gina, wondering why she kept doing this. And why were her words starting to make sense?
“What do you mean?” I asked slowly, creating some distance between our faces. “Are you saying I have a chance, but I need a new game plan?”
“Sort of. Why don't you be impressive? Be Troy, you know, the dancing, the singing, the dazzling eyes.” Gina fluttered her long lashes at me, her deep brown eyes flashing. “Let her see that you're different, let her miss what she used to have.”
The plan I had of fake trying to be Troy slowly starts to shift as Gina's words sink in. Maybe I should try to be the real-life Troy for Nini. After all, if I can impress her and make her see that I've changed, when I switch my role to Chad, Nini will be glad I’m now her counterpart.
Before I can respond, Miss Jenn walks in. "Ricky! Gina! Everyone is here now for the real rehearsal start time—Oh," Miss Jenn stops and smiles. "Great, you guys are doing the exercises."
Gina gives me a knowing look and whispers, "Showtime."