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Ricky felt himself going higher and higher up into the air, ground disappearing from underneath him just as it had all his life. It disappeared when Nini broke up with him, it disappeared when his parents started fighting, it disappeared when they eventually got a divorce, and it definitely disappeared when his mom brought her new “boyfriend”.
So going up into the air in a harness was not his favorite after school activity but if it would help get him and Nini back together and stop the entire drama department from being mad at him, he was going to do it, damn the consequences.
Falling 5 ft with a beast mask on his face was not part of the plan. To start with, his arm got trapped under him when he hit the ground, and from the pain radiating outward, he definitely sprained it, probably broke a few bones. At least he could finally cross that off his bucket list though.
Distantly he heard the screams of his castmates, though he still couldn’t see them, the mask had shifted around on his head as he fell, scratching up his face a bit since the inside was still a little unfinished. Though he wondered if they were screaming because they were worried or because he had messed up rehearsal. Again. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter. It usually was.
He felt a hand touch his shoulder and a voice saying words he couldn’t comprehend. The beast mask was being lifted from his face and then there were warm hands wiping tears from his eyes. They were starting to swell shut, probably a reaction from the mask, since he was allergic to latex, not that the drama department knew that. Or even cared to ask.
They really should get better safety protocols in this building though. Considering this is the second time he’s been in a harness 5 ft above the ground. Honestly that is probably an OSHA violation or something.
He tried to stand because then maybe the screaming would stop. Maybe he should try to recite some of his lines from the scene they were working on. Then rehearsal might not be ruined.
He put his hands on the ground behind him and tried to push himself up, before realizing why that was a bad idea. Pain flared in his wrist, and also his ankle. Because of course he couldn’t get away with just a small injury where he could still go on stage. He had to go and break the bones in his wrist, and his ankle.
The hands that were on his face before reached out to steady him, and the voice was panicking again. He heard something about fingers, but wasn’t sure why on earth there would be a sentence about fingers in the context of Beauty and the Beast? Maybe it was Gaston telling beast that he’s a flesh eating monster. That would probably make sense. Though he wasn’t really sure of anything at this point.
Speaking of Gaston, that would mean that EJ was currently holding him upright. EJ, as in the girlfriend stealing water polo jock who hated him for getting the main role twice. Although if it was EJ, why was he picking him up into a bridal style carry and why was his face heating up. Maybe it was because he was coming down with a fever. Yeah that seems reasonable.
Now that he was in the air again, thankfully not 5 ft up, he could feel the steady rhythm of walking. Whoever was holding him was very good at being consistent. Which means it’s most definitely EJ. Because no one else would have the strength and the rhythm to actually carry him in a way that was starting to loll him to sleep.
But why on earth was he getting carried? He could still do his lines while lying on the ground. Maybe he was in the way of the blocking. That would make sense. Or maybe they just couldn’t stand the sight of him anymore so they decided to haul him out of the theater since he kept messing things up.
He still had more questions than answers by the time he was drifting to sleep, which in hindsight is probably not good considering he had a concussion. But at least he knew for certain that it was EJ who was carrying him away. Meaning EJ either hated him or actually cared about him. And for the first time since the beginning of the year, he wasn’t thinking about Nini.