Archive of Our Own ^beta

...

hey ash!
it’s been awhile
hope ur doing well
i wanted you to know i’m coming back next week
i hop e we c an get together
we really need to talk
it’s nothing bad or anything
i just think it would be good to see you
i mean obviously it would be good to see you
i miss you
i just mean i think we should talk in person
since texting can be awkwa rd
speaking of awkward i just realized u r prob still in bed
i forget that not everyone gets up at 5!
it’s obviously not 5 here
time zones are weird
anyway really look ing forward to seeing you next week

...

After ch ecking the time on her phone , Ashlyn sc rolled back through her last few messages, making sure she’d gotte n the time and location right . Yep, Biggie had suggested how about 4 at seb’s coffee truck thing? It was already 10 after—where was he?

Her eyes then fell on the last text he’d sent :

can’t wait to see you
i kinda have something important to tell you

Ashlyn gulped nervously. She hadn’ t been in touch with Biggie for over two weeks. Had something bad happened in Cairo? Is that why he’d had to come back early ?

Or was he simply an noyed that she hadn’t been texting lately and was planning to tell her off?

No, that didn’t really seem like somethin g Biggie would do.

So what did he need to talk to her about? His messages didn’t give her much of a clue.

Apparently she’ d just have to wait till he got here...which hopefully would be soon.

While wait ing , she picked up her latte and took a giant swig...which she instantly regretted, since the coffee was still super hot. She would’ve sworn Seb was purposely trying to scald her tongue, only S eb hadn’t waited on her.

Come to think of it , she hadn’t real l y see n Seb much since Halloween.

Wow, that had been a crazy night, with everyone getting upset and leaving Gina’s party early! And Ashlyn still couldn’t believe that Seb had showed up and announced to Carlos tha t he’d cheated!

The whole concept was absurd! However, Ashlyn knew Seb wasn’t really capable of lying...and Carlos never would’ve made up such a story.

But Seb cheating?! Sweet, innocent Seb? That was just as crazy as someone suggesting h er Biggie would cheat— she couldn’t even imagine it .

Of course, Halloween hadn’t been a good night fidelity-wise for her either. Just thinking about it made her feel overwhelmingly guilty. After all, she was still Biggie’s girlfriend—what was she doing almost kissing Maddox?

Ashlyn wondered if she should tell Biggie about it ... thoug h that would require a LOT of explanation! I t had been MONTHS since she’d figured out she was on the rainbow spectrum, yet she still hadn’t mentioned any of it to Biggie.

HER BOYFRIEND!

Maybe this afternoon was the time.

If Biggie would ever get here!

Wanting something to occupy her nervous hands, she reached for her latte again but stopped herself just in time, realizing her scalded tongue was not yet recovered from the last sip.

So instead she set the paper cup down and reached for her bracelet, which she started absently twisting back and forth. Perhaps by spinning the beads spelling out ♥BIGGIE♥ on her wrist, she’d somehow manifest his appearance sooner rather than later.

...

Big Red took a steeling breath as he crossed the grounds of his old high school, tryin g to gather his courage. It occurred to him that t his was going to be harder than he’ d thought. After all, how do you tell your girlfriend that you’ve been deceiving her for months?

At least Ash knew the important part—thanks to the documentary, EVERYONE knew the important part—and she’d been nothing but supportive since he came out.

But knowing your boyfriend is bi—and knowing that he’d come to this realization by k issing a mutual friend who happened to be dating another mutual friend—were very different things!

Which wa s partly why he’d suggested they meet here at Seb’s coffee truck this afternoon —he really could use the boy’s support with this.

Plus he was looking forward to seeing Seb again. L ast summer, when Seb had invited him to the Pride film fest and, under the hypnotizing spell of Harry Styles, t he y’ d accidentally kissed, t he two boys had barely been more than acquaintances. However, ever since then, they’d become super close.

T hat’s what sharing a deep, dark secret can do to a friendship!

Especially when you we re all alone in a foreign country for months...and your girlfriend stop ped texting you.

This latter was so surprising because Ash had been so encourag ing to Big Red when he’d gotten the opportunity to attend culinary school in Egypt, and she’d texted him regularly when he’d first arrived in Cairo. But as time had gone on, her texts had become fewer and farther between. In fact, when he’d reached out a few days ago to set up this date, it had been a couple weeks since he’d heard anything from the girl .

Not that he blamed her. She was busy with school and the musical and a MOVIE!! It wasn’t like she had much time for online chats, especially when the time zones made it difficult to f ind a moment when t hey were both free and awake. Same with Ricky, only add in a secret girlfriend, which meant the two BFFs had barely been keeping up with each other this fall .

Seb, on the other hand, kept weird hours. He had to be up early for his milking, and now, instead of being stuck in classes all day, he was working his family’s coffee truck while homeschooling. That meant Seb had plenty of time to chat, so he and Big Red had been in almost constant communication since the night of the documentary, and their friendship had blossomed.

So it would be great to see Seb in person again.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to happen this afternoon. Seb had texted right before Big Red arrived at East High, saying he had to run an errand and thus wouldn’t be working at the coffee truck when Big Red stopped by.

While it seemed like a legitimate excuse—and Seb couldn’t lie—Big Red also had to wonder if the boy had wanted an excuse to not be around when Ashlyn found out about their kiss, just in case she didn’t take it well. After all, everyone already seemed really upset with Seb, and Big Red’s announcement would only add fuel to that fire.

So Big Red would simply have to find another time to meet up with Seb.

For now, Big Red merely needed to concentrate on what he himself was going to say to his gir l friend... w ho he could now see sitting at a table near the coffee truck, staring off in the other direction.

She looked beautiful...and Big Red didn’t want to ruin her afternoon by telling her about him and Seb.

But he’d already put this off for far too long.

So he took another steeling breath, strode over to his girlfriend, and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

...

“Are you okay?”

Ashlyn didn’t know what to answer...because she didn’t really know what she was feeling. Surprised? Confused? Hurt? Relieved?

All of the above?

Based on that, “okay” seemed as good a word as any.

“Yeah?” she shrugged, unsure of her answer.

Unsure of everything.

Because none of it made any sense! It was impossible to reconcile what she knew of the two boys with these new facts. H er loyal, devoted Biggie KISSING sweet, innocent Seb? It just all see med so...wrong somehow.

So perhaps “okay” wasn’t entirely accurate!

“I don’t know,” she corrected, staring absently at her fingers.

She couldn’t help but think back to all her conversations with Biggie last summer about his newfound sexuality. Trying to be supportive, she’d repeatedly asked how he’d figured it all out; no wonder his story had seemed evasive and incomplete. Though no doubt he hadn’t told her this piece of the puzzle because he hadn’t wanted to betray Seb.

And Seb probably hadn’t wanted to betray Biggie either, and since the farm boy couldn’t lie.. .

Uggh! What a freaking mess!

Of course, Ashlyn hadn’t exactly been honest with Biggie either. Not that she would’ve been betraying anyone if she’d told him about her feelings for Val, but she hadn’t wanted to steal Biggie’s gay thunder.

Though there was nothing stopping her from sharing her own discovery now.

She just hoped he would understand why she hadn’t said anything sooner.

Looking up at him, she asked, “Do you remember Val? The C.I.T. from Shallow Lake?”

Biggie didn’t even seem to blink at the apparent change in topics. Instead, he nodded, smiling. “Yeah. She was...cute,” he cheerfully admitted.

Good. He’d opened that door for her.

“Yes,” Ashlyn agreed, pointedly adding, “she was.”

She gave him a meaningful look, really hoping Biggie would grasp the subtlety, reluctant to spell it out for him.

His smile faded, and Ashlyn held her breath, nervously waiting.

Luckily, he seemed to be putting two-and-two together because his face slowly transformed into an impish grin. “Wait.”

Yep, you’ve got it, Ashlyn thought, giving him an encouraging look.

“Are YOU coming out to me now?” He laughed in amused astonishment as he continued, “Really?!”

Ashlyn gave a sheepish grin, unable to look at her boyfriend as she anxiously asked, “How would that make you feel?”

She needn’t have worried, for he immediately concluded, “I believe in Yiddish the word is kvelling.”

Ashlyn released a huge sigh of relief, thrilled that he was feeling happy and proud instead of bitter and betrayed. “Thank God! ‘Cuz...” She wiped her hair back from her face before clasping her hands together, happily admitting, “There were fireworks. Literally!”

When she’d been embraced that evening by the beautiful blonde girl, the night sky had exploded with happiness and light as Ashlyn’s heart simultaneously exploded with love and newfound self-awareness. It had been such an epiphany to her, so enlightening and mind-blowing and thrilling, and she’d longed to share it with Biggie at the time.

But how could she, when he was her boyfriend? It would ha ve been awkward to admit to Biggi e that she had feelings for someone else , no matter what the gender.

So she’d kept it quiet until now, worried how he’d take the news.

But instead of upset, he simply looked proud at her revelation, as if she’d done something amazing, like getting cast as the lead.

Only this wasn’t just some character she was playing. This was real life, and she felt she was more than ready to step into this new role .

Though Val had just been a summer crush. Whereas Maddox...

Did she dare say anything to Biggie about the other girl? After all, Ashlyn had just yelled at Biggie for kissing someone else, yet had it not been for the trick-or-treater interrupting them, Ashlyn would’ve certainly done the same thing the other night .

Which meant that she definitely needed to confess the rest, to get it all out in the open.

“And...” she began nervously, hoping Biggie would understand about these additional fireworks, “I think I felt them again, with that...girl Maddox...when...” Ashlyn was suddenly afraid to say it aloud, playing nervously with her fingers as she reluctantly admitted, “WE almost kissed.”

On Halloween, she’d felt a myriad of emotions—from excitement to disappointment to embarrassment—but now she felt only guilt.

She apprehensively looked at her boyfriend, desperately wanting his approval, wanting him to tell her that it was okay.

That they were okay.

...

“Ash, that’s...that’s amazing!”

Big Red was tickled pink! What a happy coincidence! He’d been so caught up in his own secrets, in his own personal insights, that he’d had no idea that Ash had been going through the same thing.

And he was so thrilled for her. He knew how wonderful and exciting it had been to discover his own sexuality, and he was so pleased that Ash had had a similar uplifting experience.

Though Ash’s face was now falling, clearly feeling self-conscious as she nodded, admitting, “Yeah, it’s amazing and...terrifying and...so many things.”

Big Red smiled fondly at her before glancing down at the table, his eyes coming to rest on his beaded bracelet, which spelled out ♥ASHLYN♥. She’d made matching bracelets for the two of them last summer before leaving for Camp Shallow Lake, “a way to keep us together while we’re apart,” she’d explained.

And yet being apart had made them each realize the truth about themselves.

Because it now occurred to Big Red that Ash’s newfound interest in girls had been happening at the exact same time that he had been realizing his interest in Harry Styles! Imagine that! He and Ash had always seemed so in sync with each other, it made total sense that they ha d each been figur ing out their sexuali ty at the same time.

His only regret was that they hadn’t been able to share their personal journeys with each other at the time.

Ash must’ve noticed his wistful expression for she quickly apologized, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. You know, it’s not exactly the kind of conversation you have...over text.”

Big Red totally understood—after all, that’s why he’d waited till now to tell her about Seb. Being miles apart certainly hadn’t made open communication any easier.

Plus he hadn’t wanted to give away Seb’s secret before the blond boy was ready.

But Big Red didn’t want Ash to think he was disappointed or upset with her, so he quickly grinned, s haking his head as he insisted, “I’m happy for you.”

Of course, he was more than that.

Because not only did it mean that she had now doubled her dating pool, she was also less likely to be angry with him and Seb. Big Red glanced over to the coffee truck, regretting that Seb wasn’t around , before leaning back in his seat. “Honestly?” He let out a sigh, freely admitting he felt , “Pretty relieved!”

And, taking in her reaction, he didn’t seem to be the only one feeling this way. Shrugging, he adde d, “Sounds like you are, too.”

She reluctantly nodded. “Seems like...we’ve been growing apart...for awhile now?”

It was true; he felt like it had been ages since they’d truly connected...and the fact that she’d stopped texting certainly hadn’t helped.

But she’d been having to hide a huge part of what was going on with her...and vice versa. They’d each taken parallel journeys of discovery...before arriving at the same place.

Here. Together. Able to connect just like they used to.

Shaking his head, he corrected, “Or...maybe just...growing TOWARDS...this?”

Ash flashed him a grateful smile and reached out her hand, whi ch he happily took, noticing that she, too, was wearing her bracelet. Ash then gently took his other hand, and they sat there quietly, just holding onto each other , sharing this beautiful moment together.

...

Wow! Redlyn was through!

Yet Ashlyn didn’t feel a knot in her stomach or a pain in her heart. Instead, all she felt was warm, platonic love for this sweet boy who still meant so much to her.

And she didn’t ever want to let that go.

Apparently he didn’t either, for he leaned forward, prompt ing, “Friends, though, right?”

Did he even have to ask?

“Oh yeah,” Ash confirmed, tenderly squeezing his hands. “Forever...and ever.”

Biggie stared down at their linked hands, no doubt as glad as she was that they were able to connect like this once again. Although he’d kept things from her—and she’d kept things from him—it was clear they were both willing to let bygones be bygones.

Though his redemption tour still needed to make one more stop.

“Okay YOU...really need to apologize to Carlos.”

“I will talk to Carlos,” he earnestly agreed before insisting, “but YOU have to call Maddox.”

Ash could feel her cheeks burning, and she quickly covered her face with her hands, flustered.

She desperately wanted to call the girl—and do many other things with her as well—but how could Ashlyn be certain tha t was the right thing to do?

“But what if...?” she began, shaking her head, momentarily caught up in the awkward memory of their near kiss, before concluding, “...I got it wrong? Like...I know I like her but...what if she thinks we’re just friends?”

In fact, Maddox MUST think that. Otherwise she surely would’ve said something before now.

And if they were just friends, there was no reason for Ashlyn to even bother getting her hopes up, right?

However, clearly Biggie didn’t see it that way.

“But what if you got it right?” he asked. He seemed so positive and encouraging, hope flared in Ashlyn’s heart, but did she dare dream?

“Ashlyn” the boy went on, “bringing you flowers on opening night last year was the greatest decision I ever made.” Biggie shook his head, suggesting, “Maybe now it’s...your turn to jump.”

Ash looked up at her boyfriend—correction, ex-boyfriend—with hope once again in her eyes. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was worth the risk.

After all, she could still smell the giant bouquet that Biggie had bought her for HSM. He’d taken a huge risk that night, exposing his feelings for her in front of the entire cast.

And his daring move had inspired Ashlyn to seek him out in the gym afterwards, march right up to him, and give him a passionate kiss.

She never would’ve been so bold if he hadn’t taken the risk first!

However, it was obvious she was a different person now than a year ago. Back then she was nervous and self-conscious, happy to hide in the shadows of her talented—albeit ethically questionable—cousin.

But not anymore.

S ince t h en, she’d grown. S he’d gotten both a boyfriend and the lead in a show, not to mention having starred in a documentary which had been shown i n 63 countries! A nd those experiences had given her loads of confidence.

So maybe Biggie was right. Maybe she should just call Maddox and tell the girl how she felt.

But not right now. Not when she had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Biggie. It had been forever since she’d seen him, and she was eager to catch up.

He must’ve been thinking the same thing for he suddenly blurted out, “So...do you have time to hang for a bit? Can I get you another latte?”

Recalling Biggie’s comment when he’ d first arrived, she exclaimed, “That’s right—you must be jetlagged!” She stood up, grabbing her half-full cup and toss ing it in the trash can as she insisted, “You’ll have to tell me all about Cairo.”

“And you’ll have to tell me all about HSM4,” Big Red said, standing up as well. “I can’t believe you’re going to be part of the HSM franchise. Carlos can add questions about YOU to High School Musical the Choosical now!” he playfully teased before adding with a wink, “And I can’t wait to see you in your sexy goth girl costume.”

“Biggie!” Ashlyn blushed, pleased and embarrassed, before a thought suddenly struck her: how did he know about that? All the extras had had to sign non-disclosure agreements before shooting started, since Disney obviously didn’t want any spoilers leaked to the fans. That meant she and the other Wildcats had been extremely careful to only discuss HSM4 among their fellow...

“OMG!” she gasped, putting two and two together. “You’re still on the group chat!”

Biggie sheepishly nodded, confirming she was right.

Ashlyn started running through her head all the incriminating things he might’ve read, not just about her costume’ s sheer blouse but about Maddox...and how Ashlyn had practically begged Gina to invite the girl to the Halloween party.

“So THAT’S how Seb knew to show up at Gina’s on Halloween!” she exclaimed. It all made sense now!

“We’re really sorry,” Biggie frantically apologized. “We didn’t mean to eavesdrop...or textdrop or whatever. We just kept getting the notifications, and it was clear you all had forgotten we were still on it, but by then it would’ve been too awkward to speak up so...” Biggie looked down at his feet, repeating, “We’re really sorry.”

He was right—the rest of them HAD forgotten he and Seb were on the chat!

And that wasn’t exactly his fault!

“You’re forgiven,” she said, putting her arm around Biggie as she added, “since we’re the idiots who forgot about you.”

Biggie gave a sigh of relief as they continued towards the coffee truck.

“What can I get you?” the barista asked as they approached.

Ashlyn noticed Biggie do a sharp double-take at the blond boy behind the counter, and she quietly confirmed, “Y eah, all of Seb’s famil y look very similar , don’t they?”

Biggie nodded, clearly reassured that he wasn’t the only one to notice, before step ping up and ordering his soy milk latte.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the barista apologized, “we’re currently out of soy milk.”

“Oh, right,” Biggie recalled before turning towards Ashlyn, explaining, “Seb texted that he had to go buy more this afternoon, which is why he wasn’t going to be here.”

Ashlyn was surprised—she hadn’t known Biggie and Seb to ever text each other outside of the group chat.

Of course, until a few minutes ago, she hadn’t known Biggie and Seb to kiss each other either!

She and Biggie definitely had a lot of catching up to do.

...

“...and Scott Hoying plays Ryan’s partner.”

“I always KNEW Ryan was gay!” Big Red exclaimed, before quickly correcting, “Or at least somewhere on the rainbow spectrum.” After all, he didn’t want to make assumptions about the character’s sexuality.

Just like he didn’t want to make assumptions about Ash’s.

“Speaking of,” he began, “I’m curious...where exactly on the rainbow spectrum do YOU lie?”

After the Pride film fest—after Harry Styles and the kiss with Seb had stirred up all these new feelings for Big Red —it was clear that his feelings for Ashlyn hadn’t changed, which meant he definitely identified as bi.

However, he didn’t w ant to make the same assumption about Ash. After all, how someone identified was for them to determine, which was why he’d decided to avoid assumptions and just straight-up ask.

“That’s a good question,” Ash said, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I guess I’ve never really thought about putting a name to it. I mean...” Ash reached across the table and took Biggie’s hand, “you’ll always be my first love. And...now I have feelings for Maddox. But whether that makes me bi or...pan or...merely queer?” She shrugged and shook her head, admitting, “I guess...I don’t really know yet?”

“It’s okay,” Big Red reassured her, tenderly squeezed her hand. “You don’t have to...define yourself. Just...be you, Ash. Feel your feelings for...whoever.”

The girl smiled warmly back at him, which, despite everything, still sent a thrill down his s pine. It felt so good to be home, to be connecting with Ash once more.

Though something she’d just said came back to him, and he bl urted out, “So what IS the difference between bi and pan?”

He’d read different definitions online but didn’t really get the nuisance.

Ash, however, grinned broadly a nd simply dec lared, “Yellow.”

Big Red laughed. She was right—perhaps flag colors WER E the best way to describe the differences.

Because what did it really matter anyway? All that mattered was that Ash now liked this Maddox girl...and he didn’t really know anything about her.

“So...back to the film,” Big Red said before leaning in and eagerly prompting, “I’m dying to hear all about the cute P.A.”

Ash giggled and her cheeks turned red as she sputtered, “I-I-I don’t know. She’s...beautiful and...funny and...she memorized an entire book on the plane ride here on 30 things to shout into a walkie.” Sh e gave Big Red a conspiratorial smile as she added, “It was really hot.”

Big Red smiled, saying, “I memorized a book on the plane ride here, too...though it was 30 things to do with mozzarella.” He shrugged, embarrassed, admitting, “Not quite the same thing, I guess.”

But Ash seemed interested nonetheless. “So how IS culinary school going? Are you learning a lot?”

“SO much,” he eagerly responded. “Did you know that official Neapolitan pizza uses mozzarella made exclusively from the milk of water buffaloes?”

“No cows are involved? Don’t tell Seb!” Ash teased, and Big Red couldn’t help but laugh. He loved that they were still so comfortable with each other.

If only his digestive system felt comfortable!

Instead, he currently felt bloated, and his abdomen was cramping up—he KNEW he shouldn’t have drunk that latte.

Ash, however, must’ve noticed his sudden frown for she quickly apologized, “S orry. S hould I not tease you about Seb? Because if you don’t—”

“Teasing’s fine,” he assured her, shaking his head. He didn’t want Ash to feel awkward about him and Seb, since the two of them had obviously moved past it.

But Ash must’ve sensed something still wasn’t quite right for she asked, “Then...what’s wrong?”

He gave an embarrassed shrug, admitting, “I’m thinking I should’ve waited for that soy milk.”

“You, too?” Ash blurted out. “My stomach is killing me!”

Big Red laughed. “I guess it’s a good thing we’re never gonna have kids together. Can you imagine how screwed up they’d be? Lactose intolerant...”

“Allergic to the sun,” Ash jumped in, pointing to her freckles.

“The reddest of red hair—and you know my dad would’ve insisted we name our eldest Big Red the Fifth.”

The two of them laughed harder...causing Big Red to accidentally release a short fart.

“Sorry,” he apologized, rather embarrassed, but Ash simply continued to laugh, teasing, “If that’s my cue to start singing ‘I Think I Got You Beat’, we should probably take this outside.”

Big Red smiled, thinking of the song from Shrek the Musical where the two leads attempt to one-up each other with bodily noises, relieved that Ashlyn had turned the awkward moment into a musical theatre reference.

However, perhaps she really did want to leave because she stood up from the table, insisting, “We probably should go.”

Big Red’s face fell. He’d been having so much fun, he didn’t want their time together to be over.

Luckily, that’s not what Ash was proposing.

“There’s a Walgreens not far from here,” she explained, “and we both obviously need some Lactaid pills.”

Big Red nodded, standing as well as he playfully teased, “Free coffee AND Lactaid pills? Wow, Ash, y ou really know how to show a guy a good time.” He quickly corrected, “Or...should I say...guy OR girl?”

Ash linked her arm through his. “Trust me, Biggie, you are the ONLY person I will be taking on a Lactaid run any time soon.”

Big Red smiled. For some reason, knowing that there was still an activity Ash was willing to share only with him made him feel warm and tingly inside.

Though maybe that was just the lactose!

...

Having fun together, even when you’re running boring errands, is a sure sign of a good friendship, and Ashlyn was relieved that that hadn’t changed.

Of course, there was a moment of panic when they’d thought the store was sold out of Lactaid pills, but once they’d tracked them down near the freezer with the ice cream , she and Biggie had idly wandered down every aisle of the Walg reens, joking and laughing and simply enjoying each other’s company . Ashlyn felt so relaxed and contented just chilling with Biggie. These last few months had been so tense , having to watch what she said around him, that she was relieved that she could once again just be herself.

However, she knew their time together couldn’t last forever. The late autumn sun had already set, she had rehearsal at 7, and Biggie wouldn’t be in Salt Lake for long.

Though she didn’t know for exactly how long.

“So...,” she began as the two of them got back into Biggie’s car, after having finally made their purchases, “when do you go back to Cairo?”

“Soon. As I said, I’m really only here for Grandma Red’s hundredth,” Biggie explained as he started up the car, adding, “though technically we haven’t bought my return ticket yet.”

“You haven’t?” Ashlyn asked, surprised—she’d assumed that more planning would be needed for international travel.

Though she wasn’t exactly complaining, since perhaps...

“Do you think you could maybe...stay till the show?” she asked tentatively before quickly adding, “It’s only two weeks away.”

Ashlyn knew it was a long shot, but she figured it didn’t hurt to ask. After all, she’d love to have Biggie in the audience, cheering her on.

“I’ll have to see,” he shrugged noncommittally, adding, “It’s kinda up to my folks, since they’re paying.”

Ashlyn nodded. She understood it would probably be difficult for Biggie to be away from culinary school for so long, but now that he was here—now that they’d talked everything out—she di dn’t want him to leave . However, she wasn’t his girlfriend anymore, and even if she had been, she wouldn’t have wanted to put any pressure on him.

So instead, she merely commented, “You should at least come inside with me whe n we get back to the school. I’m sure everyone would love to see you.” Ashlyn paused, realizing that her statement wasn’t entirely accurate, before correcting, “Well, everyone but Carlos, that is.”

Though she hoped that Carlos would be relieved that Seb’s cheating had really only amounted to one kiss... which hadn’t actually meant anything to either of the boys.

Biggie, however, frowned at her invitation. “I thought it was a closed set.”

“Oh, we’re not filming tonight,” she quickly explained, shaking her head. “Miss Jenn is having an HSM3 rehearsal. We’re super far behind because of the movie—I mean, we’re barely off-book, and I haven’t even learned my piano parts yet.” At Biggie’s confused look, she explained, “Remember? Kelsi plays piano in ‘Just Wanna Be With You’ and the opening of the Spring Musical number.”

“Oh right! I totally forgot you’re not playing Ms. Darbus this time.”

Ashlyn smiled proudly to herself. While she ha d loved portraying the over-the-top drama teacher last year—and singing her self-penned Act 2 power ballad—it was nice to be playing an actual teenager this time.

Especially one as queer-coded as Kelsi!

And now that they were almost finished filming HSM4 , she was looking forward to focusing all her attention on HSM 3 .

So as Biggie pulled the car into the East High lot and parked, Ashlyn automatically reached for the car door, not wanting to be late for Miss Jenn’s rehearsal.

However, she was stopped by a hand upon her shoulder an d Biggie’s quiet, “Wait.”

Ashlyn turned towards her ex and noticed the serious expression on his face via the dim light from the parking lot.

“What is it, Biggie?” she asked, suddenly experiencing an uncomfortable—albeit non-lactose—feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Because the boy was now frowning, obvi ously thinking deeply about something.

But what? He’d already confessed about Seb, and sh e’d confessed about Maddox—what more was there to unload?

Finally, Biggie appeared to ma k e a decision, quickly grab bing something from his wrist and ha nd ing it to her, saying, “You should have this back.”

Ashlyn looked down at the object now in her hand: the bracelet she’d made for him last summer before camp.

The fact that he was giving it back nearly broke her heart.

Even though they were no longer dating, she’d still felt a deep connection with Biggie this afternoon. But returning his gift now made her feel like these past t hree h ours together had meant nothing.

Her eyes stinging with tears, she thrust her hand back towards him, saying, “Just...kee p it, Biggie. I made it for you.”

But her ex shook his head, insisting, “No, you made it for your sweetheart.”

Ashlyn gave a frustrated sigh. She’d thought he was okay with their breakup, okay with just being friends, but obviously that wasn’t the case.

So why had he waited till now to say anything? Why ruin the lovely time they’d just had?

Angry and hurt, Ashlyn closed her fist around the stupid bracelet and spat out, “Fine, whatever, if you don’t want it !” before lunging for the car door.

However, Biggie stopped her once again. “Ash, wait! Don’t be mad! That’s not what I meant. We’re still good. I-I-I thought it was clear we were going to just ...you know...let bygones be bygones.” He paused for a moment, considering, before playfully nudging her with his elbow, joking, “Or should I say...BI-gones?”

He looked tickled at his play on words, but Ashlyn was far from amused.

“If we’re good,” she began, her voice cracking, “then why are you giving this back?” Why couldn’t he simply keep it as a memento of their happy times together? That’s what she’d planned to do with hers.

But Biggie gave her a warm smile, tenderly wrapping both his hands around hers, explaining, “You made this for your sweetheart, Ash...so I think SHE should be the one to wear it now.”

Ashlyn’s anger instantly vanished , replaced instead with hope and love.

Now she understood—he wasn’t rejecting her gift; he was simply l etting her go, allowing her to move on.

She couldn’t think of a sweeter, more thoughtful gesture!

“Oh, Biggie,” she gushed, throwing her arms around him in the darkened car, “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Ash,” he replied, his voice muffled by her hair as he held her tight. “I’m glad we’re okay.”

“Better than okay,” she confirmed, smiling warmly at him as they puled apart from their embrace.

She was so glad that this kind, thoughtful boy—whom she’d broken up with less than three hours ago—was still a part of her life.

And while t his wa s so not how Ashlyn had expected this afternoon to go, she couldn’t help but wish that their time together didn’t have to end.

But Biggie had other plans.

“C’mon,” he said, reaching for his door. “It’s time that I go face the music with Carlos...and you do the same with Maddox.”

Ashlyn nodded, taking a steeling breath. While she was scared to call the girl, she knew that she needed to. It was time to be honest and upfront with Maddox, like she’d just been with Biggie.

And if things went well with her phone call, maybe ♥ASHL YN♥ could soon find a new hom e on Maddox’s wrist .

...

THE END

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