— act two, scene one: dribble and pirouette

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     When Ricky and Megara finally got back downstairs to the bomb shelter, an overly nice EJ was waiting for Nini with open arms.  "I missed you.  Where have you been?"

     Megara turned to Ricky, and even though she lowered her voice, the mocking tone was still clear.  "I missed you, even though it's been thirty minutes.  Where have you been?  I need to watch you twenty-four seven."

     Ricky chuckled at this, patting her forearm as they took a spot on the bleachers and awaited further instructions from Miss Jenn since she had called everyone back to rehearsal.  "Shush," he whispered, the two biting back giggles.

     "What?" Nini asked her boyfriend. 

     "Before you came here," EJ clarified.

     "I was hanging with your cousin," Nini smiled, glancing over at Ashlyn.  It wasn't a complete lie; after Ashlyn left the room where the piano was, she ran into Nini, and then they proceeded to have an awkward conversation about how Ashlyn was doing the Ms. Darbus song and also how she was related to EJ.

     "Really?  Why?"

     "Don't be weird.  I'm just trying to get in good with the family."

     "Here it is, people," Miss Jenn announced her presence as she came through the doors with her blonde curls flying behind her, holding a small piece of metal in her hand.

     "Is that a garage-door opener?" the blonde boy, Sebastian, asked.

     "No, Seb," Megara shook her head as Miss Jenn quirked her eyebrow.  "This is Gabriella's phone.  From the film.  I plan on creating a time-capsule display in our lobby.  If they can have 40 sports-ball trophies, we deserve a little movie museum."  For a moment, she let everyone have their fair share of checking out the antique, taking turns passing it around to each other in awe.  "Okay, people, enough dazzle.  Fetch your scripts, please."

     Megara groaned, patting Ricky's knee.  "Wish me luck," she whispered quickly before getting up from her spot next to him on the bleachers.  He sent her a quick thumbs up as he watched her get her script from inside her Jansport backpack from the other side of the room.

     "Is that really her phone?" Nini walked up to Miss Jenn.

     "Hold it to your ear like a sea shell.  You'll hear echoes of V-Hudge crushing the B flat on When There Was Me and You.  Or you can let me disinfect it first."

     When Megara was situating herself and her belongings and making sure her bag was tucked away where it wouldn't get stepped on or bothered, she couldn't help but notice Gina Porter and EJ Caswell standing very close next to each other.  Not only were they standing close to each other, but they were also very close to Megara, and she could hear some of the conversation that they were having on the other side of the cabinets.  "We want the same thing.  But it's gonna take a little teamwork."  She could hear Gina say, but not a single context clue was given to help Megara picture why they would ever want the same thing, or what it might be.

     However, their conversation was cut short after Miss Jenn yelled out, "Places for the top of the ski lodge!"

     Megara was thankful that Carlos had no idea that she could also dance, or else she would also become subject to the torture that was the blindfolded dancing going on in the middle of the bomb shelter.  Megara's jaw nearly fell open when her eyes laid upon her blonde best friend Savannah, twirling around in the middle of a sea of dancers — all blindfolded.

     "Carlos, when can we take the blindfolds off?" someone asked.  Beads of sweat hit the floor as they all bumped into each other repeatedly.

     "When you can dribble and pirouette at the same time," Carlos answered.  "Come on.  Try again."

CARLOS: It's important to set up impossible situations in rehearsal.  That way, by opening night, they've been through every possible emergency scenario.  Someone has a heart attack?  Keep dancing.  The sound system goes out because of a tornado?  Keep dancing.

RITA: He's insane, but I respect it.  Plus, watching Savannah as a backup dancer has never been more fun.

MEGARA: Dance moms much?

     "How long has this been going on?" Megara leaned closer to Rita, who was sitting on the bleachers and had been recording Savannah with her red iPhone.

     "I don't know, it's been a while," Rita stopped recording whenever Savannah stopped twirling and walked off to the side to fetch her water bottle.  "Where's your other half?"

     Megara furrowed her brows.  "Who, Ricky?  Hell if I know, maybe getting snacks from the vending machines or something?" Megara shrugged.  "Where's your sister?"

     "Carlos let her go home early, I think this composing thing is getting to her," Rita said truthfully.  "She's been working at it all day though, and she's getting really good at it, so I think she's gonna be just fine.  She just needs to..."

     "Get her head in the game?" Megara finished.

     Rita nodded.  "Yes, exactly."

     "Yeah, well... that makes two of us," Megara sunk her chin into the palm of her hand as she watched over the other kids rehearsing in the bunk shelter.

     The two sat in a good silence for a moment before another person came through the doors — this time Megara could smell their body cologne from a mile away.  She hummed.  She'd know who that was even if she were blind.  "Hey, speak of the devil."

     Ricky grinned as he skipped towards the girls on the bench.  "Hey, just the girl I wanted to see."

     Rita furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Megara roll her sleeves over her fingers and tilt her head towards the curly-haired boy.  "Que Pasa?"

     Digging his hands into the pockets of his orange and dark red hoodie, Ricky huffed.  "Do you wanna get food after... this?" he motioned to the dancers behind him, production was slow.  "Rita, you can come too, if you want."

     "How delightful," Rita said in a monotone voice.

     Megara turned to look at her friend briefly before returning her gaze back to Ricky.  She returned his smile as she saw his eyebrows were raised, hesitantly awaiting a response.  "I thought you'd never ask."

#JJ
the fake dating starts now BYEEEE