— act two, scene thirteen: staying committed

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     Megara wasn't sure what had happened in those couple of seconds when Ricky was levitating in the air, but she was sure it had to have been something big.  She wasn't sure where he had run off to, so there was no point in rushing after him, which left her biting her nail as Rita was talking to her about some new picture of Ryan Reynolds.

     "Meg?  Earth to Meg?" Rita quietly said, waving a hand in front of her friend's face.

     "Hmm?" Megara rubbed the corner of her tired eye, reminiscing on a time when she wasn't part of the school's drama club.  If you would have told her a year ago she would have joined a show because of Ricky — her Ricky — and was now standing around waiting for him to come back, she would have laughed in your face.  Kourtney had told her that he seemed shaken up, and she chose to let him have a moment by himself, but she was already second guessing if that was 

     "Are you okay?" Rita tilted her head, pushing the plastic water bottle in her hand forward into Megara's chest.  The shorter girl (Rita, being extra, managed to wear a pair of wedges during the whole show) took it from her absentmindedly.

     "Thanks," Megara said as she took a sip.  "I just feel like my mind is all over the place right now."  Rita nodded, but before she could say anything (or maybe hopefully even offer a bit of advice), they were interrupted by a third voice.

     "I sure hope you're happy with yourself," Lynne Bowen said as she entered the room, earning confused looks from both of the younger girls.  "You were always quite the troublemaker."

     "Me?" Megara asked, yet it wasn't the only question on her mind.  She hadn't seen, much less spoken to, Ricky's mother in what seemed like years.  It probably had been.  "What did I do?"

     "He's refusing to do the rest of the show," Lynne said as if that explained everything.

     Megara furrowed her eyebrows, glancing over to Rita, silently asking her friend if she heard the woman in front of them right.  "What's that got to do with me?"

     "And how did you get back here?" Rita added.

     Lynne sighed.  "Look, I just talked to Ricky in the hallway outside, and he was very upset.  He was going on about how he's just... ruining the show for everyone else," she threw her hands up as if exhausted and unsure of what to even say.  "I told him he needed to stay committed, and then he just walked off."

     Ricky was having a mental breakdown?  While she was standing around backstage, nonetheless.  The girl had even gone through a costume change.  She knew how much this meant to him.  Megara could feel her heart beating a million miles per hour as it sank to the bottom of her stomach.  Her hand drifted to her stomach as she pressed her palm in an effort to calm herself.  She was sure that she knew Ricky better than anyone by now, including himself, and she wasn't trying to overstep a line that had been marked in permanent ink, but she surely couldn't let the thought go.

     It wasn't Ricky's fault that his emotions were always on a higher and more extreme scale than most.

     "Ricky knows what's best for himself, doesn't he?" Megara asked, trying her best to sound like she was not questioning herself — because she surely wasn't.  And the last thing she had time for at that moment was arguing about how to parent him.

     Lynne sighed again, but this time it was softer, more tired.  "I know you think you're helping, Megara, but he's taking it too literally.  He said he's making things a mess for everyone and he'd rather stay committed to you than the show... whatever that means."

     Megara could feel her hands get clammy the more Lynne spoke, and suddenly there was a lump in her throat.  "He said what?"

     "Seb, what's the matter?" Carlos and Savannah rushed over to the side of the stage where Seb was messing around anxiously with his feather boa.  "The music's been vamping for so long I feel like I'm stuck in an elevator."

     "I don't know if I can do this," Seb said.

     "What?  You are the only person who can pull this off," Carlos insisted.

     Savannah nodded.  "You were literally born to play Sharpay."

     Still, Seb looked unsure.  "My family bought out three rows of the bleachers.  I don't want to let them down."

     Savannah looked confused.  "Why would you?"

     "I have to go on with one of the other backup dancers because something happened to my original dance partner's foot, and honestly... neither of them are very good."

     Remembering how she had walked in on the two rehearsing before the homecoming, and ready to defend Seb, Savannah slowly turned to look at Carlos, who was already pulling off a fedora from the shelf beside them.  "No need, you can go on with Savannah.  She kind of looks like Ryan in that outfit anyways," he said.  It was true — there was something extra theatre-nerdy about striped pants and a white collared shirt.

     "What?" Seb looked between the two of them.

     "Gimme the damn fedora," Savannah took the hat from Carlos and placed it on her head, which was easy since her hair was already in a low bun.  "How's my shirt?" she motioned to her outfit, to which Carlos just gave her a thumbs up.  It wasn't like they had time for much else.

     Before Seb could object, Carlos cut in.  "Seb, count your blessings and dance your heart out.  Bop to the sky, baby," he said before giving Seb a kiss on the cheek and sending the two out onto the stage.  Carlos waved his hand over his throat, signaling to the other dancer across the stage to sit this one out as the crowd of families and friends cheered loudly for the duo.

     "He's just been sitting out there for a while," KC shrugged, but there was nothing that felt careless behind it.  With Gina at her side, both girls kept peering through the doorway that lead to another hallway.  Megara honestly had expected her search for finding Ricky to be harder, but KC had been the one to rush back to get Megara to let him know where he was.  Megara nodded and took heavy steps through, welcoming the bright lightning of their school. 

     The striped tee-shirt and jean jacket had long been traded for a pair of white pants (which she never thought she would be wearing, but here we are...) and a cherry red tank top that only had one shoulder strap.  Her long hair was free from its tight bun, allowing her perfectly curled locks to fall over her shoulders as she walked.  Since she wasn't wearing the Kelsi glasses, she looked just like regular Megara to him.  The only thing out of character was her face of perfectly done makeup.  Not that he minded.

     "Do they know I can hear them?" Ricky asked first.

     Megara copied his actions, slowly walking towards his right side and leaning against the table like he was.  "They're worried about you."

     "Nothing to be worried about," Ricky insisted.  "I just know this is a big moment for Nini, and I don't need to be the one screwing it all up for her.  End of story."

     She watched him as he talked.  "Right, Nini..."

     "And I don't need my mom — of all people — telling me about staying committed," he leaned his head backward, the longer curls bulging away from his eyes.  Then he lowered his voice and finally brought his gaze to meet hers.  "My mom brought her boyfriend to the show.  He's sitting with her."

     She nodded slowly, and all the pieces of the puzzle fell together.  She couldn't imagine how hard that had to have been for her since she never went through anything like that fresh out of her parent's divorce.  When her mom started a new life without her dad, it didn't necessarily include Megara, either.

     But once the words came to mind, she couldn't stop talking.  "Well, thank God no one's counting on you," Megara shook her head, yet she never looked away from him for a second.

     Ricky took a deep breath, lowering his head back down to face her.  "Meg..."

     "I mean it.  You were seriously terrible, horrendous actually, and they're glad you're out of the show.  EJ was telling everybody the real Troy was taking over for act two.  I think I saw Miss Jenn crying tears of joy.  You won't be missed."  The faintest hint of a smile was on her lips as she looked straight into Ricky's eyes.  She could have sworn she saw a twinkle in them.

     He didn't fake a chuckle, or even say something snarky in return.  Instead, to her surprise, he sat there and took in her words.  When he did say something, it was, "did my mom send you to talk to me?"

     She shook her head.  "No, not at all.  And I would never make you do something you didn't want to."

     He let out a long exhale.  "Good.  You know she thought I had stage fright?"

     "You?  Mr 'Megara get out of the way so girls could see my lil skateboard trick' Bowen?  Mr ' backflip to impress the girls at the trampoline park even though you're gonna fall on your face' Bowen?" she asked, earning a shove to her left shoulder from the curly-haired boy.  "Does she even know how cocky you are?"

     "Point taken," he said with raised eyebrows.

     Megara giggled, and if it weren't such a tender moment she would have made him promise never to tell anyone about the unnatural sound, but she decided to let it pass.  "I am curious to see the final duet though."

     Ricky shrugged.  "We sang it better in your living room last week."

     "That we did," she stood up straight and extended her hand out to him.  After looking back and forth between her hand and her dead serious face, he finally planted his palm in hers and rose from his spot against the table.  They loosely intertwined their fingers as they walked back to the entrance to the auditorium.  Unfortunately, when Megara opened the large door, it alerted everyone of their arrival.

     In all the hecticness, KC had assumed Megara's spot as Kelsi, seated at the large piano in the corner, playing the song live.  Megara couldn't help but grin at the sight of one of her favorite movies coming to life right before her eyes.  Being in the musical was great, but seeing it come together was something else entirely.

     "I can't do it, Troy, not with all these people looking at me," Nini said, bringing everyone's attention back to the show.

     "Hey, look at me, Gabby, right at me," EJ said.  "Like the first time we sang together, like kindergarten, remember?"

     Megara leaned over to Ricky's right ear.  "Somehow, he's even worse than you were," she whispered.

     After a painfully awkward silence, EJ sighed, and Megara knew in her gut that they were about to go off book.  "Remember kindergarten?  There's nothing like the friends you made back then, and they never really leave, do they?"

     Considering she had met Ricky in kindergarten and was now holding his hand (in front of the whole school much less), Megara had to agree with that statement.

     "What are you doing?" Nini whispered.  KC stood up from the piano bench to try and get a better idea of what they were doing, as she was unsure about the music arrangements.

     "Something right, I hope.  I'm gonna play to lose," EJ said so low that Megara could barely hear.  "I'm not the Troy you want," he said before walking away, leaving the audience surprised, but Megara still had hope Ricky could save the ending.

     She was right, as Nini brought her microphone to her lips and started singing Breaking Free and walking out into the crowd to meet Ricky and Megara where they stood.  "I'm really not at my best," he quietly insisted.

     Megara gave his hand a little squeeze, refraining from looking at him and creating even more of a scene than this had been made into already.  "Just focus on someone who makes you feel safe," she whispered.

     With a couple more bars from Nini and the eyes of the onlookers that consisted of their families, friends, and classmates, Ricky was quickly persuaded to get back out there.  Megara made sure she loosened her grip on him, immediately feeling the cool air hit her skin once he left her side and dropped her hand.  It was a bittersweet moment, watching him go.

     And so Megara watched.  She watched as he blew the crowd away, regaining his spot as the production (and possibly East High's) Troy Bolton.  She had only shared the stage with him a couple of times that night, but it was easy to see he had the makings to be a star.  She never had doubted for a minute that he couldn't do it or that his singing wasn't good enough or that he was undeserving of all this.  The truth of the matter was that Ricky deserved to be happy, and if she could play a small role in helping him achieve it, Megara would be content with that.

     During their performance, Megara wasn't at all surprised to see that they were blowing everyone away.  She found herself clapping her hands and singing along.  Afterward, everyone rushed around to get back out for the final curtain, including Rita and KC.

KC: What just happened?

RITA: I feel like something just happened, right?  Like y'all are seeing that too, right?

     Part of the show Megara was looking forward to included getting to throw a basketball similar to how Kelsi is allowed to during the final number.  It wasn't a big moment, but Megara was happy to do an easter egg that called back to the original film.

     Nini had dealt Megara in on her plan to bring Miss Jenn and Carlos out and have them be part of the curtain call, but while Ricky and Nini were talking to their teacher,  Megara almost missed when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind.

     "Phillip?" Megara asked befuddled.  "What happened to Kenny?"

     "He slipped backstage and had to ice his foot," the boy answered.  One of the hands he was holding contained the basketball she was supposed to throw into the hoop diagonal from the stage.  "Don't hit anyone in the crowd."

     "Aye, don't jinx me," Megara quickly answered, taking the ball from his hands.  He moved his posture so he could rest his palms over her shoulders as she reached up, aimed, and tossed the ball up into the air.  When it flew through her hoop, she couldn't help but feel joyous.  She yelped and jumped up and down, turning to Phillip who was also cheering.  They clapped their hands together before joining the rest of their classmates to complete the final number.

     It was hard since she was moving around so much, but Ricky managed to find Megara through the rows of people dancing.  He was relieved to see how relaxed and happy she was with her friends — bouncing around with Savannah, he could have sworn Rita pulled out her phone to take a selfie with her, hell, even throwing the damn basketball she looked the happiest he had seen her in a long while.  What Megara didn't know was that while she had believed she was Ricky's guard dog and protector, Ricky was doing everything he could to make sure she would be the one to get her happy ending.

     "Are you okay, Nini?"

     Nini hadn't really expected to hear those words coming from KC of all people, but the night had been weird enough so far.  With every passing moment, her fellow theater nerds were just proving that there was always room for improvement.

     "Yeah, just getting everything I need..." Nini said as she threw a couple of things into her backpack.

     "You sure?  I saw your face when that lady left," KC said.  "You can't really hide something like that, not from me at least."

     Nini chuckled, slinging one backpack strap over her shoulder.  "Yeah, I'm sure.  Honestly, I was kind of dying to get in all of a sudden, but now she's gone and it looks like I'm meant to be at East High so... that's okay."

     KC leaned her head against the doorframe and offered her a sad smile.  The two had never really hung out by themselves, but they used to run in the same groups growing up, especially after KC skipped a grade.  However, she had been in productions with Nini before, and she had a feeling she had something up her sleeve that might make her feel better.  "Denny's?"

     Nini nodded, a grin spreading on her face.  "Yes, definitely yes."

     "Nini, your moms are asking for you," Kourtney appeared in the doorframe next to KC to alert her friend.  "And I think your grandma wants pictures."

     "Got it," Nini nodded.  "We should probably start walking that way, um, I don't know if you remember my moms but I promise you they are really sweet."

     "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Nini," KC said as they started drifting down the hallway shoulder to shoulder.  Then KC took a deep breath.  "But meeting the moms?  At least let me take you out to dinner first," she said, earning a hearty chuckle from the brunette next to her.

#JJ
meg's the only one who knows how to actually talk to him REAL
one more chapter after this and it's very short (':