༺ The Best Fake Boyfriend ༻

     EJ Caswell wasn't somebody who necessarily had a long list of best friends, but if he did, Phillip Cabot would be on top.  At this point, if EJ had to take a guess at who knew him best, it would be between Phillip and Megara (which really emphasized how much better EJ and Megara had come to know each other) or maybe even Savannah, even though they hadn't been talking much.

     He often thought about Savannah in all the ways that mattered, but he had a hard time not going to her for everything now that they had broken up.  It was becoming increasingly evident with each passing day that he should have never broken up with her, they were so good together.  He referred to it as his weakest moment.

     The last thing he wanted for Ricky was to regret breaking up with Megara, just because of a small fight.  Lord knows he did.

     He liked to think he knew Phillip better than anyone else, which is why he'd been keeping an eye out the last couple of weeks.  EJ wasn't dumb, he saw the looks he gave Megara when he thought no one was looking — Phillip followed her around like a lost puppy.

     "It's not a big deal," Phillip rolled his eyes as they pranced down the hallways of the school the morning of the show.  This wasn't unusual for the two boys, as they usually found themselves side by side when walking to classes or rehearsals together.  Even though they usually filled the space talking nonsense, today was different.  Phillip had been babbling non-stop since Megara confirmed her breakup, and heard everyone talking about how the two had been practically avoiding each other around the school.  

     Which was hard for them, since they had so many classes together as well as the musical.  And the fact that Ricky liked to hang out at Big Red's family's restaurant, and Big Red's mom refused to fire Megara.

     "She just broke up with Ricky, Lip.  At least give it some time, before you make a move.  You probably don't want to get right into a relationship two seconds after one just ended," EJ spoke slowly and calmly, trying to speak his thoughts aloud without eliciting emotions.  Sometimes Phillip could be a hard-headed demon who couldn't listen to reason.

     "No offense, bro, but you're like the last person I should be taking dating advice from," Phillip said nonchalantly.

     "What is that supposed to mean?" EJ asked, blinking madly as he tried to follow what his friend was saying.

     "Hm, let's see.  To recap this past year, you broke up with your wonderful girlfriend because you got scared of the blossoming real love between you two, and only moments later were you cuddled up next to another great girlfriend who you took for granted, and now you just spend your days pining after your ex," Phillip said.

     "You know what, never mind," EJ shook his head.  "I don't expect you to understand."

     "Understand what, that you can't be alone for more than two seconds?" Phillip questioned.  "Ever since high school, you've always just had some girl stringing along and now you're lost because for once in your life, you're on your own."

     Even though EJ wasn't quite comfortable with Phillip referring to Savannah or Nini as some girl, he chose to brush it off.  If he could choose his battles, he would try to do better in them.  "Then make sure Megara isn't feeling the same way right now.  She might want to breathe air before jumping right back into another commitment.  They were dating for seven months, dude.  I'm just trying to look out for her, and you.  I've known you my whole life, and even if you won't admit it, I know that you'd be hurt if you were just her rebound."

     "Since when did you care so much about Megara or anyone for that matter?" Phillip asked.

     EJ took a deep breath.  He knew he was feeling that sense of a budding relationship again — albeit this one was totally platonic — in his stomach.  He knew that it just made sense to care about Megara and that she was nothing but a good friend to him.  "Megara and I have been friends for a long time, Lip.  Longer than the two of you.  She used to third-wheel with Savannah and me all the time, even to homecoming two years ago."

     Phillip scoffed.  "Just... just forget it, dude," he said before immediately sprinting off, leaving a confused EJ behind.  Hmm, so much for defending Ricky.

ASHLYN: The thing they don't tell you about theater is that when your co-star falls on you, that's just something you have to live with.  I think after "High School Musical," Miss Jenn got a little gun-shy about understudies.  So we don't have any.  

RICKY: But the show must go on.  And these can't come off.

ASHLYN: Megara looked concerned, so at least you have that going for you.

[ Sideways glance from Ricky. ]

ASHLYN: Well, she did!  I swear, she would have nursed him back to health if Ricky didn't immediately start yelling that he was fine and for her to relax.  Honestly, telling a woman to relax just makes them even more not relaxed, Ricky.

RICKY: Yeah, thanks, Ash.

     "Card for the cup and the candle," Nini said as she cheerfully passed out cards for various people walking around the room getting ready for the show to start soon.  Mostly everyone was frantic after seeing North High's production from the night before, which had been blasted to social media within hours.

     "Thank you, Nini," Kourtney smiled.  "Carlos also says thank you."

     "Is he with us?" Nini asked.

     KC smiled as she watched Nini converse with Kourtney, who held her cell phone pressed to her ear.  "He got a little freaked out when he realized the North High Lumiere was actively on fire the entire show," Kourtney admitted.  "Hey, hey, nobody's more fire than you, Carlos..." she reassured him through the phone before smiling at KC and Nini.  "He says, good one."

     "I love the cards," KC said.

     Megara assumed Carlos was off having a panic attack in a bathroom somewhere, but she could really only watch as Nini and KC shared sickeningly sweet smiles.  Unbelievable.  Even though they'd been fighting (really everybody in the group knew about it), the girls were in the best of spirits.  Really, they were some of the only people otherwise unaffected by the show.  Megara couldn't help but envy them, wishing she could go back in time to avoid taking someone for granted.

     "Okay, half-hour call!  Wildcats!  Villagers!  My friends and allies," Miss Jenn announced her presence by clapping her hands together and cheerfully grinning at the kids standing around.  Megara hoped she wouldn't rope them into a circle as they did with HSM, going around and repeating stuff from the movie to help them ease their nerves.  Then again, this production wasn't anything like the last and Miss Jenn was far too nervous to even think of team-building exercises.  "As you know, there is a judge out there in the audience tonight who is very important to the future of this theater program.  He is going to score every performance, our music, our sets, Lord help us, even me.  And in two weeks at the Menkies, we could win $50,000.  So tonight, we are going to put the "U" in Utah!  And to Ricky and Ashlyn, some words of inspiration... My deep and shameful disappointment in your recent accident has mellowed to a sort of numbness, so there's that."

     Even Megara furrowed her eyebrows as she heard those words leave Miss Jenn's lips.  Was she really being serious?  Could she really hold a grudge against them for wanting to perfect the stunt?  Besides, are you even living if you've never been dropped from a harness?

     "Oh, were those the words of inspiration?" Ashlyn asked with a fading smile.  Megara felt terrible for how the way things had turned out for her.  This was her first time as a leading lady, and yet the play had been followed by nonstop drama and now her wrist was broken because of their brilliant idea to try Broadway-level tech when no one was around.

     "Yes, they were!"

     "Okay..." Ricky nodded, glancing across the room.  He caught Megara's eye briefly but she turned away just as fast.  She didn't mean to send vibes through eyes anymore, but she knew hers were telling him she was sorry for him, and she wasn't yet ready to admit defeat.  But even as she looked away, his eyes followed her figure for just a moment longer.

     As they continued talking, Megara fanned out the apron she had been carrying around, waiting until the heat from her steamed dress settled to avoid wrinkles.  She shook it out in front of herself and pulled it around her waist, tying it with ease in seconds.  She was completely unaware that Ricky watched her, and how her actions reminded him of the countless times she'd wrapped her own apron around herself in her kitchen before cooking. 

     Her costume was a black floor-length dress with a perfectly fitting corset around her torso which featured a pop of red in the front so she could stand out on stage.  She'd done her makeup hours ago and it still looked great so she had no worries.  Her long hair was pulled back out of her face, half of it in a loose fishtail braid.  

     Ricky could swear he could smell a hint of the cherry-scented perfume she'd sprayed across her chest a while ago, but he kept that to himself, finally tearing his eyes away from her haunting figure.

     "Sorry I'm late," Big Red exclaimed.  "Just some dry heaving."

     Even though it was gross, Megara's lips turned up at the corners.  Her costume was made to represent Gaston and how much her character was enamored with him, meaning that she matched Big Reds' costume too.  All things considered, she was excited to share the stage with him and EJ.

     "Dude!" Ricky looked at him in disbelief.

     "Dry."

     "Biggie, I got you a little something for your big debut.  There's a card and everything," Ashlyn walked over to him with a present.  "Now you're ready."

     Okay, maybe she could let that personal moment slide.  After all, Big Red was really nervous, right?  Megara knew she should be happy that so many of her friends were finding success and happiness and most of all — themselves.  She hated herself for not being over the moon for them.

     She took a deep breath as she tried to crack her knuckles, even though she never did it because she hated the sound.  However, her younger sister Rosetta did it frequently and told her that it helped her loosen up, so she tried to give it a go.

     EJ could sense the tension as he walked up, joining his shorter friend who stood by herself, pretty much stage ready.  "If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was your first opening night," he quipped.

     "I hate waiting around," Megara grumbled.  She glanced over at the athlete, suddenly remembering who she was talking to.  "Last opening night at East High, huh?"

     "Yep," he nodded.

     "Your dad?"

     "Third row.  Your mom?"

     "She should also be in the third row.  Maybe they're laughing and talking about us," Megara said.  It was silent for a long moment as everyone else rushed around them.  "But I think he's proud of you."

     "I hope so."

     "At least he's here," Megara ran a hand through the relaxed waves in her hair.  "He showed up so that's gotta count for something."

     As EJ agreed, Megara thought about how Lynn's boyfriend had shown up near the end of the first act of High School Musical and completely changed the course of the play.  That night played over in her head like a movie — Ricky needing the pep talk in the hallway, EJ singing the first couple of lines in Breaking Free as Troy, Gina and Kourtney bowing together, Lip coming up behind her and helping her throw the basketball in the hoop.

     Then there was also the note she swore Ricky wrote for her that magically disappeared, the fact that they almost kissed after the show and never talked about it again, went to Denny's, and then crashed out at her house afterward.

     "Hey Gaston, let's check your body mic," a familiar girly voice said.

     Megara hadn't realized that she'd zoned out until she heard that voice, and she instantly looked to the other side of EJ to see Savannah standing there with that same lovestruck look that everyone else was wearing.  Savannah sheepishly turned away before Megara could say anything, then EJ muttered a quick apology before bowing his head and following after her.

     Unbelievable.

     "And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw..." Ricky sang to himself very quietly as he escaped the pressures of the show by wandering in the hallways.  However, he wasn't the only one.

     Megara, who had been wasting time by reading a book just around the corner, perked her ears up at his singing and ducked behind the wall.  The night had been tense enough as it was, the added glares from the duo were definitely not helping anybody.

     "Peek-a-boo!" a second voice filled the air, instantly annoying Megara.

     "Lily!" she heard Ricky say if a bit startled.  "...Hi.  Did we forget to build a moat around the school? Or..."

     "I just came by to support my favorite actor at East High," Megara could basically hear the venom dripping in her voice as she spoke.  Yeah, she wasn't exactly Lily's biggest fan.

     "Yep," Ricky gave her one of those quick answers that usually pissed Megara off, but in this instance, made her happy.

     "I mean, you, Ricky.  I hope that's okay," Lily cooed.  Megara could only imagine what she must look like, what kind of smile she was giving him, how she was acting smaller than she usually does and swaying her body when she moved.  It made her sick to her stomach to think of another girl throwing herself at him.  Even if he wasn't aware of it, Megara always was, which was somehow way worse.  

     "I didn't make the guest list, but your show last night was kinda amazing.  I mean, everyone was talking about the wolves and the very talented humans," she heard Ricky cave in.

     Megara leaned her head against the wall and fluttered her eyelids shut as she listened to their conversation.  She didn't mean to, but it was hard not to since they were right around the corner.  She could hear their voices loud and clear.  She closed the book and lowered it beside her.

     "Honestly, your advice really helped me turn things around with my cast.  Being nice, what a concept," Lily said.  Megara wanted to throw up.

     "That's good," Ricky said quietly.

     "Yeah.  Maybe we could talk more sometime over a slice of pizza, an advice slice, LOL."

     Oh, she did not just ask that.

     "Yeah.  I don't know how that would go over, um, around here.  I know it's... crazy.  But we're like a team, you know.  And uh... that actually means something to me."

     "That is nice.  Then again, I, uh I'm learning that loyalty can be complicated," Lily said.  "You know, Ricky, when my dad got remarried, I couldn't look at the new wife for a month.  Now she is literally the only sane member of my family."

     "And that is including you?" he questioned.

     Thankfully, before Lily could continue the conversation any further, the auditorium door opened.  "Prince Adam.  Five minutes," Natalie warned.  "Lily, scram."  Then she pressed her headset and spoke into a mic.  "Cast and crew, this is your places call."  But before leaving again, she turned to Ricky, and said, "if you see Megara anywhere, please let her know we're on soon."

     Ricky nodded, unsure why he felt like he still felt responsible for Megara but ultimately agreed.  Even though he was often at odds with the girl, he realized in many ways he was responsible for her.  As Megara listened behind the corner, she had no idea he felt that way about her.

     He turned back to Lily with an unreadable expression — Megara could tell.  "Sorry, I should, uh..."

     "Get'cha head in the game?" Lily asked.

     Megara's jaw slacked as she rolled her eyes.  Shut up.

     Ricky nodded silently and waited for Lily to leave, which surprised Megara.  She had come to believe he was the type of guy who always needed to say the last word.  Or maybe he was just always like that with her.  Nevertheless, she fixed her composure and opened the door to her left, pretending like she was going to walk through it and never had been eavesdropping.

     The door closed as she came out from behind the corner, not realizing Ricky was still standing around.  He immediately turned on his heel as he heard her (actually, it was still the scent of her perfume throwing him off) with wide eyes like a deer in headlights.  Without his beast mask, he looked so... princely.  Stupid costume department.

     "Bowen?  What are you doing here?" she managed to ask.

     "I could ask you the same thing."

     She raised the book in her hand, Daisy Jones & The Six.  "Needed a moment to myself I guess, and I couldn't wait for intermission."

     Ricky nodded.  "Yeah, there's a lot of that.  You'll never believe who was just here talking me into getting pizza with her."

     Megara couldn't believe how irritated she immediately felt after he said that, it was almost like he wanted her to feel upset about it.  It was bad enough she had just overheard the whole thing and was currently pretending like she didn't.  But when she searched his eyes, all she was met with was sincerity.  She hated Ricky mostly for the fact that he wanted to find a friend in her, but she wasn't sure she had it in her.

     It was evidently clear that he saw how her face changed in mere seconds.  "Meg?"

     "Let me guess, was it a certain blonde girl from a competing school?"  He remained quiet, and she scoffed.  "Of all people?" Megara raised her right eyebrow in question.  It always scared Ricky that she could do that with whichever eyebrow she wanted.

     "If you taught me anything, Meg, it's that some people deserve second chances," despite the seemingly kind words, it felt as if he was throwing something back at her.

     She hummed, crossing her arms over her chest.  "And you're referring to?"

     "I mean if you could forgive your mom and invite her to the show..."

     "Well, I was really inspired by the way you forgave your mom after she brought her boyfriend last time," Megara didn't waste time in returning his coldness.  She wasn't proud of how she was acting, but her mom was a sore spot and he knew it.

     "That's fair," Ricky nodded.

     "I know," Megara said, gathering the strength to leave the conversation and walk past him.  As she did, he caught a stronger scent of her cherry perfume.  However, something was still gnawing at her heart, bothering her.  She knew what it was, there was no use in acting surprised.

    Each time there was something amiss, she knew that it was Ricky.  

     He was no good being this close in proximity to her, every day of their high school lives.  Maybe they were doomed from the beginning of their ill-fated friendship, but that didn't mean they had to continue desperately clawing at each other's throats forever.

     When she turned to glance at him over her shoulder, he was already looking at her.  "What is it?"

     She barely hesitated, but it was there.  "I don't want to fight.  I'm waving a white flag.  Talk to Lily, to whichever girl you want, I don't care, I don't care anymore.  But we can't keep doing this."

     Ricky nodded.  "I agree.  Truce?"

     She watched as he stepped closer to her, in a trance between the beauty of his costume and seeing him wearing it.  Not only was he wearing it, but it was wearing him.  If she thought he was born to play Troy Bolton, then seeing him as the prince was just a little too overwhelming.  They looked so out of place, her maiden dress sweeping across the floor as she walked, and his coat sparkling even underneath the dim lights.  He stuck his hand out and she looked down at it, realizing he was being deadly serious.

     Sliding her hand into his for the first time in what felt like ages, she allowed him to have a brief hold of her (and over her) as they shook hands.  "Truce, for now."  

     Even though they shook twice, neither let go for a long moment afterward.  It wasn't until that moment that Megara realized just how comforting his touch was, and how much warmth was exuding from him.  It physically burned her to rip herself away from his touch, but she realized she had to, or else she could have stood there like that for the rest of the night.

     Ricky watched as she quickly turned on her heel and sped away, long hair flying after her.  The door flew open and she disappeared behind it, and he stood there for what seemed like an eternity afterward until he could no longer catch the drift of cherries floating in the air.

     After a very exciting performance of Be Our Guest (Megara's personal favorite, Savannah's second, KC could care less), it was finally time for a break.  The unmistakable voice of Natalie rang throughout the speaker saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a 15-minute intermission.  If you don't buy at least $20 worth of concessions, you do not support art.  Thank you."

     "Don't you think it's weird that The Beast only has until he's 21 to find true love?" Ricky asked as Big Red and Rita exited the area and found their way to the south hallway.  "First of all, in the movie, he looks at least 30."

     Usually, Rita wouldn't be caught dead with Ricky especially after he broke her best friend's heart (or something like that, Megara still wouldn't tell anyone the full story) but Big Red had politely asked for her help setting up some special surprise for Ashlyn.  Flash forward to intermission and she was now helping him carry random art supplies and listening to their stupid conversations.

     "Well, you know what they say, Beast don't crease," Big Red said with an infectious smile.  "Plus, I hear the fur adds like 10 years.  Literally feels like I've aged 10 years since the day I got this part."

     "Yeah," Ricky agreed.

     "But that day was the best," Big Red continued.  "I'll never forget the look on Ashlyn's face when she got the lead over that mean girl with the eyes."  Rita smiled warmly at the thought of Big Red being so supportive and happy for Ashlyn.

     "Her name's Lily, and, um I'm not sure she's as mean as we thought," Ricky said.

     Rita's jaw visibly dropped open in shock, acknowledging Ricky's presence for the first time all night.  "Okay, woah.  I know you did not just say that right now."

     Ricky's eyes widened for two reasons, the first being that he totally forgot to filter himself in front of Rita.  How could he be so stupid to gossip in front of a girl about a girl, much less Megara's best friend?  As far as they still knew, there had actually been a relationship to mourn.  And second, he was kind of surprised to hear Rita calling him out.  She was right about it, which made him feel infinitely worse.

     "I don't know, man, I agree with Rita," Big Red said.  "Ash has some pretty strong feelings about her.  I just hope she feels better by the end of the night."

     "Dude, maybe you're pushing yourself a little too hard with this side hustle project in the south hallway?" Ricky asked.

     "It's romantic, Richard," Rita rolled her eyes.  "Not that you'd know anything about the sort."

     "No, it's fine.  I'm almost done.  I just need constant electrolytes and a whole new stomach," Big Red said.

     "I've been saying that for years," Ricky muttered.

     "Members of the company, this is your 10-minute call to Act Two.  Please, everyone, remain in the same role you started in," Natalie's voice rang over the loudspeakers above, mostly directed at Ricky himself.

     Meanwhile, Megara had decided to get actual fresh air and wandered off farther than the south hallway.  Even if it wasn't much, just scrolling through TikTok outside was an upgrade over being in a crowded room with too many overeager and anxious kids.

     "Hey, Megara, Natalie wanted me to tell you the caterer is on their way," Kourtney peaked her head around the corner where Megara had been hiding away as best as she could, motioning to an invisible watch on her wrist.

     Megara folded the corner of her lip into her cheek.  Natalie, even though they had never been close, was trying to keep track of her, she had noticed.  It was sweet, she had to admit, how rallied the gang had become after news of her "breakup" spread throughout the school.  Natalie had told her she could have first dibs as long as she helped set up snacks for the second act.  They weren't doing a lot though, because there was a plan to this time go to Big Red's pizzeria instead of Denny's.  "Okay, thank you, Greene."

     "Hey," their small conversation was interrupted by a boy who was also in the hallway, stuffing his hands into his pockets awkwardly.

     "Howie!  Hey!  I was just going to get some air," Kourtney flashed a comforting smile that Megara had grown acquainted with.

     "Air is okay.  We allow air," Howie said.

     Kourtney quirked an eyebrow at his suspiciousness but tried to brush it off.  "Um, did you see me performing up there?"

     "I did, yes."

     "Um, did you enjoy it?"

     "Very much," Howie nodded.  "Okay, well, enjoy your air."

     "I will... Thanks," Kourtney said, even though she was increasingly confused by his behavior.  Behind her, Megara was furrowing her eyebrows, watching the whole thing.

     When Kourtney turned to Megara, she said, "that was dryer than the Coachella desert in the summertime.  What was that about?"

     "What was what about?  What happened?" Nini asked as she walked towards them.  "Also has anybody seen KC or Gina?"

     Megara shook her head.  "No, I'm sorry."  Minus the fact that KC and Megara were still at odds over their opinions on the Valentine's Day fiasco, the Alvarez sisters had remained chill with Megara (to her surprise and happiness, they didn't choose sides when they saw Savannah sitting with other people at lunch).  But she still had barely seen them during the show except for rushing around.  She hadn't even seen Phillip.  She did know that Gina was killing it in her costume though.

     Kourtney sighed.  "Howie was being super weird just now, and I'm dangerously close to doubting myself here, guys."

     Megara straightened her posture and flicked her hair over her shoulder.  She was in no position to be giving pep talks, but she'd be damned if she let Kourtney Greene of all people feel down about herself.  "No, forget him.  He's probably just mad that he sings like he's performing in the shower, which is the only stage he's going to be selling out, okay?  You're killing it out there and they hate to see you dominate."

     "Kourt, look at me," Nini said with stern eyebrows as she saw Kourtney starting to panic, letting Megara's words sink in.  "Number one, you're Kourtney."

     "That's facts," Megara nodded.

     "Number two, we don't do it for them.  Okay?  We do it for us," Nini said with a reassuring smile.

     "Also facts," Megara added.  "I'm getting that tattooed."

     "Thank you," Kourtney said in a low whispered voice.

     Nini and Megara nodded and started walking with Kourtney back to their backstage, where Ashlyn was working on riffs with EJ.  "Oh, hey guys," he nodded toward the girls walking in.

     Megara nodded.  "Sup."

     "Have you seen Big Red?  He literally lowers my blood pressure," Ashlyn said.

     "I heard he was chugging Pepto Bismol in the boys' bathroom," Nini said with no pleasure.

     "I'm a lucky girl," Ashlyn smiled.  Megara gave her a nod as if agreeing, but mentally she was just wondering how that relationship even came to be.  She was quickly whisked away to sound check though, and everyone went back to worrying and rushing around.

     Since Megara didn't have any singing roles left or much stage presence as it was, she was basically waiting around for an emergency she knew was about to happen.  I mean, this was a Miss Jenn production, right?  She took her time wandering around and providing water bottles and small paper cups of goldfish to other actors, which made her happy and kept her busy.

     She peered around the corner from the curtains on the side exits of the stage, but with the lights off it was hard to see much of anything.  When she was performing, she failed to spot her family in the crowd, but she found that she didn't care as much as she should have.  While she was standing by the curtains, she figured she might as well watch the next part of the show.

     Something There was Savannah's favorite song, she'd told her when they had been rehearsing it in the bomb shelter.  Megara had to admit that was one of her favorites too, though she was biased because she liked all the songs from the movie.  She missed Savannah, but there wasn't much else to say between them other than "I said I was sorry" and "I'm not ready to forgive you."  Still, she was happy that Savannah was having lots of fun performing as the singing dresser.

     As for Megara, she felt as if her feet were glued to the ground as she watched Ashlyn twirl around the stage with ease.  Her own stage presence started to dawn on her, and she wondered what she looked like when she was singing.  It was annoying that for the majority of this show when she performed, her friends were able to watch her versus High School Musical because when she was performing as Kelsi, she was sharing the stage with them.  It was annoying to her that they were able to watch her solo.

     Still, she had tried to perform her best.  It wasn't easy pretending she was in love with EJ, but then again, it wasn't easy pretending she was in love with Ricky either, and she'd managed to convince everyone of that just fine.

     It helped that they pulled out all the stops for costumes and sets this time around (granted there was a fire that destroyed their equipment last time).  She wasn't much for medieval settings, but she didn't want to ever take off the dress she was wearing.

     She looked enchanting even as she stood in the darkness, only the light from the stage reflecting on her face as she watched with curious eyes.  She wasn't sure how long it had been since her inner child had been nurtured but seeing Beauty and The Beast definitely helped.  As Ricky came on stage and started to sing, the crowd cheered which made her spirits turn up, realizing that they recognized him and were appreciating him.  He sang better on stage than when he was practicing in the hallway a while ago, really belting out, "And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw!  No, it can't be, I'll just ignore... But then she's never looked at me that way before!"

     While he sang wonderfully (though she'd hate to admit it), she did, however, realize he wasn't keeping his eyes trained on the audience as well as he should have.  If she didn't know any better, she'd say Ricky Bowen was singing directly at her.

     Megara wouldn't say she was necessarily a helpful person — in fact, she'd probably say the opposite — but she was really enjoying her role as mother hen backstage by helping out in any way that she could.  She lined up cups of water and snacks since the other actors didn't have much time between scenes, and just made sure everything was going as smoothly as it could of.  She could now see why Miss Jenn always wanted people volunteering for the emotional side of the theatre.

     "Megara?"

     The raven-haired girl was forced to abandon her daydreams as she turned to see the most familiar curly-haired boy in the doorway.  "Ricky?" she sighed, placing a hand over her chest.  "Oh, it's just you.  Hello."

     "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Ricky apologized.

     Megara shook her head, a couple of stray hairs flying as she did.  He was surprised to see her so... soft.  "You're okay."

     You're okay.

     She saw the way he started zoning out as he stared into her eyes.  "Are you okay?" she hesitated to ask.

     He jolted back to life, nodding.  It was easy to think he was okay, perfectly fine even, but being around Megara made his head spin.  "Yeah, yeah, um... just been a long night.  And um,  I'm really thirsty.  Carlos said you're the person to talk to."

     Megara nodded and turned, grabbing a small cup of gummy bears and another halfway filled with water.  "Natalie said I could hide back here until act three," she confessed, passing him the fuel.

     "Why hiding?"

     Megara sighed.  "I don't know, there's just something off about tonight for me.  Like everyone else around me is having so much fun, and yeah it's stressful, but for the most part, it's all going so well.  But I feel like I'm not really here."

     Ricky listened intently and waited until he was absolutely sure she was done talking until he spoke again.  "I saw you standing by the curtain when I was singing."

     Her breath hitched.  "Oh.  You saw me when you were singing?  You were..."

     Ricky shrugged a bit clumsily and averted his gaze away from her as he admitted, "you're the one who told me to focus on someone that makes me feel safe, I thought it would help ground me.  But to be honest with you, you're the most distracting person alive."

     "What are you doing?" Nini whispered. 

     "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, 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.

     Now, nearly six months later, Megara could feel a swarm of butterflies brewing in her stomach as he spoke, her face growing hotter by the second.  She most definitely was the person who would come up with something corny and say it to him on a whim like that, even if it felt like a lifetime ago.  She clutched her stomach.  "During High School Musical."

     Ricky nodded.  "I never did thank you for helping me get through my crisis that night.  You were the best fake girlfriend I could have forced into helping me."

     Her stomach flipped.  "Nothing to thank me for.  I wish I could say that's what friends are for, but we never really did work on a real friendship.  And I'm sorry for that.  You deserve friends who are going to show up for you rain or shine.  For what it's worth... you were the best fake boyfriend I could have ever asked for."

     Ricky swallowed a lump in his throat.  He knew he must've looked nervous, and truth be told he was terrified, but he'd gone through too much to back down now.  He pulled on a red gummy bear with his teeth as he said, "Yeah, we never really were friends, were we?"

     "No," Megara said quietly as she watched him eat the candy.  His lips shone and his eyes sparkled, and she wanted to thank the costume department right then for the sight.  "Oh my God..." she placed her palm on the table next to her and cautiously looked around the room.

     "What's wrong?"

     "I guess history does repeat," Megara motioned to the room, facing her palms out as Ricky almost instantly caught it.

     Before today, he'd never admit that he put himself in a position where he'd nearly kissed Megara Montez, but now he was wondering how he had gone so long without ever.  His lips curled up.  "You remember that?"

     "Remember it?" Megara repeated his question in disbelief.  "Ricky, I was so convinced you were going to kiss me that I stopped breathing, and you didn't even do anything.  I... you... that level of intimacy... how close we were in that moment... you don't just forget something like that," she shook her head, unable to look him in the eye as she was afraid of seeing something other than pure hatred for her.  She frantically picked up another cup and started filling it with Goldfish crackers.

     "I was going to kiss you," Ricky admitted.

     Megara was sure this time that she did stop breathing.  "What?"

     "You're right, I was going to kiss you," Ricky said.  "And I'm going to kiss you right now.  Is that okay, Montez?"

     The raven-haired beauty gulped, but her eyes were flashing signs telling him she was hoping he'd ask.  "You're making a mistake, Bowen."

     "Probably," Ricky averted his gaze from her lips to her eyes and returned them just as quickly.  He'd thought so many times about just going for it, what would happen if he just abandoned his morals and tried to show her just what he was feeling, but before he'd always been so scared she would have turned him down instantly.  Now here she was, right in front of him, staring up at him with those animated princess eyes of hers.

     "Definitely," Megara reaffirmed, barely able to get the word out before Ricky strode forward and angled his head, pressing the most gentle and passionate kiss she ever knew to exist to her lips.  He tasted like cherries, from the candy he'd just eaten moments ago, and spearmint dangled across his lips.  She wanted nothing more than to praise the makeup and hair department for the detail as she allowed herself to sink into his hold, her grasp on the cup in her hand slipping until it fell to the ground with a low thud, tiny orange Goldfish sprawled out on the floor.

     The tiny noise did nothing to slow them down.  Megara slid her palms across his chest, bringing her grip to the collar of his shirt and tugging slightly to get him to bend down more on her level, which made him release a tiny grunt.  His hands tightened on her face as he kissed her sweetly, and each time she thought he was pulling away he dove in for more.  He had, after all, been dying to do this since he saw her after the show last time.  But deep down, he had a haunting feeling that he'd just never realized he wanted to kiss her all this time.

     If the looks he gave her were wild, then the way he kissed her was electric.  She shuddered under his touch but never felt small, just surrounded.  She was the one with the thick perfume, the berry lipstick seeping into his mouth, and yet Ricky was the one that was all around her.  As his fingertips danced in her hair and across her jawline, she could feel her knees getting weak.  But she knew they would never buckle.

     In the five minutes that passed in the real world, an entire hour was spent between the two who seemed to be making up for the lost time.  Each time she thought he'd drop his hands, maybe realizing how bored he was with her, he readjusted himself and his grip on her.  Through fluttering eyelids, she could see that wildness she sensed flickering in his eyes.  She couldn't have imagined she'd love her face being held so much.  For the most part, they were utterly quiet until Megara tugged on his shirt somewhere (costumes be damned) or he fixed his grip on her face.

     She didn't come back to reality until he was pressing his forehead to hers, whispering her name.  "Megara.  Meg.  Meggy."

     Her eyes were heavy-lidded as she groaned.  "You just had to go and ruin a good moment."

     Ricky couldn't help but grin.  "I have to go and finish the show."

     Oh, she'd completely forgotten about that in their little tryst.  "Oh, that sucks."

     "I mean, I'm totally fine with them coming back here to find us," Ricky ran his thumbs across her chin softly as he watched the wheels in her head spin.  "Is that alright with you, princess?"

     She went to roll her eyes but found she didn't have the energy to.  "Just go."

     Ricky licked his lips, giving her one last look before bidding her goodbye, but she wasn't quite sure she heard every single thing he said to her before basically sprinting back down the other hallway to get back to the stage.  Something about talking later, or finishing later, or doing something later, and all she could think about was the show ending and later becoming now.

     In a matter of minutes, the switch had been flipped for her, and as she stood there, running a finger so lightly across her bottom lip, she couldn't stop thinking about how good of a kisser her fake boyfriend had turned out to be.

MEGARA [slightly flustered, giggling]: Who knew?

30 chapters later LOL this win goes down in national history <33 one more (slightly heartbreaking) chapter left before hcbto is completed 🥺 thank you for sticking around