"You just hang loose for a moment." Miss Jenn giggled at herself, "Play ball."

"What?" Nova asked with a confused expression across her face.

"Nothing." Miss Jenn sighed, encouraging Nova to take a seat while heading over toward Ricky and EJ, "Troy and Chad. Scene forty-five. Let's go."

Nova crossed her legs and watched as EJ and Ricky both took center stage, basketballs in hand, "Yeah, throw your balls at each other!"

Ricky looked over at her with a shocked expression while EJ just shut his eyes with a sigh, clearly use to it by now.

"Okay, lets take it from the top. And remember, these two are best bros. Which is a sacred thing, for reasons I will never understand." Miss Jenn commented as she looked back and forth between the pair, "Ready?"

EJ cleared his throat, "We had a meeting about how we haven't been like a team, Troy. Us. Not you. And the singing thing.."

"I don't wanna talk about it." Ricky cut him off, as Troy.

"We just want you to know that we're going to be there cheering for you." EJ spoke up, reading from the script and taking a step closer.

Ricky hesitated, "Huh?"

Nova squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"Win or loose... we're teammates." EJ spoke, out reaching his fist and punching Ricky in the shoulder, "Even if you turn out to be the worst singer in the world."

"And you're not gonna hear me sing." Ricky announced. Nova liked Ricky, she thought he was a nice guy and had a good voice, but she truly wondered why Miss Jenn had casted him with this acting, "Dudes. Because Gabriella won't even talk to me, and I don't know why."

"Okay!" Miss Jenn announced, sharing a similar look with Nova, "That was okay, but it was a little stiff."

"No kidding." Nova mumbled, leaning back on her elbows and out reaching her legs infront of her.

"Let's loosen up, pass some energy back and forth." Miss Jenn offered with a hum, "Let's use the ball and improvise."

Nova lightly kicked the back of EJs leg, encouraging him to hand her his script. He did, grabbing the basketball on the small bleachers and backing up, "Just say whatever?"

"Chad it up." Miss Jenn giggled at herself again.

"Oh man." Nova sighed, crossing her arms and holding EJ's script in her lap.

"Troy, you're the best player we've got. We're so dang lucky." EJ stated, chunking the ball Rickys way quickly.

Ricky caught it fast with a questionable look, "Wouldn't be anything without you."

It bounced off the ground and went back to EJ.

"The way you pretend to play basketball is inspiring." the Caswell boy spoke again with a very forced smile, throwing if harshly this time instead of bouncing it off the ground.

"Thanks, Chad." Ricky said with a tight lipped smile, catching the ball before it hit him, "And the way you dance, and walk, is totally normal and not at all weird for a regular high school kid."

Nova hid her laugh at his words when the ball flew back.

"You deserve everything that's coming your way." EJ spoke quickly, clearly taking offense to Rickys words, the ball flying back.

"Back at you, dude." Ricky repeated, his arm getting stronger and throwing. Miss Jenn glanced over at Nova, who had already been giving a knowing look.

"Back at you times two."

"Four!"

"Eight!"

"Back at you infinity plus one!" Ricky spoke, throwing the ball hard as it collided with EJ's face, knocking him back.

"Jesus, Bowen!" Nova hollered at him in disbelief as she got to her feet quickly and stormed over his way, "Whats your problem?"

"Okay! Let's take a soft ten!" Miss Jenn announced, stopping Nova from getting toward Ricky before looking EJ's way, "EJ, honey, let's get you some ice."

EJ huffed in disbelief as he stared at Ricky, holding a bloody nose and storming toward the door.

"I didn't mean to." Ricky said as Nova passed him.

"Still did it though." Nova commented before stopped and turning his way again, "If you hurt him ever again, i'll break your nose instead of just a lip bleed."

Ricky watched her storm out quickly, passing Miss Jenn on the way.

EJ looked over when the bathroom doors opened, giving Nova a insane look when she walked in, "Are you insane? You can't be in here."

"Why? You went into the girls bathroom." Nova said in disbelief, walking over and holding out the bag of ice, "Ice, and give me that."

EJ let her take his shirt from his hands, his plan on getting the blood out with just water and soap failing. As he held the ice to his nose, he watched Nova pull a small thing of Hydro Peroxide from her bag, "You keep that stuff with you at all times?"

"I brush my teeth after lunch." Nova said honestly as she poured some on the blood stain, "If you use this first, it'll whiten your teeth, and then toothpaste."

"That actually works?" he asked, getting a forced smile to show off her teeth, "And with blood?"

"Yeah, it gets it out without staining like bleach does." Nova nodded, running her hand over the stain as the blood ran into the sink, "How's your lip?"

"Doesn't hurt." EJ said back as Nova laughed at him, "Kinda hurts."

Nova hummed, dropping his shirt in the sink to yank a smaller bag from her backpack, a Vaseline lip balm being pulled out. Nova placed her hand on EJ's bare shoulder, pulling him down some before using one hand to keep his face still, the other to put the lip balm on his lip as lightly as possible. He winced slightly, making Nova cringe, "Sorry. Almost done."

EJ waited, keeping still and watching as she focused on his lips. When Nova was done, she let his face go and pushed him to stand straight again, "There, it'll heal faster."

EJ glanced at his shiny lips in the mirror, "Thank you."

"Yeah, just don't go picking fights with juniors anymore." Nova commented, zipping up her bag, "Or you'll get balls thrown in your face."

EJ cracked a grin as Nova went to leave, hoping she's stop when he spoke up, "Hey."

Nova turned with a eyebrow raise, "Hey back."

EJ didn't say anything, mainly because he wasn't sure why he stopped her in the first place, "Thanks again."

"Sure thing." Nova said before a smirk spread across her face, she winked with a point of her finger, "Infinity plus one."

Then she left.

"Your bag break on you?" Nova asked as she walked into the dressing room, finding most of Ginas stuff spread across the dressing table, "I think I have a extra one in my locker."

"No, Nini was just returning everything she apparently stole from me." Gina said with a long sigh, starting to pack it up, "Guess she does that when she suspects things instead of just talking about it. A little childish if you ask me."

"Honestly." Nova agreed, going to leave before stopped, "You said Nini stole it from you?"

Gina nodded, earning a scoff as Nova spun on her heels and stormed into the room, "Nini!"

"Nova, hey I-" Nini began before she basically saw the steam coming from Novas ears, "Whats the matter?"

"If you didn't know, Michael Kors isn't cheap." Nova stated with a nasty, almost chilling, glare, "Give me my wallet back right now!"

Nini reddened in the face, "I don't know why I did it, I was-"

"You did it because you're a jealous little girl that can't be professional at all." Nova cut her off, her voice got deeper the angrier she got. Nini had fear in her eyes as she handed Nova her wallet back, "Steal anything else? You know, aside from my boyfriend?"

"I thought you said-" Nini began before she was cut off again by Nova throwing her bag on the floor, making Ninis school supplies and books fall out, before storming off.

•

kylie speaks

purrr.

quick ps, i'm not
just brushing over
novas home life
situation and miss jenn
trying to figure out a
possible out come for
her. it will be mentioned
soon but i'm trying to get
the homecoming episode
over first!!