chapter four
dance rehearsals

It was the next day, and this time, they were doing dance rehearsal. Dylan was practically glowing from excitement, if there was one thing Dylan Valdez could do it was dance. They were learning choreography from Carlos for curtain call but Dylan was reading her script, Carlos focusing on Ricky and Nini at the time being. Nini asked the boy a question, Dylan looking towards them as Carlos answered.

"Miss Jenn is busy tracking down a prop, she asked me to create a crescendo people," Carlos explained in response of Nini's question. "So let's stop swirling and start twirling." 

"But why are we practicing the bows when we haven't even practiced the play?" Ricky asked.

"Because you start with the hardest dance that takes the longest to learn." Carlos told them, "It's in the big book of broadway -"

"Page 374." Both him and Gina finished in sync. Carlos high fived the girl as she walked behind him, making her way over to where Dylan was sitting.

"You're knowledge is so attractive to me." Dylan sighed, raising an eyebrow at Gina who giggled at the statement turning to face her, "I'm not lying."

"I know."

"Why aren't we dancing?" Dylan asked Gina as they watched some of the students begin to dance.

"We are saving our energy." Gina forced a smile, "For Taylor and Ryan."

"I honestly cannot wait to do what I've been looking for and bop to the top with Seb. It's going to be so fun." Dylan smiled, before looking at Gina, who looked slightly disheartened. "Hey cheer up buttercup, you are going to be an amazing Taylor and if you ask my opinion, she was way less annoying than Gabriella."

Gina nodding, the two falling into laughter before their attention was brought to Nini and Ricky, who were trying to get Carlos' dance moves down. Both of them were failing horrendously and were completely off que. Dylan looked away from them.

"I love Ricky but he is the worst dancer, it's causing me physical pain to watch them." Dylan told Gina, who snorted. Ricky messed up the choreography again. Nini, an exasperated looked on her face, looked at Carlos. Dylan's eyes widened slightly, a concerned look on her face. This wasn't going to end well.

"I'm sorry." Ricky apologised as the music came to a stop.

Nini pointed to him, "What is he doing?"

"Why are you talking to him? I'm here."

"Cause you're not here. At least not for the right reasons."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ricky questioned.

"It's exactly what I said, Ricky." Nini answered as Dylan walked to the other side of the room, sitting next to Ashlyn as they read her script. "You hate musicals. You're only doing this so we'd be in each other's grills."

"Back to the dance please," Carlos pleaded, trying to avoid a fight.

"Now you're rubbing some weird cologne on your neck." Nini continued.

"Hey, you love throb!" Ricky insisted.

"And wasting everybody's time by making fun of something that the rest of us take seriously."

"I mean I was dragged here. I just want to dance with you and Seb." Dylan told Gina, who stifled her laugh. EJ gave them a look of disbelief, in which he received a sarcastic smile from Dylan.

"Okay, that's a five!" Carlos interjected in a panicked tone." On a break, people! Everybody out! Get out!"

The group started to walk out, leaving a fuming Nini and upset Ricky behind to finish their argument.

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

At around eleven o'clock that night, Dylan sat at home with her dad watching criminal minds when her phone rang. She furrowed her eyebrows when Ricky's name flashed across her screen. She answered it, her dad pausing the show when she did.

"Hey Rickster, what's up?" She greeted.

"I need help." Ricky told her.

"Yeah mental help, I already knew that." Dylan laughed.

"No dancing help. Can you come to my house?" He asked.

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion as she glanced at the clock, "Right now? Ricky it's eleven at night."

"Please Dyl, It's important. I swear I'll make it up to you."

Dylan huffed, "Okay I'll be over in a few."

"Thank you so much."

He hung up the phone. Dylan turned to face her dad, an awkward smile on her face. Her dad smiled, before nodding, knowing exactly what she was about to ask.

"Don't be home too late, you still have school tomorrow." He told her. Dylan smiled, hugging him before going to put her trainers on. She was wearing her gym leggings and a hoodie so there was no need for her to change.

Ricky's house wasn't far from Dylan's so it only took a few minutes for her to get there. She walked up his steps to his front porch and knocked on the door, Ricky opening it almost immediately.

"I need to learn how to dance." He blurted straight away.

"Okay," Dylan smiled, "So you're not quitting?"

Dylan had found out from Big Red earlier that day that Ricky was planning on quitting the musical after his horrible rehearsal with Nini.

"Nope." Ricky returned her smile. Dylan nodded, stepping into his house. She was glad he wasn't quitting. As much as she loved Nini, she could tell this was quickly becoming important to Ricky and wouldn't want Nini's words to stop him from doing something that he could love in the future.

"Okay, I'm in. I'm guessing we're starting with 'We're all in this together'?" Dylan asked, receiving a nod. "Then what are we waiting for."

As much as Dylan hated theatres, she had a soft spot for movie musicals. She could watch movies liked high school musical 1, 2 and 3, mamma mia, and any Disney movie on repeat for the rest of her life.

And despite having to constantly listen to the same songs while she was at dance, listening to the we're all in this together for what felt like the thousand time that hour because Ricky was undoubtedly the worst dancer she had ever met had slowly driven Dylan insane.

"Okay, Ricky, let's go from the top." Dylan instructed, watching Ricky fail once again. "Um, no alright. It's two pumps on this leg them on one the other then clap on four, like 1, 2, 3 clap 4."

She demonstrated the dance move once again, Ricky slowly getting it. It was around midnight when someone descended down the stairs. The two of them glanced over to see Mike Bowen standing there. He was slightly confused at the sight of Dylan sat on his sofa at this time but he was mostly surprised to see High School Musical on the TV screen.

Dylan waved at him. "Hi, Mike."

When they were younger, Dylan used to spend hours at Ricky's house with him and Big Red. Nini would often join and so would Kourtney. The five of them would rotate where they would hang out. However, when Nini and Ricky broke up, Dylan tried to keep her distance from Ricky, especially since she felt slightly guilty about their breakup. But now Ricky joined the musical she knew they would start hanging out a lot more, especially if it would take this long to learn every dance.

"Hi, Dylan," Mike responded before looking to his son. "Ricky, it's midnight. I thought you had a test tomorrow."

"I do," Ricky confirmed, still copying the moves.

Mike looked confused. "This is for a test?"

"The most important one of my life."

He went to go back upstairs, but Dylan spoke up. "Hey, Mike, if you can't sleep, you can stay down here with us. Ricky dancing is so bad it's causing me physical pain so I need another person to help me get through it." Ricky glared at the brunette, who merely sent him an innocent smile back.

"Also I feel bad if I make fun of him when I'm supposed to be helping so if you start it, I can just add on from what you're saying." Dylan added, blowing an innocent kiss at Ricky.

Mike chuckled at the two and came back down the steps."Well, this is definitely a new one for you." Dylan laughed.

"He's never going to be a professional dancer though." Dylan laughed, "Could make it as a singer?"

"Dylan, shut up and help me." Ricky pleaded, his eyes never leaving the screen."

( 💌 ) isobel speaks
a beautiful chapter for
ricky and dylan!! the two
are like siblings so don't be
thinking they will get in the way
of ej and dylan — even if
ej thinks so.

also i have like 25 drafts, full of
different fandoms so if you wanna
see them i will tell you :))