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𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘

chapter nine:
celebrating carlos !

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ATHENA WAS ALL for spontaneous outings. However, she was just the tiniest bit confused as to why they were all at Seb's barn at eleven o'clock at night. The entire group (minus Carlos — Athena could only assume this had to do with his birthday on Saturday) carried lanterns as they navigated their way through the dark barn. Athena kept her hand grasped with Ricky's while they heard sheep bleating and cows mooing all around them. Every so often, Ricky would look back at her (he was leading with the lantern) and the two of them would share a small laugh. God, what had they gotten themselves into now?

They stopped by some bales of hay. Gina and Seb seemed perfectly calm, but the rest of them . . . not so much. Ashlyn was latched onto Big Red's arm as the animals continued to make noises. Kourtney kept checking her boots to see if they were getting dirty (newsflash — they were.) Nini stayed by her side and kept reassuring her that they could clean her boots later. Violetta had her hand interlocked with EJ's, the two of them whispering back and forth to each other. There was a lot of sarcastic eye rolls and laughs along with it.

"Why do I hear sheep but don't see sheep?" Ashlyn asked.

"Oh, that's Jimmy," Seb explained. "He has social anxiety."

"Well, I'm team Jimmy," Kourtney replied. "I don't camp, I don't glamp, I don't even sleep without a silk pillow case."

Everyone chuckled a bit. Another sheep bleated, making EJ jump and let out a small yelp.

Violetta laughed loudly from her place next to him. "Oh, you are so not living that one down."

EJ glared at her playfully. "You know, sometimes I really wonder why I voluntarily decided to date you."

"It's because I'm irresistible, sweetie."

"Listen, I'm sure Seb and Gina have a good reason for bringing us to his barn so late on a school night," Ricky cut in. He then looked over to his girlfriend. "Not that I mind the romantic setting."

Athena raised an eyebrow at him. "If you consider this romantic, we're breaking up."

"Never mind. It's not romantic anymore."

"Okay, so, we gathered you guys here tonight 'cause I've got this idea," Gina announced. "And because we only have forty-eight hours to pull it off, it's going to take all of us."

"The whole family," Seb added with a big smile.

"Aw, you guys," Nini commented.

Athena couldn't help but smile, too. It had been about two weeks since Nini decided to come back to East High for good, and she honestly seemed happier than she had ever been. Her and Athena seemed to be closer than ever before and it was extremely refreshing. No bad blood, no drama. It was good.

"So, I talked to Gina, and we thought we could throw a big surprise party to celebrate the guy Carlos is," Seb continued.

"And a quinceañero he always wanted and never got," Gina stated. "It's a birthday party, but seriously zhuzhed up. 'Cause Carlos is one of the good guys."

"Okay, somebody say something because maybe this is a terrible idea?" Seb nervously pleaded.

"No way, Seb," Athena voiced. "This is an incredible idea. Let's do it."

The others began to chorus about how they were also eager to help set this entire thing up. Athena felt Ricky press a gentle kiss to the top of her head and she grinned softly to herself.

"For Carlos," Ricky said, sticking his hand out.

All of them put their hands in the center of the circle. "For Carlos!" They raised them up. "Woo!"

Athena couldn't help the way her heart glowed. Doing something as special as this for Carlos with her favorite people in the world? Oh, she was so down.

--- ☆ • ♫ • ♪ • ♫ • ☆ ---

THE NEXT DAY at rehearsals, Athena sat next to Ricky on the risers in the bomb shelter. She was tucked under his arm, waiting for his scene began. It wasn't really a rehearsal for her, per se, but she was there for moral support. Nini was there as well because she was coming back to Athena's house after school with Violetta. The two of them were just working on some homework while Violetta was stretching with the other dancers on the floor.

"And on the third count of eight, the wolves will attack the beast," Carlos instructed.

"Can't wait," Ricky responded, his thumb gently tracing over the fabric of Athena's shirt on her arm.

"Ricky, stand center stage and look afraid. Dancers, please stand in for the wolves who are currently being potty-trained at the animal shelter."

That was true. Miss Jenn had gotten some actual puppies to play the wolves during the show from the animal shelter. Athena could just picture Ricky with puppies in her head now. Well, Ricky basically was a puppy with his cute brown eyes — okay, Athena's just getting ahead of herself. She was such a sucker for him. Nevertheless, it was going to be amazing.

Ricky pressed a quick kiss to Athena's cheek. She watched after him with a tiny grin as he got off the risers and went to the floor. All of the dancers also then laid on the floor so they could pretend to be wolves. They started to howl and roll around Ricky while he tentatively roared at them. On the floor, Athena noticed Violetta just laying there with a bored expression. It kind of reminded her of last musical when she almost played a disco ball. Athena chuckled to herself but quickly covered her mouth.

"I need more energy, Vi," Athena called out.

"Athena, wipe that smile off of your face," Violetta threatened.

"You're not even looking at me right now."

"Yeah, but I know you well enough to know that you'll never let me forget this."

"Oh, absolutely not. See? What are best friends for?"

Violetta ultimately rolled over on her stomach and started to act with her dancer friends. Athena giggled quietly once more before looking back down at her homework.

"You know, I was always kind of intrigued by the way you and Vi are so in sync," Nini admitted. "You two kind of just . . . get each other."

Athena shrugged. "It's kind of been that way ever since we were little. My calm personality and her sarcastic personality sort of balance each other out."

Miss Jenn then walked up to them, looking at Nini. "It takes a real leading lady to swing by and support her friends, especially when one of them is a leading lady." She sent a pointed gaze to Athena, who laughed softly. "When I lived in Hoboken, which is basically New York, I wouldn't miss any of my friends' opening nights."

"Oh, no, it's fun to watch," Nini revealed. They looked back to the scene in front of them with Ricky and the dancers. "Everyone looks like they're having so much fun, and I'm here, too. It's sort of adjacent to the fun having."

Miss Jenn rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. "Well, sit tight. We'll be done soon."

"Oh, no worries. Got, uh, plenty of homework to keep me busy. Homework is the new fun."

"Attack!" Carlos suddenly exclaimed.

The dancers jumped out at Ricky, but he roared in response.

Miss Jenn clapped once. "Yes! Get 'em."

Ricky continued to roar, each one getting louder than the rest. Even from so far away, Athena could see that Violetta was trying her very hardest not to burst into laughter right then and there. Honestly, so was Athena. Especially with the two of them trying not to laugh, it always ended in disaster.

"Deep roar, Ricky."

He roared once more, a lot deeper this time. All of the dancers scrambled away from him.

"Thank you, yes!" Miss Jenn praised.

Violetta landed on her back, placing a hand on her stomach as some small giggles passed through her lips. Athena snorted in amusement but quickly cleared her throat and looked away. Miss Jenn looked between them both with a confused expression.

"No, nothing's funny," Athena voiced casually, although there was a wide smile on her face. "Nope. Not at all."

Miss Jenn sighed. "I will never understand you two."

"Don't try," Ricky told her. "It'll only get you more hopefully confused."

Violetta sat up and flipped some hair over her shoulder. "Sorry you're not on the same wavelength as your girlfriend and I, lover boy."

"Will you stop calling me lover boy?"

The two continued to playfully bicker. Athena shook her head as she watched them. If there was one thing she adored most, it was the sibling relationship between Ricky and Violetta.

"Okay," Miss Jenn said loudly, making them stop arguing. "That was good, guys. Go take five."

Athena stood up from the risers and walked over to where Violetta was still on the floor. She took a seat next to her and Violetta leaned her head on Athena's shoulder. Athena put her arm around Violetta and sighed in content.

"Are we really that confusing?" Athena questioned.

"Nah," Violetta answered. "Other people just don't see our connected-ness. Now, come on. I have to get some water before acting like a wolf again."

--- ☆ • ♫ • ♪ • ♫ • ☆ ---

FINALLY, IT WAS the day of Carlos' quinceañero. Athena, Ricky, and Nini had all agreed to collaborate on making the centerpieces for the tables at Carlos' party. They gathered around in the kitchen of Ricky's apartment, which was now fully completed, with roses scattered around them. Athena wore a long-sleeved red dress with some heeled black boots for the party later since they would be leaving for Seb's barn right from Ricky's apartment.

While Ricky worked by his kitchen sink, Athena stood with Nini by the table. Athena's eyebrows were knit in concentration as she tried to place the flowers carefully to make a pretty pattern. Putting together centerpieces was a lot harder than it looked. It involved cutting down the roses and sticking them in a styrofoam sphere. Sounds easy enough, right? No.

"Hey, hey," Mike's voice greeted, and the three of them looked up from their work to see him walk into the kitchen and open the fridge to get a water bottle. "Big party day. Looks like you're up to your ears in rose petals."

"Yeah," Nini agreed. "So far no thorns, so . . ."

Ricky turned to her. "Is that a euphemism?"

"You used the word euphemism yet you're tanking English class," Mike noted.

"I — uh, Athena taught it to me," Ricky admitted sheepishly.

The two locked eyes. She felt her heart race and her cheeks heat up as they did so. Yes, Athena had volunteered to try and tutor Ricky in English because he wasn't doing so well. However, there tended to be a lot more kisses and cuddles in their study sessions than actually studying. The one word she had managed to teach him was euphemism before Ricky kissed her because he thought her saying it was cute.

Mike shook his head. "I should've known."

Ricky scoffed. "Okay, boomer."

"I was born in the seventies!" Mike protested before walking back to his room, making Athena laugh.

"And you," Ricky continued, pointing right at his girlfriend. "Stop laughing."

"I'm not laughing," Athena insisted, her smile still painted across her face. "Definitely not."

"Okay," Nini began. "Are you ready? I am, like, the Picasso of flower arrangements."

She held up her centerpiece. However, the styrofoam ball in the middle was still very much visible with just some flowers and leaves sporadically placed. Athena slightly winced.

"Uh, wait, what's that?" Ricky asked.

Nini studied her centerpiece. "Yeah, Picasso wasn't appreciated in his own time."

"Is that true?"

"No, he was extremely wealthy and a terrible person."

"Nini, you were the first one to volunteer to do the centerpieces," Athena said with a small chuckle. "You know you could've asked to do something else, right?"

She let out a deep breath. "I know, but everyone was so excited about helping out with the party, and I just wanted to be a part of it."

Ricky gestured to the centerpiece in her hand. "Well, this is, like, part of a nightmare."

"Oh, come on," Athena protested. "Her centerpiece is . . . abstract. It just needs a little bit of work."

"Is yours abstract, too?"

"Ricky Bowen, I swear to God—"

He started to walk over to it, but Athena placed herself in front of him and smiled innocently. Ricky gave her a look that said seriously? before taking her shoulders and moving her out of the way. He picked up her centerpiece. Some roses were sticking out better than others. Basically, she just needed more time.

"It's a work in progress," Athena insisted, taking her centerpiece back and holding it.

"Well, can we see yours?" Nini inquired to Ricky.

"I mean, uh, it's not much, but . . ." Ricky trailed off.

He turned and picked up his centerpiece from the sink. Ricky turned around to reveal his centerpiece done extremely well. The styrofoam ball wasn't showing at all and the roses were placed exactly how they were supposed to be. Athena scoffed in amazement and shared a look with Nini.

"I knew it," Athena announced, nodding to the centerpiece in his hands. "I knew you had a crafty side."

Ricky chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know who I am anymore." He held out his centerpiece. "Cheers."

The three of them clinked their centerpieces together. Suddenly, Mike came back out into the kitchen, wearing dress shoes, dress pants, and a white button down shirt. He spread his arms out to showcase his outfit. Athena blinked in surprise. Well, he certainly had places to be.

"Well, hello, sir," Ricky greeted. "Have you seen my dad? Who're you all dressed up for?"

"Oh, well, I figured if I was giving you a ride to this thing, I might as well chaperone too, right?" Mike stated. "Why? Who's gonna be there?"

"Just the theater kids and Miss Jenn."

"Oh, no kidding. All right, chop-chop." He clapped his hands twice. "Let's get a move on. Go, go."

The three of them didn't really move any faster. They all stared after Mike as he rushed back down the hall.

Athena tilted her head. "How much you wanna bet he offered to come only because he wants to see Miss Jenn?"

Ricky groaned, turning away from her to go back to the sink. "Oh my God, please don't put that image in my mind."

The three of them started to work on finishing the centerpieces (well, Ricky finished the centerpieces — he put Nini on probation so she couldn't make any more and claimed Athena was taking too long.) Once he was finished, they all began to get ready to leave. Ricky put on his blazer, Nini put on her leather jacket, and Athena put on Ricky's fuzzy jean jacket (yes, she still has it, and no, she will not be giving it back.) They packed up all of the centerpieces in some wooden crates to make it easier to carry.

"Hey, I was thinking, seeing you in the rehearsal room yesterday, I don't know, maybe it wouldn't hurt if you, like, talked to Miss Jenn about getting you back on stage with the rest of us," Ricky suggested to Nini.

Athena gasped excitedly. "Oh my God, that would be so fun."

"Oh, well, I wasn't there for the audition, so it's not really fair," Nini replied.

Athena sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. We've had a ton of rehearsals already, it would be so hard to try and catch you up. But there's always the fall musical, yeah?" Nini nodded, and Athena placed the last centerpiece in the crate. "What do you think you're gonna do in the meantime?"

"Maybe I'll focus on making new music and doing my own solo thing. I think not being in the musical is a sign, you know?"

"I'm honestly so proud of you," Athena admitted. "From everything you told me about YAC, it seemed like they were kind of . . . oppressing you. I'm glad you're starting to focus on yourself."

Nini smiled and squeezed Athena's shoulder. "Thank you, 'Thena."

Mike then came back out again, this time in a full-blown suit. "All right. Let's load up, guys."

"Oh, are you sure you don't wanna just go full tuxedo?" Ricky asked.

"Get in the truck."

They all grabbed their wooden crates and headed outside, looking forward to a night that would definitely be filled with good memories.

═ • ° • ✧ • ° • ═

ricky bowen: *breaths*
me: 💕💞💓💗💖💘💝

except he's on probation rn bc of what he said to gina. mf is mad dumb 🤠

moving on

hey besties <3333

again, I'm really sorry for no update on sunday. prom weekend & my dance recital were v fun though!!!

anyways, I'm really excited for the next chapter bc it's honestly so wholesome and I just love this episode so fucking much. it'll probably be pretty long bc so many things happen :)))