Theatre Geek - (R.B.) - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

NINI TOOK a seat near the middle of the tour bus, a content look in her eyes. It was the morning of the school-funded ski trip, and to say she was excited would be an understatement. Ever since her freshman year she'd been looking forward to heading on this very trip - the dreams she had for going with Ricky had to be put on hold - but that didn't mean she couldn't still enjoy it with her best friends, right? Plus, considering the cheerful crowd that bombarded the bus, she could tell that the trip would be one to remember.
Speaking of trips, Julia had just stepped onto the bus, glancing around unsurely for an empty seat. Nini waved a bit, hoping the girl would catch her attention, and soon after, Julia sat on the seat opposite her so the two were facing each other.
Muttering out greetings, Julia placed her backpack beside her. Yes, she had brought her books, but not to study, no. It was more due to the many extracurriculars not leaving her back - even when she wasn't in town.
Nini grinned, comfortably leaning against the seat. Since Winter hadn't yet struck Salt Lake City, she didn't see the need to put on her coat that morning, rather it was tucked neatly inside her luggage compartment. "I'm so excited!"
"Me too!" Julia nodded eagerly. "What're you most looking forward to?"
"Definitely the fancy hotel rooms that they have booked for us." She briefly shut her eyes, as if she was dreaming about all the possibilities for the trip. Opening them again, she paused, her gaze landing on the familiar brunette boy who had just entered the bus. Ricky. He was standing around, bundled up in his winter coat, and seemingly having no clue of the prying eyes on him. Quickly after, he too sat a few seats away from the girl, not before stealing a quick glance at Julia, who completely ignored him. "---And you?"
"I heard the resort has a lot of cool activities, other than skiing planned. Something about an annual buffet?"
Nini smiled momentarily, before glancing around herself, furrowing her brows. "Where's Aaron?"
Julia sighed, tiredly smiling at the girl. "He texted me last night. Said he was carpooling with Fabian and Alec, so he can't make it on the bus, but he'll see us at the hotel."
"Ah, okay." She nodded understandingly, leaning her head against the window as the vehicle began to move, driving the students and staff to the resort. She yawned, "I'm exhausted. I think I'll take a small nap, is that fine?"
The blonde nodded, gesturing to the notebook that she had taken out of her bag just a few moments ago. As Nini rested her eyes, dreaming off into oblivion, Julia seized the opportunity to look over at any of the reminders that she had to complete while on the trip - hoping and praying that her tasks wouldn't prevent her from enjoying herself for the weekend.
"What're the odds? You're going on this trip too?" Ricky mused, grinning widely as he stood in front of Julia, his hands gripping the top of the seat to prevent accidentally falling over. Nini had stepped out for a bit to greet her other friends, leaving Julia (who didn't really mind) behind.
"I am," she said emotionless.
"So, seeing as no one's sitting here, thought I'd just--" he trailed off, sitting in the seat that was previously occupied by Nini. He casually looped an arm around the seat as he smiled at the girl. "So--"
"I was sitting there, Ricky," Nini interrupted, annoyingly staring down the said boy. "You should go back to your own seat."
"No way!" He argued, crossing his arms. "Finder's keepers."
"How is that fair? I went away for two minutes, you can't just---"
"Actually, I can," he shrugged, giving a pitying look to Nini. "Your name's not on here either, so…"
She huffed, rolling her eyes at him and frowning sadly at Julia, before grabbing her coat from the seat's compartment and trudging away to the back of the bus.
Meanwhile, Ricky did an internal victory dance and landed his attention back on the beautiful girl seated in front of him. Much to his dismay, she wasn't looking at him, instead she resorted to staring out the window as the green of the city had turned into snow-filled ground. The resort was still an hour away, but it gave Ricky more than enough time to start a meaningful conversation with her, regardless if she really cared for his presence or not.
"I can't wait to head on the ice," he began, peeking back and forth between her and the ground. She glanced in his direction briefly, before signing. "And you?"
"I don't know how to skate," she responded quietly, shrugging slightly.
He furrowed his brows. What the heck was she even doing on this trip then? "Oh." And then, an idea sparked up in his mind and his usual carefree grin had returned. "Maybe I can give you some pointers."
"Yeah, maybe."
Taking Julia by surprise, Ricky shuffled through his backpack quickly before taking out his play script, showing it to her. As he mindlessly flipped through the pages, he eventually landed on one of the later scenes in the production, giving her a meaningful look. "I thought we'd do some practicing? You know, because you're the closest thing I have to Ms. Jenn?"
"Should I call Nini, so you can--"
"No!" He raised his voice before regaining his senses. "I mean, I practice with her all the time. Thought I'd give it a shot with you?"
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she cleared her throat and leaned over the booklet, stealing a glance at the words before nodding at him. "Sure, let's start. Your line is first."
As if instinctively switching on his acting mode, Ricky brought emotion to his face. The kind that one only got when they were rehearsing for a play, more or less, because he wanted to impress her somehow.
"Gabriella? What are you doing here? The song's about to start."
Troy noticed the way she was shaking, from what he assumed was nervousness. Except, the way her face was stripped of color, it pained him to realize that there was more to the story.
"I can't do this, Troy. Not with everyone staring at me…" Gabriella said, an almost pleading look in her eyes. The "Breaking Free" music had begun to play, and to say that she was nervous to perform would be an understatement. She was beyond nervous.
"Hey, hey, hey. Look at me." Troy held onto her hands, smiling gently at her. "Like the first time together, remember?"
She nodded, feeling like the wait of the world had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders. She gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. "Like when we first met?"
"Yeah. Just like when we first met."
"I-- we can do this."
Ricky rubbed his forehead, taking a breath of relief as they had completed rehearsing one of the most important scenes in the play. He looked hesitant, almost as if he was afraid he'd say the wrong thing. Making up his mind, he fiddled with his fingers awkwardly before looking up to see that she was already staring back. "Are you...uh, mad at me?"
Julia raised her eyebrows, surprised at the sudden question. She started to think that maybe the boy knew what he had done wrong in the past and was trying to somehow apologize for it. But there was one problem: Ricky Bowen didn't seem to be that kind of person. In the couple of months she'd known him, she knew truthfully that he wouldn't ever just apologize right off the bat.
Would he?
Shaking her head, she sighed again and shut her notebook close. "No, I'm not," she said. "I can't be, at least. It's not important."
Unfortunately for her, the words were left hanging and when she did open up her mouth to speak, they never came out. So, she rode the entire bus trip with the constant panging at the back of her head scolding her for not telling him what was on her mind. After all, what would she get from it anyway? It wasn't like he'd understand her dilemma. In fact, metaphorically speaking, he'd probably just stretch the gap between them even more if he had the chance.
And that was something she'd never really understand. No matter how hard she tried.