Theatre Geek - (R.B.) - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

The school was very loud. Students and staff were all over the place, chatting and having a good time. It was lunchtime, and the hallways were packed.
Julia was seated on the benches near the school's main entrance. Because the meeting for the School Newspaper had been cancelled that day, she opted to do some reading, something she had always enjoyed. She was immersed in a completely different universe. Perfectionism like she'd never seen before, where she could forget about her troubles for 10 minutes and feel like she'd been awake for five.
Two senior boys that she didn't recognize came walking past her and over to the gymnasium. They were speaking so loudly, that she ended up hearing a snippet of their conversation.
"I talked to Ron," the raven-haired one explained. "Said his interview with UCLA went decent."
"Decent? Hmm." The blond looked surprised. "He's a star player; we've been seeing him since we were little kids. It'd be unbelievable if they don't accept him into their sports scholarship program."
"If they don't accept him, I will personally beat up whoever is responsible for student applications there."
Alec laughed. "Count me in."
As they entered the gymnasium, the darker-haired boy slung a friendly arm around the other's shoulders and opened the door. "Dude, you know I'd never leave you behind."
Meanwhile, Ricky Bowen wandered the hallways, carrying a water bottle back from the cafeteria. Big Red, his best friend, was absent from school that day, so he sought out other friends with whom he could converse.
"Hi, Ricky!" Gina yelled, rushing over to him. She was always nice to him, which he was fond of.
"Oh. Hey." He smiled. "What's up?"
"I just came back from finishing a test," she replied, the same smile still lingering on her face. "Are you excited about the drama production?"
"I guess . . . It hasn't really begun yet."
"I don't have the biggest role. Settling as an understudy." There was a strange bitterness in her voice, but it disappeared in a matter of seconds. "But that's whatever."
They waited there for a few moments more, conversing amongst themselves, when Gina excused herself, claiming that she was about to go hang out with her other friends before she stumbled into him. Ricky let her go because he assumed she was busy. He did note, though, that she was different in some ways. He had just noticed that she was being unusually easygoing around him. Obviously, it was alright because they were still friends.
Then he noticed the girl with dirty-blonde hair that appeared practically brown in the lighting. She was sitting on one of the enormous blue benches, completely focused on something. With a little closer inspection, he recognised her as Julia. He felt encouraged to speak with her, though he wasn't sure why. When he was present, she was enveloped by a serene aura. It was possibly for this reason that he felt it necessary to sit with her and ask about her well-being. It was the least he could do after she had been so gracious in allowing him to stay with her the night before.
"Hey, Julia," he started as soon as he took a seat beside her. "What're you reading?"
She lifted her head and closed her novel in front of him, revealing the cover. "It's a timeless classic."
"I didn't know you liked scary stories," he said, smiling. "So do I."
"Who's your favourite author?"
"Stephen King."
Julia gave him a look. "Are you only saying that because I'm reading one of his books right now?"
He looked offended. "You think quite highly of yourself, don't you?"
She simply laughed. "I'm just teasing."
Ricky tilted his head to the side, analyzing her curiously. "What makes you think I'm also teasing?"
Julia's eyes widened somewhat, and her ears turned a light pink shade. She averted her gaze from him, sliding her book into her backpack and getting ready to leave. Ricky furrowed his brows, puzzled as to what had prompted her to become so silent so suddenly. In an attempt to get her attention, he cleared his throat. "About last night⸺"
"What about last night, Ricky?"
It was the nickname, he thought. It was kind of nice coming from her mouth, however, he didn't think it would last. "No, not really. I wanted to talk about⸺about our almost kiss."
She nodded, chuckling bitterly. "It was stupid, I know."
He looked at her questioningly. Her every moment, even though she seemed upset, there was such grace in her movements. It was as if no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look unapproachable. Even in the most mundane of circumstances, she had an allure surrounding her.
"Is something wrong?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. In his honest opinion, it wasn't a very Ricky thing to say. It looked like he actually cared about what she thought. But he didn't, right? If that was the case, why did he persist in conversing with her despite her obvious lack of interest? He didn't know how to respond to the question.
"No. Just, I⸺" She paused, choosing her words carefully. She sighed, gazing at him for just a second before standing up with her backpack. "I should get going. The bell will ring soon."
He stood up, surprised at her sudden movement. "Sure. See you in Algebra then?"
She opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but quickly shut it again, hurrying off to her locker. Though she had no intention of ditching him out of the blue, she was embarrassed by the awkward events of the night before. She was upset and wanted to make amends. Ricky had no right to make her feel anything. In any case, he was chasing after someone else.
Involuntarily, he raised his eyebrows at her drifting figure. Is it something I said? He thought before rolling his eyes slightly and getting rid of the idea altogether. They barely talked at all.
Shrugging his shoulders, he sat back down and took a sip from his water bottle. Maybe she was on her period? His ears turned rosy red, shuddering at the possibility.
✩✩✩
Nini, on the other hand, was scouring the school halls and empty classrooms for clues. She couldn't seem to find her drama script. She wasn't someone who was prone to forgetfulness. She was, in fact, the polar opposite. Perhaps she forgot to bring it with her because she misplaced it at home. For the lunch period, her boyfriend, EJ, was hanging out with his friends. He wanted to be with her, but she insisted that he be with others because he hadn't left her side in about two weeks since school started.
Julia shut her locker, noting Nini, who was upset, a few feet away. It wasn't often that Kourtney wasn't present. She reasoned that the girl might be preoccupied with something else or that she wouldn't show up that day. It didn't matter; it wasn't her problem in the first place.
She mustered up the courage and went over to Nini, who was still frantically searching her locker. "Hey, Nini . . . You look dazed. Looking for something?"
Nini briefly glanced at the brunette, confusion and then recognition. "It's my drama script, I can't find it anywhere!"
"I'm not really in the play anymore. Would you like mine?"
Nini shook her head. "I can't. You're my under-study, remember?"
Julia nodded slowly, remembering that she agreed to take the part when she talked to the drama teacher earlier the last week. It would not make a difference for her, however. There was a very low chance of the part ever coming in handy. "I have an extra given to me by Ms Jenn. Want that instead?"
Nini's smile grew wider, her pearly white teeth showing. "That would be perfect!"
Julia smiled back at the other girl. It was a sincere, truthful one. It wasn't something she gave people often, if at all. "Okay. Follow me, it's in my locker."
Nini rubbed her arms nervously, an embarrassed expression. "Sorry, I just. I don't think I remember your name."
To her surprise, Julia chuckled, as if she was unoffended.
"That's fine, there's the first time for everything, right?" She raised out her hand. "I'm Julia."
"Nice to meet you, Julia." She enveloped her hand with the other. "I'm Nini."