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Summary: with stolen phones, difficult choreography, strange boyband-esque apology songs, and relationship drama, rosie is beginning to wonder if the show will ever go on.
Word Count: 6.5k
Content/Warnings: mentions of mild violence and bleeding nose
Show: hsmtmts | season one, episode three | the wonderstudies
Gif Credits: banner made by me in 2024 so unfortunately i can't remember where i got the gifs/pics from other than generally on google/pinterest/tumblr/etc..
Author’s Note: chapter three took the longest to edit and i don't know why! from chapter four onwards, i'm writing from scratch so there may be longer between updates as i'm also working on three other fics too (daylight + a love island 2024 fic which kinda a sequel / sister book to gold rush + a stranger things fic with four oc's). please remember to like / comment / reblog it really means a lot! - auri
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CHAPTER THREE—BASKETBALL TO THE FACE
[ SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH | SEPT. 2019 ]
ROSIE APPROACHED THE TOP OF THE STAIRS. She needed to grab her English book from her locker before heading home.
"Hey, it's me. Your... buddy, Ricky. Sorry to bother you. I know we don't do voice convos."
Rosie stopped. She peered around the edge of the wall and found Ricky talking into his phone.
"But, I saw you singing that song with Ashlyn today, and I felt like we shared a moment, or a thing. I don't know, maybe a moment is kind of a thing. Why am I still talking? "
Rosie rested her head against the cool, white tile. She knew something had happened between Nini and Ricky.
"Anyway, whatever. If this voicemail is too much for you or too soon, or you're just not into it, we can just ignore this whole thing and pretend like nothing ever happened, okay?" Ricky looked up and spotted the edge of Rosie's backpack. "Poof! Gone. Okay. Bye." Ricky ended the call. "Rosie, I know you're there."
Rosie's eyes widened, and she poked her head around the wall, "Hey, Ricky."
"I take it you heard that whole thing?"
Rosie met him at the window, "I heard you say that you and Nini had a 'moment'." Rosie put air quotes around the last word. "When did that happen?"
"When I went to find her and Ashlyn for Miss Jenn's announcement." Ricky slowly admitted.
"Hmm." Rosie squinted at him. "And the song?"
"I think it's the one for the teacher." He rushed out. " I'm not sure, but it's about regrets and Nini was singing it and—"
"Ricky." Rosie cut him off. "I'm gonna give you the same advice I gave Grace. I know the Nini and E.J. thing is still fresh, and that you're hurting, but doing things like this," she motioned to his phone, "Is only going to push Nini away even further. You need to put on a brave face and enjoy the magic that is discovering theatre for the first time instead of chasing after your ex." Rosie shrugged. "Sometimes a song is just a song. And Ashlyn is the one who wrote it, not Nini."
Ricky sighed, "You're right."
"Sometimes." Rosie teased him.
Ricky rolled his eyes, "More like all the time."
Rosie laughed. "I gotta get a book from my locker, but do not call Nini again, okay? The last thing we need is her or E.J. blowing up at you for it."
Ricky playfully saluted her, "Roger that."
It was Rosie's turn to roll her eyes. Ricky followed her down the stairs, but parted at the bottom. Rosie speed-walked to her locker. Gracie and Seb were already waiting for her in the car. She twisted the combination lock and slid her English book out from between the biology study notes she forgot to give Big Red and the embarrassing romance novel Gracie had hidden so Sawyer would stop teasing her about reading it.
"Hey, Rosie?" Rosie turned at the familiar voice. Nini approached her slowly, unsure if speaking with the girl was a good idea. "I was just wondering if you'd seen my phone at all. I haven't seen it since before rehearsal."
"Uh, no. Sorry." Rosie closed her locker and began to walk away.
"Rosie?" Nini gently grabbed her arm. "I...I'm really sorry. It was so wrong of me to get with E.J. and not tell Gracie, and it was wrong of me and Kourtney to exclude you because I was so afraid of your reaction."
"Nini, what you did really hurt me, and it really hurt my sister," Rosie replied.
"I actually spoke to Gracie before she left, and we talked it out. She told me that she was hurt, but she was moving on. She also said that our friendship shouldn't be dictated by her feelings, but yours. I just really miss my best friend." Nini's eyes pleaded with her.
Rosie picked at her chipped fingernails. "You have Kourtney."
"But it isn't the same without you." Kourtney appeared beside Nini. "Movie nights, girl nights, sleepovers. It feels strange with only the two of us."
"We just want to be friends again." Nini agreed. "The three of us. Kourt, Nini and Ro."
Rosie smiled, "I'd like that."
Kourtney squealed and brought the girls in for a group hug.
"How about we go back to mine and watch a movie?" Kourtney suggested.
"Yeah, we could order pizza from Slices," Nini said in a sing-songy tone.
Rosie giggled at the girl's ridiculousness. She had missed them. "Okay, sure. Just let me text my mom and see what time I need to be home."
"We'll meet you in the parking lot. Just look for my mom's car." Kourtney said.
Rosie smiled to herself as she watched her friends walk away. She was happy to have them back. Rosie sent a quick text to Gracie, telling her to head home without her, then tapped on her mom's contact. She stopped for a moment, frozen as the line rang. Nini lost her phone?
ROSIE CHECKED THE MESSAGE FROM GINA AGAIN—bomb shelter, six a.m.—and yawned into her hand. She had never been at school this early before.
After a fun-filled night with Nini and Kourtney, Rosie got home to a text from Gina. She apparently had a new idea for Stick To The Status Quo and wanted Rosie's help with the dance. Rosie did try telling her that dance wasn't her strong suit, but Gina assured her it would be fine.
"Hey," Rosie said as she entered the bomb shelter.
Gina looked up from where she was doing stretches on the floor. "Hey, so I figured out the dance break. I just need someone to fill in for Gabriella's parts."
"Did you try asking Nini first?" Rosie asked. "I mean, she is playing Gabriella."
Gina pulled her legs closed and stood up as gracefully as a gazelle. "Yeah. I got her number, but when I tried to call last night, she didn't answer."
Rosie put her backpack on the floor and remembered Nini's multiple rants about losing her phone. "Oh, well, it's nothing personal. She lost her phone yesterday, and I don't think she's found it yet."
"Huh, weird." Gina shrugged with a laugh. "Well, all you need to do is follow my lead."
Gina grabbed Rosie's arms and positioned her where she was needed.
"This is for a dance break in Stick To The Status Quo, right?" Rosie put a hand on her back and pushed on her elbow to stretch it out.
"Yeah, I just couldn't get the moves out of my head, so I asked Carlos and Miss Jenn if I could show them at this morning's rehearsal," Gina replied.
Rosie shook her legs out. "I should warn you, I might not pick this up very quickly. I'm really not the best at dancing."
"Don't worry, I'll go slow until you start to pick it up," Gina reassured her. "And dancing is all about confidence. I saw you at the auditions. You were good. But if you want to improve, you need to believe in your abilities more."
Rosie pointed at the girl. "You know, you'd make a really good life coach."
Gina shook her head and smiled. "Okay. I'll show you the steps, and then you can join in. Five, six, seven, eight."
A few hours later, the girls were running through the routine in almost-perfect harmony. Rosie couldn't get her leg as high as Gina's, and she certainly wasn't as versed in Argentine tango, but Carlos and Miss Jenn seemed to love it, so that's all that mattered.
As they struck the ending pose, Miss Jenn saw Nini at the door. "Everybody hold! Nini, where were you? We've been here for an hour."
"I'm so sorry." Rosie walked over to her bag and pulled out her water bottle as she watched Nini try to explain why she was late. "I lost my phone and basically spent last night living as a hunter-gatherer, which, by the way, did you know that there are things that are only on TV at a certain time? Okay. Anyway, I finally picked it up in the lost and found and...Wait, did you say an hour?"
"Gina sent you and me a text asking if we would come in early so she could talk through a new idea. You didn't get it?" Miss Jenn asked.
Nini's face dropped. "No, because my phone was missing."
Miss Jenn didn't look impressed. "Well, honey, you've gotta keep better track of your stuff. A real triple-threat means singing, acting, and being organised."
"Got it." Nini's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Well, if you had been here, you'd know that Gina pitched a whole new dance break for Gabriella and Taylor in the middle of Status Quo, and she had Carlos work it all out with her, and it is just dazzling." Miss Jenn complimented
"You and Carlos?" Nini asked Gina as she handed her the second red tray.
"And Rosie," Gina added. "She stepped in for Gabriella when we couldn't get in touch with you."
Nini looked over at Rosie, and a brief look of betrayal flashed over her features. "Oh, I was just helping out." Rosie waved a hand dismissively. "I'm sure you'll pick it up super easily, Nini."
"Gina, why don't you hydrate and show Nini the new choreo, would you?" Miss Jenn suggested.
Rosie spotted Gracie sitting beside Ricky and Ashlyn on the bench. She was sketching out costume ideas for the new dance break. Rosie made to walk over to her when E.J. stopped her.
"Rosie?"
She turned around, "Yeah?"
He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say you did a really great job with the dance."
Rosie looked down at her old sneakers, "That means a lot, actually. Dancing isn't one of my strong suits."
"I wouldn't have been able to tell you were almost as good as Gina." E.J. complemented her.
"I will take that as a compliment, considering Gina's apparently been dancing since she could walk." They laughed together, "Thanks."
He shot her the famous Caswell grin, and Rosie could almost see how it worked on every girl he came across. "You're welcome."
Ricky got up from his seat as Rosie neared. She took his spot on the bench and rested her chin on Gracie's shoulder. Reaching around Gracie, she held up one of the sketches she had finished. "Gracie, these are amazing."
Gracie shook her head. "They're not done yet, but I think they turned out pretty good."
Rosie nudged Ashlyn with her elbow, "Ash, look at this."
Ashlyn leaned across. "Wow. Grace, you are, like, amazingly talented at that."
"I know how to draw, it's not a big deal." Gracie laughed awkwardly. She was never the best at accepting compliments.
"It will be a big deal when you finally get accepted to Parsons." Rosie teased. "You're sending off your college applications soon, right?"
"Parsons?" Ashlyn asked.
"It's just a silly dream. I doubt I'll actually get in." Gracie said. "For every one hundred applicants, only fifty-two are admitted."
"And you will be one of those fifty-two. Have more faith." Rosie told her.
"Also, you are totally a New York girl." Ashlyn jumped in.
"Right, I keep telling her that." Rosie cupped Graice's chin with her hand and tilted her head to the right. "She's like a mixture of both Serena and Blaire."
Ashlyn cupped her mouth with her hands, "Oh my god. I totally see that now."
Grace smiled brightly, "Can you guys stop? I need to concentrate, Miss Jenn wants to see these by the end of the day."
Rosie rolled her eyes playfully, "Fine. I'll go see what's up with Big Red and Ricky. There's always something they need advice on."
ROSIE SAT WITH KOURTNEY ON NINI'S BED AS THE GIRL IN QUESTION FILLED THEM IN ON THE DRAMA WITH GINA.
"Okay. Here's the deal. Are you sitting down? Excellent. So, it seems like Gina really wants my part in the show, and she is basically willing to kill me to get it."
"Kill you?" Rosie said in disbelief.
Kourtney scoffed, "I could have told you that days ago. Oh, wait, hang on. I did."
Nini ignored them, "But now she's stealing phones and inventing special ways for me to hurt myself."
"Okay, I get that Gina's tray-eography is a little complex. But I am positive that if you practise enough, you will get it. I mean, I got it." Rosie reassured the girl. "And besides, we still have a while until opening night."
"Exactly. She has a ton of time to steal my role. So, here's what I came up with." Nini slotted herself between Rosie and Kourtney and pulled out her iPad.
Kourtney raised her eyebrow at Nini's setup. "What are we, back in fifth grade?"
"Not the point." Nini brushed off, "So, the way I see it, I could do one of six things. One, talk to Miss Jenn. Two, magically learn the dance. Three, have my moms yell at her mom. Four, quit the show. Five, eat so much ice cream. Or, six, steal something back."
"I'm pretty sure theft is never the answer." Rosie pointed out.
"Yeah, we can scratch out number six, 'cause that's an act of war." Kourtney agreed.
Nini turned and pulled out Gina's dance shoes from her backpack. Rosie's eyes went wide at the glittery shoes in her friend's hands.
Nini bit her lip. "Too late."
"Nini!" Kourtney and Rosie shouted together.
"I thought you'd veto the ice cream." Nini reasoned.
Rosie shook her head, "Nini, Gina does not have it out for you. She's just a transfer student who is struggling to make friends. You know she's moved 15 times and been to 3 different high schools already? She's a little stand-offish, sure." Rosie slid off the bed and headed for the door. "But stealing her dance shoes when you're not even sure if she took your phone is a little far."
"Where are you going?" Kourtney asked.
"Home. Sammy texted me, he's almost here." Rosie's phone pinged. "Scratch that, I'm going to Big Red's and then home. It's also something with those boys." She complained.
"Rosie, wait," Nini called out. "Promise you won't tell Gina I took her shoes."
"I'll give you until the end of the week to figure this whole thing out, but if you don't return them by then, then I will tell her." Rosie gave the girl a disappointed look. "It's her property, Nini. She deserves to know where it is."
The car journey to Big Red's was short, and she promised Sammy she would be less than ten minutes. Their mom was cooking stew and dumplings, and Sammy would not be happy if he missed out.
Rosie knocked on the basement door, "Guys?"
"Down here, Ro!" Big Red yelled.
"This is not good," Ricky said from where he balanced on his skateboard.
"I know." Big Red didn't even look up from where he was.
"No, I mean, this is really not good," Ricky repeated.
Rosie looked between the boys as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "What's not good?"
"Nini didn't like Ricky's voicemail." Big Red explained.
"She didn't say she didn't like it, she just didn't acknowledge it." Ricky clarified.
Rosie faced Ricky. "Okay, what exactly did she say?"
"That 'her night wasn't too hot'. That had to be about the voicemail, right?" Ricky groaned. "This is not good."
Rosie sat on the edge of Big Red's bed. "That's the third time you've said that since I got here."
"It's not news, either." Big Red reminded him. "You broke her heart, you crashed her play, you bugged her for a little, and then you left her an extra sad voicemail."
Ricky sighed and sat on the chair opposite Big Red and Rosie. "You think maybe it's time to move on?"
"I wouldn't, but you have that other thing. Pride." Big Red said.
"Okay, tell me what to do," Ricky told Big Red.
Big Red sat up and plopped down next to Rosie. "Just be yourself, you know. Be the bigger man."
"Okay, pick one."
"Definitely bigger man." Big Red decided. "You're the lead in the play, dude. It's time to act like it." Big Red threw a ball at Ricky's chest.
He didn't catch it.
Ricky moved his attention to Rosie. "What do you think?"
Rosie took a breath, "I stand by what I said yesterday. Focus on the show and stop bothering Nini. If she wants to try to be friends again, then that will happen on its own. If she wants to be more, then she'd have to break up with E.J., but only she should make that decision, not her ex-boyfriend, who keeps trying to get in the middle of things."
"You're right." Ricky nodded.
Big Red picked up the ball, "It's like that scene from the movie where Troy tells his teammates, 'You're my guys, and this is our spam.'"
"Spam?" Rosie whispered under her breath.
Ricky furrowed his brow, "When does he say that?"
"You know, I just realised that my allergist keeps the sound off in the waiting room, and maybe I can't read lips."
Ricky stood up and threw the ball into the hoop beside Big Red's bed. "Come on, Ro. I'll walk you out."
Rosie waved to Big Red. "Bye, Biggie."
"Bye, Ro."
ROSIE STOOD AT HER LOCKER WITH ASHLYN.
"So, you wanna come over around six? We could do homework and then watch a movie until your brother comes to pick you up."
"Sure." Rosie smiled, "Do you still need help with Geometry?"
"Desperately." Ashlyn groaned. "Do you still need help in Chemistry?"
"Completely. I just don't get it. At all." Rosie pouted. She held up her hand and pinched her thumb and index finger together until they almost touched. "I'm this close to failing."
"You know, E.J.'s pretty good at Chemistry. He could always help you out." Ashlyn offered.
"I don't know. " Rosie whined.
"Why not?" Ashlyn asked. "Is this because of Nini or Grace, because I doubt either of them would care if you got help in class from their respective boyfriend-slash-crush."
Rosie closed her locker and shook her head. "It's not that. E.J. and I aren't really friends. We're friendly, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable asking for help from someone I barely know."
"Well, how about I invite him over tonight, too? He's also freakishly good at Geometry, so he could help both of us out."
Rosie chewed on her lip, "Okay. Anything to pass Mr Mazzara's class?"
They walked down the hallway together and almost ran straight into Nini, leaving the library.
"Hey! I was actually just about to come look for you." Nini said to Rosie.
"Well, here I am." Rosie tilted her head. "What did you need me for?"
Nini looked over at Ashlyn a little awkwardly.
"Um, I should get a head start on my AP Psych test revision." Ashlyn slowly backed down the hallway. "I'll see you later, Ro."
"Bye, Ash." Rosie turned back to Nini. "So, what do you need?"
Nini played with the strings on her backpack. "I'm gonna sneak back Gina's shoes, and I really don't want to go alone."
"Sneak them back?" Rosie asked. "So, you've let go of the whole phone-stealing idea?"
"Maybe. I don't know." Nini sighed. "E.J. talked some sense into me. He told me I should be better than this, and I agree. I also realise that it's basically the same as what you said last night, and I really should have listened then."
"I'll come with you, but we gotta be quick. They can only be gone so long before she notices they're missing."
Nini nodded towards the costume department door. "Let's go."
Luckily, no one was in the costume shop, so it made it easy for Rosie and Nini to sneak in. Rosie kept a lookout whilst Nini unzipped her bag to take out Gina's shoes. Rosie's eyes widened as she saw Gina and Gracie heading down the hallway towards them.
"Nini," Rosie whispered. "Hide."
They ran behind a rack of costumes.
"Okay, so I have a few different options." They heard Gracie tell Gina. "Just hear me out, but I think you should try this one on first."
Rosie and Nini shared a frightened look, pushing apart the costumes to get a better look at Gina and Gracie.
Gina stopped beside one of the clothing racks. "Wait, are these for the new dance break in Status Quo?"
"Yeah. I drew them up during the rehearsal yesterday." Grace replied.
"High-key love them." Gina squealed. "Whose is whose?"
Grace pointed at the green jacket first, "Taylor." Then the blue sweater, "Gabriella."
"Okay, mine is everything." Gina laughed. "But, for Gabriella, you may wanna put her in a colour that pops a little more. Not that, I'm questioning your vision as the head of the costume department or anything, but she's already kinda bland."
Rosie looked over to see a hurt and confused expression on Nini's face.
"I get what you mean. Gabriella is kind of a bore." Gracie agreed.
"Not as a person, sweetest girl in the world." Gina clarified.
"But as an actress?" Grace questioned.
Gina nodded. "Yeah. I just don't want her to get lost in the crowd."
"I guess you're right, and if I can be honest for a moment. I really don't know why Miss Jenn cast Nini." Gracie continued. "I mean, she's never played a lead role, and you, along with so many other girls, were so much better overall. Nini definitely has the singing down, but the dancing? The acting?"
"Not so much." Gina finished.
"Exactly. But like you said, Gabriella is bland." Gracie shrugged. "Maybe that's why Miss Jenn cast her."
Gracie and Gina walked back out of the costume shop, still talking. Rosie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She never knew Gracie could be so mean, and just because Nini is dating E.J.? She had never had a problem with Nini until this year.
"Nini?" Rosie put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Nini said with a roll of her eyes. "God, she is such a..."
"What are you gonna do now?"
Nini glanced back at more of Gina's stuff spread across the table.
"Nini," Rosie said in a warning tone. "You do not have to stoop to her level. We can go to Miss Jenn right now and tell her that Gina's being mean behind your back. She'll sort it out, I'm sure."
"No, Rosie. Miss Jenn won't do anything. Teachers rarely do, you know that." Nini insisted.
Rosie couldn't argue. How many times had she gone to her teacher when she was being bullied in middle school, only for them to do nothing to help?
"I'm just saying, you should be better than them, Nini. They're just being catty mean girls for dumb reasons we'll all forget about by the time this production's over." Nini wasn't listening, still eying up Gina's stuff. "Nini, if you're gonna steal anything else from Gina, then I can't be here when you do it. It doesn't align with my values, and I refuse to compromise them."
Nini looked back at Rosie. "I understand that, Ro. You can go if you want, just don't tell Gina anything."
Rosie sighed, "Fine, I won't say anything, but I will talk to Gracie tonight. I can't believe how mean she was being."
"Okay. Yeah, thanks."
Rosie leaned over and hugged Nini. "I'm sorry, she was so mean about you."
Nini returned the hug. "It's not your fault, Ro."
ROSIE SAT BACK DOWN AT ASHLYN'S COUNTER. She dug her hand into her blonde curls and scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, I still don't understand any of this stuff."
"Me neither, but E.J. should be here soon, so hopefully then it will start to make some sense." Ashlyn laughed.
Almost on cue, the front door opened and closed again with a small thud.
"Hello?" E.J. shouted.
"We're in here, E.J.!" Ashlyn yelled back.
E.J. found his way into the kitchen and hopped onto the kitchen island.
"Hey, Rosie."
"Hi, E.J.."
He looked down at Ashlyn, "Uncle Dennis and Aunt Debbie aren't home, right? I don't really want an audience for this."
Ashlyn scrunched up her face in faux-annoyance. "Uh, thank you?"
"No. You know what I mean." E.J. replied.
Rosie gave the pair a confused look. "Audience for what?"
E.J. picked at the bottom of his jacket sleeve. "Oh, I wrote a song for Nini."
"A song? Why?" Rosie asked.
"He's the reason her phone went missing," Ashlyn told her.
"Wait, what?" Rosie looked over at E.J. How could he do that to Nini? Why would he do that to Nini?
"I-It was a misunderstanding." E.J. avoided Ashlyn's glare. "The point is, I wrote a song to apologise. I just need an honest opinion on this." He looked at the girls. "Okay, you ready?"
"I'm just impressed you wrote a whole song," Ashlyn said.
Rosie moved to stand by the counter beside Ashlyn.
"Yeah, it's got metaphors and everything." E.J. laughed.
"Well, I'm proud of you." Ashlyn smiled.
"Sing from the heart," Rosie advised. He would need to if he wanted Nini to forgive him.
E.J. let out a breath, "Here goes."
He pressed play on his phone and set it down on the counter.
"Before you go and make that face you make when you're mad at meSo mad at meLet me say it's not my place going through your voicemailAnd your historyAnd if this were a TV show you know I'd have to go and plead insanity"
E.J. jumped down from the counter. Rosie and Ashlyn shared a look—was Nini really going to forgive him with this song? They moved around the counter to follow him.
"'Cause the lyin' and spyin' and pryin' isn't really my personalityI'm an idiot for taking your phone"
Rosie couldn't disagree with that statement.
"This is my fault, my badIf I said a million sorrysHow about a billion sorrys?Ooh"
Rosie stared wide-eyed at E.J.'s boyband-esque dance moves. Nini was definitely not going to forgive him with this. Heck, Rosie wouldn't even forgive this, and she was the biggest pushover and people-pleaser she knew.
"You shine just like the starsAnd I'm not even a night light'Cause what I did wasn't so brightI'm really sorry"
E.J. grabbed one of Rosie's hands and led her into the living room. Ashlyn followed close behind. Rosie sat down, and E.J. knelt down in front of her.
"GirlGirl
You know I was scared that this would end
That's why I checked your DMs
This has been so hard for me, keeping this secret from you and our friends"
E.J. got up and moved further into the living room.
"But given the chance, I would definitely do it again
No, wait that's not right
I mean that I wouldn't do it again
NoThis is my fault, my badIf I said a million sorrysHow about a billion sorrys?OohCan't we just start again?Once upon a time I'm sorryNothing else to rhyme with sorry"
"Um, okay." Ashlyn pulled Rosie up, and they made their way back into the kitchen with E.J. still performing behind them.
"OohNot so great at sayin' sorryHope you know I'm really sorryOoh"
E.J. hopped onto the counter next to the sink with an out-of-breath sigh. Ashlyn and Rosie stood across from him with matching tight-lipped smiles across their faces.
"Okay!" Ashlyn exclaimed.
"Did you like it?" E.J. asked.
Ashlyn and Roise shared a look, "There's a lot to admire." Ashlyn slowly said.
E.J. looked at the floor, "It's too much."
"I guess I was hoping it would feel a little less boy band and a little more heartfelt," Ashlyn admitted.
"Maybe if you tweaked a couple of the lyrics?" Rosie suggested.
Ashlyn agreed. "Like, there are words that rhyme with 'sorry'."
"I mean, not really..." E.J. trailed off.
"Starry? Ferrari? Calamari?" Rosie listed each suggestion, worse than the last, but it got a small smile out of E.J.
E.J. jumped down from the counter, "You know what? I can't do this. Ash, you were right. This is her thing with Ricky. She'll just see right through it. I'm gonna find her after rehearsal tomorrow, and tell her what happened, and straight-up apologise."
"She might forgive you." Ashlyn offered him a comforting smile.
E.J. grabbed his phone from the counter. "Would you?" He looked towards Rosie.
"I'm proud of you either way," Ashyln told him.
E.J. nodded solemnly, "Yeah, that's what I thought."
E.J. walked into the living room and towards the front door. Rosie's phone buzzed in her back pocket. "It's my mom, apparently she asked Sammy to pick me up early because Summer and Esme are begging for me to read them their bedtime story and refusing to go to sleep until I do," Rosie said apologetically. "Sorry, Ash."
"It's fine. Go be the best big sister ever." Ashlyn leaned over to give Rosie a hug goodbye.
Rosie grabbed her bag and slipped on her coat. She shouted one last goodbye to Ashlyn and stepped out into the cold October air. E.J. sat on the front steps of the house with his head in his hands. He looked up at the sound of the door closing. Their eyes met.
"Hey." Rosie smiled awkwardly.
"You leaving?" E.J. asked.
"Yeah, my brother should be here soon." Rosie settled beside him on the porch steps. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. No. It's just—" E.J. cut himself off. "Nini isn't going to forgive me, is she? I saw your face in there. You know her better than Ash does."
Rosie tried to keep positive. "I think that Nini will be mad at you for a while, but she may be able to find it in her to forgive you. If you apologise right."
"So not with a boy band song?" E.J. laughed.
Rosie smiled, "Definitely not with a boy band song. Just sit her down and tell her your reasons. I'm sure they were...good ones?"
"I was jealous and thought Ricky was texting her during rehearsals. So, instead of just asking her about it, I took her phone. I found that instagram post from before camp and panicked." He confessed to her.
"You were the one who put her phone in the lost and found box." Rosie realised.
E.J. scoffed. "I should have just gone back into the school and confessed then."
"Probably, but you didn't." Rosie shrugged. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
"What does that mean?" E.J. asked.
"It means I'll pray for you to get through and past this. With or without Nini by your side." She offered.
E.J. slowly nodded. "Thanks, Rosie."
Headlights shone down the road, and Sammy's car pulled up in front of them. "I gotta go. See you at school tomorrow?"
"Yeah. See you at school."
E.J. watched Rosie climb into the red pick-up truck. His eyes stayed on it as it pulled out and drove down the street, his mind still stuck on a girl he had never noticed long after the headlights disappeared from view.
When Rosie got back home, she quickly rounded up the children and got them tucked into bed. They were asleep before she finished the first page. With a quiet chuckle, she put the book away and placed a soft kiss on Summer and Esme's heads.
Rosie pushed the door to her and Gracie's room open to find Gracie trying out a new makeup look.
Gracie capped her favourite cherry lip gloss and looked at Rosie through the mirror. "Hey, how was Ashlyn's?"
"Good." Rosie swallowed the lump in her throat. "Um, actually, can I talk to you about something?"
Gracie spun around in her chair to face her, "What's up?"
"Uh, this morning, um, Nini and I were in the costume shop, and we heard your and Gina's conversation."
Gracie's smile dropped, and guilt swept across her face. "You and Nini heard all of that?"
"Yeah, we did. And Grace, just because you like a boy does not mean you get to tear other girls down like that. Nini and E.J. are together. E.J. is happy with Nini, and the sooner you accept that and stop wallowing, the better. This isn't like you, it's more like Tonya." Rosie said.
"Ro, trust me, I've felt bad about it ever since this morning. I feel worse now that I know she heard everything. Why were you even in the costume shop?" Gracie asked.
"It doesn't matter why we were there. What matters is you saying you don't think Nini should have the role of Gabriella out of spite. Because E.J. likes her and not you."
"I'm trying. It's just hard," A tear ran down Gracie's cheek. "I've been in love with him since the first grade."
Rosie walked over to the vanity and wrapped her arms around Gracie from behind. "I know. But are you really in love with E.J. or just in love with the idea of him that you have in your head?"
"I don't know," Gracie admitted.
"I think it's best that you keep your distance again. Still come to rehearsals and have fun with your friends, but don't be alone with him. Or Nini. Just until you can answer that question." Rosie suggested.
"Thanks for the advice, Ro. You're almost as good as Mom." Grace sniffled.
"Well, I learned from the best." She joked.
Grace laughed and pulled Rosie in for a proper hug. Gracie Matthew-Smith was going to move on from E.J. Caswell... hopefully.
ROSIE AND GRACE RUSHED DOWN THE HALLWAY. They were almost late for rehearsals.
"This way, come on!" Gracie dragged her sister hastily around the corner.
Gracie gasped and quickly stepped to the side. Rosie, however, was not so lucky and crashed into a hard body. She almost toppled over, but two hands reached out and pulled her forward.
"Whoa!" Rosie stood chest to chest with E.J. Caswell. "Rosie, Gracie, are you alright?" E.J. asked.
"Yeah, but are you?" Rosie took in his bloodied lip.
"It's nothing," he dismissed. "Let's just say rehearsals aren't going too well."
"Rehearsals? With Ricky? Ricky did this to you?" Gracie was shocked.
"It doesn't matter." E.J. ignored their questions. "Miss Jenn wants me to get some ice and head home."
Rosie winced at the cut. "You should clean it up before then to get a better look at it."
"Um, you know what, Rosie? E.J. is right, we really should be getting to rehearsals." Grace interrupted. She needed to get as far away from E.J. as possible to put a stop to the uncomfortable ache in her chest.
Rosie pulled a spare napkin out of her backpack. "You go ahead. Tell Miss Jenn I'm helping E.J. get cleaned up."
E.J. flinched away from Rosie's hand, the cut on his lip stinging when she pressed down. "You don't have to do that."
"Grace, go."
Gracie didn't hesitate, running down the hall and towards the rehearsal room. Rosie looked around and pushed E.J. into the boys' bathroom beside them. She pulled him by his arm to the sinks, grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser and ran them under the tap water.
"Come here." She waved him closer and stood on her tiptoes to clean his cut. E.J. groaned, his mouth twitching under her touch. "Sorry if this hurts." Roise apologised.
"It's not your fault." He grunted.
"How did this even happen?" Rosie paused. "I mean, Ricky, like, didn't punch you or anything right?"
E.J. laughed, "No. Miss Jenn had us pass a basketball back and forth, and things got heated."
"So you got a basketball to the face?" The blood was mostly gone, and Rosie swiped over the cut one last time. "I thought you played water polo. Surely you should have fast reflexes."
"Apparently, they don't work out of the water." E.J. smiled.
Rosie took a step back, turning to throw the bloodied tissues into the trash. "You have blood on your shirt, too, by the way."
E.J. looked in the mirror and sighed, "The one day I decided to wear a white t-shirt, huh." Rosie giggled, and E.J. found that he liked making her smile. "I can take it from here, Rosie. Thanks."
"It's nothing, just helping a friend in need." She shrugged. "Oh, and if water doesn't work getting that stain out, try baking soda and/or white vinegar. It should help remove the stain."
E.J. furrowed his brow, "How do you know that?"
"I watch a lot of true crime."
"You?" He laughed.
"Sweet as pie on the outside, deadly on the inside. Try me, Caswell." Rosie gave him the meanest look she could.
E.J. took a step back with his hands lifted up, "Wouldn't dream of it, Matthew-Smith."
Rosie laughed again and stepped out back into the hallway. Ricky was quickly approached. "Is E.J. in there? Gracie said you were helping him clean up."
"Yeah, he is. Are you gonna try and talk to him?"
"Yep. Wish me luck."
Rosie smiled at him, "Luck."
Neither Ricky nor E.J. came back to rehearsals, and it wasn't hard for Rosie to figure out why. The Matthew-Smith siblings walked out of East High and towards the parking lot.
"Oh, dad's over there." Seb pointed out their dad's blue rusted pick-up truck.
"Let's go," Gracie said.
Rosie spotted Ricky sitting on the bench outside the school, a frown tugging at his lips. "Ricky? What's wrong?"
"Uh, I'll tell dad you'll be a minute." Gracie pulled Seb towards their dad's car.
"You know that voicemail I left Nini?" Ricky asked.
Rosie nodded.
"Turns out she told E.J. about it."
Rosie was shocked. "She what?"
"Yeah." He scoffed. "I know we're not a couple anymore, you know, but I thought there was a little trust left between us. I thought I still meant something to her or at least that me spilling my guts over voicemail wouldn't become something to gossip with her new boyfriend about."
"Wait, when did this happen again?" Rosie asked.
"Earlier this week. The day before Gina's new dance break thing in Status Quo." Ricky said.
E.J. had Nini's phone. He must have deleted the voicemail, Rosie realised.
"Ricky, she didn't tell E.J. anything." Rosie sighed. "There's something you should know."
Summary: The Pevensies' and Penny finally arrive at Aslan's camp and Penny learns about the prophecy of the Summer Witch
Word Count: 2.3K
Content/Warnings: fear, threat
Gif Credits: @ophcliaswrites
Author’s Note: so… it's been a minute ngl. the last few months have been a lot of doctor and hospital visits (current diagnosis: vestibular migraines but idk if that's gonna stick) and i've not really had much inspiration for this story. i'm also writing a crime fiction novel and have a few other side projects outside of fanfiction writing so i've been putting a lot more into those things whilst i'm feeling well.
i also started watching love island usa season 6 for the first time in march and my crazy brain fixated and now i have an entire fic for that outlined too. plus i've been editing the ej caswell fic (hsmtmts) i originally started in 2024 and now i really want to write more for that too…
basically my heads a mess of too many ideas and not enough time. thank you to everybody who's been reading / commenting / voting / liking / reblogging even when i haven't had regular updates, it really means a lot! - auri
daylight masterlist | prev | next
CHAPTER SEVEN—THE PROPHECY
[ NARNIA, 1000 ]
A MIGHTY HORN BLEW LOUDLY ABOVE THE CHATTER OF ASLAN'S CAMP. It startled Penny, the sudden announcement of their arrival, as if it were important somehow. She supposed, to the creatures of Narnia, it was.
Out of the corner of her left eye, petals began to fly. She stopped and turned to find them floating in the air, taking the vague form of a woman. Naked and free, the way nature had intended all women to be before clothes and impossible expectations were manufactured. With a smile, Penny pushed on, no longer weighed down by the water-ridden fur or the snow piled around her feet. She almost felt like dancing, pirouetting through the fields and gliding along the air.
The crowd parted as they stepped near, the Beavers leading the way with an almost nervous excitement. Penny felt it too, her grip on the dual blades hanging from her belt tightening ever so slightly. As they passed by Narnia's creatures, all stopped, stilling for a moment to catch a glimpse of their supposed saviours. Penny recognised some from the mythology books her Uncle had in the Library: Centaurs, Fauns, Dwarfs, and animals (beavers, bears, leopards, horses) all somehow imbued with the power of speech.
Some smiled, some followed, the crowd that welcomed them in now shutting off the frost-ridden world they had left behind.
"Why are they all staring at us?" Susan asked through gritted teeth that she had forced into a smile so as not to seem rude.
"Maybe they think you look funny." Lucy giggled, looking up at her sister.
Penny shrugged, glancing around the campsite. "To them, we do."
Mr Beaver ran a hand down his wife's back, "Oh, stop your fussing, Mrs Beaver. You look lovely."
The crowd thinned once again, funnelling them toward the largest tent on the site, raised up a little higher than the rest on the mossy stone. A large man with the body of a horse waited outside, eyeing them up and down suspiciously.
Peter drew his sword, holding it up proudly, "We have come to see Aslan." He announced to the centaur with a little less confidence than he had intended.
The crowd murmured expectantly, familiar whispers reaching Penny's ears. The Lost Princess, they called her. The same as the beavers and the voices of the wind. The breeze shifted, swirling away from Penny's side and toward the tent. The curtained door blew gently, and Penny heard a low snarl from inside. Like a tidal wave, the creatures behind them lowered onto one knee, their heads bowed and eyes trained on the green grass below.
The children looked back at the tent, a bubble of apprehension ready to burst in Penny's chest. The curtain finally pushed open, a large orange paw stepping out into the warm sunlight. The body of a magnificent lion followed, his mane fluttering in the gentle breeze. The first thing Penny noticed was his eyes, old and kind in a way that reminded her greatly of her Uncle Diggory.
The girls followed Peter's lead, bowing their heads and falling to their knees in respect.
"Welcome Peter, Adam's son, Welcome Susan and Lucy, daughters-of-Eve. Welcome Penelope, our lost Princess. And welcome to you, Beavers. You have my thanks." Aslan's deep voice rang through the camp. "But where is the fourth?"
The children rose to their feet.
"That's why we're here, sir," Peter stated. "We need your help."
Susan chimed in. "We had a little trouble along the way."
"He's been captured... by the White Witch," Penny spoke reluctantly.
"Captured?" Aslan repeated. "How could this happen?"
"He betrayed them, Your Majesty." Mr Beaver told.
"Then he has betrayed us all!" The centaur stood beside Aslan spat.
"Peace, Oreius," Aslan commanded, settling the crowd before they could grow restless. "I'm sure there's an explanation."
Peter looked down, disappointed in himself. "It's my fault, really. I was too hard on him."
Susan laid her hand on his shoulder before looking back at Aslan. "We all were," she admitted, taking her share of the blame.
"Sir, he's our brother." Lucy's words sounded like a plea.
"I know, dear one." His voice softened as he addressed the youngest child. "But that only makes the betrayal all the worse." He shifted his piercing gaze to Peter. "This may be harder than you think."
THE GENTLE WIND TICKLED THE EDGES OF PETER'S HAIR AS HE STOOD ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE HILL AND LOOKED OUT OVER NARNIA. Through the valley of rolling hills, a structure glistened in the winter sun. It sat on a cliffside, surrounded by ocean and sand. A peninsula, he had learned in geography class, back when they were still allowed to attend school without the fear of an air raid siren blaring and the Germans dropping bombs.
As he stared out over the campsite and out toward the purple-pink sky, he realised just how much he missed it. Home.
Peter heard the crunch of the grass beneath four paws. "That is Cair Paravel, the castle of the four thrones. In one of which you will sit, Peter, as High King." Aslan peered up at him knowingly. "You doubt the prophecy?"
"No. That's just it." Peter sighed. "Aslan, I'm not what you all think I am."
"Peter Pevensie, formerly of Finchley," Aslan remarked. "Beaver also mentioned you planned on turning him into a hat." They shared a chuckle. "Peter, there is a Deep Magic, more powerful than any of us, that rules over all of Narnia. It defines right from wrong, and governs all our destinies. Yours, and mine." Aslan spoke mysteriously.
"But I couldn't even protect my own family," Peter argued.
Aslan disagreed. "You've brought them, and Penelope, safely this far."
Peter looked back out over the land. "Not all of them."
"Peter, I will do what I can to help your brother," Aslan promised. "But I need you to consider what I ask of you." He observed the various creatures milling around below them. "I, too, want my family safe."
Light footsteps coming up the hill behind them caught Peter's attention. He turned to find Penny, no longer dressed in her English clothes but instead in a long, pink linen dress with golden fabric draped down from her shoulders and a leather belt in which her dual daggers hung ready for use at any given moment. Half of her hair had been pulled into a crown-like braid, the copper strands more vibrant than they had been earlier, now interwoven through the blonde, while the rest fell down her back.
It wasn't the first time Peter had been struck by Penny's beauty, but it was the first time it had made his heart skip a beat.
Aslan tipped his head down an inch as she approached. "Penelope, I see you got my message."
Penny glanced between the boy and the lion. "What did you want to see me about?"
"It is not I who has anything to say, but you, dear Princess," Aslan spoke. "I imagine you have many questions."
Penny hesitated, "The Beavers mentioned a prophecy. It was about the lost Princess of Narnia. They said it tied into another they claimed to be about Peter and his siblings."
"As I was telling Peter, Deep Magic binds Narnia. Its past, present and future." Aslan took a step back, allowing the two halves to stand beside each other. Close but not touching. Not whole. Not yet. "What was predicted by the centaurs centuries ago through the ancient art of star-reading will come to pass. It is the way this world works."
"But what is this prophecy, Aslan? And how is everyone so certain it is about me?" She glanced at Peter. "About us?"
Aslan shook his head, "It is not as simple as just a single prophecy, Princess, but a quintet of intertwining strings threaded together to tell a tale of noble heroes and the lives they are yet to live."
"But if we are the heroes, then shouldn't we be allowed to know?" Peter questioned.
"Some, yes. But not all." Aslan acknowledged. "Peter, Penelope, not all things need to be known. Some must be lived."
"But there is a prophecy, predicting the Princesses' birth and return to Narnia." Penny insisted. "We know about the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve. I can understand how that could be the Pevensies', but I don't understand why people keep staring at me like I'm a miracle they can't believe exists."
"If you truly wish to hear the prediction of the Summer Witch then I will gladly share it, however it is a prophecy of two halves." Aslan stared deep into Penny's ocean eyes. "Are you sure you wish to hear of your fate, Penelope?"
Penny held his gaze. "I do, Aslan."
"In the frozen heart of the land where shadows creep,
Where the ice-bound whispers of death wail and weep,
A child of warmth shall rise from winter's cruel grasp,
In the bleakest of nights, she'll bring forth hope at last.
Born in the depths of the coldest despair,
With hair like the sun and a spirit laid bare,
She'll dance through the meadows where snows used to reign,
And bring forth the blossoms where sorrows remain.
The summer witch, born of fire and gold,
At almost seventeen summers, her tale will unfold.
Golden threads of fate will weave through her heart,
The love for her lost kingdom, never to part.
With the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve,
In unity strong, we shall conquer and cleave."
"You are the Summer Witch Penny. The daughter of Jadis, and you will be the one to restore the light to Narnia after these long winter nights." Aslan spoke with a certainty neither Penny nor Peter had ever heard before.
Penny stepped back. Her head and hands shook as tears welled in her eyes. "No. I cannot be. I cannot have been born from such a wicked woman. I refuse to believe it!"
She turned on her heel and started back down the hillside.
"Penny! Pen!" Peter called, rushing after her.
Halfway down the hill, Penny still wouldn't stop, no matter how many times Peter asked her to stop. She couldn't bear to hear any more about the vile enchantress Aslan had declared to be her mother. Penny didn't have a mother. She was abandoned, not saved. She was a daughter of the Earth, not of Narnia and magic and—
Penny stopped dead in her tracks.
The low blare of Susan's horn filled the air. She had left Susan and Lucy by the river.
As he passed, Peter looked like a blur. "Come on!"
Penny almost lost her footing at the force with which he grabbed her hand in his and pulled her forward. Together they sprinted through Aslan's camp, narrowly avoiding the inhabitants as they raced to the riverbank.
They skidded to a stop by the edge of the water. Two wolves circled the base of the tree that Susan and Lucy had managed to scramble up. They snarled, drool flinging out of the sides of their mouths every time they snapped at Susan's dangling legs.
"Peter!" Lucy screamed.
Peter wasted no time, running through the shallow water and drawing his sword. "Get back!"
"Peter! Watch out!" Susan yelled from above.
One of the wolves tried to pounce, but Aslan intervened, pinning the wolf down with his large paw. Penny gripped the handles of her daggers, but before she could move to help, a hand seized her shoulder. She looked up to find Oreius staring straight ahead at the battle unfolding before them.
"You must stay back," Aslan warned. "This is Peter's battle."
All Penny could do was watch as Peter held his sword out steady in front of him.
"Come on," Maugrim growled. "We've already been through this before. We both know you haven't got it in you."
Peter didn't falter.
"You may think you're a king, but you're going to die like a dog." Maugrim pounced.
A strangled cry left Penny's lips as blood spilt out onto the grass below the wolf and the boy. No longer caring for Aslan's words, Penny lurched forward. She hardly felt the cold water hitting her legs, only one word whirling around her mind—Peter.
Susan and Lucy dropped down from the tree, reaching him in tandem with Penny. Penny's eyes checked Peter for bitemarks as she helped Susan roll Maugrim's corpse away from his motionless body. Peter gasped, taking large gulps of air as his eyes settled on the frightened faces of the three girls beside him.
His arms wrapped around his sisters as they threw themselves onto him and buried their faces into his neck. He caught Penny's eye from over their shoulders, and they shared a look of fear, relief and longing.
Aslan released the other wolf from beneath his paw. "After him." He commanded Oreius and his troops. "He'll lead you to Edmund."
The Pevensies watched them run into the woods, a flicker of hope burning inside at the thought of getting Edmund back.
"Peter." Aslan caught their attention. "Clean your sword."
Once the blade was wiped clean of the wolf's blood, Aslan commanded Peter to kneel before him. He placed his paw on Peter's shoulder, "Rise, Sir Peter Wolfsbane, Knight of Narnia."
Peter looked at the girls in shock, but a smile quickly spread across his face. The sunlight behind him turned his hair into a golden halo, and his eyes shone bright with pride. It felt strange, Penny thought. The tugging sensation inside of her, like a red ribbon of fate tied them together in ways beyond compression or understanding.
Years later, when reflecting on their long-awaited romance to their loyal subjects, Penny would cite it as the moment she fell in love with Peter Pevensie.
𝗜𝗡 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗛❟ penelope lovelace discovers an impossibly familiar world at the back of a wardrobe
last updated: may 19th 2026
cast | graphics | spotify playlist | wattpad link
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊ main masterlist | taglist ⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
ACT ONE—WINTER DAYS:
WINTER is the COLDEST and DARKEST season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs AFTER AUTUMN and BEFORE SPRING. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons ; WINTER occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the sun. WINTERTIME also marks the END of one cycle and the BEGINNING of another, like the year ending and the new year starting.
In Narnia, WINTER occurs all-year round... but it didn't always.
000—prologue | prophecies of olde
001—penelope
002—hide-and-seek
003—a dream is a wish
004—a land called narnia
005—strange talking creatures
006—a man in a red coat
007—the prophecy
008—a traitor no more
009—the battle of beruna
010—the summer princess
ACT TWO—SPRING AWAKENING:
SPRING is one of the four temperate seasons, SUCCEEDING WINTER and PRECEDING SUMMER ; it is a result of the warmth caused by the changing orientation of the Earth's axis relative to the sun. Many flowering plants bloom at this time of year, sometimes beginning when snow is still on the ground and continuing into early summer. SPRINGTIME is also associated with ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth.
In Narnia, SPRING is said to have come after the SUMMER WITCH danced in the meadows of BERUNA following a long and bloody battle in Aslan's name.
001—sweet like cherries
002—your heart was glass, i dropped it
003—for you, i would ruin myself
004—the witch and the king
005—the beginning of the end
006—my sun, my moon, my stars
007—heavy is the head
008—the white stag
009—a merry little christmas
ACT THREE—SUMMER NIGHTS:
SUMMER is the HOTTEST and BRIGHTEST of the four temperate seasons, occurring AFTER SPRING and BEFORE AUTUMN. It is the WARMEST season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August and in the southern hemisphere from December to February. SUMMERTIME can also be symbolic of growth, innocence, and new beginnings.
In Narnia, SUMMER is associated with the High Queen of olde, Penelope Lovelace-Pevensie, previously known as the SUMMER WITCH or the SUMMER PRINCESS.
001—summer lovin’
002—a chest of memories
003—the lay of the land
004—by the firelight
005—aslan’s how
006—the failed mission
007—a healing wound
008—acceptance and regrets
009—the final battle
010—everything good…
ACT FOUR—AUTUMN FALLS:
AUTUMN, also known as fall, is one of the four temperate seasons and outside the tropics, it marks the transition FROM SUMMER TO WINTER. One of AUTUMN'S main features is the striking change in colour of the leaves of deciduous trees as they prepare to shed. AUTUMN is considered a season of TRANSITION, often representing change and letting go ; it's a time of harvest, reflection, and a natural cycle of life and death.
In Narnia, AUTUMN is celebrated as the union of THE SUMMER WITCH and THE MAGNIFICENT KING, even thousands of years after their departure.
TV Appreciation Week '25 Day 5 : favorite season of tv | ONCE UPON A TIME SEASON 1
What do you think stories are for? These stories, the classics... there's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world - a world that doesn't always make sense.
Summary: despite gracie's resistance, rosie is determined to get her to join them at hsm rehearsals, but with the disastrous start to the read-through, rosie is beginning to question how much drama is too much...
Word Count: 5.7k
Content/Warnings: none
Show: hsmtmts | season one, episode two | the read-through
Gif Credits: banner made by me in 2024 so unfortunately i can't remember where i got the gifs/pics from other than generally on google/pinterest/tumblr/etc..
Author’s Note: chapter two is finally edited and ready to be read! please remember to like / comment / reblog it really means a lot! - auri
gold rush masterlist | prev | next
CHAPTER TWO—THE START OF SOMETHING NEW
[ SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH | SEPT. 2019 ]
"GRACIE, WAIT UP!" Rosie yelled through the crowded hallways.
Gracie sighed but slowed to a stop. She already knew what her sister was going to say. Rosie finally reached her, puffing a little from chasing Gracie from her last class.
"You need... to come... to the fittings." Rosie huffed through her heavy breaths.
"I really don't." Gracie dismissed her sister's concern. "Tonya said she'd take care of it."
"Tonya doesn't have your vision, Gracie." Rosie adjusted the straps of her backpack, hoping they would stop digging uncomfortably into her shoulders. "And avoiding something you love because of a boy is silly."
"Silly? Rosie, I have liked him for years, and now he's dating one of the little sister's best friends?" Gracie felt a twist of bitterness deep in her gut, "I have a right to feel upset."
"I'm not saying you don't, but fashion is your thing, even more than cheerleading is." Rosie reasoned. "Just come to the read-through with me. I'm sure Seb wants you there too."
Gracie sighed, "I don't know, it's just...I think I need a little distance right now. From E.J. and Nini. I can't see them acting like a couple yet, all last night I was just replaying them standing in the cafeteria and it--"
"Hurt?" Rosie guessed.
"That's one way of putting it." Grace unzipped her bag and tugged out her brand new sketchbook. The front was decorated with High School Musical stickers and had the words 'HSM: TM COSTUME DESIGNS' in big block letters. She handed it over to Rosie. "Could you maybe give this to Miss Jenn. I started working on it last night when I couldn't sleep. I want to get her opinion."
"You could give it to her yourself if you came with me." Rosie smiled as sweetly as she could at her sister. When it didn't work, her smile dropped. "Fine. I'll make sure she gets it, and that she knows whose work it is. But, wait, are there any costumes in HSM? I mean, it's just 2006 fashion."
"HSM is a 2006 period piece." Gracie corrected. "And who says we have to stick exactly with the outfits from the movie? Really, the most iconic fashion-related thing is Gabriella's red dress at the end of the movie."
"If you say so." Rosie knew her sister was never wrong when it came to fashion. It was, like, her superpower. "Are you sticking around or should Seb and I call the Sammy Taxicab Service?"
"No, I'll stick around, maybe we could get some ice cream once you're done?" She offered.
"I can ask Ricky and Big Red if they want to join, and speaking of which, I need to go." Rosie pointed down the hall to where the two boys were not so sneakily spying on them.
Gracie laughed at how obvious they were, "Text me when you're ready to leave."
"Will do."
Rosie turned and walked down the hallway towards the boys, who tried to pretend they weren't just eavesdropping.
"Oh, hey, Rosie. Didn't see you there." Ricky said unconvincingly.
"Yes, you did, and..." Rosie wrinkled her nose up at the smell surrounding the boys, "What is that?"
"What's what?" Big Red asked.
"That smell." Rosie elaborated.
Big Red glanced at Ricky. "I don't smell anything."
Ricky shook his head, "No, me neither. No smells here."
Rosie got closer to Ricky. "Is it you?" She sniffed the air around him in disgust. "Why do you smell like you fell into a bucket of cologne?"
"Alright, yes, it's me." Ricky shooed her away and pulled out the bottle of THROB from his backpack.
"THROB?" She deadpanned.
Ricky brushed her off. "It works okay. That's all that matters."
"If you say so, Ricky." She handed him back the bottle and began the walk to the rehearsal room. "So, are you guys excited for your first foray into theatre?"
"Excited might not be the right word." Big Red looked nervous.
"You guys might not be into it now, but trust me, by the end of this production, you will have a newfound love and appreciation for the arts." Rosie was sure of it.
"If you say so, Rosie," Ricky repeated her words from a few seconds ago.
They turned into the bomb shelter, and Rosie split from them, making her way to Ashlyn.
"Your seat's here," Ashlyn told her, pointing to the seat between herself and Seb.
Rosie smiled at the girl, but her eyes quickly found E.J.'s figure. He was standing across from them with two place cards in his hand — Chad Danforth and Troy Bolton — trying to switch them. E.J. looked back at his cousin, his gaze darting to Rosie, only now realising she was there. The two girls gave him a look, one that said 'you should know better' and 'put them back how you found them'. It reminded him of a mother scolding their child.
E.J. relented and moved the placecards back. A small amount of embarrassment crossed his face at not only his cousin seeing his wrongdoings, but Rosie too.
"Could everyone take their assigned seats?" Miss Jenn asked.
Rosie pulled out her script and highlighters, passing one to Ricky as he and Big Red walked by.
"Yoo-hoo, ginger boy." Rosie looked up to find Miss Jenn talking to Big Red. "Can you read?"
Rosie could see his face pale from where she was sitting. "Uh...Not really." He replied.
"Well, you're reading now. Just the stage directions." Miss Jenn forced a script into his hands. "Thank you. Excuse me."
Big Red took a hesitant seat between E.J. and Miss Jenn. Rosie gave him a toothy grin and an encouraging thumbs-up before catching Ricky's eye. This is going to be a long rehearsal.
"Don't forget to silence your phones!" Miss Jenn reminded them, "I realise that you all walked in here as strangers."
Seb and Rosie looked at each other with furrowed brows. She did know they were siblings, right?
"Actually, E.J.'s my cousin!" Ashlyn corrected her.
Miss Jenn looked at Ashlyn blankly, "But after today, you're a family." She continued. "One tribe, committed to lifting this classic film to new heights."
The sound of a phone camera taking a photo interrupted Miss Jenn's speech. Carlos looked at her sheepishly and set his phone back down on his desk.
"Please take your neighbour's hands." Rosie quickly took Ashlyn and Seb's hands. "Hand," Miss Jenn directed Big Red. "Hand," she told Nini, who slowly lowered her hand into Ricky's. "Hands." Rosie heard Ashlyn stifle a laugh as E.J. placed his hand in Ricky's with unamused looks on their faces. "Feel each other's energy. Let the silence speak volumes. In a world full of no, this is a space full of yes."
There was a brief moment of silence.
"We're all in this together
Once we know that we are"
Rosie watched as Nini took her hand out of Ricky's.
"We're all stars, and we see that
We're all in this together"
Ricky snatched his hand out of E.J.'s, whose eyes met Rosie's once again. She gave him a small smile. He returned it.
"And it shows when we stand hand-in-hand
Make our dreams come true."
Rosie wasn't sure how to react, but when Ashlyn clapped, she joined in.
"Thanks," Miss Jenn mouthed to them.
ROSIE LOOKED UP FROM HER SCRIPT AND GRIMACED AT RICKY. The read-through with Big Red as acting stage manager was going as well as she had expected.
"Sharpay, heads for class. She hears singing. Opens the door to the biology lab. She finds Gabriella and Taylor washing their hands. They turn to find there are no paper towels in the dispenser. They—"
"Stop." Miss Jenn interrupted. "Don't run it all together. Read the punctuation."
Wrong choice of words, Rosie thought to herself.
"Sharpay, comma heads for class period..." Another painstakingly slow thirty minutes passed before they were finally at the end of Act One. "...And they are hearing the songs in their heads, period."
Miss Jenn slammed her director's script shut. "And that's Act One. Let's take a break."
Rosie got out of her seat and waited for Ricky and Big Red to come over to her.
"That was, hands down, the worst experience of my life." Big Red complained. "I would take the SATs every week if I never had to do that again."
Rosie patted Big Red on the shoulder. "Come on, it wasn't that bad." The boys gave her a look. "Okay, maybe it was a little slow, but you'll get there during Act Two, I'm sure of it."
"Sometimes I wish I had your patience and optimism, Rosie," Ricky told her, pulling out his phone.
Rosie glanced down at her own screen to see a text from Gracie.
GRACIE: When are you getting out of rehearsal? Hello? U there???
ROSIE: Sorry! The read-through is taking longer than expected.
GRACIE: ?
ROSIE: Natalie Bagley is out. Big Red is reading the stage directions
GRACIE: Yikes.
ROSIE: You can head home. Seb and I will just call Sammy once we're finished with act 2.
GRACIE: You haven't even started act 2 yet???
Rosie laughed and set down her phone. She looked up to find E.J. staring angrily at Ricky—weird. Rosie sat back down beside Ashlyn and sent Sammy the usual 'please can you pick us up from rehearsal?' text he got almost every week during the fall and spring.
For the third time that day, E.J. found his eyes lingering on Rosie. He had no idea why, but he couldn't help himself. There was something about her that intrigued him, that drew him in, he just couldn't figure out what.
Act Two did go a little faster, but maybe that was because Miss Jenn cut Big Red off early and finished reading the stage directions herself. Rosie put her newly-marked script into her bag and pulled out Gracie's sketchbook, approaching Miss Jenn with a sheepish smile.
Rosie cleared her throat. "Miss Jenn?"
"Yes, dear?" She looked up, a frazzled look in her eye that made Rosie wonder if now was the right time to disturb her.
"Uh, my sister, Grace, she works in the costume department. Um, she didn't feel well today but asked me to pass along her designs for the costumes." Rosie held out the sketchbook for Miss Jenn to take. "She couldn't sleep last night, so she got a head start on them. She just wants your opinion."
Miss Jenn took the sketchbook out of Rosie's hand and carefully flicked through it. "These look wonderful. Please tell your sister that I will have a look at them tonight and get back to her. Do you know if she'll be at the next rehearsal?"
"Um, I'll have to ask, but if not, she'll definitely be at the next," Rosie promised. "She's just feeling a little... under the weather right now."
"Hmm. Thank you, Rosie." Miss Jenn gave her a smile and walked out of the bomb shelter.
Rosie let out a breath—thank goodness she liked them.
"Ro." Seb caught her attention. "Sam just texted me, he's outside."
Rosie grabbed her backpack from the back of her chair and waved goodbye to Ricky and Big Red. "Alright, let's go home."
ROSIE STRETCHED OFF TO THE SIDE. Today was the first day of dance rehearsals for HSM:TM (that's what Gracie had taken to calling it in their group chat with Seb). Rosie wasn't expecting to dance today, but she wanted to be prepared. She, Seb, and Carlos had a separate rehearsal scheduled for Bop To The Top the next day at lunchtime, and Rosie was a little nervous. What if Carlos decides she was too bad a dancer to play Ryan?
"I'm kinda lost," Ricky admitted to Carlos. "If the play's over, why would we still be dancing?"
Carlos smiled at the clueless boy, "It's a curtain call. You're the last two to come out. We want to bring the audience to their feet."
"Teach them the dance," Ricky said sarcastically.
"Carlos? Can we just wait until Miss Jenn gets here?" Nini asked.
Rosie walked over to Big Red, watching the exchange between Ricky and Nini. She had a feeling this rehearsal was not going to end well.
"Miss Jenn is busy tracking down a prop," Carlos answered, a little frustrated with their questions. "She's asked me to create a crescendo, people, so let's stop swirling and start twirling."
As Rosie laughed at Carlos's word-play, E.J. looked over at her. He found his eyes being drawn to her more and more as rehearsals continued, a distraction he figured. To keep him from hitting Ricky for stealing his role in the play and for actively trying to steal his girl.
Ricky was still confused. "But why are we practising the bows when we haven't even practised the play?"
Big Red turned to Rosie, clearly just as confused as Ricky. She opened her mouth to explain, but Carlos beat her to it.
"Because you start with the hardest dance that takes the longest to learn. It's in The Big Book of Broadway. Page 374." The new girl, Gina, finished Carlos' sentence with him, prompting him to hold his hand up for her to high-five.
E.J. leaned over, "Hey, did you not tell either of them anything about musicals?" His tone was playful enough for Rosie to pick up on it.
"Whenever I've tried to talk about musicals in the past, the two of them usually tune me out." Rosie returned his banter.
E.J. laughed at her answer and turned back to the front. Big Red gave her a look, but Rosie just shrugged. Just because Ricky had declared E.J. his mortal enemy didn't mean Rosie also had to be rude to him.
"Okay, people. Let's take it from three counts of eight, right before Troy and Gabriella's entrance for the bows." Carlos directed.
Ricky, Nini and the rest of the dancers got into position. Seb gave Carlos a nod from the piano, and Carlos counted him in.
"A five, six, seven, eight."
Seb began the music whilst the others danced. It was all going well until the time came for Ricky and Nini's entrance, and to say Ricky was less than coordinated on the dance floor would be an understatement. Rosie cringed a little and looked away. The little time she had with Ricky to try to prep him had clearly not worked.
"I can't do this," Ricky stopped dancing. "I'm sorry."
"What is he doing?" Nini asked Carlos.
Ricky's eyebrows pinched together. "Why are you talking to him? I'm right here."
"'Cause you're not here. At least, not for the right reasons." Nini said.
Ricky scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"What I said, Ricky. You have musicals. You're only doing this so we'd be in each other's grills." Nini walked away from the rest of the dancers to grab her water bottle.
"Back to the dance, please!" Carlos tried to keep them (and rehearsal) on course.
"Now you're rubbing some weird cologne on your neck?" Nini continued.
"Hey, you love THROB!" Ricky interrupted her rant.
"And wasting everybody's time by making fun of something that the rest of us take seriously!" Nini finished, her voice rising above the quiet mumbling of the room.
"Okay, that's a five! On a break, people! Everybody out! Get out!" Carlos waved everybody out of the room.
"No, come on. Hey, I take this seriously." Ricky reasoned.
Nini shook her head stubbornly. "No, no, you don't! You don't take anything seriously..."
Rosie grabbed her backpack and followed everybody out of the room. As they all went their separate ways, Rosie lingered in the hallway outside, waiting for Ricky to come out. E.J. had also stuck around, standing by the door to try to hear the rest of Ricky and Nini's conversation.
"You know it's rude to eavesdrop, right?" Rosie's soft voice sounded loud in the mostly empty hallway.
E.J. gave her a tight smile, "I'm not eavesdropping."
Rosie stared at him, unconvinced. "Yes, you are."
E.J. dropped his head, "I just want to make sure Nini's okay. Doing a show with her ex wasn't how either of us thought this year was gonna go."
"You thought you would play Troy, I'm guessing."
E.J. didn't answer.
"E.J., you're really talented. And I know getting cast as Chad was a shock, but Ricky didn't expect to be cast in the musical, like, at all." Rosie thought back to the obvious shock on Ricky's face when he saw the cast list for the first time. "We were all just as shocked as you and Nini when he got Troy."
"Rosie, whatever you're gonna say about Ricky being a great guy or whatever, I really don't wanna hear it. Nini's right, he's only doing this to try and get her back." E.J. challenged her. "I know you know that."
E.J. was right, and Rosie felt horrible about it. She didn't exactly agree with Ricky's reasons for doing the musical. Nini moved on; she got a new boyfriend. He shouldn't be trying to come between them and break them up so that he could get back with Nini. She tried telling him that, of course, but he ignored her.
Rosie sighed. "I'm not defending him, I just...maybe you not getting Troy was a sign."
"A sign?" E.J. repeated.
"Yeah, from..." she pointed upwards. "Maybe you don't have to be the centre of attention all the time. Maybe being in the background for a minute is what you need to humble you a bit."
E.J. laughed at this, "You think I need humbling?"
"I think that you are very popular and co-captain of the water polo team. You're senior class treasurer, and you've been a part of the past, what, six productions at East High? Maybe letting someone else be in the spotlight isn't such a bad thing." Rosie shrugged. "Does it totally suck that it's your girlfriend's ex? Sure, but it's how you handle the situation that's telling. My dad always tells me that all of life's obstacles are tests from God to teach us a lesson and help us grow. Maybe this is your lesson." She offered.
E.J. didn't say anything. He just stared at the girl he had only started paying attention to two days ago. Her words reminded him of what Ash had told him the day before—maybe it'll be good for you to not get what you want for once—maybe it was because Ashlyn was his cousin that he ignored her words (even when she had his best interests at heart), but he couldn't ignore Rosie's.
Miss Jenn walked by them with a smile on her face, just as Ricky stormed out of the room.
Rosie's eyes could barely focus on the boy as he jogged past. "Ricky?"
He didn't wait for her, continuing down the hall with his head dipped low.
"Ricky?" She called after him, "Sorry, I have to go." Rosie barely got the words out before she chased her friend down the hall. Big Red met up with them quickly, both of them following Ricky out of the school's doors.
"Dude, what did she say? Why are we leaving?" Big Red asked Ricky.
"'Cause Operation Troy was a huge mistake. It just made things worse." Ricky glanced at Rosie. "You can say 'I told you so', now Rosie."
Rosie frowned at the boy, "You know I never would."
"There you are!" Carlos yelled as he ran towards them. "Miss Jenn wants everyone back in the room."
"Tell Miss Jenn I'm done. Okay? Sorry, I can't dance like Fred Rogers." Ricky apologised, but his tone lacked any real sympathy.
"It's Fred Astaire." Carlos corrected. "Fred Rogers is Mister Rogers. He never danced, he puppet-trained puppets."
Rosie scrunched her nose up.
"Seriously? Wow, I was impressed they made dolls that could cry." Big Red laughed.
"Ricky, please, you have to..." Carlos practically pleaded with the boy.
"Nini's right! I'm taking up space." Ricky interrupted him. "I don't belong on stage."
Rosie's frown deepened. "Did Nini say that to you?"
"So untrue, you..."
"Save it, Carlos. You don't want me in this. If I go back, Nini will probably quit. And you need her a lot more than you need me." Ricky's words were final.
"Ricky..." Rosie tried.
"Go back to rehearsals with Carlos, Ro. I know how much this musical means to you."
Rosie wrapped her arms around Ricky's neck and pulled him in for a hug. "You don't take up space, Ricky." He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tight. He didn't know much, but if there was one thing that he did know, it was that Rosie was the best friend anyone could ask for.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The door opened, and Rosie smiled softly at Ricky. "Hey."
"Hey, Ro. What are you doing here?" He opened the door wider and stepped aside so she could come inside.
"I wanted to see how you were." She shook off her coat and waved to Sammy as he drove away. "Rehearsal was a little..."
"Rough?" He laughed.
Rosie scrunched her nose. "Along those lines, yeah."
They sat down together on the coach. Rosie had always loved Ricky's house, she thought it was inviting and warm. It reminded her of Ricky in that way.
"I was actually gonna call you," Ricky told her. "Can you teach me the curtain call dance? And also, like, every dance I have in the show?"
Rosie looked at him, shocked. "Really? Why the change of heart?"
"After rehearsal, I went to the skate rink, and Gina was there, weirdly, and she kinda gave me some advice. If I quit on this, then Nini's only ever gonna see me as a quitter. I need to prove to her that I can see something through." Ricky explained. "And also for you. I know how much it means to you that me and Big Red are a part of this."
"Ricky, you don't have to do anything for anyone else. You need to do this musical for you. Not Nini, not me, you. So, are you a Wildcat, are you a skate rat, or are you both?" Rosie asked him.
"I think I wanna be both." Ricky decided.
She slapped her hands together with a sense of urgency. "Then up on your feet. You have a dance to learn."
"Thanks." He smiled at her. "Do you think you could stay over tonight? I don't think this is gonna be easy for me to get."
"I'll call my mom, you load up High School Musical on the TV. We'll start with We're All In This Together, so just fast-forward it to the end." She ordered.
Ricky clicked his fingers at her, "Gotcha."
Rosie stepped into the kitchen and pressed her mom's contact. She watched Ricky fumble around with the DVD player while she listened to the line ring. Once, twice, three times, until her mom finally answered.
"Hello?" Her mom's voice was broken up and sounded strangely distant, but she supposed that was just the reception at the farm.
"Hey, Mom."
"Oh, Rosie. Gosh, I didn't even realise it was you calling." Alice let out a frustrated sigh. "Summer and Esme have decided to play hide-and-seek, and Gracie and I have been looking for them for the past ten minutes."
"Oh, um, check the laundry baskets," Rosie suggested. "I showed the triplets that hiding place once, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had shown Summer and Esme."
"Okay." Alice's voice grew quieter again. "Grace, did you hear that?"
Rosie heard Gracie's voice in the background. "On it, Mom!"
"So, why are you calling?" Her mom asked.
"I was wondering if I could spend the night at Ricky's?" She crossed her fingers. "We had a difficult dance rehearsal today, and he wants to go over the steps, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna take us all night. He's never been the best dancer."
Alice paused. "Are his parents there?"
"His dad's upstairs." Rosie lowered her voice so Ricky wouldn't hear her. "I think his mom's still in Chicago for work."
"Still?" Her mom's tone shifted, overwhelming sympathy and quiet judgement seeping in. "Hasn't it been over a month now?"
Rosie took a deep breath, "Yeah."
"Well, honey, if his dad is there and all you're gonna be doing is learning a dance, then, yes, you can stay over there. Just make sure you get some rest for school."
Rosie laughed, "I will. Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, honey. I'll send Gracie to pick you up tomorrow with a change of clothes."
"Okay, bye." Rosie trilled.
"Bye, sweetie."
A few hours later, Rosie and Ricky were still learning the dance for We're All In This Together. They had taken a short break to work on the curtain call dance Carlos had choreographed, but once Ricky had gotten the hang of it, they switched back to the movie.
"We're all in this together. Once we know that we are. We're all stars, and we see that. We're all in this together." Ricky mumble-sung the words under his breath as he performed the dance.
Rosie sat on the coach behind him, resting her legs after nearly three hours of practising. "Then it's the star hands, yeah, like that." She directed him.
"Ricky, Rosie, it's midnight." Rosie looked up at the stairs to find Mr Bowen in his pyjamas. "I thought you had a test tomorrow."
Ricky nodded to the TV screen, "I do."
Mr Bowen raised an eyebrow, "This is for a test?"
"Most important one of my life," Ricky said.
Rosie stood up from the couch, narrowly avoiding Ricky's raised arms.
"Everybody now." Ricky sang again, "Hey, Dad, if you can't sleep, you can hang out here. With us." He offered.
"Yeah, you should join in, Mr Bowen, it's actually a very easy dance once you get the hang of it," Rosie added.
"Easy?" Ricky laughed.
"Well, maybe not for everyone." She shrugged.
"Hey!" He slapped her on the arm. "Come on, Dad. Yeah."
Mr Bowen slowly sat on the coach behind them, "Well, this is definitely a new one for you."
"Let's do this right. Hey, it's your turn."
"Ooh!" Rosie took Ricky's place and started singing along with Lucas Grabeel on the screen. "We're all here and speaking out with one voice—"
THE NEXT DAY, Rosie and Ricky stood in the library trying to get Carlos' attention. Ricky threw a small bead he found earlier in Carlos's direction, but it didn't work.
He turned to Rosie, "Give me one of your earrings."
"What?" Rosie brought her hand up to protect her dangly feather earring.
He made a grabbing motion. "Just do it."
Rosie sighed but pulled out one of her earrings. "I want this back."
Ricky waved her off and lined up the shot. He threw the earring onto the desk in front of Carlos. Carlos looked at them, confused, before slowly taking out his earphones and making his way to the back of the library.
"If you plan on assaulting me, I have to warn you, my mother plays Bunko with the librarian, and we will press charges." Carlos threatened.
Ricky put his hands up.
"Ha-has that happened to you before?" Rosie stuttered.
"No." Carlos lied. "Just a general warning."
Ricky chuckled, "I wanna show you something, okay? Check it out." Ricky started to do the curtain call dance from the day before.
"Wow. You've been practising." Carlos said. "I thought you quit?"
Ricky shook his head, "Not doin' that anymore. Still not sure on this last part."
Carlos was impressed. "You remembered all of those steps?"
"Not really, Rosie taught me it." He motioned to the girl standing off to the side.
"It took us all night, but we got there." She smiled. "Oh, I also taught him We're All In This Together. I overheard you telling Miss Jenn you might wanna switch up the choreo, so I made sure he at least knew the basics."
"Oh, and..." Ricky moonwalked in a circle and pointed at Carlos. "The Zac Efron-Breaking Free spin."
"Is it all right? I couldn't remember everything." Rosie asked Carlos.
"Almost," Carlos said and turned to Ricky. "At the end, you're doing spirit fingers. I want jazz hands."
"Jazz hands. Okay." Ricky said.
"Here. Try it again." Carlos encouraged him. "Rosie, can you stand in for Nini for the last part?" Carlos counted them in. "Five, six, seven, eight." Ricky performed the dance again, this time with Rosie. Carlos smiled at them both, "Ricky, that's it."
"Yay!" Rosie threw her arms around the boy.
Ricky picked her up and spun them in a circle. "I couldn't have done this without you, seriously."
"It's no big deal." Rosie blew her hair out of her face and pulled her buzzing phone from her jacket pocket. "I need to go, I said I'd meet Gracie before rehearsals,"
"Oh, Miss Jenn has a special announcement, and she also wants to talk with Grace about the costume designs," Carlos called after her.
Rosie bit her lip, a bit of dry skin peeling away, leaving behind a burning sensation. "Good news or the other kind?"
"Good. She loved them." Carlos smiled excitedly.
"Thank goodness." Rosie giggled. "I'll make sure Gracie shows up, I promise."
Rosie dashed through the bustling hallways, her footsteps echoing against the lockers as she narrowly avoided crashing into several students. She skidded to a stop, almost bumping into Seb, who stood waiting beside Gracie.
"Wow, Ro. Where's the fire?" Gracie laughed at the girl's enthusiasm.
Rosie stopped to catch her breath. She was never doing that again. "You need to come to rehearsals. Miss Jenn has this big announcement, and she wants to talk to you about your designs."
"Big announcement?" Seb asked.
"I'm not sure, that's just what Carlos said." Rosie turned to Gracie. "He also said that Miss Jenn loved Gracie's designs."
Gracie's smile widened. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah. You see now why you need to come?" Rosie teased. "Look, I know the whole Nini and E.J. thing is still fresh, but if Seb can make it through rehearsals after his breakup with Natalie, then you can put on a brave face and enjoy something you love."
Grace sighed but nodded her head, "Fine. You've convinced me."
Rosie jumped before wrapping her arms around her sister, who chuckled and opened her arms a little wider for Seb to join in. Once the siblings disentangled themselves, they made their way to the bomb shelter, where Miss Jenn beckoned them in.
"Miss Jenn, this is my sister Gracie." Rosie introduced them.
"The fashion designer." Miss Jenn realised.
Grace had a shy smile on her face, "Uh, yeah."
Rosie left Miss Jenn to their conversation, spotting Gina in the corner of the room. Rosie approached the girl, "Uh, hi. Gina, right?"
"Yeah." The girl gave her a cautious smile.
"I'm Rosie, I'm playing Ryan. I just wanted to say thank you." Gina looked confused. "For encouraging Ricky." She clarified. "He was really close to quitting the show, and whatever you said to him last night really helped."
"Oh, that." Gina slowly nodded. "Yeah, it was no big deal. Him being here gives us street cred us theatre kids could only dream of, you know. It would be a shame for a little bit of drama to get in the way of that."
"I completely agree." Rosie nodded and wrung her fingers together as she shifted awkwardly. "Um, you know if you ever want someone to hang out with after rehearsals or during lunch or whatever, I'd be happy to be your friend. I know it can be hard transferring schools."
Shock flashed in Gina's eyes. "You've transferred?"
"I was homeschooled for a little while," Rosie explained. "There was a really mean group of girls in middle school who decided to make my life really difficult. My parents took me out for a while until high school." Rosie shrugged. "Obviously, I kept some friends from that time, but most of them joined clubs and moved on without me."
Gina grabbed a pen and a notebook from her backpack. She ripped off a corner of the front page and wrote something down, "This is my number. It would be nice to have someone to talk about the show and school with."
"I'll text you later so you have my number too." Out of the corner of her eye, Rosie caught Ashlyn rushing into the bomb shelter. "I could also pass it along to Ashlyn if you want. She's been wanting to approach you, but I think your audition left us all a little intimidated."
Gina laughed, "Ashlyn. She's playing Ms Darus, right?"
"Mmh-hmm." Rosie hummed.
Gina thought about it, "Okay, sure."
"Kids, can you gather round?" Miss Jenn's voice interrupted.
Rosie walked over to Gracie. "How did it go?"
"She wants Tonya and I to be the student co-heads of the costume department."
The girls squealed together.
"Here it is, people." Miss Jenn said, holding up a 2000s-style phone.
"Is that a garage-door opener?" Seb asked.
"No, Seb." Miss Jenn replied. "This is Gabriella's phone... from the film."
Rosie gasped. No way! Rosie looked down at Ricky to see the blank look on his face. "Hey, you okay?"
His eyes darted to Nini. "What? Yeah, no, yeah, I'm fine."
"I plan on creating a time-capsule display in our lobby." Miss Jenn revealed. "If they can have forty sports-ball trophies, we deserve a little movie museum. Okay, people, enough dazzle. Fetch your scripts, please."
Nini walked closer to Miss Jenn. "Is that really her phone?"
Miss Jenn carefully handed it over to her, "Hold it to your ear like a seashell. You'll hear echoes of V-Hudge crushing the B-flat on When There Was Me and You. Or you can let me disinfect it first."
"Yeah," Nini whispered and handed it back.
Rosie looked past Nini and saw E.J. mouth 'thank you' to Ashlyn, who just stared at him, confused.
Summary: it's the first day of rosie's junior year and with a new drama teacher shaking up the theatre department, rosie is more excited than ever to audition (even with all the drama it's sure to bring...)
Word Count: 8.1k
Content/Warnings: none
Show: hsmtmts | season one, episode one | the auditions
Gif Credits: banner made by me in 2024 so unfortunately i can't remember where i got the gifs/pics from other than generally on google/pinterest/tumblr/etc..
Author’s Note: so this took like two months to edit... for clarity i originally started writing this fic in 2024 (on wattpad only) but took it down 'cause it didn't think it was very good. now in 2026 i've re-vamped it and think it's a lot better now. i hope you enjoy rosie and gracie (+ the rest of the matthew-smith family) as much as i do!
please remember to like / comment / reblog if you're excited for this fic to continue! - auri
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CHAPTER ONE—THE GIRL I'VE ALWAYS BEEN
[ SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH | SEPT. 2019 ]
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Rosie's hand poked out of her warm duvet and slammed repeatedly over the blaring alarm clock beside her head.
"Rise and shine, sleepy head." Her sister's cheerful voice pulled her even further from her sweet dreams. "It's the first day of your junior year, remember."
Rosie yawned and spread her arms out behind her head, "I remember, Gracie."
"Good. Mom and Dad want us downstairs for breakfast in thirty minutes. I suggest a shower, quick blow-dry, and a little bit of makeup." Gracie pulled open the closet doors, squinting her eyes at Rosie's clothes. "I'll have your outfit waiting for you when you get back. I can't have my sister look anything less than amazing on our first day back."
Rosie laughed, "Are you picking out Seb's too?"
"Already did." Gracie smiled.
Rosie pulled herself out of bed and dragged herself into the bathroom. There was a tube of toothpaste, half empty, on the counter; the rest was splattered all over the sink in a blue, gooey mess. Rosie rolled her eyes, Sawyer. She cursed her younger brother in her head. She loved him more than anything, but gosh, was that boy a mess.
A fist pounded on the other side of the door. "Is anyone in there?"
"Me, Sammy," Rosie yelled back.
"Are you nearly done? Mom's trying to give Summer a bath before her first day of Kindergarten, and it is not going well."
Rosie opened the door, "How long will you be? I still need to shower."
"Five minutes tops."
She let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. But only five minutes, I mean it."
Sammy held out his pinky finger, "Promise."
Rosie looped her finger around his and stepped aside. The draft from the door blew a few strands of her curly blonde hair into her face. She blew them back, only for them to fall back into the same place. The door across the hall from her opened, and Seb walked out dressed in dark blue jeans paired with a blue and pink checkered shirt and a red sleeveless jacket on top for 'added style'. At least, that's what Gracie would call it.
Rosie smiled at him lazily. "Morning, Sebby."
"Good morning, Rosie." Seb adjusted his tortoiseshell glasses. "Are you excited for school?"
"So excited," Rosie replied genuinely. "Gracie heard from Tonya, who heard from someone else who over-heard one of the faculty members talking about a new drama teacher starting at East High."
"Ooh! Do they know what musical we're doing?"
"No." Rosie frowned, "But I think it's gonna be good.
Seb gasped, "Maybe they'll even be a brother-sister duo for us to play."
Rosie laughed. "That's the dream. Ryan and Sharpay vibes, just the other way around."
Seb laughed as the bathroom door re-opened.
"Less than five," Sammy held up his hand.
"Did you wash that?" Rosie asked.
Sammy looked at his hand and quirked an eyebrow. "You want me to be fast, or you want to be clean?"
"Ew." Seb and Rosie said together.
Sammy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, go shower. I'm driving you today, and I am not dealing with Gracie's stress all the way there alone."
"See you at breakfast," Rosie called to her brothers before shutting the door behind her once again.
A quick shower, blow dry, and brush later, Rosie's hair was finally presentable for the first day of school. As much as she was excited about the musical, she was also excited to see Ricky and Big Red again. They hadn't spent much time together during the summer;Rosie's mom had injured her back, and all the kids had to pitch in extra to help around the farm. The only times she saw the boys were when they met up at Slices or the skate park. Ricky was still trying (and failing) to teach Rosie how to skateboard. Rosie wasn't particularly interested in learning how to ride, but it helped take Ricky's mind off his 'pause' with Nini.
Rosie slipped on the outfit Gracie had laid out on her bed. It was simple and low-key: just a colourful graphic tee and jeans with lace cuffs and embroidered pockets that Gracie had stitched to get some practice over the summer. It was the exact opposite of her sister's coquette-farmgirl fusion aesthetic, but it was what she liked.
Gracie walked into their shared room, "Mom's dishing out breakfast. She made first-day waffles!"
"With choc chips and fresh fruit?" Rosie asked.
"You know it."
Rosie scooped up her backpack and linked her arm through Gracie's. They made their way down the stairs of the farmhouse. It was rustic and a little small for a thirteen-person family (though Serena and Cindy Lou were both off at college), but it was home. Rosie quickly took a seat at the table. As always, she was sandwiched between Lacey and Seb.
"Katy Perry is obviously better," Sawyer said with a mouth full of whipped cream.
"Sawyer, don't talk with your mouth full!" Their mom yelled from across the kitchen as she flipped another pancake onto the large serving plate.
"No, Taylor Swift is," Elise argued.
Sawyer looked across the table, "Rosie, who do you think is better, Taylor Swift or Katy Perry?"
Rosie thought for a moment, "I think they are both great artists and should not be compared."
"Agreed." Gracie chimed in. "Women are pitted against each other way too often in the industry. Plus, didn't they have their big makeup this year?"
"Burger and fries. Iconic duo," Seb added.
"I still think Katy Perry's music is better," Sawyer shrugged.
"Then that is your opinion. Elise can have her own." Rosie countered.
"Thank you!" Lacey exclaimed. "I have been trying to tell them that for the past thirty minutes."
"Alright, kids. Breakfast is served." Their mom placed the platter of chocolate chip pancakes in the middle of the table. "One at a time, I do not want to deal with cleaning up another food fight today."
Sammy leaned across the table and grabbed a few pancakes before turning to Summer. "How many pancakes do you want, Sum?"
"Ten!" Her little voice carried across the table.
"How about three?" Sammy said.
An adorable pout pulled on her lips. "Fine."
Rosie laughed before pulling out her phone to check her text messages.
RICKY: First day of junior year!
BIG RED: Ricky's excited for school? Is the world ending???
RICKY: School means I get to see Nini again.
ROSIE: You haven't seen her since she got back from theatre camp?
RICKY: Nope. But we'll be back to normal spoon. *soon
BIG RED: I don't know Ricky...
RICKY: What now?
ROSIE: Maybe you should text her? Make sure she even wants to see you after your talk.
RICKY: It wasn't like we broke up. Wr just took a break. Pause. Whatever. Everything will be chill you'll see.
BIG RED: So where are we meeting?
RICKY: By the entrance?
ROSIE: We could meet at my locker? Gracie needs help organising hers before first period.
RICKY: Cool
BIG RED: See you then!
"Rosie." Seb nudged her with his elbow.
She glanced up from the screen. "Hmm?"
He nodded towards the dwindling stack of pancakes, "Your turn."
She set her phone on the table, "Sorry, I was just texting Ricky and Big Red that I'll meet them by my locker."
"Is Ricky your boyfriend?" Sawyer teased his older sister.
"No. He's just a friend. You've met him." Rosie reminded him. "Remember that time I took you to Slices after your soccer game?"
"Oh, yeah." Sawyer took the tongs from Seb, "He was cool. I like him."
"Who was cool?" Their dad walked through the back door, knocking the mud from his shoes before stepping through into the dining room.
"Just a boy Rosie knows." Lacey laughed, enjoying the look of annoyance on Rosie's face.
"A boy?" Peter questioned.
Rosie rolled her eyes at her father's over-protectiveness. "Ricky, Dad."
"Oh, yeah, I like him. Good head on his shoulders." Peter sat down at the head of the table opposite his wife. "Honey, could you pass me the syrup?"
"Anyways, it's not Rosie you have to worry about getting a boyfriend," Sammy said.
"Yeah, Gracie, tell us more about your crush on E.J. Caswell," Elise sing-songed.
"I-I don't have that big of a crush on him." The blush spreading across her cheeks said otherwise.
"Kids, that's enough," Alice said, her tone firm.
"Sorry," Elise mumbled.
Breakfast went by in a blur of pancakes and whipped cream. Rosie took one last sip of her orange juice as Gracie yelled at her to hurry up.
"Rosie, come on! And don't forget your backpack."
"Alright, calm down." Rosie ran to the front door and bent over to slip on her red Converse. "Give me two seconds."
"Sorry, I have cheer try-outs right after the pep rally, and I'm a little anxious." Gracie clicked her fingers rhythmically.
"Why?" Rosie asked, "You've been on the squad since freshman year. You've got this."
"It's not just that," Grace admitted.
Rosie furrowed her brow. "What is then?"
Sammy beeped the car horn outside before Gracie got the chance to answer, "I'll tell you at school," she said before hurrying outside.
"That was a little weird." Seb appeared beside Rosie.
"Yes, it was." She agreed.
They shared a look of concern before running off towards their brother's truck, who was still loudly blaring the horn.
"Sam, knock it off. You'll scare the livestock!" Their mom yelled from her car.
The horn stopped abruptly after that.
THE BEAT-UP RED TRUCK PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT OF EAST HIGH SCHOOL.
"Alright, before you guys head on in, Dad asked me to give you the first-day speech," Sammy announced.
The others groaned.
"Seriously?" Rosie asked.
"Can't we just skip it?" Seb added.
"No. This is very important to Dad." Sammy pulled out some flashcards from the glove box. "Ahem...Today marks-No, I'm just kidding, I'm not actually gonna read this, but what I will say is have a good year and make good choices."
"Sammy, it's our first day at East High, not some fancy boarding school where we're not gonna see each other for the entire year," Gracie reminded him.
"Yeah, we'll be back home by six." Rosie nodded.
"Still. I remember what it was like to be a high school student, and trust me, these days are some of the best you'll have." He reminisced. "So make the most of it, alright? Try out for your musical and the cheerleading squad. The wrestling team and the costume department." He listed their various after-school activities. "Make new friends and branch out. There's nothing like high school."
Rosie saw Big Red and Ricky skate past on their skateboards and knock into a blonde woman getting out of her car. She rolled her eyes at their ridiculousness.
"Wow, that was actually a little inspiring," Seb complimented him.
Sammy gave them a fond smile. "Now go and enjoy your senior, junior and sophomore years."
Gracie faced him, "You do know you don't 'try out' for the costume department, right?"
"Get out of my car." Sammy deadpanned.
Rosie laughed as she clambered out of the truck-sometimes, she hated only being 5'2" with a brother who owned the tallest car she had ever seen. She linked arms with Gracie and Seb, navigating the parking lot and finally stepping through the front doors of East High. Seb quickly split from his older sisters, turning down a different hallway to reach his locker and meet up with his girlfriend, Natalie Bagley.
Gracie and Rosie giggled once they reached their lockers, opening them for the first time in two months. Rosie looked around for Big Red and Ricky, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"So, what was the thing you wanted to talk about?" Rosie asked.
Gracie tilted her head with a laugh. "What?"
"Before we left the house. You said you were anxious about something." Rosie reminded her.
"Oh. That." Gracie bit her lip. "Well, I-"
A voice interrupted them, "Hey, Grace."
"E.J.! Hi! Uh, h-how was your summer?" Gracie stuttered out.
E.J. Caswell. Co-captain of the water polo team, senior class treasurer, and Gracie's biggest crush since first grade. Rosie had heard the story a million times. Grace, E.J., Tonya Freeman, and some other kids were playing 'Peter Pan' in class. Tonya, as Tinkerbell, got a little too into the role and knocked Gracie, who was playing Wendy, over. She was going to fall off the small ship they had crafted from thin wooden blocks, but before she could, E.J. grabbed her hand and pulled her to safety. She had been in love with him ever since.
"Great. Yeah, I went to a theatre camp and starred as The Music Man." A smile, "How about you?"
"Mostly farm-related things." Rosie jumped in. "Our mom hurt her back right before summer started, so we had to pick up the slack."
"Oh, well, you've both heard about the new drama teacher, right? Apparently, there's gonna be this big announcement at the pep rally this morning." He pointed at Gracie. "You gonna be working on costumes again this year?"
Gracie nodded quickly. "Yeah. Yes, I-I am."
"Great." Some of E.J.'s teammates shouted and motioned for him to come over. "I gotta get going, see you at rehearsals."
"B-Bye!" She shouted after him.
Rosie cringed as E.J. smiled awkwardly and walked further down the hall. "It could've been worse." She tried to comfort her blushing sister.
"It really couldn't have." Gracie's voice echoed around the metal locker she stuck her head into. "This was supposed to be my year, Ro, and I'm already screwing it up."
"Hey, it can still be your year. This year is going to be epic. I can feel it."
"Epic?" Gracie repeated, "You spend too much time with Ricky and Big Red." She took a deep breath. "But you're right. You know what, the next time I see E.J., I'm gonna march up to him and ask him on a date. Sam's right. This is my senior year. It's time to branch out."
Rosie nudged her shoulder against Gracie's. "That's my girl."
"Hey, Ro!"
Rosie looked over her shoulder to see Big Red and Ricky at the end of the hall. The sisters laughed as they both waved their arms around like lunatics.
"I gotta go," Rosie shook her head in embarrassment.
"See you at lunch?"
"Yep."
Rosie closed her locker and ran down the hallway straight into Big Red and Ricky's open arms.
"It feels like we haven't seen each other in forever," Rosie's voice was muffled by Ricky's shoulder.
Ricky pulled away from the hug, "Because we haven't."
"Yeah, you were busy, like, all summer." Big Red added.
Rosie shoved his arm. "Hey, I offered you the chance to come to the farm."
"To rake hay and clean up cow manure." Ricky shuddered. "Yeah, that was not gonna happen."
"Better than trying to teach me how to skateboard. I still have a cut on my knee that hasn't healed yet.... and it's been nearly three weeks." Ricky rolled his eyes at Rosie's dramatics. "Speaking of Nini, have you even talked to her since she got back from summer camp?"
The trio headed down a flight of stairs and towards Nini's locker.
"We texted. She sounded neutral." Ricky revealed. "Nothing about bad news or needing to have a big talk. Just, 'hey.' That's good, right?"
"It could be." Rosie tried to sound optimistic.
Big Red sighed, "Summers are no man's land, Ricky. I don't know what 'hey' means, and neither do you."
"I think it's good." Ricky sounded unsure. "Right, Ro?"
She smiled at her friend, "I certainly hope so."
They rounded the corner to find Nini and Kourtney standing by Nini's open locker.
"Yo, Nini! What good?" Ricky asked his (not yet) ex-girlfriend.
"How do you feel about right now?"
Rosie was confused by Kourtney's words.
Nini shut her locker and spun around to face them.
"Hey." Ricky awkwardly chuckled.
"Hey. Um...Can we talk?" Nini started.
This isn't gonna be good, Rosie thought to herself.
Meeting Nini and Kourtney through Ricky had been the best. She finally had friends to have sleepovers with and gossip about celebrities. Sure, she could do all those things with her sisters, but she had shared a room with Cindy Lou and Gracie all her life. It was nice to have girl friends outside of them, but since Nini and Ricky hit pause and Nini went off to summer camp, they hadn't spoken. Rosie had seen Koutney's Instagram posts the day Nini had gotten back and wondered, Why wasn't I invited? That was a week ago now, and Rosie was still in the dark.
"I met somebody else at camp." Nini continued. "I didn't plan..."
"Wait. Wait, is this a joke?" Ricky interrupted.
"Still talking here." Nini snapped.
"Oh, snap!" Kourtney mumbled.
Nini took a breath, "I met someone at camp. Uh, I didn't plan for it to happen, but it happened. He was the Music Man, I was Marian, the librarian. It's called a showmance."
"Wait, you went to librarian camp? That's a thing?" Big Red asked.
"The Music Man?" Rosie whispered under her breath. Why is that familiar?
"Please...tell me you're joking," Ricky asked.
"I'm not." Big Red and Nini answered at the same time.
"I think he was talking to Nini," Rosie mumbled in Big Red's ear.
"Come on, Ricky. You know what you did! Or what you didn't do." Nini looked upset.
Before Ricky could respond, Principal Gutierrez's voice sounded through the PA system. "Good morning, students. Please make your way to the gym for our annual back-to-school kickoff."
"I don't believe this." Ricky scoffed bitterly, "You're blowing me off for some theatre punk you met four weeks ago? At a lake?"
"You kinda dumped me!" Nini exclaimed.
"It was a break. It wasn't a break-up." Ricky tried to explain to her.
Nini shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ricky. But it's a break-up now."
"Pop off, girl!" Kourtney encouraged.
"Stay out of it, Kourtney." Big Red said.
"You stay out of it. I'm dismantling the patriarchy this year, and I'm not afraid to start with you." Kourtney threatened.
"And what about our friendship? Where do we stand?" Rosie questioned the girls. "Did you really think I wouldn't see you two hanging out all over social media without me?"
Nini and Kourtney looked guilty but said nothing. Nini pushed Kourtney forward and down the hall, wanting to get away from Ricky as fast as possible.
Rosie frowned as she watched them walk away.
"Are you okay, Ricky?" Big Red asked.
"I just...What just happened?"
Rosie was asking herself the same thing.
ROSIE SAT HIGH IN THE BLEACHERS BESIDE RICKY AND BIG RED. She could see Seb nearby with Natalie and even Gracie, now in her cheerleading uniform, sitting amongst the other girls on the squad at the bottom of the bleachers.
"And I am also pleased to announce that this year, seniors will be allowed to wear baseball hats on Fridays." Principal Gutierrez said into the podium's microphone.
"Go, seniors!" A girl yelled.
"Friday!" Another shouted sarcastically.
"And now for a special introduction. This year, East High has a new drama teacher with an announcement that she swore, in writing, would not cost too much money." Principal Gutierrez motioned for the new drama teacher to come forward.
Rosie clapped along with a few others.
Ricky sighed. "Why, Rosie, Big Red? Why do things have to change?"
"Some things never change, dude. I've been wearing the same socks for three days." Big Red replied.
Rosie wrinkled her nose and scooted a little away from the boy.
"Please hold your applause." The drama teacher bent down and grabbed a t-shirt launcher. "Go, Wildcats!" She exclaimed and fired the t-shirt into the crowd. "My name is Miss Jenn, and when I heard that the high school where High School Musical was shot had never staged a production of High School Musical, the musical. I was shocked as an actress, inspired as a director, and triggered as a millennial."
"Millennial?" Ricky whispered to Rosie.
Rosie didn't react, though. Her mind was racing. They were putting on a production of High School Musical!
Miss Jenn continued. "Auditions are tomorrow after school. This show could change your lives, and I'm saying this as a background dancer from the original movie. Third from the left, back row, red headband, and those are my real teeth. So..."
"What?" Rosie mouthed as she caught Gracie's eye.
"I know." Gracie mouthed back.
The mic feedback drew Rosie's attention back to Miss Jenn, "Oh, and meet your student choreographer, Carlos. You know him as captain of the colour guard. I know him as an unpaid, rising star."
The school bell rang, and everybody collected their bags. Rosie ran down the steps to meet Gracie. She had spent the past two years in the chorus at East High-she played the front of a cow in Gypsy, a spoon in last year's production of Beauty and the Beast, and a tree several times.
"Oh my gosh! Did you hear what I just heard?" Gracie squealed.
"Yes! High School Musical, the musical. That woman is a genius!" Rosie freaked out.
"Thank you, dear." Miss Jenn said as she walked by. "I hope to see you at the auditions."
Gracie beamed, "You and Seb are the Sharpay and Ryan dream team that this production needs."
Rosie faltered, "I don't know about that."
"Gracie, come on." Tonya, Grace's best frenemy, said.
"We will talk more about this at lunch. Believe in yourself!" Gracie blew her a kiss as Tonya dragged her away.
Rosie sighed, "I'll try."
ROSIE COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT SHE WAS SEEING.
Nini and E.J. Caswell.
She looked around the cafeteria but couldn't find Gracie anywhere. Rosie could only hope she hadn't heard anything yet. She took a bite of her apple and nearly choked when Nini leaned over to kiss E.J. She shared a look with Seb, only to see his eyes go wide, staring at the open doors behind her. Rosie glanced over her shoulder to find Gracie standing behind her, lunch tray in hand. Her once happy smile fell, replaced with a look of heartbreak Rosie had seen one too many times before.
Gracie slid her lunch tray onto their table and ran back out of the cafeteria. Nini got up and let E.J. wrap his arms around her. How could Nini do this to Gracie? Rosie wondered. How many conversations had they had about her crush on E.J. at sleepovers and theatre meetings?Rosie never thought in a million years Nini could be this cruel-was this why Nini and Kourtney didn't invite me to their hangout last week?
"Me neither." Rosie said, "She's dating E.J. Caswell."
Ricky poked at his food. "Yes. I have eyes."
"I mean, co-captain of the water polo team." Big Red listed.
"Yep."
"Senior class treasurer."
"That's correct."
"I mean, what are the odds that the guy she hooks up with at camp goes to East High?"
"Apparently, the odds are exceptionally good." Ricky snapped.
Big Red gave him a sheepish glance. "Sorry, dude."
"It's not just that," Rosie added. "Gracie has had the biggest crush on E.J. since they were kids. Nini knows all about it. We talked about it at so many sleepovers, even poked fun at her for liking someone so obsessed with himself." Rosie scoffed, "I mean, how could she do this?"
"That doesn't sound like the Nini I know. Knew." Ricky corrected himself.
Big Red turned back to Ricky, "So, what are you gonna do?"
"I don't know." Ricky glared at the new couple. "No offence, but the one person I go to for advice is currently on her honeymoon in the cafeteria."
Nini's laughter echoing across the cafeteria was enough for Ricky to leave. He grabbed his backpack and stormed across the room. Rosie wanted to go after him, but Gracie needed her more.
Rosie tore her eyes away from Ricky's retreating form. "Could you, maybe, help Ricky while I go talk to Gracie?"
"S-Sure thing, Ro. I hope she's okay." Big Red smiled sadly.
Rosie patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Biggie."
It didn't take Rosie long to find Gracie. She just headed to the nearest washroom and listened for crying.
Rosie opened the door and poked her head inside. "Grace?" She walked in a little further, only to find her sister on the floor in tears. "Grace? Hey."
"Hey, Ro." She spluttered out between her sobs.
"What's wrong?" Rosie cringed as she lowered herself to the washroom floor. She knew it was bad if Gracie was willingly sitting on the gross bathroom tile. "Is this about Nini and E.J.?"
"I just...I thought this would be my year, you know, I'd ask out the boy I've been crazy about since first grade, and I would work on costumes, and he would be on the show, and it would all be perfect." Gracie dug the heel of her palms into her red cheeks.
"Gracie..."
Grace laughed bitterly, "I know it was stupid."
"It wasn't stupid." Rosie rebutted. "You've liked him for as long as I can remember. It's always been E.J. this and E.J. that."
"A little annoying?" Grace sniffled and clicked her fingers together again.
"Only if you share a room with you." Rosie joked.
"What if that's it?" Gracie suddenly panicked. "What if he's freaked out because he's realised I'm borderline obsessed with him?"
"Obsessed is a strong word, Gracie." Rosie tried to calm her down.
"Still, what if he hates me and is just too nice to say anything?" Grace scoffed, "Of course, he chose a girl like Nini. She's sweet as sugar."
"You don't know. Anything could happen." Rosie tried to find the positive. "They could break up next week, and he could realise there has been an incredible girl right in front of his eyes this entire time."
"Ha, yeah, he'd confess his feelings, and I would think it was to me, but then it would turn out to be the girl next to me." Gracie wiped away the tears collecting on her chin.
"You can't go through life with that attitude, Gracie. What would Mom say?" Rosie asked.
"If you're going to mope, at least clean while you do it?"
"No, well, yes, but she would also say chin up, buttercup, you never know what tomorrow will bring."
Grace ducked her chin to try to hide her smile. "Thanks, Ro."
"You're welcome, and if E.J. Caswell doesn't realise what a catch you are, then he doesn't deserve you." Rosie used her thumbs to wipe the remaining tears from Gracie's face. "But you will find somebody who does, one day."
Gracie bumped into Rosie's shoulder, "So will you."
Rosie grimaced. "I'm not really interested in all that,"
"All what? You've been afraid of love for as long as I can remember." Gracie said.
"That's not true. I just don't like that falling feels like flying till the bone crush." Rosie explained. "Besides, I have my bakery plans, and that's all I need for now."
Rosie planned to open a bakery after graduating from college-Honeybee Bakery, where all the dairy and produce are one hundred percent locally sourced. That was the dream, anyway.
Gracie reached for her sister's hand and squeezed three times. "I love you, Ro."
Rosie squeezed back, "I love you too, Gracie."
ROSIE SAT IN THE WINDOW SEAT OVERLOOKING THE FARM. It was one of her favourite views from the farmhouse. She loved watching the sun slowly slip behind the barn, leaving pink cotton candy clouds in its wake.
Buzz, buzz.
Rosie flipped over her phone.
RICKY: Can we talk?
She sighed and dog-eared the page of her book. She would have to pick it back up later. The phone only rang once before Ricky picked up.
"Hey Ricky, what's up?"
Rosie stretched out her legs, wincing when she heard a pop from her knee.
"I need you to get to Big Red's now."
Now Rosie was worried. "Is something wrong?"
"No, yes, I don't know." Ricky sounded just as confused as she was. "I just need to talk with you both. Can you get there?"
"Let me ask." Rosie bounded down the stairs and skidded to a stop on the kitchen tile. "Hey, Mom?"
Alice looked over from washing the dishes. "Yes, sweetie?"
"Can I go to Big Red's? It's an emergency." Rosie practically begged.
Alice glanced out the window. "Oh, uh, honey, it's getting a little dark."
"I know, but please." Rosie pulled her lips into a hopefully convincing pout. "Sam could drop me off and bring me back."
"Sam, can what now?" Sam poked his head out from the dining table.
Rosie gave him a pleading look.
He groaned, "Fine, let me grab my coat."
Rosie pulled the phone back to her ear, "Okay, Ricky, I'll meet you there."
Twenty minutes later, Sammy pulled up outside Big Red's house. Rosie walked right in, Mr and Mrs Redonovich never minded; they'd known the girl since she was seven.
"Hiya, sweetie. Biggie and Ricky are downstairs." Mrs Redonovich told her.
Rosie offered a sweet smile, "Thanks, Mama Red."
Rosie opened the door to the basement and made her way down the creaky steps. Big Red had a headset on, playing some game Rosie had been forced to watch him and Ricky play before, whilst Ricky paced beside him.
"No, absolutely not." Big Red told Ricky.
Ricky looked up to see Rosie standing at the bottom of the steps. "Rosie, thank god."
She crossed her arms, looking between the boys with a slightly annoyed look. "Okay, what was so urgent that I needed to get here this fast? My mom is making chicken pie tonight."
"It's about the-" Ricky paused, "Wait, chicken pie, like the one with the sauce and the..."
"Yeah. So good, right?" Rosie agreed. "You know she got the recipe from the cooking channel?"
"Ricky wants to try out for the musical!" Big Red interrupted.
Rosie blinked. "What?"
"Okay, I know it's crazy, but she has to see me in a whole new light," Ricky explained.
"Wait, this is about Nini?" Rosie asked.
This is why she was dragged here?
Big Red took his headset off. "But we hate musicals."
"That's you two, I love musicals." Rosie corrected.
"I don't hate musicals." Ricky denied, "I just think it's weird when people, like, burst into song in the middle of the street."
Big Red gave him an exasperated look. "Dude. That's a musical."
"He's right." Rosie pulled out her phone. "The Google definition of a musical is a play or film in which singing and dancing play an essential part." Rosie read.
"Okay, look. I'm auditioning for this thing tomorrow, and nothing is gonna stop me." Ricky was adamant.
Rosie let out a heavy sigh, "Ricky, do you even know the plot of High School Musical?"
"Of course! It's about Zac Efron dancing with a basketball."
Rosie rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to correct him, but Big Red beat her to it.
"Wrong." Big Red stated. "It's about the character, Troy, having to choose between being true to his friend, Chad, or following his heart with Gabriella."
Rosie and Ricky shared a confused look. "Why do you know so much about High School Musical?" Ricky asked.
Big Red looked away, embarrassed. "They, uh, they play it on a loop at my allergist's office. Look, the point is, you're out of your league here, man. All right? You can't pull this off."
"Hey, I believe that with a little bit of time and appropriate dance lessons, Ricky could be really good at the musical thing." Rosie defended the skater.
"Rosie, you believe anyone could be good at the musical thing." Big Red argued.
"Because they can if they just believe in themselves." She gave him a pointed look. "I bet even you could be if you tried."
"You really don't think I can pull this off?" Ricky aimed at Big Red. "Yeah?"
"Yes." Big Red said.
Ricky grabbed his skateboard and backpack and ran back up the stairs,
"And you don't have the hair for it." Big Red yelled after him.
Rosie sighed into her hands. Between Gracie and Ricky's simultaneous heartbreaks, today had not been a good day.
"PEOPLE! Make sure your audition number is clearly visible on your clothes. This isn't a game." Carlos demanded as he walked past.
Rosie tapped her foot on the dressing room floor and smoothed down the number fourteen stuck to her chest.
"Hey, are you doing okay?" Ashlyn asked.
Rosie and Ashlyn became friends during last year's production of Beauty and the Beast-they had played trees together. They also bonded over living in someone else's shadow (the one thing Rosie was sure of was that the social hierarchy of high school sucked!)
Rosie tugged on the skin of her lip. "Um, I'm a little nervous."
Ashlyn took Rosie's hands and pulled them away from her face. "You'll be great."
A shy smile worked its way across Rosie's lips. "So will you. Who are you hoping to get?"
"I don't know. Would it be weird of me to say Ms Darbus?" Ashlyn looked a little unsure.
Rosie gasped. "You would be the perfect Ms Darbus."
"What about you?" Ashlyn changed the subject, "Who are you going for?"
"Well, my brother is auditioning too, and we've been acting out Bop To The Top since we were both old enough to walk."
"Sharpay and Ryan. Of course." Ashlyn laughed, "You've so got that."
Rosie turned at the three loud knocks on the door. Miss Jenn walked in, "Okay, theatre people. Let's do this."
Rosie squealed and ran over to Seb. They made their way to the auditorium together. Rosie would never get over performing in the East High auditorium-it was too iconic.
Rosie was in the first group with Ashlyn. Carlos quickly showed them the steps and counted them in. Rosie knew she wasn't a bad dancer, but she could certainly improve. The girl in front of her, however, was amazing. Her high kicks were insane.
"Great! That's it for the warm-up." Carlos told them.
Rosie high-fived Ashlyn and went over to her bag to grab her water bottle.
"Everyone, pair up. Not with a friend." Miss Jenn said, "Theatre is a community."
"Hey, Rosie." Rosie turned around to find E.J. Caswell looking down at her. "Wanna pair up?"
"Um, sure. Why not?" She shrugged, her mind wandering to their conversation from yesterday. "Look, I wanted to apologise for earlier. I was just in a mood."
"No. You were right. You are more than just Grace's sister." E.J. offered. "I mean, we've been a part of how many of the same productions?"
"I wanna say... four?"
"The same as Nini." He connected. "Are you two friends? You're in the same year, right?"
"We were. Are?" Rosie shook her head. "It's a little complicated."
E.J. frowned. "Oh. Why do you think you're not anymore?"
"I'm still friends with Ricky, her ex, and I've been friends with him longer, and she went to summer camp, so naturally, I had to hang out with somebody, so..." Rosie trailed off.
She also started dating you behind my sister's back and didn't have the decency to tell her before going back to school. Rosie wanted to say that, but she couldn't. She was just too nice. And she also wasn't going to reveal Gracie's feelings like that.
"Right." E.J. sounded a little unsure. "Ricky isn't like a threat, right? Nini hasn't really told me much about him other than that they broke up right before she went to camp."
"They actually broke up yesterday morning." Rosie panicked a little as E.J.'s eyes widened. "I mean, before Nini left for camp, Ricky asked to take a 'pause', and Nini, kinda, you know, took that the wrong way."
E.J. scoffed. "How is somebody supposed to take that?"
"I don't know, actually. I've, I've never had a boyfriend before." Rosie awkwardly laughed, her cheeks turning pink. "I think we should go see why Miss Jenn had us break off into pairs now."
Rosie scrunched her face up as she walked back onto the stage, holding herself back from face-palming. "Stupid." She whispered to herself.
ROSIE WRUNG HER FINGERS TOGETHER AS SHE LINED UP, waiting for Miss Jenn to assign her a role to audition for.
Miss Jenn walked down the line with Carlos. "I'd love you to read for Ryan. You are giving major Taylor vibes. You're probably a Chad." Miss Jenn stepped in front of Ashlyn. "You. You're giving me uncommon depth. Ms. Darbus?"
"I'm dying. I'm deceased. Yes." Ashlyn replied.
"Oh, your application says you play piano?" Miss Jenn asked.
Ashlyn shrugged, "I dabble."
"Dabble? She's incredible." Rosie told Miss Jenn.
Miss Jenn raised an eyebrow at the girl. "You ever written a song?"
"I mean, nothing I've ever shared with anyone," Ashlyn answered.
"I always thought the drama teacher should have an Act Two power ballad. We'll sidebar." Miss Jenn then stepped in front of Rosie. "Hmm? I'm not sure. Jazz square or no jazz square."
Miss Jenn laughed at her answer, "Give her the Ryan sides."
Carlos handed her the script with a smile.
"Thanks," Rosie whispered to him.
"Gabriella." Miss Jenn said to the tall girl beside Rosie. Rosie recognised her as the dancer from earlier.
"You got it." She waved her hand when Carlos tried to hand her the script. "Oh, I'm good. I'm already off-book."
Rosie and Carlos shared an impressed glance.
Miss Jenn stared up at E.J., "Give him the Troy stuff. Who are we kidding?" Miss Jenn stepped in front of Nini. "And, uh, how about we have you read for... Kelsi?"
"Um...Gabriella. I wanna audition for Gabriella." Nini insisted.
"Okay." Miss Jenn moved on to Seb, "You're reading for Ryan, right?"
"I think he'd rather play Sharpay," Carlos whispered to her.
"I love that. That is so fresh." Miss Jenn went back to her chair. "Okay, it is time for the solo auditions. Would someone here be willing to play the piano for us?"
"I'll do it." Seb offered.
"Thank you," She looked down at her sheet and smiled, "Seb. Can I have Ashlyn first, please?"
While everybody moved to sit at the edge of the stage, Rosie stayed behind and squeezed Ashlyn's hand.
"You got this."
Ashlyn took a deep breath, "Thanks, Ro."
The solo auditions went by quickly. Ashlyn was first, followed by some other people Rosie had yet to meet, then E.J. and then her.
"Rosemary Matthew-Smith?"
Rosie got up and stood awkwardly in the centre of the stage whilst Miss Jenn and Carlos whispered back and forth to each other.
"What do I need to know?" Miss Jenn asked Carlos.
Carlos quickly listed everything he knew about the girl. "Rosie. The sweetest girl I've ever met. Grew up on a farm. She's the younger sister of popular cheerleader Grace Matthew-Smith, who also works in our costume department and the sister of Sebastian over there."
Miss Jenn's eyes darted between them. "A brother-sister duo, huh?"
"Our gender-bent Ryan and Sharpay?" Carlos whispered excitedly.
"Could be." Miss Jenn turned to Rosie." Whenever you're ready, Rosie."
Seb began to play.
"Livin' in my own world, didn't understand
That anything can happen when you take a chance
I never believed in what I couldn't see
I never opened my heart to all the possibilities, oh
I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
And right here, tonight
This could be the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you, oh
And now, lookin' in your eyes
I feel in my heart
The start of something new."
The auditorium erupted into applause.
"That was wonderful, Rosie. Thank you."
Rosie sat back down beside Ashlyn, purposefully avoiding Kourtney's proud gaze. She saw E.J. and Nini in the wings as the girl from earlier, Gina, got up for her solo audition. It turns out she wasn't just a phenomenal dancer but also a great singer.
"Next, we have Nini Salazar-Roberts?"
Nini walked across the stage and took the place where Gina had just been. E.J. came to sit beside Ashlyn, sparing a quick smile at Rosie.
"Okay, Nini! Whenever you're ready."
Before Nini could start, loud footsteps rang throughout the auditorium.
"Am I too late? Am I too late?"
Rosie looked over her shoulder to see Ricky running in with his guitar case. Rosie couldn't remember the last time she had seen him play it.
"We're all set on Troys. We're low on Chads. You can read after the Gabriella's." Miss Jenn assured him.
Rikcy looked crestfallen. "I only studied the Troy scene in the movie."
"Troy would have arrived on time," Carlos said.
Did we watch the same movies? Rosie thought.
"Thanks. Let me do the talking." Miss Jenn whispered to Carlos. She turned back to Nini. "Okay, Nini, let's try this again."
"You got this, babe! Whoo!" E.J. yelled.
Rosie jumped at the sudden noise and hit her head on the side of the table. It wobbled, and Miss Jenn's coffee slipped from her cup and all over the lighting board. There was a loud crackle of electricity, and all the lights in the auditorium went out.
"Nobody panic!" Miss Jenn exclaimed. "Nini, let's wait for the lights to come back on. I don't want this to throw you."
"I'm not thrown," Nini dismissed Miss Jenn's words.
"Livin' in my own world, didn't understand
That anything can happen when you take a chance."
Ricky grabbed his phone from his pocket and turned on the flashlight, getting close enough to Nini for it to shine on her.
"I never believed in what I couldn't see
I never opened my heart to all the possibilities, oh."
With a jealous expression, E.J. got up and did the same thing.
"I know that somethin' has changed
Never felt this way
And right here, tonight
This could be the start of somethin' new
It feels so right to be here with you, oh
And now, lookin' in your eyes
I feel in my heart
The start of somethin' new
I never knew that it could happen, 'til it happened to me
Oh, yeah
I didn't know it before, but now it's easy to see, oh
It's the start of somethin' new
It feels so right to be here with you, oh
And now, lookin' in your eyes
I feel in my heart
The start of somethin' new."
As Nini finished, the electricity cracked back on. Rosie was in awe. She had never heard Nini sing like that.
"Okay. Thank you, Nini. I only needed thirty-two bars, but I appreciate your commitment." Miss Jenn spared a glance at Ricky. "You, late boy. Let's do the Chad sides."
Nini sat back beside E.J. as Ricky stepped onto the centre stage.
He clutched the Chad sides in his hand and cleared his throat. "Hey, there. I'm Ricky Bowen. I'm a junior. And, uh...Here goes." Ricky took a deep breath. "I don't get it, Troy. What kinda spell had this elevated IQ temptress-girl cast that suddenly makes you wanna be in a musical?"
Rosie cringed a little as she caught Big Red's eye.
"I don't know," Ricky continued, "Maybe it's the way Gabriella always had your back. And maybe you can't stop beating yourself up for totally blowing it with her. And look, Troy. Even if you never said the L-word to Gabriella, 'cause that's, like, not even a word your parents say to each other anymore..." Ricky sighed uncomfortably. "That doesn't mean that you don't. Maybe it just means you were waiting for the right time to say it...So that everyone could hear it." He shook his head. "No. So that she could."
Miss Jenn was intrigued. "Okay, kiddo, time to sing."
Seeing Seb preparing to play, Ricky rushed out. "Oh, no, actually, if you don't mind, I kinda prepared my own song?"
"Sure." Miss Jenn nodded.
Ricky walked over to Big Red, who had already gotten his guitar out of its case. Ricky began to strum a familiar song. Rosie recognised it from Nini's now-deleted Instagram post from six weeks ago.
"Oh, no. He is not doing this," Nini sighed. She leaned over to Rosie, "Did you know about this?"
"The audition, yes. This, no." Rosie denied any knowledge of Ricky's insane plan.
E.J. raised an eyebrow at this.
"So much has happened, think of what we've done
In the time that the Earth has travelled 'round the Sun
Winter, Spring, Summer, and we're back to Fall
We've been together hand-in-hand through it all
It's just three little words, yeah, it's not a big deal
It's not like I can help feelin' all that I feel
And by now, I'm sure you're thinkin' it's so obvious
But just in case it's not, what I'm sayin' is this, what I'm sayin' is this...
I think I kinda, you knowI think I kinda, you know
Like the way that we flow
Like the way that we go
And I love
I think I kinda, you know
I think I kinda, you know, you know, you know
You know how we can talk all night
And not run outta things to talk about?
It's rare that somethin' feels this right
It feels so rightI think I kinda, you know
I think I kinda, you know, you know, you know
I think I kinda, you know
I think I kinda, you know, you know, you know
I can't help dreamin' of you
Guess I'm sayin' I don't not love you
You know, you know, you know."
Rosie clapped for Ricky along with everybody else (except Kourtney, Nini and E.J., of course). She was proud of him for committing to the audition and not giving up, even though Nini was glaring at him the entire time. Ricky quickly walked out with Big Red, and Rosie scrambled up to go after them.
Ricky laughed, "That happened."
Big Red shrugged, "I thought it was good."
"Good? Ricky, that was incredible. I had no idea you could sing like that." Rosie said as they exited the auditorium.
"Ha. To be honest, neither did I until last night." He admitted.
"Hey!" Nini yelled, running up to them. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm auditioning," Ricky stated.
Rosie pulled Big Red to the side.
Nini looked at him in disbelief. "You hate musicals,"
"That's a little harsh."
"We got kicked out of The Greatest Showman because you kept yelling, 'That's not realistic!' at the screen."
Rosie remembered that. She was not happy with him.
"That was the old me." Rikcy insisted. "The new me thinks musicals are awesome."
"Hmm. Okay. Well, let me tell you about the old me. All right? The old me had her heart broken. Okay? And then she went away, and she found herself. And you don't get to show up now, just to try and confuse things." Nini said.
"You think that's why I'm here?" Ricky argued. "No, no, Nini. I always believed in you. In us. Even if I sucked at showing it. That's why I'm here."
"Clear!" Carlos yelled with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Carlos is posting the cast list." Kourtney dragged Nini away from Ricky.
The cast list, already?
Rosie rushed past Ricky and ran to Seb.
"Oh, I can't look," she said with a hand over her eyes.
Seb only gasped as his eyes landed on the cast list.
"Congrats," Gina spoke bitterly.
Rosie peeked from behind her fingers to see the new girl glaring at Nini.
"Chad? She thinks I'm a Chad?" E.J. scoffed.
"It's okay." Nini tried to comfort him.
Big Red's eyes widened. "Holy crap, dude."
Rosie uncovered her eyes fully to finally see the cast list.
Troy Bolton --- Ricky Bowen
Troy Understudy --- E.J. Caswell
Gabriella Montez --- Nini Salazar-Roberts
Gabriella Understudy --- Gina Porter
Chad Danforth --- E.J. Caswell
Sharpay Evans --- Seb Matthew-Smith
Taylor McKessie --- Gina Porter
Ryan Evans --- Rosie Matthew-Smith
Ms Darbus --- Ashlyn Caswell
Rosie shared an uneasy look with Ashlyn. This was not gonna end well.
Well, we should certainly make sure that everyone knows about this image, or how will they know not to post it? It's not like "That image of Musk looking like a Nazi" would narrow it down.
