Hey babes! Welcome to a new story! This isn't my first foray into fics, but it is my first one for this fandom. Been of fan of the HSM movies since they first came, so naturally I started watching the show. And I absolutely fell in love with Gina/EJ.
This fic is the result of a couple of different theories I've seen floating around online, though I can't exactly remember where I saw them or who came up with them. But here we are!

Enjoy!

Smoothing her hands down the front of her dress, Gina takes a deep breath as she stares at her reflection in the full-length mirror in front of her. Her hair is done up perfectly, her makeup is light and elegant, and her shoes are the perfect combination of comfortability and style, while complementing nicely the color of her dress. Everything is perfect.

She'd been surprised, needless to say, when EJ had informed her that there'd be a dance toward the end of the summer, a prom of sorts. Prom and summer camp are two things she doesn't usually think of together, and she'd been ready to tell EJ that, but then she saw the pure puppy dog look on his face when he talked about the two of them dancing together. So she held her tongue a little bit longer.

And now she's here, at Camp Shallowlake, getting herself ready for a dance with her boyfriend, in a cabin with two of her closest friends. Ashlyn and Kourtney made a whole spectacle out of it, even going so far as putting on music so they could all dance around the room and sing while getting ready.

Gina was much more focused on her appearance, though, wanting to look her absolute best. Sure, she's been to a dance with EJ before, but that was back when they were barely even friends. Now they're actually dating and she doesn't really know what to expect from a dance at a summer camp when dating someone. She just hopes it'll be a better night than the dance at school had been.

"Hey, earth to Gina."

Spinning away from the mirror, she finds Ashlyn watching her with a small smile. She smiles back. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

Ashlyn laughs quietly. "Just asking you if you're ready to go."

"Uh, I think so?"

"That sounded like a question." Ashlyn's brows furrow slightly. "You okay, G?"

Gina lets out a shaky breath. "I'm not sure. The last time EJ and I went to a dance together, things didn't exactly go too well for either of us. I guess I'm just nervous."

Ashlyn steps forward and grabs both of her hands, holding them tightly and smiling. "Obviously I can't claim to know everything that goes through my cousin's head, but one thing I do know is that he is crazy about you, Gina. In the best way."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. Now, let me get a good look at you." Still holding hands, Ashlyn takes a small step back and looks at Gina's outfit from head to toe. "You look hot. EJ's not gonna know what hit him."

Gina laughs, feeling some of the pressure lifting off of her shoulders. "Well good, because that's what I was going for. I know he and I have only been together for a few months and everyone will say we're too young to know for sure, but I just…I think this is real, Ash."

Ashlyn smiles a little wider with tears in her eyes. "That makes me so happy to hear. I know I've been teasing you both all summer, but I really do love seeing you both so genuinely happy. It's nice."

Gina closes the small gap between them, tugging on Ashlyn's hands to pull her into a hug. "Thank you, Ash," she says in her ear.

"You're welcome, G." Ashlyn breaks the hug and steps back, letting go of her hands and letting them fall to her sides. "I am a little jealous that Big Red won't be here, but I am glad that you've got your guy so at least one of us can have a romantic night."

Gina smiles a little brighter at the thought of spending some one on one time with EJ in a romantic setting. Even if it is at a summer camp.

A knock at the cabin door drags Gina's attention away from her friend, and she lets her eyes drift over to it, the corners of her lips tugging up even further at the thought of who's standing on the other side. He'd said he was going to come by the cabin to pick her up and walk her to the barn, just like if they were back home and he was picking her up for a regular date, but there's a part of her that's still a little surprised that he did.

She glances back at her friend. "Hey, I'm gonna—"

"Go, yeah," Ashlyn says with a nod and a quiet laugh. "Go be all cute and stuff. Kourt and I will be out in a minute."

Gina gives Ashlyn a quick hug and then makes her way over to the cabin door. She beams as she pulls it open, her heart leaping in her chest when she sees EJ standing on the other side, dressed in a dark suit with a soft look in his eyes.

"Wow," EJ breathes out. "Gina, you look…wow."

A blush creeps up her cheeks. "Thanks. You look pretty 'wow' too."

EJ shakes his head. "Not even a comparison, but thank you." He takes a small step closer and holds out a hand. "Shall we go?"

Gina simply smiles and takes his hand in hers, curling her fingers around the side of his hand and holding on tight.

EJ smiles back just as widely. "So uh, I think it goes without saying, but I'm really hoping tonight's dance goes better than the last one we went to together."

"I was thinking the exact same thing."

"Then I should probably keep you as far away from the punch as possible," he says with a teasing smile.

Gina laughs, raising a brow. "Oh, really? That's how it's gonna be?"

EJ nods and laughs with her. "Yes, that's how it's gonna be."

"Well then maybe I'll just have to let you go to this dance alone."

EJ's smile turns down, and his voice comes out almost as a whine as he utters, "Gina."

Her stomach flips at the way he says it, her mouth unable to resemble anything but a smile. She takes a small step closer, cupping the side of his chin in her hand. "I'm kidding." She closes the space with a quick kiss and then pulls back enough to look at him. "As if I'd let any other girl dance with you when you look like this." She emphasizes her words with a quick pat to the lapels of his jacket.

EJ breaks out into a grin. "Same. But about you. So can we go to the dance now?"

"Yes, please."

Gina turns toward the voice at the same time EJ does, finding Ashlyn and Kourtney standing in the doorway watching them with smiles, though Ashlyn's is a bit wider.

"I agree with Kourt," the red-head speaks up. "I mean, you two are cute and everything, but you're kinda in the way of us being able to go outside."

Glancing around, Gina realizes that she and EJ are, in fact, standing directly in front of the cabin door, preventing Kourtney and Ashlyn from stepping through. She can feel a blush creeping up her cheeks again as she gives them a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Guess we got kind of…distracted." She looks over at EJ and immediately dissolves into quiet giggles.

EJ just smiles at her. "Kind of hard not to be when you look like this."

"Okay, enough of all this mushy stuff," Kourtney interjects. "There's a dance calling our names and I am not letting this look go to waste."

Gina laughs quietly, stepping a little closer to EJ as she carefully nudges him across the porch. "Sorry, Kourt. You're right, everyone should absolutely get to see how incredible you look."

Kourtney smiles as she steps outside. "I know."

Gina just smiles and shakes her head at Kourtney's words, her attention shifting to Ashlyn as the redhead starts past her. "Sorry again for being in the way."

Ashlyn waves her off. "Don't worry about it. It really wasn't that big of a deal. We'll see you two at the barn," she says as she continues past them and down the porch steps.

Gina watches her friends go for a moment, following them down the path with her eyes until they're far enough away, and then turns to face EJ again. "Do you think they'll ever stop teasing us?"

"Knowing Ash, probably not."

Gina nods. "Right. Guess we should get used to it then."

"Probably." EJ breathes deeply as he stands a little straighter and takes a small step closer, grabbing her hand in his again. "You're ready to go, then?"

Gina smiles and nods, giving his hand a small squeeze. "I am."

"Excellent." He closes the distance between them with a quick kiss and then steps away to gently tug her toward the stairs.

Gina's smile widens as she falls into step beside EJ, light conversation flowing easily between them as they make their way down the path toward the barn. Other campers drift into view from other areas of the camp, some with dates and some without, but all of them dressed nicely and clearly ready for the dance ahead.

The music gets louder as they get closer to the barn, cheering and singing from other campers mixing in to create a cacophony of voices. The setting sun on the horizon and a sky full of stars is the perfect backdrop for what Gina hopes will be an amazing night.

.

.

.

Stepping through the doors of the barn with EJ's hand held tightly in her own, Gina's eyes go wide when she sees the decor that's set up all over the room, completely transforming the usual rehearsal space. It's simple yet elegant, music already playing through the couple of speakers set up near the stage at the opposite side of the room.

"What do you think?"

Gina turns toward the voice next to her, smiling brightly at EJ. "It's incredible."

"I'm glad you like it. I wish I could take even a little credit for it, but unfortunately my skills were not required with this."

"Well I promise not to hold it against you."

EJ chuckles. "Good. Now, what would you like to do first?" he asks, moving so he's standing slightly in front of her. "There's drinks and snacks, a photo booth, dancing…"

Gina grins. "Definitely the photo booth. I was a little bummed about not having my phone so we could take some pictures, but having a legit photo taken is going to be perfect."

EJ holds out his hand with a smile. "I completely agree. Photo booth it is."

Gina holds tightly to EJ's hand, letting him lead her across the floor toward one side of the room where a photo area is set up. There's a plain white background pinned to the wall, a box of various props sitting near it, and a camera set up on a tripod with Dewey standing behind it.

"I say," EJ speaks up once they reach the photo area, "that we start with the classic prom poses and then maybe grab some props. What do you think?"

Gina smiles, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. "I think that sounds great."

They shuffle forward when the pair ahead of them finishes, politely greeting Dewey as they move to stand on the pieces of tape on the floor marking the center.

Gina shifts so she's standing a little in front of EJ, her heart leaping when his hand lands on her waist and tugs her close. She instinctively leans back against him, her smile widening as she looks at the camera, nearly getting blinded by the flash.

They spend a few minutes taking photos together, including some goofy ones with random props, before they move out of the way for the next group to have their moment in front of the camera.

Almost immediately, Gina spots the other Wildcats on the other side of the room, so she takes hold of EJ's hand and practically drags him across the floor toward their friends. Not that she really has to tug on him too much to get him to move.

"Gina, EJ, 'bout time you two showed up," Carlos remarks, shifting on his feet and giving them a curious look.

"They were probably stopping every five seconds to say something sickeningly sweet to each other or kiss," Kourtney adds.

Gina just rolls her eyes. "You guys are hilarious. But neither of us is going to apologize for being happy."

"We absolutely will not," EJ agrees, dropping her hand to drape his arm around her shoulders.

Gina simply leans into him, wrapping her arm around his waist and smiling brightly. "Is everyone having fun so far?" she asks the group, hoping to switch the subject from her and EJ, even if for just a few minutes.

Everyone immediately begins speaking at the same time, talking over one another to be heard above each other and the music. They're all trying to give their own two cents about how the dance is so far, even though it's just barely started. And Gina loves every second of the chaos that is known as her friends.

"Oh, I love this song!" Ashlyn exclaims with a grin during a brief lull in the conversation, the music in the room changing at the same moment. "Come on."

Gina laughs when Ashlyn grabs her hands, essentially ripping her away from EJ to drag her onto the dance floor where everyone else is already gathering. Kourtney and Carlos follow behind them, the four of them immediately jumping around the dance floor with each other, singing the lyrics as loud as they can.

As she's dancing around with Ashlyn, Gina's eyes drift over to where she'd been standing moments before, finding EJ still standing there next to Ricky. He's watching her with a smile on his face and the sight of it makes her stomach flip and her heart jump. She tosses a smile back at him, her heart fluttering when she sees his own smile widening.

She turns back to her other friends when her name is called, immediately being pulled into another small dance circle. She can still feel EJ's eyes on her, though, and every time she manages to catch a glimpse of him, he still has that soft look in his eyes. It's definitely her favorite look on him.

When the song finally reaches its end, Gina smiles at her friends and then gestures over her shoulder toward the refreshments, claiming the need for sustenance. Of course, they all try to coax her back onto the floor, but she really does want something to drink.

"You certainly looked like you were having fun out there."

Gina turns from the punch bowl, a cup in her hand, and smiles at EJ. "I was. I would say you should have joined us, but I think we know how that would have ended up," she teases.

EJ's jaw drops in faux shock, one hand coming to his chest. "I am wounded, G. That cuts real deep."

Gina just laughs, bringing her cup to her lips and tipping it back for a sip of the punch. "I'm sorry," she says, bringing the cup back down.

EJ shakes his head with that same smile. "No, it's okay. I could never match up to your incredible dancing skills."

"Hey, all it takes is some practice and I'm sure you could get pretty good."

"It still wouldn't put me in the same boat as you, but thanks. I'm not so good at the freestyling thing."

Gina smiles. "That's okay. I'm not exactly dating you for dancing skills."

EJ sighs heavily, his shoulders sagging playfully. "No, I guess not."

Gina shakes her head at EJ's antics, taking another sip from her drink. She lets her eyes wander to the dance floor and smiles as she watches her friends continue to dance around together and have an all around good time. She laughs a little when Kourtney and Carlos both turn and beckon her over while continuing to dance, the upbeat tempo of the music calling to her.

As she's setting her drink down to go back and join her friends, the song fades out and a new one starts up. The tempo is much slower this time around, something that's clearly picked up on as various campers begin to make their way off of the dance floor.

Gina frowns slightly, taking a small step back and blindly reaching out for her drink. Her brows furrow when she grabs a hand instead, looking up to see EJ smiling down at her. "Uh, hey, Eej."

"Hi. Come here." He gestures with his head toward the dance floor as he begins making his way toward it, gently tugging on her hand.

Gina's brows furrow together even tighter as she lets EJ drag her toward the center of the room where others are pairing off. "EJ? What are you doing?"

"Trying to slow dance with my amazing girlfriend."

Her eyes go wide for a split second. "Oh, we don't have to. I'm fine with all the fast paced songs where all we're really doing is jumping."

EJ shakes his head. "Absolutely not. I want at least one slow dance with you, G. I don't think that's too much to ask for, even if my skills in that area are not…the best."

Gina smiles sheepishly. "I didn't want to say it."

EJ chuckles quietly and gently pulls her closer. "It's okay. If you agree to dance with me, I promise I won't step on your toes."

"Deal." Gina smiles a little more as she takes EJ's hands and places them on her waist, then raises her own to rest them around his neck.

"Wait," EJ says, "can we…uh, hang on."

Gina watches as EJ rearranges the placement of their hands until they're standing in the typical pose used for formal dancing. Her eyes flick between their joined hands raised in the air and EJ's face. "You know we don't have to stand like this, right? No one else is."

EJ nods. "I know. But uh, this is how I learned."

Her brows furrow. "Learned? What are you…" Her words trail off as EJ starts slowly moving them around the space, and she can see his lips parted slightly as he most likely counts his steps. It's adorable.

She remains quiet as EJ guides them through whatever dance steps he has in his head, thankful that her usual urge to take over and be the one in charge is nowhere to be found. She's enjoying this moment way too much to want to take over. Especially since neither of them is tripping over one another, and EJ's eyes aren't locked on the floor as they move together. It's much nicer when they can look at each other, even if his eyes do glance down at their feet every so often.

They don't do much talking as they dance, she can tell that EJ is doing his best to concentrate and she doesn't want to distract him from it. But that doesn't stop her from grinning like a maniac as he carefully spins her around the dance floor, the concentration and determination clear on EJ's face the entire time.

As the song is nearing its final notes, she's fully prepared for the steps to come to some sort of awkward end, as that's what usually happens with a slow dance. So she's one hundred percent surprised when EJ effortlessly spins her and then lowers her into a dip. Her hand that's on his shoulder instinctively clutches a little tighter to hang on.

They remain that way for just a few seconds before EJ lifts her back up and they're standing face to face again.

Gina watches him for a moment, vaguely aware of their friends cheering and clapping on the sidelines, and then her face breaks out into a grin. "EJ! What was that?" A laugh escapes past her lips.

EJ smiles sheepishly. "It was nothing."

She shakes her head, taking a small step closer to him. "Hey, no, don't. It wasn't nothing. It was great. Where did you learn how to do that?"

"Uh, I asked Val to help me. I wanted tonight to be perfect, so I had her show me a few things so I could dance with you properly and impress you."

"I'd say you definitely accomplished that. Wait, is that why you've been busier than usual?"

EJ nods. "Yeah. Like I said, I wanted it to be perfect. I may have improvised the spin and dip at the end, though."

Gina smiles. "Well, then it's a good thing that was my favorite part."

EJ beams. "Really?"

Gina nods. "Really. You didn't need to go to all that trouble to impress me, though. You know that, right?"

He shrugs. "I wanted to. You are…my favorite person." He grabs both of her hands in his and holds them firmly. "I love being with you, I love that you're one of my best friends, the person I love talking to more than anyone. I love that you get me in a way that no one else really does. I love how incredible of a dancer and an actor you are, and how ambitious you are. I just…" He trails off, then takes a deep breath, giving her hands a small squeeze. "I love you, Gina. I love you."

Gina's breath catches in her throat at EJ's words, staring up at him with wide eyes, her jaw slightly dropped.

He shakes his head quickly, shifting on his feet and avoiding her eyes. "You don't…you don't have to say it back if you don't feel the same way, I just wanted you to know that that's where I'm at. I know I've been a bit…absent this summer, which is not at all how I wanted things to go, but I'm trying my best and I'm—"

"EJ!" she cuts him off gently, lightly squeezing his hands and taking a small step closer. "Hey, relax. Just…breathe, please." She watches as he takes a few slow breaths, waiting for him to be a bit more calm. "Are you good?"

He nods, swallowing. "Yeah. Sorry about…that."

She shakes her head with a smile. "It's okay. I get it."

He smiles softly at her. "You always do. And I meant what I said, about you not having to say it if you aren't ready. I just wanted you to know how I feel. Because I love this feeling."

"It's certainly a good look on you," she tells him. "And EJ?"

"Yeah?"

Gina takes a deep breath, staring right into his eyes. "I love you too."

EJ's entire face breaks out into a grin. "You do?"

Gina nods. "Yeah, I do. I love you." She smiles a little brighter as she conintues tk look at him. "I love you, EJ Caswell."

"And I love you, Gina Porter."

With a grin on her face, Gina closes the space between them, tilting her head back just enough to press her lips against his. Her hands release his and then find the front of his suit jacket, holding on and gently tugging him closer to her.

Breaking the kiss after a moment, she slides her arms around EJ's waist to hug him, her head resting perfectly on his shoulder. Her heart soars when EJ's arms circle around her waist to hold her closer, his lips pressing a kiss to the top of her head as they slowly begin to sway from side to side even though the music playing isn't slow by any means.

But she doesn't care. Because this moment, swaying slowly to an upbeat tempo with the guy she loves holding her, it's absolutely perfect.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!