Days have passed since opening night. East High's Drama department has just finished dismantling their props and sets from their final showing of their production of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Everyone was heading to the school's pool to celebrate a successful three-night showing of their musical.
Gina was in front of her locker, storing up some things that she won't need at Ashlyn's, while EJ was in the nearby bathroom.
"Gina, c-can we talk?"
EJ made his presence known by leaning on the side of the lockers but he did not approach his girlfriend or the boy who approached her.
"Okay." Gina stoically answered.
"Like… Talk-talk?" Ricky tried again.
"Meet me at the bomb shelter in two minutes," Gina provided. "We can talk there privately, everyone's already at the pool"
Ricky simply nodded and immediately headed towards the rehearsal room.
"Are you sure about this?" EJ approached his girlfriend as soon as Ricky left.
"I have to tell him why at some point, he needs to know what he had done to hurt me."
"Do you want me there with you?"
"No, I can handle this." Gina shook her head. "Just wait for me here, or you can go on ahead to the pool and wait for me there."
"I'll wait here for you." EJ nodded.
"You want to talk?"
"Right," Ricky nodded as he stood up to face Gina. "Can I ask what changed between you and me?"
"Changed? Nothing changed between us, Ricky." Gina shook her head. "Why would you think that?"
"I don't know," Ricky sighed. "Before this, you've been giving me one-word responses if you don't outright ignore me," He answered.
"Are you really that oblivious?" Gina questioned.
"E-excuse me?"
"You are excused." Came Gina's automatic reply.
"P-please, Gina, can you please tell me if I did something wrong?" Ricky begged. "I'm tired of trying to puzzle out everyone's thoughts and feelings." He sighed. "Please, do me a favor and lay it out straight to me?"
"That's fair," Gina agreed. "Okay, Ricky, what you did during Carlos's Quinceañero was not cool. You hurt me a lot when you asked me about Nini, Ricky."
"H-how did I hurt you?" Ricky gulped as he tried to rack his brain during that time, but he came up with nothing.
"Tell me, Ricky, were you aware of the gravity of my words during our HSM opening night?" Gina asked.
"That was a lo-"
"Yes, it was a love confession, I confessed my feelings to you, Ricky." Gina cut the boy off. "It was bad enough that half of your attention was on Nini but I accepted that you both were back and happy together, I didn't want to be in between the two of you."
"What did I do that hurt you so much then?"
"The fact that you casually threw in the 'if we were dating' line." Gina bluntly replied. "I can't believe that you, of all people, would say that to me, when you know what I did months ago."
"Tha-"
"I gave you a chance to leave the conversation, Ricky, I gave you plenty of chances, but you still pushed it."
"But I thought, you were okay with me confiding in you? You granted Big Red's question about Nini."
"Tell me, Ricky, does Big Red know of what happened during that night?"
"Of course, not!" Ricky was quick to reply. "The only one who knows is Nini, even then I don't think she quite knew of what you really meant."
"And for that, I thank you," Gina expressed her gratitude. "But that doesn't change the fact that I was hurt by your actions." She shook her head. "The reason I gave the okay to Big Red asking me about what you want to text to Nini during the snowstorm was because of the simple fact that Big Red was there."
"Huh?"
"Big Red did not know about that night, frankly only EJ and Ashlyn knew what happened." Gina shared. "I didn't want him to suspect something going on between us, to avoid any uncomfortable questions, I gave the okay to continue."
"I-"
"You thought, because of that, you can confide in me with everything that has to do with Nini." Gina summarized Ricky's thoughts.
With Gina laying everything down, Ricky finally realized that he made a huge mistake. He knew he was selfish when he went behind Nini's back to get her into the show, he didn't think that his selfishness hurt one more person, in the form of Gina.
"I-"
"I'm sorry, Ricky, I don't think I can forgive you anytime soon," Gina admitted. "What you did to me hurt a lot, maybe in time I can, but not now."
"I…I see." Ricky looked at his shoes. "For what it's worth, Gina, I'm sorry for hurting you in that way."
Gina simply nodded.
Ricky turned around and left the rehearsal room.
As soon as Ricky was out of the room, EJ went inside and immediately engulfed his girlfriend in a hug.
"Let it out, just let it out."
Gina buried herself more on EJ's chest as she cried. Ricky was really the first friend she made during her time in East High and for it to end this way, it hurt so much.
"You know, he tried asking for my permission or blessing to talk to you," EJ shared. "His exact words were, 'Would you be mad if I talked to Gina?'"
"W-why would he do that?" Gina sniffled as she looked at her boyfriend. "What did you tell him?"
"I told him no, I won't." EJ answered honestly. "The last time I got angry with someone for texting my girlfriend, it ended with me broken-hearted."
"Aww EJ, you do learn." Gina teased. "The question still remains, why would he do that?"
"I have some inkling of an answer but I don't really know for sure." EJ admitted.
"Why do you think?" Gina urged as she wiped her tears from her face.
"I think it has something to do with Nini," EJ admitted. "It's no secret that Ricky tried to break Nini and I up, in hindsight, he felt he was justified because all he knew was that they were just on a break and didn't break up."
"But she thought it was a break-up," Gina interrupted. "Those two are very bad at communicating their feelings." She sighed.
"You can say that again." EJ agreed.
"So?"
"So, when Ricky sent Nini a voice message, I confronted and told him to stay away, I think that's where he got the idea from." EJ admitted.
"If you hadn't told Ricky to stay away from Nini, you wouldn't have been found out." Gina informed.
"True, and I probably won't have my confidence crushed by Nini's incredible ghosting abilities." EJ chuckled.
"Wait, she ghosted you?" Gina exclaimed.
"After ignoring my texts, calls, and voice messages, even got Kourtney to lie for her, she blocked my number and my social media accounts," EJ informed. "It felt like she was literally breaking my ribcage and went for my heart."
"I don't know if I should call that petty or something else?" Gina admitted.
"Definitely something else." EJ chuckled.
"Eej, why does it hurt?" Gina sighed as she slumped on a nearby chair.
"Because he was the first friend you made here in East," EJ answered. "You didn't think that he could hurt you much more than just seeing him with Nini."
"But I'm used to moving around, I should be used to this," Gina tried to counter. "I should be used to this." She repeated.
"No one can really get used to this, Gi." EJ shook his head as he knelt on one knee in front of her. "You felt like Ricky betrayed you, that's why it hurt so much."
"How do you know so much?"
EJ fished a book from his bag and gave it to his girlfriend.
"I've been reading that book as my pastime." EJ admitted.
"Do you even sleep?" Gina exclaimed. "You have so many clubs, so many sports, and you're the senior class treasurer to top it off!"
"I'm just good with managing my time," EJ shrugged. "Ashlyn and I are."
"It does help that the both of you are intelligent."
"I won't go that far, I can't find words to rhyme with sorry." EJ shook his head.
"Vary? Starry?" Gina listed.
"Clearly, you know more than I do." EJ chuckled.
Gina chuckled alongside her boyfriend.
"So are we good to join everyone by the pool?" EJ asked.
"How you managed the principal to let us use the pool to celebrate will forever remain a mystery to me, I've overheard other clubs groaning that we can use the pool."
"It probably has to do with the fact that I did not cheat at Waterpolo during tournaments," EJ answered. "No one probably knows, but after those self-exposing videos I posted on Instagram, I was banned to play the sport for months as the tournament officials investigated my claims."
"Why would you do that?" Gina was full-on grinning.
"It felt freeing at the time," EJ shrugged. "In any case, what I meant in those videos was whenever the school had us play against our teammates."
"You, EJ Caswell, are one bizarre person."
"That, and my father is on the school board." EJ chuckled. "I still got an earful from both my parents and Ashlyn's parents." He shivered.
"Thank you for Everything, EJ." Gina smiled as she stood up.
"It's what boyfriends do." EJ grinned. "Be there for their girlfriends."
"Aww, that's awfully sweet of you."
"Hey, it's what boyfriends are for, being awfully sweet."
