Gina Porter
I knew I should have told him sooner. The moment E.J. cornered me backstage, arms crossed, brows furrowed, I could feel the weight of what was about to come crashing down on me. The sounds of rehearsal still buzzed in the background—distant voices running lines, the soft strumming of a guitar, and the occasional shuffle of props being moved. But all of that faded against the tension pressing between us. "So, it was you?" His voice was sharp, laced with disbelief, but underneath it, I caught something else. Hurt. I squared my shoulders, keeping my face unreadable. "Yeah. It was me." E.J. exhaled, shaking his head as if he were trying to process the information. "You planted a fake pregnancy test in Nini's locker? Are you serious right now?" I rolled my eyes, hating how small I suddenly felt. "Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds way worse than it actually is." His laugh was humorless. "Gina, it's exactly as bad as it sounds. What were you thinking?" I inhaled sharply, debating how honest I wanted to be. If I was going to admit to this, I might as well be upfront. "At first, I did it for me. But I guess, in some twisted way, it was also for you." E.J.'s eyes narrowed. "For me?" I lifted my chin. "Look, I knew you wanted a shot with Nini, and let's be real, Ricky was still hung up on her. I figured if he thought she was pregnant, maybe—"
"Maybe he'd move on faster?" E.J. finished for me, his tone edged with something sharp. "And you thought that would magically fix everything? That Nini and I would suddenly work out?" I crossed my arms. "I don't know, E.J. Maybe I just wanted to shake things up a little. Maybe I wanted Ricky to see that there were other options besides Nini." E.J. let out a dry laugh. "Oh, so this was about you and Ricky." I hesitated for a second too long. His eyes widened slightly, realization settling over him. "You like him," he said, more certain than questioning. "That's what this was really about." Heat crept up my neck, but I refused to look away. "It's not that simple." "Right," E.J. scoffed. "Because planting a fake pregnancy test is a totally normal way to deal with your feelings." I huffed, crossing my arms tighter around myself. "You're acting like I committed some unforgivable crime. It was a little nudge." "A little nudge?" E.J.'s voice rose in disbelief. "You set off a bomb in their relationship, Gina! And guess what? It didn't even work the way you wanted it to. Ricky's still obsessing over Nini, and now we both look like manipulative jerks." I bristled. "We? This was my idea, remember?" "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I get to walk away from the fallout," he shot back. "What happens in the dark always comes to light, Gina." I flinched at that, the words hitting deeper than I wanted to admit. Because I knew he was right. I had built my entire game on being steps ahead, on controlling outcomes. But this? This had spiraled out of control.
E.J. sighed, rubbing a hand over his face like he was trying to pull himself together. "Do you even realize what you've done?" I looked away, frustration clawing at my throat. "I didn't think it would go this far." He let out a breath, shaking his head. "That's the problem, Gina. You didn't think." The words stung more than I wanted them to. Because I did think. Maybe too much. Maybe about all the wrong things. We stood in silence for a long moment, the distant sounds of the theater creeping back in. Finally, E.J. spoke again, quieter this time. "Are you going to tell them?" I blinked. "Tell who?" He shot me a look. "Ricky. Nini. They deserve to know the truth." My stomach twisted. I had been in control this whole time—pulling strings from behind the scenes, staying one step ahead. But confessing meant relinquishing that control. It meant letting the pieces fall where they may, and that terrified me. E.J. must have seen the hesitation in my eyes because his expression softened, just a little. "Look, I get it. I really do. But you can't keep running from this. If you don't tell them, someone else will." I swallowed hard. "And what about you?" "What about me?"
I searched his face, suddenly unsure. "Are you going to tell them?" E.J. hesitated, his jaw tightening. "I don't know yet." Some part of me wanted to ask him why he was giving me that choice—to come clean or not. But another part of me already knew the answer. Despite everything, despite his anger, E.J. still believed I could do the right thing. I just wasn't sure if I could believe that about myself. He exhaled and took a step back, his expression unreadable now. "Think about it, Gina." And then he walked away, leaving me alone backstage with nothing but the weight of my own choices pressing down on me.
E.J. Caswell
I couldn't believe Gina had gone this far. Not even I had sunk that low. The weight of her confession pressed down on me, tightening my chest. My mind raced, piecing together everything that had led to this moment. The way Ricky had been acting, the tension in rehearsals, Nini's confusion—it all made sense now. And it was because of Gina. My jaw clenched, and before I could stop myself, I turned and stormed off. I needed to put as much distance between us as possible. My footsteps were heavy, echoing through the backstage hall, but I didn't slow down. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out the sounds of rehearsal in the distance. How could she do this? I wasn't innocent—I knew that. I had made mistakes, tried to control things I shouldn't have. But this? This was next level. And the worst part? She had tried to make it seem like it was for me. Like I should be grateful. I let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through my hair as I reached the empty hallway outside the theater. For a second, I just stood there, staring at the floor, trying to make sense of it all. What happens in the dark always comes to light. The words echoed in my mind, a lesson I had learned the hard way. And now, Gina was learning it too.