𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬| 𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗄𝗒 𝖻𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗇

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

( 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽-𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 )

"YOU EXCITED FOR CURTAN CALL?" Lina asked as she watched Mary look over the sheet music.

"I guess?" Mary questioned as she gently placed her fingers on the keys and pretended to play the notes. "I kinda wanted to practice the play play before the ending, it feels kinda weird"

"Does it?" Lina asked as she opened up her spotify and shuffled a random playlist.

"Yeah, it's like—" Mary looked over her shoulder to see that Lina was now not paying attention, but was in fact looking at a certain senior boy. "Okay then" She said as she turned back to the sheet music.

"Okay people. Let's take it from three counts of eight, right before Troy and Gabriella's entrance for the bows" Carlos ordered and everyone got into place. "Ah five, six, seven, eight!" Carlos counted off and Mary began playing while everyone else danced.

Mary would look up from the sheet music every now and then to see Ricky completely messing up the dance. Mary began to slowly stop playing as the two stoped dancing.

"I'm sorry" Ricky softly apologized.

"What is he doing?" Nini asked Carlos as she pointed at him, to which Ricky for confused by this action.

"Why're you talking to him? I'm right here" Ricky said to his ex.

"Cause you're not here" Nini said sternly. "At least not for the right reasons"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ricky asked her in confused and she finally looked at him.

"Ricky, you hate musicals." She started off. "You're doing this so we're in each other's grills" Nini said as her voice raised in volume.

"Woah" Mary said as she eyed the both of them.

"Back to the dance, please!" Carlos said as he gently guided them back a few steps upstage.

"And now you're rubbing this weird cologne on your neck" Nini continued as she got annoyed with the boys presence.

"Hey, you love Throb" Ricky countered back.

"And wasting everybody's time by making fun of something that the rest of us take seriously" Nini accused which made Mary chuckle a little. Yeah sure, some people make it a big deal, but to her it was another little project, a pass time, not a huge deal to her, that and it was high school, it's low budget, hardly anyone shows up except for the families and a few friends and a boyfriend who leave halfway through. Or maybe that was just Atlas.

"It's a high school production" Mary whispered making Lina chuckle.

"Why are you even here Mary?" Nini said as she felt eveything build up, seeing the girl who would sneak small glances at Ricky and vise versa. She saw the way they would sneak glances everyday, the way when Mary looked away, Ricky's eyes would linger a bit more, the way Ricky paid so much attention to her at lunch when she would re apply her lip stick. To Nini, it was so obvious, it made her blood boil.

She didn't hate Mary, she had nothing against her. She hated Ricky. She hated him for lying to her about not having feelings for her, hated him for breaking her heart, hated him for trying to get her back just when she moved on, kind of. Nini hated Ricky. But something about Mary's small comment made her buzz.

"Cause I got a part?" Mary questioned as she was confused by the small question that had so much hostility put into it.

"Sure you're not just trying to get into Ricky's pants again?" Nini accused, which not only shocked Mary and Lina, but Ricky and Nini. Nini never though a question like that would leave her mouth, but it did.