Was it real? [Ricky Bowen]

- 7 -

"I forgot my script at home, I'll just quickly get it", Ricky tells his two friends at the end of lunch. "Do you want me to drive you quickly?", Rosella asks the boy, already looking for her car keys. "No, I'll just skate home. I don't want you to be late" he declines, kissing her cheek as a thank you. "I'm back  in twenty minutes." With that he runs out of the school towards his house.

"So how was the skate lessons yesterday?" Big Red asks the girl, as the two continue on their walk towards the bombshell. "It was fantastic. I had so much fun, I can't believe I never tried it out before" she tells him.

"What made you so happy?" "You look like the cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland" Ashlyn and Gina comment as the two stop next to them. "Ricky taught me how to skate yesterday and I really liked it" she tells her two girl friends. "You two are so cute!", Ashlyn exclaims, happy for her new friend. "Did you fall?", Big Red wants to know, wanting something to laugh about. "No" she says, "I always jumped down as soon as it got too fast for my liking or too scary" Rosella tells them honestly, causing them all to laugh,

"Could we not do this right now, please?", Nini's voice is heard as she and E.J. walk down the stairs. "Do what? Are you mad at me?", he asks just to realize she in fact is mad at him. "Look, there was no fitting at lunch." "Fine. Do you want to know where I was at lunch? I was at the computer lab, bribing some hacker to crack into my phone to recover a message you deleted when you stole it" she informs him, earning the attention from all the cast members in front of the bombshell.

"Wait. Why do you think that I..." "Oh, please", she interrupts, "Gina's not the wonderstudy I need to worry about, is she?" Uncomfortable the four friends look at each other, not really wanting to hear the couple argue.
"I told you I loved you and you couldn't say it back. You said it to Ricky, and I see the way he looks at you..." he begins, trying to explain himself. "I know you guys have more history..." "He'd never steal my phone" Nini inputs. "No, I know, he just leaves sad-face messages on it asking if you shared a moment over a song." "Don't make this about Ricky!"  "But it is! It is about him!" "This voicemail wasn't even meant for me!", she exclaims, only to get ignored. "I'm trying to hold onto what we had over the summer" "Yeah, I was too. But you know what? Summer is over" she tells him, walking away shaking her head.

"Hey, is the door locked or something? Why can't we get in?", Nini asks the cast member, which act like they haven't heard the two breaking up only moments ago. "Natalie Bagley is missing her emotional-support hamster. He got loose. Carlos and Seb are helping her find her. Him. It?", Ashlyn tells the two, as a loud girly scream is to be heard from inside the room. "I think they found it" concludes Ashlyn. Shortly after the doors open and Natalie comes out, holding a box in her hands, Carlos right behind her.

"Is he dead?", Ashlyn asks Carlos, looking after the poor girl. "No. Now she thinks he's in her gym locker." "Why the screaming?", Rosella wants to know, worried about the girl. "That was me. She stepped on my toe" he tells her, turning to the rest of the class to tell them to begin practice.