𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐘 ― r. bowen ¹ ✓

018

"They do not."

"Correct!" Carlos picked another card from the pile. "Wildcats, whose red tie does Ms. Darbus compliment at auditions?"

They all began to discuss with each other on who it could be. Their guess was as good as Athena's. She had no idea who it was.

"Allen?" EJ guessed.

Violetta's eyes widened and she hit his shoulder gently. "Dude, how did you know that?"

He then raised his phone in the air. "I looked it up on my phone, you guys. I can't stop cheating, I'm sorry."

"EJ," Violetta groaned.

"Sorry, Vi."

"Well, the West High Knights have a chance to steal," Carlos announced. "What is the name of the girl who pops and locks?"

Gina immediately jumped up from the couch and began to dance. "I love to pop and lock and jam and break. Martha Cox!"

Carlos threw some red confetti in the air. "The West High Knights win!"

Their team cheered. Ricky snagged his arms around Athena's waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She chuckled lightly and felt her cheeks heat up and her stomach flutter with butterflies from the interaction.

Carlos walked up to Gina with a ribbon in his hand. "You, my dear, get this homemade Scholastic Decathlon ribbon. Careful, it's just a straight pin and was never sanitized."

"Wait, okay, everybody get in," Gina stated, pulling out her phone. Everyone squeezed in frame for the picture. "Ooh, I won. Okay, hold on, I need to share this honor with my loved ones."

"You gotta stop moving," Carlos told her as he attempted to pin the ribbon on her shirt. "This is the price you pay for beauty."

Gina then raised her phone to her ear. "Mom, mom, mom, okay, two things. One, I was just crowned the queen of crazytown, and two, can I spend the night at Ashlyn's house?"

"Um, it's actually the queen of East High—" Carlos started to correct before he was shushed.

"Uh, mom, sorry, I can't hear you, okay." Gina pulled her phone away from her ear and put it on speaker. "Okay, you're on speaker. Say Happy Thanksgiving to my mom, everyone."

"Happy Thanksgiving!" everyone chorused.

"Oh, same to all of you," Gina's mom replied. "Gina, honey, can you take me off speaker?"

Athena frowned in concern, watching as the smile fell off of Gina's face. The girl walked off to go speak to her mom more privately. She felt Ricky grip onto her hand nervously. Athena laced their fingers together as the whole group sat in silence, hearing Gina yell at her mom that they just moved her and couldn't let them do this to them again. It wasn't hard to figure out what she meant — Gina was moving again.

"I'm gonna go talk to her," Ricky said quietly.

Athena nodded. "Okay. I'll be here."

He kissed the top of her head before wandering into the kitchen to wait for her. Athena sighed and stood up, walking over to Violetta on the other side of the room who was still sharing a seat with EJ. She sat on the arm of the chair and looked down at the two of them.