NEW YEAR'S EVE ━━ 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐍

𝟎𝟎𝟖 ━━ guilt is stealing you away

"He's still annoying..."

"Don't complain to us, you agreed to it," Marcus snatched the bottle, drowning most of it, "you know, Caswell, you're a lot less fun than you used to be. Heartbreak isn't a good look on you."

"Whatever, I need something stronger," EJ abandoned the group of boys who continued poking fun at him, he stormed off into the outer party, wanting to be anywhere else.

He didn't bother looking where he was going and walked straight ahead, not wanting to interact with anyone else. "Ow!" He'd slammed straight into someone, fruit juice splashed onto him.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking...oh," Nini stopped dabbing at his shirt, "EJ. I didn't think you'd be here."

"It's okay, my shirt will live," he pulled her hands off him, smiling, "I didn't think you'd be here either. Still haven't made the decision?"

They were walking outside now, moving out to the backyard, they gravitated towards a bench.

"Yeah, I'm still not really sure what I want. I've never really left home before, I don't think I can just go...Kourt, East High..."

"Ricky?"

She shook her head, "Ricky and I aren't together at the moment."

"Really?" he tried to hide his excitement, keeping his face as straight as possible, "what happened between you two? Everyone's always saying you two are gonna get married."

"I-It's nothing...Ricky's just been acting distant lately. I guess it isn't weird for him to be unsure of his feelings, but I thought by now he'd have his shit together."

"He's stopped saying I don't not love you?"

Nini laughed, her arm fell on his thigh, "Not exactly. It just doesn't feel the same anymore. Last month, when we finished High School Musical...the Musical, everything was amazing. Then I told him about YAC and we just went back to where we were last year. He's distant, closed off..."

"The last thing I heard from him was that you two were doing great."

Nini shook her head, "If great means slow. I really wanted us to be going to other places. To be honest, it's not just Ricky, I think I want something different."

EJ chuckled, "Like what?"

She took another sip of her drink, what was left of it, before looking him in the eyes, "Hmm...how have you been?"

𝐍𝐎𝐖.

"We talked about this," EJ stuffed his clothes into his gym bag. "You steer clear of Ricky and keep your fucking mouth closed. That was what we agreed."

Marcus was tying his shoes on the bench, he laughed at his friend. He stood up to talk to him, "We never talked about me staying away from Ricky. You can relax, Caswell...I didn't tell him anything."

"Yeah but you're just telling him to be careful around me━what the fuck?"

"Calm down. I was only giving him a little bit of healthy relationship doubt, it's not like he's going to assume that means that you..."

EJ shushed him, his eyes darted around the empty room, "Someone could hear you."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. You don't own him and you don't own me. I can do whatever I want."

"So...all of a sudden you want to be best friends with him?"

"Maybe I do," Marcus smiled, "he seems like a nice guy. Pretty cute, right?"