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AFTER NINI'S SUDDEN announcement that she was moving to Denver, Phoebe was actually considering auditioning for Belle. It was out of her comfort zone, for sure, but her New Year resolution had been to take risks. It was in fact a new year with the perfect opportunity to do just that.
Walking into the cafeteria, Phoebe immediately noticed that EJ was sitting with some of his other friends. Not exactly in the mood to deal with Water Polo guys, Phoebe squeezed in next to Clara at the theater table. "What'd I miss?"
"Carlos is auditioning this year," Clara quickly filled her in.
Spotting his girlfriend, EJ quickly said bye to his friends and walked behind her, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Hey, baby."
Phoebe's heart fluttered at the new name. She and EJ had never really been the type of people to call each other baby, but she liked it. She tilted her head back to look up at him. "That's new."
EJ smiled and pecked her lips. He pulled away and turned towards Ricky. "You're welcome."
"Huh?" Ricky looked at him in confusion.
"Uh, I've decided to take myself out of the running for the Beast," EJ explained, making Phoebe's eyes widen. "I'm just - I've got a lot on my plate. Which reminds me, I should probably pick a meal plan for Duke." He took his phone out.
"Wait, you officially got in?" Ashlyn inquired.
"You're very confusing," Clara sighed, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a fry from her tray. "It's annoying."
"Back up," Ricky blinked. "You're not doing the musical either."
"No," EJ shook his head. "I've only got the bandwidth for a supporting role." He paused and looked over at Ricky. "Wait. . . what do you mean either?"
"Uh," Ricky chuckled nervously when he realized everyone was looking at him. "I'm, uh, I'm not sure if I'm auditioning this year. You know, once a skate rat. . . right?"
Gina furrowed her brows. "Wait, for real?"
"Okay, um," a blonde girl walked up to their table. "Sorry, I've been trying to work up the courage to say this. Okay, I can't believe I'm standing in front of both Troy Boltons right now. Both your performances last semester in HSM were incredible."
"Thanks," Ricky muttered.
"Thank you," EJ spoke over him. "That means a lot to us. It honestly takes a village to get a show up on its feet." EJ wrapped his arms around Phoebe and pulled her closer to him. "I've been very blessed."
