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"Five questions to really know someone's character. Today, I want you all to go fully method. Stay in character for this entire exercise. I want each of you to come forward, i'll prompt you with a question and you'll answer in character."
The second day of the workshop came around and no one in the room seemed to be feeling it except Miss Jenn. Her eyes fell over to EJ, "Gaston. Let's start with you."
Nova gave EJ a pat to the shoulder as he stood up, making his way toward the front of the room and turning back to the group. Miss Jenn cleared her throat, "Question one. If you had to pick one book to live inside, what would it be and why?"
"Ooh, uh.." EJ trialed off, scanning his brain for his answer, "Like a book of etiquette. You know, cause Gaston could really use some manners, always spitting and shooting stuff , like, Chill Gaston."
His words made the small group grin. Nova rested her head on her knee with a cheeky grin, watching him.
"Love that. Okay. What would you ask your future self." Miss Jenn read from the clip board in her arms.
"Oh, trick question. Gaston's dead." Ricky spoke up, getting nothing but silence in return.
"I'd ask him if he could learn to love anyone after Belle. Or if he'd ever gotten over her. Despite their differences, and how maybe they weren't right together, if they'd ended up together? If she made him better, if he could ever think about someone else in that way, that wasn't her." EJ spoke honestly with a small sigh, before a quick laugh left his lips to hide the awkwardness they flooded the group.
"Intriguing." Miss Jenn spoke a second later, the class clapping for him as he sat back down. Nova gave him a minor grin, crossing her legs as she felt like a middle schooler again, "Mr Beast? Wanna give it a go?"
Ricky forced a smile, jumping off the small bleachers. It was clear there was annoyance hung around him, tension toward Miss Jenn. Nova sat up better to watch how this one would play out, almost ready to jump in and save him if it came down to it.
"If you had to pick one book to live inside, which book would it be and why?" Miss Jenn repeated her question, only this time for Ricky.
"Well, as the Beast, it's canon that I can't read." Ricky pointed out, getting a few minor chuckles.
Miss Jenn clearly didn't find it funny, "Beast, i'd like you to take this seriously. Next question, what would you ask your future self?"
"Uh, I guess if I ever miss the old days, when I was all alone in the castle." Ricky spoke up, a faint feeling in his voice.
"And why would you miss that?" Miss Jenn spoke up, guilt dropping from her lips.
"Everything was the same every day. Nothing changed. Um, I mean, the forks didn't talk, teapots didn't sing." Ricky nodded, hiding his emotions with a form of humor.
"Okay, let's go deeper with this feeling." Miss Jenn pressed at him. Nova wanted to jump in and rescue Ricky but couldn't find a way how, "When you say that nothing changed-"
"I'm really trying here. Can you get off my back?" Ricky snapped at her suddenly.
"Can you watch your tone?" she rose her voice at him.
"Yeah. Okay, mom." Ricky mumbled.
Awkwardness hung in the air once again as Miss Jenn cut in, "Let's take a ten, everyone."
"Give me a second." Nova looked to EJ with a nod, patting his knee, getting one back as she stood up and followed Ricky out of the theater room.
"Ricky, yo, pump your brakes." Nova called, pushing the hallway door open as he stopped and turned to her with a sigh.
"I'm really not in the mood for a lecture, I'll-" he began, clearly just wanting to be done with everyone.
"I was just gonna say I know how you're feeling." Nova shook her head as Ricky stared over at her, "Change, it's not always a good feeling. Most of the time it actually really sucks and the world wants to invalidate us so we feel guilty for not being excited about something."
Ricky's shoulders dropped, the glare in his face softened as he looked at her, "Why does no one else see it?"
"Because all our friends have great parents who didn't get a divorce and leave their only child with a bunch of unanswered questions." Nova sighed as Rocky approached her, "I get it, you know?"
"I know you get it, I just don't wanna ask and look like-" he began, being cut off.
"Like you're being ridiculous when there are a million other things, that are worse, going on around you?" Nova asked, getting a honest nod as the pair sat down on the hallway floor. Ricky huffed as he slouched, "Miss Jenns unlocking those feelings."
"I didn't even really know I felt this way until now. Like, duh, I had a lot of questions and i'm so mad at my parents but at the same time, it still felt normal with my dad." Ricky pointed out with a nod as he pulled on the chain around his neck, "And now, I should be happy for him, but i'm just not."
"You don't have to be. You can feel however you want to." Nova shook her head quickly while staring his way, "Like I said, change can suck and people expect us to be happy when we aren't. Your dad, and your mom for that matter, have never been in your exact shoes. They don't get it, they never will. But, I think, if this is bothering you this much, you should talk to your dad."
"And say what? That I hate that he's dating already even though my mom is super serious with Tod?" Ricky gave a look of disbelief.
"If that's how you feel, then yes. With more context, of course. But you can't just let him, or Miss Jenn, brush over how you're feeling either. Regardless of your age, you have a right to feel however you wanna feel." Nova pushed his shoulder, earning a grin, "We're more alike then you think. And not just our taste in music."
"Prom night, Big Red wanted to murder us for blasting One Direction." Ricky laughed with a nod of his head, "For sometime so... not romantic, your promposal is still trending."
"Well, considering I had two dates." Nova laughed as she stood up, bringing Ricky with her with a long sigh, "I know talking about how you feel is the worst, you just wanna keep it all balled up. But, I know exactly how you're feeling, you can talk to me about it anytime."
Ricky hugged her with a hum, "How'd you get so good at this?"
"Just said what I wish i'd heard when my parents split." Nova said honestly, hugging him back.
•
kylie speaks
sorry this is so short!! i really wanted to focus on how similar ricky and nova are and how well they understand each other, especially for next episode:/
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