𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐒 ― e. caswell ³ ✓

007

EJ ignored her, and Athena frowned, which made Violetta frown. "Look, Corbin's helicopter had a maintenance issue. He'll be here any second. Are we totally sure about doing this?"

"We wanna impress Corbin Bleu," Carlos explained. "And how else does one impress a person except by performing elaborate musical numbers for them?" There was the sound of a helicopter approaching, and Carlos became panicked. "Places, everyone! Someone hand me my sunglasses!"

Violetta locked eyes with EJ momentarily. His eyes lit up at the sight of her, like they normally did, but they soon darkened. Violetta felt a pang of hurt go throughout her chest, and she raised an eyebrow at him for a second before falling back onto her chair. She watched as EJ walked away, wondering exactly how they ended up in such a weird situation when only a few days ago they were perfectly fine.

Honestly, Violetta just felt like she was going through the motions. The song began again, and Carlos and Kourtney sang to it. She did her choreography, dancing with partners, kicking, and twirling herself around. It was all kind of a blur, honestly. Like she said earlier, she just wanted it to be over with, so she danced like she was asked.

Finally, the song ended, meaning the dance ended. Violetta struck her last pose on the chair and watched as Kourtney hip-bumped Carlos, making him fall into the pool fully clothed. She raised her eyebrows in amusement as Kourtney giggled and fanned herself with the pink fan she had.

"Still no Corbin," Ashlyn voiced. "Just Dewey."

Dewey clapped. "Whoo! Now that is a catchy song. Is that Ariana Grand?"

And when Ricky picked up Athena and jumped into the pool with her, both of them still fully clothed and a mess of laughter and joy, Violetta couldn't help the way her heart sank. Those two were the golden standard, and it was all Violetta wanted. She had it, but EJ was pulling away from her, and she didn't know how to fix it.

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NOW DRESSED IN a light purple t-shirt with darker purple butterflies, with a pair of jean shorts and paired with her Converse again, Violetta stood in the barn for their first read-through of Frozen. She twirled one of her curls around her finger, all of her hair down. Violetta was never really one to get really nervous, but it was Corbin Bleu, and he was going to be there with a camera.

She stood by Athena and Ricky. All of them were in a circle, doing their usual exercises. Violetta stretched her arms above her head, feeling better as her back straightened all the way out.

"Okay, he really is coming this time," EJ announced, walking down the steps from the stage, holding his binder. "Everyone, act like you're taking this serious and warming up."

Violetta frowned. But they were.

"That is literally what they're doing, EJ," Val argued. "Take it down to a three. You're at a seven out of ten."

Corbin Bleu then suddenly entered the barn, his cameraman Channing trailing after him. Violetta turned to look at him, wiping her palms down on her skirt. Oh, God. Okay. It was real. It was happening.

"Corbin's on the clock," Corbin began. "It's go-time."

"Mr. Bleu, sir, we have a killer first read-through plan for today," EJ stated.

He walked right past EJ. "Right."

"Okay, yeah, you make the rounds, good."

Corbin stopped at their circle and looked right at Kourtney. "Dope outfit."