𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 - 𝐡𝐬𝐦𝐭𝐦𝐭𝐬 (𝐢𝐯)

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝒗𝒊𝒊. 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚

Apparently, nonetheless, Ricky could not care less because he walked up to Juliette and whispered in her ear, "Troy and Gabriella."

"Nothing's gonna get in our way" she celebrated as well, taking a seat beside him before their celebration was interrupted by Gina.

"Wait, what area code is 3-1-0?"

"310... That's Hollywood, baby."

Gina picked up her phone as everybody shut up. It would be nice to say that they wanted Gina to hear the other person well but the truth was that they wanted to hear the other person, which Gina made easier by putting the phone on speaker.

"I spoke to your drama teacher today," Quinn, the director, said, "and she said that you have the range, talent and ambition to really make a mark and not just in the background. What I'm saying is, how would you like to replace Dani on High School Musical 4?"

Gina fell silent for some seconds before replying that she would be delighted and running downstairs to tell her mom, which everybody took as their cue to leave. After congratulating Gina, all of them walked out of the house and into the chilly night air. Juliette and Ricky waited a few minutes for everybody to leave before getting into Ricky's car so as not to let anybody know that they had come together.

The only thing they could talk about on the short way there was how happy they were for Gina and how she had been born exactly for that. Among the whole group, Juliette was sure that Gina would be voted 'most likely to become a star' if that were a thing at all at East High (which luckily it wasn't).

"Here you are," Ricky whispered, parking the car in front of Juliette's house. "You better go inside or your mom will think I'm a bad influence."

"Well, you kind of are," Juliette joked, turning to look at him with a smile. "And I love you for that."

Ricky leaned forward and left a soft kiss on Juliette's lips, a smile still dancing on them. If Juliette had learnt something about Ricky was that he loved kisses, all kinds of them: cheek kisses, forehead kisses, proper kisses of course. Well, in fact, Ricky loved all kinds of physical contact, it was a reminder that the other person was still there, which is something he needed constant reassurance of.

"I love you too, Jules."

"And thank you for tonight's date, it was amazing."

"Yeah, well, the plan was to go to dinner afterwards but..." Ricky's voice trailed off, remembering how their date had been abruptly interrupted. "I'll take you to dinner this weekend. Sounds good?"

"You know you don't have to–"

"I want you, Jul."

"Want to come inside? You could stay for a while. It's still early..."

"On a school night?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious. "Young lady, you need to focus on your studies and not on some stupid boy."

"Well, we do have to rehearse. You know, with High School Musical 3 and all."

"Juliette, I..."

"Shut up," she replied, turning the car off herself and getting out of it, walking around it to open Ricky's door before he could even think about driving away. "This is all for school."

Both of them walked into the house, hand in hand, and left their jackets in the hall.

"How did date night go?" Juliette's mother asked as soon as Juliette and Ricky had had walked into the living room, where her family was watching a movie. "Oh, hey, Ricky. How's everything?"