Theatre Geek - (R.B.)

02 - Roles & Goals

Ricky became worried while the rest of the auditionees went over the production results. What if he doesn't get the part due to some unforeseeable circumstance? Or, for that matter, any part? When a few kids with sorrowful expressions departed the billboard, it gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, he had a chance. Pushing his way through the mob of eager students to the front, he scanned the long page until he spotted his name printed just beside "Troy Bolton."

He exhaled a sigh of relief and moved on to his next mission, which was to search the main actresses for Nini's name. Nini's singing had always been a favourite of Ricky's, so there was no reason to be concerned. When he got close to the top, he noticed Julie Baker's name written directly beside "Gabriella Montez," and Nini was listed as Julia's understudy. He had to admit that Julia's voice was excellent as well, but his heart just broke when the one he adored was denied the part she had hoped for.

He only backed off when he noticed Julia approaching the billboard, maybe trying to read the results for herself. Ricky sighed and stormed out of the room. It pained his heart to watch a heartbroken Nini with her friends as he went out, but she kept a hopeful expression on her face like a good sport. Only if he could walk up there and hug her concerns away, but that would almost certainly result in a restraining order because he had no authority to do so. At least not any longer.

Julia wanted to dance around but was afraid of attracting too much attention. She wasn't a particular fan of it, ignoring the fact that she enjoyed acting. She went over to the theatre and received the screenplay script from Ms Jenn after gathering all of her belongings from the table she was studying at. She felt relieved as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. When she walked onto the stage earlier that day, she felt a little⸺okay⸺very nervous. She wasn't expecting a very big part in the play, heck, she wasn't expecting anything.

She went searching for Ricky. She felt it was necessary to congratulate him on landing the lead role because the two were intended to play an on-screen couple. When he returned her the bracelet she had dropped earlier, she thought it was incredibly thoughtful of him. Ricky was a really considerate guy in real life, too, she could tell.

Julia was informed by some other students in the hallway that Ricky had gone to the art room with a friend, so she thanked them and proceeded to find him. Julia overheard a discussion in the art classroom. Ricky and another boy she identified as Big Red was seated on the tables in an empty room when she peered through the crack of the door.

"I'm not sure, dude. Nini was a serious contender for the role of Gabriella, in my opinion," Ricky expressed his sadness. "Literally the only reason I auditioned was to win her back . . . otherwise musicals and plays just aren't my thing, to be honest."

"Ricky, Julia seems to be a nice girl with a great voice. Nini and Julia are both excellent contenders for the part, and Ms Jenn may have believed that Julia was special in some way. Why don't you give her a chance?" 

Ricky scoffed. "What chance? I'm considering leaving the play; it's a waste of time since I won't be able to get what I wanted."

"You do you. I'm just trying to let you know about what I think," Big Red said. "I don't think you should drop out of the play, though. Maybe you and Julia can be⸺"

Julia blushed profusely and considered taking a step back from the eavesdropping. This wasn't anything she should've been doing; in fact, it was completely inappropriate. She heard one last snippet before walking away from the scene, which made her reconsider her initial excitement.

"I don't even think I want to be friends with her, let alone a relationship!"

✩✩✩

The next morning, Julia woke up extra early for school. She put on her comfy turtleneck sweater, ate breakfast, and left for school. There was something she needed to do, something that she thought was the better choice. She knocked on the door of Ms Jenn's office before the said teacher opened it and invited her in.

"I'm going to drop out of the play, Ms Jenn," Julia said as soon as he walked in. The teacher looked at her student with absolute surprise. 

"Is everything okay?" Ms Jenn managed to say after some seconds.

"Yes," Julia laughed lightheartedly, "I'm just, um, I'm very busy because of all those club commitments, so I don't think I'll be able to give it my best in the production." Lie. Not all of it, though. She did have a lot of clubs joined, but none of them was stopping her from joining an extravagant drama play.

"I mean if you're sure . . . It's still early days so I'm glad you reached out to me before we began practice. If you still want to be a part of the production, do you want to help out backstage?"

The teacher was disappointed, and her comments seemed a little hesitant. She felt Julia had a lot of potential when she first met her after the morning assembly the previous morning, and she was so polite, much like herself. It never occurred to her that a student would forego such an essential part even before practice began.

"Uh, sure . . . That sounds nice." Julia smiled. "If you don't mind me asking, who will be taking over my part?"

✩✩✩

Ricky found Nini by her locker before the bell rang signalling the start of class. She was on her own, which didn't happen very frequently. Nini was virtually always with somebody else, so the fact that she wasn't this time surprised him. Taking a chance, he approached her hesitantly, only to be stopped in his tracks as EJ appeared out of nowhere and pulled her in for a kiss.

Sighing, he rolled his eyes.

Ms Jenn came over with a folder in her hand a moment later just as the couple drew apart from each other. "Nini, good news. You've scored the part of Gabriella!"

Ricky's mouth gaped slightly in disbelief as Nini smiled and laughed. He was only complaining about the fact that she didn't get the part yesterday, but she did today. Ricky couldn't help but chuckle, despite his confusion.

As Ricky walked over to his first-period class, he couldn't help but wonder what caused Julia, the initial contender for the role, to let go of the role so quickly.