Tabitha stood beside Ashlyn in the hallway, showing her some of her new set designs for the play when she heard the voices of Nini and EJ. She looked up, raising her eyebrows when she noticed it looks like they were fighting as they walked down the steps to where Ashlyn, Tabitha, and the rest of the theater kids were waiting outside of the bomb shelter.
She tried her best not to overhear their conversation because it looked like a heated one, but they were kind of talking loud and she couldn't help her curious self. Her eyes grew wide when it sounded like Nini basically broke up with EJ.
She watches Nini turn to face the theater kids, pointing at the closed door. "Hey, um, is the door locked or something? Why can't we get in?"
"Oh. Natalie Bagley's missing her emotional support hamster." Ashlyn answered.
"Yeah, Carlos and Gina are helping her find it." Tabitha added, regretting looking at EJ. He looked so sad about what just happened with him and Nini and Tabitha honestly felt bad for him. She quickly looked away from him, turning her attention to her sketchbook she held.
Everyone looks at the door when they hear a scream. Ashlyn points at the door. "I think they found it."
Nini and EJ continued talking while everyone went back to what they were doing before they heard the scream. A few moments later, Natalie walks out of the room, carrying a shoebox. "I need a moment." She then walks towards the stairs while Carlos walks out.
"So, uh, is the hamster dead?" Tabitha asked, looking at Carlos curiosity while tilting her head to the side.
"No." Carlos replies, shaking his head. "Now she thinks he's in her gym locker."
"Why the screaming?" Ashlyn questioned.
"That was me." Carlos responds. "She stepped on my toe." He turns to everyone. "We're ready to begin, people."
Once everyone was in the bomb shelter and Miss Jenn arrived, they started the blocking rehearsal. EJ had to fill in as Troy since Ricky was late.
"Can you two move in a little closer?" Miss Jenn asked the two, noticing they were standing at opposite ends of the room. Tabitha looks up from her sketchbook, raising her eyebrows when she saw how far apart EJ and Nini are. The two moves closer to each other with Nini being the reluctant one.
Miss Jenn sighs. "Come on, guys. We're blocking this as a love story, not a SARS epidemic."
"I think that chair was over there." Carlos said, pointing to a chair on the right side of the room and then pointed to the left.
"Oh, uh, I can move it over in the scene." Nini suggested, moving over to pick up the chair.
Miss Jenn shrugs. "Feels a little awkward."
Nini picks up the chair. "No. It's light. I can lift it above my head and walk."
"Sweetie, no one is walking with furniture over their head. This isn't The Lion King." Miss Jenn tells her. She looks at Big Red. "Strike the chair, please."
Big Red looks at her with confusion. "With what?"
"Take it away. Remove it." Miss Jenn replied.
Big Red nods and walks over to the chair as Miss Jenn turns her attention to EJ. "Troy, once the intro begins cross downstage and plant yourself at the piano." She glances at Big Red who just put the chair on the left side of the room. "Which should be further down the stage."
"No, dear, that would be upstage." Miss Jenn said to Big Red when he started moving the piano in the wrong direction. Big Red sighs and moves the piano in the right direction.
"Okay, Gabriella, you slowly approach the piano and rest an arm on it. Naturally." Miss Jenn said, looking at Nini. She looks back at Big Red. "Can we make sure her bookbag is on stage right?"
"Sure." Big Red replied, looking back at Seb with confusion. "Which way is that?"
Tabitha sympathetically smiled, feeling bad for Big Red since he really had no idea what he was doing and it was obvious.
"Okey-dokey." Miss Jenn smiles, turning to EJ and Nini after Big Red moved the bookbag to stage right with the help of Seb pointing him in that direction. "Let's take it from 'Wow! Now that's really nice.'"
"Wow! Now that's really nice." EJ said, glancing at Nini who just hums in response. When Seb starts playing the song EJ walks over to the piano. He stands at the right side of the piano while he begins to sing. "It's hard to believe that I couldn't see. You were always there beside me."
Tabitha had to admit he had a nice voice. She watches Nini move over to the other side of the piano, resting her arm on it rather harshly. "Thought I was alone with no one to hold. You were always there beside me."
The more the two sang the more Tabitha realized how awkward this was. "This feeling's like no other. I want you to know. I've never had someone that knows me like you do, the way you do."
"This is awkward, right?" Tabitha whispered, leaning over to Ashlyn.
Ashlyn nods in agreement and puts emphasis on the word 'very'. "Very awkward."
"I've never had someone as good for me as you no one like you. So lonely before, I finally found what I've been looking for."
"Well," Tabitha looks behind her at Gina who leans over to her and Ashlyn with a small smile on her face. "This is a choice."
Tabitha narrows her eyes at the girl before slowly nodding. "Yeah..." She turned back to the front, sharing a look with Ashlyn before they turn their attention back to EJ and Nini.
Now EJ stood on the left side of the piano and Nini stood beside him. "Doo doo doo. Doo doo doo doo doo doo." Tabitha raised her eyebrows when Nini sang louder and higher than EJ and she noticed the girl was looking at him with a glare. She knew that Nini was probably upset with what EJ did, but that didn't mean doing this was necessary.
Then Nini becomes the only one singing while EJ stared at the piano with annoyed expression. He glanced at the students watching, locking eyes with Tabitha. Tabitha sent him a smile which made his lips curves upward a bit. The somewhat smile he had on his face fell when he looks back at Nini. She finished singing a bit over the top, her glare never fading as she looks at him.
"Okay, freeze." Miss Jenn speaks up and Seb stops playing. "Nini, sweetie," She stands up, looking at Nini. "This reprise comes from a decisive moment in the story, once your hearts have joined. It's a love song."
Nini raises her eyebrows, glancing at EJ before looking back at Miss Jenn. She gestures to herself and EJ. "Are we not getting that?"
"I'd like you to get to his heart without cutting his rib cage." Miss Jenn replied.
"Me too." Tabitha muttered under her breath, looking at the door with wide eyes when Ricky suddenly rushed in.
"Sorry I'm late." He apologizes, dropping his bag near the door. "My mom, she caught an earlier flight. Where are we?"
"Scene seven." Carlos responded.
Ricky sighs when he realizes he doesn't have his script. "I don't have it." He looks at the rest of the theater kids. "Could I borrow..."
"You need your script, Ricky." Miss Jenn interrupts him. "And a pencil. It's a blocking rehearsal."
Ricky looks over at Nini. "Could I borrow a pencil?"
"Oh, you can share mine." Ashlyn offered, standing up as she reached her pencil out to Ricky.
Tabitha smiles a bit, thinking it was sweet she offered to do that. She looks back at Ricky, just then realizing how upset he was looking which made her frown a bit. She looks at Miss Jenn with furrowed eyebrows when she says, "No, he can't." Miss Jenn turns to face everyone. "When you come to rehearsal, people, you come prepared."
Then Natalie runs in, holding a shoebox where Tabitha realized she kept her hamster. Ashlyn walks up to her. "Was he in your gym locker?"
"No," Natalie frowns. "Just my cherry lip balm." She sniffles. "But it had Elliot's teeth marks in it."
"Oh, I'm sure that wouldn't hurt him." Ashlyn reassured her.
Natalie stares at her with disbelief. "It's sparkly."
Seb stands up, looking at her with a smile. "Then it'll be easier to find him." When everyone looks at him, he sheepishly smiles. "If he smiles."
Miss Jenn looks at Natalie. "Natalie, we feel your pain, but I was just explaining what a constructive rehearsal requires. Focus. And honestly, another day like this and I am showing up with my emotional support coyote."
"Miss Jenn," Ricky speaks up. "I know the scene."
Miss Jenn points at him. "Would you wait for me in my office, please? Thank you."
Ricky sighs, going over to grab his stuff, and was quick to leave the room. "Uh," Tabitha speaks up, looking at Miss Jenn who started to walk to the door. "Does this mean rehearsal is over?"
"Yes," Miss Jenn looks at her while she nods. "It does, Tabitha." She looks at everyone, pointing at herself. "Take a note. This is what a frustrated drama teacher looks like."
She then ushered everyone to leave and everyone hurries to pick up their stuff and leave the bomb shelter.
****
"I wonder what happened with Ricky." Maeve said later that day while she facetimed Tabitha. Tabitha had told her about what happened during rehearsal.
From her spot on her bed, Tabitha nods in agreement. "Yeah, I feel bad for him. It sounded like it had to deal with his parents."
"So, homecoming dance is coming up." Maeve smiles a bit. "You going this year?"
"Probably not." Tabitha replies, shaking her head. "You know I don't like going to those kind of things."
"I know, but you know who is gonna be there and you could possibly get a dance with him." Maeve smirked, referring to EJ.
Tabitha sent her a glare, feeling her face grow hot. "If I went to the dance, I wouldn't even have the courage to ask him for a dance. And beside he has this complicated thing going with Nini. If there's a possibility of them working things out, then I don't wanna ruin that."
"Sometimes I hate it that you're so nice." Maeve sighed and Tabitha giggled a bit. She jumped whenever she heard a loud door slam and faint arguing.
"Your parents?" Maeve questioned, noticing the way her facial expression immediately changed when she heard a door slam.
Tabitha nods, sending her a sad smile. "Yeah."
"You can come over tonight." Maeve offers. "I know they can get pretty loud and kinda violent."
"It's alright." Tabitha spoke in a reassuring tone. She wasn't for sure if she was trying to reassure herself or Maeve. "I'll...I'll be fine."
"Okay, feel free to come over anytime." Maeve tells her, looking at her with a smile. "I'm gonna head to bed since it's getting late."
"'Kay. Night." Tabitha waves at her before ending the facetime call. She frowns when the arguing turned to yelling. She laid her laptop on her bedside table, putting her headphones in her ear that were plugged into her phone and pressed play on the music she had ready. She then laid down, turning the music up, and tried to go to sleep.
Tabitha finds herself waking up around 2 am. She realized that her headphones had fallen out of her ears at one point and she could still hear her parents arguing. She didn't even care what they were arguing about, she just wished they would be quiet so she could sleep. Letting out a heavy sigh, she gets up and goes over to a bag she always had packed. She always had a bag packed for moments like this.
After changing out of her shorts and into sweatpants, she pulls on a hoodie, puts on some sneakers and then heads over to her bedroom window. She grabbed her phone before she left and snuck out of her room.
****
"Tabitha?"
"Hi, EJ." Tabitha greeted, looking at the boy who stood in front of her with a small smile. She pulled her hood up when she felt the rain start to fall. She wasn't really expecting to see him at Ashlyn's, but it would make sense he's over there since Ashlyn is his cousin.
EJ looks at her with furrows eyebrows, wondering why she was standing in front of him this late at night. He was glad he was still up because she could've been standing out in the rain for awhile and he would've felt bad about that. "Um, what are you doing here this late?"
"I-I know I should've probably called, or something, but I just can't be at home right now...." Tabitha stuttered out a reply, letting out a sigh. She debated with herself the whole way to Ashlyn's house whether or not she should tell them what's going on with her parents.
"My parents fight a lot and they're still fighting now and it's just hard to sleep with that going on...I'm really sorry if I woke you up...I-I can leave. I probably should leave. I'm sorry." Tabitha rambled out an apology, looking at him with tears threatening to fall.
He's quiet as he stares at her with an unreadable expression. She goes to turn around, regretting going to Ashlyn's house. She stopped when he grabbed her arm, and looked at him to see he's looking at her with a small smile.
"You don't have to apologize for anything." EJ reassures her. "And you...You should stay." He shrugs. "My aunt and uncle are out of town, but I'm sure Ashlyn won't mind you staying over."
Tabitha looks at him with surprise, not expecting him to let her stay. "Oh, um, t-thank you."
"Yeah, of course," EJ smiles softly at her which caused butterflies to form in Tabitha's stomach. He gently pulls her inside so she's not standing in the rain anymore. "Come in out of the rain. I don't want you getting sick."
"EJ, who was at the door?"
EJ lets go of Tabitha's arm, closing the door as he turns around to see his cousin standing in the hallway. Ashlyn smiles a bit at seeing Tabitha, but then frowns when she realized it looked like Tabitha has been crying. "Tabi, what's wrong? Why are you here so late? Not that it's a problem."
"My parents fight a lot and they're fighting now." Tabitha shrugs her shoulders, letting out a small sigh. "Kind of hard to sleep when they fight. Is it alright if I stay here tonight?" She looked at the cousins with a hopeful glint in her eye.
"Yeah." EJ immediately answered which surprised Ashlyn. EJ glanced at her, making sure it was okay with her.
Ashlyn nods, looking at Tabitha with a smile. "Of course you can. You're always welcomed here. I'll get the guest room ready for you."
"Thank you, Ash." Tabitha smiled, grateful for the both of them. Ashlyn smiled, nodding her head and then left the room, leaving EJ and Tabitha alone.
"So, um, I'm sorry about you and Nini." Tabitha spoke, breaking the awkward silence that fell between them.
EJ sighs, shaking his head. "It's fine. I think there was a part of me that knew we would never make it last. I guess I just didn't want to admit it. I'm over the whole thing now."
"Good." Tabitha smiled a bit.
"I'm sorry your parents fight." EJ said, looking at her with a sad smile. "No one should have to go through that."
Tabitha looks away from him, suddenly finding her shoes interesting. "Yeah..."
"So, I didn't know you actually had a good singing voice." Tabitha decided to change the subject, not wanting to cry in front of EJ anymore.
EJ looks at her with narrowed eyes. "Did you think I would've sound bad?" Tabitha sheepishly smiles in response. "Well," EJ pouts. "Then I'm glad you know the truth now. In my opinion, I think I'm not that bad of a singer." He said, crossing his arms.
A small giggle left Tabitha's lips which caused EJ to smile at hearing that sound. The two stare at each other with smiles, finding it hard to break eye contact. Tabitha felt her heartbeat increase each moment and she almost felt herself begin to lean in. Maybe her mind was playin tricks, but she thought she saw EJ do the same.
"Tabitha," Ashlyn walks back into the room and the two teens were quick to step away from each other. The red-haired girl looks at them suspiciously. "The guest room is ready."
"Okay, um," Tabitha puts her hood down, looking at Ashlyn with a smile. "Thanks." She then follows Ashlyn to the guest room, glancing back at EJ with a small smile.
"If you need anything, just let us know." Ashlyn said to Tabitha after she finished showing her around the guest room and the bathroom that was attached to the guest room.
"Thank you." Tabitha told her, setting her backpack beside the bed. She looks at Ashlyn. "Really, I mean it. Not a lot of people would do this."
"It's not a problem." Ashlyn reassures her, looking at her with a smile. "I know you probably wanna get some sleep, but I just have to ask...Were you and EJ about to kiss?"
Tabitha bites her lower lip, glancing out to the hallway when she heard footsteps. She locks eyes with EJ and he sent her a smile that almost looked shy. Her lips form into a smile and she looks back at Ashlyn when EJ continued down the hallway to his room. "Yeah...I think so."
A/N oooh ej & tabitha were so close to kissing!! don't worry, they're gonna kiss sometime soon! next chapter is the homecoming dance! it's gonna be another interesting one to write!