Scarlett dropped to the floor, leaning her back against the trunk of a tree as she brought her knees to her chest. In the spur of the moment, using Ricky to get back at EJ seemed fun but as she sat and thought more about it, it just made her feel petty and maybe a tiny bit guilty. She honestly wasn't sure what she was feeling anymore and the more she was alone with her thoughts the more she wanted to just drop her head and cry.
This summer was supposed to be the best summer yet and it was turning out to be the most confusing, disheartening summer she'd ever had. She let out a deep sigh, tipping her head back and staring up at the sky above her. She watched the way the clouds moved above her until the sound of her name brought her out of her trance.
"Hey, Scar."
She swivelled her head over to the sound. It was EJ. She has no idea what to even say to him, which wasn't necessarily new to her but usually it was in much more forgiving circumstances. She settled with a small smile that wasn't even close to reaching her eyes as she picked herself up from the floor.
"Okay, I know the whole reindeer costume was upsetting, but are you mad at me about something?" He questioned.
She cracked her fingers. "Don't get me started." She replied, hoping the stolen phrase would deflate some of the tension that rose between them.
He chuckled. "Is that a threat?" Her lips turned up into an almost smile as she swayed on her feet awkwardly. "Hey, I know today's a little weird. But I promise I'll have time to hang out once this whole Corbin thing gets sorted."
"Will you? 'Cause I kinda feel like we're having totally different summers."
EJ looked down at his shoes guilty, rocking on them back and forth. "Yeah, I know. But tomorrow's gonna be better. I promise. Okay?"
Scarlett grimaced at the promise. She had a feeling that he wasn't going to be able to keep that one but she nodded gently anyway.
___
EJ had gone back inside the barn as Scarlett sat on one of the benches outside of the building. She drummed her fingers against the wood, staring off and watching a small game of frisbee that was currently going on.
"Hey, you." Scarlett turned her head at the sound of her best friend's voice. Valentina smiled gently, taking a seat in front of her and crossing her legs. "That was really something."
Scarlett groaned, dropping her head to her knees as her hands ran through her hair. "I thought I'd feel better if I got under his skin but he came over and spoke to me earlier and he seems perfectly fine and I still feel like an idiot." She rushed out before taking a deep breath. "I feel like a bigger idiot." She lifted her head, resting her chin against her knees.
Valentina nodded her head as she listened to the girl. "You're not an idiot. I'm sure he has a valid reason as to why he decided to keep the letter from you... and tell another girl."
"I just." Scarlett shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back against the post behind her. "I just didn't think summer would include my first boyfriend fight." She let out a small laugh. "It's not even a real fight. It's like a one-sided confusion." She shook her head slowly. "My first boyfriend secret."
Valentina lifted her hands and shook them slightly. "Woo!" She cheered a little. "I mean, there's a first for everything. Who says they shouldn't all be celebrated?"
Channing then raced up the steps of the barn, clicking at the pair. "You two, inside, inside! I forgot something!"
Scarlett shared a confused look with Valentina who shrugged before standing up and offering her a hand. She took it gratefully, not letting go as they walked through the doors of the barn. They wandered over to the rest of the cast and crew, both of them being handed wooden panels that showed different hats.
Scarlett finally let go, finding a spare seat behind EJ. She turned her prop around and lifted it to her head as EJ addressed the group. Channing set up the camera. "All right, smile, guys. We're almost home."
"Almost home as in Salt Lake or St. Louis?" Scarlett questioned not even registering what she was saying before it was out.
"Wait, what?"
She scoffed slightly as EJ turned to her. "Are you confused? Welcome to the club."
Channing grinned excitedly at the sound of more drama. "What's this about St. Louis?"
"It's where the World's Fair was held in 1904. It's a great city." He smiled at the man before turning back to the girl behind him. "Can we talk about this later?"
She didn't meet his eye as she looked toward the camera. "Whatever."
Channing wasted no time in snapping a few photos, reminding them to smile as the flash repeatedly went off. "Thanks again. Great day, guys." He sent them a quick thumbs-up before letting himself out.
Everyone stood up, moving away from the clump of people they had created. "Well, that couldn't have gone longer." Ashlyn laughed awkwardly.
"I, for one, am looking forward to being reviled by America."
People began to filter out and Carlos wafted his sign about as he scoffed. "A simple thank you would suffice."
"Guys, can we just stop getting so worked up over this, okay? If we can't pull this summer together, then we're gonna have bigger problems than just labels on posters!"
"Okay, do you wanna take it down like 1000? Being this anxious is actually bad for your skin."
"Did you tell him what my mom..." Kourtney turned to Gina who quickly shook her head and Scarlett didn't say a word as she watched everything unfold. God was this summer a mess.
"Guys this is all a natural response to a day of high tensions and intense emotions. Let's just walk it off, take a breath." Val tried to diffuse the situation but it only seemed to cause things to overflow again.
Ashlyn shook her head, "Val, maybe now is not the time for your psychoanalysis. Read the room."
Scarlett let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "In my experience, Val prefers to read letters that aren't for her."
Maddox then pulled Ashlyn to the side as Valentina strolled over to Scarlett, attempting to calm her down and stop her from saying anything that she would regret the next day or cause her to become the bad guy in the situation. Whatever Maddox had said to Ashlyn however set off an entirely separate argument as Jet wandered over, slightly nudging Gadget's arm.
"Can you just stop telling everyone who they are and how they should be?"
Maddox scoffed as she turned towards him, forgetting about her previous conversation. "Oh, you're talking to me now?"
"Forget it. You're just gonna yell." Jet shook his head as he began to advance on the barn doors and make a quick getaway.
"Oh, yeah. That's right, Jet. Make me the bag guy, once again."
Ricky tried to diffuse the tension. "Did I miss an episode of our reality show? Did these two know each other before camp?"
His attempt at humour went unnoticed and Jet turned back around, pointing his finger at the girl. "Look, Maddie, I'm here, aren't I? I'm trying."
She laughed sarcastically. "Only because you were forced to come here after you literally got expelled from school! Or are we just pretending that didn't happen?"
"You have never let me explain that."
Maddox shook her head. "Okay, then why don't you also explain why you didn't come to my fiftieth birthday party? Explain why I lose all of my confidence when you're around me, and heck, Jet, why don't you explain why you told Mom and Dad about me and Madison when you found the texts in my phone? Explain that."
Over time, she had slowly inched closer and closer to the boy who had quickly closed in on himself, shaking his head before beelining for the door.
"Mom and... Wait, what?" Ashlyn exclaimed and Ricky lifted his hands to his face as Carlos stared at the wall in horror.
"I have done a horrible thing."
"I need to sit down." Ricky dropped to sit on the stage before swivelling around and lying down. "I need to lie down."
Scarlett shook her head with a small, shock-filled laugh. "I guess there are a lot of secrets floating around."
EJ quickly strode over after her comment. "Whatever you saw in that letter, it's now what it looks like."
She scoffed. "Of course, it's not. It's never what it looks like." She replied bitterly before her voice dropped and became much softer. "St. Louis, EJ. You let me think I wasn't gonna have to say goodbye until at least next year."
"You won't have to. My Dad is trying to make me go to Caswell success school, but I'm going to change his mind." She looked down towards the floor, blinking rapidly as she felt her eyes begin to water. She was not about to cry in a room full of random people she barely knew. "I know if he sees that I can make this docuseries a success, he'll let up on the whole training thing." Scarlett finally looked up towards him. "I am not leaving Salt Lake without a fight."
She shook her head gently. He didn't get it. Sure, she was upset that he might have to leave her for St. Louis but that wasn't why she was mad. "So, why didn't you just tell me? I don't want to feel like you're keeping things from me."
"Can I be team Scarlett on this?" Val asked and Scarlett sent her a small smile of gratitude suddenly feeling guilty at the harsh way she had been treating her. Sure, she thought that the girl should have told her but it wasn't her information to tell and it wasn't her fault that EJ had told her about it.
Ashlyn then stalked forward slowly. "Elton John Caswell. I am so disappointed in you."
Scarlett shook her head. She never even knew his name, how could she not know that?
"Wait, that's what EJ stands for? I always assumed you were like an Eric junior!" Carlos let out a small laugh as the boy turned to look at him.
"My dad's name is Cash."
Ricky then flew up from his lying down position on the stage. "You guys, Jet and Maddox are siblings!"
EJ shook his head, reaching his hand out to hold the girl who took a step back. "Scar, please. I just..."
She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself as she moved towards the doors. "You just acted like an old version of yourself. Or maybe that's just the real EJ of Shallow Lake."
Scarlett quickly pushed open the doors to the barn, hopping down the steps and making a beeline for literally anywhere that didn't hold that many people. She didn't mean what she had said, in fact, she regretted each word the second she had said it. She knew how hard he had worked to fix the problems he had created in the past and how ashamed he was to think back on the things he had done. She was proud of him for how far he's come since then, she didn't think she'd ever told him that.
She found herself strolling into the empty lounge and dropping onto one of the couches, pulling her legs up to her chest as she lay down. The room was slightly dark and extremely quiet, exactly what she needed right now.
A few moments later, she heard footsteps gently walk inside, before the lid of the piano keys was lifted open. She didn't move as the first few notes were played but once the voice of Jet made itself known as he began to sing she slowly sat up. She smiled gently, placing her chin against the back of the couch as she watched his fingers glide across the keys. She assumed the melancholy song was about his sister, which made her smile a little more. So he wasn't a complete loss of hope.
She began to worry as he came to the end of his song. She hoped he didn't think she was spying on him or something, especially since he proved to be a bit of a flight risk. He tilted his head back once he was done and she coughed to catch his attention. He quickly turned to her, a hand shooting up to his chest as he jumped.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you."
He paused and for a moment Scarlett thought he was going to get up and leave but he stayed put before shaking his head. "It's okay. I guess I interrupted you first." He then stood up, turning to walk towards the door.
She held a hand out, as if she could magically stop him moving, "You don't have to leave, unless you want to of course. I'll happily be interrupted by music like that. I didn't know you played."
Jet nodded as he glanced back at the warn-down piano. "Yeah, since I was a kid. Guess it sort of grounds me."
Scarlett grinned as she threw her arms up. "Thank you! You don't know how many times I've tried to explain that to people."
"You play too?" He questioned with a ghost of a smile.
She nodded her head. "Also since I was a kid. I played the iconic Kelsi Nielson last year in High School Musical so I think that really says it all."
Jet let out a small laugh, one that if you weren't really listening you could have easily missed. Scarlett was honestly shocked, she didn't think he was capable of such a thing. "I've got to see that." He headed further into the room and used his hands to show off the rusty piano. "Come on then, Kelsi. Show us what you've got."
Scarlett laughed as she got up from the couch, swapping seats with him as she stretched her fingers. It felt good to be sitting back in front of a piano. She adored playing the lead and she was nothing but excited to have the opportunity but she really did belong in front of a piano.
After a while of messing around with different types of music and Scarlett slightly teasing him on his evident forming crush on Kourtney, the pair separated, going their separate ways toward their housing both of them surprisingly feeling much better than before. Maybe this summer wasn't a total disaster.
JET AND SCARLETT ARE NOT GOING TO END UP LIKING EACH OTHER I PROMISE. I just really like his character and it's destined that the two little piano players become best friends, okay, it's inevitable. However, I am tempted to write a Jet fic as well I can't lie. How do we feel about that? Is it something we'd be interested in or is the mutual love for Jet not a thing?