( 𝘨𝘪𝘧: 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘦 )

𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄

𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒔 : 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅-𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 

𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒘𝒐

It was the second day of official rehearsals, and the cast was supposed to rehearse the final dance. Ricky was cynical of having to dance after the curtain call, which no one seemed to question but him. August rolled her eyes as Carlos explained it to him. That was the point of a musical, to dance. What did Ricky not understand?

Miss Jenn had put Carlos in charge, which seemed to stress him out, and Ricky's constant questions weren't helping. 

"Why are we starting with the bows, if we haven't even practised the play yet?" 

Carlos sighed, clapping his hands together. "Because it's the hardest dance, and it will take the longest to learn. Now, let's start right before Troy and Gabriella enter for the vows." Everyone got into their starting positions, and Seb started to play the piano. 

Bodies swung around in sync as legs were kicked high. Soon enough, August and Ricky started to dance, and while August's moves hit the beat sharp and on point, Ricky couldn't seem to remember the dance moves, so he's moves were sloppy as he tried to follow August. Carlos tutted, making Seb stop playing as he approached the couple.

"I'm sorry." Ricky muttered, running a hand through his curls frustratedly. 

"It's fine. With a bit of practice he'll be good." August sighed, talking to Carlos. 

Ricky raised an eyebrow. "Thanks?"

"Don't thank me. This is what's best for the production. But it's not why you're here, is it?" Ricky frowned, not liking her tone. The pent up anger the two teenagers had was starting to spill out the longer they spent in each other's presence. The fact that everything seemed to be going against Ricky frustrated him, and the feeling that every small thing he did was being scrutinized didn't make him feel any better. And August just wanted to enjoy rehersals; this was supposed to be such a great time, but being there with Ricky didn't help.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means. You auditioned for a certain someone, and she didn't get the lead next to you." 

Carlos chuckled awkwardly when the other actors quietened down to try and overheard the argument. "Let's get back to dancing please." his squeaks went ignored by August and Ricky, who just stared at each other with fire in their eyes. 

"My audition doesn't matter anymore. I care about this role and I'm gonna take it seriously." he snapped as August rolled her eyes.

"Sure. The day you learn to commit will be the day pigs fly." 

"You know, not everything is about you, okay? Can't you just get over yourself?" as soon as Ricky said those words, he regretted them. He didn't really think about August that way. But in the heat of the moment, he felt regret for lying to her. But the defense mechanism pulled in and there was no stopping his lips from spilling his deepest insecurities. 

A cold look froze August's face as she picked up her bag. "Yeah. I guess it isn't." Ricky stared at her guiltily as August stormed away, just as Miss Jenn entered. 

"Mission accomplished! A precious piece of the original- hey! Where are you going Gabriella?"

"It's August." the curly-haired girl snapped, storming outside. Miss Jenn frowned confused as she stared between Ricky's guilty face and August's retreating figure. 

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

𝑹𝑰𝑪𝑲𝒀, 𝑳𝑶𝑶𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨𝑻 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑨: I didn't mean to say that. (sigh). Maybe it's better if I quit. I've done enough damage as it is. What am I supposed to do? Spend all night practising to prove to August that I'm not the quitter and liar she thinks I am?

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

It was nearing midnight when Ricky Bowen's father woke up to the sound of faint music and thuds downstairs. Rubbing his eyes, he decided to go investigate. Finding his son following some dance moves displayed on the TV's screen, he raised his eyebrow, questioning his son's sanity. "This is new."

"I joined the school's musical and, somehow, got the lead? I don't know, but I need to practise in order to impress Au-" he stopped short, blushing slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by his father, who sat on the sofa, unable to sleep. 

"To impress a girl?" Ricky continued dancing, ignoring his father's knowing look. "Is this that girl you met at summer that you wouldn't stop talking about?"

"W-what? No." 

|Ricky's father chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, I hope you do manage to impress her. You know, for a second I feared that your break up with Nini would make you go deeper into your shell. But I'm glad you've met this girl. Whoever it is."

Ricky stopped short as the dace continued on the screen and thoughts about his dad's words. He went upstairs, saying goodnight. But Ricky stopped it. "August. That's her name."

Ricky's dad nodded. "Good to know." 

August entered the empty theatre room, sighing. Rehearsal had been postponed, at least for the time being, and while everyone else had found something to do, she was bored. She couldn't go home, because she didn't know how long this postponed time was going to be. 

She paced around, and checked her phone. A picture of her and Ricky from that summer had remained her lockscreen. They were both grinning, and his arms had been wrapped around her shoulder, pulling August closer. 

How easy things had been back then.

But August preferred to know the truth than to remain in a relationship that kept lying to her face. She knew that Ricky had made a mistake, and he was capable of maturing. But until he did, August wasn't ready to forgive him until he showed progress.

August spotted the piano sitting in the middle of the stage, probably ready for some future performance. But it was currently empty, and very tempting to play the melody that had been running through her mind all day. Maybe this would help get off the words that weighed her down off her shoulders.

The theatre's silence was interrupted as August's fingers softly pressed the piano's keys, and her voice started to mutter softly some words to accompany this.

"but i can see us lost in a memory

august slipped away into a moment of time

'cause it was never mine"

Her voice slowly got stronger and more confident as she continued, her strong emotions making her hit the keys with force. It was a beautiful sound, her voice powerful beyond words. Unbeknown to August, Ricky was sent by Miss Jenn to go fetch August to rehearse. He had heard faint music on the hallways, and had stopped short entering the theatre, in awe at August's singing. He didn't want to interrupt the work of art he was presencing.

"back when we were still changing for the better

wanting was enough, for me it was enough

to live for the hope of it all, cancel plans just in case you'd call

and say meet me behind the mall

so much for summer love, and saying us

'cause you weren't mine to lose

you were never mine, never mind"

August played the ending keys of the song, the two teenagers deeply moved by the lyrics. For August, what hurt the most about it all was that Ricky had been her everything, yet he was never hers to begin with. His heart had been captured and belonged to another. Yet in his hands, he kept a tight grip of her heart. And August didn't have it in her to ask for her heart back. Because she knew her heart still belonged to Ricky. Even after everything occurred.

Ricky had never meant to hurt either August or Nini. If anything, he thought he was doing August a favour by separating himself from her. All he did was damage their relationship, and Ricky knew that she deserved better than him. Yet that fact hurt Ricky deeply, because the best of him he had given to August. And this loss of such an important person in his life was enormous, so the only reason he wanted to fall back to Nini was the comfort of something that had always been there for him, to give him advice. Yet Nini was dating someone else now, and had no time for Ricky. 

Ricky could never give her peace. But was August willing to sacrifice her peace for him?

As if alerted of his presence, August looked back, her eyes colliding with Ricky's. She quickly stood up, banging her knee on the piano as she winced. Ricky took a step forward instinctively, yet stopped in his tracks by August's cautionous stare. 

"Are you okay?"

August nodded slowly, tucking a curl behind her ear. "Yeah, fine. Why...why are you here?"

"Oh! Uhm, rehearsals are back on. Miss Jenn sent me to come get you." August nodded, and quickly grabbed her stuff. Ricky dug his hands in his pockets and swung back and forth on the spot, waiting for her. He didn't realise he had waited for her until she threw him an unsure glance. Yet they walked in silence, an inch between them as they kept taking glancing at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. "I, uh, I've been practising."

"Huh?" August spoke up, surprised at the ice breaker.

Ricky smiled bashfully. "The dance. I've nearly nailed it. Well, Carlos said. I still think it needs some practising." 

August did the last thing he expected; she gave him a genuine smile. The ones he had been used to seeing in the summer, but of the late he hadn't seen. The kind of smile that reached her eyes and made them shine. 

"Really? That's great Ric." the nickname slipped out, so natural that neither of them noticed it. A silence followed, this time much more comfortable. "I'm sorry, Ricky. For the things I said the other day. I may have crossed the line."

"I should be the one apologising."

August raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Was that it?"

"N-no." he scratched the back of his head. "I am truly sorry for this summer. I can swear that you were never a rebound, August. Don't think that you were, I just... I really messed up ghosting you at first. It just hurt."

"Let's just say it's water under the bridge." Ricky grinned, hope fluttering in his chest at the idea of slowly but surely building his relationship once again. They stared at each other before August rectified herself. "For the production's sake."

Ricky threw his head back and laughed. 

"For the production's sake."

DON'T WORRY, there's still gonna be a LOT of angst and drama, but i thought that slowly i had to build it back to the trope of friends to lovers to ex's to friends to lovers

also, when i asked for a friendship with august, a LOT of you said ej, which at first i was surprised with buuut then it actually made loads of sense, bc they have a common the being the 'rebound'

so yeah, ej and august will find common ground soon, promise