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𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥

chapter seven:
jealousy, jealousy !

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ATHENA WAS ABSOLUTELY and positively lovesick. So lovesick that it actually hurt.

It was like she was living her summer through Ricky Bowen-colored glasses. She was so giddy that she was sure little pink cartoon hearts were floating around her head. Athena wasn't so sure why she was just so happy all of the sudden, but her heart beat for Ricky, and she was practically glowing as bright as the California sun.

All of them had made a plan to put on a production of Fabulous at the pool for Corbin Bleu to see when he walked in. They wanted to impress him, but Athena couldn't help but notice that they were acting less like themselves. Athena wasn't really into that. She was just going to sit on the sidelines and sing along.

Things, of course, had to be pink. Athena had on a hot pink bikini top, white jean shorts with pink hearts on them, and her white high-top Converse with pink laces. She also had on a pair of pink heart-shaped sunglasses.

"I think he's coming," Ricky announced.

All of them gasped and got into their positions. Athena sighed and stretched her legs out in front of her. Ricky pressed on the radio they had, and the music for Fabulous began.

"It's out with the old and in with the new, goodbye clouds of gray, hello skies of blue," Carlos sang.

"And cut!" Ricky exclaimed, turning the radio off. "It's just EJ."

Athena looked up. EJ was standing there with a sheepish expression on his face, clearly sorry that he ruined it. All of them visibly deflated.

"Wow, sorry I'm not Corbin Bleu," EJ said. He then pointed to Carlos' pants. "Hey, I don't remember Sharpay wearing chinos."

Carlos stood up. "Excuse you. Flawless skin and sunlight do not mix."

Violetta stood up as well, placing her hands on her hips. "Eej, come on. Where's Corbin?"

"Gee, I don't know," EJ responded. "Maybe your secret late-night hiking buddy Ricky knows, huh?"

"What?"

"You're funny and you never make things weird, EJ," Ricky voiced.

Athena, her eyebrows knit in extreme confusion, raised her hand. "Gina and I were there, too. Are you okay?"

EJ ignored her, making Athena frown. "Look, Corbin's helicopter had a maintenance issue. He'll be here any second. Are we totally sure about doing this?"

"We wanna impress Corbin Bleu," Carlos reminded him. "And how else does one impress a person except by performing elaborate musical numbers for them?" He suddenly turned panicked. "Places, everyone! Someone hand me my sunglasses!"

Athena stood up from her beach chair. She took Ricky's outstretched hand, and the two of them ran over to the other side of the pool. Carlos started to sing again, and both Ricky and Athena sat down on one of the chairs. Athena smiled at him and threw her legs over his lap.

Neither of them were in the dance sequences Carlos had choreographed. They were just background characters, which was fine with Athena. All they did was sing along when they needed to.

The song was just about over when Ricky did something that was not in the choreography. He removed his legs from her lap and stood up. Ricky extended a hand out to her. Athena glanced up at him in confusion and she took it, allowing him to pull her up.

"Fabulous hair," Ricky recited, reaching up and taking a pink strand between his fingers. "Fabulous style." He hooked his fingers through one of her belt loops on her jean shorts and tugged her into him. "Fabulous eyes." He took her sunglasses and pushed them back to sit on top of her head. "And that fabulous smile." He placed his hands on her cheeks and squished them together, which made her giggle, and smile. Ricky smiled back at her and looked right in her eyes. "Oh, I like what I see, I like it a lot."

"You are insane," Athena whispered to him. "If Carlos notices that you made up choreography, he's going to kill us."

"Yeah, but it was worth it."

They suddenly heard a splash. Both of them let each other go and turned around. Carlos was in the pool in his clothes, and Kourtney was standing on the side, giggling as she fanned herself with a pink fan. Athena looked up at Ricky, and the two of them instantly burst into quiet laughter.

"Still no Corbin," Ashlyn told them. "Just Dewey."

Dewey clapped. "Whoo! Now that is a catchy song. Is that Ariana Grand?"

Ricky placed a hand on Athena's lower back. "I think that they were actually singing about you in that part of the song."

Athena elbowed his side, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Uh-huh. They definitely wrote it about three-year-old Athena. Makes sense."

"Anyways, you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

She wasn't answered verbally. Ricky instead hooked his one arm underneath her legs and the other around her waist. Athena let out a small shriek in surprise as Ricky successfully picked her up off the ground. She instinctively reached up and wound her arms around his neck, holding on tight so she wouldn't fall even though she knew Ricky wouldn't dare drop her.

"You're looking a little dry," Ricky commented, a smirk on his face.

Athena's eyes widened in realization. "No. Ricky. Ricky, do not."

And in that moment, her boyfriend decided not to listen to her.

Ricky ran straight for the pool. Athena held on tighter to her boyfriend and closed her eyes, bracing for impact. One moment they were in the air as Ricky jumped, and the other, they were underwater. Athena felt her hair float above her as she removed her arms from Ricky's neck, using them to swim up to the surface.

Athena gasped, breathing in the air, only to see Ricky laughing at her. "Ricky!"

Ricky shrugged. "Thought we needed a little pool time."

"You know, I was thinking about having a pool day, I don't know, maybe when I'm not wearing socks and sneakers."

"But that makes it so much more fun."

Athena shook her head and started to swim towards the side of the pool to get out. "You're crazy, Wildcat."

Exactly what Gabriella had told Troy when he jumped into the pool at Lava Springs after hours. Ricky swam towards her in the pool and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back into him and spinning her around in the water. Athena laughed brightly under the sun.

Yep. Ricky Bowen-colored glasses for sure.

--- ☆ • ♫ • ♪ • ♫ • ☆ ---

AFTER ATHENA HAD showered and gotten dressed in a yellow thin-strap dress with pink flowers layered over a white t-shirt, her white high-top Converse, and pinned the two front pieces of her hair back, she went to the barn. It was read-through day for Frozen, and all of them were pretty anxious. After all, Corbin was going to be there, and they were going to be filmed.

Athena was especially nervous. Playing a lead role with so many eyes on her . . . it was scary. Especially after what Ricky had said to her. This could be her big break. Athena didn't want to get her hopes up, but this could be pretty serious for her.

She stood next to Ricky and Violetta in their circle. They did all of their usual exercises. Athena shook her hands out in front of her, letting out a deep breath.

"Okay, he really is coming this time," EJ stated, walking down the steps from the stage. "Everyone, act like you're taking this serious and warming up."

"That is literally what they're doing, EJ," Val responded. "Take it down to a three. You're at a seven out of ten."

Corbin Bleu suddenly entered the barn, his cameraman Channing following him. Athena's eyes widened and she felt her limbs freeze. Oh God, this was really happening. She felt Ricky take her hand, noticing her nerves. Athena laced their fingers together and gave his hand a tight squeeze.

"Corbin's on the clock," Corbin announced. "It's go-time."

"Mr. Bleu, sir, we have a killer first read-through plan for today," EJ told him.

"Right."

"Okay, yeah, you make the rounds, good."

Corbin walked into their circle and looked at Dara. "Dope outfit."

"Kourtney," Kourtney said.

He looked over at the other side of the circle, and his eyes immediately went to Athena's hair. "Your hair's pink."

Athena wanted to say something along the lines of, yeah, duh, but she decided on just nodding. "It is."

"Huh."

Athena looked up at Ricky as Corbin walked away, very confused. "Huh?"

"I like your hair," Ricky insisted.

"Are you just saying that because you helped me dye it?"

"It may be a small part of it."

"Keep warming up, gang," Corbin instructed. "We're gonna check some sound levels."

Violetta walked away from the circle to go talk to EJ for a moment. Athena continued her warm-ups with everyone else. Maddox handed her a Frozen script. She flipped through the pages. Nothing was highlighted yet, but that was okay. She could do it later.

"It's real," Athena stated, closing her script. "It's getting real."

"You know what else is real?" Ricky asked. "Your talent. You're going to do great, Attie."

"I'm going to be sick."

"I can throw you in the pool again to snap you out of it."

"Please don't, I like this dress."

"We're rolling!" Channing suddenly shouted, and they sat down in their seats.

EJ addressed them all. "Welcome to the first Frozen read-through." He approached Corbin. "Uh, young Elsa and young Anna are on a nature field trip and will catch up with us tomorrow."

"I'll take it from here, RJ, thank you," Corbin replied. "All right! Camp Shallow Lake! I am pumped to be back for this full day of rehearsal, figured with opening night only ten days away."

Athena momentarily felt her heart stop. Ten days? That was literally nothing. Not to mention, ten days away was also Ricky's birthday, and Athena was kind of scrambling trying to figure out things to do for him while they were at camp.

"Ten days away?" Ricky repeated. "That — that's a reason to celebrate." He stood up and opened his arms. "Bring it in."

Athena blinked at him. Why was he trying to hug Corbin Bleu? She was just totally confused. Corbin shot down his hug, and Athena reached forwards, taking Ricky's shirt in her hands and tugging him back. He sat down and she gave him a questioning glance, which was responded to by a shake of his head.

"Look, I understand that some of you know me as a name and not a person," Corbin continued. "But I'm just a regular guy who buys his groceries at Erewhon and has a personal trainer like anybody else, all right? I'm just here to capture some behind-the-scenes footage, so think of me as a fly on the wall. Be yourselves. Let's have some fun, yeah?"

"Yeah, baby!" Ricky exclaimed. "Let's hug it out!" He stood back up and opened his arms. "Bring it in, come on."

Violetta leaned closer to Athena. "Why are you dating him again?"

Athena placed her face in her hands. "I was roped in."

Corbin ignored his hug again. "And here you have it, folks. The very first camp read-through of Frozen. Let the show begin."

They began their read-through. Val was also reading stage directions. And let Athena say that she was doing a way better job than Big Red. Athena remembered how painfully slow the read-through for High School Musical went.

"Elsa?" Athena said.

"Anna takes a step towards Elsa," Val read.

"Don't come near me," Kourtney replied.

"Pause," Corbin instructed. He stood up from the table and walked behind them, Channing pointing the camera at them. "Sounds like you two really felt that moment. Let's unpack what you're channeling."

"Let me guess," Channing cut in. "Real-life relationship troubles. You both like the same person and it's causing tension. Maybe it's this guy."

Channing pointed the camera at Carlos. Athena resisted the urge to laugh. He could not have been more wrong. Her and Kourtney most definitely did not like the same person — Kourtney didn't like Ricky, and Athena didn't like Howie. And it for sure wouldn't have been Carlos, an openly gay male with a boyfriend.

"Yes, it's me," Carlos commented in a monotone voice. "The notorious womanizer of the group."

"Uh, Mr. Bleu, if you're looking for dirt or, like, jealous in-fighting, that's just not us," Ricky explained.

"We're all good friends," Gina added.

"Yeah, like, really good friends," EJ agreed. "We're basically a drama-free zone."

To prove the point, Ricky put an arm around Athena, who in turn put an arm around Violetta, who in turn put an arm around EJ. The four of them brought each other in closer for the camera.

"Great," Channing replied. "All those Emmy-winning drama-free reality shows."

"Okay, let's just . . . let's move on," Corbin suggested.

"Hey, my . . ." Ricky trailed off, pausing to turn the page. "Ice."

"Kristoff picks up his bag of ice," Val continued. "Anna and Hans are oblivious."

"I'm sorry, so sorry," Athena stated.

Nobody responded to her. Athena looked up from her script.

"Uh . . . that's Jet's line," Ricky revealed.

She looked around. Jet was nowhere to be found inside the barn. Athena felt her heart slightly sink. He was Hans, a main character, and just . . . didn't show up?

"Wait, Jet's not here," EJ noticed.

"Oh, God, I knew he wasn't real," Carlos admitted.

"What's the deal with this Jet kid?" Corbin questioned. "Is he troubled?"

"I — I wouldn't say troubled," Ricky protested. "We're slowly wearing his dark soul down."

"Sounds like our protagonist," Channing announced. "Everyone loves a misanthropic emo-boy to root for."

Maddox set down her script. "Jet's gonna be fine. He's probably just doing this for attention."

EJ stood up. "I'm sure Jet is fine. Maddie, Val, please track him down. As for the rest of us, let's take a ten. I will be in the canteen having a cool beverage because I am very cool. Everything is cool, Mr. Bleu."

"Hey, EJ?" Violetta began.

"Yes, V?"

"You're yelling, sweetheart."

EJ sighed and left the barn. Violetta trailed behind him. Soon, the rest followed. They all went to the canteen, which was a place that had multi-colored windows, games, and snacks for the campers. Athena and Violetta were currently in an intense game of foosball. When it came to games, they were always competitive with each other. Unless it was a team thing. Then they wanted to be on the same team.

Val then walked in. Athena looked up from the game. Val looked upset and a little out of it.

"So?" EJ inquired.

"Guys, we lost Jet," Val answered, making Athena's eyes widen in shock.

Maddox gasped dramatically and stood up. "What?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. Let me clarify. Um, I talked to Dewey and it looks like Jet checked out of camp and went home."

"He disappeared onto the open road," Channing voiced. "A lone minor. Thumb in the wind. Hair in the wind. For either fate or foe, to take him away."

"Uh, yeah, not quite," Val admitted. "An off-duty cop found him at a bus stop and his parents came and picked him up in a Buick."

"Wait, why would Jet just leave without telling anybody?" Ashlyn asked.

"So, our most interesting story's happening off-camera," Corbin noted. "Guys, we really need to make this sing, 'kay? Something active?"

"In Summer?" Carlos offered.

"Love Is an Open Door?" EJ suggested.

Corbin pointed to him. "Love Is an Open Door. That's the Anna and Hans song, right? Where's the pink-haired girl?"

Athena stepped forwards, frowning slightly at him not even using her name. "I'm here."

"We have Anna, and we're missing the Hans part of it."

"I know—"

"Yeah, weirdly that's the one song I know," Ricky interrupted. "It's the one thing I actually paid attention to when Athena and I watched Frozen, but I'm happy to jump in and, you know—"

"Thanks, kid," Corbin said. "Just take a soft five."

"Ooh, lover boy got shot down," Violetta stated.

Corbin pointed at EJ. "Uh . . . you. You look like a 1980s villain."

Ricky let out a loud laugh before pretending to clear his throat to hide it. He walked away, straight past Athena, without even looking at her. She frowned.

"Thank you?" EJ questioned.

"You're welcome," Corbin responded. "Villains equal viewers. Kenny Ortega taught me that when I turned down The Descendants. You, sing the song with pink-haired girl."

"Athena," she announced.

"That's right."

"Sing the song here?" EJ inquired. "In — in the canteen?"

"Big Brother has been on the air for twenty-three seasons," Channing said. "They haven't even left the house yet."

"Guys, let's shoot somethin'," Corbin instructed.

Athena and EJ shared a look before heading up to the piano. She kind of wished that she could play it with the song because it would calm her nerves.

Ashlyn raised her hand. "I can jump in on piano."

"Oh, no worries," Val told her, holding a speaker. "We already got the backing track, so . . ."

Ashlyn sat down on the bench, looking at the camera. "Not worried. But here I am, at the piano, ready to play."

"I like the piano," Corbin admitted, eating a Twix bar. "That's humble. Let the needy girl play."

EJ leaned a little closer to Athena. "I'm a little rusty as an actor.

"Just as long as you don't cry again," Athena replied.

EJ groaned. "Will you please let that go?"

Athena nudged his side with her elbow while laughing slightly, making him laugh too. "Oh, no. You're never living it down. But don't worry about the acting. Just pretend . . . I don't know, that you and Violetta are frolicking in a field together."

EJ gave her a look. "V would never frolick in a field."

They laughed with each other again. Somebody didn't like that.

Ricky watched the two of them laugh with each other, his jaw clenching slightly. He shouldn't be feeling this way — Athena loved him, he knew she did, and EJ was dating Violetta. But having them have to act so close, singing a song about love . . . this new feeling of jealousy was strange.

Ashlyn started to play the piano to the familiar song.

"Okay, can I just, say something crazy?" Athena began.

"I love crazy!" EJ continued, but he sounded a little nervous.

"All my life has been a series of doors in my face, and then suddenly I bump into you."

"I was thinking the same thing! 'Cause like, I've been searching my whole life to find my own place, and maybe it's the party talking or the chocolate fondue."

"But with you," Athena sang.

"But with you I found my place," EJ added.

Athena looked at Ricky and gave him a subtle wink before looking up at EJ. "I see your face."

"And it's nothing like I've ever known before," the two chorused. "Love is an open door, love is an open door, love is an open door."

"With you," Athena said.

"With you," EJ stated.

"With you."

"With you."

"Love is an open door," they harmonized. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

As they went further and further into the song, they got more comfortable. Athena started to smile with the song, because she truly did love the song. EJ started to smile too as he became more relaxed.

Neither of them seemed to notice how Ricky was standing there with his arms crossed and his jaw clenched. Ricky kept scolding himself. He should not be feeling like this. Him and Athena were in love, but he couldn't help the envy that shot through his veins.

"I mean it's crazy," EJ continued.

"What?" Athena asked.

"We finish each other's—"

"Sandwiches!"

"That's what I was gonna say!" EJ exclaimed.

"I've never met someone," Athena voiced alone.

EJ joined in with her again. "Who thinks so much like me. Jinx! Jinx again! Our mental synchronization can't have but one explanation."

"You," EJ stated.

"And I," Athena added.

"Were."

"Just."

"Meant to be," they sang together.

"Say goodbye," Athena recited.

"Say goodbye," EJ repeated.

"To the pain of the past, we don't have to feel it anymore," they chorused. "Love is an open door, love is an open door, life can be so much more."

Athena nudged EJ's side with her elbow. "With you."

EJ nudged her back. "With you."

"With you."

"With you."

"Love is an open," EJ began.

"Love is an open," Athena voiced.

"Door!" they finished together.

Everyone in the canteen clapped for them. Athena raised up her hand for a high-five, and EJ happily obliged.

A jealous Ricky Bowen did not go unnoticed by Corbin. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Ricky, making Channing point the camera at Ricky. Athena looked at Ricky, her smile slowly dropping at his defensive state.

Uh-oh.

"They're pretty good, huh?" Corbin questioned.

"Yeah, she's amazing," Ricky answered. However, all Athena felt was worry. "And — And EJ is amazing, right? Everyone's amazing. Best cast ever. I mean . . ."

Ricky didn't bother to finish his sentence. He turned around and walked right out of the canteen. Athena watched after him, worry coursing through her veins. She truly didn't know what happened. They were so fine this morning, how could things switch up so fast?

"Folks, I'm gonna need some B-roll of people acting anxious and confused, all right?" Channing ordered. "We're rolling."

Athena wasn't acting. She was anxious and confused.

═ • ° • ✧ • ° • ═

HAPPY ANOTHER SURPRISE UPDATE <3 I like to do this with this book bc I want y'all to see all my ideas :)

ngl miss dara kinda slayed in fabulous

and jealous ricky . . . hello sir 😳🫡

also the athena-ricky-violetta-ej dynamic will be a major plot point for vi's third book <3 very much so <3 I have my plans