┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗬

chapter twenty-four:
breaking free !

┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛

ATHENA WAS ALL over the place. Ricky and EJ's sudden switch brought a wave of confusion to the whole cast, and now Carlos was meant to play Chad (which Athena had a feeling wouldn't work too well.) She currently sat at a mirror in the bomb shelter backstage, her face in her hands while Violetta stood behind her, trying to make her feel better.

"He's going to be okay, Athena," Violetta insisted, rubbing her back softly.

Athena picked her face up out of her hands and looked up at her best friend. "You didn't see him, Vi. The look on his face when he saw his mom with Todd . . . I've never seen him look so distraught. Not even this summer after his breakup with Nini. And the one time he might need me the most I'm not there for him."

"That's not your fault, you still have a part to play in this show. I'm sure Ricky understands that."

"I don't know . . ." Athena trailed off with a sigh. "Violetta, this whole girlfriend thing is new to me. And me letting him just deal with this alone . . . I don't think that's what a good girlfriend is supposed to do."

Violetta put her hands on her shoulders. "Athena, listen to me. You are doing absolutely everything you can right now. Please don't beat yourself up. And you are an amazing girlfriend. I promise you can talk to him after the show is over, but right now, you have to be Kelsi."

Athena's phone screen then lit up. She looked at it to see it was a text from Ricky. He had sent her nothing but I love you, good luck. A small smile stretched across her face and butterflies fluttered throughout her stomach as she sent back I love you too with a red heart.

"Okay, Athena," Natalie called out, peeking her head into the room. Athena looked up from her phone. "It's time for Wondering. You have to get to the piano."

Violetta squeezed Athena's shoulder as she stood up. "Go kill it out there."

Athena sent her a single nod. She took a deep breath and left her phone behind in the bomb shelter as she walked out to the orchestra section. Athena smiled in greeting at all of the musicians before taking a seat at the piano bench. She stretched her fingers out in front of her and organized her sheet music for Wondering in front of her. Big Red dimmed the lights, and the scene began.

Nini walked out onto the stage. "Wow. So this is your real stage."

However, she stopped in her tracks and a perplexed expression painted across her face once she noticed EJ standing there.

"I guess you could call it that," EJ replied as Troy. "Or just a smelly gym."

The girl covered her microphone to talk to EJ for a quick second. EJ merely handed her the basketball, and Nini shot it, missing the hoop completely. Athena cringed as EJ recited his lines but Nini kept messing up, obviously very confused. She then heard the sound of heels clicking against the floor. Athena looked over to see Miss Jenn rapidly approaching her.

Her eyes widened. "Miss Jenn—"

"Athena, where is Ricky?" Miss Jenn demanded in a whisper. "If anyone knows, it's for sure you."

"Ricky really isn't the right head space right now to perform Act Two," Athena admitted. She then peeked around Miss Jenn to see Ashlyn and the boy who played Coach Bolton get on stage. "I'm sorry, Miss Jenn, but I really have to play right now."

Miss Jenn sighed. "I'll find him."

She then walked off. The lights dimmed, and some cast members brought the set of Miss Darbus' office onto the stage. Athena placed her fingers on the piano keys and started to play Wondering. Just like every time she played the piano, the world seemed to fade away all around her. It was just her and the keys.

"Seems like a part of me will always have to lose, every single time I have to choose, swore that it felt right, but was I wrong? Is this where I'm supposed to be at all?" Ashlyn sang in her beautiful voice. "I don't have the answers, not today, it's like nothing makes the questions go away, what I'd give to see if the grass was greener on the other side of all I've had and lost, would it be enough? Or would I still be wondering? If I could go back and change the past, be a little braver than I had, and bet against the odds, would I still be lost? Even if I woke up in my dreams, would there still be something I'm missing? If I had everything, would it mean anything?"

Athena remembered the last time she had played this song. It was in the auditorium with Nini and Ashlyn, where her and Ricky had shared that weird moment with each other. Everything had changed so dramatically in the past three months. It had gone from Nini and Ricky dating to her and Ricky dating. She never thought her junior year would turn out like this, but in a way, it taught her a lot. It brought her and Ricky closer together, she had made a lot of new friends, and now she was performing in her first musical. Athena wouldn't change anything for the world.

"Maybe I should turn around and take the other road, or maybe I'm just looking for what I already know. I'm just wondering. Feels like I might have broke the best thing that I had, I said too much to ever take it back. Scared I'll never find something as good, and would I even know it if I could?If I could go back and change the past, be a little braver than I had, and bet against the odds, would I still be lost? Even if I woke up in my dreams, would there still be something I'm missing? If I had everything, would it mean anything . . . to me?"

The song ended, and Athena took her hands off the piano keys. Claps and cheers were heard from the crowd, making Athena smile softly to herself. Somehow, she knew, this musical was only the beginning. That feeling of peace she had felt playing the piano and acting up on stage told her that many more musicals for her at East High were to come. Athena Blake had finally found her niche, and she was ready to make it the best experience of her life.

--- ☆ • ♫ • ♪ • ♫ • ☆ ---

IT WAS TIME for the last big number of the show before the curtain call: Breaking Free. Athena was now in Kelsi's outfit for the song, and since Kelsi was the one to play Breaking Free on the piano for Troy and Gabriella in the movie, they had put another piano on stage for her. Athena sat at the piano and anxiously fidgeted with her fingers. Breaking Free was huge, and she didn't want to mess it up.

"And that's showbiz," Ashlyn said as Miss Darbus.

That was her cue. Athena took a deep breath and put her fingers on the keys, beginning to play the opening notes of Breaking Free. Nini and EJ walked out onto the stage with spotlights on them and microphones in their hands. Athena's eyes caught Nini's, even through the darkness, and she gave the girl a reassuring smile. This was the last stretch of their musical. They could do this.

"We're soaring, flying, there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach," EJ sang. "If we're trying, so we're breaking free."

"I can't do it, Troy," Nini said, and Athena stopped playing the piano. "Not with all these people staring at me."

EJ placed a hand on Nini's shoulder. "Look at me, Gabby. Right at me. Like the first time we sang together. Like kindergarten, remember?"

Athena's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Gabby? Troy never called Gabriella Gabby ever. Suddenly, the door to the gym loudly opened. Athena glanced over to see Ricky, Gina, and Violetta walk into the gym. Ricky seemed okay, but by the way his hair was slightly messier than usual and he kept fidgeting with the sleeves on his jacket, Athena knew he was still pretty shaken up and nervous about the whole situation. She wanted nothing more than to run up to him, but right now, just like Violetta said, she had to be Kelsi.

"Like kindergarten, remember?" EJ repeated.

Nini didn't respond. Instead, she kept nervously glancing around the whole auditorium. Athena watched her. What was going on?

"Remember kindergarten?" EJ suddenly asked, now completely going off the script. "There's nothing like the friends you made back then. And they never really leave, do they?"

"What are you doing?" Nini questioned.

"Something right, I hope. I'm gonna play to lose. I'm not the Troy that should be up here right now."

EJ squeezed Nini's shoulder before leaving the stage. The audience murmured around in confusion. Athena continued to sit at the piano awkwardly, not know what she should do. There was a possibility Nini could sing Breaking Free by herself, but that wouldn't really match up with the course of the show.

"And I'm not the Gabriella that should be up here right now," Nini added before walking up to the piano on the stage.

Athena stared up at her in confusion. "Nini, what are you doing?"

She offered the girl her microphone. "Will you sing Breaking Free?"

Athena's eyes widened. "No Nini, I — I can't. That woman in the audience . . . this is your moment, not mine."

"But I'm giving it to you. You were put as Gabriella's Understudy, which means you have to fill in for me. I know that you're the only person who can actually get Ricky to sing as Troy again, and I'm trying to make it up to you after what happened at the El Rey. So please, Athena, I'm asking you to sing this."

"What about the piano? Someone has to—"

"I can do it," Seb offered, walking up on stage in his Sharpay costume.

Athena turned to him. "Seb—"

"Don't worry about it. We weren't trade-off piano partners for nothing." Seb sat down next to her on the bench. "Go on, Athena."

Athena glanced from the microphone to Nini. "Nini, I — I don't even know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just sing your heart out." Nini gave her a reassuring smile. "You can do it, Athena."

Hesitantly, Athena grasped the microphone in her hand and stood up. She took off Kelsi's hat and released the bun, letting her hair settle down. Nini gave her a small smile and left the stage to go watch from the wings. Athena, somehow through the darkness of the audience, managed to see Artemis and her parents. Artemis gave her two thumbs up in encouragement and Adam and Amanda were watching her expectantly.

She could do this.

Athena looked over to Ricky and began to approach him, bringing the microphone up to her lips as she started to sing. "You know the world can see us in a way that's different than who we are. Creating space between us, till we're separate hearts."

"Attie, what . . ." Ricky began, taking one of her hands in his once he stopped in front of him. "What's happening?"

"Nini asked me to sing," Athena answered, squeezing his hand. "And I want you to sing with me."

Ricky shook his head. "No, Athena, I — I can't do this right now."

"Yes you can. Listen, I know you're not at one-hundred percent right now, but Ricky, you belong out there. There's also an entire audience of people out there who believe in you. Big Red believes in you, Vi believes in you, your parents believe in you . . ." She paused, smiling up at him. "I believe in you."

He cracked a small grin. "And that's all I really need."

Athena laughed slightly at the reference to High School Musical 3. "Then come on. Show us what you've got, Wildcat."

Violetta prodded Ricky's back. "All right, you two, enough with the cuteness. Go out there and kill it."

Athena handed her microphone off to Violetta before looking to the band and Seb, saying that they could begin to play again. "But your faith, it gives me strength."

"Strength to believe," Ricky joined in.

Her smile widened. "We're breaking free!"

Ricky gripped her hand a little tighter as the two of them began to walk down the aisles in the seats, the crowd cheering loudly for them. "We're soaring."

"Flying."

"There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach," the two of them harmonized.

"If we're trying," Athena voiced alone, staring up in Ricky's eyes as they stopped center stage.

"Yeah we're breaking free."

"Oh, we're breaking free."

"Ooh, woah," Ricky continued. "More than hope, more than faith."

"This is true, this is fate," Athena stated, the lyrics matching what she felt in her heart. "And together."

"We see it coming," both of them sang.

"More than you, more than me," Ricky voiced.

"Not a want, but a need," Athena recited.

"Both of us, breaking free," Ricky and Athena dueted.

Athena let one of Ricky's hands go and faced the audience on the key change. "Soaring."

"Flying," Ricky added, pouring his heart and soul into the song.

The two of them got closer to each other, Ricky settling his hands on her waist while Athena put her hands on either side of Ricky's face. "There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach. If we're trying."

Ricky stared down at Athena with adoration flashing in his eyes. "Yeah we're breaking free."

Athena's heart pounded faster, both from Ricky and the exhilaration of being on stage. "Breaking free. We're running."

"Ooh, climbing."

Both of them moved their hands so they were holding each other's. "To get to the place to be all that we can . . ."

Ricky spun Athena around on the stage, both of them having wide smiles on their faces as they just danced around with each other. Neither of them let each other go the entire time. They didn't really want to, anyways. Both of their touches set their hearts aflame and let sparks fly throughout their bodies.

"Be," Athena finished the phrase alone.

"Be," Ricky included as an ad-lib.

The two of them stopped dancing and faced the audience, still holding hands with their fingers interlaced. "Now's the time."

"Now's the time," Ricky repeated.

"So we're breaking free," Athena sang.

"Oh, we're breaking free."

"Ooh, oh."

"You know the world can see us," Ricky and Athena harmonized softly. He tugged her in closer with his hand, and Athena reached out to lace their other fingers together. They stared up into each other's eyes, nothing but love and adoration flowing in between them as they finished out the song. "In a way that's different than who we are."

The crowd started cheering behind them (Violetta and Artemis' cheers being the loudest, naturally), which managed to snap the couple out of their trance. Athena looked over to the crowd for a moment before looking back to Ricky. She smiled gently at him before letting go of his hands. The two of them walked off the stage in opposite directions even though they both knew they wanted to stay by each other's sides.

And that they did. After going backstage, they rounded the set and reached each other again. Athena let out a laugh of excitement and ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. Ricky caught her in his arms and tightly wound his arms around her waist, lifting her feet up off the floor.

"Oh my God, we really just did that!" Athena exclaimed.

Ricky set her down on the floor and kissed her quickly. "You were amazing."

"Same goes to you, Wildcat," Athena replied. "See? I told you you could do it."

Ricky kissed her again. "All thanks to you."

"Five minutes till We're All in This Together!" Natalie Bagley called out.

Athena's eyes widened. "Come on, we have to go change!"

And as Athena dragged Ricky out to go back to the bomb shelter, both of their hearts racing in excitement at the thought of what they had just did.

═ • ° • ✧ • ° • ═

one more chapter brb gonna go cry by myself

um anyways

this is one of my favorite chapters of this book & I love it when athena calls ricky wildcat PLS

and no joke when I'm sad I just rewatch the rini breaking free scene and everything is okay again. or the I love you scene. I still know that shit by memory

also that tiktok of josh saying I love you with a big smile on his face made my heart go WHOOSH