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Chapter Text

Gina sat in front of Mr. Buchanan, fidgeting with her skirt as she uncomfortably waited for him to speak. The principal was seated directly in front of her, clicking away on his laptop as he scrolled through the student directory to find her name. His eyebrows scrunched as he tried to make out the words on the screen.

“Ah yes, Gina Porter. So your next class of the day will be Advanced Calculus with Mr. Mazzara in room C-5. That’s down the hall, take a right, walk down the stairs and then it will be the third door on your left,” he mumbled.

Gina blinked her eyes trying to visualize the set of directions he had just given her. She internally cursed herself for being a terrible navigator and prayed that she wouldn’t get lost on her way to class. Yes, Gina Porter had had her fair share of navigating schools that were foreign to her, but this particular school seemed to resemble a labyrinth, with staircases leading to multiple floors and rooms. She collected the rest of her belongings as her schedule printed out.

“Thankfully, your student guide has the same class with you, so you’ll be able to find your class no problem.”

Gina stopped, rolling her eyes. She knew the deal by now. She had moved schools enough times to realize that the awkward and forced encounter with the student guide is merely a ritual the “new girl” has to obey. She prepared herself to plaster a pleasing smile upon her face and get through the next hour of class before parting ways with the so-called guide and planning on avoiding them for the next year or however long she would stay at this school. With her mom working in FEMA, and constantly having to move based on her orders, Gina was barely able to complete a single year of school without having to move away. However, she intended on changing that this year because Gina was determined to finish high school at this very school, without any interruptions.

Finishing high school at East High meant sacrificing a lot though, including Gina’s relationship with her mother. Which is how she ended up in Salt Lake City, living in her older brother’s tiny studio apartment. Her decision to move in with her brother was impulsive much like her, and quite shocking, and she questioned whether or not she made the right choice. 

She heard the door open wide behind her, revealing a rather breathless guy with his backpack slung over his shoulder. She made contact with his green eyes for just a moment before he brushed past her to Mr. Buchanan.

“Caswell. You’re late,” the principal raised his eyebrow.

The boy ran his hand through his dark brown hair before letting out a nervous chuckle, “Sorry, there was a lot of traffic this morning and my cousin forgot her flute at home so we had to turn back… I told her she was forgetting something but she never listens to me-”

“Mr. Caswell I do not need your autobiography. Please allow me to introduce you to our new student,” he spun the boy around to face Gina. Gina put on her best smile, extending a hand forward to him.

The green-eyed boy cracked a smile before putting his hand in hers, “I’m EJ. EJ Caswell.”

Gina stifled a laugh before mocking him, “Porter. Gina Porter.” EJ raised an eyebrow at her, surveying her with a small smirk as she giggled further.

“Can I see your schedule?” Gina handed him the piece of paper as he scanned it. “Oh sweet, we both have Calc right now. We can get going if you’re ready? Class starts in seven minutes.” 

She nodded and he walked over to the door, holding it open for her. She graciously smiled as she headed out the door, EJ following in suit. EJ showed her around the building as they walked through the halls. She followed him in silence, occasionally nodding when he pointed out rooms that were in her schedule. After a minute or two of the typical awkward silence, Gina decided to break the ice.

“So… are you a junior too?” she questioned him. “I mean, we’re both in the same math class so…”

“Oh no, I’m a senior. I was actually surprised when Mr. Buchanan mentioned you’re a junior. This class is typically for seniors,” he smiled down at her, “you must be some sort of genius to place into Advanced Calculus.”

She smiled to herself, “Not a genius, I just have a lot of free time on my hands I guess. Plus it helps if you enjoy the subject-"

“Wait hold up.” He snorted, slowing down to look at her. “You like calculus?” 

She nodded in confusion.

He looked at her incredulously, “Like actually? You’re not joking?”

Gina narrowed her eyes and he continued laughing. She folded her arms and looked up at him, “Is there anything wrong with that?”

EJ stopped laughing, catching his breath as he swept his eyes over her annoyed expression. “Absolutely not. This means I get a free calculus tutor,” he smirked before opening the door to the classroom. Gina widened her eyes and shook her head in protest when EJ interrupted her, “After you, Ms. Porter.” She rolled her eyes and made her way into the classroom, analyzing the animated yet tired chatter of her fellow peers at 8:30 in the morning. EJ nudged her towards a pair of desks in the middle. She sat down near EJ, grabbing her notebook and calculator from her backpack while EJ scrolled through his phone. 

“Caswell my man! You look like crap this morning,” a tall boy with a head of curls stumbled in the room, a skateboard in hand. He smirked at EJ before playfully messing up his hair as he slipped into the seat behind him.

EJ rolled his eyes with a grin before retorting, “I could say the same for you Bowen! Nini’s been keeping you up at night, I see. And to do god knows what…”

“Shut up Elton before I remind Miss Jenn that it’s your off season for waterpolo. I could drag your ass right back into rehearsals within the next few minutes,” a skinny girl with long brown hair and kind eyes that were currently narrowed towards EJ walked past them, falling into the seat behind Gina’s. 

EJ laughed as he flicked her nose with his finger. Gina looked at the three intently. EJ seemed to notice her feeling out of place as he introduced his friends to her, “Oh guys this is Gina, my new calc tutor. Gina that’s Ricky and Nini, East High’s most dramatic couple.”

“-And EJ’s only friends,”  Ricky chimed in. 

Gina giggled, “It’s nice to meet you guys.”

“So you’re new here right Gina?” Nini questioned.

“Yeah, I recently moved from North Carolina.”

“Wait I love North Carolina, my mom lives there!” Ricky said with a smile. “Well any friend of EJ’s is a friend of ours. Besides, you’ve gotta have some real guts to take up this man in calc because he needs serious help.”

“I mean, I don’t recall ever agreeing to be your tutor EJ?” Gina grinned over at EJ as he laid back in his seat with a smile.

“Well too bad, because I already signed you up! My place on Friday after school? I can drive you home after too…” EJ offered cheekily. Nini looked between the two with a smile on her face as Gina pretended to ponder intently.

“Deal!” she smiled.

“Ooh ooh count me in too!” Ricky chimed in before Nini slapped him across his arm. “Ow! What the hell Neens!”

Nini glared at Ricky before turning back to talk to Gina, “So Gina are you thinking of joining any team sports or clubs?”

“Um, I’m not really sure. I mean, I used to swim but with all the moving around I kinda got out of it. If there’s a dance team I might be interested!”

Nini’s eyes lit up and she excitedly grabbed Gina’s hands, “Wait you can dance? Can you act? Or sing??”

Ricky and EJ glanced at each other knowingly as they realized what Nini was trying to do. “Here we go again!” Ricky laughed.

“Um yes, I can act and sing… ish?” Gina responded.

Nini squealed in delight, “Then you have to join the drama club Gina! It’s so great, you’ll be able to meet new people and we desperately need more members for this semester’s musical! Ricky and EJ already quit the club and we are suffering.”

Gina widened her eyes, slowly turning to look at EJ with a smile on her face. “You were in drama club?” she gaped. 

He shrugged, “I’m not just a muscle-head you know.”

Ricky snickered, “he actually played a muscle head last year… remember Gaston?”

EJ punched Ricky playfully as the girls stifled a laugh. 

Nini chimed, “You should come out with us today Gina, we always go to this ice cream place on Mondays. Some of the other drama kids will be there too and you can decide whether or not you want to join. We’d love to have you!” Nini said. 

Gina’s eyes met EJ’s as she quirked an eyebrow at him. EJ smiled back in response which she decided meant that he agreed. She happily nodded as Mr. Mazzara came in and began his lesson for the day. She noticed EJ immediately direct his attention towards the teacher, scribbling on his notebook with his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. She smiled slowly as she watched him. Maybe moving to Salt Lake City would be good for her after all.

Chapter Text

EJ leaned against his locker with his phone in hand as the school dismissal bell rang. Students filed out of classrooms one by one as the hallways echoed with chatter and laughter. He scrolled through his instagram when Gina’s instagram profile appeared in his “people you may know” section. Curiously, he clicked on her icon so that he could view her profile. He scrolled through her posts, many of them being of her and her mother in various tourist attractions across the country. He stopped on a post in which Gina struck a complicated dance pose in her sparkly purple leotard. He swiped through the post to find another picture of her on stage holding a bouquet of flowers as a spotlight shone brightly on her, highlighting her glowing warm skin and bright smile. 

“Who’s that?”


EJ looked up like a deer caught in headlights, his heart beating out of his chest and rolled his eyes once they landed on his smirking best friend Ricky Bowen.

“God, Bowen you scared me.”

“Only the guilty live in fear, Caswell…” Ricky grinned. “What are you doing stalking Gina’s instagram page?”

“I wasn’t stalking, her profile just popped up on my instagram and I was about to follow her…” he rolled his eyes. Ricky raised his eyebrows with a cunning smile. “Don’t you have anything better to do? Like make out with your girlfriend?”

“Apparently she’s driving Gina to Slices. So I guess you’re stuck with me now. I told her we’d meet them there.”

EJ nodded as they began walking out the hallway.


“By the way, Miss Jenn wanted me to ask you if you’re coming back to the musical this semester?” Ricky tentatively questioned, studying EJ’s face as it tensed. 

“Miss Jenn asked you about me? So I take it her and Mike are in a good place?” EJ avoided Ricky's eye contact but still noticed the boy roll his eyes at the question.

“Dude she’s literally over at my house all the time these days. I mean I love her, but I already see enough of her during Nini’s rehearsals I don’t need to be seeing her cuddling with my dad on our couch.” Ricky said as EJ snickered, picturing Mr. Bowen and their drama teacher together. “She was already a little thrown when I told her I’m missing this semester because of basketball season, and now that you’re out of the game she’s kinda spiraling.”

EJ sighed, “I know, and I feel bad but you know I can’t go back there Ricky. Every time I see Dani I just… freeze and I can’t speak anymore. I would be doing the drama club more harm than good if I went back there.”

Ricky put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, “I know… and I’m sorry for bringing it up again. But dude you’ve gotta get over her. It’s been three months, you deserve some happiness”

“I know, and I’m trying trust me.”

They drove over to the ice cream parlor, a small joint called Scoops in their local mall. It was the most convenient meet-up spot for the group as it was located in the epicenter of their city. EJ, Ricky, and Nini had started going to the frozen yogurt shop on Mondays after school ever since the day they started getting allowances. It was their tradition and their way of catching up on each other’s lives. Soon after, EJ’s cousin Ashlyn started joining them on the tradition. Then came Maddox, a techie who met EJ in Mazzara’s AV club and Ashlyn’s long-time crush. When Ashlyn and Maddox started working at Scoops, it seemed almost fate that the five of them would mark Scoops as their favorite hang out.

The bells above the entrance rang as EJ pushed the door open, catching the eye of his cousin behind the counter. Ricky followed them in as they greeted Ashlyn with a smile. 

“Are we mixing things up today or is it your usual, Eej?”

“The usual, as always” he grinned. Ashlyn smiled back shaking her head and tipped her pad and pen towards Ricky, quirking an eyebrow.

“Surprise me, Ash” Ricky slipped her two five-dollar bills with a smirk. “Where’s Neen?” Ashlyn pointed towards a booth in the back, where Nini and Gina were seated, chatting amicably. Ashlyn handed them both their ice creams and the boys followed Ashlyn’s finger and Ricky slipped into the empty space next to Nini, throwing his arm around her shoulder and planting a kiss on her cheek. She widened her eyes with a small smile and Gina giggled watching the two interact. 

“Your Casnova is here, Neens...” EJ teased with a smirk as he slid into the spot next to Gina. He noticed her tense up as their knees made contact, an immediate rush of warmth traveling up his legs.

“Don’t hate me for loving my girlfriend, Caswell” Ricky shrugged his shoulders with a smug smile.

“So how did you guys meet? I mean you seem incredibly close” Gina smiled, resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward. EJ laughed as he glanced at Ricky and Nini.

“Let’s just say 6 year old EJ and Ricky seriously needed someone to keep them in check, especially when they went wild at the playground. That jungle gym had nothing on us when we were on our post-apple juice sugar high.” Ricky slapped him a high-five as the boys laughed.

Nini smiled back smugly, “And 6-year-old Nini was the perfect woman for the job!” The three chuckled at the memory.

“Wow, so you’ve known each other for pretty much your whole lives then?” Gina sighed with a smile.

“Well, Ricky’s like my brother. He probably knows me better than anyone else. And Neen is literally my therapist at this point, they’re the support system I’ve never had.” EJ looked at the two gratefully.

Gina smiled sadly, “Must be nice, having friends you’ve known for such a long time…” EJ turned to look at her and put a hand on hers, squeezing it firmly.

“Quantity doesn’t matter, quality does.” Gina looked up at him, smiling endearingly. The two made eye contact briefly as a tingling sensation rose up EJ’s arm. He shook his thoughts away and said, “Anyway, what brings you to Salt Lake?”

Gina took a deep breath, “Um… let’s see. I kinda needed to get away from my mother and the only place I could go, as a minor, was to my brother’s place. Here… in Salt Lake.” She looked up to see the three raising their eyebrows in concern. “I mean, it’s all good… with my mom and I. I just, my mom works for FEMA which means that she’s constantly being relocated around the country based on where her bosses send her. It’s kind of ridiculous, the amount I moved during high school, and I was honestly sick of it. So I came here, to finally have some stability in my life.”

Nini looked at her with a face of admiration, “Damn girl, that’s really intense. Moving that many schools? That’s so brave of you, and your mom.” Gina shrugged back in response, taking a bite of her ice cream. “Well either way, you’ve always got family here at East High.”


“Thanks Nini,” Gina said happily. She smiles down looking at her cup of frozen yogurt. EJ’s eyes wander over to her, bringing a small smile to his face, mirroring hers. His eyes glow with admiration as he watches the curly-headed girl engage in conversation with Nini. Ricky eyes EJ with a small smirk and turns to face Gina.

“So Gina, you got a boyfriend or something?” he smirks while keeping his eyes glued to EJ. EJ coughs, choking on his yogurt as he widens his eyes, meeting Ricky’s mischievous stare. EJ puts a hand over his chest as he coughs, Gina rubbing his back carefully in an attempt to soothe him. 

“Eej, are you okay?” Nini questions as she looked over at him in concern.

Ricky grins, “Yeah, Eej, are you okay?” 

EJ glares at him, annoyed. “I’m perfectly fine, Richard.”

Ricky smirks, satisfied, “Perfect. So, Gi… you were mentioning a boyfriend?”

Gina laughed, shaking her head, “What boyfriend? I haven’t had the opportunity to make friends with all my moves, romance is a long way away.” EJ looked at Gina, curiously.

“I mean you never know… love could be just around the corner” Ricky teased, “Your future boyfriend could be anywhere...” he met his eyes with EJ.

“I mean, I guess. I don’t know, we’ll see when it comes I guess” Gina smiled at him. She furrowed her brows a little before looking up at EJ. “What about you? Are you just third-wheeling these two or you got a girlfriend of your own?”

Ricky and Nini exchanged glances as EJ cleared his throat. “Well, I used to third-wheel them… but I guess with you around, I won’t have to do that anymore right?”

Gina looked at him, her smile fading as she registered what he said. EJ seemed to also realize what he insinuated as he scrambled to explain himself.

“Not like- you and me… I meant- We’d be together- Not together like a couple but like… as friends…  you know?” He glanced at Gina, who had a perplexed expression on her face. She slowly smiled.

“I know.”

EJ met Gina’s warm gaze and his body loosened. He held her gaze, detailing the hazel specks in Gina’s deep brown eyes. His heart fluttered as his lips curved into a smile. Their intimate world was brought back to reality when Nini cleared her throat, pointedly. Gina’s eyes awkwardly darted away from EJ as he begrudgingly averted his gaze from hers. He tried not to notice the obvious tinge of pink that rose on Gina’s cheeks.

Gina cleared her throat, “So Nini” she began, trying to change the topic of conversation, “What were you saying about this drama club?”

Nini squealed in delight, “Are you thinking of joining?”

Gina shrugged her shoulders, “I mean, it’s worth a shot right?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Definitely! Oh my god this is so exciting! Okay so our first rehearsal is on Thursday, I’m sure we can talk to Miss Jenn about you joining the show then!” Nini exclaimed, taking Gina’s hands in hers with a bright smile on her face.

Ricky and EJ smiled at each other as they watched the girls giggle about the possibilities of the musical, and all the various roles Gina could play. Gina felt a surge of warmth rise in her chest as Nini animatedly started describing each and every member of the drama club and realized that this- being here with with Nini, Ricky and EJ- was exactly what she was missing in her life. 

And she intended to make the most out of it.

Chapter Text

Gina’s relationship with her brother was… interesting, to say the least. Jamie was much older than she was, which meant that he officially left the house right when Gina was just learning how to ride a bike. She always envied her brother for his fleeting nature. He was able to jump from city to city without feeling like he lost a fragment of himself along the way. She wasn’t blessed with that same ability, as Gina tended to get attached to places- and people- rather quickly. 

Despite this, she still looked up to Jamie and aspired to be as ambitious as he was. After spending about a year in LA after college, Jamie was able to make enough connections in the music industry to open up his own production company. He worked from Salt Lake now, producing small-time artists, where he secured a small studio apartment. It was small, but Gina was used to having to adjust in new homes. And when Gina made it clear that she wasn’t going to spend her last two years of high school hopping from state to state with her mom, Jamie was kind enough to let her live with him.

“So, how’s that musical school of yours treating you?” Jamie asked as he placed a plate containing pizza in front of Gina, taking a seat on the dining table opposite her.

She eyed the pizza, picking out the mushroom slices that were embedded within the cheese, “It’s been good so far. My classes are pretty chill, Chemistry is a bit annoying, but that’s kind of expected.” She blew on the hot pizza, “I’ve met some really nice people! There’s this girl Nini, and she’s president of the drama club. They need more people I think, so I’m going to go audition tomorrow.”

Jamie popped open a bottle of beer and took a swig, “That’s nice, you can get back into dancing now. Sorry about the pizza by the way, I stopped by Vons for a frozen pizza and they only had this one with the mushrooms.”

Gina shrugged, “It’s cool. If you had told me I could’ve baked a pizza or something-“

Jamie snickered, “Gigi, you think I have the cooking supplies for that? You know I can’t cook. ”

Gina looked down at her pizza, thinking about how if she were home, her mother would make an elaborate three-course meal to her liking. She almost felt bad that Jamie was used to eating frozen food and take-out instead of their mother’s cooking. 

“Have you talked to her by any chance?” she questioned, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Mom? Nah, not yet. I’ll probably give her a call this weekend or something.” He noticed Gina’s expression shift as she nodded quietly. “I’m sure she’d love to talk to you,” he suggested sincerely.

“I don’t know… after the way things unraveled, it’s probably best we keep our distance for now” Gina murmured. Jamie was about to open his mouth to say something when Gina’s phone buzzed with a notification. She glanced at it and saw that it was from an unknown number.

Hey its EJ

Got your number from Nini

She’s like a child on a sugar high thanks to you

Gina giggled as she read his texts. She quickly swiped through, unlocking her phone, and began typing in a response to him.

hi :)

LOL she’s actually adorable, I can’t wait to do the show

you sure you won’t join me?

Nah, I’m taking a break from the drama club

But since you asked so nicely…

“Who’s that?”

Gina looked up, a shadow of a smile still on her face as she faced Jamie’s curious expression. She hadn’t realized that she was smiling down at EJ’s texts the whole time as her brother surveyed her.

“Sorry… um he’s just a friend-“ she began.

“Oh?” Jamie asked curiously.

“We have Calculus together, and he was the one who showed me around the campus.”

Jamie hummed, and got up out of his chair to put his plate away in the sink. Gina’s phone buzzed again, and she stole a glance at her phone screen.

Maybe I’ll come watch you tmr :)

She smiled to herself as her phone screen faded to black. 

*****

Gina pushed open the door to the East High theatre, and an epiphany of various voices and chatter came flooding out. There was a group of students gathered around a large piano on stage, each one harmonizing in perfect unison. Pairs of theater kids held their scripts out in front of them, rehearsing their lines out to each other. Gina clutched her backpack and peered through the doorway, trying to find Nini. The two had agreed that Gina would meet Nini at the theater after school, so that Nini could introduce her to the rest of the drama club. As if right on cue, Nini caught Gina’s eye and smiled seeing her. She excused herself and hurried over to Gina.

“Gina! So glad you could make it” she enveloped Gina in a warm hug and then brought her over to where a petite woman with short blonde hair was standing with a clipboard in her hand. The woman smiled at Nini kindly, and lit up once she saw Gina. She grabbed Gina’s shoulders and pulled her into a hug, which caught Gina by surprise. She wasn’t used to such warm welcomes — especially from strangers she had only just met about 3 seconds ago.

“You must be my Drizella!” the blonde woman exclaimed in delight. She assumed that this was the drama teacher, Miss Jenn. She had heard a lot about her from both Nini and EJ, and specifically Ricky. The three of them raved about how Miss Jenn was less like a teacher and more like a mother. How she supported and cared for her kids beyond anything else in the world. After seeing the warm and welcoming smile of Miss Jenn’s face, Gina was sure they weren’t lying.

Nini giggled. “The musical for this semester is Cinderella. I’m playing Anastasia, the other step-sister. We needed another female actor for Drizella, so I suggested you!” she clarified.

“Oh, I mean are you sure you don’t want to see me audition first?” Gina asked, honored that they would be willing to accept her without testing her skills out.

“Oh absolutely honey, but Nini was kind enough to show me some of your dance tiktoks!”

Gina whipped around to look at Nini, who smiled sheepishly. Gina giggled softly and made a note to tease Nini about stalking her later, but now she needed to get up on her stage and prove her worth. She climbed the stairs up to the stage as Miss Jenn ushered the others to give her space and sit in the audience. Gina placed her backpack towards the side of the stage near the wings and walked towards center stage, clearing her throat.

“Whenever, you’re ready dear!”

Gina nodded, looking out into the audience where she saw Nini give her an excited thumbs up. Gina took a deep breath and closed her eyes when she heard the back door to the theater creak open. She open her eyes to see EJ tentatively creep into the theater and sit down in the back row of the audience. Gina felt a rush of serotonin rush through her veins at his presence, and she couldn’t help but crack a smile.

EJ caught her eye and mouthed “Good luck” to her. And Gina began to sing.

***** 

Gina’s 16 bars were over in a flash. She opened her eyes to be surrounded by an applauding crowd, and she gratefully smiled in return. EJ even cheered loudly, throwing his arms in the air after her audition. Gina stifled a laugh as Miss Jenn turned around to find the source of the noise, EJ crouching down in an attempt to hide behind the seats in response. 

“Gina, you were so good! And you said you’re not a singer?” Nini exclaimed as she gave Gina a high-five.

Miss Jenn climbed up the stairs to the stage, marking down on her clipboard. She smiled brightly at Gina.

“So are you ready to be my Drizella?”

Gina excitedly held Nini’s hand as she nodded with a broad smile on her face. Nini let out a small scream as she hugged Gina in celebration. EJ crept out from behind the seats as he admired the curly-haired girl bounce up and down with his best friend. He beamed at her proudly as he watched her from afar. 

“Ah this is so exciting Gina!” Nini exclaimed, “I need to introduce you to everyone, they’re gonna love you!”

Nini lead Gina out to the wings where some of the other cast members were gathered around. Gina looked around and recognized Ashlyn and Maddox amongst the crowd. She beamed happily, knowing that she already had some amazing friends here. Nini introduced her to a tan-skinned boy with glasses named Carlos, the show choreographer. The two hit it off immediately, sharing their favorite dance moves and exchanged tips and tricks. She then met Kourtney, a rather beautifully dressed girl who was the costume designer. Kourtney and Gina were exchanging their favorite places to shop when a tall girl with long black hair walked up to Gina. 

Gina immediately noticed how the rest of her friends fell into silence the second they noticed the girl. She noted the girl’s black leggings with white platform sneakers, paired with a grey colored sports bra. The girl had a strange smile on her face as she approached Gina. She swept her eyes up and down Gina’s frame as she plastered a small smile.

“Congrats,” she said. “On getting the part.”

“Thanks!” Gina beamed.

“I’m Dani by the way. Cinderella, the lead of the musical” she clarified with a smug smile. Gina gave her a small smile and nodded in response.

“I’m Gina.”

“It’s quite impressive actually… coming in here after the cast already auditioned and actually getting a role,” Dani started, studying Gina closely.

Gina smiled slightly when she felt a hand on her back. She turned around to see EJ standing behind her. He slipped his hand down towards her waist, lingering it there as he addressed Dani.

“Did you see her audition? She definitely deserved that role,” he said proudly.

Gina smiled up at him, meeting his green eyes. She wasn’t sure how long she gazed up at him, but she swore she saw him wink at her with a flirty smile. Before Gina could even process the fact that EJ Caswell seemed to be flirting with her, she felt Dani’s eyes staring daggers at her. She averted her gaze and noticed Dani glance at Ej, then at Gina with a dirty look on her face. Dani cleared her throat, making the two separate and EJ glanced towards her in annoyance.

“I mean I guess it was also convenient that Gina seemed to know the president of the drama club pretty well,” she said coolly.

EJ opened his mouth to retort back but Nini stepped towards Dani with a fierce look on her face, “Maybe you should back off Dani.”

Dani put her hands up smugly as she made eye contact with Gina. Gina furrowed her eyebrows, not really knowing exactly why she suddenly had beef with this random girl. Dani shifted her attention towards EJ, placing a hand on his shoulder as she inched closer to him. 

“EJ… it’s good to see you back in the theater,” she rubbed his shoulder with a flirtatious smirk.

“Yeah, well don’t get used to it” he snapped back. Gina looked at him curiously as he pulled away from Dani’s hand, eyeing her cautiously.

“Come on EJ” she cooed, “Don’t you want to be my Prince Charming?”

“Isn’t Michael literally playing Prince Charming?” Carlos interjected to which Dani snapped her around to glare at him. 

“Whatever,” Dani rolled her eyes, turned on her heel, and walked away. Gina observed EJ as he watched Dani walk away with a stony expression. EJ seemed to feel her gaze on him, as he shifted to look at Gina, forcing a smile on his lips. She smiled back forcefully and debated whether or not she should ask him about the interaction with Dani. But Gina was always a curious person, so she decided to fight her inhibitions and just ask him.

“So, you and Dani? Is there something there?”

EJ laughed softly, however his laugh lacked any humor.

“Seriously? That’s what you got from our interaction?”

“I don’t know, seemed like she was really into you,” Gina said defensively.

EJ looked down at his feet, “Yeah well, you thought wrong.”

Gina nodded quietly, stumped at EJ’s curt response. She fiddled with her script, trying to distract from the way she felt hurt that EJ was being so stiff with her. He watched her avoid his gaze, and sighed quietly.

“I’m sorry. I have to- I should go,” he mumbled

She watched EJ walk away and out the theater door.

Chapter Text

The next morning, EJ paced back and forth in front of his car as he recalled the way he snapped at Gina during auditions yesterday. He didn’t know what got into him to make her feel so terrible yesterday. Her visibly upset and stunned face was seared into his memory and EJ could not figure out how he had the nerve to make someone as amazing as Gina feel so awful. And after she was so excited to be getting the part, too? He really was an idiot. 

“It’ll be fine, Eej,” Ashlyn reassured him as she grabbed her backpack and a shopping bag filled with baking supplies from the back seat of his car. After his interaction with Gina yesterday, EJ stormed into Ashlyn’s house where he spent the next ranting about how his life was miserable. Ashlyn was pretty much used to EJ’s emotional meltdowns at this point, and so she coaxed him through it, making sure he realized that Gina deserved an appropriate apology. He had the right to be upset, but not take it out on others. However, it did not occur to Ashlyn that her cousin would begin obsessing about the curly-haired dancer and how he was a douche to treat her like that. 

“How is it fine, Ash?” he rubbed his temples, “I totally blew it with her!”

Ashlyn eyed him curiously, being caught off guard. “Blew what exactly?”

“Our friendship!” he flailed desperately. “She’s such an incredible person and we were getting along so well! But of course, Dani had to come in and ruin everything!” 

“Look EJ, you can make this right. I’m sure she’ll understand!” She assured him, “Now can we please start walking because I’m carrying some really heavy metal trays right now.”

EJ threw his head back, annoyed. He grabbed his backpack and locked his car, leading Ashlyn through the parking lot and to the entrance of the school. They were only halfway there when Ashlyn caught a glimpse of Nini towards the other end of the parking lot. She called her over and EJ looked down at his phone, scrolling through the lesson slides for today’s calculus class. Yeah, he was not kidding when he said he needed help.

It was when he finally looked up from his phone did he see Gina walking alongside Nini as the two approached him and Ashlyn. Gina caught his eye for a moment before averting her attention to Ashlyn. She smiled at his cousin, complimenting the girl’s shoes with a genuine smile. EJ could feel his throat constrict as he pondered on what to say to Gina at this moment. He could feel the tension building, but luckily Nini was there to make his life a bit more bearable.

“EJ, why are you letting your cousin carry this gigantic ass shopping bag by herself?” Nini sassed.

Never mind, maybe she was just here to attack him. “Uh-“ he started.

Nini grabbed Ashlyn’s bag and shoved it in EJ’s arms, as he grasped to get ahold of it. “There. You can finally put those stupid muscles to use,” she grinned. “Come on Ash, I need to talk to you about the Act II ballad!” Nini grabbed Ashlyn’s arm and led her away, leaving EJ and Gina alone. With Ashlyn’s baking supplies.

“Um, do you need some help?” Gina offered tentatively.

“Nope! I’m perfectly fine,” EJ grunted as he tried to adjust the bag. He felt Gina’s hand gaze over his arm as she grasped one of the handles, pulling it down so they were each holding one of the handles of the bag, making the weight much more manageable.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, to which she nodded with a small smile. The pair started walking, and EJ looked over at Gina, trying to figure out what to say to her. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out finally.

Gina looked over at him in surprise, so he continued, “For being a dick to you yesterday, you didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s okay, EJ” she smiled back.

“No, like seriously. I don’t know what got into me. It’s just… Dani. I don’t really like to talk about her and seeing her yesterday was kind of… a lot for me,” he sighed. “But that’s my problem, not yours.”

Gina smiled at him genuinely, “It’s fine EJ, really. I’m sorry if I pried a little too much, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

EJ waved her off, “No, no I completely understand. It means a lot that you care,” he caught her eye and thought she looked a little flustered. 

“Well, it means a lot that despite it all, you’d come out to support me… especially if this Dani girl makes you so uncomfortable,” Gina flushed.

“Well, you deserve to have your own entourage,” he smirked. 

Gina giggled as they rounded the corner of the hallway. She handed the handle of the bag to EJ, their hands momentarily making contact. EJ could feel the heat rising up his cheeks as Gina’s hands grazed his forearm.

“Well, this is me,” she pointedly looked over at her classroom. 

“Right, yes. Thank you so much! For your help and everything,” he smiled at her as she stepped backwards slowly with a small smile on her face. 

“We’re still on for today after school?” Gina asked. “You know, your calc tutor sesh?”

EJ realized that today was the day he had asked Gina to come over to his place for help on the calculus homework. He playfully hit his forehead, “Of course.”

She pointed at him, snapping her fingers with a grin, “You’re my ride!”

EJ grinned back as Gina slipped into her classroom. He watched her walk away when he suddenly heard the morning bell ring, pulling him away from his trance. He realized that his class was on the other end of the hallway and sprinted towards it, Ashlyn’s stuff in his hands.

After school, EJ decided to wait outside Gina’s classroom since he got out of his last class earlier. He leaned against the doorframe of Gina’s chemistry class, recalling how he had taken this very class last year with the same teacher. Mr. Connelly was one of the stricter teachers at the school, with his challenging tests and heaps of homework. EJ made a mental note to give Gina his notes from last year to help her better adjust to the class. 

“EJ?” he heard Gina’s voice. EJ looked up to see Gina standing at the doorway, her backpack swung over her shoulder, with a perplexed and yet surprised expression on her face. 

“Hey!” he straightened up to face her, “I figured I’d meet you here since I’m driving us home anyways.”

Gina smiled slightly and he cursed himself for feeling his cheeks heat up at the sight of her smile. He motioned for her to start walking out the school, walking in step with her.

“I see you don’t have Ashlyn’s 50 pound bag with you?” Gina giggled. 

EJ rolled his eyes in good-nature, “Yeah, I gave it to her after 2nd period. I was not about to lug that around for the whole day. She’s organizing this bake sale for her baking club, which is why she had to bring all of that with her.”

“Ah, so the Caswells are bakers then?” Gina teased, nudging him with her elbow.

EJ laughed, “ Ashlyn is a baker. I, however, cannot make pancakes without burning my whole kitchen down.”

“Oh come on, you can’t be that bad…”

“Trust me on this,” EJ laughed. Gina shook her head with a smile on her face as the two approached his car in the parking lot. EJ hurried over to the passenger side of his car, opening the door for her as she raised her eyebrows appreciatively. He helped her inside and closed the door, heading over to the driver’s seat.

The drive to EJ’s house was pretty quiet as the two shared about their classes and workload for the weekend. He pulled up to the driveway of his house and out of the corner of his eye noticed Gina slightly gape at the enormity of his house as she took in the pristine architecture surrounded by a gigantic lawn and white fences. EJ’s grandparents had bought the condominium back when they first moved to Salt Lake City. It was his and his father’s childhood home. 

Cash Caswell was never a humble man, meaning that he took any chance he could to renovate and expand the little empire he built. Since childhood, EJ was used to such extravagant displays of his wealth. Cash, being a workaholic, spent most of his time at his law firm. EJ’s mother had died when he was incredibly young. Cash had no time to give to his only son, so he resorted to buying EJ’s love with enormous amounts of toys and gadgets to help keep him busy. He paid off numerous babysitters and nannies, but could never take the time out to give him the attention and love his son deserved. 

EJ sometimes forgot what a shock his lifestyle was to other people, which he was reminded of when he awkwardly noticed Gina’s stunned face. He unlocked the front door, not even bothering to knock and led Gina into his home. She looked around at the high ceilings and antique furniture with a dreamy expression on her face.

“Your house is beautiful,” she said softly, admiring the stained glass window above the front.

EJ shrugged, “Thanks.”

Gina smiled, “You know, I’ve always dreamed of a house like this. With my mom’s job and everything, we never got the chance to stay long enough in a city to build a beautiful home like this.”

“I don’t know, I feel like it’s the people who make a home. Otherwise, it’s just a house.” EJ slipped his coat off, hanging it on the coat rack. 

Gina glanced at him, seemingly pondering on his words. He led her through the hallway and into the dining room, where they set their backpacks down. EJ went into the kitchen to grab them both a drink and when he returned, he noticed Gina was standing in front of a long wall that ran down the dining hall into the living room. She smiled at the picture frames that were hung up on the walls, most of them being from EJ’s childhood and a couple photos of his parents. He joined her as they gazed up at the pictures.

“Is this you?” she giggled, pointing to a picture of a 5-year-old EJ in the driver’s seat of his dad’s Mercedes. His dad was sitting in the passenger seat as EJ was smiling with his hands on the steering wheel.

EJ chuckled lightly, “Yes ma’am, that’s me! I’ve always been super into cars. I even dressed up as Lightning McQueen for Halloween once.” He pointed to Cash in the picture, “That’s my dad, Cash Caswell.”

Gina snickered slightly, to which EJ gave her a look, a smile creeping up on his lips. “Cash Caswell?” she smirked, “It’s almost like you were destined for this life,” she winked. EJ rolled his eyes with a small smirk on his face, ignoring the fact that there were butterflies in his stomach when she winked at him. 

“Oh, is this your mom? She’s so pretty!”

EJ followed Gina’s gaze to a picture of his mother holding him up as a toddler. It was his favorite picture of the two of them. There was a gleaming smile on his mother’s face as she endearingly picked up her son. EJ was laughing as he reached his little arms out to his mom, a bright twinkle in his eyes. 

“She was really pretty…” EJ smiled at the picture. 

Gina look apologetic as she scrambled to find words, “Oh, EJ I’m so sorry- I had no idea-”

But EJ waved her off, “It’s no problem. It’s kinda weird, a lot of my life has just been without her.” He clarified, “She died when I was about 6 years old. It’s hard to miss something–  someone… you’ve never had.”

“You probably don’t remember too much about her,” Gina asked carefully. 

“Just stuff I see in pictures,” EJ sighed, placing a hand on his mom in the photo frame. “And the stories that my dad tells me about her. My dad and her actually met in high school, you know?” He smiled, pointing at a picture from his parents’ wedding.

“So you must be close to your dad?”

EJ nodded no, “We used to be. But after mom passed, he kinda spent most of his time at work, trying to distract himself I guess. That’s when Ashlyn stepped in, as my closest friend.”

Gina reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. Gina’s hand felt warm against his. EJ turned to her, trying to mask his feelings with a small smile on his face, wanting to change the subject.

“Thanks for the compliment, though.”

Gina looked at him perplexed. He continued, “A lot of people say that I get my looks from my mom. And you said she’s really pretty…” he trailed off, leaving Gina with widened eyes.

She slapped his arm playfully, “Shut up!” EJ grinned and she laughed at his ability to lighten the mood at any moment.

“Come on, Porter,” EJ dragged her away by the arm, “You’re supposed to be tutoring me!”

EJ brought her to the dining table, pulling her chair out for her. She smiled at him gratefully, taking a seat and the two pulled out their notes and homework. 

“So, we can start with this week’s lesson,” she said, flipping through her binder full of worksheets and notes. “Alright, so limits! A limit is the value that a function approaches as the x approaches some value…”

Gina read through the rest of the definition, but for some reason EJ could not focus on the words that were coming out of her mouth or the words on his paper. His eyes were only on the beautiful girl sitting in front of him.

Chapter Text

“And that should be it for today’s rehearsal!” Miss Jenn’s voice rang out, “Great job, everybody! We’ll start blocking for the Cinderella and Prince Charming dance next time!”

Gina slapped Nini a high-five in celebration of their first run-through of the peppy song that Ashlyn had specifically written for Cinderella’s step sisters. The two had been excited to finally get a chance to sing together, practicing their harmonies and riffs in preparation for today. And it was safe to say, they killed it. Dani even had to suppress her supposed annoyance with Gina and acknowledge their performance as the rest of the drama club applauded for them.

They headed off the stage to grab their backpacks when Gina was cut off by a boy with light brown hair, round glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose and a smile on his face. She recognized him from the scene run-through that he did with Dani yesterday. She realized that this was the lead, Prince Charming.

“You guys were great out there! Who knew that the evil step-sisters could sound so good?” he grinned.

Gina smiled back, “Thanks!”

He reached his hand out, “I’m Michael by the way.”

Gina put her hand in his, “Gina. You and Dani were really good too, together.”

Michael cringed with a smile on his face, “I don’t know about that. She can be a little… much.” Gina giggled quietly, turning her head to make sure that Dani wasn’t around. “I was in ensemble last year so I didn’t really realize, but I’m just trying to get through it at this point.” 

“Well, it looks like you’re getting along well so at least there’s that,” she laughed.

"I don't know if I should take it as a compliment that Dani and I have chemistry," he laughed.

“Gina! Are you ready to go?” Nini’s voice called from the door.

“I should go, but it was nice meeting you Michael,” Gina said.

“It’s great to have you with us this year. We needed a talented villain like you,” he cracked to which Gina laughed.

She waved goodbye and jogged to catch up with Nini. The two headed out and got into Nini’s car as Nini hooked up her phone to the aux, scrolling through her playlist to find what Gina assumed would be a Taylor Swift song. 1989 Taylor’s Version had just come out last week, and Nini had spent the last week talking about what a masterpiece it was, referring to certain lyrics and moments in the songs. Gina thought it was cute, especially when EJ joined her in her obsession with the album.

“So, I guess you met Michael today?” Nini asked, as she pulled out from the parking spot.

“Yeah! He seemed pretty nice, although he was complaining about having to work with Dani,” Gina laughed.

Nini rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face, “I mean who wouldn’t? She’s actually an insufferable egomaniac. I’m surprised Miss Jenn hasn’t kicked her off the drama club yet.”

Gina looked at her curiously, “So she’s always rude? Because I kinda got the feeling she doesn’t like me much.”

“Well, she has always been super arrogant and condescending, but I did notice her staring daggers at you during our rehearsal today,” Nini commented.

“I just don’t know why she has a problem with me,” Gina said.

“Maybe because you’re crazy talented and she’s intimidated by you?” Nini grinned, to which Gina smiled. 

“Hey Neen, can I ask you something?” Nini nodded and Gina continued tentatively, “What’s the deal with EJ and Dani?”

Gina noticed Nini stiffen a bit as she kept her eyes affixed on the road ahead. 

“What do you mean?”

Gina shrugged, “Just, he seemed a little uncomfortable around her that day I auditioned, and when I brought it up he kinda shut me down.”

Nini didn’t look at Gina, and Gina could tell that she was thinking about how she should be answering the question. “Look, it’s really not my place to say. I mean, EJ barely even talks about it with Ricky and I.”

Gina nodded in disappointment and Nini looked over at her, taking a deep breath.

“They just… they have a history. And EJ was really affected by it. It’s kind of why he’s not in the drama club this year.”

Gina looked over at her confused, “I thought it was because of waterpolo?”

“That’s what he told Miss Jenn,” Nini bit her lip, “The truth is that he can’t stand being around her, it’s too much for him.”

A feeling of anger passed through Gina. How could this girl make EJ feel so uncomfortable that he couldn’t even bear to be in the same room as her? That he was willing to give up theater - something he loved so much? Gina’s anger seemed to reflect through her face, because Nini smiled at her reassuringly.

“Don’t worry too much about him, Gi. The situation is just complicated but he’s in a much better place now.” Gina just nodded quietly as the car pulled into the parking lot of a shopping mall.

The group had decided to go ice skating after rehearsal today, which Gina was extremely excited for.  Regardless of the many moves that Gina had been through, she found herself landing somewhere in the East Coast. Her mom and her had made ice skating during the holiday a tradition since Gina was a little girl. There was something about gliding along the ice that made Gina feel freer than ever. As she got older, she even started to incorporate her dance skills into ice skating. 

The girls checked in for their ice skates, leaving their shoes in the storage locker along the edge of the ice skating rink. Gina sat down on a bench to get her ice skates laced up when EJ stumbled down, falling down in front of Gina, startling her.

“Oh my god EJ, are you okay?” she looked at him alarmed.

EJ laughed, a look of embarrassment passing across his face, “I’m fine, I just suck at this.” He pointedly looked at the skates on his feet.

Gina giggled, finishing up her laces and standing up. She extended both her arms out for EJ to hold. He placed his hands in hers and she noted how his hands felt warm against her cold ones in the chilly October air. With a tug, Gina pulled EJ up to his feet, stabilizing him by grabbing him by his forearms.

“Have you not been ice skating before?” she asked as she started to walk him over to the ice rink.

EJ wobbled as he attempted to balance on the thin blade, gripping Gina’s arms tightly, “I’ve been once with Ashlyn when we were kids, but falling on my face and freezing traumatized to the point where I didn’t go back after,” he joked as Gina stepped out onto the ice.

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry. Now, you’re gonna slowly step over on the ice and you can hold the wall for support too,” she guided him as EJ tentatively stepped on the ice. His foot started to slip and EJ clung to the wall as he brought the other foot over. Gina took a step back, giggling at how the 6-foot water polo player was clinging to the wall of the rink for his dear life.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Porter. This is traumatic for me,” EJ cried as he clenched his hands, which were going white by how tightly he was holding on to the wood. 

Gina glided over to EJ, bringing herself in front of him. “Calm down, Eej. You’re gonna have to let go if you wanna get anywhere.”

“What if I want to stay here?”

Gina rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, prying one of EJ’s hands off the wall and interlocking it with hers instead. She skated over to EJ’s left side, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Just trust me EJ,” she said, and EJ held her gaze for a moment, before nodding at her with a smile. He loosened his grip on the wall, as he grasped Gina’s hand. Gina glided a bit, explaining to EJ how to better control his skates, and dragged him with her as the two skated along the perimeter of the rink.

After a couple yards, EJ seemed to get the hang of it and Gina slid her hand off of his back, ignoring how much she enjoyed feeling his back muscles flex under his coat. She picked up the pace a bit, making sure to focus on EJ’s footwork.

“See? It’s not so bad,” she smiled at him, noticing that EJ’s face was much more relaxed now than it was before.

“That’s because I have you as my teacher,” he grinned, and Gina blushed slightly, hoping that her cheeks were already pink from the cold air.

“Make sure you bend your knees a little. It helps with your center of gravity so that you don’t fall over.”

EJ looked over at her, a surprised look on his face, “Are you like a professional ice skater or something?” 

Gina laughed, “My mom and I have been going ice skating together since I was in first grade. It’s sort of our tradition.”

“That’s so sweet,” he said softly, “You must miss her, now that you’re here and not home.”

Gina’s smile faltered, “I, yeah I guess so… it’s complicated with us. I was really upset with her and her job, and I said some things I shouldn’t have…” she trailed off uncomfortably.

EJ glanced at her with a look of understanding and almost pity, “You don’t have to talk about it, you know.”

Gina nodded, swallowing thickly. How did an ice skating lesson with EJ turn into this reality check for Gina? It had been around a month since Gina had left home and had last seen or talked to her mother. Sure, she missed her, but Gina had too much pride in her to go crawling back to her mother like a child. Besides, her mother had not once called Gina to check on her, and she was really enjoying her life at East High. Apologizing to her mother would just mean that Gina would be shipped back to whatever state her mother landed in, and that wasn’t the life Gina was looking for.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized Ricky was speeding towards them from behind, apparently losing control of his skates as he decided to race through the rink like a child on a sugar high. He crashed in between EJ and Gina’s interlocked hands making the two separate in shock, and he zoomed ahead as Nini followed him, an apologetic look on her face. 

The force from Ricky running into them and the loss of Gina as his balance made EJ’s feet slide out from under him as he toppled over, falling on the ice and sliding as he struggled to regain his balance. Gina skated towards him, her voice laced with concern but also a shadow of a smile on her face.

“Oh my god, EJ!” she laughed.

“I’m gonna murder Bowen, I swear,” EJ muttered as Gina grabbed his hands, trying to pull him to his feet. EJ had only gotten one of his skates back on the ice when he slipped again, this time pulling Gina down with him.

Gina shrieked as she fell on top of EJ, laying across his legs as the two slid further down the rink. She felt EJ’s hand on top of her back, shielding her as she stumbled down on him. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him, and Gina found herself blushing furiously in embarrassment. She pushed herself off of EJ, brushing off the ice that was now on her flared leggings.

“Are you okay?” EJ snickered, tucking one of her loose curls behind her ear. 

Gina narrowed her eyes, “You totally did that on purpose,” she stood up, smoothing out her coat.

“That was not on purpose,” EJ grinned, “but this is!” And he grabbed her and pulled her back down on the ice, a yelp escaping her lips as she awkwardly fell on his lap. 

“EJ!”

The two glanced at each other and started laughing as the other ice skaters passed by them, giving them weird and confused looks. Nini and Ricky made their way over to the two on the ice and Ricky started laughing at the two on the ground.

“Oh my goodness, you guys! Your asses are gonna be frozen,” Nini admonished as she helped Gina back up onto her feet.

“It’s not my fault EJ’s like bambi on ice!” Gina giggled.

Nini helped EJ up, linking her arm with his to ensure that he wouldn’t lose his balance. His face was flushed, and Gina wondered if it was from the ice or from the fact that she was quite literally sitting on top of him two minutes ago. EJ started shivering, a grin on his face as rubbed his hands together to keep warm.

“God, EJ, you’re shivering. Let me take you back out to the bench so you can warm up,” Nini said, leading him back towards the entrance of the ice rink.

As Gina watched them skate away laughing about something EJ said, their arms linked together and EJ holding onto Nini’s tiny figure, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. About how she should’ve been the one leading EJ back out. 

“Shall we head back too?” Ricky asked, an amused expression on his face as he studied Gina. 

She nodded and they both made their way out. Gina found EJ sitting on a bench, getting his winter boots back on, still shivering as he pulled his coat tighter around him. 

She sat next to him, undoing her skates as she slipped them off her feet. She scooched closer to EJ, so that she was almost pressed up against his side.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?” EJ said, without looking over at her.

Gina hesitated, then slowly rested her head on EJ’s shoulder as she gazed at the kids skating in circles on the ice rink in front of them. She felt him tense up as his shoulders contracted, but he relaxed soon after, and the two huddled close in the brisk, cold air. 

“It really is.”

Chapter Text

EJ rose up out of water at the edge of the pool, gasping for air as he completed his laps for the day. Although it wasn’t waterpolo season until the next semester, EJ and teammates made it a tradition to meet up at the campus pool at least twice a week during their off-season, both to maintain their skills and to also catch up with each other. 

His teammates had been nagging him for the last two weeks, asking when he would be coming into workout next. He hated to admit it, but EJ had been kind of slacking on their pool workouts for the last couple weeks. Gina had limited days available after school due to Miss Jenn’s strict rehearsal schedule, and EJ found himself preferring to spend all his time with her rather than the guys.

“Captain, surprised to see you here today,” Brandon, one of his teammates said as EJ waded over to the team.

“Yeah, it's not like you to miss team workouts,” Jet said curiously.

EJ smiled back as he pushed his wet hair back with one hand, “You guys are overreacting…”

Brandon raised an eyebrow, “We haven’t seen you in three weeks. Chris literally ran into Ricky Bowen in the locker room and asked him if you were still alive.” 

EJ looked at Brandon with a skeptical expression on his face.

“We know your dad came back from that business trip a couple days ago, but where were you all last week?”

EJ thought back to last Thursday, when he received a text from Brandon saying that the team was going to be at the pool at 3. He was about to reply back, saying that he’d be there when Gina had found him and asked if he was free for a tutoring session after school.

He looked up, trying to avoid eye contact with the boys, “I was with my Calc tutor.”

Jet smirked, “You mean the hot girl with the curly hair?”

EJ looked at him, his eyes widened, while the rest of the team swiveled their heads around, gasps and questions echoing as they all interrogated Jet about EJ’s “mystery tutor.”

“EJ has a hot calculus tutor?”

“Dude, when were you gonna tell us?”

EJ furrowed his eyebrows at Jet, “How the hell do you know Gina?”

Jet snickered, “I don’t. I caught you making eyes at her during lunch the other day.”

EJ scoffed in indignance, “I was not making eyes at her!”

Brandon smirked, “So you don’t think she’s hot?”

EJ rolled his eyes, watching his teammates gang up on him like this was not something he was expecting today. “I never said that-”

“So you agree she’s hella hot?”

“I think,” he said pointedly, “she’s much more than her hotness… or whatever,” he grumbled awkwardly.

“Well, obviously,” Chris smirked, “Still man, how did you get a girl like that to like you?”

EJ grabbed his water bottle, mumbling, “It’s not like that, we’re just friends…”

“But you want it to be more?” Brandon finished for him, leaving EJ dumbfounded.

“What? No! I mean, I don’t know…”

Jet rolled his eyes, “Then what’s stopping you?”

EJ hesitated, thinking back to last summer with Dani. After everything that had gone down with her, he wasn’t sure he would be able to open himself up to another girl. EJ had always been the type to put up a strong facade, especially since his mom had died. He had to be strong, for his dad, for Ashlyn, for himself. Being vulnerable wasn’t easy for him, and after Dani had taken advantage of his vulnerability, he wasn’t sure he was ready to jump into another relationship.

But it wasn’t like he actually had feelings for Gina. Whatever his teammates were talking about was just nonsense. So he pushed the thoughts of Gina away from his head.

“You’re one to talk, Jet,” EJ rolled his eyes, “I believe you still haven’t asked Kourtney out yet? It’s been what, six months since you guys started ‘talking.’”

The boys laughed and joked as they all started to gang up on Jet, and for some reason, EJ felt relieved that the attention was off him and his relationship with Gina. 

About 20 minutes of laughing and joking around later, the team decided to head back to shower and get changed in the locker rooms. EJ pushed himself off the edge of the pool, climbing up as his swim suit dripped down on the ground, darkening the concrete on the indoor pool. Brandon tossed him a towel which EJ loosely wrapped around his waist, making his way into the locker room.

He only got a couple steps away from the pool when his cousin came bounding through the entrance, calling his name out. 

“Ash? What’s up?” EJ asked surprised, considering the fact that she rarely visited him during his workout sessions with the team. Ashlyn made her way over to him, pacing frantically. 

“I’m so stupid EJ! I actually cannot believe I could be this stupid!” she anxiously rambled.

EJ looked at her concerned, “Ash, slow down. What exactly happened?”

“Ashlyn there you are!” a voice called out from the other end of the room. A voice that EJ found himself wanting to hear more and more often.

He turned around to see Gina waving over at the two with a bright smile on her face. She jogged over to him and Ashlyn, “You wanna know what she said?” Gina smiled deviously at Ashlyn.

EJ glanced between the two, confused out of his mind, “Who said what?”

Gina squealed while Ashlyn just had her eyes widened, her face pale with shock, “Ashlyn just asked Maddox out! And she said yes!” Gina grabbed Ashlyn's hands excitedly while Ashlyn just stood there, trying to process Gina's words.

“You what?” EJ pretty much shouted, a grin creeping up on his face. Gina shushed him as the rest of the people in the room turned to look at the group. She grabbed his forearm in excitement, a giddy smile on her face.

Ashlyn clenched her fists anxiously, “We’re kinda… going out to lunch this weekend?”

EJ smiled brightly, “Ash!!!”

“She literally went up to Maddox during rehearsal and said, and I quote, ‘Aren’t you just the most beautiful thing to ever exist!’” Gina exclaimed. 

“I mean, she is!” Ashlyn protested, a faint tinge of pink rising on her fair cheeks. 

EJ turned to Ashlyn, gaping with widened eyes. His cousin had been pining over Maddox ever since the tech expert had moved to Salt Lake last year, and met each other during drama club auditions. Ashlyn was never one to make bold decisions, so the fact that she outright confessed her to her long-time crush was something that shocked EJ, but also made him admire his cousin even more. 

“Ashlyn, this is amazing!” EJ grinned, pulling Ashlyn to his side for a hug. 

“I can’t believe you were bold enough to do that, Ash!” Gina smiled slightly, “I mean, I’d never be able to…”

She trailed off, her eyes meeting EJ’s. His smile faded for a moment, as he stared at her, trying to figure out what she insinuated. She avoided his gaze, looking down at her shoes instantly. As her gaze trailed downward, EJ noticed her eyes linger over his abs, which were still wet from the pool water. And that was when EJ suddenly realized that he was pretty much naked in front of her right now.

The two were interrupted by a clap on EJ’s back, and he turned around to find Jet and Brandon behind him, fully clothed unlike him and grinning broadly as they caught a glance of Gina. 

“Caswell, introduce us to your friend,” Jet smirked. EJ literally had to stop himself from physically rolling his eyes.

“Guys, this is Gina. And you already know my cousin, Ash.”

Brandon flashed a charismatic smile at Gina, “Brandon. Pleasure to meet the girl who’s been keeping our captain away from us.”

Gina widened her eyes, making a double take at EJ. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as EJ just glared at his teammates while Ashlyn placed her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her smirk.

“Oh yeah, Eej has been missing our workout sessions for the last couple weeks. Something about a calculus tutor…?” Jet grinned smugly while EJ slapped a hand to his forehead.

“EJ, you could’ve told me if you were busy during our tutoring sessions?” Gina turned to EJ, who was just speechless as he gazed into the girl’s big, brown eyes, too distracted to form words.

Jet snickered, “Pretty sure he’d never be busy if it meant hanging out with you.”

EJ felt his face heat up despite the fact that he was dripping with cold chlorine water without any clothes on, absolutely freezing. Gina blinked awkwardly as Brandon and Jet smirked at each other, laughing silently. Ashlyn seemed to sense EJ’s embarrassment and his sudden urge to push his teammates back into the pool, so she spoke up.

“Well, boys, it was nice seeing you but I really need EJ’s advice for my date this weekend? In private?” she said with a small, shy smile.

Jet grinned, “We’ll leave you to it, Ash. I’m sure EJ has plenty of advice to give when it comes to dating.”

“Knock her dead, Ash!” Brandon laughed as he and Jet started to walk away. “Maybe throw a shirt or something on, Eej?” he called out as the boys burst into laughter.

“Get out of here before I murder you both!” EJ called back, with an annoyed expression on his face as Ashlyn and Gina giggled. He turned to face the two, a feeling of giddiness passing him as his eyes fell on Gina’s soft smile. Her eyes radiated a warm glow and almost made him forget what he was about to say.

“I’m gonna go change, but this isn’t over Ash,” he smirked at her. “We will be going over first date pointers.”

Gina chimed in, “And we need to figure out your outfit!”

“Do you wanna come to Ash’s place with us then, Gi?” EJ suggested, “That way you can help Ashlyn pick out her outfit.”

Gina bit her lip, “I don’t think I can. My brother’s slammed with work so he won’t be able to pick me up from her house later and it’s too far from my apartment to walk.”

“Oh, I can just drop you back home after,” EJ quickly said. He could feel Ashlyn’s gaze on him, but decided to ignore it.

Gina blinked, “Are you sure? I mean your house is on the opposite end of where I am.” 

EJ shrugged nonchalantly, “It’s no problem, I’m in no rush to get home anyway. Now that my dad’s back, I’ve been trying to avoid being home as much.”

Gina and Ashlyn exchanged glances and EJ instantly knew what they were thinking about.

“It’s fine guys, Dad needs his time away from me anyway.”

“If you say so. But this isn’t over either Eej,” Ashlyn said, referencing his words from before and Gina nodded.

“Now please go dry yourself before you get sick!” Gina said, grabbing him by the shoulders and directing him to the locker room.

EJ grinned before ducking into the men’s locker room, ignoring the way Gina’s concern for him made his heart skip a beat. It had been a long time since EJ really felt important to someone.

That’s why he felt those butterflies in his stomach. Because he wanted to feel important. Not because he was falling for his gorgeous Calculus tutor.

Chapter Text

“No, no, no! I have absolutely nothing to wear!” 

Gina giggled as Ashlyn tossed all of her clothes on her bed. She was standing in front of her walk-in closet, filled to the brim, and was still looking extremely exasperated. Gina was sitting on the floor of Ashlyn’s bedroom, supposedly helping her pick out her outfit for her first date with Maddox. She was however, trying to contain her fits of laughter as Ashlyn rambled on about how terrified she was to go out with the techie. 

“What about that black dress?” Gina pointed, “The lace would look really good with your Doc Martens.”

Ashlyn looked at the dress, pulling it off the hanger and draping it against herself in the mirror. “I don’t know. I mean first date, black dress? Isn’t that basic?”

Gina just shrugged. Ashlyn, being the Libra she was, was absolutely terrible at making decisions. In the last month, Gina had learned that much about the younger Caswell.

“I think it’s perfect,” EJ said as he stood by the doorframe, holding three cans of Sprite in his hand. He came in, handing Gina and Ashlyn their drinks before finding a spot on the floor next to Gina. “And sure the black’s basic but, Mads did like your goth girl look for Halloween,” he grinned as Ashlyn’s pale cheeks flushed bright red.

“So it’s settled,” Gina smiled, “You’re wearing the black.”

Ashlyn sighed and fell on her bed, grabbing one of her decorative pillows and clutching it close to her chest. 

“How does this work exactly? Like what am I supposed to do? We’ve been friends for a while now, so do we just talk like normal? Or do I have to be all formal since we’re going out for the first time,” she rambled, and Gina looked at her endearingly. Ashlyn clearly cared a lot about Maddox, and wanted to make sure she got it right. 

“Ash, you’re overthinking this,” EJ said coolly, leaning back against Ashlyn’s dresser. “Just be natural, let the chemistry flow, you know? See what the vibe is like when you get there, and just talk like you guys normally do. Trust me, if there’s a connection between two people, like you and Maddox, then you can practically talk about anything and it won’t be awkward.”

Gina glanced at him, noticing how his emerald-like eyes softened as he comforted his cousin.

“You seem to be speaking from experience,” she said, studying the way EJ’s eyes widened slightly and his cheeks started to tinge pink after her question.

“I mean, I’ve had my fair share of first dates in the past,” he started, before meeting Gina’s gaze, “But I don’t think I’ve ever felt a connection like the one Ash has with Maddox.”

Gina nodded to herself, raising her can of Sprite to her lips.

“What about you? Have any pearls of wisdom for Ash?”

Gina blushed furiously and she could feel her face warm up. She avoided EJ and Ashlyn’s gaze as she fiddled with the hem of her jeans.

“Oh um, I’ve actually never been on a date,” Gina said, a sheepish smile suddenly appearing on her face. EJ swiveled his head to face her, shifting his body in her direction and Ashlyn sat upright, her interest piqued.

“You’re kidding,” EJ blurted out, making Gina grow even more embarrassed at her lack of a romantic life.

“Well, it’s kinda hard… you know with the constant moves-”

“No! Gi,” EJ interrupted quickly, “It’s just hard to believe that you haven’t been asked out on a date since you’re so…” he trailed off, his cheeks flushing slightly as Gina just stared at him, blushing furiously herself.

EJ quickly cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from hers, “It’s just… the guys are missing out, you know?”

Gina smiled to herself, unsure of how to feel that EJ was throwing compliments at her like it was nothing. She muttered a “thanks” under her breath. Ashlyn glanced between the two with a knowing smile on her face, before the doorbell rang.

“That must be Mom,” Ashlyn said, before heading downstairs to open the door.

The two sat there in silence for a moment before EJ, sensing the unspoken energy, decided to break the silence. "You know, even if you haven't been on a date, it doesn't mean you're missing out. Quality matters more than quantity, right?"

Gina smiled, grateful for his understanding. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I've been waiting for the right person."

EJ's gaze softened, and he nodded. "Maybe we both have."

The words hung in the air, carrying a weight that spoke of unspoken feelings. It was almost like something had shifted between the two, but Gina decided that now was not the time to worry about that.

The two headed downstairs where Ashlyn and her mom were unloading some groceries, stocking up the fridge.

“Aunt Debbie, hi!” EJ smiled, greeting the blond woman with a warm hug.

“Elijah, sweetie, how are you?” Debbie smiled kindly, “It’s been a while since you’ve come over!”

EJ rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at his feet, “Yeah, I’ve just been home, busy with school and everything.”

Debbie smiled at him kindly, “I heard your father is home now too, that must be nice having him back.”

EJ fiddled with the Apple Watch on his left wrist, “It’s fine, I guess. He’s still usually just in the office though, working late nights. I bet he isn’t even home yet.” 

Debbie looked at EJ, her eyes laced with concern, “Oh honey, haven’t you gotten a chance to be with him? I’ll have Dennis talk some sense into him,” she muttered frustratedly, “You know how Cash can be so oblivious to other people’s feelings.”

EJ simply shrugged, and Gina glanced at him, feeling a sudden rush of protectiveness over the boy. She found it incredulous that Cash Caswell could be vain enough to not notice how much his son needed him. Gina thought about EJ all alone in the towering house, and how lonely it must be for him without his mother or father to even talk to. All of a sudden she started to understand EJ’s resentment towards the house and why he preferred to spend his time at school – either at water polo or the drama club.

Although with Dani around, he didn’t even really have the drama club as an option for escape. 

Debbie squeezed EJ’s shoulder, “Well, you know you’re always welcome here, sweetheart.”

EJ smiled sincerely and Gina felt a little relieved that EJ had his aunt and uncle at the very least as some form of a family. It reminded her of her family, with her mother all the way in North Carolina while she was here in  Salt Lake, living with her older brother with whom she barely interacted before the fall-out. Maybe she understood EJ in a deeper way than she first thought.

“I’ll fix you guys up some sandwiches,” Debbie squeezed Gina’s arm with a warm smile, which she gratefully reciprocated.

“She’s so sweet,” Gina giggled as she watched Ashlyn and Debbie head into the kitchen, chatting animatedly.

“Yeah, they’ve been so welcoming and kind to me ever since Mom died,” EJ followed Gina’s gaze, “Uncle Dennis knows what it’s like with Dad… they’re pretty much what I’ve got left of my family.”

“So you and your dad just avoid each other then?” Gina tilted her head, her eyes searching EJ's face for any sign of emotion. EJ sighed, his gaze shifting to the floor.

"Yeah, it's complicated," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "After Mom passed, things changed between us. It's like we're both carrying this heavy silence, and it's easier to just stay out of each other's way."

Gina nodded in understanding. "I can't imagine how tough that must be for you."

EJ managed a half-smile. "Thanks. But Ashlyn and Ricky and Nini, they've been my anchor. They've filled the gaps, you know?"

Gina reached out and gently squeezed EJ's hand. "Family isn't always about blood. Sounds like you've found your tribe."

EJ nodded intently and Gina pondered on how she could resonate with the echoes of broken family dynamics.

"Family can be complicated," she continued, her voice soft. "My dad left when I was really young, and my mom and I... you know we're not exactly on speaking terms right now. And I miss her, I do. But also I feel like talking to her would just make things worse between us."

EJ looked at Gina, a shared understanding passing between them. "Yeah, it's tough when the people you're supposed to rely on end up causing more pain."

Gina nodded, her gaze momentarily distant. "Sometimes, it feels like we're all just trying to figure out this messy puzzle called family."

EJ chuckled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You've got a point there. It's like everyone's holding different pieces, and we're not sure how they're supposed to fit together."

As they shared a moment of quiet reflection, Gina couldn't help but feel a sense of connection with EJ. Despite their different backgrounds, they both knew the ache of family fractures and the search for stability in unexpected places.

"I'm glad you found your people though," Gina said, breaking the silence. "It's important to have people who understand you."

EJ noticed the melancholic look in Gina's eyes and offered a reassuring smile. "Well so did you,” Gina looked up at him and he continued, “If you ever need someone to talk to about stupid family shit, I'm here."

Gina felt a warmth in her chest, a realization settling in. EJ wasn't just a friend. He was becoming her person, a steady presence in the chaos of her sporadic life.

"Thank you," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.

As Ashlyn returned with a tray of sandwiches for the three of them, Gina realized that these people were slowly starting to become her second family. As they sat around the table laughing about drama rehearsals and Ashlyn’s first date nerves, Gina couldn't help but reflect on how much her life had changed since she first met the Wildcats. The bond they had formed was turning into something special, and she felt a sense of belonging that she hadn't experienced in a long time. 

Chapter Text

The hushed murmurs of the theater club were interrupted by the creak of the auditorium door. EJ slipped into the dimly lit space, ensuring to be quiet as he watched the rehearsals. The soft glow of the stage lights painted a silhouette around him as he found a discreet spot in the back rows.

Gina, unaware of his presence, stood center stage, fully immersed in her role as Drizella. The lines flowed effortlessly from her lips, her gestures expressing arrogance and flair. As the scene unfolded, EJ couldn't help but marvel at her confidence and poise. As a theater kid, he had the opportunity to admire every single detail about her performance, from her expressive face to her steadfast dedication.

Miss Jenn caught EJ's eye but chose not to disrupt the delicate balance of the rehearsal. She shot him a surprised smile, which he kindly returned.

“The shoe does not fit!” Michael, the boy who played Prince Charming, exclaimed as he attempted to place the glass slipper prop onto Gina’s foot.

Gina grabbed the heel, comically shoving her foot inside the tiny shoe. “Oh, but it must fit!” she cried in exasperation. EJ grinned as he watched Gina captivate the theater with her acting. He noticed she was completely off-script, unlike the others, and chuckled at her perfectionist tendencies. 

He watched her with a mixture of pride and resentment as she and Nini feigned temper tantrums on stage in response to the glass slipper. The theater club was always a tight-knit community, and EJ found himself finding comfort and solace within these people. He missed being on stage, the feeling of looking out in the audience and seeing complete darkness, how free he felt when he was just singing his heart out.

EJ glanced back at the stage, watching Dani float across to center stage as she slipped her foot perfectly into the heel. As he watched Dani and Michael rejoice on stage in a romantic ballad, he couldn’t deny that she was talented. 

He thought back to last spring, him as Troy and Dani as Gabriella. The laughter that they shared, their voices harmonizing under the gleam of the spotlight. How she could just stomp on his heart and shatter it to pieces just couldn’t get past him. 

When the scene came to a close, the theater club erupted in applause and cheers, Miss Jenn bounding upstage to give the actors their notes. Gina slapped Michael a high-five, finally catching sight of EJ in the back. As they made eye contact, a grin spread across her face and almost melted away the thoughts of Dani in EJ’s head.

EJ made his way backstage, intending to find Gina and compliment her mesmerizing performance. He creaked open the backstage door to find Gina and Michael laughing together.

“You really nailed that ballad!” Gina complimented him enthusiastically.

Michael grinned, a hint of a blush coloring his cheeks. "Thanks, Gina! I’m so glad it's all coming together."

Gina nodded with a smile just as EJ appeared behind her, his hand being pulled to Gina’s lower back, startling her. "Hey, guys! How was rehearsal?" EJ asked, trying to sound casual, though a flicker of something lingered in his eyes.

"Fantastic!" Michael replied, giving Gina a warm smile. "You should have seen Gina. She was amazing, as always."

Gina blushed at the praise, smiling at him gratefully.

EJ, normally confident and charismatic, felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched the two interact. He couldn't quite put his finger on why it bothered him, but a mixture of possessiveness and insecurity surfaced.

"So how come you’re here?" Gina asked, sensing the tension in the air.

“Oh, I was just at the pool so I figured I’d come pick you up and give you a ride home.” 

Gina smiled, “That’s really sweet Eej, but some of the cast and I are going out to the boardwalk now,” she said, glancing at Michael.

EJ’s jaw stiffened, “Oh okay.”

“Would you maybe… want to come? I think Ricky’s coming too,” Gina offered, casting a glance at Michael who simply nodded.

EJ hesitated for a moment before nodding, meeting Michael’s eyes. "Sure, why not?"

As they exited the theater, EJ couldn’t shake that feeling of unease that had now settled within him. It was almost as if seeing Gina and Micheal triggered this beast inside him to wake up, raging with fury.

He expected the bubbling jealousy to resolve once they got to the boardwalk, but after seeing Gina and Michael chatting amicably while eating their ice creams, he knew those feelings were not going away anytime soon. Ricky seemed to notice too, as he shoved a cup of ice cream in EJ’s hand after paying the ice cream vendor. 

“You’re burning up, Eej. Maybe cool down with some ice cream so you don’t physically combust?” he grinned, shifting EJ’s gaze away from Gina and Michael. He narrowed his eyes at his best friend before marching over to Gina’s side. As he approached her, he stuck his spoon into Gina’s ice cream, catching both her and Michael’s attention.

“Mm, that’s good,” he said, locking eyes with Gina as she just looked at him unsure of what to say.

She shoved him playfully, scoffing, “Eat your own ice cream, Caswell.”

“Just say you want some of mine, Porter” EJ shot back with a wicked grin as he scooped a spoonful of his chocolate ice cream, hovering the spoon in front of Gina’s lips. Her eyes flitted upwards and met his with a strong gaze, before taking a bite of his ice cream. 

Out of the corner of his eye, EJ could see Michael observing the two, somewhat of a tension in the air. Gina licked the chocolate ice cream from her lips, appreciatively making a sound that sent a rush of blood through EJ’s head. Michael’s lingering gaze on Gina did not go unnoticed as EJ felt the others walking up to them.

“You know this reminds me of the Great Boardwalk Showdown of 2021,” Nini pondered as Ashlyn and Maddox hummed in agreement. “When Ricky and EJ almost murdered each other over the ‘Shoot Your Shot’ booth,” she laughed, catching an eye roll from Ricky as he threw his arm over his girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Oh please, it was that one time and I only missed the basket because Dalton pushed me,” Ricky grumbled.

EJ smirked smugly, “You’re just jealous because basketball is supposed to be your thing and I beat you at it.”

“Well, if you’re so confident then how about a little friendly competition?” Gina challenged him, her eyes gleaming.

EJ, never one to back down from a challenge, met her gaze with a smirk, “You’re so on.”

“Is this about to be a Boardwalk Showdown 2.0?” Ashlyn laughed.

Maddox chimed, “Boys against girls!”

The group made their way to the “Shoot Your Shot” booth, where EJ and Gina stood side by side, each clutching a basketball in their hands.

“You’re so going down,” Gina said smugly, “Basketball’s about angles, and you suck at math.”

“Well, lucky for you, I have an excellent Calculus tutor,” EJ said with a taunting tone.

Gina put her hand on her chest and said mockingly, “Thank you!”

“Alright! Five balls and the most baskets wins!” Ricky yelled.

“Let’s go Gina!” Maddox cheered.

“Come on, Eej!”

“And… shoot!”

EJ focused on the hoop, releasing the ball in one swift motion. He watched as it soared up in the air and perfectly swished through the basketball hoop. He grinned at Gina as he heard Ricky and Michael whooping in the back.

“In your face!” he laughed.

“Alright, alright don’t get cocky. I let you have that one so you don’t weep when I win!” Gina retorted with a smile, shooting her own basketball. He watched as her basketball hit the backboard, falling through the hoop as the girls cheered excitedly. EJ rolled his eyes as he watched Gina laugh with a competitive fire in her eyes.

They took turns shooting more baskets, each one better than the next. Amongst the competitive banter, Gina stepped up confidently, shooting her basketball. It hit the backboard, circling around the rim momentarily before falling inside the basket.

“Nice shot, Gina!” he heard Michael say.

“Dude, wrong team!” Ricky scoffed in annoyance.

EJ stepped up to his basket, turning his head to face Gina. He caught her gaze mid-laugh, before her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She watched him as he threw the basketball in the air, his eyes still locked onto hers the whole time. She watched as the ball effortlessly fell into the basket, and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Show off,” she grumbled. EJ simply laughed, shaking his head and giving her a smile as he heard the echoes of celebration in the back.

He watched as she effortlessly picked up another ball and shot it across the booth, a smile branding her face. She watched the ball, her eyes squinting, before it swished into the basket. She threw her hands up in delight, and EJ couldn’t take his eyes off of the sight.

“Come on, EJ you got this!” Ricky yelled.

EJ picked up the last ball, aiming it towards the hoop. However, he couldn’t seem to get the image of Gina’s infectious smile out of his mind. The way her eyes sparkled as her competitive side started to show. His focus wavered as he released the shot, leading to the ball bouncing off the backboard and into the booth. A set of groans could be heard from the three boys while the girls cheered.

“If Gina makes this shot, we win!” Nini announced.

“Yes, Gina!” Ashlyn cheered, giving her some encouragement.

“You got nothing!” EJ trash talked playfully as he watched the girl pick up the ball, confidence and focus lining her features.

She giggled nervously, before casting her shot. The ball soared through the air, making a perfect arc, and landed in the net with a swish.

Gina screamed in delight as the girls erupted in cheers. Echoes of disappointment were heard from the boys and EJ groaned, bringing his hands to his face.

“And… Gina Porter is the winner!” Maddox announced excitedly, giving Gina a hug. 

Ricky laughed, “Guess you’re not the champ anymore, Eej.” 

EJ shook his head before breaking out into a smile as he watched Gina laughing with the girls. He turned to face her, a smile still lingering on his face.

“As much as it pains me to say it, it was a good win.”Gina smirked, “I told you I’d win.”

As he exchanged lighthearted banter with Gina, EJ found that he had completely forgotten about the beast in his stomach. It was no longer growling with anger, but rather had settled with a curious sort of contentment.

Chapter Text

The smell of coffee beans and sugary pastries lingered in the air as Gina opened up her laptop on the wooden table. She pulled up a tab with last week’s lecture slides from Mazarra’s class, ready to work on her Calculus homework with EJ. The boy was not wrong, he was terrible at math, yet she enjoyed his company when they studied together. Even though she rarely got any work done when they studied together, she found herself planning more and more tutoring sessions. Something about EJ’s ridiculous complaints about how calculus should be eradicated from the face of the earth brought a smile to her face.

She glanced over at the counter at him where he was waiting for their order when a boy wearing an East High Basketball hoodie and a rather confident smile sidled up to her. He was tall, with a sharp jawline and an air of self-assurance that bordered on arrogance. His face looked familiar but Gina couldn’t quite place where she had seen him.

“Hey there, you’re Ricky’s friend right? Saw you cheering me on during practice the other day,” the boy smirked.

Ohhh. The basketball team. That’s where she had seen him.

“I was cheering for Ricky,” Gina forced a polite smile.

“I don’t doubt it,” he leaned on the table, “But maybe you should cheer for someone who can actually win a game. You don’t mind if I join you?”

Gina blinked at him, “Actually I’m waiting for a friend.”

The boy didn’t seem to get the hint, “Come on, I’m sure they won’t mind. I haven’t met a girl yet who hasn't enjoyed my company.”

Gina pursed her lips in annoyance, about to retort back. But before she could, she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. EJ placed their drinks on the table, his expression a perfect blend of nonchalance and protectiveness.

“Sorry that took so long, Babe,” EJ turned to face the guy, “Is there a problem here?” 

The guy’s confident demeanor faltered as he looked between Gina and EJ. “Oh, uh, I didn’t realize you two were uh… we’re good.”

“Great,” EJ said with a firm smile.

As the boy shuffled away awkwardly, Gina felt herself release a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Thanks for that,” she chuckled at EJ as he sat down opposite her.

EJ laughed, “Yeah, he was definitely way out of his league with that one. The confidence goes crazy.” 

“What can I say, I seem to just have that effect on people,” Gina shrugged playfully.

EJ looked up at her, “You really do.”

Gina tried her best not to blush at the comment, distracting herself by reaching over for her drink.

“Oh, yeah I had them add oat milk to your latte, you mentioned being lactose-intolerant?” EJ said as he slid her cup towards her.

“Oh, yeah. I mean it’s nothing too serious but I prefer oat milk,” Gina said, flustered that he’d remember a conversation they had about her crazy dietary restrictions. “Thanks for remembering, that’s sorta sweet.”

“Hey, what are fake boyfriends if not sorta sweet,” he joked, a playful grin tugging at his lips.

Gina laughed, “You’re definitely setting the bar high for fake boyfriends everywhere.”

EJ leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Well, I aim to impress. Besides, what kind of fake boyfriend would I be if I didn’t know your coffee order?”

Gina smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with her latte. “Guess I lucked out with you then.”

He smiled at her genuinely.

“So, how’s life going with your brother?” EJ asked, changing the topic.

Gina took another sip of her latte, "It's... different, you know? Jamie's great, but it's weird living with someone who's practically a stranger. He moved out when I was like 6, so we’re still kinda figuring each other out."

EJ laughed lightly, "That’s literally what my dad and I are like. We’ve been living under the same roof my whole life, but it’s like we’re in two different worlds."

Gina tilted her head, considering his words. "That’s exactly it. Jamie and I are trying to be a family, but it’s hard when you’ve been apart for so long. I’m trying to adjust, but it’s not easy. Especially with everything else going on."

EJ looked at her thoughtfully, then said, “You know, it might help to just talk things out with your mom. I know it can be tough, especially with everything that’s been said, but sometimes having a conversation can clear the air a bit.”

Gina’s expression shifted to one of uncertainty. “I don’t know. It’s been so strained between us. I’m scared talking might just make things worse.”

EJ smiled slightly, “Gina, this is coming from a guy who just wants to have a proper conversation with his dad that doesn’t involve asking each other about the weather. If you have the opportunity to get some clarity from your mom, you should go for it.”

Gina considered his words, her gaze dropping to her coffee. “You think it could help?”

EJ shrugged. “At the very least it’ll help you see her perspective. And if she knows how badly you’re hurting, she’ll figure out how to make things better. It’s about opening the door, even if it’s just a crack.”

Gina looked up, an uncertain yet thoughtful expression on her face. “I guess it’s worth a try. It might not fix everything, but it could help.”

EJ's gaze softened as he looked at her. "I know it’s a lot to deal with, but you’re handling it well. You’re stronger than you think, Gina."

Gina felt a blush creep up her cheeks at his words. "You’re just saying that because you’re my fake boyfriend."

EJ chuckled, leaning forward with a playful glint in his eyes. "Maybe!”

For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence, sipping their drinks and enjoying each other’s company. The chaos of their lives seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them at this moment, finding peace in each other’s presence.

As the silence stretched, EJ broke it with a quiet question. "What do you think it would be like if it wasn’t just fake?"

Gina blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone. She set her cup down, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. "Like… you and me?”

EJ glanced away, his fingers fidgeting with his watch. “Yeah… I mean whatever, just forget I said anything about it.”

Gina toyed with the hair tie around her wrist, “Ricky and Nini would freak out that’s for sure,” she smiled slyly.

EJ looked up, his face breaking out in a smile, “Oh, they’d be all over it.”

“It would be all over the school news within a day,” Gina laughed.

EJ chuckled, meeting Gina’s eyes with somewhat of a curiosity. “I mean it’d be weird though…”

“So weird,” Gina interrupted, her laughter fading into a soft smile. They fell into a quiet moment, both lost in thought.

The café around them seemed to fade as they sat in silence, each picturing the possibility of what it might be like if their relationship were real. Gina imagined what it would be like to hold his hand in public, to share the kind of easy affection she’d only seen in movies. She could see them laughing together at the lunch table, cheering EJ on at his water polo games.

Gina’s gaze wandered to the window, her mind wrapped around the what-ifs. As EJ stared into his coffee, she wondered if these thoughts ever crossed his mind. Was he being serious when he asked or was he just joking around? 

The thoughts swirling in her mind began to merge with her earlier reflections on her strained relationship with her mom. She realized that avoiding difficult conversations hadn’t helped her situation with her mother. Maybe it was time to take a step towards addressing the unresolved feelings between them.

With a sudden resolve, Gina pulled out her phone and glanced at EJ. “I think I’m going to call my mom.”

EJ looked up, surprised. “Really?”

Gina nodded, a determined look on her face. “Yeah. It’s been too long, and maybe it’s time to try talking things out, like you said. I need to actually let her know how much her actions have hurt me.”

Gina took a deep breath, her thumb hovering over the call button. With a final glance at EJ, she pressed the button and waited for her mom to pick up. The line rang a few times before her mom’s voice came through, tinged with surprise.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mom. It’s Gina.”

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a hesitant, “Oh. Gina, baby. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”

“I know,” Gina said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us and how we left things. I really want to talk about it.”

Her mom’s tone grew cautious. “Talk about what, exactly?”

“I just… I need to let you know how much your constant relocations and everything that happened has affected me. It’s been hard, and I think it’s important for us to have an honest conversation,” Gina said, her voice trembling slightly.

There was a long pause before her mom replied, “Baby, you know how busy I am. It’s not easy for me to just drop everything and deal with… this. If you can wait-”

“I have been waiting, Mom,” Gina said, frustration creeping into her voice. “My whole life, in fact. I understand you’re busy but you need to realize how horrible you’ve made me feel all these years. It’s like I’m never important enough for you.”

Her mom sighed heavily. “Look, I’m doing what I can to provide for us. Your dad left us with nothing and I know I had to step up, but I thought you’d understand that I have to work.”

Gina’s voice grew more urgent. “It’s not just about work. It’s about the fact that I never really had the chance to settle down or have a stable relationship with you. It’s been hard for me to keep moving and not have you around.”

“Gina, you don’t know what it’s like for me,” her mom said, her voice rising slightly. “I’m constantly being transferred, and it’s not like I have control over it. I’m doing my best, but sometimes it feels like you just don’t see how much I’m trying.”

Gina’s heart sank as she heard the defensive tone in her mom’s voice. “I’m not trying to blame you, Mom. I just want us to have a real conversation about how we can make things better. I miss having a proper family.”

Her mom’s voice grew quiet, but it was clear she was upset. “You chose this for yourself, Gina. You ran away and now that Utah isn’t working out for you, you decide to come running back-” 

“That’s not fair, Mom,” Gina’s voice trembled, “I came here so I could have stability for what few years of high school I’ve got left. And for the record, I’ve felt more seen and more heard here than I ever have with you.” EJ looked up and met her eyes as she could feel her tears pooling up.

On the line, Gina could hear some people calling for her mom. “Yeah, I’m coming!” she heard.

Her mom’s tone became more distant. “Listen Gina, maybe it’s best if we talk about this another time. I’m being called and it sounds like an emergency. I’ve got a lot going on right now, and I don’t want this to turn into another argument like last time.”

Gina felt the tears leave her eyes. She swallowed hard, feeling a mix of disappointment and sadness. “Okay, Mom. I understand.”

“Okay,” her mom said quietly. “I’ll call you when things settle down, baby.”

As the call ended, Gina stared at her phone, feeling a knot in her chest. The conversation hadn’t gone as she’d hoped. She had hoped for understanding and connection, but instead, she felt more distant than before.

EJ reached for her hand, his expression one of guilt. “I’m sorry, I thought that would’ve gone better.”

Gina blinked her tears away, squeezing back EJ’s hand, “Yeah, me too.”

Chapter Text

EJ couldn’t stop thinking about the day in the coffee shop with Gina. He’d watched Gina wrestle with her decision to call her mom, and when she finally did, he had been just close enough to hear snippets of the conversation. It hadn’t gone well.

He leaned against his locker, waiting for her to show up before first period, trying to figure out what to say to make her feel better. She hadn’t really talked to him much after their study session together. The drive home was silent and he tried to text her later that night to check up on her, but only got a “I’m fine” back in response. Gina wasn’t exactly the "spill your feelings” type, but EJ figured if anyone understood what she was going through, it was him.

When Gina finally walked in, she looked just like she had after the call: worn out and distant. She offered a half-hearted smile when she spotted him, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder as she approached.

“Hey,” she said, her voice quieter than usual.

“Hey,” EJ replied, falling into step with her as they headed toward class. “Rough night?”

She shrugged, trying to play it off. “You could say that.”

EJ didn’t push, at least not yet. Instead, he gave her a sidelong glance. “Well, lucky for you, I’ve decided to make today slightly less terrible. You’re welcome in advance.”

That earned him a small, fleeting smile. “Oh yeah? What’s your grand plan, Caswell?”

EJ smirked. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

The first few periods dragged. EJ caught himself glancing at Gina more than once in their calculus class, watching as she doodled in the margins of her notebook instead of taking notes. She wasn’t usually this checked out, especially not in her favorite period of the day. He later ran into Ricky at the top of the stairs to the cafeteria right as the bell for lunch rang. Ricky raised an eyebrow as he noticed EJ scanning the hallway like he was searching for someone.

“Let me guess,” Ricky teased, leaning casually against one of the vending machines. “You’re looking for Gina.”

EJ scoffed, trying to play it cool. “What? No. I’m just... making sure she’s doing okay.”

Ricky smirked, folding his arms and tilting his head. “Uh-huh. Sure. And that little thing you’ve been doing where you smile every time she says something? Totally normal, not-at-all-suspicious behavior.”

“First of all, I don’t—” EJ began, but Ricky cut him off.

“You’ve been hovering around her all day like a lost puppy. It’s kinda cute, actually.”

“I don’t hover,” EJ shot back defensively.

“Oh, you hover,” Ricky said, grinning now. “You hover, you orbit, and if she so much as breathes near you, you light up like a Christmas tree.”

EJ scoffed, crossing his arms, “You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m not the one in denial,” Ricky said, glancing down the hallway. “I mean, it’s fine, dude. She’s cool, you’re cool. Just maybe... don’t be so obvious about it?”

“I’m not being obvious,” EJ said firmly, before realizing, “What, no, I don’t have feelings or whatever for Gina.”

Ricky raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? Because right now, your eyes keep darting to that end of the hall like you’re expecting her to appear out of nowhere. And let’s not even talk about the way you just tensed up when her name came up.”

EJ opened his mouth to retort, but then he heard it—a soft, familiar laugh echoing down the corridor. He turned his head instinctively, his gaze zeroing in on Gina. She was standing by her locker, chatting with Nini, and even from here, EJ could tell she wasn’t entirely herself. Her smile was there, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Ricky followed EJ’s gaze, shaking his head with a knowing grin. “Yep. Totally not obvious at all.”

“Shut up,” EJ muttered, but he didn’t tear his eyes away.

Ricky clapped a hand on EJ’s shoulder. “Look, man, I get it. She’s amazing. And I’m not saying you have to confess your undying love or anything, but maybe—”

“Ricky,” EJ interrupted, turning to him with a scowl.

“Fine, fine,” Ricky said, holding up his hands in surrender. “Just saying, you might wanna figure this out before you spontaneously combust or something.”

EJ rolled his eyes, but the playful jab landed harder than he wanted to admit. Ricky gave him one last smirk before wandering off, leaving EJ standing there, feeling more exposed than ever.

From down the hall, Gina glanced his way, catching his gaze for a brief moment. She offered a small smile—tired, but genuine—and EJ’s chest tightened.

Maybe Ricky was right. Maybe he did have it bad.

*****

Halfway through the lunch period, EJ was starting to worry his efforts weren’t paying off. Gina had been quieter than usual all day, and even his best attempts at humor only got small smiles in return.

They were seated at their usual table across from Ricky and Nini who kept shooting knowing glances at each other telepathically communicating with each other as they always did. Gina was hunched over her phone, her untouched tray in front of her. EJ decided to try to cheer Gina up one last time and grabbed the apple off her tray, taking a dramatic bite.

“You know,” he said around a mouthful of fruit, “eating lunch is kind of a key part of surviving high school.”

Gina looked up, her lips twitching at the corner. “Thanks for the survival tip, Eej.”

“Anytime,” EJ replied, leaning back in his chair. “So, what’s the plan? We’re not just gonna sit here moping, right?”

“I’m not moping,” she grumbled.

“You’re totally moping.” He gestured to her untouched food, “Exhibit A.”

She sighed, finally putting her phone down. “Fine. Maybe I’m... dwelling a little.”

EJ raised an eyebrow. “The phone call?”

Her expression shifted, and for a moment, he thought she might shut him out. But then she nodded, slowly. “Yeah. I don’t know why I thought it would go differently. She’s just... always so busy. It’s like she doesn’t even have the time to see how much she’s hurt me.”

EJ frowned, leaning forward. “That’s on her, Gina. You tried. That takes guts.”

“It just doesn’t feel like enough,” she said quietly.

EJ reached across the table, nudging her tray closer. “You can’t control how other people respond. All you can do is show up, which you did. Now, you gotta show up for yourself. That starts with lunch.”

Gina stared at him for a moment, and then—finally—she smiled. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Unbelievably right,” he said with a grin lighting up his face.

Across the table, Nini nudged Ricky, nodding toward EJ and Gina, “Look at him. He’s literally glowing.”

Ricky snorted, stabbing his salad with a fork, “That’s not glowing. That’s him trying not to implode because Gina finally laughed at one of his jokes.”

Nini smirked. “You think he’s told her yet?”

Ricky shook his head. “Nah, he’s too chicken. But give it time. The guy’s basically one grand gesture away from spilling his guts.”

They watched as EJ leaned in closer to Gina, his expression soft as he listened to her talk.

“Yeah,” Nini said, smiling knowingly. “Totally not obvious.”

Nini leaned in from across the table, pulling EJ away from his conversation with Gina. “You know, we should all do something this weekend. Something to take our minds off... everything.”

Gina looked up, and EJ was satisfied seeing that her smile was a little more genuine this time. “I’m down. What do you have in mind?”

Ricky, who had been sitting back and watching, chimed in, his eyes lighting up as if he’d been waiting for the moment. “Well, there’s my basketball game this weekend. It’s kinda a big deal—season finals. You should come. Look out for the super handsome jock on the court,” he grinned. “You know, just in case you’ve been wondering how amazing I am.”

Gina raised an eyebrow, but the amusement in her voice was evident, “You know, after your supposed loss to EJ at the Shoot-Your-Shot booth at the fair, I have been wondering whether you actually know how to play ball or not.”

“Oh, I play ball,” Ricky said with a roll of his eyes. “Your boy just got lucky that day.”

EJ laughed, “Lucky? From where I was standing it looked like I absolutely crushed you.”

Ricky scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, “Well, in my defense I was kinda distracted that day.”

“Ah yes, that was the night you were planning to ask Nini out,” EJ smirked at the brunette.

Gina giggled as Nini glanced at her boyfriend, a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.

Ricky grinned, “Yeah well thankfully I won’t have to worry about that this weekend. So you’ll be able to see my real talent on the court.”

Nini rolled her eyes playfully but smiled. “Ricky’s been practicing for this game forever. So, it’s safe to say he’s pretty invested.”

Gina smiled, “Alright, alright, I’ll be there. Can’t miss out on Ricky’s big moment.”

Ricky gave her a smile, looking as though he had just won the championship. “Yes! You won’t regret it, I promise.” He glanced at Nini, adding, “You’re all coming, right?”

Nini nodded, keeping her voice calm but with a hint of pride in Ricky’s accomplishment. “Of course. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

By the time the bell rang, EJ was happy to note that Gina looked a little more like herself. As they walked to class, she glanced over at him, “Thanks, EJ.”

“For what?”

“For being... you, I guess.”

EJ felt a warmth spread through his chest but quickly shrugged it off. “Well, you know, that’s just part of the fake boyfriend package. Emotional support included.”

Gina rolled her eyes, but her smile was genuine. “You’re really milking this fake boyfriend thing, huh?”

“Absolutely,” he said, smirking.

As they parted ways for class, EJ couldn’t shake the thought that maybe this whole “fake boyfriend” thing was starting to feel a little too real. And if Ricky and Nini were noticing, it was only a matter of time before Gina did too.