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“Another refill?”
Seb shook his head. He’d already drunk three large glasses of milk—Kourtney really should’ve cut him off a while ago.
“I’ll take one,” Natalie said, holding out her glass so Kourtney could fill it up again.
“Haven’t you had enough caffeine?” Seb asked. He was worried about her, concerned that she might never sleep again.
But apparently that was the plan.
“We’re starting into tech rehearsals tomorrow,” Natalie explained. “I’m going to be at the theatre practically 24/7, so I need all the free caffeine I can get.”
“Uh…free? Excuse me?”
Kourtney pulled the now-full glass back, as if she was planning to withhold all future drinks until Natalie coughed up some money, but Seb waved a dismissive hand, insisting, “I’ll take care of her tab.”
The cost of a few sodas was worth it to spend some quality time with Natalie. It had been ages since they’d just hung out, and Seb had missed it. But lately he’d been spending all his time with Carlos so he simply hadn’t had any time for his other friends.
So in a way he guessed spring break had been a good thing?
After Carlos’s third selfie with Javier—when he hadn’t even gotten Seb’s humorous reference to stealing Sharpay’s lifeguard—Natalie had sent Seb a DM:
What’s with Carlos’s hair? Do they not have product down in Mexico?
It had made Seb laugh, and he’d replied with a string of iron and steamroller emojis.
And bam! Their friendship had instantly been back to where it had been before he’d started dating Carlos.
Though Seb was starting to notice how alike the two were personality-wise. They were both bossy and sarcastic and said aloud any thought that came into their heads, no matter how rude or inappropriate. That was so not how Seb lived, and he wondered if it meant something that he felt so comfortable around both of them.
Maybe it was simply because every Hufflepuff needed a Slytherin.
Or maybe it was because both Natalie and Carlos gave a voice to his inner sass.
Because he was starting to understand the appeal of being sassy. It felt good to say what was on his mind, to lash out instead of keeping everything bottled up.
Because he was hurt and angry, and he kind of wanted Carlos to feel the same way!
Especially now, when they’d barely spoken since Carlos had returned.
Or at least spoken about anything other than the show.
Carlos was worried, no doubt because Miss Jenn was worried. And Seb couldn’t blame them. Things were not going smoothly, especially where Ricky was concerned, and the transformation was a total disaster…even before Natalie had knocked over the sets.
Though it was weird. Even though Carlos had barely spoken to him all week except to bark out orders about the music, when Miss Jenn had made her sudden exit from rehearsal today, Carlos had automatically turned and looked at him before addressing the cast, as if desperate for his help. Since Carlos had made it very clear over break that he didn’t care about Seb’s feelings—he hadn’t even once apologized for blatantly flirting with every hot guy in Mexico—why had he suddenly assumed Seb would be there for him?
Though the look of panic on Carlos’s face had instantly melted Seb’s heart, so he’d replied with a sympathetic shrug, not having any idea himself how the choreographer should handle things. Carlos had ended up telling everyone to take a long 5…which had turned into a long 10…which had turned into a canceled rehearsal…which had turned into an emergency cast meeting at Slices...
…which had now turned into a long hangout session with Natalie.
“And it’s not just the mask,” Natalie was now ranting. “Ricky’s whole death scene is entirely ridiculous and unrealistic. It’s as if he’s never actually seen anyone die before.”
Seb frowned and tilted his head, wondering if Natalie’s statement meant that she herself had.
“Though at least he and Nini finally called it quits,” she went on. “That relationship has been toxic for months.”
“You think?”
Nini was yet another friend he hadn’t seen much of since he’d started dating Carlos. Of course, she’d been busy with her own stuff—first Y.A.C., then the success of her Rose song, then the breakup, and now her music channel. He felt very disconnected with her life and kind of wished he could maybe rekindle that friendship as well.
But what was he thinking? They were starting into tech rehearsals, and he was barely going to have time to think, let alone hang with his girlfriends.
“Damn! Is that the time?” Natalie exclaimed, glancing down at her phone.
Seb pulled out his own phone and looked at the clock. It was almost 5:00—the time they had originally been scheduled to finish rehearsal.
“Do you have something?” he asked, wondering what other commitments Natalie had added to her schedule since they’d last talked.
Only it wasn’t anything new.
“Miss Jenn and I are scheduled to go over the tech cues tonight before the rehearsal tomorrow.”
Seb furrowed his brows. “Do you really think she still wants to meet?” Their director had seemed to be having a breakdown when she’d left rehearsal earlier, and if Carlos’s attitude when he’d met them here was any indication, she probably was not in the headspace for useful tech discussions.
“She’d better,” Natalie said. “Whether she’s losing it or not, this needs to get done.” She stood up, waving her hands at the two empty glasses now sitting in front of them on the counter. “Are you sure you can get these?”
Seb smiled, nodding. “Absolutely. You go meet with Miss Jenn.” As Natalie started out of the restaurant, he called after her, “And tell her I say hi!”
He turned back around…and found himself face to face with Kourtney, who didn’t look happy.
“Oh!” he startled. “Um…if this is about our tab, I was just about to—“
“No,” Kourtney cut him off, shaking her head. “I’ll take care of your tab because I need you to do me a favor instead.”
Seb nodded, smiling. “Anything, Kourt.” It felt good to feel needed. She had been such a good friend to him lately, it was nice to know he could do something for her for a change.
“I’d never ordinarily ask you this,” the girl began, “but it’s an emergency and I can’t get in touch with Nini and I really need to go straight to the fabric store.”
“You can’t get in touch with Nini?” Was that part of the emergency? Now Seb was starting to get nervous.
But Kourtney shook her head as she grabbed her purse from behind the counter and then started to herd him towards the door of the restaurant. “Have YOU tried contacting Nini these last few weeks? Her phone has been blowing up with her new music channel, so she’s basically started ignoring all her notifications. It’s impossible to get in touch with her; it’s like...the dark ages or something.”
Seb gave a relieved sigh, glad that at least nothing was really wrong.
Other than the fact that Nini had just broken up with her boyfriend…again.
“So what do you need me to do?” Seb asked as they stepped outside onto the sidewalk together.
“I need to you to go buy me a box of tampons.”
Seb blinked. “What?” Surely he’d misheard her.
“And a bottle of ibuprofen. A BIG bottle.” She gave him a grateful pat on his shoulder, adding, “Just bring ‘em to Nini’s tonight.” She then hurried off towards her car, calling back over her shoulder, “Gotta get to the fabric store before it closes! You’re the best, Sebby!”
…
“I’m so glad you called!” Nini said as she and Seb walked into Target.
The blond boy smiled and nodded his head, more grateful that she’d actually answered, since he didn’t know what he would’ve done if she hadn’t.
“You know,” she went on, “it’s been so long since someone actually called me, I’d forgotten what my ringtone sounds like.” She sighed, adding under her breath, “I really need to change that now.”
From her melancholy expression, Seb guessed the ringtone had something to do with Ricky. He didn’t know if he should ask her about the break-up or not, since he wasn’t sure if she’d be interested in talking about her feelings, so instead he simply asked, “So how have you been? I feel like I never see you anymore.”
“I know, right? We really need to spend more time together. I want to hear all about what’s been going on with you.”
Seb shrugged. He didn’t really want to talk about Carlos right now.
But Nini had something else in mind. “C’mon,” she said, playfully elbowing him. “You helped bring a life into this world and you don’t want to talk about it?”
Seb beamed. He DID want to talk about it, but Carlos had seemed more interested in talking about his own spring break adventures than listening to Seb’s.
“It was amazing,” he gushed. “I’m so proud of Milky White. It was scary there for a bit, and I was convinced my arm was going to be permanently trapped in her birth canal, but—”
The pregnant woman pushing the cart in front of them turned and gave Seb a horrified look before scurrying away, causing him and Nini to burst into hysterical giggles.
“Oops,” Nini said. “Perhaps this isn’t the best place to discuss the deets.”
Seb nodded, still blushing. “I think you’re right.”
“Though...that’s so cool. I mean, how many of us get to do that, actually experience firsthand the circle of life?”
They shared an excited look before spontaneously bursting into a loud chorus of The Circle of Life. They got weird looks from the other customers, especially when Nini dramatically posed, holding her purse out like Simba, but at least no one ran away in horror!
As they finished the chorus, Nini laughed and put her arm around her friend. “Oh, I’ve missed you, Seb.”
“Me, too.”
They’d been so close last year, back when Nini’s best friend and boyfriend hadn’t been involved in the theatre, back when it had just been the two of them, laughing together inside their giant papier mache trees. They’d gotten to spend some time together during HSM, although her on-again-off-again love life had taken up a lot of her spare time. But then she’d gone away to Y.A.C., and now her music career was taking off.
“Congrats on the music channel, BTdubs,” Seb said. “And...that song that you and Ashlyn wrote over break? That was amazing.”
“Ah, thanks! It was super fun to collab with Ash.” She playfully nudged Seb, suggesting, “Maybe you and I should collab sometime. You on the piano, me on my keyboard. Whatd’ya say?”
Seb shrugged, embarrassed. “I’m...not really a songwriter.”
“What are you talking about? Kourtney told me you still do your ‘thinkin’ jazz’.” She smiled, adding, “I think it’s so cool that you and Kourt have grown so close.”
“Me, too!” He gave a proud smile, adding, “We’re family now, you know.”
“I know!” she laughed, squeezing him tighter. “Three cheers for the Potts family!”
They had reached the pharmacy and found the aisle for pain relievers. Seb first picked up a large bottle of Advil, but it was kind of pricey and he only had his emergency $20 with him, so instead he opted for the medium size of the store brand, hoping that would suffice.
As they left the aisle, heading towards the feminine products, Seb got a notification and quickly answered.
“Hey, Natalie,” he greeted with a smile. “What’s up?”
“Are you going to have time to stop by a store before tech rehearsal tomorrow?”
He grinned. “I’m at Target now.”
“Perfect! Could you grab two bottles of hand sanitizer , the giant ones with the pumps?”
Seb smiled. “Let me guess—for backstage?”
Natalie nodded. “We need one for both the stage left and stage right props tables. I totally forgot to pick them up earlier.”
“No problem! Happy to help!”
“You’re awesome! See ya tomorrow!”
“Bye,” Seb waved before hanging up. He then turned to Nini, asking, “Do you know where...”
“...the hand sanitizer is?” she finished with a smile. “Of course. Follow me!”
They had just picked up the two bottles and were heading back toward toiletries when Nini’s phone suddenly started playing I Think I Kinda You Know. Seb absently started singing along as Nini frantically grabbed her phone from her pocket and put it to her ear.
“Hey, Ash. ... Yeah, sorry, calling’s about the only way to actually get in touch with me these days. ... Yeah, weird, right? ... I’m actually at Target right now. ... Root beer? Of course. Anything else? ... I’m sure we’ll be able to find something in the cookie aisle. ... Oh, me and Seb.”
“Hi, Ash!” Seb called into the phone. It felt so weird not to see her...and to only hear half of the conversation! Seb wondered if this was what it used to be like for his parents back in the day.
“Sure, we can grab some chips, too. ... No problem. ... See you soon.”
Nini hung up the phone and looked expectantly at Seb.
“Cookies and chips?” he asked eagerly, and Nini nodded her head, starting to lead them towards the food aisles.
They hadn’t gotten far when Seb felt his own phone again, and he was surprised to see that it was Carlos this time. He didn’t really want to answer, but he imagined things might get ugly if he didn’t.
“Hey,” he answered noncommittally.
As usual, Carlos didn’t even bother to greet him. “Where ARE you?!”
“Um...Target.” Seb turned his phone up to show the large red banners hanging from the ceiling.
Carlos made a face. “Why?!”
“I...uh...I’m picking up something for Kourtney.” Seb suddenly remembered that they still needed to make a trip down the feminine products aisle, and his face turned bright pink.
Not that Carlos noticed.
“How did you get there? Who drove you?”
Seb was about to respond when suddenly his annoyance took over. Why was Carlos grilling him? Why did he care what Seb was doing right now when he’d barely spoken to him all week?
So the blond boy shrugged, commenting snarkily, “Like it’s any of your business.”
Carlos’s eyebrows shot up in surprise on the screen, and Nini shot Seb a look IRL, too.
“Well,” Carlos began, “I guess you’re going to be late, then.”
“Late?”
“To this...tool party.”
Seb furrowed his brow. “Tool party?”
“Didn’t you get Big Red’s text?”
Seb vaguely remembered a text coming through when he’d been frantically trying to contact Nini, though he now realized he’d never gone back to read it.
Carlos went on. “He told us to come by at 5:30. He indicated power tools were going to be involved and then got snippy about people being on time.” He gave Seb a pointed look through the phone, sarcastically observing, “Guess you didn’t get the memo.”
“Seb’s not going to your tool party,” Nini announced, crowding in next to the boy so she could be seen on the camera.
Seb tilted his head, giving his friend a confused look. “I’m not?”
Nini shook her head at Seb before saying into the phone, “Seb knows we’re going to have better transformation ideas...and better food.”
Seb grinned, realizing at least the second part was probably true. And the thought of going somewhere where people actually wanted him—and where he wouldn’t have to be trapped in a room with Carlos all evening—made him happy.
Carlos, however, rolled his eyes. “Whatever! Just...keep us informed.”
And with that, he hung up. No goodbye. No “I’ll miss you.” No “why wasn’t I invited?” Just the Messenger screen staring back at Seb, asking, “How was the quality of your call?”
He was tempted to rate it only 1 star.
When he looked up, Nini was staring at him as well. “What was that about?”
Seb shrugged, not really in the mood to talk about it. Instead he joked, “Weren’t we on our way to get cookies?”
Nini laughed. “Oh that’s right—I sometimes forget you’re a growing teenage boy!” Seb gave her a look but she continued with a chuckle, “C’mon. I see many flavors of Oreos in your future!”
...
“Wow. Won’t that take a while?”
Seb imagined that both activities—making a reversible Beast cape AND building something that would spin the Beast around—would take hours, and it was already well after 6!
Kourtney, however, shrugged, as if it were no big deal. “I’m in, if you are.”
Seb looked nervously over at Ashlyn, not certain whether she was really okay with having them stay the night.
But Gina merely joked, “I guess I could sleep over tonight.”
Seb started nervously fiddling with his shirttails, suddenly feeling like the odd man out...literally!
“You guys, I’m all about costumes, but I don’t know if my parents will be cool with me at a co-ed sleepover.”
His parents were kind of old-fashioned when it came to manners and things, and whenever they had extended family get-togethers, they were very strict about having the girls sleep on one side of the hay loft and the boys sleep on the other.
But clearly Kourtney wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Chip, this is your mother speaking. Go call your mother.”
Seb made finger guns at her, acknowledging she knew best, and headed into the kitchen to make the call.
He’d stayed out all night before when they were trying to save Miss Jenn, but there hadn’t been any actual sleeping involved that night. Also, his parents might’ve gotten the impression that there had been a chaperone present that time…which wasn’t entirely a lie, since Natalie had been there organizing everything! He was worried that his excuse this time might sound a bit familiar, but luckily his mom jumped straight to “Who all will be there?”
“There’s only a few of us here at Ashlyn’s tonight—Ashlyn, obviously, Gina, Kourtney, and Nini.”
“That’s it?”
“And Ashlyn’s parents.” Or at least he assumed they were here somewhere.
His mom seemed to consider the question for a moment before agreeing, “All right, you can stay. But make sure you behave like a proper gentleman to those girls.”
Seb rolled his eyes, embarrassed. “I will.”
“And don’t worry about the milking tomorrow—I’ll get someone to cover for you.”
He’d been so caught up in the prep for the show, he’d forgotten that he had responsibilities at home, too. “Thanks, mom! You’re the best.”
“No, you’re the best,” she replied back with a grin, just as she always did, and Seb laughed and gave his mom an exaggerated kiss before hanging up.
As he came back into the living room, Nini, Kourtney, and Ashlyn were all huddled around the small coffee table, discussing the faux fur, as Gina stood back, giving them room. As he sidled up next to her, she asked, “You all good?”
He nodded, smiling, before starting to fiddle with his shirttails again.
“So…uh…what exactly do you…do at a sleepover?” he asked her quietly, not really wanting the others to hear.
Gina turned to him. “Have you never been to one before?” Seb shook his head and she followed up, “Not even with Carlos?”
Seb’s eyes bugged at the very thought, and Gina laughed. “Yeah, I guess that might be awkward.”
“Uh, YEAH.” He wasn’t anywhere near ready for THAT kind of sleepover. But it wasn’t like he had a lot of other choices. “And…most of my friends are girls, so…”
“Same,” Gina said before clarifying, “I mean, most of my friends are boys, so I get it.” She leaned over, her eyes twinkling, as she whispered, “I’ll even let you in on a little secret. Before Ashlyn asked me to stay with her, I’d never been to a sleepover either.”
“I knew we were solemates,” Seb beamed. “Besides, that’s what…makes you so special. Well…that and the fact that you’re smart and talented and, like, the prettiest girl in school.”
Gina looked shocked. “What?”
Seb shrugged, somewhat embarrassed that he’d blurted that out. “Yeah. I mean, I may not be…interested or whatever, but I can still look, right? And yeah, as far as I’m concerned, you’re definitely the prettiest.”
“Wow!” Gina said, almost to herself. “I kinda wish ALL the boys in school were like you.” Seb tilted his head, giving her a look, and she laughed. “Though yeah, I guess that wouldn’t be the best for my love life. … Not that I actually have one anyway.”
“Well, just you wait,” Seb said, not wanting such an amazing person to feel bad about herself. “I’m sure the boys are just…intimidated by you.”
Gina laughed. “That’s kinda what I keep telling myself.” She reached her arm around his shoulders, giving him a tight side hug. “I’m so glad you chose to be with us tonight.”
Seb frowned. “It wasn’t really a choice per se,” he commented, trying to remember exactly how he HAD ended up at the girls party. He supposed it had all started when Kourtney had—
Kourtney!
“Oh, Kourt, I got what you asked for,” Seb said, hurrying over to the Target bags, which were still sitting on the couch. She didn’t need to know that he had almost forgotten, that he and Nini had already been standing in the checkout line before they’d remembered they’d never actually picked up the requested feminine products. He now pulled out the box of tampons and the bottle of ibuprofen and held them out at arms’ length, still uncomfortable being in such close proximity with them. “I hope…they’re what you wanted?” Nini had seemed to think they’d be good.
Luckily, Nini had been right. “Oh, thank you, Sebby! You’re a lifesaver!” Kourtney said, eagerly grabbing them. “And yes, JUST what I needed.”
“You didn’t need to make the poor boy stop,” Ashlyn laughed. “Trust me, our house is FULLY stocked right now.”
“You, too?” Nini asked, and all four girls started laughing.
“I’m just glad it’s now and not during the show,” Kourtney commented.
“Right?!” Nini agreed. “Like EVERY show.”
“Tell me about it!” Gina jumped in. “The first time I got mine, it was at a dance recital. It was SO embarrassing!”
“Oh yeah? Try Confirmation Day,” Kourtney declared.
“Really, Kourt?” Nini asked, surprised. “You never told me that!”
“I thought you knew,” Kourtney said. “I thought EVERYBODY knew!”
Seb didn’t know…and he really didn’t want to! Instead, he desperately wanted to get out of this conversation before he died of embarrassment!
He quickly walked back over to the Target bags, announcing, “I’m gonna...go unpack the snacks in the kitchen.”
“Oh, sorry, Seb!” Ashlyn said with a chuckle, but Seb quickly shook his head.
“No, don’t…worry about it. You guys talk. I’m just…I’m glad you guys can be yourselves around me.”
Though that didn’t mean he wanted to hear it! So he quickly fled into the kitchen, hoping this particular conversation would be over before he returned.
…
Kourtney suddenly jumped to her feet, breaking the tension in the room. “I think we should move on.”
Seb was eager to as well. Things had just gotten weird, and Seb felt uncomfortable.
He guessed Nini did, too, because she awkwardly announced, “You know what? I’m gonna get a root beer,” and headed for the kitchen. Everyone watched her go, the only sound in the room coming from Ashlyn, who for some reason was still laughing at the earlier joke...which Seb hadn’t thought was that funny to begin with.
He continued to sit there awkwardly, not knowing what to do, until Kourtney barked, “Chip!”
He immediately scurried over to the mirror, where his mother was now standing.
As she threw the in-progress cape across his shoulders once again, he quietly asked, “Should we...I don’t know...do something?”
“We ARE doing something,” she said, also keeping her voice low. “We’re staying out of it.”
Seb smiled—he was perfectly happy doing that!
Kourtney placed a few more pins in the cape before absently grabbing her phone and looking at it.
She didn’t need to say who the text was from because the twinkle in her eye told him everything.
After she sent a quick reply, she set her phone back down on the arm of the couch and resumed her pinning.
When she didn’t say anything, Seb prompted, “So? ... How’s Howie?”
“Shh!” she frantically shushed him, sending a nervous glance across the room, where the other girls were slowly starting to resume their activities.
But she wasn’t going to put him off THAT easily.
“Well?” Seb whispered, pursing his lips, making it clear he would only keep quiet if she spilled.
“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you. But...” She made a dramatic slashing motion across her throat.
Seb frowned, confused. “Howie’s playing Sweeney Todd?” He was surprised North was working on their next show when Beauty hadn’t even opened yet.
But apparently they weren’t. “No! You just...you can’t tell the others,” she said, subtly nodding her head towards the girls.
Though he knew that, by others, she really meant Nini. From the very beginning, Kourtney had shared certain Howie things with Seb which she hadn’t shared with her BFF, and he knew better than to betray that trust.
“I’d never rat out my mom,” Seb earnestly promised.
Especially the fact that she’d been regularly talking with Howie ever since spring break. Seb and Kourt had had SEVERAL heart-to-hearts during their vacation; he’d been upset about Carlos while she’d been happy about Howie, so it had been a nice balance! Howie had even helped her and Big Red film their part of the dance video AND had voluntarily covered for Big Red’s shift so he could do the editing that day. As Kourtney had told Seb in one late night giggle session, when it came to love (or like or whatever), it was better to show than to tell. After all, anyone with a good scriptwriter could say the right words, but actions showed how someone really felt.
And clearly Howie really felt guilty about not coming clean to Kourtney from the beginning, because his actions ever since had been crystal clear—he cared about her, and he was willing to put her before the competition.
Seb was glad at least ONE of them had a boyfriend who was willing to make an effort to repair things.
And Seb was dying to know what Howie was planning next to make amends. She’d been checking her phone a lot tonight.
“So?” he prompted eagerly.
“So...” Kourtney started placing more pins in the cape so it wouldn’t look like they were conspiring. “Apparently North High got a copy of the Broadway technical specs for the show.”
Seb gasped loudly in surprise, causing Ashlyn to ask from across the room, “You okay there, Seb?”
He and Kourtney held a frantic conversation with their eyes before the boy looked over his shoulder, saying, “I’m fine. She just...stuck me with a pin is all.”
In addition to giving Seb lessons on how to stand up for himself, she had also been teaching him the fine art of telling “social lies” over break. She’d insisted it was an important skill to have, especially as he was going to be an upperclassman next year. He wasn’t particularly skilled at it yet, but he was making progress, and she seemed pleased with this latest effort.
Because the other girls had clearly bought it!
“Careful, Kourt,” Nini playfully scolded as Gina added, “Yeah, don’t go hurting our Sebby. He’s the only Chip we’ve got.”
“Sorry, son,” Kourtney apologized loudly, trying to hide her amused expression from the others.
Once the attention was off of them again, Seb frantically whispered, “So what are they doing with the specs?”
Kourtney shrugged. “I don’t know what THEY’re doing, but I know what Howie plans to do.”
“Which is?”
“Give ‘em to me.”
“WHAT?!”
“Careful with those pins,” Ashlyn scolded as Nini stood up, offering, “Kourt, maybe I should—“
“No! That time it...wasn’t a pin,” Seb said, hoping Kourtney would take over this lie because he really had no idea where to go with it.
Luckily Kourtney was much more skilled in this area. “That’s right,” she said. “I didn’t...stab him. I...uh...accidentally pinned the cape to his shirt. Easy mistake to make. Let me just fix that.” She immediately started to remove some of the pins, pretending that she’d put them in wrong.
Seb waited a few moments, till Nini had sat back down and resumed her sewing, before he continued. “He’s giving them to you?! Are you...gonna take them?”
“Well...obviously!”
“But...isn’t that cheating?” Seb was extremely nervous about this whole idea. He’d been nervous about trespassing at North High, too, and just look where that had gotten them!
But Kourtney didn’t seem concerned. “There’s nothing in the rules that says we can’t look at them. And it’s not like we have the funds to recreate them anyway. They’ll just...give us ideas.”
Seb frowned, staring down at the half-made cape he was wearing. “Don’t we...have our own ideas?”
Kourtney shrugged. “It surely can’t hurt anything to see what the professionals did, right?”
He nodded. “I suppose.”
He thought about it for another moment before asking, “So...how is he getting them to you?”
As if on cue, Kourtney’s phone buzzed, and she quickly picked it up. Once again, Seb could tell from her smile that it was her boy.
She put down the phone, announcing to the room, “I...uh...forgot something in my car. I’ll be right back.”
She hurried out the front door, leaving Seb with the heavy fur cape still draped across one shoulder. He wasn’t sure why she was keeping all this a secret, since everyone was going to figure out who she got the plans from eventually, but he wasn’t about to tell her how to live her life.
Because it was clearly her job to tell him how to live his!
And he was perfectly okay with that.
...
“I think we should just all pile into one car,” Ashlyn suggested as they headed outside, their hands full.
“Will we all fit?” Seb asked, gesturing to the giant pile of half-sewn fur in his arms.
“Sure we’ll fit,” Ashlyn answered. “We’re theatre people.”
Seb frowned, not exactly sure how that would make five people, a Beast costume, and assorted sewing gear fit into one car, but everyone else seemed to accept her explanation.
And he was starting to understand why she’d made the suggestion. After the awkwardness between Nini and Gina earlier, it would make the most sense to have Kourtney ride with Nini, but only the two juniors could drive. Luckily, Kourtney was willing to drive everyone, and they all headed towards her car.
“Besides,” Ashlyn went on, “we might as well take one car, since we’re all coming back here anyway for the sleepover.”
“Oh, is that still on?” Seb asked. For some reason he’d assumed that, since they were meeting the boys at the theatre, they’d all just go home afterwards.
“Of course! We can’t have you missing out on your first sleepover.”
Seb gasped and turned towards Gina, horrified that she’d told his secret, but she shook her head, quickly explaining, “I didn’t say a thing, I promise.”
“Is this your first sleepover, Seb?” Nini asked as she climbed into the front passenger seat.
Well, the secret was officially out now. “Uh...yeah,” he said self-consciously, sliding into the middle of the back, the cape on his lap.
“Then we’re definitely coming back to finish it,” Kourtney said, starting the car. “It’s not a sleepover until you’re eating ice cream out of the same container and telling ghost stories at 3 AM.”
“Really?” Seb said, shaking his head nervously. “Ice cream’s great but...ghost stories scare me.”
“Then you can be the storyteller,” Kourtney suggested before peeling out from the curb, causing Seb to awkwardly brace his free hand against the ceiling.
The car grew silent for a few minutes before Ashlyn spoke up. “So...Carlos is going to be at the theatre,” she stated, nudging Seb meaningfully.
“Don’t remind me,” he said with a depressed sigh. He was trying not to think about it.
“C’mon, Seb,” Ashlyn prodded. “You can’t seriously think he’s just with you by default.”
But he did. Because it was clear by his words as well as his actions.
“He doesn’t even say hi to me anymore,” Seb blurted out, knowing how pathetic he sounded but not caring. “It’s like...he doesn’t even treat me like a person anymore, let alone his boyfriend. I’m just like an accessory to him...something he’ll...throw to the back of the closet at soon as he can get his hands on next year’s fashions.”
Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best analogy. See? This was exactly his problem—he couldn’t explain how he felt!
He tried again.
“Or...maybe more like...I’m his Pomeranian that he can just...carry around with him and show off, like ‘look, everyone, I have boyfriend’.”
Kourtney snorted. “Arm candy, Sebby? Absolutely. But Pomeranian? No way.”
“I’d probably go with…golden retriever?” Gina suggested, and Ashlyn concurred, “Definitely a golden retriever.”
“A golden retriever PUPPY,” Kourtney corrected, which was followed by a chorus of yeses.
Seb would’ve been upset that they were mocking him, but he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of golden retriever puppies. They were so adorable, with their soft blond hair and large, pleading puppy-dog eyes, and Seb just wanted to squeeze them and shower them with kisses.
If only Carlos felt the same way about him.
“So what kind of dog would Carlos be?” Gina asked and, without skipping a beat, Kourtney replied, “Chihuahua.”
“YES!” Ashlyn enthusiastically agreed, and Seb couldn’t help laughing along with them, certain to imagine frantic chihuahua yips the next time the choreographer was yelling at them all.
But Nini wasn’t joining in. “You guys, Seb has a valid point, and you’re just...making fun.”
“We’re not making fun,” Ashlyn justified, “we’re...making light.” She turned to Seb, stating matter-of-factly, “You know we’re on your side, right? What Carlos did in Mexico was inexcusable, and clearly he owes you an apology.”
“At the very least,” Kourtney added under her breath.
“But...I see the way you two look at each other,” Ashlyn went on, nuzzling against Seb’s side. “This is...just a bump. It’s not the end of the road.”
“And he likes you for YOU, Sebby,” Gina insisted, snuggling against his other side. “Because you’re sweet and talented and have, like, the cutest smile of any boy at East High.”
Seb couldn’t help but grin bashfully, certain his cheeks were bright red with embarrassment!
Ashlyn gave him a playful nudge. “And think about it. If you two were on the outside looking in, I bet you anything Carlos would be jokingly referring to all this Mexico fuss as nothing but SGD.”
It took a moment for Seb to understand the reference, but when he did, he smiled, realizing she was right: Stupid Gay Drama definitely summed up their relationship right now. “Yeah. I can see that.”
“I don’t,” Nini said. “What’s SGD?”
“You know,” Kourtney explained, “like SHD, only gay.”
Gina frowned. “Should it maybe be SQD instead?” she suggested.
Ashlyn nodded. “Good point! More inclusive.”
“Wait wait wait!” Clearly Nini was still lost. “What are you guys talking about? What is SHD?”
“Stupid Hetero Drama,” Ashlyn answered matter-of-factly. “Duh!”
“Really?!” Nini asked, turning around in her seat. “That’s, like, a thing?!”
Seb was beginning to realize that Ashlyn probably should’ve kept her mouth shut.
Again.
Because Carlos had initially come up with the phrase to refer to Nini’s tumultuous love life.
“It’s a Carlos thing,” Ashlyn said, shrugging her shoulders as she chuckled. “We were gonna to make t-shirts. Rainbow lettering, in a heart shape. It was funny. We laughed and laughed.”
Why was she still talking? This was just getting more awkward.
Especially when Nini looked at Kourtney, saying, “And...YOU knew about this, too?”
Kourtney had, thanks to Seb. But he didn’t want his friend to get in trouble...or for Nini to feel left out. Seb felt like he had to do something, and fast, so he leaned between the seats, quickly saying, “But clearly Kourtney and Howie aren’t SHD anymore, if he gave her the Broadway specs, right?” In a way, it was throwing her under the bus, but the topic was bound to come up eventually anyway.
Amazingly, the distraction worked.
“Yeah, how DID you get these?” Nini asked, gesturing to the rolled-up plans in her hands. “I thought you weren’t TALKING to Howie.”
“I...uh...plead the Fifth,” Kourtney insisted.
But Nini wouldn’t let it go. “No no no, what’s the tea, Kourt? When did you two make up?”
“I wouldn’t...exactly say we’re made up,” Kourtney said sheepishly.
“No, he’s just sabotaging his own production to make you happy.” Nini playfully punched her BFF in the shoulder. “How did this happen, Kourt? And when? I want deets.”
As the two girls continued to bicker in the front seat, Gina placed her head on Seb’s shoulder, giving him a grateful smile, while Ashlyn mouthed the words “Thank you” to him.
Seb breathed a sigh of relief, glad that at least that awkwardness was over.
And if he could survive that, he could surely survive seeing Carlos at the theatre.
And maybe even telling ghost stories at 3 AM.
...
As Seb headed back into the theatre, he heard Ashlyn call out from center stage, “Did you find him?” to which Big Red responded, “Yeah, he was playing guitar in the bomb shelter.”
Seb momentarily paused at the stage door, curious as to what else was going to be said.
Natalie was the first to comment. “Great! We’re literally here because of him and he’s off screwing around.”
Seb wanted to burst in and defend Ricky, but he wasn’t quite ready to go public yet. His head was still spinning from Carlos’s song, and he just kept smiling to himself, realizing he chose me!
Luckily it seemed that Seb wouldn’t need to explain, as Big Red dramatically dished, “Guys, he wasn’t screwing around! He was actually...” before his voice grew hushed, obviously spilling the tea.
While Seb didn’t mind the others knowing, he wasn’t really ready for the interrogation that was liable to follow. So he quietly stepped backstage, slipping behind the costume rack.
But Gina was there, and she gave him an amused once-over before teasing, “You look awfully happy!”
Seb nodded, not knowing what to say. He was never particularly good at expressing himself, and his heart was too full to articulate any of the joy and relief he was feeling at present, so he merely smiled, replying, “Yeah.”
She beamed in response, and for a moment he was thankful that she didn’t pry. However, he slowly realized that her smile was not just about him: she had her own private bliss. So he offered, “And...um...same?”
Gina nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but EJ suddenly appeared.
“Hey....uh...they tracked down Ricky.” The words were simple, but Seb could practically see the sparks flying between the two...
...who clearly couldn’t take their eyes off of each other!
“We’ll be right there,” Gina replied, her whole face radiating happiness as the grinning boy nodded and walked away.
Once he was out of earshot, Seb nudged Gina playfully. “So...someone maybe doesn’t seem as intimidated as before?”
She shrugged smugly, replying, “Maybe?”
Ashlyn approached the rack, unbuttoning her cloak from its hanger so she could wear it in the scene.
“Hey,” she greeted Seb with a knowing smile. “So...I understand from Biggie that your SQD is now decisively AQD.”
Seb and Gina shared a confused look before he asked, “A?”
“Adorable.”
Seb blushed and ducked his head bashfully as Gina laughed, concurring, “Definitely AQD.”
“OMFG!”
Natalie rolled her eyes as she suddenly appeared, reaching into the rack to grab the Beast mask. “MORE abbreviations?! Because yeah, that’s what we need right now.”
As Gina and Ashlyn scurried away together, giggling, Natalie turned and gently touched Seb’s arm, giving him a meaningful look. “All I have to say is, after Mexico, his apology better have been damn good.”
Seb grinned, admitting, “Yeah, it was.”
“Good!” she said, patting his arm before returning to center stage, where everyone else was starting to gather.
Seb started after her but was intercepted by Nini.
“So?!” she said with a teasing grin. “Rumor has it that Carlos wrote you a song?”
Seb blushed. “Rumors...travel fast.”
“Tell me about it!” she laughed. “But go you!” She playful nudged him before a shadow crossed her face. “He didn’t, like, post it on Instagram beforehand or anything, did he?”
Seb laughed and shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
“Good! I’m glad...at least others can learn from my mistakes.” She was joking, but Seb noticed the melancholy look in her eyes.
“I think...we all make mistakes,” Seb said, trying to make his friend feel better.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “And at least Carlos is acknowledging his, right?” She gave her friend a warm smile before walking away, leaving Seb to reflect.
Heknew Carlos wasn’t the only one to have made mistakes in their relationship; he had definitely made them as well. Seb wasn’t good at speaking up, at telling Carlos how he felt. Instead he mostly kept things bottled up—just like Carlos had sung—which unfortunately led to miscommunication, anxiety, and resentment.
And how could Carlos possibly learn to be a better boyfriend if Seb didn’t let him know what he was doing wrong...via something other than sarcastic comments made under his breath? Kourtney had been a great teacher, demonstrating how important good communication with Howie was, and Seb hoped to better follow the example of his fantastic friend.
Who was now walking over to him.
“Hey, Sebby,” she began, giving him a meaningful look. “You good?”
Seb nodded. Everything was happening so fast, he still hadn’t really had time to process everything.
But “good” was definitely a good descriptor.
“Yeah,” he answered, happily nodding.
She leaned in, quietly saying, “You know, I forgot to mention the best part about sleepovers.”
Seb frowned. “But you already mentioned the ice cream.”
“I’m not talking about dishing ice cream,” Kourtney laughed. “I’m talking about dishing boys.”
Seb smiled bashfully. He imagined the girls would want to hear ALL about him being serenaded tonight.
Though he wondered if Kourtney was talking about more than just his own love life.
“So...does that mean you’ll come clean to Nini about Howie?”
“Considering it,” she admitted. “And oh yeah, thanks for throwing me under the bus during the car ride earlier.”
“Sorry!” Seb felt bad, knowing he’d put Kourtney in an awkward position. “I was desperate and...needed a distraction.”
Kourtney nodded. “We ALL did. And you did well.” She gave him a motherly grin as she added, “Now we just need to continue working on your communication skills with Carlos and you’ll be all set.”
Seb knew she was right. While the song had been fantastic—his new favorite word—it didn’t mean everything was truly resolved between him and Carlos. But the song had definitely been a step in the right direction.
As had Howie handing over the plans to Kourtney.
“C’mon, people,” Carlos said impatiently from center stage, clapping his hands together to draw everyone’s attention. “Let’s do this.”
Seb and Kourtney shared an excited look before walking over to where everyone was standing around Ashlyn & Ricky. The harness was now attached to the pulley system, ready to make the Beast fly.
Seb was eager to see if this transformation concept was going to work.
But he was mostly eager to get thisexperiment over with so that they could get back to their sleepover.
Because there was going to be a lot to dish over ice cream tonight!
...
THE END