FicWad

A/N: Names changed, as usual. This one isn’t quite as funny as previous chapters.

On to me and Riley.

I guess Riley was feeling pretty well bummed out about being the only one in our little group not to be involved in HSM, so he joined the tech crew (turns out he actually wants to go to college for technical theatre arts. He ended up becoming stage left lead, with a headset and everything.)

This was where my crush began to develop. He let me into the scene shop to see the set before any of the other cast members (except our drama club president and vice president, who interestingly enough ended up playing Darbus and Coach, respectively.) He was always interested in how rehearsals were going on. He was the nicest person in our group because Phil metamorphosed into a chauvinist loser who actually assaulted me once (but that’s another story) and the other kid, Mitch, actually ended up becoming my very sick, twisted, pyromaniac stalker (let’s not get into that). He always listened and we had some very interesting inside jokes (including one involving Phil and Mitch being gay lovers. And there were some very tell-tale signs, actually. In fact, I still maintain this point of view.)

Despite this, he was always nice to everybody. Never got angry, never swore, never snapped. Always a calm demeanor, no matter how bad things got.

We were backstage buddies, making fun of the sappy love scenes by mouthing the lines back and forth in a cheesy fashion and freaking out when Sharpay missed an entrance. We’d sing along with the musical interludes and he’d laugh when I did choreography backstage with our Zeke, who was about a foot and a half taller than me. He’d complain about how the sets hate him, I’d run and get him band-aids when he tripped over the basketball hoop. We’d talk for so long after rehearsal that my mom would be honking her horn really loudly to get me to leave. I hoped it’d never end.

But it did. After seven performances, three of which were sold out in our thousand seat auditorium, we had to kill the show, take down the set, and party like there was no tomorrow at the cast party.

It was about two weeks later that me and Riley stopped talking about HSM. It took Phil an additional week for him to stop blabbing and wearing his makeshift “Wildcat” basketball uniform.

Auditions for the one act were to come. The one act is essentially impossible to get in. Because it’s a contest show, there are certain rules. Out of like fifty actors and twenty techies, Swanny (the director) had to come up with a twenty person cast and crew. As a sophomore, my chances were negligent. Roles would be given to juniors and seniors who would be graduating soon. Techies would be picked on seniority and experience...

Riley and I got in.

I was ecstatic, jumping for joy happy. Granted I had only 10 lines and got to play both an old, deaf widow AND a basket case, but I was the only sophomore in the show (aside from techies). And since Riley got in, I could fawn over him some more. Great times.

Rehearsals were AWESOME. It took a week for the techies to build this incredible set, and the awesome thing about it was that this set was so intricate, so detailed yet they could set it up in 8 minutes- as opposed to the allotted 10. Everything was going my way.

Except, of course, for Phil.

In gym class, pretty much everything was a partner activity. And since we four were the only social outcasts (aside from the stoners) in the class, we had to split ourselves up. And Phil, who fought constantly with Mitch when they weren’t being a really cute couple, always paired up with Riley.

Just. My. Luck.

Eventually, I ended up being partners with Riley for our last activity- darts (yes, I’m in the I-don’t-want-to-do-gym class). We had so much fun, until, well, the Sadie Hawkins dance started to be advertised.

See, one of my most amazing friends, Max, was also friends with Riley. And of course I had to tell him about my crush. He was determined to get us together. And so he told Larry (another high school thespian and HSM alumni. He recently got an interview for an agent in New York.), who apparently is the matchmaking guru. And well, word spread.

A kid I hadn’t talked to in about two years came up to me and said “So you’re really going to ask Riley out, huh?”

That’s when I knew I was in trouble. I mean, what would happen if someone told him before I asked him? That would suck.

So one day, three days before the end of semester (so that I wouldn’t have to deal with him should things go bad,) I hoped to dear God that Mitch wouldn’t get involved, and gathered the courage to ask Riley to Sadie’s.

He hadn’t spoken much that day. Just a few ‘yes’s, ‘no’s and a couple of times he reminded us of the score. Granted, in gym class he wasn’t ever exactly a chatty person, but I was a little concerned. What if he knew?

Argh.

The bell rang and we rushed out. Luckily for me, Mitch had been stuck behind.

“Hey, Riley?”

He kept walking but slowed so I could catch up. “Yeah?”

I sighed. “I’m just going to come out and say it before I chicken out. Will you go to Sadie’s with me?”

Silence.

“That’s kinda why I’ve been quiet today.”

Oh.

So he knew.

Well. This was pretty awkward.

From behind us: “So how’re you guys doing?” Mitch practically sang out.

“Just shut up, will you? Go away.”

Surprisingly enough, it was Riley who said that. That was the first and only time I’ve heard him snap at anyone.

Even more surprising was that Mitch actually listened. He went away.

More silence.

“Well, I kinda just see us as friends,” he eventually said.

“Oh. Friends is good.” Worst. Reply. Ever.

So we went to dress rehearsal for the one act and everything was okay. For a while.

The Setting: Gym class, the next day.

I walked to the back of the gym and sat down. I took a deep breath. This was when I’d discover what repercussions there would be from my actions.

In walked Riley and Mitch.

And, rather quickly, I noticed that they were heading toward the other corner of the gym.

Great.

We got to the dartboards after attendance and there was total silence. We’re talking no words at all.

The bell rang and Riley bolted. I’m talking like walked as fast as he could to get out of there.

Two days later, it was finals day. Our school has this fun thing wherein we have a ‘study session’ after school technically begins but before any finals start. So if you didn’t want to be there you didn’t have to. Of course, my mother made me.

I actually met up with Max that morning, who had, of course, heard of the rest of what became known as the ‘Riley Situation’. Riley actually hadn’t spoken to me since the asking occurred.

“You know,” he said, “last year on finals day, me and Shelby dealt with a problem like this. I’m going to make it better.”

He stood up and practically ran downstairs.

And the irony gods decided to shine down upon me again.

Max ran back up the stairs. “Riley said that he was waiting for you to talk to him.”

Argh.