ALIVE - R. BOWEN

fourteen

As much as Ricky liked to believe he had successfully avoided Gina, it all came to a stumbling halt when he remembered that he had a agreed to join the school musical.

He had practically forgotten all about it until a certain blonde teacher yanked open her office door as Ricky walked past.

"Ricky!" She called out, and the boy ignored her.

Well, not so much ignored rather than couldn't hear her, because he music was blasting full volume from his wired headphones.

"Hey!" She yelled as she picked up into a frantic speed-walk to catch up with him. She grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around, huffing because she was out of breath.

"Can I help you?" Ricky asked as he gingerly pulled the earbud out of his left ear.

"Are you.... Ricky Bowen?" Miss Jenn asked between huffs.

Ricky furrowed his eyebrows, "uh why, who's asking?"

"Me. I'm Miss Jenn."

"Nice?" Ricky replied, and was on his way to turn around, his earbud hallways back to his ear.

"Hold on. I'm the theatre teacher, director of the musical." She stopped him, causing Ricky to spin back around on his heel. "Principal Gutierrez told me that you're my new backstage hand."

"I don't know what that means." Ricky quickly replied.

"Can you just... come into my office for a second?" Miss Jenn sighed, already planning out what she was going to say in her strongly worded email to Principal Guiterrez regarding him making Ricky her problem.

"Yeah, I guess." Ricky agreed after thinking about it, and followed the woman back to her office.

"Excellent!" Miss Jenn closed the door behind Ricky and he stood there awkwardly before Miss Jenn motioned for him to take a seat. "So Ricky, Principal Guiterrez has informed you that you are joining the musical." Miss Jenn said, and if Ricky had been half-focusing on what she was saying, he would've noticed that it was through gritted teeth.

He shrugged, "I mean he didn't really give me a choice but uh, Big Red mentioned that it was fun so yeah. I don't really know anything about plays though."

"Oh, we're actually going a musical." Miss Jenn corrected the boy, and Ricky raised a skeptical brow.

"Aren't they the same thing?"

Miss Jenn gasped in offense, "Absolutely not! They are completely different." She started waving her hand. "We don't have time for this right now, here's your script." She said, reaching into one of her drawers and pulling out a full script and score to High School Musical.

Ricky cautiously reached for it. "Uh, thanks?"

"Now we're already a few rehearsals in which means that you're behind. I'm going to need you to be committed, which means no missing rehearsals unless approved by me, and showing up prompt and ready to learn!"

"Like I said I don't really know what I'm doing..." Ricky reminded the woman.

"That's alright!" She smiled, "Theatre is about learning and growing. Besides, you're just a stage hand, there's nothing too difficult about that."

"Stage hand?"

"Just be there at three-thirty." Miss Jenn sighed and Ricky nodded, grabbing his backpack and standing up, leaving her office with his script in hand. "Good job Jenny." Miss Jenn whispered to herself sarcastically, leaning back into her chair and through her head back in exasperation.