DROWNING IN THE DARK! gina porter

CHAPTER FOUR, casting list & celebration

"Clear!" Carlos yelled as he walked in the hallway with everyone who auditioned following him.

Oliver stood off to the side, too nervous to check out what role he got. He nervously bit his lower lip, fiddling with black bracelet he wore. It was just a simple black bracelet, but it was important to him. He got it from his parents before auditioning for his first ever play. Since then every time he wore the ring he got the role he wanted. The ring was like his lucky charm.

"Dude!" He looks up from looking at the floor when he heard Ricky talk to him. Ricky stood in front of him with a grin on his lips. "Guess what role you got."

Oliver shakes his head, biting his lower lip. "I got no clue and the more I wait the more anxious I'm gonna get so just tell me."

"You got the lead, Oliver!" Ricky excitedly said.

Oliver looks at him with wide eyes, his mouth opened in an 'o' shape. "T-The lead?"

Ricky nods and grins at him. "You got the Beast!"

Ricky pulls him in for a hug. Oliver was still for a few seconds since he was still in shock, but a few seconds later a laugh of disbelief escapes his lips, and he was quick to hug Ricky back. Oliver couldn't believe it. He actually got the male lead of a play for once. The fact that Miss Jenn thought he was talented enough to be the male lead meant a lot to him.

"Ollie!" Gina excitedly speaks. Ricky and Oliver pull away from the hug and then Gina pulled Oliver into a hug. "You got the Beast! I'm so proud of you!"

Oliver grins and hugs her back. "Thank you, Gina!" He even picked her up and spins her around a bit which made her laugh. He smiled when he heard her laugh, thinking it was music to his ears. He sat her back on her feet and pulled away from the hug, shaking his head. "I still can't believe it. Kinda feels like a dream."

"Well, you better believe it 'cause this is real." Gina smiled at him.

He winces when he felt someone punch his shoulder. He looks over at Ricky with furrowed eyebrows, rubbing the spot where he was hit. "Dude, what was that for?"

Ricky sheepishly smiles. "To let you know that you're not dreaming."

Oliver sighs, shaking his head. He chuckles. "Thank you, I guess." He looks at his friends with a smile. "What part did you guys get?" 

Ricky shrugs, smiling a bit. "I got Cogsworth."

Gina smiles. "And I got Babette."

Oliver smiles widely and high fives both of them. "Guys, that's great!" He furrows his eyebrows when he remembered something. "Wait, who got Belle?" He groans, leaning his head back and closes his eyes. "Please don't tell me it's Lily."

Gina chuckles. "It's not Lily." Oliver opens his eyes and looks at her with relief when she said that. "Ashlyn got Belle." With a nod of her head, Gina gestured over to where Ashlyn was with Big Red. Oliver looked over at the red-haired girl, noticing the look of shock on her face as she hugged Big Red and he smiled widely.

He excuses himself from Ricky and Gina and walks over to the couple. The couple had pulled away from the hug as Oliver got to them. "Ash, congrats!" Oliver cheered, looking at her with a wide smile and pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you!" Ashlyn laughs, hugging him back. "We're leading buddies!"

Oliver grins. "Yeah, we are!"

****

The main cast of the show went to Salt Lake Slices (which is Big Red's family's restaurant) to celebrate. Ricky had got up and went off to the side to call someone. Oliver sat at a booth on the right side of EJ while Ricky had sat on the left side of him. Ashlyn and Kourtney sat across from the three boys. The other booth that was behind the two girls were taken by Big Red and Gina. Sitting across from the two were Carlos and Seb.

"Is that Nini?" Kourtney asked, noticing who Ricky was facetiming. Ricky turned to face his friends, turning his phone to them so Nini could see everyone.

Everyone greets her excitedly. "Nini!"

Nini smiles widely. "You guys, hi!"

"Pizza tonight for the world's best kiddos!" Big Red's mom walks over to them, holding two trays of pizzas. "Don't forget to tip your waitress."

"Mom!" Big Red protested.

His mom points at him. "You love me and you know it."

Kourtney got up and went to talk with Nini after Ashlyn got up and got one of the pizza pans from Big Red's mom and set it on the table. Kourtney and Nini had a short conversation and Ricky's phone was passed to everyone after they were done talking. As the phone was passed around to everyone, they each told Nini what role they got with dramatic effects added to it.

When the phone was passed to Oliver, Oliver smiles at Nini. "So, Nini, tell us what's happening at the boarding school of yours."

"Yes," Ashlyn chimes in. "Make us jealous!"

"Oh, um...Nothing nearly as exciting as what's going with you!" Nini responds. She smiles at Oliver. "Ollie, you got the Beast! You are gonna kill it at that role."

Oliver grins. "Thanks, Nini! Ashlyn also got the role of Belle." 

Nini chuckles lightly and nods. "Of course she did. She's perfect for that role."

"Awe," Oliver flips the phone so Nini could see Ashlyn. Ashlyn looks at Nini with a wide smile. "Thanks, Nini!"

"But there actually was this one girl who auditioned who kind of looked like a literal Disney princess." Ashlyn told Nini.

Gina turns around in her seat to look at Nini. "Yeah. I think I saw a bird land on her finger while she was singing."

Everyone laughed at her comment and Oliver handed Ricky back his phone. "Wait, wait. If I'm Gaston," EJ furrows his eyebrows, pointing at his cousin. "I just realized that you and I have..."

"Okay, don't." Ashlyn shakes her head, pointing at him with a look of disgust on her face. "Choosing not to think about it."

Big Red's mom walks back over to the group, this time holding a tray of cupcakes. "Before you get desert, mom gets a picture. That's the rule." Oliver noticed that on top of the cupcakes there were figurines of the characters from 'Beauty and the Beast' which made him smile. 

"Mom!" Big Red complained.

"That's the rule, alright?" His mom said, getting her phone out as squeezed together so they could all fit in the scene. Ricky even faced his phone forwards so that Nini could also be in the picture. After Big Red's mom took the picture she left the group to eat.

Ricky leaned over the side of the booth, telling Nini that his phone was about dead and that he had promised he would call his dad. He ended the call with her as Seb got up, delivering the cupcakes to everyone. A smile tugged on Oliver's lips as he looked down at the Beast figurine that's on the cupcake he held. This was definitely the start of something new for Oliver.

A/N yes oliver got the role of beast :) so happy for him ! i casted ricky as cogsworth bc they didnt even cast someone as cogsworth in the show which im still kind of upset about. well, i think the one who played ryan (i think his name is rico) played cosgworth but cosgworth didnt have any lines in the show which made no sense & ryan didnt have any lines in the show of hsm they put on which made no sense either. anyway enough of my rambling, im excited to write more about ashlyn's & oliver's friendship. they're gonna be even more of besties than they already are :)