*Sapphire is in the bathroom and washes her face*
*Ashlyn walks into the bathroom*
Ashlyn: Sapphire?
*Sapphire looks over and sees Ashlyn, her eyes are puffy and red with tears welled up in her eyes*
Sapphire: Lemme guess Miss Jenn sent you over here to check on me?
Ashlyn: No, um, I came to check and see if you were ok, what's been going on? If you want to say it, I'm not forcing you, and I won't tell.
Sapphire: I used to go to North High, worst two years of my life, bullying, a cheating/abusive ex I had, just the worse thing ever, the script reminded me of us arguing, I never open up about my personal life that often, I'm not like those North spoiled kids, I couldn't handle it, especially with stupid Lily, and her horrible friends.
*Ashlyn looks at Sapphire shocked*
Ashlyn: I'm sorry Sapphire, no one deserves what you dealt with, everyone is really worried, they didn't mean to scare you, you know that right?
Sapphire: Yes, of course, it just hurts to think about all of that happening.
Ashlyn: Well we all have your back Sapph.
* Ashlyn puts her hand on Sapphire's shoulder, Sapphire looks at Ashlyn*
Ashlyn: Sorry, I don't know if you like being called nicknames, and I shouldn't have touched you-
Sapphire: Ashlyn... Relax, you did nothing wrong. I'll meet everyone in the theatre room in a bit, ok?
Ashlyn: Ok, I'll let them know.
*Ashlyn walks out of the bathroom, Sapphire stares back in the mirror and fixes her hair.*
*Ashlyn walks back into the theatre room*
Ashlyn: She'll be back in a few minutes she said.
*Ashlyn walks over to Gina and Seb, but Ricky stops her*
Ricky: Is she ok?
Ashlyn: Yea, the script reminded her of something horrible that happened to her, that's why she was upset.
*Sapphire walks back in*
Sapphire: Sorry about that, I know I took a long time
Miss Jenn: No need to worry, Sapphire can we talk for a sec, about something to do with the script.
*Ricky sees Sapphire's nose is red and sees her eyes are puffy*
Ricky: *Whispers to Ashlyn* She doesn't look like she's ok, her eyes are puffy and her nose is red like Rudolph, I don't think she's ok.
*Ricky looks over at Sapphire while her and Miss Jenn are talking*
*After theatre class*
*Big Red and Ricky both walk over to Ricky's locker*
Big Red: Do you think Sapphire is actually ok?
Ricky: I don't know, I could tell that she wasn't ok.
Big Red: Yea, I wonder what happened to cause that to happen, reminded me of the whole EJ situation Carlos told me about.
*Ricky looks at Big Red confused*
Big Red: "Emotional connection to the material"
Ricky: Oh, I see, I guess?
Big Red: Did you block Lily? Cause I can tell your phone isn't blowing up as much anymore.
Ricky: Yea, I realized that I give too many chances to people, even after they do horrible things, not to just me, but the people who I care for.
Big Red: Yea.
*Ricky Grabs his skateboard and helmet and shuts his locker, he sees Sapphire at her locker and smiles, Big Red and Ricky then walk out of the entrance of the school.*
*Later that night at Salt Lake Slices, Kourtney, Big Red, and Howie are getting the pizza shop ready for closing*
Kourtney: Big Red can you help out with the chairs real quick?
Big Red: Yea, just one minute.
Howie: Don't worry Big Red, I'll take care of it.
*Howie starts to help out with the chairs*
Howie: So, I heard Sapphire started to go to East High?
Kourtney: Yea, how do you know her?
Howie: She went to North for a couple of years, but she had a horrible experience, so she left.
*Big Red overhears*
Kourtney: Really?
*Big Red walks out of the employee's only room*
Big Red: Wait Sapphire went to North?
Howie: Yea, she hated it, which I'm not shocked cause you know, spoiled/rich kids, basically, kids who bully, and her ex-boyfriend... What he did would make you go nuts.
Kourtney: What did he do?
Howie: *Sighs*-Lincoln McKormic, he seemed like a normal kid, skater boy, a kind gentleman from what people thought, but he wasn't the best, him and Sapphire dated for almost a year, but he was an abusive cheater.
*Kourtney and Big Red look at each other in shock*
Howie: She would come to school with bruises all over her arms, even at one point had a black eye, he then got expelled and got transferred to a different school after someone caught him smacking her in the face, and it caused him to get into a fight in the lunchroom.
Kourtney: Oh my god, *Kourtney looks at Big Red* - no wonder why she was crying so much when EJ and her were reading that script.
Howie: I'm confused, what happened?
Kourtney: Miss Jenn gave Sapphire a practice script since she has to fake cry in Cinderella, the musical for this semester, and she started crying a lot, to the point she went to the bathroom, she came back into the theatre room all puffy-eyed and her nose was red, but now it makes so much sense now.
Howie: Wow, she seemed like such a strong person, like she was able to hide her feelings so well, but Lincoln just ruined it for her.
Kourtney: This is why we don't trust North, you and her are both the two kids from there we've liked as friends, unlike Lily and her horrible crew.
YOU ARE READING
One Step At A Time(HSMTMTS AU)
FanfictionAfter Summer it's the start of a new school year and we get to see Ricky as he tries to re-evaluate his life and take time to work on himself and he takes everything one step at a time.
