High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: Season 3

Act Two! Anxiety Attack

Now it was Act 2. Act 1 was great, not let's see if we can keep that good streak going. No one has replaced anyone else and nothing have gone missing. While the others were onstage, they walk to the side as Harper and their "Chad" take center stage. "How did Mal break my spell?" Harper tried to be as livid as she could.

"I don't know" The guy playing Chad says.

"And what is Uma doing here?" Harper bangs her Scepter on the ground. Chad quickly falls to the ground. "Come clean, Chad. Where did they go?"

"I don't know. I could go check for you."

"Stay!" Harper booms as she tightens her fingers around the Scepter. She walks forward and runs her fingers through his hair. She smiles, it was supposed to be malevolently, but it was a sweet smile as she saw her dad in the audience. "It's about to get a little ugly."

behind the scene, Howie was fiddling with his fingers. He was nervous about what he wanted to tell Kourtney. He was worried about his first kiss with Kourtney. Yeah, they talked about it, but that didn't stop him from being nervous.

"You good?" Ricky asks, now in his full-on Beast makeup. "Yeah, just nervous. First kiss and all."

"Yeah, never thought Kourtney would get a guy. Never thought she would want a guy, to be honest."

"Yeah, me either. Guess I was lucky enough to make the cut."

"Well, first kisses can be a big deal. I remember my first kiss with Nini. We were kids...our braces interlocked..."

"That sounds painful."

"The point is...first kisses are a big deal. So good luck man."

"Thanks" the 2 beasts pump fist and walk to the curtains, watching their friends perform Night Falls.

During the song, EJ's eyes kept glancing toward the man with a clipboard next to his parents. His heartbeat raced and he started sweating. What if he didn't like him? What if he didn't get accepted into any colleges? The only place he got into was a state school. He was freaking out.

"All right, where is this cheerleader bunk down," Gina asks when the song ends. "If she's not there, we might find some sort of clue."

"Actually she's still in the storm" Kourtney offers.

"You're right, because of the summer school," Nini says.

"Summer school" Jack laughs, he felt the same about school in general. "No wonder she wants revenge."

"Okay, I need you guys to go find Ben," Nini tells the boys. "We will meet back at Evie's place in 2 hours."

"Sounds like we're going with my plan" Gina boasts. "Just sayin'."

"It was kinda the obvious plan"

"Uma said it first!" Seb pipes up.

"Right so my plan" Gina high-fives her blonde friend.

"Whatever!" Nini exclaims, throwing her arms in the air as they walk away. The girls stay on the stage as the boys completely go backstage.

Panicking, EJ's thoughts wrap around the guy with the clipboard. He had never been more nervous in his life. His eyes widen at the text and he quickly felt his breathing pick up.

"Hey, EJ, you good?" Ricky asks, leading him to sit on the ground.

EJ nods but soon shakes his head. "I-I need water," EJ quickly says and tries to get his breathing to slow down for the like 100th time. "Alright, I'll be right back!" Ricky quickly races off, knowing EJ was having one of his secret anxiety attacks.

Tears start to stream down EJ's cheeks. He's always known how to control anxiety attacks since the day he first got them. But now...it's different. Now, this is an extreme type of anxiety attack. The one where he can't breathe, the one where he feels like the walls are closing in, and the one where he thinks he's not good enough to be in the world.

"Whoa, whoa, EJ, breath, breath" Ricky kneels down to his friend. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"There's a guy...in the audience...from a college...I might not get in."

Ricky quickly hands EJ the water and he chings it down, hoping it will help, but it didn't. "You need me to get help?"

"Get...get...Ashlyn."

Ricky quickly races off to get his friend. When he told her about the judge and the anxiety attack, she barely wasted a minute. She races to find her cousin struggling on the ground. She kneels down and grabs her cousin's shoulder.

"Just breathe in slowly through your nose. Then breathe out slowly through your mouth. Count with me and breathe in and out on each count. 1...2...3...4...5. Again, 5...4...3...2...1. Now, close your eyes and focus on your breathing." she says rubbing circles on his back.

"Thanks, Ash" his breathing finally slowed down. Ashlyn quickly leans over and hugs her cousin. "I'll go get you some more water, watch after him," Ashlyn tells Ricky before walking out. Ricky helps his former nemesis up.

"So this guy must be a big deal for you, we've never seen you like this before."

"There's a lot you guys don't know about me."

"Well, being a jock, that's kind of all people have to see. And you're only closest to 2 people. Well, 3, including me."

"Eh, we were never that close."

"You did steal my girlfriend."

"Well, she made it clear she broke up with you."

"Whatever" the 2 boys laugh. "Listen, E, don't worry about the college guy. Since Gina isn't here to tell you, I will, you're an awesome actor, you got talent, so show it. You're a Wildcat, after all."

"Heh, not for long" EJ wasn't ready to leave East High. Things were easier that way. He loved filming, he loved acting, he didn't know what he wanted to do, he didn't even know where he wanted to go. He wanted to make this the best summer and know it's all crumbling.

Ricky saw EJ was struggling, he never seen it before. He wasn't some stereotypical pretty boy jock. He saw that now. Now, he took a page out of Nini's book. He leans over and hugs EJ. The high school graduate was shocked but did he return the hug. It was kind of comforting to him.

So, I heard EJ is actually prone to Anxiety Attacks, so I hope we do see that in Season 3. I just really want more scenes of EJ that aren't used as a joke. I hope we get serious EJ...and an EJ solo, I'm manifesting it. I'm just manifesting a lot of stuff for Season 3, and I'm hoping it will all happen. I would definitely love a Caswen friendship, either a friendship or a relationship. I'll take either one. I also want a Ricky/Howie friendship, it would be amazing to have the 2 Beasts of season 3 be friends. I just want everyone to be friends. And for those of you waiting for the Core Four 2, don't worry, I'll be back to that when this story ends. Stay safe and have a great day or night, wherever you are.