𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐁𝐎𝐘! ricky bowen

ii. Who Needs Superman?

────chapter two
who needs superman?

AFTER SITTING THROUGH what felt a decade worth of lessons, Veronica finally made her way to get lunch. She met with Ellie after algebra and the two headed to the cafeteria, but not without Veronica bringing up the subject she knew Ellie wanted to avoid.

"You've got to audition," she said flatly. "If not, I will literally burn your plushies to ashes."

Ellie gave her a look. "Vera, you know I'm not an actress. I don't know how to dance, and the only person that has ever heard me sing are you and You-Know-Who—"

"Are we seriously gonna keep calling EJ as You-Kno—?"

"Yes, we are." Ellie insisted. "But as I was saying, I've never been in a play before, even when I was dating You-Know-Who—"

"I'm really getting tired of this—"

"—so why would I purposely get into something where I know he's going to be and I'd have to spend time with him."

"Because you play the piano like no one I've met and our music account would be nothing without you."

"The only reason I accepted to be part of it is because you envisioned some lyrics with a piano instead of a guitar and insist you don't play piano sufficiently well—"

"And it's true! I just know the basics, you on the other hand—"

"—and the world deserves to hear your voice and lyrics!" Ellie spoke over Veronica. "That's the only reason I agreed to participate."

"We're a two-packaged deal, Ellie," Veronica grinned, aware that her friend was just trying to distract her. "We've sung together for, like, forever. I know you've got a theater kid inside you somewhere. And it's High School Musical, you simply cannot say no."

"Theater people are crazy, so if I've got something like that somewhere it's because I've spent too much time with you."

"Oh come on!" Veronica threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Try out for Kelsi at least. She doesn't sing in the first movie, yet you'll be able to show your piano skills." Veronica then took both of Ellie's hands, looking at the girl right to her eyes. "Think about it, please. Or I will stop songwriting forever and you will be the cause of my suffering."

"You wouldn't stop writing songs even if it'd cause your death." Ellie smiled in amusement. "And fine, I'll think about it. But I don't promise anything."

"Yes!" Veronica cheered. "Now come on, I've been dying to get my hands on some fries."

Ellie shook her head at her best friend, grinning. "You're so dramatic."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"This isn't happening," Ellie muttered, her lunch tray trembling in her hands. "Please tell me this isn't happening."

"You guys see it, too, right?" Big Red asked, his mouth open in disbelief.

"I'm seein' it, I'm hearin' it, I'm hatin' it." Ricky grumbled.

"There's no way," Veronica fumed. "No way those two roaches are together."

In the middle of the cafeteria stood none other than Nini Salazar-Roberts, tucked securely under the arm of none other than EJ Caswell.

"Don't call Nini a roach," Ricky mumbled to Veronica, but he didn't even look at her, simply opting for covering his face with his hands.

"Calling EJ a roach is an insult to roaches," Ellie groaned, her head buried in the table. "I knew the way he looked at her in her tree costume wasn't normal. But he said she just thought the costume was cute! How could I have been so stupid?"