Not Your Average Ricky(Ella) Story

I can't pretend to know how you feel

A/N: You will need tissues!

Song to listen to while we're reading: More Than a Band by Lemonade Mouth

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Ever since our prom suit-shopping adventure, Carlos has been begging me to let him paint my nails. I finally agreed to let him do it during study hall today since our block schedule aligns. I want to relax and be pampered too. It's been a fucking hell of a last 36 hours.

I don't want to talk about it.

I showed my friends the garden rooftop; now it's our secret hiding place for the outcasts. We always headed back down to the hallway 10 minutes before class started to make it seem like we weren't hiding.

I've also been trying to be more open about my sexuality ever since Lily outed me in front of E.J Caswell. It's hard when the only boy I'm crushing on at the moment is giving my evil step-sister vocal lessons on how to sing MY songs.

"What color do you want? I can do an accent nail or pattern too." Carlos says to me while showing me his nail kit that he somehow managed to fit in his locker.

"Can you do red and white? I am going to try to go to the first football game of the season for Big Red," I tell him even though it's so obvious that I want to go for the quarterback.

"That's the spirit, Ricky! I knew you'd come around. I am so excited to see the cheerleaders," Big Red says while he sets the math textbook that he is reading upside down.

"Sure. Don't move, you'll smudge it. So what songs are you guys submitting to the Live Nation contest?" Carlos looks up at me while he's setting out the materials to paint my nails.

Nini, Gina, Big Red, and Carlos, immediately stop what they are doing to look up at me.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" I yawn causing Carlos to give me a death glare.

"Because you have the voice of an angel, Ricky. You are the most talented person out of the entire senior class. You still haven't submitted anything or given E.J a flash drive. What are you waiting for?," Nini looks up at me while lying on a beanbag with Melanie.

"I haven't written anything new yet that the L2 doesn't have from my songbook," I reply to the group while yawning again.

This is NOT true. I wrote a verse in my math textbook since Lula took my songbook. It's incomplete but it's a start.

"I don't believe that," Gina says to me while eating yogurt that is apparently from Korea.

"It's true. I haven't gotten any inspiration since my songbook was stolen," I frown while I put my head down as Carlos starts to use the white nail polish.

"Maybe you'll get some inspiration at the game next week," Nini winks at me while she leans her head on Melanie's shoulder.

"I doubt it. L has me doing everyone's laundry including my dad's and making appetizers for the sweet sixteen I'm not invited to," I lay my head down on my backpack while Carlos groans because I moved again.

"Hey! You said you'd go to the game with me though," Big Red pouts while picking up his textbook again this time in the right direction.

"I said I'd try to," I yawn again and point out without getting his hopes up.