It's A Small World // Gini AU

𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

As time passed Gina hated to admit it to herself but she loved her new friends.

The fall leaves had already begun to fall as Salt Lake City got colder, it was already early October and Gina's birthday was fast approaching. She had told Ashlyn and EJ but only because Vanna had texted her all excited.

She found out that Austin and Astrid were going through their own rough patches, mostly because of Austin. She honestly hadn't expected that from the boy, but she wasn't fully surprised either. In Gina's head all boys caused trouble.

Austin texted Gina all the time, especially about music, which was always the way they bonded. Austin had uploaded a new song to his soundcloud, as every teenage boy in New York City did, about Astrid and him.

Safe to say, Gina received a call from a very annoyed Astrid and Vanna. The song was called YoungBlood and basically blamed Astrid for their problems as a couple. Which Vanna honestly told Gina that was true because Astrid wasn't fully over Gina just yet.

Gina didn't know how handle the situation that frankly honestly caught her off guard. So for a while she didn't talk to her New York friends, and that just meant her bond with EJ and Ashlyn became stronger.

EJ and Ashlyn understood the younger girl. Her little quirks and somehow they managed to break down, not all, but most of her walls. Gina felt like her true self again, someone she hadn't seen since her fathers passing. She talked to Carlos one more time about the dance team in that time and decided to give it a try. Turns out she absolutely loved it. Gina now loves to wear her East High bomber jacket, she hates to admit it but the city has really grown on her.

~

On the Eve of her birthday Gina receives a text from Austin while Ashlyn had her phone. Reading instagram posts.

Because they had all gotten close she clicked on it, also because it was a link to a song and frankly she wanted to hear Gina sing.

October 11 12:34 pm

Austin:

I only posted the version where I cuss but my fans love it Gi!
They can't get enough of your voice and thank you for changing your lyrics around.
I really couldn't see your cussing either way

It was safe to say that EJ and Ashlyn were surprised that Gina collaborated on a song like this. They loved the lyric changes from the original version Austin sent as well, but none the less they were impressed by the husky voice the sophomore had. To think she truly was only a sophomore.

~

To her surprise Gina's birthday was a hit at school. Her dance team definitely went all out when they did a flash mob in the cafeteria, literally High School Musical style. And EJ and Ashlyn made sure that every person they saw knew that Gina was turning sixteen. They pooled their money together and gave Gina a brand new Leather Jacket and a Stussy Turtleneck. Their excuse was that their little sophomore baby was finally sixteen, Gina only cared about finally being able to drive and get that car she's always wanted, they had learned that because of some family issues Gina had started school a year late but she was in fact Ashlyn's age, they had to go all out for her. Including a surprise party that the most shocking part was her mother's agreement to let her stay out late, like really late.

The birthday messages were also something she didn't expect. All throughout her snapchat and instagram timelines where her teammates, both from East High and Trinity in New York, posting pictures with her and people she didn't even really know commented on her post that day. Gina felt loved.

She especially cried when Astrid's message came through right before the day was over. It was a super long message, one that you have to click on to see the full thing, explaining how much Gina had meant to the girl. Astrid went on to thank her for the years of friendship and the year she had her as the love of her life. What made Gina cry though was that, in that message Astrid explained that she knew her and Gina could never happen again. Astrid had really fallen for Austin and that made Gina realize that the chapter of her life in New York was really over.

She just didn't know what Salt Lake had in store for her. She already had two amazing friends and an amazing dance squad. She didn't know what else was missing but she for sure knew that something was definitely missing.