Better Place, Better Time

Wonderstudies

I was sitting in the cafeteria with Gina, she was telling me her plan.

"You should write a song," Gina told me. "Like one apologizing."

"Why are you helping me anyways?" I asked her. I barley even knew her and she was here trying to help me.

"I want your help in return," She told me. Of course there was some condition I had agreed to without her telling me. I should've asked her that in the beginning. What was I thinking?

"With what?" I asked her. I really hope it's nothing bad. Oh god it's gonna be something bad isn't it?

"Your friend Nini, I think she's super adorable and normally I don't have feelings for people but she's different," Gina said.

"Oh you want me to help you get with Nini," I said.

"That's all I want, you know if she's into girls, if not then it's fine. You can't force someone to be who their not," She told me.

"Luckily for you Nini is Pansexual. She's been pretty open about it," I told her.

"That's good to hear," Gina said smiling. "I have another idea to get E.J. back."

"What is it?" I asked her. I don't think the song thing was going to work. It didn't work with I Think I Kinda, You Know. And plus since I had to write a song for the play I didn't want to add another song to my list.

"We fake date and E.J. gets jealous," She told me.

"What? No. That'll probably ruin things between us!" I told her. Making E.J. jealous wouldn't help me.

"It's just an idea. Anyways that's all I have for now so talk to you another time," Gina said before getting up and leaving. After she left I got up too and went to go find my friends.

"Hey Ricky, where have you been?" Big Red asked me when I got to the group.

"I was talking to Gina. She was giving me pointers," I lied to them. I didn't want them to know Gina was helping me Operation Chad. What they didn't know can't hurt them.

"Ah Mr. Two left feet finally gets some help," Kourtney said smirking. We all laughed because we all knew I was terrible at dancing.

"Hey uh Ricky, Miss Jenn wanted me to tell you that we have to rehearse a scene later today but before actual rehearsal," came a voice. I turned around and saw E.J. Why was he so nervous talking to me?

"Yeah I'll be there," I told him before he quickly walked away.

"Things need to get better between you two," Nini said. "The tension is unbearable."

"What tension?" I questioned. There was no tension?

"The tension that makes you guys want to suck each other's face off," Big Red. "What?" He asked after Nini hit him.

"I mean yeah that's a thing but I meant the fact they both still care deeply about each other. Like way too deeply," Nini said.

"She's right. You guys just hide it through aggression and other dumb stuff," Kourtney said. "Anyways come on Big Red we have to get to History class."

"And we have to go to Chemistry," Nini said pulling me along with her.

After school I met in the theatre waiting for everyone else. I was early for once but that was because of Nini.

E.J. came shortly after and we stood in awkward silence. I was pretending to text someone on my phone but in reality I was just typing in my notes.

Luckily Miss Jenn came soon and so did the rest of the wildcat boys.

"Okay honeys, we're going to the scene where Chad and the team apologize to Troy," She said happily.

" We had a team meeting about how we haven't been acting like a team, I mean us, not you. About the singing thing..." I read off the script. I hope it didn't feel or sound to fake because to be honest my mind was buzzing and for lack of better terms my head was not in the game.

" I don't even wanna talk about it," E.J. read and he didn't sound like himself.

"Okay boys uhm let's try something else." Miss Jenn said handing E.J. a basketball. Pass the basketball to each other and say what you're feeling.

"The way you pretend to play basketball is inspiring," E.J. said throwing the basketball to me.

"Thanks and the way you dance is totally normal for a high school student," I said throwing it back

"You deserve everything that's coming to you."

"Back at you."

"Two times"

"Four"

"Eight"

"Back at you.. Infinity plus one" I said throwing the ball a little too hard. Fuck I really messed up.

"Uh overkill there. Take 5," Miss Jenn said leading E.J. out the room. I needed to apologize to him. I didn't mean to hit him.

I saw E.J. go into the bathroom so I followed him in there.

"E.J. look I'm really sorry," I told him. "I didn't mean it."

"Save it Ricky, infinity plus one seemed pretty real," He told me.

"You know I'd never want to hurt you," I told him getting closer.

"Well you did this summer," E.J. stepping closer and closing the gap.

"It wasn't like that, I just couldn't-" I started.

"Couldn't what?" E.J. said. Before I could say anything E.J.'s lips were on mine. All I could taste blood and I felt bad knowing he was bleeding because of me.

"I'm sorry Ricky for doing that. Things still aren't good between us," He said before leaving the bathroom.

I stood there not knowing what to do next. Operation Chad had just got a huge complication.