Heather {RICKY BOWEN}

{one}

"the auditions"

The air is warm as it caresses Mia's face. Her window is open, the blonde putting her makeup -consisting of only mascara and foundation to hide her birthmark- on as she sits at her vanity.

"Mia, honey, you're going to miss breakfast if you don't hurry up."

Mia sighs, glancing once at her hair before deciding against styling it.

Her mother is setting a plate of waffles on the table as Mia enters the kitchen, the smell drifting through the house.

They sit in silence for a minute, but Mia can tell her mother wants to say something.

"Mia, I think it's time for you to find something interesting to get into this year." Claire sighs as she watches her daughter grimace. "Nothing too big, just an extracurricular to put on your college applications."

"Mom-"

"No buts, sweetheart. You can't always live in the shadow of someone else. It's time to step out and be your own person, okay?"

Mia sighs, accepting that her mother won't let it go, "Okay. I'll look for something."

The gym is loud as Mia settles into a seat in the back of the bleachers, her mind still muddled with the number of clubs looking for new members.

She glances up as a woman shoots a t-shirt cannon towards her, the boy in front of Mia catching it.

"My name is Ms. Jenn, and when I heard that the high school where High School Musical was shot, had never staged a production of High School Musical, the musical, I was shocked as an actress, triggered as a millennial, and inspired as a teacher. Auditions are after school."

Mia zones out again, already aware she can never audition for the play.

It isn't until Mia's last class that she finally has an idea. Okay, her teacher has an idea.

"Mia, I heard from your mother that you were looking for an after school activity to join."

"Uh, yea. I am."

"Well, the art club is helping the theater department design and paint the sets if you want to help out? I think we could really use some of your talents in there with us," Mrs. Josar smiles.

"Actually, yeah. That would be great! When are you guys starting?" Mia can't wait to tell her mother she had found something interesting.

"Well, Ms. Jenn wanted us to get a head start, so we'll be in the auditorium today to start."

Mia is glad she wore clothes she didn't care about to school today, because no one told her painting sets would get this messy.

"Alright guys, thanks for your help today. We'll meet in the bomb shelter tomorrow after school to get started on the bigger set plans, okay?"

The group disperses, Mia walking towards the back hallway where she left her bags.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Mia jumps as a girl comes to stop in front of her, yelling down the hallway.

"I'm auditioning." A soft voice answers the brunette.

Mia glances toward the boy, grimacing when she notices the group of people gathered down the hallway.

"You hate musicals." The brunette glances once at Mia before focusing back on the boy in front of her.

Noticing another boy continue walking away from the scene, Mia takes the hint and follows.

She glances once more towards the group of people further down the hallway, noticing the tall brunette boy she had been crushing on from a distance for almost a year.

"You have got to be kidding me. How stupid do you have to be to forget EJ freaking Caswell is in theater?" Mia chastises herself.

"Were you talking to me?" The boy with red hair asks her.

"What, oh no. I was uh- I was talking to myself," Mia glances at him, her hand moving to rub against her other arm.

"Oh, okay. Cool." The redhead smiles at her.

"Well, uh- I'm going to go now." Mia points down the hallway.

"That's cool. See you later." Mia awkwardly smiles back at the boy, bending to grab her bag from where it was leaning against the wall.

As she leaves, she can't help but glance back towards the couple, wondering what they were fighting about. It was obviously something serious, as Nini Salazar-Roberts had hardly yelled at anyone in her life -at least from what Mia had seen in the past few years of high school- let alone Ricky Bowen, her long term boyfriend.