It was finally opening night for East High to put on the production of High School Musical. Oliver had to admit he was nervous, but not that nervous since he has done musicals and plays before, and the part he has isn't that big of a part. He just wished that Gina would be there for opening night. All of her hard work she did just went down the drain. She deserves to be there. Maybe there was a way he could get her there.

"So, dad, do you think you could do it?" Oliver asked his dad who he is facetiming on his phone. His dad worked as a pilot which meant he wasn't home that much, but that also meant that Oliver could ask in favors like this one. 

His dad, Flynn, chuckles lightly and nods. "Yeah, I think I can."

Oliver grins. "Thanks dad, you're the best."

"You're welcome," Flynn smiles. "And good luck tonight, you're gonna do great."

****

"We've got mystery flowers, people!" Carlos announced, walking into the bomb shelter that night with a a small basket of a lot of flowers inside.

Big Red tilts his head to the side. "Why mystery?"

"There was no card," Carlos replies. "So I'm guessing dealer's choice." He chuckles. "But if I had to bet, I'd say it's for our leading lady."

Nini smiles, glancing at Ricky, but Ricky apologizes and said it wasn't from him. "Ollie, stop moving." Kourtney said to Oliver as she did his makeup. He was on his phone, texting his dad to make sure that he would get Gina there on time. "Sorry," Oliver apologizes, putting his phone into his pocket as he sent her an apologetic smile. "I just had to check something important."

Soon it was only a half hour before the show. "Okay, last touches, anyone?" Kourtney asks, glancing around the room filled with excited and anxious teens. "Speak now or forever hold your face!"

Seb furrows his eyebrows, looking at her with confusion. "Why? Where are you going to be during the show?"

"My beautiful babies," Miss Jenn smiles as she walks inside the bomb shelter. "Let's gather around for some housekeeping!" She looks at the many flowers in the small basket and chuckles. "First of all, who brought Versailles?"

Carlos shakes his head. "No one knows."

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to share, then." Miss Jenn said to everyone. "Oh, and, speaking of sharing, most of you know that our dazzling Taylor had to leave on family circumstances. Gina sends her love and support to all of you, but unfortunately he's on the East Coast, and won't be able to make it to tonight's performance."

Oliver gets his phone out of his pocket when he felt it buzz, smiling at the notification he saw that Gina texted him, saying she was getting on the plane. "And so, I have asked Kourtney to fill in her stead." Miss Jenn continued, smiling at Kourtney.

Everyone cheers for Kourtney as the dark skinned girl smiled at everyone. "So now, what I would like to do is, please think of a word or phrase from the show that expresses where your head is, or your goals for tonight." Miss Jenn speaks, looking at everyone with a smile. "If anyone wants to share?"

Big Red is the first one to share. "'You're my guys and this is our team'."

Ricky stands up from sitting on the piano bench. "'What if you want to try something really new, and it's a total disaster and all of your friends laugh at you?'."

"Oh, um, 'Do you ever feel like there's this whole other person inside of you just looking for a way to come out?'." Nini said.

"'Do the romp and strut your stuff'." Carlos added.

"'My shower head is very impressed with me'." Kourtney chimed in. 

EJ looks at Ashlyn with a smile. "'I'm proud to call you my sister'."

"Aw." Ashlyn smiles at him. "It's close enough. 'My nails bed are history'."

"'Sharpay's kinda cute, too'." Seb said.

"'So is a mountain lion, but you don't pet it.'" Everyone chorused.

"And I'll just say, no matter what happens tonight, we're all in this together." Miss Jenn said causing everyone to smile at her. "Okay, Wildcats, take a moment to settle your nerves. If we had a curtain, it would be up in 20 minutes!"

Before everyone knew it, it was time to put on the show. The main cast members of the musical went out to the hallway to do a prayer circle before the show. The show went good at the beginning beside the part where Big Red had trouble with the sound and light system. Oliver felt bad for not being able to be up there to help him, but thankfully he noticed that Mr. Mazzara helped him out. 

They were all gathered back in the bomb shelter to get ready for 'Stick To The Status Quo'. Oliver hoped that Gina would hurry up with getting there because if she didn't show up now then she wouldn't get here until the play is over. Kourtney was doing great as Gina so far and Carlos was trying to help her out with the dance sequence in the next music number since she was having a bit of trouble with it. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for 'Stick To The Status Quo'." Miss Jenn said to everyone, walking into the bomb shelter with a smile on her face. "This is our biggest Act One showstopper and you're all going to kill it because I love you. Any questions?"

Kourtney raises her hand. "I have a couple hundred."

"Wait," Seb speaks up. "How is the Taylor dance break gonna work? Gina's tray-ography is really complex."

"I can run to the pit and can have the orchestra cut that part!" Carlos suggested.

A wide smile tugs on Oliver's lips upon noticing Gina standing at the door of the bomb shelter. "How about we just let Gina do it?" 

Everyone looked at where he was looking, smiling when they each saw Gina standing there with a shy smile on her face. Everyone quickly went over to Gina while she walked further into the bomb shelter. "Gina!" Everyone excitedly exclaimed, pulling Gina into a group hug.

"Wow, you guys." Gina smiles at everyone as they pull away from the hug. "I don't want to interrupt."

Carlos smiles at her. "How did you get here?"

Gina glances at Oliver, her smile widening. "Thanks to his dad, a friend helped me get a last-minute flight here." Gina responded. Oliver smiles back at her, happy that she made it. 

Gina felt her heart flutter at seeing him smiling at her. She quickly looks back at everyone, gesturing to the cupcakes she brought with her. "I was gonna drop these cupcakes off, then hide in the gym and cheer you guys on."

"Gina," Kourtney shakes her head. "No one in the gym wants to hide more than I do."

"Wait," Gina looks at the costume Kourtney has on and a smile tugs on her lips. "Are you playing Taylor?"

Kourtney nods. "I was, and it was nice, and now it's your turn to save my butt and do the dance." She offers the tray to Gina. "Please. I'm asking you."

Gina looks at her with a bit of surprise and glances at everyone else, smiling at seeing their encouraging smiles. She looks at Miss Jenn. "Can I?"

Smiling, Miss Jenn nods. "Of course. You can do the curtain call together." She looks at everyone, clapping her hands together. "Let's hit the halls, people!"

As everyone went to leave the bomb shelter, Gina stopped Oliver before he could leave. "Oliver!" Oliver turns around, looking back at her with raised eyebrows and a smile. "Yeah?"

"Thank you, for, you know," Gina smiles shyly, shrugging her shoulders. "Getting me a flight back." 

Oliver smiles and nods at her. "You're welcome. I didn't want you to miss this."

Gina's smile widens and the two stared at each other longer than they should have before Oliver realized that they were staring at each other. He feels his face grow hot as he awkwardly smiled at her and he quickly left the bomb shelter. 

The 'Stick To The Status Quo' act went great and the audience loved it. As they went back to the bomb shelter they congratulated each other and excitedly conversed at how fun that was. While Oliver talked with some of the dancers he noticed that Gina and Ricky were talking and it looked like they were smiling at each other a lot which made him frown. 

-ˏˋOliver stood in the hallway outside of the bomb shelter, still dressed as Zeke, as he looked at the camera. "Am I jealous? No..." He pauses for a moment, pursing his lips together while nodding. "Okay, maybe I am. Just a little. I shouldn't be jealous though. Gina is allowed to talk to whoever she wants to. We're not even together." He sighs, shaking his head. "I want us to be together though."ˎˊ-

Carlos walks into the bomb shelter, announcing that Ricky and the cast members who were the basketball players needed to get ready for the 'Getcha Head In Your Game' scene which was next. Carlos points at Ricky. "Ricky, we need you in your harness, pronto!"

Halfway through the performance of 'Getcha Head in the Game' Todd, the boyfriend of Lynne, Ricky's mom, showed up which caught Ricky off guard. After he was let down by Natalie and some dancers unhooked him from the harness as the rest of them continued with the song he had trouble with continuing. Ricky even walked back to the side, behind where 

Oliver was honestly concerned about him and wanted to go check on him, but he had to continue on with the rest of the song. He saw that Ricky's mom's boyfriend showed up just when Ricky was about to put the basketball in the hoop after he sang a verse. Oliver knew Ricky was having trouble with his parent's divorce and Oliver thought it was such a insensitive thing for Lynne to bring her new boyfriend to Ricky's performance. Did she just think that he would be okay with it all of a sudden? 

After the performance Big Red announced that it was now an intermission before act two would begin. Since Oliver wasn't in the next few scenes, Oliver asked Carlos and Natalie where Ricky was since he saw him talking to them. So that's why he's walking out to the hallway now, frowning at the sight of his best friend looking so upset. 

Ricky wore his normal clothes as he stood in the hallway, staring at the floor. As Oliver got closer to him, he noticed he was shaking. "Ricky, you're shaking." He observes, his eyebrows furrowing together with concern. "Maybe you should take a seat."

Ricky nods, letting out a shaky breath. "Y-Yeah." He moves to sit against the wall, his breathing coming in short breaths. "Just try to take a deep breath." Oliver said, taking a seat beside him. "Follow my breathing." It took Ricky a few seconds, but he managed to breathe normal after focusing on the way Oliver is breathing calmly. He sent a thankful smile to Oliver, nodding at the brunette-haired boy beside him. "Thank you."

Oliver shrugs, looking at him with a small smile. "You would've helped me out."

"There you are." 

The two boys look over when they hear Lynne, Ricky's mom, speak and see her walk out into the hallway. Oliver stands up along with Ricky. He pats Ricky on the shoulder. "And this is my cue to leave."

****

Oliver was standing beside the doors of the gym, watching the beginning of the 'Breaking Free' scene. He glances to his right when the doors open, seeing Gina and Ricky walk in. When he locks eyes with Gina, he sent her a smile and she smiled back at him. 

He looks back at the middle of the gym when Nini didn't say her line and kept staring at Ricky. EJ glances back at Gina, Oliver, and Ricky before looking back at Nini with a small smile. "Remember kindergarten? There's nothing like the friends you made back then. And they never really leave, do they?" 

Nini furrows her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

EJ smiles a bit, shaking his head. "Something right, I hope. I'm gonna play to lose. I'm not the Troy you want." He chuckled lightly, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze before he walked away which caused confused murmurs to erupt from the crowd.

Everyone waited anxiously to see what would happen next. Nini looks over in the direction of the doors, smiling before she starts singing 'Breaking Free' as she began to walk over to Ricky. She got her phone out, turning on the light, and aims it at Ricky just like he did with her at the auditions.

Oliver gave Ricky a nudge forward with his elbow, sending him an encouraging smile when Ricky looked at him nervously. Ricky walks forward, meeting Nini half way. "I'm really not at my best." Ricky admitted.

"Just look at me, Ricky." Nini said, turning the light off on her phone and puts it back in her pocket. She smiles at him. "Right at me." She looks at the orchestra, nodding at them to continue. She looks back at Ricky with a smile, continuing to sing 'Breaking Free'.

A smile tugs on Oliver's face when Ricky joined Nini on singing. The audience cheers as the two teens sang and walked through the opening of where the seats were set up, making their way to where the 'Breaking Free' set is at in front of everyone. 

Oliver looks behind him when he hears the door closes, sending a small smile to EJ when EJ sent him a smile. EJ stands beside Gina on her left side since Oliver stood beside her on her right side. EJ glances at Gina with a small smile. "Some wonderstudies we are, huh?"

"Yeah, we are." Gina smiled.

The three teens looked back at Nini and Ricky who were doing a great job and the crowd seemed to enjoy their performance a lot. At the end of the song, everyone cheered loudly for Nini and Ricky.

When it was time for the curtain call all cast members gathered behind the sets and waited for their time to walk out and bow as the band played the song 'We're All In This Together'. Nini came up with an idea at the last minute for Miss Jenn to say her line that was cut from the movie. Gina dragged Carlos and Miss Jenn out for the curtain call as well while Nini got a tray with an apple on it so Miss Jenn could say her line. Everyone cheered louder after she said that. 

"Wave your hands up in the air, that's the way we do it, let's get to it. Come on, everyone." All cast members stood in a line, each of them bowing with each word they sang.

The audience rose up from their seats, everyone cheering loudly for the group of teens. "I can't believe we did it!" Oliver grinned at Gina who smiled at him. Her smile widened when he pulled her into a hug and she didn't hesitate to hug her back. Hugs and high fives were shared throughout the drama club as the audience continued to cheer for the group of teens for putting on an awesome play.

A/N  im so so excited to start writing season 2 you guys. i already got some things planned for olina :)