ᴀᴄᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ: ꜱᴄᴇɴᴇ ᴛᴡᴇʟᴇᴠᴇ

"You alright?" I asked Gina, of who seemed to be acting it. But, after what she'd said around me and Kourtney, I wasn't so sure. I needed to be sure.

"Yeah, why?" As the two of us leaned on the haystacks watching things get set up, music played in the background.

"Just checking. After what you said earlier..." I murmured so no one else really heard around us as I spoke to Gina.

"It's nothing, Casey, really-" I raised an eyebrow at her words, and she knew I was calling bullshit. "I may have told a certain boy about something... something important." I nodded as she said so. "And he just... didn't do anything?"

"Well, I'm not the best at giving boy advice for obvious reasons... but if I could tell you one thing you should try and do- try to forget him, G." I told her, nudging her slightly. "I mean, he was obviously an A-Class idiot for not really trying to help- or at least saying something. Anyone should be lucky to have you in their life, G, and you're much better than him, anyways."

When looking back over at her, she seemed rather touched by my words. "Why do you always know what to say?" Truth was, I had no clue. Maybe it was the fact my English teacher was awful, so I looked to Taylor Swift for help instead. Works all the time.

"I dunno." I shrugged. "Maybe I just listen to too many podcasts..." I murmured, making her laugh. "So, now that we've discovered most boys are terrible," I began. "what's your favourite dance?" I made sure the question was about something she loved, even if I knew nothing about it.

"Seriously? The name will do no justice with you." She teased me, and I shook my head as I glanced around.

"Oh please, I know what a Cancan is." I pointed out, then stepping out in front of her. No one was looking, might as well make Gina happy while I could. "Come on." I held my hand out for her. "Show me if the name's not gonna do it justice."

"Seriously?" She glanced around and I just tilted my head a little.

"I mean, I have got two left feet, but- well, what's the worst that could happen?" I asked her as she took my hand in hers. "I mean, other than that I fall over...."

"I'll catch you." I glanced up at her for a moment before she began to try and teach me, and I was surprised by how quick I got it. Sure, I was a quick learner usually, but I just... got it.

As the girl in front of me laughed at the two of us dancing along to the music, I felt myself smile in relief that she seemed to be happy.

"Hey, Gina. You got a second?" As she twirled around, Ricky Bowen's voice caused me to immediately glance away and behind the girl, where the boy stood.

She gave me a sincere smile to leave her to it, and that she'd come back to me and my incredible dancing after her and Ricky's conversation, turning towards the boy afterwards. "Sure, what's up?"

Walking away and stealing a glance every once and a while at the back of Gina, I felt myself staring slightly as Ashlyn appeared out of nowhere.

"I totally ship it." She said, her voice making me jump. As I looked over at her she giggled a little. "You and Gina? Adorable. My OTP with Seb and Carlos."

"That's one way to say you're an ally..." I murmured, taking a sip from my drink. As the girl rambled on about me and Gina, I glanced back over at G, noticing she wasn't doing too great with her conversation with Ricky. Not great at all, even.

The girl suddenly walked away, and I saw a glimmer in her eyes as she walked towards us. "Hey, you alright?" Ashlyn asked the girl, while I just furrowed my eyebrows at her.

"Uh... yeah." She didn't sound sure of herself, really.

"Gina..." I murmured her name quietly and gave her a look. "Was that about what I think it could be about?" The girl was silent and glanced in every direction but where I stood. I'm gonna kill Ricky Bowen one day. I really will. "G, it's gonna be okay." I say, holding out my hand for her to take again. When she did, I gave it a tight squeeze, along with a reassuring look.

⊱⊰

"OPEN THE DOORS!" We heard Seb shout from the other side of the barn and the two boys did so, leaving us to see a very shocked Carlos, and an excited Seb.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARLOS." As we all shouted at the boy, he stood there, overwhelmed. Whoops.

"Wait- this can't be happening." The boy said, worrying about his hair.

"It is!" Seb insisted beside him.

"I'm not wearin' a party outfit!"

As we laughed along through the night, Ricky and Nini took the stage, microphones in hand as Big Red put the spotlight on the couple.

"HEY EVERYONE!" Nini almost shouted through her microphone as she was cheered by us all. "I think you kinda, you know...." She looked over at Ricky as the two made a horrible pun.

"It's Carlos' quinceañera!" Ricky finished her sentence as more cheering came from around us. "Gina, get on up here!" Ricky called the girl up onto the stage as Ashlyn cheered her on behind me.

"YEAH, G! WHOOO!"

As she walked onto stage, the two went off and I saw Gina, smiling towards us all with her mic on.

As she sighed, she tapped the side of the mic. "Testing, testing. Hello..." As the two sat down, she looked over at Carlos. "Carlos Rodriguez, we, um, haven't always seen eye-to-eye when it comes to running rehearsal..." She began, making a few laugh, and me smile. "... and honestly, I sorta had no idea what to get you tonight. And then, Sebbie showed me that clip of you in seventh grade, dancing. I was like, 'Oh...okay, so, we're actually the exact same.'. Because... I remember when I was in seventh grade, or, uh- all of the places that I was that year." As Gina spoke, I realised how personal this was becoming for her, tears in her eyes beginning to build up over time. "And I would just dance and dance alone in my bedroom to stay busy... and escape. But the difference between us is I never would have put that out into the world, and I never would have left that up on Instagram after some of the comments you got..."

I leaned back on the haybale I was sat on as I listened to Gina. She scoffed a little. "Haters gonna hate." I saw her glance over at me and I only nodded with a smile. "Anyways, um, tonight I'm recreating your dance. Because we might not share a choreography brain... but I think you know we share a dancer heart."

Her smile grew bigger as she continued. "No matter what happens tomorrow, or the day after that," Gina's voice quivered slightly as she spoke out to Carlos and us all. "we just keep on dancing." As a few, including me, applauded her, she stepped back slightly and pulled a rope, saying "roll the tape." and getting a few cheers from me and Kourtney.

As a sheet came down, a projector showed us a young, seventh grade Carlos Rodriguez smiling into the camera.

"Hello, world!" He smiled and waved as we all cheered. "This is a time capsule because I hope I am studied. It is almost my thirteenth birthday, and in some cultures that makes me a man. As a man, I demand the following gifts for my birthday." He listed them on his fingers as he spoke. While he did so, however, I noticed the poster in the background. Hannah Montana. "A new phone, a Tony Award, and someday- I'm putting this out there early, a quinceañera." I smiled over at the boy of who seemed to be losing his shit over the little video. "Now, please enjoy this dance I made up. It is on fleek!"

As they all cheered, watching the boy then dance, I noticed Gina beginning to copy him before the video stopped.

Conclusion was: I am very much gay

Latin music played as she danced and sang, and I found myself lost for words, breath taken.

Gay, gay, homosexual, gay

"It don't matter who you are, when we dance we're all stars," I glanced away for a moment as Ashlyn nudged me from behind, a teasing look given. "Different in so many ways, but when we hit the stage, we all share the same thing. A dancer's heart."

oh my god i'm so fucking gay send an exorcist

The two dancers hugged on stage, and I saw tears in the girl's eyes as he spoke to her. She really was happy, and I was glad.

"You know how fucking amazing that was?" I say to her as she practically ran over to me, arms out for a hug. She giggled as we hugged, probably not believing me. "Seriously, I mean, I don't need no Taylor Swift concert, I've got Gina Porter."

She laughed, pulling me along as EJ called her over to the camera for a message for Carlos. As we walked, we continued to talk.

"How are you feeling? Good?" I asked her, seeing the smile on her face. It wasn't a fake one like what I'd seen earlier on today.

"Is on top of the world an answer because I feel just that." The dancer laughed and I smiled.

"Oh, it's a viable answer." I say to her with a nod. "I mean, come on, you're basically glowing. Might have to get Nini to tell you my birthday so you can throw me a birthday party." She continued to laugh at my compliments before Kourtney dragged me away, saying something was urgent. It wasn't urgent. She and Nini wanted to tease me.

"So, did you tell her? What's going on?" I looked over at Kourtney as if she now had seven more heads than I remembered. "I'll take that as a no..."

"It's not like that." I tell the two. "There's just... drama still to deal with before I'm even thinking of telling her how I feel. I mean; she's probably straight, as we know-"

"As a circle." My sister added, making me send a glare. "Look at her looking over at you- right now." I didn't believe what Nini had to say but I glanced over at her anyways, of who was looking right back at me with a small smile.

Waving with a big grin back at her, I looked back at the two girls. "Okay, sure, she seemed happy but-"

"But what? Casey she'd gladly strut over here right now and swing you around, hollywood-style before kissing you." Kourtney told me, and I sighed.

"Leave it to me. I have my love life under control." I told them.

I don't have my love life under control.

After crying over Seb's performance to his boyfriend, I leaned my head on Gina's shoulder as Carlos walked over to the boy at the piano.

The two hugged before Carlos spoke to the boy before they then kissed. Fuck I am lonely, huh.

"SPEECH, SPEECH, SPEECH." Gina suddenly shouted beside me, causing all of them to also shout it.

"Ow, my ear." I murmured, making her laugh next to me.

"Um-" As Seb handed him the microphone, he stood there, slightly lost for words. "I'm not sure how I can thank you all for this. I've never been accused of being speechless." A few of them laughed at Carlos' words. "I can't thank you all enough for just getting me. Everybody should have people who just get them."

"WE LOVE YOU CARLOS." One of the dancers from the side shouted out and then we all shouted out how much we loved him. We really did.

Seb giggled as he took the microphone from Carlos. "I've done a little research, and if this is, in fact, your quinceañera, then he must choose his madrina." He looked over at his boyfriend, telling him what it meant in English, like he wasn't the one that was Mexican.

"Honey, I'm not that bad at Spanish." He told the boy, making me laugh.

"One, two, three- NOT IT." Kourtney shouted over, making a few more of us laugh. "I got enough jobs as it is already." That's it, I was nearly crying with laughter over that girl.

The boy sighed, glancing around. "I choose, as my madrina..."

⊱⊰

"So what? It would be great if Casey came to work at Slices." Kourtney rambled on and on between me and Big Red, but I found myself looking away, over at a smiling Gina. "Right, Casey?"

I looked back over at Kourtney. "Huh? Yeah, totally. What she said." I glanced back over at Gina, not really paying attention, still.

"What? What's she looking at?" Big Red obliviously asked.

Practically hearing Kourtney smirk, I heard her say. "I'll tell you when you're older, Big Red."