EJ: Previously on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series...
Sure, I did a little "research" into my girlfriend's text history.
But at least I'm not the guy leaving her thirsty voicemails
or deliberately damaging people's faces.
Luckily, everything is chill with me and Nini now.
It's not like she knows I took her phone. (LAUGHS)
Okay, so when Miss Jenn asked me to be on the costume crew for HSM,
I was like, "But there aren't any costumes in this movie."
They're just high schoolers.
But she was like, "It's a period piece, get creative."
So, I'm digging through old costume racks, seeing what I can repurpose.
But what did people in 2006 even wear?
I pretty much wore diapers. But my job is to make it work.
We're a team, right? Everybody pullin' together.
Ugh.
That's what makes theater such a safe and loving environment.
Hey, Nini! Hey, wait up.
I don't wanna be late.
-What's up? Where were you? -Had a costume fitting.
But why haven't you answered my texts?
-Could we not do this right now, please? -Do what? Are you mad at me?
(SIGHS)
You're mad at me. Look, there was no fitting at lunch.
Fine. Wanna know where I was at lunch?
I was at the computer lab,
bribing some hacker to crack into my phone
to recover a message you deleted when you stole it.
-Wait. Why do you think that I... -NINI: Oh, please.
Gina's not the wonderstudy I need to worry about, is she?
-Can we talk about this over the... -Don't.
Nini, I was spiraling, okay?
I said I loved you and you couldn't say it back.
Hey, you said it to Ricky,
now I see the way he looks at you...
-I know you guys have more history... -Yeah.
He'd never steal my phone.
No, I know, he just leaves sad-face messages on it
asking if you shared a moment over a song.
-Don't make this about Ricky! -EJ: That is what this is about.
I'm trying to hold onto what we had over the summer.
Yeah, I was too. But you know what?
Summer's over.
(MOUTHING) Yes.
Hey, is the door locked or something? Why can't we get in?
Oh. Natalie Bagley's missing her emotional-support hamster. He got loose.
Carlos and Gina are helping her find her. Him. It.
-(HIGH-PITCHED SCREAMING) -(STUDENTS GASP)
I think they found it.
Hey, shouldn't you be at rehearsal? What're you looking for?
Scene seven. I took the page out to memorize
and now I'm thinking Big Red used it as a napkin.
Is that a hot wing?
Uh... I started to clean up,
but then your mom said she wanted to meet us at the restaurant.
Straight from the airport? Why isn't she coming home first?
I guess she figured she'd be hungry.
Um, screw it. I'll borrow a script.
You'll be done by 7:00, right?
I mean, give yourself enough time to get to the restaurant.
The restaurant's, like, 10 minutes from school. I'll be there.
-Mom. -Hey, you.
-Oh, God, I've missed you. Come here. -(RICKY CHUCKLES)
Wait, is that a hot wing?
I thought we were meeting at the restaurant.
Well, I caught an earlier flight.
But we agreed we would do this at the restaurant.
Agreed to do what?
Sometimes a relationship needs one person looking after the other.
It wasn't divine intervention that got you into Marian the Librarian's costume.
What does that mean?
You were responsible for Emily Pratt
spending opening night in the toilet?
I believed in you.
-Answer the question. -Take it down a notch.
I slipped her a bad deviled egg.
I didn't think it would actually work.
You got to play the lead, didn't you?
Was that gonna happen if I hadn't stepped in?
I need a moment.
-Is he dead? -No.
Now she thinks he's in her gym locker.
Why the screaming?
That was me. She stepped on my toe.
We're ready to begin, people. (SIGHS)
Miss Jenn talked to Ricky, he's running late.
Who cares?
CARLOS: Hmm. You might, considering you're his understudy.
We're blocking the Troy, Gabriella duet. You're on, lovers.
BOY: Really? GIRL: We don't know... Yeah.
GIRL: No, I haven't yet.
Can we do whatever we're doing at dinner now?
We'll have dinner here. I'll order in.
No. We can go out.
The Thai place with spring rolls delivers.
-Not the veggie ones... -Guys, talk to me.
Are we moving to Chicago?
LYNNE: No.
I am.
Sweetheart, we've decided to legally separate.
I thought you were coming back to see some counselor, to make things right.
-Can we sit down? -I don't want to!
-The last thing you guys told me... -We saw somebody...
While you were in different cities?
How is that supposed to help?
Ricky, this isn't your fault. You're...
You're the one thing that's held your dad and I together
these past few years...
MIKE: We're quoting the counselor.
You don't agree? What do you wanna say?
I don't know. I thought I had two more hours.
You know what? I've got a rehearsal.
Honey, I'm sorry.
MIKE: We'll continue at dinner.
Not sure when I get out.
It's a musical, lots of scenes, could be tomorrow.
I'll call you. (SIGHS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
MISS JENN: Can you move a little closer to each other?
Little more. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
Come on, guys, we're blocking this as a love story,
not a SARS epidemic.
I think that chair was over there.
Oh, I can move it over in the scene.
Feels awkward.
It's light. I can lift it above my head and walk.
Sweetie, no one is walking with furniture on their head.
This isn't The Lion King. (INHALES)
Strike the chair, please.
With what?
Take it away. Remove it. (CHUCKLES)
Troy, once the intro begins,
cross downstage and plant yourself at the piano.
Which should be further downstage, okay?
No, dear, that would be upstage. (CHUCKLES)
(MISS JENN CLICKS TONGUE)
Okay. Gabriella, you slowly approach the piano
and rest an arm on it, naturally.
Can we make sure her bookbag is off stage right?
Sure. Um...
Which way is that?
Why do these people talk in code?
"Up" means "down," "strike" means "move."
She says, "Break a leg" and I'm like, "What did my leg ever do to you?"
I never should've joined the crew.
Okey-dokey.
Take it from, "Wow! Now, that's really nice."
Wow. Now, that's really nice.
NINI: Hmm.
(UPBEAT TUNE PLAYING)
(SINGING) It's hard to believe that I couldn't see
You were always there beside me
Thought I was alone with no one to hold
But you were always there beside me
BOTH: This feeling's like no other
I want you to know
I've never had someone
-That knows me like you do -(SCOFFS)
The way you do
I've never had someone
As good for me as you
No one like you
So lonely before
I finally found
What I've been looking for
Well, this is a choice.
Okay, I have more chemistry with the woman who definitely doesn't color my hair.
What's up with these two?
Doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Woah oh oh oh
Doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo
Woah oh oh oh
(HUMMING)
(ALL MURMURING)
Okay, freeze.
Nini, sweetie,
this reprise comes at a decisive moment in the story,
once your hearts have joined.
It's a love song.
Were you not getting that?
I'd like you to get to his heart without cracking his rib cage.
Sorry I'm late.
My mom, she caught an earlier flight.
Where are we?
-Scene seven. -RICKY: Right.
I don't have it. Could I borrow...
You need your script, Ricky. And a pencil.
It's a blocking rehearsal.
Could I borrow a pencil?
-You can share mine. -MISS JENN: No, he can't.
When you come to rehearsal, people, you come prepared.
(NATALIE PANTING)
Was he in your gym locker?
No, just my cherry lip balm.
(SNIFFLES) But it had Elliot's teeth marks in it.
That wouldn't hurt him.
It's sparkly.
Then it'll be easier to find him.
(NERVOUSLY) If he smiles.
Natalie, we feel your pain,
but I was just explaining what a constructive rehearsal requires.
Focus. And honestly, another day like this
and I am showing up with my emotional support coyote.
Miss. Jenn, I know the scene.
Would you wait in my office?
Thank you.
Wait, are we done?
We are, Ms. Darbus.
Take a note.
This is what a frustrated drama teacher looks like.
Go. Scoot.
Come back when you're ready to be punctual,
park your distractions at the door, and take the work in here seriously.
(INHALES) The bottom line is you made a commitment to be here, Ricky.
A big role comes with big responsibility.
You and Nini set the tone for the rest of the cast.
-Understood. -MISS JENN: Really?
Well, unless it's a family emergency...
My parents are splitting up.
For real.
Oh. Um...
I'm so sorry to hear that.
I know exactly how you feel.
I went through the same thing.
When I was 14, my mother and father called it quits.
Well, not my father, my stepfather.
I never knew my real dad.
He was a telephone repairman who fell in love with long distances.
It's not my line. Tennessee Williams, but you get my drift.
My real father sold pagers.
But Jack, my stepfather, he was a pivotal figure who inspired me.
He was so gentle and soft-spoken...
-Miss Jenn. -He loved poetry and music,
hated violence of any kind...
Miss Jenn, I think there's a rat eating your protein bar.
(SCREAMS) Oh. Shoo, shoo! Shoo, shoo, shoo.
-Hey! Hey, Miss Jenn, stop. -Shoo, shoo, shoo.
I could just catch it and take it outside.
MISS JENN: Take it to Natalie Bagley. It's her hamster.
He escaped from his box. Can you blame him?
That girl is so needy.
-(RICKY SIGHS) -Wait, where did he go?
Might be under the sofa?
Can I lure him with that protein bar?
Absolutely not. That's my dinner.
I can stay here and catch him.
(SIGHS) Ricky.
You can't stay here.
You should go home and be with your family.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
-Oh. -Now you have a chance to be a hero.
Stay away from me.
-Girls like her love a comeback. -(EJ SIGHS)
You set me up, and then sold me out.
So if I were you, I'd cool it.
Oh, please.
Don't waste your energy hating on me.
Start thinking of the long game.
Opening night is six weeks out, dude.
Follow me, and you'll have the part of Troy and the girl.
I hate to tell you this, but around here, seniors don't follow sophomores.
(SCOFFS)
NINI: How do people like that live with themselves?
How do they sleep at night?
Like a shark. Eyes open.
He's always looking for his next victim.
We've been dating for, like, two months, and I don't even know this person.
Neen, it's called a blind spot. Everybody's got 'em.
Why do you think I flunked my driver's test?
If he's willing to do that to somebody, how long before he tries to poison me?
(NINI SIGHS)
Uh. Hey! Yeah, excuse me, over here.
Yeah, I know you don't know me very well, but guess what?
You probably know him even less.
Have you eaten today?
(CELL PHONE BUZZES)
Oh. Is that him? Is that EJ?
Did he text you 'cause I'm not answering?
This fool is working my last nerve.
Um, just tell him I went out. Shopping for a lie detector.
It's not EJ. It's Tonya Freeman.
-Who's that? -This senior on costume crew.
She made herself head designer and vetoed every one of my suggestions.
Treats me like a child.
Did you tell Miss Jenn?
I don't need Miss Jenn to fight my battles.
If Tonya wants to trash my turtlenecks, I'll T-bone her track pants.
(CHUCKLES) Who's wearing track pants?
-If it were up to Tonya, everybody. -(LAUGHS)
You want me to say something?
You can't keep a senior from acting like a senior.
This 'tude comes with the territory.
I'll just shut my mouth and focus on make-up crew.
No, don't do that. You need to fight.
You need to demand respect. You need to call him out.
Tonya's a her. And I'm gonna get you some food.
Don't.
(GIRL GIGGLES)
NINI: Whose tent is this?
EJ: Shiggy, the tall guy who hangs the lights.
Oh, right. Real quiet, never speaks?
-Yeah, it's called rolling electrocutions. -(CHUCKLES)
KOURTNEY: These are your choices.
A very sad-looking bran muffin or some really shriveled-up carrots.
-Oh... -(DOOR OPENS)
Don't look now, but your shark's cousin is here.
Hey.
Hey! Ashlyn! You don't have to avoid me.
No. I'm not avoiding,
I just decided to make a half-caff mocha frappe at home.
Listen, um, no matter what happens between me and EJ,
there's no bad blood between us.
I mean, you might have some because you're related to him,
(CHUCKLES) but that's not your fault.
Nini, I really don't wanna be in the middle.
Wait, you're not.
It's not like you knew what he did.
Oh.
You knew what he did.
And you knew about the hot egg and Emily Pratt?
-Not till today, -(SIGHS)
but I'm not totally surprised.
Are you totally disgusted?
A little, but he's EJ.
He tends to do the wrong things for the right reasons.
-No. You cannot possibly defend him. -No, I'm not. I'm not.
Look, I know what he did sucks,
-but he loves you... -(SIGHS)
and he's hurting right now and...
Yeah, and what?
(SCOFFS) What am I supposed to do with that?
Find some way to forgive him?
Tell me when to stop.
Do you like it hard or soft?
Are you sure this is even a bed?
-Can you sleep on a pool toy? -Leave it. I can just sleep on the floor.
Your parents know you're staying over?
Are they cool with this?
I texted 'em, but I'm not asking for permission.
-They're gonna work it out. -No, they're not.
Okay, cool.
-Do you wanna play Fortnite? -No.
-Watch a movie? -Not tonight.
Great. We'll YouTube.
I found this insane video of a girl in Delaware
who says she got rid of her psoriasis by eating her dog's kibble.
Gross.
What is all this?
Uh, that's a C-PAP machine. My mom got it for me for my sleep apnea.
It's loud, but I drown it out with this.
There's a rainforest setting that's pretty dope.
(ANIMALS CALLING ON SPEAKERS)
-There's also raging storm. -(MACHINE BEEPS)
You're not scared of thunder, are you?
(THUNDER CRASHING ON SPEAKERS)
Do you think you should call your mom?
At least say good night, or goodbye, or...
I don't know.
I'm sorry, dude.
Let's watch kibble girl.
(TYPING)
Look, I know this happens. People change, parents drift apart.
I just... I really thought they were on the mend, you know?
And after everything that's been goin' on with...
I guess I'm not good at rolling with stuff
when everything feels different.
(SIGHS)
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Hmm. Hey, Kourt.
KOURTNEY: Hey, just checkin' to make sure you're okay.
Yeah, I'm fine.
KOURTNEY: You sure?
Uh, yeah.
It happened, it's over, life goes on.
Plus, I just blocked EJ's number, so... Problem solved. (SIGHS)
You know it's okay to be sad, too, right?
Yeah, I know.
Nini, it's okay to be sad.
Yeah. (CHUCKLES)
Okay, thanks, Kourt.
Call me anytime, okay?
I will. You're the best.
Mwah. Bye-bye!
(SIGHS)
(ANIMALS CALLING ON SPEAKERS)
(SNORING)
(EXHALES)
(SNORING CONTINUES)
(WOLF HOWLING ON SPEAKERS)
(PANTING)
(HOWLING INTENSIFIES)
(SINGING) I found a boy, told me I was a star
Held the door, held my hand in the dark
And he's perfect on paper But he's lyin' to my face
Does he think that I'm the kinda girl Who needs to be saved
(DOOR OPENS)
RICKY: Thanks, Carol.
(DOOR CLOSES)
NINI: Uh... Hey, Mom!
Hi, there.
NINI: Whose are those?
Ricky's.
Why are they here?
Because the rest of him is in the bathroom changing into pajamas,
or whatever else I gave him to wear.
-Mom. -Hold on, hold on.
There's something's going on at home.
His mom is back, but I don't think she's gonna stay very long.
And I talked to his dad, he's fine with him spending the night here...
Spending the night?
(DOOR OPENS)
Mom, no, I can't deal with any more drama today. Please...
-Nini... -I have had the worst day ever.
Sweetie, I'm guessing not as bad as his.
(SOFTLY) Yeah.
Hey.
Well, I gotta say, that looks better on you
-than it does on me. -(RICKY CHUCKLES)
Uh, it's kinda comfy.
Oh, so are my Birkenstocks, but let's draw the line here.
(CHUCKLES)
Yeah. Well... Sleep tight.
Hey, thanks again for letting me stay. Thank you.
I probably should've called you
and asked how you felt about me being here. I didn't...
It's okay. You wouldn't have reached me. I turned my phone off.
(RICKY SIGHS)
(NINI SIGHS)
So, what's goin' on at home?
How long is your mom staying?
(STAMMERS) I don't...
Well, if things ever get really tense,
you know you can always hang here. (CHUCKLES)
I'm really scared.
(SMACKS LIPS) I'm really scared this time.
It feels different already.
Oh. But...
I mean, that's all it is, right?
Different? (CHUCKLES) I mean, that's not necessarily bad.
It's really hard to talk about it, you know?
(STUTTERS) Not with you, but anyone else, it's like...
Well, you can always talk to me about anything anytime, okay?
I know, things are kinda weird between us, but, um, we're friends, right?
-Yep. -You know that.
Uh, do you need another pillow? (SNIFFLES)
-Or... Yeah. -Oh, no. No, that's great.
-Yeah, thank you. -Okay. No problem.
Good night, Ricky.
Good night.
(NINI EXHALES)
Uh, no, I shouldn't.
-Yeah. -Uh, yeah. Right, no. Yeah.
-I get it. Friends. -Mmm-hmm.
You know what? These pillows get flat.
-They're more of a placemat. -Mmm.
So, um, I'll go get you a better one from upstairs. Yeah.
Hey, I got your text.
Yeah, I still want her back more than anything.
What's your plan?
You're taking me to the homecoming dance.
-What? -Shh.
Don't ask questions.
(SIGHS)
NINI: (SINGING) And there's one more boy He's from my past
We fell in love but it didn't last
'Cause the second I figure it out He pushes me away
I won't fight for love If you won't meet me halfway
And I say that I'm through But this song is still for you
All I want is love that lasts
Is all I want too much to ask?
Is it something wrong with me?
All I want is a good guy
Are my expectations far too high?
Try my best but what can I say?
All I have is myself at the end of the day
But shouldn't that be enough for me?
(VOCALIZING)
Hey.
It's after 11:00. I thought you were spending the night...
Yeah, that didn't work out. Decided to come home.
Well, I'm glad. Did you have dinner?
I had some chips at Big Red's.
Well, that's not dinner. So, I'll make you something to eat.
(STUTTERS) Hey, Mom?
Yeah?
How long are you stayin'?
I'm not sure.
But at least until the end of the week.
Good.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING ON HEADPHONES)
(SIGHS)
TROY: (SINGING) It's hard to believe that I couldn't see
You were always there beside me