Down For The Count

Substitute Vanessa(s)

Paisley's POV

Things at home were weird, so the theatre had become the place that I was most comfortable at.

Mainly because there's a whole lot of people at the theatre, and twenty things always seem to be happening at once. At home, the attention is centered around me and my existential teenage life crisis, and I don't like it.

But the theatre is comfortable, and the things that go on there are so wild that my problems seem rational.

"Please? It would be so fun!" Jasmine begged, holding the makeup brush up.

I shook my head. "It would take me forever to get off."

"But...but it would be so much fun. We could all get makeovers, it would be so nice. Paisley...please." Jasmine looked genuinely sad, and I wasn't sure why she wanted to give me a makeover so bad.

"Just say yes. If you don't do it, I have to deal with sad Jazzy." Anthony whispered from beside me.

"You wear makeup sometimes, P. Why can't I do your makeup?" Jasmine frowned.

"I wear a little bit of makeup, I don't mind a little bit. I just don't want my entire face caked." I pointed out.

"I won't! I'll only do a little bit, I swear!"

"Then what's all that?" I pointed to the mounds of makeup gathered on the girls' vanity. There was so much makeup that it physically hurt my eyes to look at it all.

"Nothing." Jazzy said, swiping all the makeup off of the vanity and right onto the floor.

Well...most of it fell onto the floor. 25% of it fell into Phillipa's lap, who was sitting in a chair at the long vanity.

"Jazzy!" Phillipa groaned, standing up, some kind of bronze powder appeared to be smeared all over the front of her jeans.

"Sorry." Jasmine mumbled, Phillipa sighing as she walked out of the dressing room, probably going to get the materials to clean her jeans up. Jazzy turned her attention back over to me, giving me the saddest eyes. "Please?"

"I'm sorry, I really don't want to be scrubbing my face until midnight." I said, causing Jazzy to frown. She looked more upset than I had ever seen her, and I felt bad.

"Thank you, Paisley." Anthony mumbled sarcastically before turning to Jazzy. "You can do my makeup, baby."

"Really?" Jazzy's entire face lit up, causing Anthony to nod.

"Really. I just...love smokey eyes so much." Anthony sounded incredibly pained saying the words, but Jasmine was none the wiser. She was so excited, gathering a handful of her makeup supplies as she excitedly plopped herself down right beside Anthony.

"I did the best I could." Phillipa said as she walked back into the dressing room. The spot on her jeans where the makeup had spilled was now replaced by a water mark, making it clear Pippa had attempted to scrub the makeup off her jeans. Except...the water mark kind of made it look like...

"Oh...Pippa..." I started, but Pippa only shook her head.

"I know what it looks like." She sighed not bothering to sit back down in the chair as she stood leaned against the wall.

Things were quiet for a moment. But as always, there's always something going on at the theatre, and the people never stop coming.

I watched as Renée walked into the dressing room, looking heated as she held up a white piece of paper. "I got a ticket! That's why I was so late, I got a ticket!"