open call

two

maddie hummed to herself as she pinned her last curl to her head. the choir room was empty, save a few people there early for their opening night.
she had her usual pre-show hype playlist blasting through her headphones, and she took out her makeup bag. maddie wasn't great at doing her makeup, and usually turned to lucy to fix it, but, hey, it didn't hurt to try.
as she went to carefully swipe a line of eyeliner onto her eye, a loud bang echoed through the room and lucy's voice yelled "maddie jane franklin!"
she jumped, and, in the process, smeared eyeliner all over her eyelid.
"jeez, lucy, what?" she let out an exasperated laugh and paused her music. "i was actually doing okay with the eyeliner."
lucy rushed to her side and stuck her phone in maddie's face.
her eyes took a minute to adjust. it was a post from mean girls on broadway. in their signature bold print, it read:

OPEN CASTING CALL!
CADY HERON: 16-18 YEARS OLD
JANIS SARKISIAN: 16-18 YEARS OLD
AARON SAMUELS: 16-18 YEARS OLD
DAMIAN HUBBARD: 16-18 YEARS OLD
KAREN SMITH: 16-18 YEARS OLD

"oh, wow." maddie said. "they're going pretty young." she grabbed a makeup wipe and began to dab at her eye. "why are you showing me this?"
"you have to audition, stupid!" lucy said. "you are literally the perfect cady!"
"i don't know, lucy."
"come on, please! you're the lead this year!"
"being the lead in a random pennsylvania town is a lot different than being a lead on broadway."
"how do you know?"
"because i know." maddie laughed. "you have to be realistic, lucy."
"i am being realistic. we've all heard you sing it roars."
"i'm not broadway material."
"you never know until you audition." lucy said in a sing-song voice. "pleeeease?"
maddie gave her a look.
"for me?" she stuck out her bottom lip.
"i'll think about it."
"yes! now, give that eyeliner here. unless you want to look like avril lavigne."

the house of their little high school auditorium was filled to the brim on their closing night, just as it had been for every show. the lights flickered, signaling the start of the show, and the pit band began to play.
maddie breathed out as she pinned her wig in place. the overture crackled through the speakers, letting her know that the show had just begun. she'd been in costume for ten minutes out of an abundance of caution, but maddie still rushed to finish up her last minute touch ups.

she was still thinking about the open call when she went on stage. she was still thinking about it when she sang for the first time in forever. and, at the end of that number, she'd decided.
to hell with it. maddie franklin was going to audition for mean girls on broadway.