Adopted By The Heathers Cast

Could You Be Seen With Me and Still Act Proud?

Avery's POV:
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We were walking on the crowded sidewalk, heading towards where Jess worked. We had decided to walk there because in New York, it's usually easier to get places on foot. The sun was just barely starting to set. We finally reached the building. The outside of it read "New World Stages."

Jess put her arm on my back and guided me towards a door at the side of the building. We went through it, and Jess signed in on a clipboard with a piece of paper attached to it.

Jess then guided me through a small narrow staircase. We reached the bottom, and there was another hallway- one part leading to the left, and another part leading straight.

"Just follow me," she told me as she started walking straight down the hallway. Eventually, there was a small opening in the right side wall. We walked in and there was a small room with mirrors and bright lights on almost every surface. The countertops were crammed with make-up, and there was a small rack of clothes at the back of the room. "This is the ladies dressing room," Jess continued as she set her stuff down at a counter. She pulled out a chair from under it. 

I looked over and noticed a girl with dark hair wearing white in the corner. She was on her phone, probably scrolling through social media. "Hi, Barrett!" Jessica said to her. The girl with dark haired looked up and saw me. 

"Hey Jess. Who's this?"

"This is Avery. I'm fostering him for a few months." I waved at Barrett.

"Oh right! You did say something about applying for the foster program. Good for you." She responded, and stood up to fix something at her desk. "Avery, how old are you?" Barrett asked me.

"Oh, uh, I'm 15." I quickly responded. 

"That's cool. What high school do you go to?" She sat back down and made eye contact with me again.

"Oh- uh, I don't have one yet, we're registering next week, I'm pretty sure." I looked at Jess and she nodded.

"Anyways, I'm Barrett. I mean you probably know my name, but I was just formally introducing myself." She lightly laughed.

"Cool," I responded. It was kinda awkward and I wasn't sure what to do. "Who do you play in this show?" I asked her, trying to make new conversation. Barrett, Jess, and I were the only ones in the room, and Jess was occupied doing a bit of cleaning.

"I play Veronica. Protagonist." She responded, and I nodded.

Another girl with medium length brown hair walked into the room. She put down a bag at another desk area. "Hey Jess. Hey Barrett," She said sitting down. "Who's this?" She asked.

"Avery. My foster child." Jess responded. 

"Cool, I'm Molly." She smiled at me.

"Hey," I quietly said. Molly sat down and started wiping off her make-up. Jessica tapped me on the shoulder.

"She's in ensemble," she whispered to me.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked her quietly.

"Well, we came a bit earlier, but now it's 2 hours before the show starts, so everyone should be arriving around now." Jess pulled up a stool for me to sit down on, and I sat down. "Do you wanna play a game on my phone or something?" She asked and I nodded. She pulled up candy crush and I mindlessly played a few levels before a short girl with blonde hair walked in.

"Hey guys!" She said happily, and turned towards me. "Who's this?" She asked Jess.

"Hey, Elle! This is Avery. I'm fostering him."