"This is all your fault, director's pet. This is a play. I'm not falling in love with you, and I would never ever go out with you, Jack Garrison."
Jack and Shayna can't get through a rehearsal without fighting.
Cheerleader Shayna loathes perfect Ja...
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The backstage holding area where we could wait to be next was small and cramped. We were practically sitting on top of our forest props as we patiently waited for our turn to set up the stage.
Anton was making sure we all had everything before we ended up on stage in twenty minutes.
Jamie was much more relaxed than Anton. She distributed water bottles for hydration and calming words to soothe the worries of my fellow castmates.
Shayna, surprisingly enough, was having the most significant case of nerves. She'd made it to the monologue final round, and she was still in half disbelief and half panic.
I'd never seen the cheerleader quite this shaken up. She was sitting in a corner, gripping her script, which was ridiculous since she'd been off-book longer than any of us.
Jack was warding everyone off to give her some space. Their budding friendship was peculiar to see in action. Jack seemed to understand Shayna now, and she wasn't pushing him away.
"You are going to do great," Jack told her. "You made it into the top five. The final performance is just for placement. They picked you because you were good."
"I'm going to be sick," Shayna said.
Jack got his phone out and sent a quick text. Then he leaned down next to her and patted her back. It was a private moment, so I averted my eyes.
Hugh was polishing his glasses in another corner. We'd had fun at the bonfire last night. Hugh was a good dancer. I, on the other hand, was not. All I'd managed to do was step on his feet.
He looked up after he put on his glasses and smiled. "You nervous?"
"I did the hard part already," I said. "I'm at least going to get fifth place."
"That's a little self-deprecating," Hugh said. "And you are amazing, so I doubt you'll get fifth place."
"You have to say that because you're my friend," I said.
Hugh stepped towards me and whispered in my ear. "You are amazing, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your friend."
He winked, and I was about to ask him what in the world he meant when Shayna's brother entered our backstage area.
Parker was dressed in distressed jeans and a red shirt from a rock concert tour. His dark hair was swept back in a man bun, and he made a beeline for his sister.
"Hey, sis," he said as he crouched in front of Shayna. "Jack says you caught a bad case of pregame jitters."
"What are you doing back here?" Shayna asked.
"I came to see you, peanut," he said. "I saw this flyer posted that said you're doing a monologue later."
"Forget butterflies. I feel like a wasp nest broke in my stomach," Shayna said softly. "Is there something wrong with me?"
