Rivals {Ninjago AU}

Chapter 4

***(Seliel's POV)***

"I'm so glad you all joined us today!" Ms. Laudita practically sings on the third day of school, walking before the crowd of theater enthusiasts. "I know taking up fifteen minutes of lunch wasn't the best option for talking about our upcoming fall production, but I wanted to schedule around the after-school junior class council meeting. Juniors and seniors get preference in deciding lead roles, after all!"

I awkwardly adjust my backpack on my shoulder. I'm a senior this year, but I seriously doubt I'll be participating in theater. Not if we're doing Beauty and the Beast like Nya overheard yesterday. Other girls have made it clear over the years that I'm a little too chunky to play a princess.

Losers.

I return my attention to a beaming Miss Laudita. She holds a copy of our script in the air like it's the holy grail. The block letters across the front confirm my worst suspicions.

Beauty and the Beast: A Musical.

My heart sinks in defeat.

I'm doomed to be part of the ensemble this year, but yet I always go big or go home. Do I really want to participate in this musical if I can't star as Belle and sing her solos I've been crooning since I was a child?

But how can I miss the fall musical for my senior year of high school? I've always wanted to major in theater, and now I'm supposed to roll over and be taken under by this?

A couple of the girls beside me squeal in excitement, and I resist an eyeroll. The number of Gaston fangirls in this school is uncanny. And annoying.

"I've decided to host auditions next Friday," Ms. Laudita informs us. "They'll be after school in the auditorium. You'll need to come prepared with a monologue memorized and two songs that demonstrate your vocal range and capabilities." Her eyes sparkle as though she hasn't seen us all sing before.

"And this year," she continues, "we're retiring Mr. Garmadon and pulling in an outside male to play the beast!" She claps her hands in joy, probably because literally everyone hates working with Mr. Garmadon. He clearly has no appreciation for our theater productions. But then, given that his brother Wu oversees the hellions of Ridgewood Boy's Academy, Garmadon is probably afraid of helping out in a Graceton musical. He might get his car egged or something.

Sounds severe? Don't doubt it. Ridgewood boys are the same kids who've made it their life's mission to shut down Graceton's attempts at diverse sports competition and last year's Miss Graceton Pageant.

Okay, their anti-Miss Graceton efforts kind of satisfied a part of me. In my opinion, girls shouldn't be selected to represent the school based on the size of their waistlines or measure of their popularity. Heck, I am considered popular – my dad's the mayor of Nom – and even I feel offended that my worth is found in that.

But the Ridgewood reasoning behind ruining the pageant was their grudge against Graceton, so we're still not on good terms.

Ms. Laudita mentions a few more unimportant details about the upcoming production that she finds exciting, then dismisses our meeting. I really don't pay attention – it's not like I'll be participating in this fall's musical.

It's not that I care that a few other girls think I'm fat. It's that I care how not having that slender grace of a star ruins the art of theater. I can't sit by in the ensemble while watching someone thinner than I am sing with inferior vocals or act with moderate talent as some underfed Belle.

I tried to lose a few pounds over the summer for theater this fall, but it didn't happen. My dad loves to treat me to takeout whenever we get the chance to hang out, and by the end of four days of summer break, I'd surrendered shedding a few pounds to the call of ice cream.