Weightless [HSMTMTS]

Chapter 16

Miss Jenn clapped her hands together to capture her students' attention. "Okay, everyone, gather around. We have got a two-hour window before the storm is expected to hit, and I intend to use every minute of it."

Ten raised his hand to speak his thoughts. "Uh. Seeing there is a storm, maybe you could release us early so that we could get home safely before—"

"Big, splashy group numbers always succeed at the Menkie Awards. So we need to workshop a punchy, breathtaking number that will put us in the number one spot."

"As our head choreographer, I am so happy to announce that today we will at last, begin rehearsing one of the most show-stopping, iconic, bar-raising numbers of the entire show," Carlos announced with a huge smile.

"'Be Our Guest'. Yeah, it's 'Be Our Guest', guys," Gina said, stepping forward to join Carlos, who was clearly annoyed with her spoiling his theatrics. "What?"

"Before we begin, I'm going to tell you a little story about hospitality," Miss Jenn said.

"Maybe we should..." Carlos tried to stop the drama teacher but she continued.

"Once when I was a little girl, my mom and I heard a clatter from the kitchen. We thought it was a burglar," Miss Jenn began to tell her tale. "So my mom ran over, hog-tied the man and promptly called the police."

The students gasped at the dramatic scale the story was brought to.

Rather quick to assume he was breaking in to steal things, no?

"As we waited for the cops to come, I watched my mother place a bowl of ice tea next to his face," Miss Jenn continued. "Because, she said, until the police come and get him, he's still our guest."

"How does that make sense?" Ten mumbled under his breath. "How was he going to drink the tea?"

"So, did he get arrested or?" Kourtney asked.

"No. Turns out it wasn't a burglar after all, just a repairman who had entered the wrong unit," Miss Jenn answered. "But the point remains the same. Just like our intruder, we need to make Belle and our entire audience feel welcome."

"Um, okay..." Ten looked to Seb in concern as he pondered the drama teacher's interesting take on hospitality.

"And with that, Carlos and Gina, take it away."

"Thank you, Miss Jenn. That wasn't terrifying at all," Gina started. "Okay, so, my vision to make this dance really soar is to stage, wait for it, a can-can-style dance that features a feather-dusting spectacle. I don't know, it'll probably go a little something like..."

She started to show off the dance moves, the students exclaiming in awe and support once she was done.

"Interesting. I had a different path that's a little more elevated and less basic," Carlos piped up.

Oh dear, the friction between Carlos and Gina was painful to witness.

"Think, a noir-inspired performance that Lumiere guides our audience through the entire time," Carlos said to the students.

"Okay, but I actually spent a month in France once, so I kinda know this dance inside out," Gina said.

The tension was building, slowly bubbling over the lid of a pot on a stove.

"And I choreographed all three of my sisters' quinceañera dances despite not getting one for myself, so I think I know how to twirl with a salad fork, okay?" Carlos argued back.

"Okay! You know what?" Miss Jenn intervened to stop the situation from escalating further. "Let's stick a pin in 'Be Our Guest' and and brush up on Gaston. EJ and Big Red, to the front of the room, please."