When the Lights Go Out

~i.

"God, Sadie! I'm so nervous!" Sadie's best friend, Livvy James whispered.

Sadie Fritz was herself trying to not freak out. The two girls were sitting in the auditorium of their high school. Today were the auditions for the spring musical their performing arts department was putting on. It happened to be Mamma Mia!, one of Sadie's favorite musicals ever. Behind Wicked, SIX, Mean Girls, and Hamilton, of course. When the director, Mrs. Thomasson, announced that they would be performing Mamma Mia!, Sadie had been so elated. Now here they were, waiting to be called onstage for auditions.

"Same, Livvy. But I'm sure you're going to get one of the leads. Your voice is so beautiful and you're an amazing actress!" Sadie encouraged her friend.

"Thanks, Sade, you're the best. I'm sure you're going to get cast, too."

Carol Freeman, a senior, had just finished auditioning. Sadie took a deep breath and began to make her way onstage after her name had been called. As Sadie walked by her, Carol winked at her. "Break a leg," she whispered. Carol had pretty much adopted Sadie as soon as she showed up in the drama department her freshman year. She was the one to run Sadie and Livvy to Dutch Bros or Dunkin before rehearsals, the one to pick up food for Sadie when she didn't have lunch, and the one to offer advice and encouragement right when Sadie needed it most. Sadie probably wouldn't have survived her freshman year if it wasn't for Carol. 

She nodded to the pianist, who began the song. Sadie closed her eyes, pushing away the nerves, and let herself fall into the story. She began to sing, and she felt the music fill her up. When the nerves no longer threatened to make her voice falter, she opened her eyes.  Finally, she sang the last notes of the cut from Honey, Honey, the song any girl had to sing if they wanted to try out. Sadie sighed in relief. She may have been performing since sixth grade, but auditions still terrified her.

She smiled as Mrs. Thomasson thanked her and wrote down a few notes. She walked offstage and took her seat next to Livvy, who whispered, "That was amazing Sadie! I know you're definitely going to get a part!"

Carol also leaned forward from behind the two girls, where she sat with her boyfriend, Chase. "Sadie, girl, that was amazing! I hope you get a lead! You deserve it!"

Chase also chimed in. "Great job, Sadie!" He had already auditioned for one of Sophie Sheridan's dads and hoped to get Sam Carmichael.

"Thanks, guys, I really hope I get in," Sadie replied.

Auditions kept going, with a lot of underclassmen just trying out for the ensemble. In total, there were probably fifty people in the auditorium.

Suddenly, Mrs. Thomasson called a name she did not want to hear. The boy walked up to the stage with too much confidence for Sadie's liking. Sadie glared at his back. Once he made it to centerstage, Sadie noticed his eyes were sweeping over the audience, searching for someone. It wasn't until his eyes settled on her, that Sadie realized that he was looking for her. He nodded to the pianist, still keeping eye contact with her, and winked before starting to sing. He had the audacity to wink at her. She could tell Livvy was just as shocked at her when she glanced over.

Lane Miller had just winked at her. Sadie felt anger rise, threatening the bubble over. Sadie Fritz and Lane Miller were eternal rivals. Everyone in their grade knew that. Hell, everyone in the school knew that. Lane was an insufferable, cocky, smart, sarcastic, troublesome, too good-looking for his good kind of guy. He was obnoxiously insufferable and Sadie couldn't stand it. She had made it her mission to bring him down a peg or two in life.

Sadie and Lane had hated each other since early in freshman year when his unbearable teasing had crossed a line, and Sadie had snapped. Lane had pressed one too many buttons, and the jab had landed too close to home. She yelled at him in the middle of class, insulting him, and he shouted back at her, calling her a "stuck-up know-it-all" who thought she was better than everyone else. Sadie distinctly remembered calling him a "cocky asshole whose head is so far up your ass, you wouldn't know the way out if you had a map" after that and decking him with a clean right hook. That was the first and only time Sadie had ever landed herself in detention, and she couldn't say she regretted it.

Sadie was still pestered by Lane all the time, who at first, was trying to apologize. He gave up and it eventually devolved into him throwing paper balls at her in class, asking stupid questions just to waste her time, fake flirting, passive-aggressive comments in class, or even flat-out insults. It didn't help that Lane had an ego the size of a hot air balloon and that he was pretty popular with everyone but Sadie and a few of her friends.

And now, he was standing on stage, auditioning for a musical he had probably never even heard about. Lane Miller was in her territory, and Sadie took that as game on. The drama department was her only haven, and now he had just stepped into it, and he did not belong.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Thomasson didn't seem to agree. Lane had successfully serenaded not only her but also the drama teacher, Mr. Richey, who preferred to be called Hugh, and the dance teacher and choreographer, Ms. Jordan. Sadie hated that he actually had a very pure and beautiful baritone voice. Honestly, she didn't know why she was surprised. Lane was naturally good at pretty much everything.

"Thank you, Lane, that was lovely," Mrs. Thomasson said once Lane finished his cut of Lay All Your Love On Me. She called the next auditionee onstage, and Sadie only prayed he was auditioning for Ensemble, not a lead role. Lane smiled before walking off of the stage, and up the aisle her seat was on.

Right before he passed her, Sadie heard the infuriating boy say, "Nice audition, Fritz, though I think mine was better."

"Shut it, Miller," she growled back.

"What? No good job? I thought you were the one with the experience," Lane said, feigning innocence.

Lane knew his audition was good, and that was what irked Sadie. She began to spiral, plotting his humiliation and death, when Livvy said something.

"Sade, snap out of it," she said.

"I'm fine," replied Sadie, trying to calm herself down.

"You know he's probably not going to get a part, right? There are too many other guys who have more experience than him for them to cast him. Besides, the seniors are almost always cast in main roles in the spring musical. A junior with no musical theater experience shouldn't get a major part, maybe only ensemble," Livvy's words were making sense.

"Ok, yeah. Yeah, that makes sense," Sadie breathed.

The directors stood up, and Mrs. Thomasson began to speak. "Thank you to everyone who auditioned today. You are a very talented group of kids. We're very excited for this year, and we believe this will be one of the best shows this department has put out. Mr. Richey, Ms. Jordan, do you have anything you want to add?"

Hugh spoke first. "Yeah, we're super excited for this show, it's going to be real good, guys."

"You are all very talented people, great job everyone," Ms. Jordan also said.

"Alright, my lovelies, the cast list will come out Thursday. If you made the show, we will have our first read-through on Friday right after school, in the practice room across the hall. Now go home, and get some rest. You're going to need it!" Mrs. Thomasson finished, dismissing us.

Sadie and Livvy left the auditorium, heading to Sadie's car. Now she could only hope that she got a role, maybe just one of the supporting characters, and that Lane Miller didn't get cast. But she knew he was too good to not get cast. Three days, she told herself. Three long days, then we'll see.