just the way you are

chapter seventeen: charlotte, north carolina (week twelve)

"i'm bored!"

bailey was laying on the floor of the dressing room she was sharing with molly and ginna claire for the week bored out of her mind.

"so sorry, charles," molly rolled her eyes. she was doing something on her laptop while her friend complained. ginna claire wasn't in the room, so it was just molly and bailey at this early morning rehearsal on opening night. "soundcheck is in an hour."

"what are we running through for soundcheck anyway?" bailey had decided to be productive by editing some thumbnails and making a new intro for the jackson five youtube channel.

"do you not pay attention to the emails that ellen sends out every travel day?" molly rolled her eyes.

"not really," bailey smiled sheepishly. "i'm kind of focused on making sure we don't lose any children on our way."

"fair," molly nodded. "we're doing king of new york and the playoff plus once and for all."

"damn it."

"good morning!"

jeff calhoun was standing at the front of the stage while most of his cast was sitting on stage.

"hi!" vincent and anthony, the two leses, were the only ones to respond.

"thanks, guys," jeff laughed. "we're going to start with king of new york into the playoff, so please get set. we're going to do this song twice, once without swings and with vincent, and the other with swings and anthony. places please."

bailey yawned as she sat on top off one of the tables in between jordan and josh.

"ya don't need money when you're famous," ben (race) started the song. "they gives ya whatever you want, gratis."

"such as?" demarius (henry) interjected.

"a pair of new shoes with matchin' laces," ben sang.

"a permanent box at the sheepshead races," nico (romeo) sang.

"pastrami on rye with a sour pickle," demarius sang.

"my personal puss on a wooden nickel," julian (finch) sang.

"Look at me, i'm the king of new york!" ben started the tap number. "Suddenly, i'm respectable, starin' right at'cha, lousy with stature."

"nobbin' with all the muckety-mucks," sky (albert) sang next. "i'm blowin' my dough, and goin' deluxe."

"and there i be!" ben was on top of a table now. "ain't i pretty?"

"it's my city," ben and demarius sang together. "i'm the king of new york."

"a solid gold watch with a chain to twirl it," josh (jojo) sang next.

"my very own bed an an indoor terlet," vincent, who was playing les for this run of the number, sang.

"a barbershop haircut that cost a quarter," jack (mush) sang.