Even Though: A StarKid/Joey Richter Fanfic

Chapter 1-On My Own

I love him, but every day I'm learning. All my life, I've only been pretending.

I closed my eyes and let a single tear roll down my cheek. I didn't care if my educators saw me cry. It showed that I was dedicated.

Without me, his world will go on turning. A world that's full of happiness, that I have never known.

I belted out that last note, a warm feeling rising in my chest. I glanced to my chorus teacher, Ms. Gregory, who was beaming. I had certainly come a long way in two years, especially in the vocal department.

I love him...I love him...I love him. But only on my own.

The accompaniment stopped, and I looked up, the stage lights scorching my eyes. Even though I had been acting for 7 years, I never adjusted to those damn lights. But it was a small price to pay.

"Wonderful, Cassie, just wonderful," Ms. Gregory said, grinning ear to ear, "Great audition." I smiled widely. Making my favorite teacher proud was better than any role I could ever get. Still, being a lead would turn around my status at this school...

"Thank you Miss De Luca," the school's drama teacher, Mr. Williams, said formally, "Please send in Mr. Richter."

I audibly groaned. Aside from my stepbrother Darren, there was nobody that irked me more than Joey Richter. Being Darren's best friend, he had practically lived at my house for the past 6 years. I endured the teasing I got whenever he and whatever neanderthals Darren decided to invite into our home, and yet none of them even acknowledged my existence once we entered the hellhole that was Arborland High School.

I walked backstage through the doors that lead to the music hallway, where everyone else was waiting to get called in for their audition. I spun around to see nearly all of Darren's friends staring back at me.

Let's go through the list, shall we? First there was Darren, leaning up against the wall and listening to the song he was auditioning with, mouthing the words to himself. My guess was a Disney cover. He might be cool to everyone else in the school, but I saw him for what he really was: a curly-haired, guitar playing nerd. Sitting on the floor opposite him was Joey, wearing his Letterman jacket and running his fingers though his coiffed dark hair. He smirked confidently to no one in particular, but his body language suggested he was nervous beyond belief. Then there was Lauren, Darren's girlfriend. She might not have looked like much, but that 5 foot tall girl had a voice. I tried to like her for Darren's sake, but every time she opened her mouth some backhanded compliment spilled out and slapped me in the face. Next were the football guys. Along with Darren and Joey, Joe Walker, Brian Holden, and Brian Rosenthal were auditioning as well. They, like Joey, had been over to my house on a number of occasions. How they broke down the whole 'jock-but-also-a-theatre-nerd' dichotomy was beyond my comprehension, but they still managed to be cool. And rounding out the popular clique was Meredith Stepien, Lauren's right hand man-er, woman. Meredith knew everything about everyone. She was the school's gossip hub, and oddly, the one out of the group that I despised the least. They were the most popular kids in school, and it showed; every other person auditioning for the play whispered quietly, in fear of getting a death-glare from the superpowers of the school. Everyone except the only two people who actually enjoy my presence.

'How'd it go?" my best friend, Jaime Lyn Beatty, squealed excitedly. Her blue eyes were wide with anticipation and fear. She had decided to audition too. Jaime had a hell of a voice; If I didn't get the female lead, I sure hoped she did.

"Yeah, tell us all about it!" my other best friend, Dylan Saunders added. He had opted out of this show, but had come to the audition as moral support for Jaime and me. I was bummed that Dylan wasn't performing, but he was being a techie, so at least I would get to see him.