Neighbors

T W E L V E

BECKETT

The next day at school passed quickly and soon it was time for the first rehearsal for the musical. According to Mrs. Raylen's plan, today was just going to be spent getting to know everyone in the cast and crew and doing a quick read-through of the script.

I walked briskly to the auditorium from my last class. When I got there, I was greeted by Mrs. Raylen who welcomed me with open arms.

"I'm so excited to work with you," she smiled widely. "You ready?"

"I guess so," I chuckled at her enthusiasm.

Just then, Piper entered only to be smothered in an embrace from Mrs. Raylen.

"There's my other shining star!" She wrapped her arms around Piper who was shocked by the action. Piper awkwardly reciprocated the hug. "Are you excited for the first rehearsal?" Mrs. Raylen chirped ecstatically, pulling away from Piper.

"I mean I guess," she responded in a uncertain tone. Piper shot me a confused glance and I just shrugged.

"Wonderful! Let's get to work!" Mrs. Raylen dragged us to the stage and called for everyone's attention.

"Welcome all of you to the very first rehearsal for The Little Mermaid!" she announced. She received a few cheers from students who had previously worked with her. "I would like to introduce to our leads for the musical, Piper Jennings and Beckett Murphy."

Piper and I waved shyly to the massive group of students gathered around us. I could feel Gabrielle's stare blaze through me. She glared at Piper and rolled her eyes.

"Okay let's begin. I want to start a little differently than I usually do. I want to work on chemistry between characters. Can I get Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle to stand over here with Ariel? I also need King Triton and all the sisters to go over by the left wing. Ursula, Flotsam, and Jetsam can go center stage while Grimsby, Carlotta, and Chef Louis go near the right wing with Prince Eric. The ensemble can meet in the back."

Following her directions, everyone went with their groups and waited for further instructions.

"Great, now I want everyone to start getting to know everyone in this group before we move on to anything else. And action!" she clapped, leaving us with our assignment.

"I'm guessing this is your first show?" a guy in my group asked.

I nodded, "uh yeah. Is it that obvious?"

"Well you just looked extremely confused and overwhelmed," the girl who played Carlotta informed me. "Don't worry, you'll get used to her. I'm Melissa, by the way."

"I'm Bradley," the actor for Chef Louis introduced himself.

"So that means you must be Grimsby?" I questioned the other guy who spoke to me first.

He laughed. "I'm Caleb. It's nice to meet you."

"You too," I responded to all three of them. "So what exactly did I get myself into when I auditioned for this?"

"You'll find out soon enough, shining star," Melissa giggled, patting my shoulder.

PIPER

I stood with the actors who were playing Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle in the show. Franklin, the guy who was portraying Sebastian, was in my anatomy class and sat in the front with Andrew who just so happened to be Flounder. Scuttle, played by Daniel Winston, was a sophomore who just moved to Oregon from Alabama.

The four of us got to know each other and chatted until our director returned.

"Okay this is Jasmine Morley. She is the stage manager for this show," Mrs. Raylen informed us. Jasmine greeted us with a bright smile and told us how excited she was to work with all of us. Her dark hair gleamed under the blinding stage lights. The silver stud in her nose gleamed as it caught the light. She was actually stunning.

"Jasmine, can you mic up Piper and Beckett? I wanna run a few songs," Mrs. Raylen requested.

Jasmine nodded and gestured for Beckett and I to follow her backstage. She unlocked an electrical cage and removed a box with microphones in it. She took one out and set it up before hooking it up to me. She did the same for Beckett before leading us back to the stage. She let our director know that we were ready to go.

"Okay, I want you two to sing a duet together just to see how you sound together. Somebody suggest a song."

Several tunes were shouted but Mrs. Raylen rejected them. It wasn't until someone yelled out Loving You by Michael Jackson. "That's an absolutely fantastic idea!" Mrs. Raylen grinned.

Jasmine found the song and played it through the speakers. I waited for the cue and sang the first line.

"Hello August moon, where are the stars of the night? You promised me too soon, 'cause it's been cloudy all night. And the weatherman said if you're not well, stay in bed. 'Cause I've been feeling down and blue and cloudy in my head. Instead of going out to some restaurant, I stay home in bed."

"But I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do. I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do."

Beckett smiled at me before continuing with the next verse.

"Hello midnight lover, you're the one I adore. And I'll be thinking of you 'til the stars are no more. If it's cloudy or blue, I'll stay here with you. We'll make a wish, and then we'll kiss, our love forever true. Instead of going out to some restaurant, I'll stay here with you."

"And I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do. I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do."

I took over once again with the next line.

"It seems you don't know we reached the heightened mountain. Every time I seem to disappear. And together we will fly, we'll dance up in the heaven. I can really feel it when you're near. Ooh."

Powerfully, Beckett belted the following part.

"And the weatherman said if you're not well, stay in bed. 'Cause I've been feeling down and blue and it's cloudy in my head. Instead of going out to some restaurant, I stay home in bed."

We harmonized and sang the rest of the song together.

"I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do. I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do. I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do.  I've been loving you, that's what I wanna do. I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do. I'll be loving you, that's what I wanna do."

"Loving you. That's what I want to do."

The two of us finished and cheers erupted from our fellow actors in the audience. Mrs. Raylen was on her feet, clapping thunderously and whistling. I saw Gabrielle glaring at me with her arms folded across her chest.

"You two are amazing!" Mrs. Raylen complimented us. I blushed profusely at her comment and I noticed Beckett rub the nape of his neck awkwardly. "You know what, this gives me an idea. What if at the pep rally next week, you two performed a song to get everyone excited for the show? The other actors and ensemble could dance and sing in the background. What do you think?" she proposed her idea to us.

I glanced over at Beckett who was already looking in my direction. The two of us shrugged before agreeing to go along with her plan.

"Splendid! All we have to do is choose a song and choreograph a dance to go with it. Are you two able to work on the song during your free time?" she asked Beckett and I.

"Yes ma'am," he responded politely.

"Wonderful!" she jumped up and down excitedly. "Let's get to work, people!"

***

a/n: well it's been awhile. sorry i haven't updated but i'm back with some really good ideas. i'll try and update again some time this weekend but i can't promise anything. i jope you enjoyed. please leave a comment, vote, and share. i love you and have a great day!