Wait For It | a Hamilton fanfiction | wattys 2017

Chapter 57

Pippa knew that hiring James was a bad idea, but she couldn't deny that he did have raw talent. He was a good singer, and he was fiery when he danced. On the other hand, he was reckless and didn't pay any attention to spacing. He would often end up too close to one of the other ensemblists.

He also seemed to clash a lot with the cast, especially Kaitlyn, Carleigh, and Lana. Pippa had thought Lana was awful, but now she wasn't so sure. James was starting to become her new least favorite cast member.

It was pretty early in the morning. Not early enough for Pippa to be too tired, but early enough that she didn't want to be awake.

Her phone dinged.

Steven: Hey, Pippa, sorry I didn't update you on the status of your stuff. You'll be happy to know that Carl no longer has the boxes. They're sitting in my closet.

Pippa: Thank you so much! My tour ends in June. If you want to put them in storage or something so they don't clutter your apartment that's fine.

Steven: Oh, it's not a big deal. I'm not in my apartment much anyway, cause of theatre work.

Pippa: Makes sense

Steven: How's the tour going, by the way? I've heard really good reviews.

Pippa: It's... going...

Steven: How so?

Pippa: We just hired Brett Rico's ensemble replacement, because Lin is leaving in a couple months. His name is James, and he's having some issues with the cast.

Steven: That's never a good sign, but perhaps it's just his way of dealing with the stress of joining an already established cast.

Pippa: I hope so.

"Pippa, Daveed wants us all to meet in the conference room downstairs to plan Lin and Vanessa's surprise baby shower," Jazzy said.

Pippa blinked. "I didn't know this was a thing," she said, surprised.

"Yeah. Daveed came up with it while you, Anthony, Lana and Lin were all singing 'Take a Break'," Jazzy explained. "We're planning on it being during London, because I'm pretty sure Vanessa's flying over to see Lin's last show."

"That's fantastic!" Pippa exclaimed.

"Unless you're doing something important, but judging by the smile on your face, I'm pretty sure you were just texting Steven," Jazzy laughed.

"Don't judge me, Jasmine," Pippa shot back. "I can text whoever I want to text. Let me just tell Steven that I have to go."

"Alright," Jazzy said, rolling her eyes.

Pippa: I have to go, but thanks again for getting my stuff.

Steven: No problem! Have a great day!

Pippa stood up and followed Jazzy to the conference room, where all the cast members were sitting. There were no chairs or tables- it was just a wide open space, and the cast was all sitting (or lying) on the ground. Pippa sat next to Carleigh, who was sitting in the strangest position Pippa had ever seen. She was on her stomach (which was normal), but she had tucked one leg underneath her so that it was almost level with her head.

"How are you so flexible, Carleigh?!" Pippa demanded.

"All those slides during the show, I suppose," Carleigh laughed.

"Attention," Daveed announced, standing up. "We will be having a surprise baby shower for Lin and Vanessa before they return to the US. I was thinking we should coordinate our efforts so we don't have to worry about planning it when we get to London. We have a lot going on during that tour stop. This stop is a little calmer, so I figured it was better to do this now. With Lin leaving, and the put-in rehearsals for Brett and James, it's going to be insane."

"True," Alysha said.

"I was thinking we'd each contribute a gift, and then we'd all pitch in to get the food," Daveed said. He looked down at his phone for his notes. "Also, they're having a girl, but pink isn't necessarily the theme we have to go with. It doesn't matter to me, but we can be original."

"How about yellow or green? Not hideous colors, but more like Peggy's dress yellow, and... umm... mint green? That way it's neutral," Kaitlyn suggested.

"Sounds perfect. Um, the cake can be vanilla. Can anyone bake or should we pre-order the cake from a bakery in London?" Daveed asked.

Jessa raised her hand. "I can bake, but I cannot frost to save my life," she said, laughing. Lana looked surprised.

"I can frost for you. It can be a team effort," Lana offered. "My parents run a bakery in Chicago, so I've had to frost waaaay too many cakes."

"Great, so Lana and Jessa are on the cake team. Decorations can be Carleigh, Kaitlyn, and Arianna, and then the guys can all help with that," Daveed said. "Have your gifts by... November 30. That will be Lin's last show."

"Awesome!" Oak slapped a high-five with Carleigh just as Lin walked in the door.

He stopped when he saw everyone sitting on the floor. "What's this about? Why wasn't I invited?" he pouted.

"Just a little cast pow-wow, and then we weren't sure if you were doing one of your Skypes with Vanessa," Brett said quickly. "Sorry, Lin."

"Oh, that's alright. Kaitlyn, Beckett wanted to talk to you about something. He's in the lobby," Lin said.

Kaitlyn frowned but stood up and went out the door.

"Guys, just so you know, Kaitlyn's birthday is October 27, which is next week," Lin said. "Bring stuff."

Pippa and Jazzy exchanged excited glances.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUYS WE HAVE OUR NEXT PROJECT IN THE WORKS! IT'S NOT A SEQUEL TO THIS BUT YOU'LL BE SO EXCITED!