Wait For It | a Hamilton fanfiction | wattys 2017

Chapter 78

A few days later, everyone is called to the theatre for more rehearsals. The shows haven't been going great. Ever since they put James in, they haven't had a Broadway quality show. It was always his fault, too.

Daveed was beginning to get a short temper, as well. He was becoming less and less forgiving, not only with James' mistakes, but everyone else's too. Even things that were out of their control.

It was making Lana very frustrated, and on top of that, her head hurt, and her nose was becoming more and more stuffed up by the minute.

"No, no no! Pippa, that's not right! You need to be on the left of Brett, not on the right!" Daveed screams.

"What?" Pippa asks, taken aback.

"You were on his right on Broadway, but we changed that for the tour! You need to get this right, Pippa!" he scolds her.

Tears form in Pippa's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Daveed," she says, quietly.

"Oh, don't cry on me. Save your tears for the pillow! We have a show to do here!"

Pippa nods, and wipes her eyes, taking her new place on the other side of Brett.

Lana can't believe what she just saw. Daveed has always been so sweet to everyone, especially Pippa. What has come over him?

The cast picks back up in the song, and runs through it, but their emotions are low. The air is very tense from Daveed's outburst.

"That... could be better," Daveed says, with no emotion, after they're done. "Let's run it again."

Everyone silently returns to their spots for the top of the number, and they begin to run it again. Lana especially is mad.

She just wants to be done with this day, and it's not even lunch yet. It's ironic that they're running "Non-Stop," because that's exactly what this rehearsal seems to be.

Lana stands in her position and rubs her temples, to try to soothe her headache, but nothing seems to work.

Before Lana knows it, she is supposed to be singing, but she isn't.

"LANA!" Daveed screams. "I am fed up with this cast! You can't seem to get anything right today!"

Lana groans, and apologizes quickly.

"Take it from Lana again," Daveed calls, and the music starts. This time, thankfully, Lana nails her solo, but the stage lights are beginning to make her feel even worse than she already was. She starts to feel dizzy and is sweating right through her costume.

"Okay, take five everyone," Daveed calls, after the number.

Lana falls down right on the stage, and closes her eyes.

"LANA! UP! You're going to make your costume dirty!" Daveed calls. Lana groans, but stands up and makes her way down next to Jazzy and Pippa.

"Lana, I know that we have been over this, but I really don't believe that you're fine," Pippa says, firmly.

"I don't know... I guess that I'm really not, but I can't miss these rehearsals. They're so important, and honestly, I'm scared to talk to Daveed."

"I don't blame you," Jazzy rolls her eyes. "I don't know what's gotten into him."

"I think that he just feels a responsibility to keep this show going, as if Lin never left, and the pressure is getting to him," Pippa, who is always sweet and insightful, even after being yelled at to tears, remarks.

"I just wish that he could know that none of us expect him to be Lin. Lin is gone- like it or not. Daveed is a different type of leader, and he can be just as good, if he is just himself," Lana says. Jazzy nods in agreement.

"Okay everyone, we are going to run Act II now," Daveed calls. "Can we please try to go straight through without stopping, as if this were a show?"

"Yes," everyone replies, collectively, and Lana drags herself up from her seat for her first place in the second act. She doesn't have to go on until "Take A Break," but she is going to need all of the time that she can have to get her energy back up.

She takes a sip of tea from her thermos and shoves a few crackers into her mouth before she puts on her new costume and makes it back out just in time for her song.

Thankfully, they make it through without any mishaps. It's a strange connection, how all of the ensemble songs are the only ones that need to be stopped, Lana thinks, sarcastically. She feels so bad for all of her friends, who are being run ragged with adjustments to their songs so that James can learn the choreography and music.

None of the girls even think that he can sing that well. Everyone is dumbfounded as to how he got cast in the first place, and Pippa is seriously starting to think about using that power that Lin vested in her, right before he left.

~~~~~~~~~

#nailed my first day of band camp!