January 26th
•••••Jada's Perspective
My last night.
I did the steps, did my dance, had a blast, ate the cake.
And yes, I cried a lot.
Oak refused to let me force him to watch another musical, and insisted that I go to sleep.
I didn't, of course, but I also knew that I was, in fact, very sleep deprived. On account of my knowledge of that fact, I didn't watch anything, but I stayed awake.
What can I say? I'm a night owl.
I forced myself past the urge to pull an all nighter, and made my deadline ten o'clock.
I looked up auditioning opportunities on my laptop, listening to Dear Evan Hansen and 21 Chump Street on repeat.
A sudden notification popped up on my phone screen, alerting me of a received text message.
Lin
«Jada, can I talk to you about something very important?»
Slightly confused, I typed back a response.
«yeah, what's up?»
«a buddy of mine is working with Newsies Tour, and they're short a dancer.»
My heart rate sped up.
«what do you mean?»
«Nico deJesus isn't going to be able to perform as Romeo due to a family emergency. He's going to miss their shows in Chicago.»
«that's too bad»
«Are you playing dumb on purpose, or do you really not catch on?»
«both»
«BAHAHAHA»
«well anyway, my friend told me about that, and asked if I had any recommendations for anyone to take Nico's place»
«I recommended you.»
My jaw dropped.
«you did what»
«shoot are you mad?»
«no, of course not!»
«I'd hoped you'd be happy! I'm going to forward you the email for auditions that he sent me. You'll have to do a song and dance, of course, but he's willing to come here to see you»
«oh my gosh, Lin, thank you so much»
«np, girl! Break a leg!»
«Thanks!»
I immediately closed that thread and opened another one.
Oak
«I may or may not have just landed an audition for Newsies Tour in Chicago»
«That's great! How'd that happen?»
«long and funny story, I'll explain later»
«okay. Goodnight, love you»
«love you too»
•••••
"So, what does the email say?"
"They're sending a production member here so I can audition."
He nodded. "And if you get in?"
"Then I'll go to Chicago for however long they're there."
"And," he paused. "How long are they there?"
"About a week and a half."
"That long?"
"Yeah." I breathed.
"When is the audition?"
"Next week."
"And how long do you think it'll take for them to decide if they want you?"
I nudged him. "Oak, I'm still gonna be in New York for at least another two weeks."
"Then you're gone for one and a half."
"It won't be that bad." I tried to be optimistic. "It could be worse."
"You have to promise to FaceTime." He said.
I laughed. "I haven't even auditioned yet!"
"You have to promise!"
I placed my lips against his cheek. "I promise. How are rehearsals going?"
He put his arm around my shoulders. "Pretty good. Have you chosen an audition song yet?"
I nodded hesitantly. "Maybe, probably, yes."
"What?" He asked, amusement lacing his voice. "What'd you choose?"
"'On My Own'."
"I've heard you sing that one before." He said.
"What do you think?" I asked, biting my lip.
He smiled slightly. "Your voice is perfect for that song. Don't bite your lip about it."
I rolled my eyes.
"I'm serious." He pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose. "You're gonna do great. I know you will."
"You're sweet."
"I wasn't trying to be sweet. I was being honest."
"That's why you're sweet." I said, smiling. "Because you don't have to try.
YOU ARE READING
Miss Jefferson
FanfictionI stuck out my hand. "My name's Jada." He accepted it. "Okieriete Onaodowan." I blinked. "That is a spectacular name that I don't think I can pronounce." "Most people just call me 'Oak'." [Hamilton]
