The Greatest Girl // discontinued

7 - surrounded by drama

"Why do you hate Phillip so much?" Anne asks storming into Barnum's dressing room where I am sitting talking to Barnum.

"Woah, I don't hate him?!" I retaliate.

"Anne, what do you think you're doing?" Barnum says harshly.

"Talking to your girlfriend about how she hates my boyfriend!" Anne shouts pointing at me.

"I don't hate him," I say softly getting up to calm Anne down.

"BULLSHIT!"

With that, Anne storms out of the room in a huff, slamming the door.

"What did you do?" Barnum asks me with his hands on my hips.

"Nothing, Phillip Carlyle was snarky to me and I left with the girls to leave the two love birds alone because they wanted time to catch up, I never said anything rude to him or acted rudely," I explain softly.

Barnum kisses my head and rests his head on mine.

I sigh in frustration but relax as I sync with Barnum's breathing.

"Anne is probably just insanely emotional because she hasn't seen Phillip in ages," Barnum says softly.

"Probably, I wouldn't be surprised if we hear something later tonight, or she doesn't turn up tomorrow," I say cheekily.

"You little-" Barnum says picking me up and spinning me around.

••••

"This is the greatest show!" I sing as I put my arms out and spin around with the performers.

"We light it up and won't come down!" Barnum sings next to me.

"And the sun can't stop us now, watching it come true it's taking over you, oh this is the greatest show!" I grab onto a rope that lowers above me and I get lifted up, I wrap myself in the rope so that I can still do things.

"Colossal we come these renegades in the ring, where the lost get found in the crown of the circus king," I sing enthusiastically. I toss my cane, hat and jacket down to the performers on the floor as I start to do trapeze acts, alongside Anne, WD and the other trapezists.

"Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya, it's only this moment don't care what come after," Anne and I harmonise together as we swing around each other. We exchange smiles as I slowly get lowered to the ground.

"Cause everything you want is right in front of you, and you see the impossible is coming true and the walls can't stop us now," Both Barnum and I sing as I land and unravel my arm from the rope as Barnum walks towards me and our foreheads touch. We grab each other's necks and walk in a circle as everyone makes a large circle for us.

As we all finish the song Barnum dips me and kisses me, he's been waiting to do it for so long and I return the kiss as the circus building goes dark.

Barnum and I stand upright as the curtain call lights turn on and people start to leave. I'm on leaving greeting duty.

"Hope you all enjoyed the show, see you again soon?" I say to many people.

I give high fives to young boys and girls who are smiling with pure joy. I get scowls, growls and glares from some parents and some kids are being forced behind parents backs.

Almost everyone has a large smile of their faces. Until one person reaches me.

"Ah, hello Mr Bennett, back for another show I see," I say with a smile.

"Yes and Miss Jones, your kiss with Mr Barnum will be on the face of every newspaper in New York soon," Mr Bennett snaps.

"Oh but Mr Bennett, you realise that only brings me more fame, have you checked my social media analytics recently? More followers than before the circus, thanks to you, now scram," I say with sass.