naive | ben tyler cook

✦ twenty ✦

( too grool for school, episode one )

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"hello, broadway.com! i'm rylee west, and you're watching episode one of too grool for school!" she spun around in her desk chair, waving excitedly at the camera on her counter. "so, basically, this is going to be about an eight week vlog hosted by broadway's cady herron, in which we will have many different segments. for example, louderman lingo, little blue couch, real talk, and other fun stuff. you'll find out what all of those are once we get to them. but for now, we're going to be meeting the cast members. well, i'm not, but you guys are!"

rylee continued grinning even after she shut the camera off. after everything that had been going through her mind the last week, getting asked to do a vlog for broadway.com really sky-rocketed her mood back to where it usually was. this two show day was going to rock.

she hadn't talked to ben in exactly five days. and that was hanging on her conscious. so the first person she went up to with her camera was him. she needed one of his hugs.

"alright, broadway.com, our first contestant on the too cool for school vlog is my very best friend, benjamin tyler cook!" rylee slung her arm around ben's shoulder as she sped up to match stride with him in the hallway.

he was caught off guard completely, confused and happy and shocked all at once. confused because there was a camera in his face, happy because rylee was touchi-talking to him, and shocked because she was talking to him.

"what's this?" he wrapped his arm around her waist, shaking off all of his emotions and just going with it.

"this is my new broadway.com vlog, called too grool for school. and i'm introducing all the lovely watchers to my favorite cast member." she noticed the confusion he was trying to wipe off and tried to give him a look as if to say, 'we'll talk later.'

he saw the look.

"oh! that's awesome." a beat of silence passed as rylee simply watched him smiling widely in the view finder. he was extremely cute- dumbfounded. "what do i say?"

rylee laughed, "tell them who you play and stuff."

"oh, okay," he squeezed her side and chuckled somewhat. "so, broadway.com, i'm ben tyler cook, or btc, as rjw here calls me. i'm one of the male ensemble members and my characters name is tyler kimbel. my favorite scene in the show is during stupid with love, where i get to sit next to this beautiful singer and scoff as she dances around her desk while we're in math class."

rylee let go of ben in order to lean forward and laugh loudly. ben bit down on his lip to suppress the words he wanted to use to express how beaut- funny she sounded.

rylee stood back up to hug ben tightly, "thank you so much for sharing this with us, btc. i'll see ya later for pre-show, which you guys at home will definitely see."

she shut off the camera and let it dangle from her hand. rylee turned to ben, a smaller grin settling into his expression.

"i'm so sorry for the way that i've been acting this past week. it was childish of me to ignore you the way i did just because i wasn't feeling very well. i apologize for being an absolute bitch instead of just texting you about it." she lied straight through her teeth.

could one truly be sorry for how they felt inside? she would have to be. or at least pretend. that was her job, for christ's sake.

ben enveloped her in another tight hug, setting his chin on top of her head and letting his fingers press into into her hair and shoulder. "it's fine. it's completely fine, ry. i understand how this all might be feeling for you. going into this the way that you are is a really difficult thing to accomplish, especially when a show is as popular as this one. but take it by day and don't let things get to you. and, please, please, please, come and talk to me about everything and anything that's itching you. i want to know everything, as i always usually do.

rylee pulled away and sniffled slightly. "of course."

besides, she wouldn't be going to hell for lying a few times.