Love Is a Bunch of Stupid Decisions

Chapter 4

I smoothed my blazer/blouse combo for the millionth time, taking a deep breath. There was no real reason for me to be nervous- Amanda had already offered me the job, and I had already accepted it. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel butterflies in my stomach as I opened the front doors of BBB, as if it was my first day as an intern again.

"Charlotte! Hi!" Amanda says, smiling when she sees me. We start walking back to her office. "How are you and Ben?" She asks, a small smirk on her face.

"We're fantastic," I say, smiling like an idiot. Talking about Ben had a tendency to do that to me. "Before the tour was even announced, he and I had been trying to find a way that I could tag along. It's kind of insane how perfectly this worked out."

"I'm glad to hear that! And I'm sorry if things were left on a sour note at the end of your internship. You really were one of the best interns that we've ever had, and we're happy to have you back on our team!"

It still felt like I was on cloud nine, but I tried to keep my cool. "I'm happy to be back," I smile.

From there, Amanda and I delve into the particulars of the job. Things like what I'm in charge of, who I'll be working with, what I'm responsible for, and how much I'll be getting paid (here's a hint: it's just a LOT more than waitressing).

When I get back to Ben and my's apartment, I find all four of the boys there again. Instead of watching Newsies, though, this time they're reading through scripts. "Oooh, is this audition preparation I see?"

"There you are! How was your meeting?" Ben asks, getting up to give me a hug.

"Ben, I'm literally going to be living the dream. This job is everything I've ever wanted. The pay is great, I get to travel the country with you... I just don't know how it could get any better," I reply, beaming. "How are things going here?"

"Pretty good, could you come read for Cady? We're on the scene with 'do this thing'."

I nod, sitting down next to Ben on our couch. Ben offers me a script, but I decline. "Ben, I've seen this show at least 30 times now. I'm pretty sure I know it forward, backward, and inside out." Ben shrugs, throwing the script back on the end table.

We read through the scene for a while, the guys switching up who's playing who every now and then. It's fun getting to watch them all add their own little spins to the characters, and since I haven't acted since high school, it's pretty fun for me as well.

After we're done, we decide to order pizza for lunch. "Charlotte, you're not half bad of an actress. Have you really never acted outside of high school stuff?" Sky asks me, his mouth half full of pizza.

I shake my head. "I promise I'm really not that great of an actress, I have just seen this show a billion times. And I always make sure to watch that scene in particular, because watching this boy twerk is the most entertaining thing I've ever seen." I say, messing up Ben's hair as I walked by his chair. He flinched away when I touched his head. Still ticklish. "Anyways, I'm going to go get some coffee and try to wrap my mind around this new job. I'll see you guys later!" I grab my bag before heading out the door.

Two weeks from that day, the Mean Girls touring cast was announced. I knew that Ben and Iain were going to make it, since they had already been in the original cast. I was worried for Sky and Josh, though. They had practically become my brothers in the last few weeks, and the thought of going on tour without them was becoming sadder and sadder by the day.

"Do you think Josh and Sky make it?" I ask Ben, the two of us sitting on our couch and watching TV to pass the time.

He thinks about it before shrugging. "They're definitely more than capable. That's the thing about auditions, though. You never really know what's going to happen."

I nod before trying to take my mind off of it. I knew that I shouldn't stress out over it, but I couldn't help myself. It's about half an hour later when Ben's phone rings, the two of us looking at it to see Sky's name. He answers, and a few seconds later his face lights up, making it clear that Sky had made it.

"Congrats dude! Have you heard anything from Josh?" He says. There's some indistinct mumbling that I can't quite make out on the other end, but his excited expression repeats itself, and all the nervousness I had felt earlier goes away. I wait for Ben to hang up the phone after he and Sky finish talking.

"So?"

"They're both in! Looks like the whole squad is going on tour," Ben laughs.

"Yes! What roles?"

"Sky is a mathlete with Nikhil and I, and Josh is ensemble with Iain." I nod, thinking about how perfect and fitting it all seems.

Later that night, we invite the guys over to celebrate. If they're not talking and gossiping about their new cast members, they're talking about the places that they're excited to go on tour. And if they're not talking about that, they're talking about old tour memories from Newsies. "Char, are you ready for tour?" Josh asks.

"Could I ever possibly be ready for spending months on the road with the four of you guys?" I respond, everyone chuckling. Just then I get an email from Amanda, with an attachment that lists the entire tour schedule: starting with Philadelphia in October, and to Detroit the following August. I read out all the locations to the guys, and even though reading the locations doesn't change anything, it makes it that much more real for everyone. I could tell from the daydreamy looks on their faces that I wasn't the only one who had butterflies thinking about it.

"What night did you say opening night was?" Ben asks after I read them all off.

"October 25," I say.

"Guys... one month from today is opening night in Philadelphia!" All five of us cheer, the reality setting in. This was happening.

Iain stands up at our table, holding his drink up. "Here's to months of crappy hotel beds, sore muscles, and hopefully not leaving anyone behind at the rest stop!" Everyone laughs at the memory from Newsies. "Oh, and to having the time of our lives too, I guess!" We all cheer, clinking our glasses together. Soon we'd get to watch this show come to life again, and we'd get to take it across the entire country. The best part? All of my favorite people would be with me.

A/N: The reason that this chapter is crap is because I WENT TO POST IT EARLIER AND MY DUMBASS ERASED THE WHOLE THING. DELETED. GONE. so i had to rewrite it from memory. much harder than it sounds. it takes so much energy to make the words go. now in desparate need of a nap. goodnite