trigger warning: meanie squip
Y'n's POV
I sighed as Mr. Reyes handed me papers. "Let's see. I suppose that they will need scripts."
"Yeah, that's generally useful," I said. He glared at me.
"You know, Miss L/n, everyone told me I was crazy for making a junior assistant director, especially one who has never had any theatre experience."
"I've been on stage crew--"
"It's not the same," Mr. Reyes interrupted. "Who's all here?"
I peered around the door. "Ummm, Jeremy Heere and Christine Conigula. Are you expecting more?"
"I forced a few of the popular students to join."
"Who?"
"Oh, Jake, Brooke, Chloe, Jenna Rolan, Rich."
"Rich?" I sighed. Now that annoying feeling in my stomach would be there constantly during rehearsal. That's great. Just great.
"Alright, well, we should get out there." I followed him out of the door, carrying enough scripts for everyone, including Mr. Reyes and myself, plus a few props and notebooks. Mr. Reyes, however, carried nothing.
"Oh, thank God, the popular students have arrived," Mr. Reyes said to me, causing me to roll my eyes. "Hello, everyone. My name is Mr. Reyes. You may recognize me from Drama Class--or my full time job at the Hobby Lobby."
A few people nodded, specifically Brooke and Chloe, and Jake even applauded a little. Mr. Reyes responded in kind. "Thank you, thank you. This is this year's assistant director, Y/n L/n."
"Y/n?" asked Jeremy.
"L/n?" asked Rich, over him.
Christine just waved, recognizing me from previous years. I smiled and tried to wave but was unable to due to the fact I was holding everyone's scripts and some of Mr. Reyes' stuff.
Mr. Reyes continued on, now that I had been necessarily introduced and the spotlight could return to him. "I've been dreaming of the day I get to stage William Shakespeare's classic A Midsummer Night's Dream--"
"Yes!" Christine practically shouted, causing me to give her a warning glare.
"And today that dream dies," Mr. Reyes said, ignoring Christine.
"What?" Christine, Jesus, shut up. You aren't the only person in the room.
"And is reborn! Just...slightly mutated. The school has informed that, unless I increase our popularity, our funds will be diverted. To the Frisbee Golf Team." Hence the popular kids. "Which is why our production will be set, not in a pastoral forest, but in a post-apocalyptic future. And instead of frolicking with fairies, there will be fleeing. From zombies."
I grinned. The plot change was my idea. I always wanted to write something that rivaled Shakespeare, why not take it from Shakespeare himself? After all, look at what great things have come of that...West Side Story, Gnomio and Juliet, and many other greats.
"Don't you care about Shakespeare?" asked Christine.
Mr. Reyes took her by the shoulders. "The man's dead. Let it go." He let her go and addressed the rest of the group. "We will now take a five minute break so that I can eat a Hot Pocket." He turned to me. "Y/n? Would you like one?"
"Uh, no thanks," I said.
"Good," he muttered, eyeing me up and down.
He walked up to Brooke, annoyingly enough, to ask, "So, what's the story with Jake and Madeline?"
I rolled my eyes before seeing that Jake and Christine were talking, probably flirting. Jake flirts with everybody. Jeremy looks hurt. God, Jeremy, you really do get yourself into the most interesting situations. I decide to give the three some privacy and drop the scripts and other stuff on an empty theater chair. I head for an exit, but I find Rich waiting for me outside of one.
"I didn't know you liked theatre," he told me.
Except he definitely did because he had made fun of me for it. "I could say the same for you."
"You know that Mr. Reyes forced us to join," he said, rolling his eyes. "Otherwise, I'd never even come near a geek-infested place like this...no offense."
"Offense taken."
Rich smirked at me.
"So, assistant director, huh? You're such a quiet loser, I'm surprised."
I cocked my head. "That I want to be in charge of everyone. Rich, you of all people should understand that the quiet ones are the ones that end up with the most power. It'll be your downfall. You'll see."
Rich looked concerned, but he didn't question me.
"Besides," I continued, "now I'm the boss of you."
"The boss of me? No one's the boss of me."
"You're correct. No one is. Besides me." I gave him a killer grin. "Now, go on. Before I have you expelled." I ruffled his hair, and even that much contact made the hairs on my arms stand up. Stupid crush.
"Fine," Rich said. "But for the record, I'm going because I have to pee, not because you say so."
"Yeah, okay, Goranski." He swaggered off, and I found myself grinning like an idiot after him. I sighed. "Come on, L/n. Get it together. No way that Rich Goranski likes you. You don't even like yourself."
I sighed to myself and went to continue my life.
Rich's POV
You have a crush on her you know, my SQUIP says.
"Um, no I don't."
Rich, I'm in your brain. You can't lie to me.
"I'm not lying."
Haven't you been paying attention to yourself lately. You hang around her all the time, and you don't have any reason to. Why else would you agree to join that play?
"Mr. Reyes forced me to," I argued.
Did he? Or did he ask? You sat by her at lunch today.
"To make fun of her, like I always do. Like you make me do."
You waited for her after Mr. Reyes left.
"To make fun of her."
You're making fun of her a lot more than usual, Rich. Now, I ask you, what is my primary function? Is it to get you with the girl of your dreams? Y/n L/n?
"I DON'T LIKE Y/N."
Enough, Rich. I'm not having this argument with you. Now, is my primary function to get you laid? Or to make you the most popular kid in school?
"Most popular," I murmured.
Precisely. Which is why I'm done letting you waste all your time on Y/n. You could land so much better than her. She will just set you back. Which is why from now on, every time you think about Y/n, I'm going to give you a shock. And you will continue to treat her the way you've always treated her. Like human garbage.
"But she's assistant director in the play. I can't just stop..." I trail off. "Whatever. I'm gonna pee."
Trust me, Rich. This is what is best for you.
"Whatever."
