Just a Newsboy

Chapter 14

•••••Cricket's Perspective

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep.

Groaning, I rolled over and slapped my hand around on the surface of the nightstand, trying to feel for my phone so I could shut my alarm up.

At last, I located the source of the loud, shrill beeping and put a stop to it.

It was the fifth alarm that I'd snoozed that morning; I'd aimed to get up at seven forty-five, and it was currently eight-thirty.

I rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, letting my eyes adjust to the morning darkness as I tossed around the idea of falling back asleep.

My eyelids would've slid shut again, but my phone buzzed, giving me the motivation to sit up and look over at the screen and at the notifications it was reminding me of.

6 Missed Messages from Joshua
4 Missed Calls from Joshua

Sighing, I picked my phone up and read through the texts that I'd ignored last night.

Joshua Burrage

«Alex I'm so sorry are you okay?»
«Please let me explain»
«I know you really probably don't want to talk to me right now but please»
«At least let me apologize in person?»
«Alex?»
«Alex please I'm so sorry»

I quickly shut my phone off and threw it down on the bed.

But almost as soon as it hit the comforter, its screen lit up and it buzzed, alerting me of yet another notification.

1 Missed Message from Mr. Calhoun

Sighing once more, I again picked it up.

Mr. Calhoun

«Good morning, Miss Alexander. I just thought you should be made aware that I have scheduled a last-minute tech rehearsal today, starting at 10 a.m. There are some dance numbers that need to be completely reworked and I want the cast to have the full effect of the lights and sound system while they rehearse. I regret to have to send you all of this information directly, but since you refuse to join the cast and crew group chat, it must be done.»

«I refuse to join the group chat because I don't want my phone to blow up every time a lyric chain starts.»

«Valid reasoning, I suppose.»
«Anyway, I need you at the theater in an hour and a half. Fair warning, you will probably be here all the way up until showtime.»

I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you just go ahead and have us move in to the theater?"

But a nagging feeling in my stomach chased away my complaints.
I was going to have to get through an extensive tech rehearsal and a show, and somehow efficiently avoid Josh throughout both of them.

Surely, that wouldn't be too difficult? After all, I was really good at avoiding people.

Unfortunately, he usually wasn't.

•••••

By the time I'd gotten a shower, brushed my teeth, pulled my hair up, and thrown on a sweatshirt and a pair of leggings, it was about twenty minutes until ten.

That left me a little sliver of time to go find something to eat.

The hotel cafeteria was virtually empty, with roughly five minutes left before it closed for the morning.