Nothing Left to Lose {Prinxiety}

Chapter 13

Roman's POV

Why does driving to play rehearsal have to be so stressful? Today I get to find out who I'll be playing in BMC, so I should be excited! Instead of excitement, I'm anxious. Ironic since we now have Anxiety literally living with us, but oh well. I nervously tap the driving wheel in time with the music to More Than Survive as I steer through the start-and-stop city traffic. Once at the theater I quickly check my reflection, clearing my face of all signs of anxiety. No one is allowed to see me actually nervous over something, especially during an audition. Luckily, that part is already over so there's not as much pressure. You've been in dozens of plays and you've already auditioned, so all you have to do is see what role you got, so stop talking to yourself and get in there.

The inside of the theater is relatively dark like always, except for the stage with its bright overhead lights. Audition results are usually posted backstage, by the storage room or in the hallway so they're pretty easy to find, especially when a bunch of people gather around them, spreading rumors and congratulating their friends.

A couple of people are standing by the cast list, including Kyle and Bri, "Roman you gotta see these!" Bri calls when she notices me, waving grandly. At least they can handle my energy since they're just as extra, Logan can really learn from these guys.

I walk over and she moves out of the way so I can actually see the list. My heart sinks seeing that I'm not Jeremy, but my mood quickly brightens when I see that I am playing Michael. To be fair, Michael is my favorite but I always try out for the lead. Kyle is playing Jake and Bri landed the role of Christine, which they both clearly deserved.

"This is even better than when Disney announced they were making a sequel to Frozen!" I declare loudly. By now, everyone should already be used to my dramatic nature, so no one spares me more than a passing glance and smirk. To be fair we're literally theater kids so most of us are pretty extroverted.

"Choosing a musical over Disney? Are you feeling alright?" Kyle asks dramatically, putting a hand against my forehead.

"Yep, but only because I've never been in a Disney movie," I reason. I'm pretty sure these two would have gone deaf if I was ever cast in a Disney movie.

Bri scoffs, "Not like you're far off from it, how many times have you sent in a submission to them in hopes of them asking you to play a character?" She teases.

"Not many," I responded. In truth, I had sent in several different recordings in the hope that Disney would notice me. But alas, nothing has come of it. For now at least I've got a pretty stable job, and I have plenty of time for theater on the side.

"Actors! Get your butts out here!!" Corey calls from the stage.

"Great, the tyrant is the director this time," I grumble.

Corey is one of two people that direct the shows, and is more of a perfectionist than me. I always make sure my performances are perfect anyway, but having her yell at us doesn't help. Of course, she doesn't seem to know that, and everyone is too scared of her to say anything. Even for those that have tried, they just ended up getting yelled at and were reduced to stage hands.

"Yeahh," Kyle and Bri say at the same time.

Patton's POV

I walk into Deja Brew, turning the sign in the window over to the 'Open' side. The name of the shop had been my choice, and what better way to draw people in than with a great dad joke. Once inside, I go to the back and I find JoJo in the back pulling a fresh batch of chocolate croissants out of the oven. We had to stick out from other coffee shops somehow, so we also sell several different baked goods, made by JoJo. I grab my apron and head to my 'office' to turn on the fairy lights in the shop, before heading back to the counter.

"Hey, JoJo, where's Daniel?" I ask. Daniel was always on time but he was really cutting it close to missing the start of his shift.

She looks up from her baking, "I'm not sure, maybe there was some bad traffic?" She suggests.

"Doesn't he ride a bike to work?" As one of several teenage employees of mine, he doesn't have a car and walking several blocks at 4:30 just to get here in time for the morning shift can't be too easy.

"Maybe he got a flat tire," She responds.

"He must be working tireless-ly to get here," I snicker, shooting finger guns at JoJo who laughs. It's basically a requirement for my employees to like dad jokes, mainly because I make several during an interview and if they don't like them, they tend to leave early. The door's bell chimes, cutting off my train of thought, "Daniel!" I say happily, greeting the younger boy.

"Hey Patton, sorry I'm late," He says guiltily.

I smile brightly, "Don't worry, you're barely even a minute late," I reassure him. He's a great person, and I probably couldn't fire him if I tried.

Customers start coming in shortly after to get their 'happy juice' as JoJo calls it before going to work. Daniel takes orders, JoJo continues to work on baking, and I make the drinks while occasionally helping JoJo. I may like baking, but she's a lot better at it so she's usually the one here first thing to make the baked goods for the day. Eventually, JoJo's shift ends and she leaves with a complimentary coffee as she heads to her psychology lecture. Jacob, my non-binary employee, takes their place along with Avery, allowing me to take my break. I plop down on the couch in the break room, seeing a notification from the news app Logan had us download.

"The Darksides are once again breaking into another company building. Officials do not yet know what they are attempting to steal." The newest CDR reporter states calmly.

Oh right, it's been over twelve hours...welcome home Darksides, I'm sure New Vixen has missed you.

A/N: This was basically just a filler chapter introducing and building on some side characters for certa- absolutely no reason whatsoever. Yeah, just randos, not important at all. If for some reason you don't believe me, feel free to leave theories, those would be fun to read.