"The musical?" Veronica asked as Simon came in and slammed a sign up sheet he wasn't actually supposed to take with him on the table in front of all the SideThots in the Chipotle. "Swanson wants you to try out for the musical?"
"He cornered me in AP English and said it was either this or writing essays with Patrick and Talia."
Both Veronica and Tobi shivered. Tobi shook his head. "I don't know why, but I am repulsed by that idea."
"Does Swanson know that Simon has no acting talent?" Anusha asked, not being opposed by anybody because they all knew it was true.
"Swanson doesn't really know much," Lewis said, "I'm just... why wouldn't he ask me? I was Simba in my third grade's production of the lion king."
"Oh my god," Dylan said, just inheriting a memory. "I... remember having to watch that. Wasn't... Anusha, weren't you Scar?"
"Yes I was."
"Wasn't Vik Nala?
Vik crossed his arms and sunk into his chair. "No. I don't know what you're talking about."
Veronica laughed. "No. You had to sing Can you feel the love tonight? with Lewis while Ethan and Simon danced on a log behind you."
Liz looked at Ethan and Simon. "Oh my god, right. You guys were Timone and Pumba."
Tobi blinked like he couldn't remember any of what they were talking about. He looked at Ethan. "Were you pumba?"
Ethan glared. "Is that a fat joke?"
"What... no?" Tobi said, "I'm sorry. Were you Timone?"
"Of course not. Have you seen Simon? He was Timone."
"You're such a fucking hypocrite."
"Apparently my acting as Timone was so astounding that Swanson internalized it for years and then decided when I was a senior it was my time to become a rising star." Simon put his head in his hands like Swanson was pointing a gun at his head and forcing him to sign up.
"Si, you know you don't have to sign up, right?" Harry asked, even if he had already put his name down on the sheet. He wasn't even sure what the musical was, but he was ready to perform another rendition of Give It Up if he had to. Anusha looked at Lewis, excepting him to say something about he really did not want to see Harry do that, but he could still not tune into the narration, so she just shook her head and—
"Would you stop doing that?" Anusha asked no one in particular. "It's making me sad."
Okay, well I'm sorry I'm just trying to tell the sto—
"You're not helping."
"Anusha, who are you talking to?" Lewis asked and Anusha could've cried. Him losing his powers was the worst thing that could've—
"Real life Veronica I will cut you!"
Veronica sat up in her chair at her name and stared at Anusha. "What did I do?"
"I said real life, Veronica. There is a difference." Anusha stuck her head up at her friend like she was somehow royal for knowing all these things. That's right, story Anusha, I said it. Just cause you can hear me doesn't mean you're special. You can't cut me. I made you. "You need to stop. Keep telling the story."
Fine.
"I don't even remember what we were talking about," Simon said, absently writing his name on the sheet right after Harry's. "The lion king? How were we all in the lion king together and we still didn't become friends?"
