open call

eight

maddie came down the stairs with yet another filled suitcase.
"you making any progress?" she asked her dad. he had been typing away at his computer for the past three days, constantly looking for apartments.
"a few, but i'm trying to wheel and deal."
"wheel and deal?"
"you know, negotiate prices. everything is so expensive in the city, and until you get your first paycheck, your mom and i are paying for this out of teacher salaries."
"i know." she laughed. "and i can't thank you enough."
"it's your dream, mad-dog." he smiled. "and i'll put myself through whatever apartment-hunting hell it takes."
maddie looked at her growing pile of suitcases and bags. she might have to get rid of a few things.
"oh!" her dad's face lit up. "this looks like a good one! two bedroom convertible, though. i'm not sure if you need two rooms."
"well, for when you or lucy come up to visit. and i can use it as a little office to do schoolwork."
"school." he looked up at his daughter. "how's that going to work?"
"well, i've been texting james-"
"who's james?"
maddie sighed. "dad, i've told you a hundred times. he's playing aaron? i met him at the final audition?"
"yeah, it's-it's not ringing a bell."
"oh, my god, dad." she rolled her eyes.
"i'll get it eventually. so, you were texting him."
"i was texting him, and he said that the show was arranging for a tutor for the five of us."
"five of you?"
"yes, dad." she let out an exasperated sigh. "i told you that five people are leaving the show, and all of the new people are actual high schoolers."
"i am remembering that part." he raised a finger. "that school situation sounds good to me. now, come look at this." he beckoned maddie over to look at the pictures on his screen.
the apartment was beautiful. there was one bathroom, and the kitchen and living room was open concept, with a kind of glass divider between it and another bedroom that doubled as an office.
"dad, that's perfect! i love it!"
"you're sure?" he raised his eyebrows.
"yes! i could put lucy's painting there, and my playbills could go in the office on that wall, and-"
"okay, okay. i'm putting a bid in."
they stared at the screen for a few minutes, and the landlord came back with a message:
leased! you'll be able to move in in a week and a half. email me with any further questions.
"yes!" maddie gasped and hugged him. "thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"of course, mad-dog. you sure you're able to stay with someone for that first week?"
"robin said it was okay."
"and you're staying with..." he snapped his fingers as he thought, "krystina!"
"and her husband robert."
"right. and she plays gretchen."
"you do listen when i talk!" she teased.
"of course i do." he smiled. "i'm really proud of you, mad-dog."
"thanks, dad."
"now, you have a lot more packing to do, miss cady heron." he pushed maddie towards the stairs. "go on!"
"alright, alright. remember-"
"lucy's coming over. she could probably just live here at this point."
at that moment, the doorknob turned, and lucy came in.
"hey, chris!" she grinned as she pointed to maddie's dad.
"hi, lucy."
"maddie." she gave a curt nod to her friend. "i believe we have a room to pack up?"
"we do!" maddie took her hand and pulled her up the stairs.

"you said goodbye to your mother?" her dad asked when maddie came out with her last suitcase. "yep. lucy's still in there."
"as i'm sure she will be every day until you're back."
she laughed and shut the trunk. "i'm sure she will." she slid into the passenger's seat and took a last look at her house.
"you alright?"
"yeah, i'm-i'm good."
her dad started the car. they drove in silence for a few moments until he spoke again.
"look, mad-dog. i-i know your mother isn't really...happy with this."
"yeah. i kind of figured that when she hung up on me after i told her."
"but i need you to know that i am so, so proud of you."
"i know."
"she'll come around to it."
"i hope so."
"mad-dog, we are going to be there for your opening night, and i am going to be there for you every step of the way."
maddie nodded and sighed. "yeah. i-thank you, dad. i love you."
"i love you too." he smiled. "now, why don't you put on the show? let me hear a sneak peek of the next big broadway star."

her dad never failed to make her smile.
through the years, maddie's mom had always treated her passion for theatre as something disposable. like it was something even less than a hobby. maddie's dad had been her saving grace. he was the one who took her to see her first show on broadway and funded her playbill collection with his extra savings. he was the one who believed in her unconditionally.
she knew that his dream was for her to be a star on the broadway stage, because that had been her dream for as long as she could remember.

they cycled through a few cast albums and made their way back to mean girls on the way up to the city. maddie was singing fearless at the top of her lungs when they pulled into the parking garage next to krystina's building.
the two had texted back and forth a few times, and maddie raised her phone to her ear. she nibbled on her thumbnail while it dialed.
"maddie?" krystina said through the phone.
"hi! um, i'm here in the parking garage, uh, what's your apartment number again?"
"oh my gosh! we'll come meet you, hold on" she put her hand over the phone. "bob!" she called down the hallway. "maddie's in the parking garage, let's go!"
maddie giggled to herself.
"we are on our way, girl! mwah!" krystina hung up the phone.
"i guess they're meeting us here." she laughed. her dad made his way to the back of the car and popped open the trunk. "you've got a lot of stuff."
"well, i'm moving, so that makes sense."
he smiled sadly. "it does."
minutes later, a voice echoed from the other side of the garage. "maddie? maddie franklin! is that you?"
"it's me!" she giggled nervously. krystina was the sweetest, but maddie was still a little nervous to meet her and robert.
"hi!" she smiled as they got closer and started to stick her hand out, but krystina hugged her tightly. "i have been so excited to meet you for real!" she exclaimed, her voice a little muffled as she squeezed maddie. "i just haven't stopped talking about it!"
"no, you haven't." robert laughed. "it's nice to meet you, maddie."
"nice to meet you, too." they shook hands, and krystina turned to maddie's dad. "and you must be mr. franklin!" she hugged him too, and robert shook his hand.
"that's me. chris, though. call me chris."
"alright, let's get this stuff inside!" krystina said. maddie put on one, then two backpacks and grabbed her biggest suitcase. robert rolled two behind him, krystina carried another backpack and a bag, and maddie's dad toted a bag in each hand and a backpack on his back. maddie closed the trunk with her foot, and the four of them set off back to the apartment building.

"let me show you your room." krystina beckoned for maddie to follow her. robert and her dad dropped the bags off by the door and then meandered back to the entrance.
the guest room was adorable, with plants everywhere and a cute little chair in the corner.
"it's not much, but we usually use this as the office." she explained.
"it's perfect. i won't be staying long."
"you found an apartment?" she raised her eyebrows.
"yeah." maddie smiled. "it's so, so cute." she whipped out her phone to show krystina pictures.

meanwhile, chris and robert were talking by the front door.
"i'm so happy for her, and i'm so proud, but i just-" chris sighed. "i don't like the thought of her being alone in the city."
"i get it." bob nodded. "my parents were scared to death when i moved her, and i was 24."
chris laughed. "that makes me feel a little better."
"i promise you, man, maddie's in great hands. this cast, mean girls, is probably one of the best on broadway right now. they're going to make her feel so loved and so safe."
"you mean that?"
"i do. they were amazing when krystina joined the show. i can only imagine how it's going to be for these five."
"that's really good to hear." chris let out a sigh of relief. "i'm still a little worried about her living alone. her mother and i, we've-we've never so much as left her for a weekend."
"if you'd like, we can check on her from time to time. just to make sure she's alright."
"you'd do that? that would be amazing. absolutely amazing." he said earnestly.
bob smiled. "of course."
"you know, i think i'm more scared than she is. we've always called her our fearless girl."
"then she'll be the perfect cady."

"and here's the kitchen." krystina said. "i'm going shopping today, if you want to come along to the show and then come with me."
"that sounds like so much fun!"
"the grocery store is always an adventure." she teased. "i think it'll be good to introduce you to everybody!"
"mad-dog?" her dad called. "i need to leave soon to avoid traffic."
krystina nodded at her, then called bob over.
maddie met her dad by the apartment's entrance. "okay."
"okay." he smiled sadly, tears forming in his eyes. "i'm so proud of you, maddie."
"save it for debut night, dad." she laughed, though she was fighting back tears of her own.
"bob and krystina are gonna check on you every once in a while once you're moved in." he said. "bear with me. it'll give me peace of mind."
"that's okay with me." she smiled.
he wrapped his daughter in a tight hug.
"i love you so, so much, mad-dog."
"i love you too. so much."
after a moment, he sighed. "i should hit the road."
"okay." she pulled away and smiled. "i'll call you soon."
"every other day, at least."
"every other day."