The One That Got Away || Benny Weir

39

"The Rainbow Factory?" Erica scoffs. "I hate the hippie junk. This is going to be the worst school play ever."

Sarah and Reagan, who stood with Erica in the hallway, glance at each other. Reagan asks, "So why do you want to be in it?"

"It's on my bucket list." Erica shrugs, walking away. Sarah and Reagan follow and walk on each side of Erica. 

"Why do you have a bucket list?" Sarah asks. "You'll never kick the bucket."

"It's a long list. And item twelve says 'Star in the school play'. So I can ram it in the face of the pint-sized drama queen Sunday Clovers." Erica mocks in an accent.

Reagan chuckles while Sarah sighs. "You act like she came all the way from Australia on exchange just to bother you."

Erica shrugs, this time Reagan spoke. "Why can't you just be nice?"

Sarah and Erica snort while Reagan looks at them confused. "What?"

"You told us how you believed she was being too 'friendly' with Benny and wanted to bleed her dry." 

Reagan flushes in embarrassment. "That was one time!"

As the three approaches the sign-up sheet, Erica grabs the pen and a random hand goes for it. They look to see Ethan and Benny. 

Benny awkwardly chuckles at the glare the blonde-haired vampire was giving him. "Age before beauty."

Erica sarcastically laughs before writing her name. Then, Ms. LOL walks up to the group. "Ooh! Let the eagles of creativity soar! I'm off to make copies of this wonderful script!" She grunts as she attempted to open the book. "It's been hiding away inside the basement wall for twenty-five years. And I took it out."

Ms. LOL was finally able to rip open the book. She laughs at the students before walking away.

"I will never understand how she can always smile," Reagan says.

*

"I'm the understudy?"

"Oh, boy." Reagan sighs. 

She watches the surprise on Erica's face after she received the news.

"But I totally nailed that audition!" 

"You were very... present!" Ms. LOL smiles. She looks at someone in the background. "Congratulations, Sunday Clovers. You're our lead!"

Reagan groans as she hears a high-pitched squeal coming from Sunday Clovers. The girl excitedly rushes over before getting into the act. "'Do I dream? Or do my waking eyes see color anew? Such reds! Such golds! Ah, to see my joy!'"

"And to see my pain," Reagan mutters to Sarah as she rubs her ear. 

"Thank you so much, Ms. Lofthouse Oldman-Little!" Sunday happily says.

"The kids call me Ms. LOL." The teacher laughs.

Erica leans over to the two. "Makes me want to put that little shrimp on the barbie."

Sunday turns to Erica. "I know you'll be a real ace understudy, and you'll step right in if something happens to me!"

Erica opens her arms to hug the shorter girl. "Yes. If something happens to you." Reagan noticed the struggled look on Sunday's face as she hugged Erica.

She was able to pull away from the well-gripped hug. "Wow! You have a lot of positive energy. I can feel it in my ribs! I'm grinning like a shot fox! I'm gonna do the Harold Hold and have a Captain Cook at my dressing room."