BRUTAL • EJ CASWELL

fourteen

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𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹
˚ ༘♡ ·˚ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ
𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩
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BEFORE OPENING NIGHT, june and ej decided to go on their date. it was a saturday and they had a lot of time before they needed to be there. ej was picking her up in front of her house. june pushed the earring through her piercing hole and closed it with a backing. she grabbed her bag and excitedly ran down the stairs.

june opened the door and ej was there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. he smiled when she opened the door. "these are for you." ej said handing her the flowers.

"thanks. hold on" june said as she ran into her kitchen and put it in water. she went back to the door and walked out of her house. ej walked her to the car and opened the door for her.

"so where are we going?" june asked.

"you'll see." ej said pulling up to a park with a grassy field. it was empty and the view was amazing. "we're having a picnic here in the back of my truck." ej said as they boy got out of the car. in the back of his truck there was a blanket and a basket filled with food.

"you like it?"

"yeah, it's perfect." june said as ej helped her get in. for the rest of the date, they spent it cuddling in the back of his truck and eating picnic foods. "are you nervous for tonight?" ej asked.

"yeah. a little." june said leaning her head back on his shoulder.

"you'll be fine. you're they best taylor mckessie out there." ej said as she chuckled "thanks ej. that really means a lot. there was not much encouragement at my other school. there was lots and lots of competition during the auditions."

"i assume you've always been a main or lead character." ej said as she nodded "yeah, but in the fourth grade i was a tree. i mean why would you even put a character that doesn't even talk—or move?"

"so is your family coming tonight?" ej asked.

"yeah, most of them said they could. you know it was too bad gina couldn't make it. she would have been a really good kelsey. i mean now i have to do the status quo dance by myself."

"you'll be great. now i think we should leave before we're late to the theater." ej said looking at the time of his phone. ej dropped her off and she waved good bye to him. june got in and her parents were in the kitchen.

"june! you're home. we need to talk to you." her mom said as she sat down at the table next to them. her dad too off his glasses and put down the paper he was reading. "why didn't you tell us?" her dad asked.

"what?"

"we saw your theater caught on fire and your teacher lied on her resume. the board said she got her degree on a sketchy university online. see—i told you it was a bad idea to send her there." june mom said to her dad. "june you've changed so much. you even stopped hanging out with will." her mom said.

"so what you want me to just change back into old june?"

"no we made the decision for you. you're going back to north high after this musical—well after christmas." her dad said to june.