𝐈𝐕𝐘 | ɢɪɴᴀ ᴘᴏʀᴛᴇʀ x ᴏᴄ

ᴀᴄᴛ ᴏɴᴇ: ꜱᴄᴇɴᴇ ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

ᴀᴄᴛ ᴏɴᴇ: ꜱᴄᴇɴᴇ ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

"Why am I here?" I asked Carlos as he pulled me along to the café. If I got pulled and pushed anymore today, I think I was going to cry.

"Because- I don't know, you're my emotional support human that isn't Seb." The boy told me. Rolling my eyes, I opened up the door for the boy and we both stepped inside. It didn't take no longer than two seconds for Carlos to see Miss Jenn sat down. "Miss Jen, I was so happy to hear from you." He told her as he strode towards her, taking her into a hug when she noticed the two of us. With hugs given to each other, the three of us stood in an awkward triangle.

"Apparently you've got something." I say. "Is it good news?"

The teacher gave me a look in return. "It's complicated." She told the two of us. "Please, sit." She told us, gesturing to the chairs. As I sat down, I took a glance down at a newspaper, seeing a few jobs circled in a red sharpie. An empty coffee mug that looked like it had been used more than once. "Carlos, Casey, if tomorrow's board meeting goes the way I think it will, you guys are going to hear a lot of.... not great things about me."

"No, we don't-" Before Carlos could even get a word in, she butted in.

"It's all true." She told the two of us. I looked down at the coffee mug, thinking just how much caffeine this woman may have had.

"What is?" Carlos asked her.

She seemed rather hesitant as I looked back up, and she was looking past me and out the window. "I never told you guys my real last name because I embarrassed at how little I've actually accomplished." We both stared back at her, with nothing to say in return. "I'm a fake teacher, Carlos." She told him, her voice breaking. "Most of the learning that's been happening in that rehearsal room... has been all of you teaching me."

I shook my head. "No... that's- that's not true." I tell her.

She looks over at me, a delicate hand on mine. "It's the only part of it that ever was." I hold back anything I'd regret saying, and instead, she turned back to Carlos. "Here-" From the seat opposite me, she put a red toolbox up onto the table. "It's my director's file." She told the boy. "Audition notes, staging ideas, everything." She gave a sweet smile to the boy. "It's all there."

"But I can't direct the show." Carlos told her.

"Oh, it's not for you, honey." She told him. "It's for your next teacher." He shook his head a little again, sighing also as she suddenly stood up, picking up her bag and putting it on her shoulder. The woman took a glance at the two of us, a hand on either of our shoulder's. "I just hope she loves you guys half as much as I do." And with that the teacher walked out of the café, and I just stared back down at that coffee cup, not knowing what the fuck I was supposed to say now.

⊱⊰

"It's open?" I hear Big Red call up at us. Ashlyn gave me a cautious, anxious look as we walked down the stairs to the basement. Who would've thought I would be in the same room as Ricky after this rollercoaster of a day, huh?

The two of us walked down, seeing Stef, Kaden and Rico all stood there on the side, while Ricky was sat in one of the armchairs. Big Red just stood there in the middle of the room, looking up at the two of us. "Hi?" I asked in return to all the staring.

"Hey, guys..." Ashlyn murmured quietly.

"Okay." Ricky stood up from his armchair, holding his guitar with him. "How many people are coming?" He asked, lightly chuckling.

"Uh, that should be it." Big Red said, looking over at the five of us.

"Actually..." Ash said. "Give it a minute..."