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Most of the theater kids stood in front of the ruined theater, with little pebbles still falling from the ceiling. Upon seeing her students, Miss Jenn quickly approached them, a falsely optimistic smile on her face. 

"It's okay. Nobody was hurt. There was a small fire in the theater over the holiday, and the sprinklers did their job." Miss Jenn clarified, trying to keep everyone calm, despite not being calm herself.

"We're almost done in here. We just have to finish up in the faculty room next. Some circuits blew in there over the break." An approaching firewoman explained, and the teacher's eyes widened, guilt taking over her.

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ᴍɪss ᴊᴇɴɴ, ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀ

We fell asleep, we smelled smoke, we pulled the fire alarm, and Benjamin Mazzara said 'run'. So I ran. I will donate my entire salary to rebuild the theater, but the show must go on.

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"Unfortunately, the show can't go on." The firewoman declares, shocking the students behind Miss Jenn. Autumn grabbed EJ's hand, seeking some kind of comfort, and leaned her head on his shoulder, worried expressions on both of their faces. 

Faced with Miss Jenn's confusion, the firefighter elaborated. "Fire went through half your costumes, and the sprinklers ruined a bunch of your sets. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to red-tag the entire backstage area for at least a month."

"Did she just say costumes?" Kourtney asked in a melancholic tone, although she already knew the answer. She had dedicated so much time over the past few months to making those costumes, and suddenly all her hard work had been in vain.

"Alright, listen up. Hug your neighbor, take a moment, and let's all reconvene in the cafeteria after school to talk about our options." The teacher said, trying to keep her composure. "Autumn and EJ, spread the word."

The young couple nodded as they pulled out their phones, telling the other members of the crew about the impending emergency meeting.

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Bɪɢ Rᴇᴅ, Jᴜɴɪᴏʀ

(holding a burnt basket ball on his hand) It's just... I'm the props guy, so it's kind of a hard day. I-I guess if you hold it like this you can't tell it got ruined. 

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﹏﹏﹏

The theater crew was already scattered across the cafeteria when Miss Jenn walked in. Autumn was sitting on top of a table, her fingers intertwined with EJ's while her head rested on Gina's shoulder.

"Okay guys, let's start." Miss Jenn announced, clapping her hands to obtain everyone's attention. "I'm really not sure what to say. You've all worked so hard. I've seen all of you grow so much. But if we don't have a theater, we don't have a show. "

The whole room erupted in chaos, everyone sharing their suggestions and concerns with the nearest person. Carlos cleared his throat, directing himself at the young teacher. "Come on Miss Jenn, we've gotta do something." He said.

"I think we... I don't know, I guess we could consider other venues...?" Miss Jenn proposes nervously.

After a few suggestions were verbalized, they all agreed to do the show at the El Rey Theater, where Carlos' uncle is the listing agent, despite Miss Jenn's initial objection.

"Wildcats, let's grab all the props and costumes that didn't get damaged, and let's load out!" Miss Jenn instructed, fake cheer in her voice. It would be one heck of a rehearsal.

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ᴍɪss ᴊᴇɴɴ, ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀ

They say that one way to heal from a bad memory is to immerse yourself back in that memory. This should be extremely healing. 

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"Right this way, follow me!" Miss Jenn exclaimed as she guided the students through the insides of the El Rey, their flashlights barely illuminating the place. "Ah, smell that smell, the theater. Mold, it's a sign of life! Everyone, watch your step, and let me know if you haven't had a tetanus shot recently, okay?

The stage was full of props from old shows,  creepy statues and mannequins displayed seemingly everywhere. Autumn stood in the middle of the stage, her eyes moving through the multiple rows of seats in awe. The El Rey was huge, way bigger than the one they had in school, and she couldn't believe they would perform there.

"What's up, girlie? You look starstruck." Gina points out as she walks toward her best friend with a wide smile on her face. 

"I just... Look at this place. It's incredible. Imagine just how many people fit in here!" Autumn replied, only tearing her gaze from the view in front of her to look at Gina. "It's always been my dream to act in a theater like this."

"One day, you will be acting in locations like this all the time. Just don't forget me when you get famous." Gina jokes, making the Campbell girl chuckle. 

Autumn throws her arms around Gina, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you for being the best friend ever." She says.

"You're welcome, A," Gina replies, giggling. "I never would've come this far without you."

﹏﹏﹏

"Let's have some real talk, folks." Miss Jenn discloses as some crew members remove the weird stuff that had previously occupied the stage. "Welcome to tech rehearsal! I don't know if you've noticed, but most of the tech in this particular theater appears to be hand-cranked.  Natalie, my stage manager, this is your chance to be the hero."

 The crew exchanged a knowing look since they had already noticed Natalie Bagley's absence, but apparently, Miss Jenn hadn't. "Natalie Bagley's getting her wisdom teeth out." Seb finally broke the silence.

"Okay. Okay, so I'm down a stage manager, so someone will have to cover that role." Miss Jenn thinks out loud and, before anything else could be said, a huge bag falls off the ceiling, scaring everyone.

Miss Jenn looks at the ceiling suspiciously before continuing her speech. "That's totally normal, just keep your heads up, from now on. Alrighty. Big Red, do you know how to hang a light?"

"I know how to hang out?" The ginger's unsure response causes laughter to erupt around the room.

"Cool." Miss Jenn said, looking at Big Red weirdly before directing her attention towards Carlos. "Carlos, let's set marks to light Status Quo." 

When the Latino agreed, Miss Jenn pointed to Autumn and EJ "Troy and Gabriella, find somewhere quiet and run the rooftop scene. It's been a while, and I need you opening night ready by dinnertime, okay?"

The teacher walked away without waiting for an answer, leaving behind the two teenagers. "We got this, tulip," EJ whispered so only Autumn could hear as they moved toward one of the small rooms on the left-stage corridor. That would definitely be an interesting tech rehearsal.

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝙀𝙅 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡Where stories live. Discover now