Limitless: The Second Edition

Hannah

Two days later, I bolt out of the calculus classroom door and race to my locker. Screw calculus. It makes no sense at all and is a bunch of useless jargon I'm not going to use unless I get an engineering job or something. And because I suck at anything math or science related, I have no intention whatsoever of getting an engineering job. Don't get me wrong, I love my calculus teacher due to her kind and helpful nature, but I can't stand the subject. It stresses me out to no end.

Yesterday was such a drag, having only seen Oliver once. I ran into Sadie and David in between classes, but they didn't have time to chat. It's a crying shame none of us have classes together. I guess that's what happens when you have a large high school. But now it's Thursday, and finally time for another rehearsal. I can't wait to see my new friends again.

I feel like my feet can't move fast enough to get me to the auditorium. I have a hunch that Oliver is already there, listening to another childhood theme song remix or browsing through the great world of the internet. Of course Oliver is there in his usual spot, scrolling through his phone, just as I thought he might be. I hurry over and situate myself in the seat next to him. Without speaking, he grins at me and hands me one of his earbuds. I put it in, slightly confused, then discover he's listening to a four year old girl sing "Winner" from our musical. I can't help but smile as I watch the little girl sing. She stumbles over the words a few times, but she's got the choreography down for sure. This girl is barely older than my little cousin, and she's already capable of learning the high-speed choreography of one of today's most popular musicals. According to the caption of the video, the girl has been dancing almost since she could walk and has been arriving to her weekly dance lessons half an hour early to learn the show's dance with her instructor. It makes me realize that when I was four, Chain Breaker didn't exist.

"She's pretty good, eh?" Oliver asks, probably speaking the mind of all Chain Breaker fans who lay eyes on this charming and incredible video. "This popped up on my YouTube recommended and I can't stop watching it."

I nod. "Very good. I'm impressed. She's amazing at the choreography. I've been dancing since I was about her age, but I don't think I was that good back then. It almost looks like she's trying to do Enso and Sholta's moves at the same time."

"Enso doesn't really have any dance moves for obvious reasons," Oliver points out. "His choreography is just a bunch of arm and upper body movements. When we were four, Chain Breaker hadn't even been thought of yet. This little girl is one of the first little kids to be born in the 'Chain Breaker Era'."

"I was just thinking the same thing," I reply. "The show is only about as old as she is at this point."

Just then David and Sadie approach us, drawn in by the sound of the video and good old curiosity.

"Are you watching that adorable girl?" Sadie inquires, gesturing towards Oliver's phone. "That video is being reblogged and retweeted all over the place among fans right now."

Oliver smiles, and my heart melts. "That's a good thing. This young lady deserves all the recognition and love from the fandom she can get. Hey, do either of you know if Derek has seen this yet?"

Sadie whips out her own phone from her pocket and scrolls through it until she finds what she's looking for. She shows us her screen, which is open to WorldChat, revealing a post from Derek himself.

"'Shout out the fan who sent me this charming video this morning,'" she reads aloud. "'This made my day and I expect I'll see this young fan starring in her school's production of Chain Breaker one day!'"

"I'm sure that will make that little girl's day to know that Enso himself saw her video and tweeted about it," David remarks.

"I KNOW I'M A WINNER!" shouts a random, unidentified voice. Well, not really unidentified, because it's clearly Derek Anderson's voice. Sadie, David, and I look around trying to find the source. There is obviously no way that Broadway's hottest young actor has suddenly showed in our high school auditorium unannounced.

"Sorry, guys," Oliver apologizes. "That's my WorldChat notification ring tone." Sadie and I share a quick side glance. I think part of both of us were hoping that Derek was actually in the room. He pulls out his phone again and goes to answer the notification. Suddenly, his face goes pale and his entire body starts quivering with excitement, causing one of his crutches to slip and accidentally knock him in the face.

"You okay, Oliver?" I ask him, putting an arm around him. "Did Derek answer you or something?" It's not unusual for Derek to answer a fan on Instagram. I've tagged him in my posts and my story a few times, and he's responded every single time.

Oliver hastily turns his phone over so I can't see it. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just got a message from someone who I didn't think would respond to me. I searched for four hours yesterday trying to find this person."

"Who was it?" Sadie presses on.

Obviously not Derek. It is well known that Derek replies to everyone unless they're being a jerk. And he's so popular right now it definitely does not take four hours to find him.

Oliver shakes his head and glances towards Ms. Dawson entering the room. "I can't tell you just yet. I have to sort a few things out, and maybe I'll be able to tell you later."

Ms. Dawson calls us onstage, and we all make our way up there. But I can't stop wondering what got Oliver so excited that he started having a freak out five minutes before rehearsal.