𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 - 𝐡𝐬𝐦𝐭𝐦𝐭𝐬 (𝐢𝐢𝐢) | ✔

eighteen

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eighteen: on top
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     Indistinct chatter filled the barn as soon as all of them had greeted Miss Jenn. Juliette, on her part, had given the woman the biggest hug she could. Ever since she came into East High not even a year ago, Miss Jenn had become a second mother figure to Juliette. She knew that the teacher would always be there to help her if she needed it and, of course, she could not forget all the times she had already done so.

      "Wildcats!" she clapped, in an attempt to shut them up.

     "What are you doing here?" asked Carlos with a smile that occupied half of his face.

     "E.J. asked me for a couple directing pointers and I had alreayd been back from my Caribbean cruise for 15 minutes, so I drove here. What is happening with the show?"

      "Kourt and I got Elsa and Anna," Gina explained, both girls screaming alongside Miss Jenn in excitement. 

      "I got Olaf," Carlos continued. "But there's no dressing room, so I spend all day in the costume."

     "And I'm Kristoff, but maybe my dad already told you."

     She nodded, "oh, and remind me later, he sent me with an early birthday gift for you."

     "Oh, and who are you playing, girls?" she turned towards the two redheads of the group. "Are you Anna and Elsa's long-lost sisters who they discover on ancestry.com?"

      "We're not allowed to add parts to this one. I checked. Several times. I'm actually in the ensemble."

     "And I'm... Anna's understudy," Juliette admitted. Silence took over all of them, seeing the sad faces of the girls.

     "A musical is a beautiful body. The ensemble is a sturdy backbone," she turned towards Ashlyn, who managed to put a smile on her face. Juliette, nonetheless, remained quiet. She knew she had disappointed Miss Jenn, make her question every single decision regarding her. 

     "Sorry, guys," E.J. interrupted. "We have to get back to the climbing wall or we're gonna forfeit the whole girl."

     "Oh, Miss Jenn, do you wanna come watch?" Gina asked, to which the woman, hesitantly, ended up accepting.

     "But let me talk to Juliette first."

      Once they were all out and the two females were left alone, Juliette spoke.

     "I'm sorry, Miss Jenn. I know you expected more from me but... I am just not cut for this."

     "Listen to me, Juliette. An understudy is an essential part of the theatre. It's a person who is always there, under constant pressure. They need to know how to adapt in case something happens, they need to know how to continue from any point of the play, and it is not easy being one. I don't want you, for a single minute, to think that you're not as worth as any other actor in the play, okay?"

     "Thank you so much, Miss Jenn," the girl wiped her eyes, just before her tears fell down her cheeks.

     "And, since when are you and Ricky back together?"

     "Ricky and I are no..."

      "Oh, I'm sorry I asked," she chuckled nervously. "He just looks at you with such love and admiration that I thought..."

     "Does he?" Juliette asked, her back getting a bit straighter.

     "Let's go join them, okay?"