Meet Me at Stagedoor

Chapter 9

"Alright, class. Settle down. Settle Down." Miss Keener's voice rang through the theater, demanding the attention of every one of the students. A silence washed over the group like a wave as all attention was turned to the woman in the front.

Tapping a pen to her clipboard, her lips pressed together in a smooth line. Miss Keener continued, "The showcase went well, very well I might add."

She was right. The showcase the previous night went extremely well, almost without a hitch. The acts knew the lineup, their stage positions, and most importantly, their routines.

The older campers watched from the wings, applauding wildly when the group they had coached appeared on the stage. When Mackenzie and the rest of the group emerged, clad in matching costumes, she was nothing but proud. Jesse looked at her with a knowing grin before diverting his eyes to the group.

He watched them, clapping along to the beat while his eyes were dancing with light. Who would've ever thought he and her would almost be on speaking terms.

Watching them yesterday only made Beca flashback to her first showcase all those years ago, when the two of them could hardly stand to be in the same room as the other.

It had been her first year at camp, when she was 11, which was the same year she had that riff off incident with Jesse.

Due to her age, many people were nervous about her taking the stage. No one was sure how she could hold herself during the pressures of being front and center, but she proved that she had the capacity and the skill to hold her own when the first lights centered upon her.

Walking towards her cabin, which looked almost new all those years ago, Beca had pulled her bag towards her chest, holding it tightly. Her headphones were in there and she would surely murder someone if they got their hands on them.

Even at only 11 she still had the spunk that had only grown as she aged.

Her parents had said their goodbyes, promising to call her every week. There was something off about them. Mr. Mitchell wasn't the one to yell, but for the past few months his voice had been raised towards her one too many times more than usual. But now, after months of yelling and screaming between her two parents, they almost seemed calm.

Beca didn't put it together that they had started the process of getting a divorce, only finding out a little while later, which caused her to lash out a Jesse during the riff off, ultimately leading to their rivalry.

Nothing had been good at home for awhile.

Her mother had retreated towards her office more often than usual. When Beca got home from school, happy to share a new song she had found on the radio, her mother wasn't making her a snack like usual. She missed having those apples, perfectly sliced up with peanut butter and cinnamon.

Those were the times Beca used to ramble on and on about music class or beg for piano lessons. Those were her times with her mom and recently, she just seemed so distant.

They had been the perfect, American family, white picket fence and all. Beca's dad worked at the local college, teaching English Literature. Not only did her father love his job, but he couldn't see himself doing anything else.

From a young age Beca was taught about Hamlet and Things Fall Apart. Their dinners would consist of Mr. Mitchell trying to get Beca to read a new book, preferably one of the classics. She was the first girl in her grade to learn how to read, all thanks to the daily reading sessions with her dad.

He would prop her high on his shoulders, telling her to close her eyes and then pick out a book from the bookshelf that spanning the entirety of the room. Most of the time she read them, her father stopping every line or so to explain to her what was happening.