Chapter Twenty-Nine: SLAAYY!

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Dylan sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the wall. The conversation with Headmistress Beaumont still weighed on him. Failing a class means staying here longer. The thought gnawed at him, filling him with dread. He knew he needed to focus, buckle down on his grades, and take this seriously. It wasn't just about passing anymore—there were consequences for everything, and he couldn't afford another punishment like the one he'd just received.

Modeling for a runway show. Dylan groaned quietly, burying his face in his pillow for a moment. The whole situation was surreal, but there wasn't time to dwell on it. He glanced at the clock on his desk, realizing it was almost time to meet Claire and the other girls to start planning for the talent show performance. Beyoncé's "Single Ladies"... This is going to be a disaster.

He stood up, smoothing his skirt out of habit and fixing his hair before heading to the door. No sense in putting it off. He had to get through this evening somehow.

As he approached Claire's dorm, Dylan steeled himself, trying to mentally prepare for the evening ahead. The moment the door opened, Claire greeted him with a bright smile and a big hug. "Diana! So glad you made it!"

Dylan was taken aback by the warmth of her hug, stiffly returning the gesture as he tried to match her energy. "Hey, Claire!" he replied, forcing enthusiasm into his voice. Claire pulled back, still smiling widely, and Dylan did his best to mirror her friendliness.

Inside the room, Amber and Kayla were already waiting, both of them lighting up as he entered. "Hey, Diana!" Amber called out, her voice bubbly, while Kayla waved with equal excitement.

"Heyyy!" Dylan said, imitating the girls' over-the-top enthusiasm. He noticed how they all seemed so comfortable with each other, even though they weren't particularly close. He'd noticed before how girls could act overly friendly and warm even with people they barely knew. It felt like a performance in itself, and now he was doing his best to keep up with it.

"Okay, so!" Kayla said, bouncing slightly on her toes. "We were talking before you got here, and since you're the tallest, we thought it would look a little strange if you weren't in the middle during the performance."

Dylan blinked, a little taken aback by how quickly things were moving, but after thinking about it, it did make sense. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense," he replied, nodding slowly.

"Awesome!" Kayla grinned. "So, you'll be Beyoncé! You'll be lip-syncing the lead."

Dylan froze, his mind scrambling to process what Kayla had just said. Wait... what? Beyoncé? The lead? Lip-syncing the lyrics? He hadn't realized that was what agreeing to be in the middle meant. His heart sped up, and he quickly tried to backtrack.

"Uh, well...," Dylan began, trying to find the right words. "There's, like, four of us, right? So, technically there isn't really a middle person..."

Before he could fully backpedal, Amber jumped in. "Oh, yeah, about that." Her tone softened, and she gestured toward her foot. "I hurt myself in gymnastics practice yesterday, and my coach said I'm not allowed to participate in anything until I'm healed up. So, unfortunately, I'm out."

Dylan's heart sank. Now there really was a middle—and that middle was him.

Amber's face fell. "I'm super bummed about it."

Kayla, who had been so excited a second ago, looked confused. "What's the matter Di? You don't want to be the lead? You'd be perfect for it!"

Dylan's brain scrambled for an answer. He forced a wide smile, trying to cover his discomfort. "Oh! No, it's not that—I just didn't want to, you know, take the lead if one of you wanted it. I didn't want to hog the spotlight."

All three girls immediately brightened. "Aww, that's so sweet!" Claire gushed. "But trust me, I'm glad you're taking the lead. You totally have the legs for it, everyone's going to be looking at you, and your legs are going to totally steal the show!"

Dylan forced a laugh, even though every fiber of his being cringed at the thought. My legs? Stealing the show? "Oh my god, thanks... but you'd all be just as perfect for the lead," he replied, trying to think of how a girl would respond to that compliment.

Amber leaned forward excitedly. "And don't worry about the costumes! Kayla and I are going to make them in our Garment and Apparel class. We're going to try and make them look exactly like the ones in the video."

Dylan's smile wavered as he nodded along, doing his best to act excited. In reality, the idea of wearing a costume and performing in front of the entire school was making him feel worse by the minute. But the girls didn't seem to notice his discomfort.

"Yes. They're going to SLAAYY!" Kayla said, clapping her hands for dramatic effect. "We're going to look hot."

Dylan swallowed hard, forcing himself to say, "I literally can't wait!"

Claire clapped her hands together, leaning forward with wide eyes. "So! I was thinking we should meet every evening this week to practice. The talent show's only two weeks away, and we need to nail this routine if we're gonna win this talent show!"

Kayla nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I talked to Ms. Monroe, and we can use the dance studio across campus. There's a mirrored wall, so we can really see what we're doing."

The others eagerly agreed, and Dylan nodded along, though he was internally groaning. Every evening this week? It felt like the universe was conspiring against him. Still, there was no way he could back out now.

"Perfect!" Claire beamed. "We should all watch the video a few times tonight so we're not starting totally fresh tomorrow. We can get the moves down before we meet."

Kayla nodded in agreement. "And I'll make sure to send a text to out group chat with links to some tutorials I found. There's this one that really breaks down the steps, so we can practice on our own, too."

Before they wrapped up, Amber pulled out a tape measure. "Before we head out, I need everyone's measurements for the costumes. They should be ready for the first fitting by Saturday night."

At that, Kayla and Claire screeched with excitement, making Dylan flinch slightly. He tried to mirror their glee, though inwardly he was praying the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Costumes...fittings... rehearsals... It was all becoming way too real.

He stood up as Amber quickly jotted down his measurements, barely hiding his eagerness to leave. "Alright, well, I guess I'd better head back to my dorm and start practicing," Dylan said, trying to sound upbeat. "Especially since I need to memorize all the lyrics."

"Good idea!" Claire beamed at him. "We're all so excited! This is going to be amazing!"

The girls said their goodbyes, all still gushing over how fun the performance was going to be, and Dylan forced a smile through it all. As soon as he was out of the dorm, though, his smile faded, and he let out a long breath. He was in way over his head.

As he approached his own dorm building, the weight of everything—grades, the talent show, his growing list of responsibilities—settled heavily on his shoulders. He couldn't shake the feeling that this whole situation was spiraling out of control.

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