Just Revenge

Chapter Nineteen: Chicken, Round Two

Lord, I hate tech week. I grumbled to myself as I got out of my dad's car and started down the hill. Tech week was the week before the show takes place – the 'get your shit together' week where you start running everything in costumes and add make up and set changes and everything. For summer show, it also means that we start rehearsing on an actual stage instead of the middle of a park. Our stage is an outdoor amphitheater down a huge hill that would eventually serve as seating for our show. It also meant that rehearsals started running until nine o'clock which meant that I worked from 7 until 4 and then rehearsed from 5 until 9, and at some point found time to eat dinner and finish my summer homework since tech week also meant that the summer was ending very shortly.

Whatever, I tried to pretend I wasn't miserable at the idea of tech week. At least it meant that I got to see my techie brethren again – it'd been way too long. Almost as if on cue I hear Lily's voice cut across the hill, "Carmen Ashby?"

"Ashley Stewart?" I shouted in response, breaking into a run towards my friend. I hugged her tightly, "It's been way too long."

"Hell yeah. No one's bullied me all summer."

"Bitch."

"Wow, I feel the love." I hear Lily chime in from across the stage, stalking over towards us.

"I wouldn't know why, there isn't any." I threw back.

"Yeah, okay. I'm not gonna touch you cuz I don't wanna catch any actor germs, but just pretend I slapped you for that."

I shrugged, "It's fine, I wouldn't have actually felt it anyway."

She rolled her eyes and shoved me, "Bitch."

"Bully."

"Actor."

I mock gasped, "Some insults go too far."

She smirked, "You're right, my apologies."

"Are you people actually friends?" I hear Cort's voice judging from afar.

"See what I've been dealing with." I whisper to Ashley and Lily.

"Right, cuz you've been a real blast." Cort cuts back before stalking away.

"God, I hate actors." Ashley rolls her eyes at him.

"This is the only good part of tech week. I'm no longer completely surrounded in the enemy territory."

Lily rolled her eyes at me, "Yeah, you must've really suffered."

"Carmen, why aren't you in costume?" Miranda shouted at me as she stomped closer, "I told Cortland to tell you to change like ten minutes ago."

Of course. The dumbass didn't even mention it and now it was my fault I wasn't ready. "Sorry Miranda. I'll go get into costume now."

"Thank you. And I want you in heels today too, we're doing full costumes."

"Yeah, okay." I mumbled under my breath as I walked towards the girls' dressing rooms.

It only took me a couple minutes to change into my costume – a gray pencil skirt, 70's style blouse and matching blazer – then I walked out to try and find my friends again. As soon as I walked backstage, I spotted one of my other techie friends setting up the prop table for the show. "Lexi!"

Lexi turned around, but didn't greet me back, "I'm going to fucking kill the actors."

"What happened?"

"Some fucking actor grabbed a prop knife and disappeared with it. Tech week hasn't even officially started yet and I'm already ready to kill somebody."