Adopted by Heathers Cast

Why Rehash A Nasty Crash?

I was at rehearsal one day, and we were rehearsing How Lucky You Are (Reprise). It was one of the songs I didn't know very well.

"When you land with a thud, and you're bumped and you're bruised." I sung.

"When you're trapped." Axel said.

"And you're grounded." Emily sung.

"And lost and confused, tell yourself how lucky you are!" we all sung.

"Why rehash a nasty crash, why call a hearse or curse the universe? My philosophy is simply things could be worse! So be happy you're here, think of life as a thrill. And when worse comes to worse as we all know it will, thank your lucky stars you've gotten this far! And tell yourself how lucky you are! How lucky, how lucky, how lucky you are!" I sung. Or at least tried to.

The crash. That's all I could think about. I froze up and ran off stage. I ran to the bathroom and called Elle.

"Hello? Sunshine?" Elle said once she picked up.

"Mommy..." I said in between tears. "Mommy...I can't anymore...it's too hard."

"Sunshine? What's wrong?" Elle said.

"The crash. There was a line in the show about a crash...and it brought me right back. Mommy..."

"Okay, shhh...Sunshine. It's okay, baby girl. This is what I want you to do. Take a deep breath. In...and out. Just focus on my voice for me. Take deep breaths. You're okay. Go for a walk to clear your head. I'll be right there to pick you up, okay?"

"Okay. I love you." I said in between tears.

"I love you too, my sweet little Sunshine."

_______

"I just had the worst day ever." I said, storming into my apartment. Jessica looked at me in shock and said, "What's wrong, Sunshine?"

"I'll tell you what's wrong. I froze up and ran off stage again and everyone in the show's gonna think I'm a baby." I yelled. I sat down on the couch next to Jess and started sobbing, and Elle said, "There was a line in the show about a crash, and it brought her all back and it freaked the poor girl out."

"I'm such a baby..." I whined. Jessica hugged me close and let me cry.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked, barging in the apartment with Evan right behind him.

"Cat just had a rough day." Elle said.

"Aww, my poor baby sister." Evan said. I ran into his arms and he picked me up. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

"The crash." I said softly. Evan kissed my cheek and said, "You never have to worry about that again."

"In shorter terms, apparently there's a line in the show about a crash and it freaked Sunshine out." Jessica said. "Cat, come here." Evan put me down on Jessica's lap and Jessica looked deep into my eyes.

"Don't worry, Cat. I'm not going to leave you. The crash is over, baby. I'm fine, Ryan's fine, you have Evan and Elle and we all love you more than life itself." Jessica said.

"I'm considering quitting the show..." I said. Elle and Jessica stared at each other and Evan gasped a little. I knew they would be disappointed in me. This, this right here, was my downfall.

"Sunshine, it's totally your decision, and I get that it's hard. But just know that we love seeing you on stage. You have such a talent and it's amazing to see. Don't quit the show." Elle said, hugging me.

"I guess..." I said, and Elle kissed my head. "Good girl."

"But it's too hard...especially with that crash line and Alone in the Universe. Why was I chosen to play JoJo? Like, 15 kids auditioned for JoJo and they picked me? Me of all people! I'll tell you why they picked me. It was a pity pick. They picked me because they knew how vulnerable I am. Like, I'm proud of myself, but deep down inside me, I think to myself, 'did I deserve this? Or is it just my last name that landed me it?'" I said.

"You are the perfect little JoJo. You're perfect for the role. Not to mention, you're adorable when you're singing It's Possible." Evan said.

"I like dancing a lot better than acting, though." I said, dancing around the living room.

Evan said, "You're an amazing little dancer." I almost crashed into him, and he said, "Watch out!"

"Sorry. Sometimes I get too into it and can't stop." I said, giggling. I fell on the couch and Jessica hugged me, also giggling.

"So what are we gonna do about that crash line?" Elle asked. "I could talk to the director."

"No! Don't. That'll just make me a magnet for abuse. If the kids find out I can't be away from her mommy and I get scared over a five-second line, I'll be the laughingstock of New York!" I said, crying.

"Aww. I know you have separation anxiety. And that's why you have your blankie, right? To help with that? Does it help?" Elle asked.

"Yeah. It makes me feel safe, like nothing can hurt me. It makes me not feel so alone." I said.

"My sweet little Sunshine. I hate seeing you feel alone. But just know that we are all here and we're all pulling for you and we all have your back, 24/7. You're our world and more." Elle said.

"I find that hard to believe." I said, scoffing. Which was true. I couldn't be that important to a bunch of Broadway stars.

"Believe it. You are our world, Sunshine. Now, do you want to get some ice cream and chips and watch a movie?" Ryan asked. I happily nodded and snuggled up on the couch, my head on Ryan's chest. He kissed my forehead and said, "I am so proud of you, sweet Sunshine."

Jess, Elle, and Evan joined us on the couch soon enough, and I put my legs in Elle's lap. Evan hugged me close and kissed my cheek.

"I love you guys." I said.

"We love you too, Sunshine." Evan said just before I fell asleep.

AN: Thanks to bookworm6570 for encouraging me to write this and providing me with some dialogue, I didn't use most of it, but oh well, I'll use it soon enough. Hope you enjoyed! Catch ya later!