Scientific Actress

Sing It Live!!!-A-Rooney

I stood on the set of Sing it Louder with Liv and Ruby. Gemma was super excited.

"Girls. Feel... the electricity. That is event television coming together. It is a special live broadcast called..."

"Sing it Live," Liv sang. She continued to overdo her singing, making riffs as she went. I was worried. Ever since her throat started hurting, she's been trying to overdo it to salvage her voice.

"You good?" Gemma asked.

"Yeah, no, I'm good," Liv assured her.

"Millions of people will be watching and I am thrilled!" Gemma grinned. "And look at me. Closer." She grabbed Ruby and pulled her close. "I am terrified."

"You're not the only one," Ruby whimpered.

"Are you terrified because on live TV, there's no way to fix a mistake?" I guessed. "Because that would terrify me." I pursed my lips. "Now I'm really scared."

"This week, don't even say the word 'mistake'," Gemma snapped.

"Okay. Why don't we start rehearsing?" Liv suggested.

"Great! The three of you are about to stop the sale of Monahan Academy to the evil developer, Larrabee Peaslee. Let's rehearsal Liv's show-stopping, Broadway-will-be-calling song. Liv, you go to the top of the stairs for your entrance and you descend. Singing like honey poured over thunder."

"Um, about that. Um, so, my throat has been bothering me lately, and I was hoping to save my voice for the live show. You know, gotta make sure I have all that honey for all that thunder," Liv explained.

"Of course," Gemma replied. "Of course, you do what you have to do. Because you are the fantastic Liv Rooney. And you always deliver. She is good enough for Justin Timberlake." Gemma raised her voice. "Are the rest of you?" She walked away.

"Your throat's been bothering you for weeks," Ruby noticed. "That can't be good."

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no. We've just been rehearsing a lot, you know. It's just tired," Liv assured her. "So totally normal." Liv walked away, patting our shoulders.

Ruby turned to me. "This isn't normal. She sings every time we rehearse. I'm really worried about her, (Y/n). I should say something to her mom."

"I think it's a mistake not to," I agreed.

"Who just said mistake?"

Ruby's eyes went wide, grabbing my hand. "Run!"

~~~

Parker, Joey, Ruby, and I walked onto the set. Gemma was really stressing out.

"Thanks for driving us, Joey," I said gratefully.

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Where's Justin Timberlake?" Joey asked.

Gemma sighed. "J.T.'s flight got delayed."

Joey groaned. "We've been practicing our cool guy handshake!" Parker exclaimed.

"Starts up here, ends right down here in friendship town." Joey held his hand out to Gemma.

"Um, you know, I think I saw a cool guy somewhere not on this set. Why don't you guys go find him?" Ruby suggested.

Joey nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay." Gemma faced me. "(Y/n), in this scene, you sneak back into the theater using the elaborate tunnels you've built under Monahan Academy. You call them the Sasha Tunnels."

Parker and Joey ran over to us. "You're putting my tunnels on TV?" Parker questioned.

Gemma grinned. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah. How much am I getting paid?" Parker asked.

"What if I make you famous?" Gemma offered.

"I'm listening."

"And I am standing next to him."

"During the live show, we will be cutting to viewers at home. We can send a camera to your house and give you thirty seconds of airtime," Gemma explained. "You'll become semi-celebrities."

"We're going to be semi-celebrities. We're going to be semi-celebrities. We're going... to be semi-celebrities." They danced their way off set.

Gemma looked at Ruby. "Your cousins are buffoons."

~~~

Mrs. Rooney called me from her car. I panicked when I heard nodes. She couldn't sing for the live show. Terror ran through me at the thought of Gemma being freaked out. Liv couldn't sing without the risk of permanently damaging her voice.

~~~

I sat on the couch, waiting for Liv. I got scared. Five minutes in, she had to sing.

She walked in, smiling. "What's wrong? The Monahan Academy Talent Show is tonight. I thought you would be so excited."

"How can I be excited?" I questioned. "Larrabee Peaslee is going to close Monahan Academy."

"No." Liv shook her pointer finger. "We are not going to let that happen. I mean, that rich jerk is gonna be at the show tonight. We could steal the documents that prove that he doesn't own the school and show everybody what a liar he is."

"How?" I asked.

"With the power of two." Liv locked our pinkies together for a moment.

We broke into song for a few minutes. We cut to commercials, making me sigh in relief.

~~~

Ruby and I walked on stage. Presto Priya was in the works.

"For my first illusion, I will make Sasha disappear," Ruby explained.

She opened the small cabinet. I could barely hear her as I escaped and went into the tunnels. I grabbed the documents, smirking at Johnny being so purposefully clueless. I got back in the box right as Ruby "summoned me back from the netherworld".

"This magic trick isn't the only trick tonight," I announced. I held up the supposed documents. "These documents are phony. Larrabee Peasley doesn't own Monahan Academy."

Everybody booed, making me grin.

"You miserable kids ruined my perfect plan!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Monahan Academy lives to fight another day!" I shouted. "And now, the grand finale of the talent show, Stephanie Einstein."

Liv didn't appear. Johnny saw what was happening and filled in with a stupid story about an elephant and a snow globe. I knew Maddie was trying to talk Liv out of it. But I also knew Maddie would stay by Liv's side if she chose to.

Liv appeared, finally. I repeated my line, the piano playing behind me. I escaped, trying to find Maddie. She hugged me, knowing I was scared for Liv, too. But she congratulated me on my acting, too. Liv finished her song, but her grin turned into a frown. She cried as she walked over to us, hugging both of us.

"Liv, you did it."

"I'm so proud of you."

Liv pulled away, barely able to speak. "Something happened. It's bad."

"Okay. Okay, let's get you to a hospital."

Maddie and I ran out of the set with a sobbing Liv holding her throat.