Broadway or Bust

"Life is about to change for you and me, but mostly me!"

-Book of Mormon (Musical)

Delaney Peterson danced around her kitchen happily to her iPod-a collection of songs from various musicals. School had just let out for the summer and she could not have been happier. She didn't have to deal with any of the small-minded idiots she went to school with. She had three whole months to do and be whoever she wanted. She didn't have to answer to anyone, write a single report, act like a regular person, stop channeling her favorite musical characters. She could be whatever she wanted.

"When I meet the Wizard, my whole life will change. 'Cause when you're with the Wizard, no one thinks you're strange. No father is not proud of you, no sister acts ashamed! And all of Oz has to love you when by the Wizard you're acclaimed!" Delaney sang along to the song on her iPod-this one from Wicked. She did a little pivot turn.

The doorbells rang, startling Delaney from her little dream stage. She ran to it, peering through the peephole. On her front porch stood Michael Shay and Christine Gallagher, two people who hated her more than anything.

Delaney whipped out her phone, sending her boyfriend Ian McKidd, an SOS text, begging him to come over and save her from the people she had just escaped from. She pulled the door open, forcing a smiled.

"Michael, Christine, what a surprise!" Delaney cooed. This wasn't a lie, the emotion, however, was faked. "So, what are you doing here?"

"May we come in?" Christine asked. Delaney nodded, stepping to the side of the doorway. Christine and stepped in, Michael following.

"Um, please, sit down," Delaney said, motioning to the the orange sofa at the far end of the room. The couple crossed, plopping themselves down on to the sofa. Christine looked around the living room. The walls had begun to house Delaney's ever expanding musical poster collection, these were mostly the posters of the shows Delaney had been in.

"How, um, cute," Christine said cautiously, as if trying to decide what the room really was. She smoothed her pink skirt-a staple in her closet- over her knees, trying to put the news she had gently.

"So, what's up?" Delaney asked, sitting down on the the white arm chair opposite the sofa.

"Well...um...you like to act, right?" Christine asked.

"Yeah, I do," Delaney said.

"I remember, you were in the school musical. You were Princess Fred, right?" Michael wondered, remembering back to the middle of the school year when Delaney had played Winnifred in the middle school production of 'Once Upon a Mattress'.

"Yeah, I was." Delaney confirmed.

"Anyway," Christine announced, trying to get them back to her topic. "My uncle is looking for a teenage girl to star in his musical, on...Brightway, I think."

"Broadway." Delaney corrected. "And who's your uncle?"

"Edward Puckett." Christine said simply.

"EDWARD PUCKETT IS YOUR UNCLE?" Delaney screamed. Christine nodded sheepishly. The door opened, Ian was letting himself in.

"What did you do to her?" he asked upon hearing Delaney scream.

"Edward Puckett, who is apparently Christine's uncle, wants me to star in his musical on BROADWAY!" Delaney explained wistfully. It had always been her dream to be on Broadway and she was finally getting her chance.

"That's great, Dels," Ian said, hugging her tightly, pecking her cheek.

"So, uh, yeah. I'll just email you the details, but you'll have to be in New York pretty soon." Christine said.

"Anything, I'll do anything!" Delaney cried.

"Okay..."Christine mumbled. "Come on, Mikey, all this 'being nice' is making me sick." She and Michael stood up, walking toward the door.

"Wait!" Delaney called. "Thanks, Christine. Thanks, Michael." She hugged Christine, and pecked Michael quickly on the cheek. His face flushed into a brilliant magenta color from embarrassment, Christine's face turned the same color, but from anger.

"Seriously, don't mention it." Christine muttered, dragging Michael out the door. He called out, "Later, Crutch!" using Delaney's old, derogatory nickname. Ian's fists clenched, he hated whenever someone called her that. She didn't mind it so much, she had grown accustomed to it, due to the fact that she had been called by it for so long.

"Oh, Ian, isn't this amazing?" Delaney cried.

"Yep, yep it is!"Ian agreed, he was happy to see his girlfriend happy for the first time in a long time.