fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| FIFTY-ONE ||

It was the opening night of the school musical, Carrie, and the weeks of preparation had left everyone close to exhausted. All their time had been taken up practising choreography, singing or in Lauryn's case, hair and makeup.

Everyone was bustling around backstage, looking for their props or costars for last-minute adjustments, and Kevin was on just about his last nerve. Having Fangs as his co-director helped a bit, when he could actually find him.

Lauryn had her hands full with a comb and a bottle of hairspray, balancing a clip between her teeth as she worked her hardest on Mrs Cooper's now frizzy hair. Giving it one final spray, she looked at her in the mirror. "Okay, I think you're all done, Mrs Cooper."

"Wow," Alice breathed, grinning. "If I didn't know better I'd say this is the work of a professional, Lauryn. Thank you."

Lauryn laughed. "I don't know about that, but thank you. Break a leg tonight."

Alice got up, smiling one final time at Lauryn before disappearing into the sea of castmembers taking up the dressing tables. Lauryn glanced around in search of her brother, but couldn't spot him.

She made her way into the hallway where the dressing rooms were situated, spotting Kevin scurrying his way through. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Kevin, have you seen my brother?"

"No, but as a matter of fact, I'm looking for him now," he said, a hint of panic in his voice as he kept walking now alongside Lauryn who was trying her best to keep up with his speed. He jogged down some steps. "Ten minutes to places! Where is Fangs?"

The girl he asked shrugged. "I don't know."

Lauryn suddenly thought up a tiny suspicion of where he might be in her mind, trying her best to flatten it as it made her feel sick. They unfortunately then reached Midge's dressing room, where Kevin opened the door to reveal Lauryn's fear standing right before them.

Looking guilty as sin standing by the vanity was Fangs who quickly retracted his hands from Midge, the two of them looking startled.

"Fangs," Kevin greeted, expressing his sudden surprise. Lauryn face-palmed, blowing a million fuses inside of her.

"I was giving Midge some last-minute notes," Fangs lied, which was clearly the result of an excuse he'd thrown together as fast as his panicking brain could manage. Lauryn only shook her head at him disappointedly, distracted by Jughead suddenly sliding his camera into view of them.

She covered the camera lens roughly, storming into the room and slamming the door with the three of them inside. "The hell are you two playing at in here? What if that was Moose back there, Midge?!"

"I-I'm sorry," Midge stuttered nervously. "I shouldn't have let it get this far."

"God, if your boyfriend sees the footage Jughead just got--"

"He won't," Fangs vowed, and the two girls looked at him. "I'll make him delete it later. Midge, look, you're great but... Lauryn's right."

Lauryn scoffed as she picked up a hairbrush to smoothen the flicks of hair that were loose on Midge's head. "About time."

Midge sat down, staring at herself ashamedly in the mirror. She let out a sigh. "Moose... doesn't deserve this. You must think so little of me."

"Well," Lauryn sighed as she brushed through the girl's black hair gently. "I wouldn't be one to talk, but, let's put it this way, you're not on the first page of my good books."

"What do I do?"

"Come clean, maybe?" she advised, seeing the regret on the girls face and knowing she didn't do it out of spite. "After the show. You've gotta be honest with him."