A Shot in the Shadows

Callbacks

The shrill bell that drones on for about five seconds too long at the end of every class is probably Annie's least favorite sound. Ever.

Annie swipes her English assignment off her table, making sure that the monologue she'd been studying in class is safely tucked inside. She stands up, swings her bag over her shoulder, and glances around the classroom for her fellow theatre person, Riley.

Riley catches her gaze. "I'll meet you out by Flynn's car!" she calls. "I need to drop this off at the drama department first."

Annie grins, watching Riley wave around the thick folder of duets she'd borrowed and almost clocking one of their classmates in the head with it.

"Don't kill anybody on your way there!" she says.

Riley disappears out into the hallway, tossing a loud "Got it!" over her shoulder.

Annie chuckles, waiting for the rest of her classmates to file out of the room.

"Ms. Quinn, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Annie swear under her breath, turning to face her English teacher with a forced smile. "Yes, Mrs. Harrigan?"

Mrs. Harrigan continues sorting through the papers on her desk, almost completely ignoring Annie's response. "I still don't have your book report. And your vocab quiz. When can I get those in?"

Annie sighs, remembering the long forgotten assignments. She'd gotten stressed about her callback almost as soon as she'd gotten the notice: she'd been warned that writers were more involved with casting than they should be, and Mrs. Irving had accidentally let it slip to one of her classes that they had planned the auditions and callbacks to be highly unusual. Mrs. Irving and the other guy, Mr. I-Grin-Too-Much Goldman, had managed to wrestle some degree of normalcy back for the auditions, but they were on their own for callbacks. So naturally, homework had fallen right to the bottom of Annie's list of priorities.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Harrigan," Annie says, trying to sound as genuine as possible. She really does love English, but she's had a lot on her plate recently. "It's just that I've been auditioning and I just got this callback for a great show and-"

Mrs. Harrigan holds up her hand, effectively silencing Annie as the teacher sighs and takes off her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You got a callback?" she repeats.

"Yes, ma'am," Annie says, checking her watch. "I'm heading to the theatre now."

"Fine," Mrs. Harrigan says. "This one callback, and then I want all the work in by next Monday, okay? Regardless of whether or not you get the role."

Annie breaks out into a wide grin, almost resembling the famous grin of a little (stereotypically) red and curly-haired girl from a very well-known musical. "Thank you soooo much, Mrs. Harrigan!" Annie says excitedly. "It'll be on your desk first thing, Monday morning!"

And with that, Annie's heading for the door.

Mrs. Harrigan sighs and shakes her head again. "Break a leg, little girl!" she calls.

Annie breaks out into another wide grin at the almost inconspicuous Annie reference.

<==================================>

By the time Annie's finished talking to Mrs. Harrigan and has signed herself out early at the front office, both Riley and their friend Flynn are already in their car seats, watching Annie hurry across the school parking lot.

"Sorry," Annie pants, tossing her bags into the backseat and climbing in after them. Flynn barely waits for her to close the door before pulling out of his parking lot.