CHAPTER THREE
·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ mr perfectly fine ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·
FIRST, THEY DID THE DANCE part of the auditions which went surprisingly smooth for Reece. She met the new sophomore, Gina Porter, who was scary talented. If she could sing as well as she could dance, there was no doubt in Reece's mind she would play Gabriella.
Currently, Reece and the rest of the theatre kids stood in a single file line as Ms. Jenn and Carlos came up to every one of them giving them someone to audition for. "You." the teacher said to Ashlyn, "You're giving me uncommon depth. Ms. Darbus?"
"I'm dying. I'm deceased. Yes." Ashlyn replied, before leaving for the next person, who was Gina, Ms. Jenn asked the redhead about her piano skills and to write a song for Ms. Darbus in Act Two. After everyone was given a character, it was now the last person's turn, Reece.
Ms. Jenn turned to Reece, looking at her curiously before coming to a conclusion. "Kelsi, definitely Kelsi."
Reece smiles at Ms. Jenn as Carlos handed her the script.
"I hear you write songs, is that true?" She asked the redhead.
"I do, and I was wondering if I'm able to perform I song I wrote?"
"Of course, I'm looking forward to hearing it." Ms. Jenn walked away Carlos following behind her but not before smiling at her. Reece looked towards the small crowd of people, she noticed Josie and Anne there ready to cheer her on (as well as Ashlyn).
To say the least, Reece was nervous. Not because of the auditions but because of the song she was going to sing, it was personal and everyone would know who it's about, and that's what scared her.
♪♫ ♫♪
First up on the list audition was the Troys, they all did amazing but Reece knew EJ would be Ms. Jenn's choice. They may have been broken up but Reece would never miss an opportunity to explain how talented he was and she knew EJ would do the same for her, or at least she hoped he would.
"Okay, our last Troy." Ms. Jenn announced as EJ made his way upstage. "Whoo! And he comes with props! Love it." she chuckled. "Whenever you're ready."
Ms. Jenn leaned over to Carlos, "Okay, what do I need to know?"
"EJ Caswell." Carlos explained, "Most Instagram followers. Wakes up looking like that. Doesn't know I exist. He and Reece Hastings used to date until he started dating Nini over the summer. They were together for 7 and a half months."
"Well, let's hope he can carry a tune." they directed their attention back to the senior.
Reece gave him a small smile before he began, which he did back. Seb began to play the piano. "This could be the start of something new. It feels so right to be here with you. And now looking in your eyes I feel in my heart. The start of something new." Reece was right, he was the perfect Troy.
"Well, excuse me, Armie Hammer just called he wants his jawline back!" Ms. Jenn exclaimed, earning awkward silence which was soon interrupted by Josie letting out a laugh.
"Sorry," Ms. Jenn smiled at the girl turning back to front.
"We're moving onto the Gabriellas." She clapped her hands. Reece had also been right about the fact that Gina would play an amazing Gabriella. She had an amazing voice and was sure to outshine the other girls.
Reece was currently backstage, along with the Gabriellas, Kelsi, and company. She paced back and further struggling to remain calm and not throw up. "You'll be fine." Josie comforted her, "We practiced all night and morning. You're going to be the best Kelsi there."
That calmed her nerves down a bit, not a lot but enough to not feel like shit.
"And if anything, I got you a bucket." She lifted a white floral trashcan.
Reece laughed, "Thanks, Josie, but I think I'm ok, for now at least."
"Well, it's here just in case."
As the two watched Gina's performance they couldn't help but overhear EJ and Nini. "You've got this," EJ said to his girlfriend.
"I really appreciate..." She spoke in a British accent. "Oh my God! I'm doing it again."
"Yeah, you are. You're a total weirdo." Nini laughed at his words, "And a hundred percent real."
Reece's breath hitched but it wasn't because that's similar to what he'd say to her every time she got nervous but it was what he said next. It caught her off guard because he had never said it to her in the 7 months they'd dated but he did to the girl only met 2 months ago. The four letter word that made her sick to her stomach to hear him say to her.
"I think I'm going to need that bucket now."
♪♫ ♫♪
Reece faded out the rest of Gina's performance. She knew if she thought too much she'd actually throw up this time. A loud bang brought her back to reality, "Am I too late? Am I too late?" Someone called out running into the auditorium. Everyone turned around to see Ricky Bowen running in with a guitar.
"We're all set on Troys. We're low on Chads." Ms. Jenn told the boy. "You can read after the..." She looked down at her papers "Kelsi's, who are right after Nini."
"I only studied the Troy scenes in the movie." He explained out of breath.
"Troy would have arrived on time," Carlos stated.
"No, he wouldn't have," Reece said to herself.
"Anyways, Nini, let's try this again."
"You got this, babe! Whoo!" EJ exclaimed causing Ms. Jenn to spill her coffee all over the light controls. Everything went dark.
"Nobody panic! Nini, let's wait for the lights to come back on. I don't want this to throw you." Carlos and Ms. Jenn started to clean up the mess.
"I'm not thrown," she stated confidently. "Livin' in my own world, didn't understand. That anything could happen when you take a chance." Ricky turned on his phone flashlight towards Nini as did EJ.
"They're competing to be the better boyfriend," Josie whispered to Reece; she rolled her eyes at the interaction.
Once Nini had finished her song the lights had turned back on, "Thank God, the whole flashlight thing was weird." Josie said.
"Okay, well, thank you, Nini. I only needed 32 bars, but I appreciate your commitment." Carlos gave the girl a quick thumbs up.
"Alright, Reece, you're up. Time for the Kelsi's." Josie gave Reece's hand a tight squeeze of reassurance before she made her way to the stage. "Tell me about her."
"Reece Hasting. Best friends with Josie Sinclair. Older sister to Anne Hasting. She's been in all our shows, very talented. She played Ariel last year when our lead broke her leg a day before opening night. Like I said before she and EJ used to date. I heard she didn't get out of her house all summer. But, again she's scary talented."
Ms. Jen nodded turning her attention back to the girl in front of her.
Kelsi didn't have many lines, which the girl was thankful for, meaning the speaking part was over after a few lines.
"Wonderful dear, now for the singing part." Josie had thankfully placed a seat for her as she knew her best friend hated playing the guitar and standing. She placed her guitar on her lap, taking a deep breath, and began.
"Mr. Perfect face. Mr. Here to stay. Mr. Looked me in the eye and told me you would never go away. Everything was right. Mr. I've been waiting for you all my life. Mr. Every single day until the end, I will be by your side." Instantly people realized what and who the song was about. "But that was when I got to know Mr. Change of heart. Mr. Leaves me all alone, I fall apart. It takes everything in me just to get up each day, but it's wonderful to see that you're okay."
"Hello, Mr. Perfectly fine. How's your heart after breaking mine? Mr. Always at the right place at the right time, baby. Hello Mr. Casually cruel, Mr. Everything revolves around you. I've been Miss Misery since your goodbye and you're Mr. Perfectly fine." She could tell that EJ was not happy with her words, even if she wasn't looking at him. "Mr. Never told me why. Mr. Never had to see me cry. Mr. Insincere apology so he doesn't look like the bad guy. He goes about his day, forgets he ever even heard my name. Well, I thought you might be different than the rest I guess you're all the same."
As she said the next line her eyes flickered towards Nini, Reece knew it wasn't her fault but it still hurt. "'Cause I hear he's got his arm 'round a brand-new girl. I've been pickin' up my heart, he's been pickin' up her. And I never got past what you put me through, but it's wonderful to see that it never phased you."
This time she looked directly at EJ. These were the things she wanted to tell him what wasn't able to, she had so many days where she would think how they could go from best friends to strangers in seconds. "Hello, Mr. Perfectly fine. How's your heart after breaking mine? Mr. Always at the right place at the right time, baby. Hello Mr. Casually cruel, Mr. Everything revolves around you. I've been Miss Misery since your goodbye and you're Mr. Perfectly fine."
She took her eyes off of EJ, looking at the many faces who were looking at her. This may have been the only chance she got to express how she was feeling and she was going to take that opportunity. "So dignified in your well-pressed suit. So strategized, all the eyes on you. Sashay away to your seat, it's the best seat, in the best room. Oh, he's so smug, Mr. Always wins, so far above me in every sense, so far above feeling anything"
She smiled as she sang. This was now how she was going to tell EJ how she was perfectly fine without him and how she didn't need him anymore. "And it's really such a shame, it's such a shame 'cause I was Miss Here to stay. Now I'm Miss Gonna be alright someday and someday maybe you'll miss me, but by then, you'll be Mr. Too late.
"Goodbye, Mr. Perfectly fine. How's your heart after breakin' mine? Mr. Always at the right place at the right time, baby. Goodbye Mr. Casually cruel, Mr. Everything revolves around you. I've been Miss Misery for the last time and you're Mr. Perfectly fine. You're perfectly fine. Mr. Look me in the eye and told me you would never go away. You said you'd never go away."
As soon as Reece hit the last note, Josie could be heard clapping for her best friend, along with a few others. Reece sent a small smile.
"That was...outstanding, Reece." Ms. Jenn complimented. Once, Reece sat down multiple people complimented her on her work.
"What was that all about?" Gina asked curiously.
"I'll tell you later."
"Hey, Reece," Nini whispered turning around to face the redhead. "You did really good out there."
The Hasting girl smiled, "Thanks, Nini, so did you." Nini turned back around focusing her attention on Ricky who was now on stage. EJ and Reece made eye contact once again but quickly looked away.
"Hey there, I'm Ricky Bowen. I'm a junior. And, uh...Here it goes."
"Total wildcard." Reece heard Carlos say to Ms. Jen.
"I don't get it, Troy." Ricky began. "What kinda spell gas this elevated IQ temptress-girl cast that suddenly makes you wanna be in a musical?" Instead of continuing with the script the boy crumpled it up in his hand. "I don't know. Maybe it's the way Gabriella always had your back."
"And maybe you can't stop beating yourself up for totally blowing it with her." He looked directly at his ex-girlfriend. "And look Troy, Even if you never said the L-word to Gabriella,"
"cause that's, like, not even a word your parents say to each other anymore, that doesn't mean that you don't. Maybe it just means you are waiting for the right time to say it. So that everyone could hear it."
The tension between Ricky, Nini, Reece, and EJ was so thick you could cut it with a knife. "No," He scoffed "So that she could." Reece looked towards Nini who had tears forming in her eyes.
"Okay, kiddo, time to sing." Ms. Jenn said after a moment of silence.
"Oh, no, actually if you don't mind," Ricky interrupted, "I kinda prepared my own song." Ms. Jenn agreed. Big Red handed Ricky the guitar.
Clearing his throat the boy began to play. Once he started the song became too familiar to Reece and everyone around them (besides maybe EJ). The song he was singing? I Think I Kinda, You Know, aka the song Nini wrote for Ricky to say I love you (which he did not say it back, which lead to this whole disaster).
Was this worse than what Reece did? Maybe, she didn't know.
♪♫ ♫♪
There had been a few more auditions before it was finally time to get out of the auditorium. Everyone began leaving beside Reece and if course EJ.
"What was that about?" He asked harshly.
"Excuse me?" she asked as she packed her bag back up.
"That song? What are you trying to do?"
"Get into the cast, what else?"
"Seriously, Reece, why the hell would you write that?"
"I don't need to explain myself to you."
"When it's at the expense of my relationship with Nini, yes you do."
Reece laughed, slamming her bag on the floor. "You mean the girl you met 2 months ago, which, by the way, was only two days after our breakup?"
"It was more than two days."
"I don't care if it was two months, you don't get over a 7 month relationship like that," she snapped her fingers. "and you sure as hell don't go around saying I love you to a girl you just started dating when you never said it before."
"I-" Reece cut him off before EJ had the chance to speak.
"So, don't stand there expecting me to give you answers when you didn't give me shit. I stayed in my room, asking myself what I had done to deserve this, what I could have done better. I was broken without you and you never batted an eye." Tears forming in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall and she refused to cry over him once more. "You left. You got a new girl, you got new inside jokes, you got new everything, and you have the audacity to ask why I wrote that song? No, you don't get to do that because you were the one who would tell me to put myself out there and you told me to show the world what I have to offer and that is exactly what I'm doing. So, I don't need you to tell me what I said was wrong because it's not. Those are my feelings and if you have a problem with them then you can screw off because like I said I'm perfectly fine without you."
Reece stormed out without another word. She wiped away the tears before anyone could notice. She walked over to the group of students who hovered over the piece of paper on the wall.
"Oh, my God, Reece! You got Kelsi." Josie ran up to her best friend hugging her tightly.
"Yes!" She exclaimed putting on a fake smile, she was truly happy to be Kelsi but right now she just wanted to go home.
"Chad? She thinks I'm a Chad?" EJ said.
"HA!" she thought to herself, "Karama's a bitch, I guess."
Reece made her way over to the cast list to see for herself. The lost me sense, for the most part, but what she didn't expect to see was Ricky Bowen's name right next to the name Troy Bolten. "Holy crap, dude." Big Red said beside her. Everyone was shocked including Ricky, it wasn't that he was bad it was just that no one would ever expect Ricky Bowen to be the lead in a musical.
INEZ SPEAKS
Reece's speech may be the best thing I've ever written, I'm in love with her! I'm going to be pretty inactive this week as I'm going to the beach, so hopefully this chapter is enough. 🥰