"If this ditty is not so pretty, at least it'll tell you how great you are!"
- You're The Top, Anything Goes
CONFESSION NUMBER TWELVE: Scarlett has come to accept the fact that she is about as far from athletic as it gets. Like, distance from China to Canada, far. And yeah, so maybe she took Karate for eleven years, but whatever. She still can't kick a ball or swing a bat or do an adequate amount of push-ups.
The point of this confession (while embarrassing and somewhat pointless to admit) is that Scarlett hates P.E.. Like, a lot. It isn't that bad, considering they mix the boys with the girls more often than not, so Parker's around to make sure she doesn't fall on her face.
And maybe it wouldn't even be bad at all - except Mackenna's in her class, too. And that changes things.
"How... are... you doing that?" April pants, jogging alongside Scarlett as they make their eighth in a string of laps around the track that they're sure aren't going to end any time soon - but really wish they would, because man, running is hard. Scarlett, however, is used to running; when she was in karate, they'd run five kilometres every Saturday morning, and since her parents used to think they were so hilarious, they'd take the whole family out for a sunday morning jog as well, leaving sunny, late morning wake-up sequences for Scarlett's imagination, instead of reality.
Scarlett laughs at her best friend - since Audrey and Peyton are in the first period gym class, the two girls are on their own - spinning around and running backwards to face her. "It's easy - I just go left, right, left, right and bam! I'm running," she jokes, ducking to the side when April tries to push her over.
"Easy for you to say," she defends. "Meanwhile, the few of us who haven't been raised in a karate dojo are struggling," she breathes heavily, narrowing her eyes at Scarlett, who's pulled ahead slightly as April was talking.
Scarlett's about to say something (likely along the lines of a snarky retort about how they didn't actually do the running in the karate dojo, technically) when Parker runs up beside her. "What lap are you on?" he asks.
"Eight."
"Nine," he informs her smugly.
"Liar," she crosses her arms, still running backwards.
Parker smirks. "Nope. Just a fast runner."
April clears her throat from a good four meters behind them. "Uh, hello? Girl-slash-inferior-runner still on lap six, over here," she points to herself, beginning to drag even further behind. Parker and Scarlett laugh in unison before turning around and running back to April's aid, linking their arms with hers and dragging her along with them. "Remind me again how you two do this without collapsing?" she asks.
Scarlett laughs. "We joined Brooke Windham's Workout Challenge."
Parker smiles - he basically lives for Legally Blonde references. "That's right," he plays along, "hey, why don't you join us? We can have you whipped into shape in no time-"
"Parker!"
The girls don't get to hear the rest of his sentence, because Parker is otherwise occupied by his new girlfriend running up behind them, shouting his name at an irritatingly loud volume that, while appropriate for outdoors - Scarlett's always been particular about using indoor/outdoor voices, although Audrey's not usually one to follow this, since she's usually squealing at a fangirl-ish level - is still unbearably loud for April and Scarlett, who resist the urge to roll their eyes, since Parker's still right in front of them.
"Parker!" Mackenna calls again, her voice reaching octaves that only dogs can hear. She catches up to the group in no time - damn her for being so athletic - and completely ignores the two girls, cutting them off and running alongside Parker, matching his pace.
Scarlett eyes Mackenna's attire - leave it to Mackenna to make gym clothes flattering - because while her and April are wearing baggy dark blue Mackenzie High t-shirts and shorts, Mackenna's got tight black shorts on with a tank top that reads 'train like a beast, look like a beauty'. Scarlett's not really for the 'tighter-is-better' fashion scene, but it's certainly less annoying than the school gym uniforms. "Run with me?" she asks Parker, and even from behind her, Scarlett and April can practically hear the smirk on her face.
"Uh, sure?" Parker agrees, glancing back at Scarlett. "Hey, maybe we can all run together?" he asks as he turns run backwards again, and the two girls spot the flash of annoyance that passes over Mackenna's face.
"I-I guess so," Scarlett replies, trying to sound breezy.
Mackenna gulps, but flips her hair and smiles brightly as she runs, as if nothing's wrong. "Perfect," she says, spinning around and running backwards to face them, mimicking Parker exactly as they run. "We can all be friends."
There's something about the sickly-sweet and Typical Mackenna tone to her voice that Scarlett's not particularly ecstatic about, but she keeps running anyways, because if there does happen to be another bucket of mud in her near-future, at least it's last period, and she'll be able to go home and wash her regret out of her irritatingly unflattering gym clothes.
Only about ten minutes go by of silent running before they're close to the 'finish line' - a makeshift white line coach has spray-painted onto the ground, and Mackenna's broken the silence by ranting about how phys-ed shouldn't even be allowed in public schools. "I mean, it's not like we don't get enough exercise as it is, we're in theatre, for God's sake, we're practically supermodel-thin from all the dancing they make us do around here-"
Parker's trying really hard to nod and add in the occasional 'interesting' or 'yes, I totally agree', and only Scarlett and April - who are actually his friends and most likely know him a bit better than Mackenna does, the fact that she's his girlfriend aside - would be able to tell that he's sufficiently lost in the entire conversation.
Mackenna's halfway through complaining about how it shouldn't even be legal to make students run when it's this hot outside when Scarlett runs up beside Parker, hoping she can save him from what is clearly not his favourite topic of conversation. "Hey, wanna race to the finish?" she asks, biting her lip nervously (hopefully Mackenna won't murder her in her sleep for this).
Parker arches a brow at her, a slow smirk gracing his lips. He's about to say something when Mackenna cuts him off, eyeing Scarlett warningly. "We're supposed to be running together, remember, Scarlett?"
At least she remembered my name, this time. "Well, actually-" Parker begins, but another death glare from Mackenna shuts him up. "No thanks, we're uh, we're supposed to run together?" he says, and Mackenna nods at him. Scarlett tries not to roll her eyes at her weakling of a best friend.
Scarlett doesn't give in too quickly, speeding past them so that she's in front of Parker, turning around to face him and running backwards. "Why, are you scared I might beat 'cha?" she asks teasingly, and Parker tilts his head to the side, a sly expression spreading across his face.
"Is that a challenge?" he asks.
Scarlett grins. "It might be - unless you want to raise the stakes," she proposes, and Parker's eyebrows furrow. "Let's say... winner buys lunch tomorrow?" she asks, and Parker laughs. "I'm serious! What, you can't take the heat, huh Coleman?"
"Oh, we're going by last names now, huh Bright?"
Mackenna looks horrified. "Wait-"
Scarlett smirks at her best friend, their eyes locked on each other. "Do we have a deal or not?"
Parker grins mischievously. "Deal."
"Alright, on three."
"One..."
"Wait, Parker-"
"Two..."
"Three!" Scarlett takes off without warning, laughing to herself like an idiot. Parker's laughing too, catching up to her and chasing her. He's on her heels within a matter of seconds, and she's silently cursing herself for cheating - especially when she's obviously not going to win this race (she may be a good runner, but out of the two of them, she's probably going to take a serious spill sooner than she'll reach the finish line).
"Hey, no fair!" he says, sprinting alongside her.
Scarlett just laughs to herself (that reminder she gave to save all her breath as she was running has gone out the window) sprinting faster as Parker starts to pull ahead. She can feel her feet going so fast that she's on the verge of completely losing control, and she's so wrapped up in laughing at herself and Parker that it isn't long before her right foot decides that it would be happier on the left side of her body, and she can feel herself falling forward.
Crap. Shouldn't have bet lunch on it, Scarlett thinks solemnly. So this is how it ends. Still, she doesn't want Parker to win the race either - which is precisely why her hands shoot out before she can stop herself, and she grabs onto Parker's shoulder, dragging him down with her.
Scarlett feels like a particularly good friend for that part.
It all happens in slow motion; Scarlett trips (but doesn't hesitate to bring Parker down with her) and they fall - Parker straight to the ground, and Scarlett practically collapsing right on top of him. And then they're in a heap on the ground in fits of hysteria, laughing so hard that neither of them can even breathe (this might have to do with the fact that they were just sprinting with enough speed to threaten the self-esteem of a Porsche).
"Whoa, whoa, whoa-" Parker grabs Scarlett's shoulders and steadies her before she can hit the ground too, so that she's laughing hysterically to herself just above him.
It's then that Scarlett realizes that it's like their dance lesson all over again - their faces are inches apart, and her heart is still beating faster than the speed of light from all of the running. "Uh, hi," she says breathlessly, eyes wide. She gets off of him with similar speed to the aforementioned Porsche and sits next to him. "Sorry," she breathes, trying to catch her breath.
Parker smiles. "You okay?" he asks, and she nods. "That was kind of a stupid idea, huh?"
"Kind of?" Scarlett asks, and they only have to take one more look at each other before collapsing into laughter all over again. "I guess neither of us win, then," she points out, nodding her head in the direction of the finish line, which is still a good ten meters away from them.
"Nah, I'll still buy you lunch if you want," Parker offers, still laughing.
Scarlett shakes her head. "Nuh-uh. I lost - I'm not letting you buy me lunch. I forfeit the cheesy goodness."
"We both lost," Parker points out.
"We split a pizza then?"
"Deal," he agrees, and they grin at each other. It's then that Mackenna makes her appearance, her arms crossed and her eyebrows narrowed (as they usually are when directed at Scarlett, but whatever, that point is she's angry). "Sorry about that, Mackenna, we kind of got caught up-"
"I saw," she cuts him off, her voice sharp. "You're done then, Parker?" she asks.
"Yeah, that was my tenth lap-"
"What about you, Scarlett?"
Scarlett bites her lip nervously. "Uh, that was my ninth."
Mackenna smiles. "Perfect - you and I can run together," she says, grabbing Scarlett's hand and hoisting her up forcefully, nodding for her to follow her down the track (and from the warning glance she gives her over her shoulder, Scarlett has an inkling that her statement wasn't an invitation - more like an order). Once Parker's gone inside to change, Mackenna returns to her usual icy cold aura.
Scarlett attempts to make conversation (Parker did want them to be friends, after all). "So..." she begins awkwardly, and Mackenna raises her eyebrows, eyeing Scarlett with a look she can't place. "I uh, I heard that The Book of Mormon is coming back to the city-"
Mackenna laughs (though it's really more of a cackle), cutting Scarlett off. "You didn't seriously think that I asked you to run with me so that we could make small-talk, did you?"
"Um, well, not anymore-"
"Oh, Scarlett, you really are funny, you know that?" Mackenna continues in her typical taunting tone of voice. "That sparkling wit must be what he loves so much about you," she comments, and Scarlett's about to question her when she cuts her off again. "Unfortunately, I don't think Elphaba's much of a joker, do you?"
"Huh?" What was she talking about?
Mackenna purses her lips, and Scarlett struggles to keep up with her as she picks up her pace (maybe she shouldn't have done all that sprinting). "I mean, as much as I'd love to see you turn sickly green, I just don't think it's going to work out for you," she explains. "Thoughts?"
Scarlett's silent, beginning to catch on to the topic Mackenna's introduced. "God knows you won't even get a callback, but just in case you do," Mackenna says, running backwards to face her, their eyes locked intimidatingly, "I just want to give you one piece of advice."
Scarlett has a feeling that Mackenna's advice probably isn't going to be constructive criticism.
Mackenna's eyes narrow. "Listen, new-girl, if you even think about trying to use Elphaba to steal Parker away from me, I will show you what it really feels like to feel the wrath of a wicked witch," she threatens, and Scarlett gapes at her. "Face it, sweetie, you're just not cut out for this - you'd probably be better off quitting theatre completely."
Scarlett's fists are balled, and she's on the verge of exploding right then and there. "Mackenna," she begins in a calm voice, trying to keep her cool, "I don't know where you got the idea that I was trying to steal Parker away from you, but it isn't true. Parker and I are best friends - that's it."
Mackenna doesn't look very convinced. "My warning still stands," she says, "you can deny it all you want, but I know you're trying to steal my boyfriend, and I'm not about to stand around and let you do it," she warns, pointing a manicured finger at Scarlett's nose. "So unless you quit your pathetic attempt to use Elphaba to lure Parker into your pitiful little clutches, I will make you regret it."
And then she runs away, leaving Scarlett in the dust.
It's then that April catches up to the girls - besides Mackenna, who's already half-way across the track - and stops beside Scarlett, a concerned look gracing her face. "What happened?" she asks, grabbing Scarlett's hand. When Scarlett's still standing in her place, her mouth hanging open in shock, April tilts her head to the side, confused. "Scarlett? Are you alright?" she asks. "What did Mackenna say to you?"
While she'd like to believe that she's stronger and less easily intimidated than she is, Scarlett can't help but feel like she's never been inflicted with so much fear in her life. And now Veronica's words "The demon queen of high school has decreed it; she says Monday, eight a.m. I will be deleted" from Heathers: The Musical are ringing in her head, and she can't help but feel that she might just be a dead girl walking, too.
"I'm dead."
♬
Scarlett walks into her third period classroom the next day in Reno Sweeney's signature purple evening dress, the silky material swaying at her ankles as she makes her way to her seat. She'd spent half the lunch period in the locker-room with April, Audrey and Peyton, who'd insisted that she let them do her hair and make-up. They'd been able to successfully turn her into a mini Reno in less than half an hour, and the few friends she had in her vocal repertoire class were currently fangirling over her attire.
Parker walks in right at the sound of the bell, and catches eyes with Scarlett immediately, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly as he sees her.
And, may she just say, damn. Because no one should look that aesthetically pleasing in a simple business suit and a red tie.
"Uh, hey," Scarlett says, getting up from her seat and walking over to him, where he's still standing in the doorway. "Hey, you okay?" she asks when he still hasn't said anything, and he seems to snap out of his trance at the sound of Scarlett's voice.
"Uh, yeah, fine," he assures her, and they take a seat together at the front of the class. "You ready to do this?" he asks, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"I-I think so," Scarlett replies, biting her lip anxiously (damn her irritating habit of stuttering when she's nervous). Mackenna's words have gotten to her whether or not she wants to believe them, and even though she knows that she's stupid to even consider that her words are true, she can't shake them. Still, Mackenna can't keep her from playing Elphaba, can she? She can't keep Parker and Scarlett from doing vocal projects together either - but she'll be doing a pretty good job of it if Scarlett doesn't stop being an idiot and pulls herself together for this performance.
Parker seems to sense her nervousness, and places his hands and Scarlett's shoulders comfortingly, smiling at her. "Hey, don't worry about a thing," he says, "you were amazing at the audition for Elphaba, remember?"
"What does that have to do with this?" Scarlett inquires.
"Well, I was right then, and I'm right now too," he says, making Scarlett laugh. "You're going to be flawless, Scarlett. You're the top, alright?" he jokes, and they laugh.
Mrs Levine claps her hands together, and the class quiets down. "Alright everyone, I see that most of you are prepared for the presentations today, so let's begin, shall we?" she asks, and the class murmurs in excitement. Everyone else has dressed up like Scarlett had anticipated - there's partners in costumes of everything from Danny and Sandy to Maureen and Joanne. "Let's begin with... Parker Coleman and Scarlett Bright."
Great. Scarlett doesn't care how old she is or what grade she's in - it's still a curse to be chosen first for a presentation, and she'll resent it for as long as she lives.
Parker gets up and offers a hand to Scarlett, already in character. Scarlett graciously takes his hand and he sits on a stool at the front of the class, Scarlett standing right beside him. "Any time you're ready to begin," Mrs Levine prompts, and Scarlett nods, the music starting up.
Scarlett faces Parker with a determined look. "At words poetic, I'm so pathetic, that I always have found it best, instead of getting 'em off my chest, to let 'em rest, unexpressed," she sings, taking hold of his shoulders the way he always does when trying to lift her confidence. "I hate parading my serenading as I'll probably miss a bar, but if this ditty is not so pretty, at least it'll tell you how great you are!"
Parker laughs as she rests one silver heel on the leg of his stool and turns him to face her abruptly, a mischievous grin gracing her lips. "You're the top," she smiles, "you're the coliseum! You're the top - you're the louver museum! You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss - you're a Bendel bonnet, a Shakespeare sonnet, you're... Mickey Mouse!" she sings, and the class laughs.
Another verse passes before Parker's singing to her in return. "Your words poetic are not pathetic - on the other hand, babe, you shine! And I can feel after every line a thrill divine, down my spine," he sings, taking Scarlett's hand and twirling her (those dance lessons paid off in more ways than one after all). "But if baby, I'm the bottom, you're the top!"
"You're the top!" Scarlett continues, grinning uncontrollably as Parker spins her again, her dress twirling. "You're an arrow collar! You're the top - you're a Coolidge dollar! You're the nimble tread of the feet of Fred Astaire! You're an O'Neill drama-"
Parker joins back in, "-you're Whistler's mama!"
"You're camembert!" Scarlett belts out.
Parker grins. "You're a rose!" he sings, and soon, the two of them are belting out "but if baby, I'm the bottom, you're the top!" for about the thousandth time, and Parker's sitting back on the stool with Scarlett perched on his lap, their arms spread out wide as they belt out the last note, clear and strong.
The class is on their feet clapping, and Mrs Levine turns to them from her seat on the piano bench. "Well, it's clear that the rest of the class has their work cut out for them," she decides, and Parker and Scarlett hug, still beaming brightly. "Mr Coleman and Miss Bright?"
"Yes?" the two ask in unison.
Mrs Levine looks thoughtful. "You two appear to have exceptional chemistry," she points out, tapping her pencil against her clipboard. "I assume I'll be seeing you both at the callback for Elphaba and Fiyero?" she asks, and Scarlett's eyes widen.
Scarlett and Parker look from their teacher to each other, and then to Mrs Levine again. "Wait, you mean we got a callback?" Scarlett asks, crossing her fingers behind her back.
"After that performance I'd be foolish not to give you one, no?" Mrs Levine inquires, and Scarlett breathes a sigh of relief as Parker picks her up and spins her around just as he did after her audition, the two laughing manically as they take their seats. "Next up, we'll have..." Mrs Levine starts, but Scarlett isn't listening anymore.
And on one hand, she should probably be terrified, given Mackenna's threat about trying to steal Elphaba and Parker away from her, but for whatever reason, she doesn't really care.
She's going to be Elphaba - and then Mackenna and everyone will see that no one can rain on her parade, and that she's never giving up on her dream.
Any maybe Parker's right, too. Maybe Scarlett really is the top, after all.
♬
a / n ~ so basically I love anything goes so much and my school is doing a production of it next year, and my audition for it is in a little over a week, AND I'M REALLY NERVOUS. I'm going for bonnie (some may know her as erma) and so is @simjpat (but don't worry, our fabulous friendship/blendship would never be split up by going for the same part, because we're just too cool for that) and I'm singing jimmy from thoroughly modern millie. sutton foster is my good luck charm :) as for the broadway question:
WHAT BROADWAY CHARACTER WOULD YOU PLAY?
elphie has always been my dream role, and I'm really hoping that I'll get the chance to play her on broadway someday! millie dillmount is my second role that I really want to play. I love millie's character so much (and who doesn't want to follow in sutton foster and julie andrews' footsteps?). I am also determined to play; jo march (little women), eliza (hamilton), evita (evita), ella (cinderella), bonnie parker (bonnie & clyde), christine daae (phantom) and eponine (les mis)! what are your broadway dream roles? ~xoxo, sydney ♥