"Good afternoon, everyone," Mrs. Grey said, while she entered the classroom with Stacey following her and clutching books that were going to be our scripts later that school day. "How is everyone today?"
"Good," everyone said in unison, and I pressed my lips into a thin line because I was not good and was just ready to go to bed, even though I knew that I couldn't do it, yet.
"Good, good, good," Mrs. Grey said, thankfully oblivious that I hadn't said a word. "Are you all excited about the musical coming up?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and everyone muttered in agreement, and this time, I agreed as well.
"Brilliant," Mrs. Grey said and gestured to Stacey, who offered us a hesitant smile and waved a little, clutching the scripts tighter to her chest. "Now, Stacey will be handing out the scripts for everyone as well as the schedules. Make sure that you put them in your actual calendars so that you don't be late or make sure not to schedule anything around that time."
"Ya, like Cass is going to do that," Claire said with a scoff and rolled her eyes. She folded her arms across her chest and scowled while she looked at me, and I grinned at her innocently. "She is going to be late every day or have to leave early every day, too. I mean, she didn't even look at the sheet until I gave it to her."
"Yes, but that is because it had been an interesting morning already, and it didn't cross my mind," I replied and shrugged while I grimaced, and Bryson nodded in agreement.
"And what happened?" Mrs. Grey asked while she looked between the two of us. She furrowed her brows and cocked her head while she stared at only me, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Is everything ok? Are you ok?"
I bit back a small snort before I slowly nodded in confirmation because I was ok. "Yes, Ma'am, I am ok," I said and looked at Bryson, raising an eyebrow in question, silently asking him if he wanted to tell her or me.
Bryson bit back a small smirk and gestured for me to tell them what happened, and I held back an eye roll but nodded with a small sigh of annoyance.
"So, there was this big angry thing roaring and growling near the woods while we were trying to do cross country practice, and everyone was scared at what it was and how close it was," I said and shrugged while I grimaced. "We had training indoors today. It was an interesting practice though, wasn't it?" I looked at Bryson when I said that and raised an eyebrow in question, and Bryson bit back a small snort and nodded in agreement.
"It was," Bryson confirmed. "And Mr. Brickson was late to class." He looked at me when he said that, and his eyes flashed gold as if he was trying to figure something out about me that I wouldn't let him.
I bit back a small snort and shook my head. "I have never seen him so disheveled as I did after the first bell when he ran into our classroom." I cleared my throat and shook my head again, biting back a small chuckle. "And he's been my teacher for years."
Bryson bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded. He didn't say a word while he looked at me and then at our teacher, waiting for her to say or do something. His whole body was relaxed, but I had a feeling that he was nervous underneath that calm demeanor that he kept about him.
"Hmph." Mrs. Grey cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. She looked at Bryson and then looked at me before she looked at everyone else as a whole. "All right," she said and clapped her hand across her board, clearing her throat again. "Let's go ahead and get this set up so that we can get started with a small read through before I dismiss you all for the day." She paused and raised an eyebrow in question while she looked at us "Are there any days that no one can do?"
The group looked at each other before we looked at our teacher, not saying a word.
Finally, Bryson cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "We will be busy on Saturdays until after cross country ends," he said and gestured to me and then himself. "Practice is in the mornings, so it won't be a problem for us to go to that and then do this in the afternoon."
"Mmmhmmm," Mrs Grey said and nodded before she looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question. "Ms. Lanchester..?" She raised her eyebrow higher, and I had a feeling that she wanted to know if what Bryson had said was true.
"He's right," I said and nodded in confirmation. "I do have stuff after school, but they are usually at four or five in the evening, and I'm not on the actual teams, so..." I shrugged and grimaced. "I can handle tech week without having to sacrifice anything, too. I have done it before."
Well, everything besides training with my group... I added silently while I pressed my lips into a thin line, but that is waaaaaayyyyy in the evening, so I am not worried about that at all.
Claire narrowed her eyes and scowled at me before she turned her gaze to our teacher, and I held back an eye roll while I scowled.
Oh, great, I thought while I pursed my lips in annoyance and wrinkled my nose in disgust. Here we go, again.
"She ca-"
"Oh for the love of the Goddess, can you stop talking, please?" Frederick asked, interrupting her. He scowled and narrowed his eyes while he stared at her. "All you have been doing is whine, whine, whine. You don't like her getting the part, but guess what? She got the part fair and square. Are you that afraid of her that you have to make her feel bad and be a big pain in the ass to everyone who has to hear your stupid voice?"
I bit back a small snort and rolled my eyes before I scowled and narrowed my eyes. "Oh, please," I said and folded my arms across my chest while I leaned back in my seat. "She isn't making me feel bad at all. It's just boring stuff that keeps coming out of her mouth, and I don't even care about her."
Claire bristled slightly and narrowed her eyes while she looked at me. She didn't say a word, and I bit back a small smirk while I looked at her.
"Awww, poor baby," I said with a small coo. "Did that make you feel sour?"
"You b-"
"Enough," Mrs. Grey said, interrupting Claire. "As Frederick said, she got that part fair and square, Claire. If you are going to continue to bully her or make her feel bad, then I can go ahead and let you leave and not learn your parts as her understudy. There is no need for this type of behavior, Claire." She paused and narrowed her eyes while she scowled. "Is that understood?"
Claire pressed her lips into a thin line but didn't say a word. She narrowed her eyes and scowled before she looked at me and then at Mrs. Grey.
Finally, she bit back an annoyed sigh before she slowly nodded and looked away from her. "Yes, Ma'am," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat while she looked at me. "I'm sorry," she said.
I held back an eye roll, knowing full well that she wasn't sorry. "Un huh," I said but kept the rest of my thoughts to myself. I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat before I looked at Mrs. Grey. "Can we go ahead and get this meeting started, please?" I asked and raised an eyebrow higher. "I want to get this stuff done so that I can get home and get ready for dance practice."
"Of course," Mrs. Grey said before she cleared her throat and looked at Stacey, who still had the scripts in her hand. "Go ahead and hand them out," she said, and Stacey nodded in agreement and did what she was told to do. "Does everyone know who they are playing?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
"No," Frederick said and shook his head, interrupting the few murmurs of agreement. He folded his arms across his chest and pouted, even though there was a look of amusement on his face. "I don't know who I am playing as because there was no sheet on the door."
"Ya... that's because Claire took it down to shove it in my face after first period," I said and reached into my bag and pulled the piece of paper out of it before I handed it to him. "Here. You can have this."
Frederick took the piece of paper from me and uncrumpled it. "Why did you keep it?" he asked, and I shrugged and grimaced. "Are you that excited that you are playing Jenna that you had to keep it?" He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk on his face.
"Eh," I said, and he bit back a small snort while Claire bit back a scoff and rolled her eyes and scowled. "I don't care one way or another. So, who are you?"
"I'm Frederick," Frederick said, teasingly, and I held back an eye roll and scowled. He smiled innocently and slowly blinked. "Oh, right, you are talking about who I am in the musical." He cleared his throat and looked at who he was before he looked at me. "I am Earl."
I nodded and bit back a small sigh of relief. "Good," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "I am glad."
He bit back a small snort and shifted as well. "Awww, I am so glad that you are happy, Wifey" he said, teasingly, and I held back an eye roll while I scowled. "What would you have done if I wasn't?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
I shrugged and grimaced. "No idea," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted some more in my seat. "I don't know what would have happened if you weren't Earl, especially since some of the stuff that happens in the musical..." I gave him a pointed look.
Frederick grinned, and amusement flashed through his eyes. "True, true, true," he said and nodded. He looked at Bryson before he looked at me, and his grin seemed to grow wider while they communicated silently.
"Frederick," Bryson warned while he narrowed his eyes and scowled, and I bit back a small snort while Frederick looked at him and grinned innocently. "What do you mean by that look?"
"Mmm, nothing, nothing," he said and shook his head before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, giving him his best innocent look ever. "Now, let's go ahead and get everything situated and set. I don't think we should keep Cass here any longer." He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.
"Oh, Goddess, just shut up already, Frederick," I said, earning a laugh from him. "Just shut up."
"Not a chance, Cass," he said and shook his head, biting back another laugh. "Not a single chance."
And with that, we got the rest of what we needed to do with no other interruptions from anyone in that class, much to my relief.
Thank Goddess...