"You make my balls s-s- I CAN'T DO THIS!" Chloe flopped down dramatically on the floor, her chest rising and falling quickly as she laughed. Brooke leaned against the prop car, face red from containing her laughter. She slid down the car door, butt slamming against the hardwood floor and her head hurt from laughing so hard. From inside the car, Michael watched the scene go down, smiling as Brooke hunched over, holding her sides.
"THIS DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!" Chloe's words were muffled as her cheek was pressed into the floor, her hair sprawled out around her. Rich's head banged on the front of the fake jeep, his laugh even louder than Brooke's. Everyone offstage was laughing as well, Jenna held her phone, recording the whole thing for her instagram followers.
"Y-you h-h-hurt them b-badly..." Brooke's hushed voice was soft and quiet, but just loud enough for everyone onstage to hear. Rich banged his head against the makeshift dashboard a few more times, his laughter becoming louder. Chloe curled up in a ball on the floor, practically wheezing as she tried to push more air into her lungs. She was doing a better job than Rich, at least.
Brooke gripped her sides tighter, her face flushed as tears brimmed her eyes. Michael threw his head back, covering his mouth with his arm to muffle his laugh. He'd always been very self-conscious about his laugh, but he had never let it get to him until he became friends with the "squip squad". Don't get him wrong, he loved them all and trusted them deeply, but something about them made him become more self-conscious.
Jake watched his boyfriend slam his head into the dashboard, causing him to stare at them with curiosity, wondering what Brooke had said, but nonetheless still doubled over with laughter. Christine wiped the tears from her eyes, her bubbly laugh consuming her whole body causing her to shake. Jenna tried not to laugh, as she wanted to steady her camera so it wouldn't go out of focus, but no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't contain her giggling. Jeremy watched the four of them onstage, but his eyes kept going back to Michael. The way he tilted his head back and tried to muffle his laugh made him smile through his fits of giggles and- STOP JEREMY YOU'RE BEING GAY!
Mr. Reyes came in, his eyes widening at the sight he was met with. Eight teenagers, doubled over in laughter with tears in their eyes, all in hysterics. He watched as the kids in the audience leaned on each other with exhaustion and the kids onstage try to regulate their breathing. Even he himself let out a chuckle as he watched Chloe roll around on the floor, desperately trying to regain her breath.
Christine stood up cautiously, almost falling over due to the fact that she was still laughing. Standing up on her seat not-so-gracefully, she cupped her hands around her mouth. "Alright! We'll visit this number at a different time! We need to practice Kindergarten Boyfriend! Jenna, get up there!" Hopping off her chair, Christine wiped the dirt off the seat before sitting back down next to Jeremy. Rich and Michael pushed the car backstage, bringing out the bench Jenna needs to stand on for her song.
Brooke finally stands back up, walking over to Chloe and offering her a hand to help her up. Chloe, blushing, took up the offer, grasping her hand in Brooke's, pulling herself up. The two girls (still holding hands) made their way off the stage, taking their seats next to Jake.
Jenna ends the recording, sighing as she pockets her phone and runs up the stage stairs, script in hand.
Mr. Reyes exits, smiling fondly at Christine's leadership. He'd never admit it, but these kids have started to grow on him. Grabbing his fresh Hot Pocket, he stands outside the closed doors, content with his work.
Jenna smiles at her peers as she sits down on the wooden bench, eyeing her script once more before looking out into the audience, avoiding any eye contact at all, afraid to mess up. She hears the music start, causing everyone to perk up. The gang had only heard Jenna sing once before, at a drunken karaoke party, where Rich spiked the drinks and got everyone drunk. That was definitely not the highlight of any of their singing careers.
Jenna glanced quickly at Michael, smiling at his bright expression. Michael was the only one who had actually heard her sing before, and not while drunk. She knew he was excited to hear her sing once more. It made her feel special, also considering she was the only person to've ever heard Michael sing. Even Jeremy hasn't heard him sing before, the closest he's gotten is their small jingle about life being a "Two Player Game" they made up a year back.
Coming back to reality, Jenna took a deep breath. "There was a boy I met in kindergarten," The single line itself sent chills down everyone's spine, their jaws dropping slightly and eyes opening widely. Michael smiled in satisfaction, knowing there was more to come than just an opening line.
***
"AND THIS TIME I'M NEVER WAKING UUUUP!" Belting was one of Jenna's strong suits, and right now that was definitely showing. She pushed back her satisfied smile as she saw everyone's flabbergasted expressions, continuing Martha's requiem to the world. Rich, at this point, was full on crying, clinging onto Jake's jacket sleeve. A solemn, yet impressed look was drawn on Chloe's face, as Brooke sniffled lightly next to her. Jeremy sat at the edge of his seat, his eyes wide and blurry with tears as Christine and Michael watched in awe as Jenna finished her performance.
Sucking in a breath, Jenna felt herself lean forward, when the lights went off, the stage growing dark. She smiled as she heard her friends clapping for her, that feeling of satisfaction coming back. As the lights returned to the stage, Jenna walked offstage, greeted by her friends telling her how well she did and how believable of a performance she gave.
As the compliments rushed towards her, she felt overwhelmed, but also really... happy? She loved the attention, but as she looked at all of her friends, she knew someone who deserved it more than she did, but she wouldn't say anything about that, yet. "Thank you guys, so much!" Jenna smiled, directing her gaze at Michael, who smiled back softly.
The group talked some more, somethings about the play and also just about every day life. They even got around to watching that video Jenna recorded of them practicing Blue. Jake grabbed his phone, looking at the time. "Shit guys, it's 5:30 already!" Rich jumped up to peek over Jake's shoulder to look as well. Rich's eyes widened in surprise, it was indeed 5:32.
"Damn, already?" Brooke pulled out her phone, the same time flashing up at her. "Shit, my mom's even here. Bye guys!" Brooke waved, bidding farewell to the group, Chloe following her out. Slowly but surely, everyone left, until Jenna and Michael were alone. Jake and Rich drove home in Jake's minivan, Christine walked home, and Jeremy's dad came to pick him up because he was already heading home.
"So Michael, this is it." Jenna sat at the lip of the stage, patting the spot next to her, inviting her friend. The heely-clad teen jumped, sitting next to Jenna. "Heathers: The Musical. How're ya feelin?" Jenna looked over at Michael, who was watching his feet as he kicked them back and forth.
"Eh, I just don't know if I'm ready to, ya know, sing in front of everyone. I sing all the time, just, I'm always alone. It feels, weird." Michael shivered, his nerves caught up with him even just talking about singing in public. "I did this for Jeremy, you know? I couldn't just let him down. He looked so... happy when I said I'd think about it, and now here I am."
"I know it's scary, Michael. I also know you aren't gonna believe me when I say you feel better once it's done. I know because when I was told that, I called bullshit. But then, I did it, and it just, it's so true." Jenna placed a comforting hand on Michael's shoulder, looking at him with a genuine expression.
Letting out a nervous laugh, he sighed, nodding. "And, if it makes you feel better," Jenna continued, "that song you wrote, it was really good." Michael let out another laugh, this one more genuine and true than the last. He remembered when he sang for Jenna the first time, vividly.
The two were at Jenna's, along with Chloe, Brooke and Christine. It was a small girls night that they felt they needed to invite Michael to, which he was very glad they did, it was quite a fun night. The three girls had gone home, leaving just Jenna and Michael. He couldn't seem to find his keys, so he slept over at Jenna's, not that his parents would mind, they were never home anyways.
They had been painting each others nails when the topic of the Halloween party came up. They vented to each other, told eachother everything about that night. Jenna had been super alone, no one seemed to want to talk to her or anything. Michael shared his experience, even told her he wrote a song. She had asked him to sing it for her, and he did. It took some persuasion, but it happened. He played her mini keyboard and sang Michael In The Bathroom to his newfound friend.
He was brought back to reality when he heard Jenna's phone buzz from in between them. He watched as she picked up her phone, reading the text message she was sent. "Shit, my mom wants me home." Jenna's tone was expressionless, bland.
"I could give you a ride?" Jenna nodded gratefully, the two slowly making their way over to Michael's PT Cruiser. Unlocking the doors, the two climbed into the old fashioned car, starting their trek to the Rolan household.
***
"Thanks again, for the ride." Jenna was stood outside of Michael's car, the door still open, her hand gripping the side of the door loosely.
"No problem. See you tomorrow, Jenna." Jenna nodded back, closing the door and unlocking the key to her house. Michael backed out of the driveway, driving nowhere in particular. It was 6:54, he had no parents home to worry about where he was at this hour, so he drove down any street he came across.
***
1:37 am, slushee in hand, Michael drove back to his house, eyes opened wide, as if they were programmed to do so. He watched as the houses sped by as he drove down the dark, twisting streets. Tonight wasn't one of his best, thoughts of the Halloween party still stuck in his brain. At least he'd give a killer performance tomorrow, his adrenaline always kicked in when he thought about that night. That sad, dark, cold, lonely night. It seemed like performing in this show was his way to release the feelings he kept bottled up ever since. He looked down solemnly, the wave of sadness reminiscing as he pulled into the garage of his house.
"And all you know about me is my name, awesome party, I'm so glad I came."
***
Sorry, this may have turned out to be complete shit. I've been super busy (aka I procrastinated until the day before my uploading day) and rushed to get this chapter out to you guys. Thank you for leaving feedback on my stories, not just this one but all of my others. It means a lot to me that people are commenting and enjoying my work. The comments you leave aren't ignored, I check them every day and take them into such consideration. So thank you everyone, who has been motivating me to write more and pushing me forwards, showing me the potential I have that I never took a moment to think about. Thank you so, so, so, so much for the votes, comments, reads etc. It really means a lot. :)