Hello again! I come with great news! I FINISHED MY CLASSES! So I will be receiving my associate's degree, and I will not be in school again until July :) More time to write! So I want to thank kfodom for reviewing. I was happy to see at least one. I hope you all are liking this story.
Chapter 7:
Rehearsal was not going well for the first time since the cast had returned. Marshall drew his attention to the struggling 15 year old. Though he didn't see the teens outside of the studio, he knew something was up with Zora; that something had happened to change the girl's behavior dramatically. And he too, was equally worried about her. He had watched the teens grow up over the years, especially Zora, who had only been 9 when he cast her for the show. He had to give her credit though, up until that day, she hadn't let her acting be affected by whatever she was dealing with. He knew this particular rehearsal was going to be tough; when she had walked in with Grady, she was not carrying the show-face she kept up for rehearsals.
"Okay, that was good kids," Marshall had never broken the habit of calling them 'kids' though they all were now young adults. "Let's take a break for now."
The teens on the stage all knew why he had called for a break, but without a word they all went and sat in the seats that were occupied by fans during the live taping of their show. Grady in particular watched Zora with concern, knowing the reason she was unable to keep her show-face on for rehearsal. He thought back to when he saw her sleeping on the couch, he could tell then that it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Before she admitted having a bad dream, he knew she was having one.
He felt someone nudge his shoulder. He looked at his three friends to his right.
"G, any idea what's bothering Zora?"
Grady nodded. "When I went to get her, she was sleeping, and she was having a bad dream."
"Think it has anything to with what happened when she was home?" Tawni asked, glancing at the young brunette who sat further away from the four.
"I'm not sure, but probably," Grady said. "She didn't really say anything about it."
"It had to have been." Sonny looked from Zora to her friends. "This is the first time since we came back that she's messed up in rehearsals. I just hope she doesn't feel too bad that Marshall called for a break..."
Tawni stood up. "I'll go try to talk to her."
Grady watched, as well as Nico and Sonny, as Tawni went over to Zora to talk. Tawni had come a long way since Grady first met her. In fact, for the first few years of the show Tawni had not truly cared for being friends with her cast-mates, or at least she wouldn't admit it. But back then she certainly wouldn't try to help anyone who was feeling down. After Sonny came to the show, that changed. Sonny became Tawni's first true best friend, and she formed a bond with the others as well - especially Zora.
Grady always had an older brother to look up to, to talk to. Their relationship was rocky at times, but all brothers fought every now and then. Nico had his older sister who he was very close to, and Zora had her brother Clyde. Tawni was an only child, and never had any type of special bond with someone. Granted Sonny didn't have siblings either, but she and her friend Lucy were practically sisters and she had a lot of cousins she was close to.
Tawni came back a few minutes later, giving a small smile to her friends who looked at her expectantly. "She wouldn't say much. She said that she wants to talk to us, but it's still hard for her to."
"As long as she knows we're here for her," Sonny said.
"She does. I just hope she'll be able to open up to us soon."
I wasn't really sure how to end that chapter... but yeah. I'm hoping they'll get better as I keep writing. I'm still trying to get back into it, lol. So I hope you like it and that maybe I'll see some reviews? :) Thanks! :D
