DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" or "High School Story: Class Act," I only own Diana, Wesley, and Karena.
Today, we were getting fitted for costumes. Skye had taken my measurements, and then Sydney found a colorful robe for me to wear.
"Is this like Joseph and his coat of many colors?" I asked her with a smile.
"Maybe! I didn't think of that, but I don't think so."
"It was worth a shot. Besides, I doubt Joseph had black hair." I paused as I admired myself in the robe. "The question is, how are we going to do my hair? I don't want to leave it all down, since Prospero's a man."
"You know, I don't know. Hair is Mia's department. Unless you have any suggestions?"
"I was talking to my godmother the other day and she suggested maybe braiding my hair and styling it to where it's a crown."
"Diana! That's a wonderful idea!" Amy exclaimed as she walked in. "After all, Prospero was a former duke."
"I never thought of it that way," I said with a smile.
"If Mia was coming with us, she would do your hair perfectly," Sydney said with a smile, and then frowned. "Maybe I could call Payton and have her come to London to do your hair. She's pretty good at it."
"Or you could have me do it," I heard Mom say. "I do my own hair for special occasions. I can easily do yours."
"Mom, Grandma did your hair at your wedding."
"Alright, that's a different story," Mom replied with a chuckle. "But still, whether it's for your wedding or something like this, I want to do your hair."
"It's alright with me," Sydney said with a smile. "What do you think, Diana?"
"I'd love for you to do my hair," I answered. "Do you need the details?"
"Good thing I have good ears," Mom answered with a smirk. "I heard everything."
"Oh! One more thing. I was thinking of doing my hair with bangs instead of a cowlick."
"Cowlicks weren't a fashion trend in Shakespeare's time anyway," Mom replied with understanding. "Bangs would be perfect for this performance."
"I've been captured!" I heard Amy yell out as Skye started her measurements.
"Hold still. It's that time again."
"Have I outdone myself, or have I outdone myself?" Rory asked, admiring himself in the mirror.
"You've outdone yourself!" Amy and I answered at the same time.
"Your costume looks perfect for Ferdinand!" Amy explained with a smile on her face.
"Oh, I was going for sarcasm since Rory only gave us one choice," I explained. "I guess it didn't get out of my mouth the way I wanted to." I paused, clearing my throat. "You do look good, though."
"Sydney really helped capture his sweetness and innocence," Rory explained, happy with his costume.
"Aw, it wouldn't really come off right without your portrayal," Sydney replied.
"A team effort, then."
"Diana, test this out," Graham said to me with a staff.
"You made this?" I asked in awe. "This is incredible! But what do I do?"
"Just hit it on the ground, like this." Graham demonstrated what he wanted me to do, and I followed suit, and then everyone turned to look at us.
"Your staff should illuminate on contact with the floor," Graham explained with a perplexed expression. "Maybe the wires are coming loose on the hit."
"Maybe I just need to hit it harder?" I suggested.
"This looks so pro!" Amy said, taking a look at the staff. "Graham, did you make this?"
"Yeah! Though I might disown it and claim Trevor made it if I can't get it working as intended. With a forceful movement, the LED's should flash on to look like Diana is casting magic."
"I recorded some sound effects to play in sync with it, too," Skye explained while still taking Amy's measurements. "The Spotlite judges are going to lose their minds."
"It would be cool if I actually had magic powers," I said out loud, remembering that my dad has powers of some sort that he never explained to me.
"I think we have a period appropriate outfit roughly your size already," Sydney told Amy, taking a red and yellow dress off the rack. "Here! It looks kind of believable as Miranda, too."
"Just kind of?" Amy asked, looking at the dress and then putting it on and twirling in the mirror.
"You look like you could be at a Medieval ball!" I said with a smile on my face.
"It's… very minimalistic!" Amy said with a small smile. "Keeping it simple with two colors, I see! It's a look, all right!"
"You don't like it, do you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, and Amy answered with a shrug.
"It's a little plain, but it'll do if it's all we got," Skye chimed in.
"I was actually going to visit my favorite costume shop to find a more lavish one for you," Sydney suggested. "But I've been swamped doing alterations on all the other costumes."
"I couldn't help but overhear," Ajay said, poking his head in the dressing room. "Why don't Amy and I go to the store instead? Then you can look for a costume yourself, Amy."
"Absolutely! I volunteer!"
"You guys would be doing me a huge favor!" Sydney exclaimed with a big grin. "Make sure to bring back the receipt so the school will reimburse you for it! Lemme get you my costume wishlist."
As soon as Sydney gave Ajay and Amy the list, they both left.
"Diana, what do you think?"
I turned around to see Caleb in his costume, which was gold and represented the Duke of Milan well.
"That hat suits you," I said, pointing at his head.
"I'm debating whether to use it or not."
"You are a duke in the 1600s. Hats were very much a fashion trend back in the day, especially for dukes."
"I guess we'll find out if it's alright or not."
"What do you mean, less singing?"
Caleb and I turned to an angry Rory as he faced Skye.
"I'm just the messenger here!" Skye exclaimed as the two of them stormed out of the dressing room and onto the stage.
"I'm not liking the sound of that," I said out loud as we got out of our costumes and joined the discussion.
"Skye, that would defeat the whole point of a musical!" Rory explained angrily.
"Don't blame me!"
"What's going on?" Amy asked as she and Ajay walked back into the auditorium.
"Skye, care to explain?" Trevor asked with a raised eyebrow, and we all turned to her with a glare… well, almost everyone.
"So, um… since my parents are funding the trip, they feel entitled to suggest changes to the production… They would like for the musical… to have less singing."
"This is ridiculous," I said out loud, shaking my head in shame.
"Less… singing?" Ajay asked, probably trying to be sure he heard her correctly. "In a musical?"
"They think it looks too silly," Skye explained. "And they wouldn't want me to participate in an embarrassing production."
"That's outrageous!" Aiden exclaimed. "We can't cut the music out of a musical."
"Guys, we need to tell them we won't do it!" Amy chimed in. "They'll be taking the singing out over my dead body!"
Most of the cast and crew let out a cheer.
"That's not going to go over well with my parents," Skye said with caution.
"Why do you all of a sudden care about what your parents think after what they did to you?" I asked angrily.
"Yeah! Why are you taking your parents' side?" Trevor asked, also with anger in his voice.
"The Crandalls are funding our whole trip," Ajay said with a calm voice. "We need to handle this situation delicately."
"So that gives them creative control of our production?" Erin asked with shock. "If we cut the music from a musical, all our hard work will have been for nothing!"
"I don't like it any more than you do," Ajay replied sadly. "I'll talk to Mr. Olsen and see what he says. Everyone else, get in positions for Act 3, Scene 3."
Before Erin, Clint, Caleb, and Emma took their places, Ajay had sent Amy and Skye home. Amy did not have any lines in this scene, and Skye looked like a lost soul. I waited until my cue offstage.
"Honest lord, thou hast said well," I said out loud to myself. "For some of you there present are worse than devils."
"I cannot too much muse," Erin said. "Such shapes, such gesture, and such sound, expressing. Although they want the use of tongue, a kind of excellent dumb discourse."
"Time to go," I said out loud, and I listened to Adam perform his song, and when he was done, I sang my part.
"Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou performed, my Ariel. A grace it had, devouring. Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated in what thou hadst to say. So with good life and observation strange, my meaner ministers their several kinds have done. My high charms work and these mine enemies are all knit up in their distractions. They now are in my power. And in these fits I leave them while I visit Young Ferdinand, whom they suppose is drowned, and his and mine loved darling."
A few days later, we met for rehearsal, but I had heard that Aiden and Ajay had made modifications with Mr. Olson's guidance as well as my mom's. Long story short, I was not happy that we complied to the Crandalls' "suggestions."
"Amy, Adam! You're up soon," Ajay yelled.
"On our way!" Amy yelled back as she and her twin brother scrambled onto the stage.
"Surprise!"
We all turned around to see the Crandalls walking into the auditorium, and I rolled my eyes.
"We're here to see how you've all improved after our suggestions the other day," Mr. Crandall explained.
"After discussing your request with Mr. Olson, we've made the recommended adjustments," Mom replied, and I could tell even she was saddened.
"Please take a seat," Aiden said with sadness before Adam started his part.
"You are three men of sin, whom Destiny… Uh…"
"You know this, Adam," Ajay encouraged him. "Deep breaths. Like we practiced."
"That hath to instrument this lower world!" Adam yelled out his part with excitement.
"You nailed it!" Amy yelled with encouragement.
"Finally!" Ajay exclaimed with a proud smile. "Let's try again with… less yelling this time. The tone should be intimidating, almost somber."
"You got it, boss!"
The scene continued on.
"I know how to curse!" Michael yelled. "The red plague rid you for learning me—"
"Wait, the lights should've switched to red like I wanted!" Mrs. Crandall interrupted, and Michael gave her a glare. "And where's the suspense track?"
"Skye?" Amy asked as we all stared at her.
"Hmm? Sorry! Red lights. Music. Thunder."
"That's the second time you've missed a cue," Ajay observed with sympathy. "Do you need Trevor to take over?"
"I'm fine, Ajay," Skye replied, but she looked depressed. "Just… keep going."
The scene continued on, and then I eventually got on the stage with the staff. I let out a loud yell as I banged the staff on the ground and the sound of thunder crackled through the theater, but the staff got on fire and I screamed.
"YIKES!"
I held the staff as far away from myself as I could as Graham doused the fire with an extinguisher, and then I blew a sigh of relief.
"I don't recall requesting a repeat of the Staples High fire," Mr. Crandall yelled out angrily.
"Sorry, still a work in progress!" Graham exclaimed. "It will not be doing that come performance day."
Then, we got to the scene were Ferdinand proposed to Miranda.
"Remember, the musical number here was cut," Aiden reminded Amy and Rory with sadness. "So just… speak your lines over the song."
"Seriously?" Amy asked, also with sadness. "Just as I mastered belting the final verse."
"Guess we'll just chuck all those hours practicing in the trash," Rory replied as they got set up.
"My husband, then?"
"Ay, with a heart as willing as bondage e'er of freedom. Here's my hand."
Amy looked torn between singing the lines and talking through them, and I watched her force a smile and hastily spoke her lines.
"And mine, with my heart in't' and now farewell til half an hour hence."
I heard Aiden groan, and I watched my mother wince at Amy's tone.
"What a travesty," Aiden said out loud.
"A thousand thousand!" Rory exclaimed as he wrapped Amy in a passionate hug, and then he lifted and spun her around.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Mr. Crandall said with approval.
"Well done taking the changes in stride, both of you," Ajay said with sadness.
"I don't know about that," Mrs. Crandall chimed in. "It was an improvement, but… Amy, was it? I'm falling asleep here. Your delivery could use more snap."
"More snap?" Amy asked with confusion in her voice.
"Could you elaborate, Mrs. Crandall?" Ajay asked. "I thought her rendition was spot on."
"That last line was too long. Frankly, I'm getting bored."
"Not much I can do about that," Amy said. "It's the original Shakespeare."
"Don't make excuses. Instead of all that wordy drivel, just say, 'Yes! Goodbye.' Otherwise, why would I want to watch this historic nonsense instead of America's Most Eligible?"
"Mrs. Crandall, you don't know anything about theatre, so zip it!" Amy replied furiously. Whoa! "No one else had a problem with my take!"
"Throwing a temper tantrum now, I see! Maybe no one vocalized their opinion because they anticipated your childish reaction."
"I will vocalize my opinion!" I shouted, walking up towards Mrs. Crandall. "Knock it off!"
"Don't you tell me what to do, Diana! You are not the authority here."
"You should know better, Mrs. Crandall," I replied angrily. "Amy is right. You cannot just change Shakespeare. Thanks to your 'adjustments,' our play—our musical is heading to the dumps!"
"Let's take ten, everyone!" Ajay yelled over us, still with his hand on Amy's shoulder. "We'll figure out how to approach this scene once everyone's cooled off."
"We most definitely won't discuss 'how to approach this scene,'" Mrs. Crandall said. "We've made our stance clear! I won't repeat myself, Amy. Improve, or I'll have you removed from your role! And that goes for you too, Diana."
"Don't you dare threaten my daughter, ma'am!" Mom yelled.
"The only thing improving here is your face!" Amy furiously replied.
"Huh? Pardon?" Mr. Crandall replied with surprise in his voice as I ran over to Amy to help Ajay calm her down.
"Uh, Amy was just saying you both look great," Ajay said, mediating the situation. "We'll come back to the scene after the break."
WILBUR'S POV
I was cooking turkey sloppy joes in the kitchen with Wesley's help when Karena and Diana got home. We were met with the front door slamming, and then they walked into the kitchen and screamed. We watched as Diana followed her mother up the stairs, and I heard their bedroom doors being slammed shut.
"What was that about?" Wesley asked with a perplexed expression.
"That… is an excellent question," I answered with worry. "Let's give them a few minutes to cool off. We only have a few minutes left on this turkey. Wesley, can you get the buns please? We'll need one for each plate."
"Yes, Dad."
I finished stirring the turkey sloppy joes in the saucepan while Wesley got the dishes ready. I placed one cup of sloppy joes on each bun, and then I gave everyone a cup of broccoli.
"It smells really good, Dad."
"Thanks, Wes. I hope I've lived up to your mom's standards. Now, you let Diana know dinner's ready, and I'll let Mom know." We started to leave the kitchen, but then I paused. "Actually, Wes, let's bring dinner up to them. Something tells me they both had a bad day. I'm sure they won't mind having dinner in bed."
"Good idea!"
We both grabbed two plates and headed to our respective rooms. I knocked on my bedroom door while Wesley knocked on his sister's.
"I don't wanna talk to you!" Karena said from inside the room.
"Come on, Karr, we both know this isn't about me," I said. "Besides, I have your dinner."
Karena got up and opened the door. She let out a gasp as she saw the plates.
"You made dinner?"
"Yeah, I figured you girls wouldn't be home until later, so I went ahead and made turkey sloppy joes."
Karena took a plate as we headed for our bed. I watched as she took a bite of her sloppy joes and she had that look I was looking for.
"Ohmygosh, Wilbur, that was spot on! This is delicious!"
"Yes!" I said out loud, pumping my fist in the air. "Now, would you like to explain what happened today?"
"Our musical is no longer a musical," Karena explained, her depressed look coming back. "The Crandalls have asked us to completely eliminate the songs and make the play more modernized."
"You can't be serious," I deadpanned.
"That's the Crandalls for you."
"Wait, Crandall… isn't that that mean boy's last name?" I asked.
"Brian Crandall? Yep, those are his parents."
"What are they doing sponsoring a play at Westport High?"
"Their daughter attends Westport High." They have a daughter?
"Oh yay."
"They are so judgmental and mean!" Karena exclaimed furiously after she swallowed a bite of broccoli. "And get this, Amy stood up to them, as did Diana, and Mrs. Crandall threatened to kick both of them out of the show."
"She threatened our daughter?" I asked, now angry myself.
"I tried to stand up to them, but the junior theatre director mediated the situation. It's not up to them to change the play and threaten our students like that."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I want to give them a piece of my mind, but that won't make things any better."
"I do too! Trust me. But you're right, it's not the answer. We'd just make things worse."
"Wilbur, what are we going to do?" Karena asked as she leaned into me, putting her head on my right shoulder, and I held her for a few moments before we continued eating.
DIANA'S POV
I heard knocking on the door, and I got up off the bed to open it. I found Wesley with two plates of food.
"Is it dinnertime?" I asked.
"Yes, but may I eat with you?"
"I thought Mom and Dad said we couldn't eat in our bedrooms?" I asked with confusion in my voice.
"Dad's allowing us to do that today," Wesley explained as he handed me a plate. "He thinks something happened at school today."
"Wesley, be thankful you are not involved in the theatre department."
"It sounds like there's a lot of drama in the auditorium."
"Yes there's—you did not just make a pun."
"Not my best pun."
"Anyway, one student's parents are sponsoring our trip to London for a theatre festival, and because of that, they are demanding way too many unnecessary changes. Like, you know how we're doing a musical?" Wesley nodded. "Well, those parents decided to tell our teachers and junior directors to take the songs out."
"Wait, take songs out of a musical?" Wesley asked with a confused look on his face. "That's not how musicals work. It's just a play then."
"Exactly! We're supposed to put on the best performance we can at this festival, but how can we if we're not allowed to do what we practiced?" I paused to take a bite of my sloppy joe. "This is the best sloppy joe I have ever tasted! Did you make this?"
"It was mostly Dad's idea. I asked to help him."
"Wesley, you may be an annoying brother, but you're also the sweetest." I pulled him into a side hug, and he returned it. "Thank you for this."
"I'm glad I could help! Is there anyway I can help with this?"
"I wish you and Dad could come to London to see our play, but it's pretty expensive. Maybe just… pray things will turn out well in the end?"
"I can do that!" Wesley answered with confidence as we finished eating our dinner.
