The next chapter will be set in London! DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" or "High School Story: Class Act," I only own Diana and Karena.
Some time after my dinner with Wesley and after my dad stood up to the Crandalls on mine and my mom's behalf, there was a different vibe at school. While cheerleading and baseball carried on, as well as Wesley's debut with track and field, the drama department carried a totally different feel. Skye had come to school as a totally different person, both inside and outside. Her mom had given her a makeover that could make her blend in with me and the cheerleading squad, but ever since her parents got involved in the funding for Spotlite, Skye's personality had changed as well, and it was not a good change.
Thankfully, she made it to tech week, or as Amy calls it, the roughest week of the play, and we were rehearsing the entire play, but not in costume yet.
"We need the storm to be grand, rattling the whole theatre with its fury," Ajay explained. "Skye, thoughts?"
"I dunno," she answered with a shrug. "Whatever you think would work."
"I thought you had a whole notebook full of effects stuff," Amy said with sadness.
"Maybe we can search 'storm sounds' on the internet or something," Skye suggested.
"Perhaps I'll ask Trevor to weigh in," Ajay replied. "For now, everyone, places for the top of the show!"
When we all took our places, I couldn't help but notice my mom's emotions when she played the opening notes, which sounded like thunder. Usually when I watched my mom play, she always carried a smile on her face, but this time, her face was full of anger or sadness. I had also noticed that while Amy, Rory, and I had memorized our lines, everyone else had trouble with them. If I had to guess, it was because our scripts were full of songs, and we were supposed to speak the lines rather than sing them.
It took us more than three hours to go through the play for the first time, and we were all exhausted.
"Remember people, we only have a week left!" Ajay reminded us. "You should be practicing at home so much you dream about your lines."
I left the theatre alone and drove home, where my dad greeted me.
"Hey princess!" Dad said with enthusiasm.
"Hey, I'm just going to go to bed," I replied as I walked past him.
"Let me guess: bad rehearsal?"
"Just a bad… everything, nowadays."
"Where's your mom?"
"I drove to school, remember? But she's coming. I'm going to go to bed."
The rest of the week went by, and then the weekend flew by, and it was Monday again. There was good news and bad news about what had happened over the weekend. The good news was that Skye stood up to her parents about them turning her into someone she wasn't, and she returned to her normal self. The bad news was… we were no longer going to London, which I found out from Rory. Because of Skye standing up to her parents, they were no longer funding the trip.
I was heartbroken, of course, because going to London is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it was not worth it if a friend had to sacrifice her personality. I sadly walked in the auditorium where some people were approaching Amy with worried expressions on their faces.
"Is it true we can't go to London anymore?" Natalie asked.
"Dang, word travels fast!" Amy exclaimed in response.
"It's not looking good," Rory replied. "I have no idea where we could get that much money in four days."
"Plus, we were supposed to start ten minutes ago," Erin explained. "And Ajay's not at school. I looked everywhere!"
"What do you mean, Ajay's not at school?" I asked with shock.
"We can't rehearse without our director!" Amy cried. "I hope he didn't give up on us after hearing the news about not having any funding."
"Maybe we can beg someone rich to fund it, like Amber," Rory suggested. "Or—"
We all heard a loud thud against the door to the theater and we all let out a gasp.
"What was that?" Emma asked in horror. "A wild animal?"
"Stand back!" Adam yelled out, and I got into my fight stance. I watched as Adam and Erin grabbed planks of wood, which I had no idea still existed, and the three of us stood at the ready when the door thudded and opened slowly… revealing Ajay!
"Everyone…"
"Dear Lord!" Amy exclaimed, looking over Ajay, who had bloodshot eyes, dark circles underneath them, and messy black hair. "I'll take him to the school nurse! Ajay, lie down or something! We'll carry you to the office!"
"NO, THERE'S NO TIME!" Ajay shouted. "Get in my car! Now!"
"Your car? Why?" Michael asked.
"Ajay, what's gotten into you?" I asked.
"I was up all night searching for means of funding, and I finally uncovered a scholarship!"
Amy, Caleb, and I hovered over Ajay as he shakily showed us the website on his phone.
"The Miao Arts and Music Scholarship… This is a great find!" Amy said with surprise. "If we're selected, it'll just barely cover our trip costs."
"But it says the essay application was due this morning," Caleb observed.
"I submitted it on Westport High's behalf seconds before the deadline," Ajay explained. "I pulled an all-nighter perfecting it." Oh my…
"That's our director for you," Erin spoke up. "But then why are you kidnapping us?"
"In addition to the written application, they're holding optional in-person interviews today to select the recipient."
"Optional to some people, maybe," Skye replied. "But definitely not us."
"I'm with Skye on this one," I replied. "If we had gotten more noticed, then maybe."
"But we should go and argue our case," Rory explained. "Ajay can't do it alone half-crazed from sleep deprivation like this."
"Yeah, we all owe it to ourselves to go!" Amy said with determination. "Where's it happening, Ajay?"
"At the scholarship foundation's headquarters in Pittsburgh."
"PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA?!" I yelled out. "NO. WAY."
"Are you serious?" Adam asked. "That's hundreds of miles away!"
"I KNOW!" Ajay shouted back. "WE'LL DRIVE, LET'S GO!"
"But you can't drive in that state, Ajay!" I exclaimed. "You're too sleepy."
"I can drive five people including myself," Maria chimed in.
"So can Rory and I," Erin said. "Everyone, let's split and go!"
"Holy crap!" Amy exclaimed. "This is really cutting it close. It'll be a long shot, but it's our best bet."
"And even if this doesn't work, we can't give up," Skye replied with determination. "If we're going down, we're going down kicking and screaming!"
I sat in the passenger seat next to Maria as we speeded down the highways in our flying cars, crossing through Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and then crossing into Pennsylvania.
"My dad would kill me if he found out I was going to Pennsylvania."
"Diana, the New Jersey/Pennsylvania border is only a few hours away," Maria explained.
"Yes, but Pittsburgh's on the OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE!" I shouted back. "That's near CHICAGO!"
"Uh, Diana, that's more closer to Detroit," Caleb said with calmness.
"We're going fast and furious here!" Michael exclaimed angrily. "We will get there!"
After speeding through Pennsylvania to almost the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, we parked in an overpriced parking garage, and we sprinted into the foundation's lobby, meeting Ajay and his gang there.
"Oh my gosh, we're so late!" Amy exclaimed, and we all looked at the clock: it was 7:45 PM, and we had 'started' rehearsal at 3:30.
I watched as Amy and Rory approached the conference room door, which was shut, and they pressed their ears against the door.
"The current interview is about a crochet club," Rory explained as the two approached us.
"There's so many activities for us to compete with," Michael observed in awe.
"I wonder what we can do to stand out from the crowd," Caleb pondered in thought.
"I did bring Prospero's staff," Graham explained. "It's finally in working order, so we can show it to the scholarship committee."
"I brought a few prop swords to demonstrate our crew's artistry, as well," Maria chimed in.
"Wait, I have a crazy idea," Skye said, opening her laptop.
"Like a plan for what we should say in there?" Amy asked.
"Something like that. Listen, Aiden, I need your help."
"Wait, is my mom here too?" I asked with nervousness.
"No, she was still at the school the last time I checked," Aiden answered. "I told her we were taking a field trip. Skye, I'm at your service. What needs to happen?"
"A field trip without adult supervision?" I asked quietly. "That's going to sound fishy to my dad."
"It will be fine," Emma said.
"Emma, we're closer to Ohio than we are to New York. I'm definitely going to be in trouble."
"That trip to London will be worth it, though! Just you wait!"
"Our turn!" Amy exclaimed, and I turned to see a group of students leaving the conference room. "Let's kill it in there, Trojans!"
"You're out of luck," one of the students explained. "The committee said we were the last interview of the day. The committee is packing up already."
"Not if we have anything to say about it," I said with determination. "We can't give up now!"
I watched as Ajay approached the door and frantically pull the handle.
"LET ME IN!"
"Um, it's a 'Push' door, Ajay," Amy said, calming him down as I shook my head. "It says right there on the handle."
"Oh. Of course, I knew that."
"Ajay, you're, like, delirious right now," Rory chimed in. "You've done enough. Leave the rest to us."
We walked into the conference room after pushing the door, where two stern-looking adults were packing up their things.
"What in the blazes was all that screaming and rattling at the door?" the female judged asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That was just some weirdo we don't know!" Amy explained. Wait what? "A stranger really needed to pee and thought this was the restroom."
"Yeah, they weren't with us at all," Rory chimed in. "We fought them off so they wouldn't come in."
"You shouldn't have come in either," the male judge replied sternly. "It's almost an hour after our cutoff time."
"You've got to hear us out," Adam said with urgency. "Our musical next week is in crisis mode!"
"Yes, we read that sob story in your application," the female judge said with hopelessness. "I'm sorry, but we're leaving."
"Wait! Five minutes is all we ask for!" Amy requested. "I know it's late and you want to go home. But we just need five minutes!"
"We're begging you!" Rory chimed in. "We won't keep you a second longer than that."
We watched the judges exchange exasperated looks, and they took a seat.
"Five minutes might be faster than convincing them to go away," the male judge explained quietly.
"Fine. What can you tell us that we don't already know?" the female judge asked.
We watched as Skye flipped open her laptop and started playing the musical number for Miranda and Ferdinand's engagement.
"My husband, then?" Amy sang.
"Ay, with a heart as willing as bondage e'er of freedom," Rory replied in song. "Here's my hand."
"And mine, with my heart in't. And now farewell till half an hour hence."
We watched as Rory embraced Amy and lifts her off the floor.
"A thousand thousand!"
The song slowly transitions into another number, and Adam, Erin, and Caleb leaped into action.
"Oh, I see. This is a medley!" the female judge exclaimed.
"Foul creature!" Erin sang with anger.
"If you could hurt, your swords are now too massy for your strengths and will not be uplifted," Adam sang in reply.
"Be you quiet, monster!" Caleb shouted in song as he struggled to draw his prop sword.
"Begone!" Erin exclaimed as she hefted her sword from the ground and lunged at Adam.
We heard a gasp from the judges as Adam dodged the blow but stepped on Erin's foot.
"Ow! I'm alright!"
"Yikes! Sorry!" Adam exclaimed as the song transitioned into the finale with thunder in the background. I took my staff and swung it around my head, pulling everyone into my circle.
"Eeek! Heavens me!" Amy exclaimed.
"I'll break my staff!" I shouted in song. "Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound I'll drown my book."
"Whether this be or be not, I'll not swear," Emma sang in reply.
"The devil speaks in him," Caleb sang.
"I shall be pinched to death," Michael sang.
The song crested to its crescendo, and I pointed my staff at the judges.
"Release me from my bands with the help of your good hands!"
"Oh. You're asking us to clap?" the male judge asked.
"Indeed," Amy replied with improvisation. "Free my father of his sorcery, I beg you!"
"Then clap we will," the female judge complied, and they both clapped. "I've never seen anything like that lightning staff. It was like magic."
"Great! Well, we need your help to show that magic to the rest of the world!" Rory explained.
"And we've worked months and months for this," Amy added. "We've put everything we got into this, only for it to be yanked away from us at the last second. Performing at Spotlite would be a dream come true. This could change our lives forever."
"Duly noted," the male judge replied as Skye stepped forward.
"There's not a more deserving cast and crew in the world for this scholarship. They've become like family to me. The family I always needed. I want to repay Westport High's drama department for all they've done to support me through thick and thin. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they saved my life. This trip would mean the world to us. Even if we don't receive this scholarship, I'll keep trying. I'll do whatever it takes to give them what they deserve."
We watched the judges glance at each other, and for a few seconds, they pondered in thought.
"We've heard enough," the female judge told us. "You're free to go."
"Thank you for your time," Amy replied as we left the room and left headquarters. "I wonder if I could've said anything different to sway the judges. They were so hard to read."
"Whatever happens, you gave it your all," Ajay replied sleepily. "The musical number mash-up was an excellent idea, Skye."
"It was nothing. Aiden did most of the work editing the songs together on the fly."
"But the concept was all yours," Aiden happily replied back. "Stitching the emotional peaks of those scenes into a functional trailer of the musical was a stroke of genius."
"We're parked on the first floor," Maria said. "So here we part."
"At least until we make a well-deserved pit stop for dinner and gas," Amy replied.
"I wonder if we can make it back home before midnight," Rory thought out loud as we parted ways.
I had fallen asleep most of the way home from Pittsburgh, and I woke up in alarm when Maria told me it was three o'clock in the morning. I looked over the numerous texts my dad had sent me during my time away.
WRobinson23: Diana, where are you? Are you still at school?
WRobinson23: It's been fifteen minutes, and you're still not home. Where are you?
WRobinson23: I stopped at the school and found your car, but not your body. Where the heck are you?!
WRobinson23: Diana, Mom and I are worried about you. Please tell me you're still in Westport!
And my mom had also sent me texts.
EvelynAngel2002: Diana, I understand you're at a field trip, but it's not like you to be out on a field trip at 10:00 at night. Where are you?
EvelynAngel2002: Diana, your dad is worried SICK about you! Where are you at?
EvelynAngel2002: Why are you not answering our texts? Please tell me you didn't get kidnapped!
"Oh shoot. I'm definitely in trouble," I said out loud as I got in my flying car and drove home. I got out my house key and entered the house, which was pitch black. But, before I could go up the stairs, I heard a light switch turn on. I turned to my right and saw the living room light on, and I saw my dad emerge from the couch.
"Oh! Hey, Dad!" I said innocently. "What are you doing down here?"
"Worrying sick about you, young lady," Dad replied sleepily but sternly as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Diana Evelyn Robinson, where the heck have you been? It's past three in the morning!"
"It's a long story," I replied.
"Give me the short version, Diana Evelyn," Dad said furiously. "I've been sitting down here since 11:00 and you just now got home! I don't have time for long stories!"
"Dad, I'm sorry! It was a last minute decision!"
"What was a last minute decision?"
"The cast and crew went to Pittsburgh to do an interview on a scholarship that would help get us to London."
"Pittsburgh?!" Dad yelled. "Diana, what the hell were you doing all the way in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?! That is over 400 miles away!"
"I just told you, I was with the cast and crew doing an interview to help us get to London!" I shot back, still in shock that my dad used a swear word.
"We'll talk more about this in less than four hours, Diana Evelyn," Dad sternly replied before he pointed a finger upstairs. "Go to bed. NOW."
My alarm went off, and I groggily got out of bed, got dressed, and went downstairs to find French toast on my placemat.
"Good morning, Diana," I heard Mom say. "I'm glad you got back home safely."
"Me too, Mom," I said, dreading to have the talk with my parents as I sat down.
"Your father told me that you went to Pittsburgh with your classmates," Mom said as she sat down to my left. "Aiden told me you were going on a field trip!"
"Well, we did… kind of," I replied as my dad came down the stairs and sat across from me.
"But why Pittsburgh of all places?" Mom asked. "Dad says it's over 400 miles away!"
"I'm right here," Dad said flatly, but with dark circles under his eyes.
"Wilbur, you need more sleep—"
"No, I need to have an extended conversation with our daughter about why she drove all the way to Pittsburgh," Dad interrupted before turning toward me with a stern expression.
"Mom already knows, but the Crandalls pulled the funding away at the last minute," I explained. "So we had no means of getting to London. Ajay had found a scholarship with optional interviews at the foundation's headquarters, but they ended at the end of the night, so we made a beeline to Pittsburgh and, hopefully, we convinced the judges to give us the scholarship."
"But the interview was optional," Dad replied. "You didn't need to go."
"Dad, if I wasn't there, Amy and the others would not have convinced them otherwise. The interview would have been pointless. My part's important, as is everyone else's. I guess Ajay gave the judges a poor explanation of our needs in the application."
"Nevertheless, you went to Pittsburgh without our permission," Dad said sternly. "It would have been fine if this was in New York since you weren't alone, but Pittsburgh? Diana, when driving the normal speed limit, that is a six-and-a-half-hour drive. Four hundred miles."
"Dad, I'm sixteen," I replied sternly. "I'm not a child anymore."
"You are my daughter who is a minor who is still living under my roof!" Dad replied, pointing a finger at me and almost shouting at me.
"Diana, I understand you need to have the experiences to grow, but that is not the way to talk to your father," Mom reprimanded me. "There are rules you still need to follow because you live at our house with us. You may be older, but it doesn't mean you are above the rules."
"Your mother is right. Whether or not the play gets the scholarship or not, there will be consequences."
"Dad, I'm sorry for not telling you where I was going, but you wouldn't have understood."
"Why wouldn't I understand?" Dad asked, standing up, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Diana—"
"Oh, so unless you got in your flying car and drove hours away from your family when you were in high school, like say, Los Angeles, you wouldn't understand this situation."
"DIANA!"
My dad screamed in anger as he trotted up the stairs, and I heard a door slam.
"Diana Evelyn, that was uncalled for," Mom said sternly.
"Why can't Dad treat me like an adult?" I asked angrily.
"Because you're acting like a child! The way you responded to your father when he explained that you needed our permission to go somewhere other than school, which he is right about, by the way, was not the right way. That was childish. You want your dad to treat you like an adult? Then learn to accept the consequences for your wrongdoings and do not talk back to him. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom," I replied sadly as I walked up the stairs to grab my backpack, and then I went to school with my mom.
I stared dejectedly at my lunch and played with it using my fork.
"Diana? Are you okay?"
I turned to see a worried Emma to my left.
"No, I'm not okay," I replied as Emma gave me a hug.
"Did something happen to your family?"
"You remember what I said about how I was going to be in trouble for yesterday?" I asked, and she nodded her head. "I did, and my dad was furious. Unfortunately, I made it worse when I screamed at my dad for treating me like a child."
"Did he treat you like a child?" Emma asked with worry.
"Well… no. But Mom helped me see the error of my ways. Now I'm worried my dad hates me, and not just because we went to Pittsburgh."
"I know your dad, and I highly doubt he hates you," Emma assured me. "He talks very highly of you."
"Not after today, he won't."
"I don't think so."
"I know I'm grounded for sure, but I don't know what my punishment will be."
"All you can do is keep moving forward," Emma replied with a smile, and I smiled back just as I felt my phone vibrate. It was a copied text from Ajay.
"We did it!" I said excitedly.
"Did what?"
"We're going to London!" I exclaimed, and Emma and I screamed in excitement.
I walked through the front door with my mom to see my dad sitting on the couch. He looked up at me with a raised eyebrow and set his book down.
"Have you heard anything about that scholarship?" Dad asked as I sat down across from him.
"We got the scholarship," I answered. "We're going to London."
"Congratulations."
"Are you still upset at me?" I asked uneasily. "I've been worried all day about whether you hate me or not."
"Diana, look. Yes, I am still upset with you. You handled my talking to you horribly. And I get it. It was three in the morning and you had only gotten four hours of sleep when we next talked. I just… don't understand why you don't trust me. I've known you since your mom and I found out we were pregnant with you. We knew of your personality long before you were born just based on how much you 'talked' to your mom."
"I wanted to, Dad, but it's Pittsburgh. It was nowhere near New York. I knew I was going to be grounded for it, but some opportunities only give you one chance, like this trip to London. I didn't know how to explain it to you. I truly am sorry for screaming at you and for hiding Pittsburgh from you. Just… please don't say you hate me."
I felt tears well up in my eyes, and my dad looked at me with compassion in his.
"Oh, Diana."
I watched him get up off the couch and walked toward me. I stood up, and we pulled each other in for a tight embrace as the tears poured out of my eyes onto his right shoulder.
"Diana, hey, it's okay," Dad said, soothing me while rubbing my back as I continued to cry. "I don't hate you, and I promise, I will always love you, even from heaven."
"I'll always love you too," I replied back tearfully. We eventually pulled apart and I saw a smile on my dad's face.
"I can't guarantee you're not grounded, but I'm willing to hold off on the punishment until after prom," Dad explained. "You're absolutely right. Some opportunities are only worth one chance, and London is definitely is not something punishment can take away. You go and have the time of your life in London, and make not only me and your mom proud, but your entire family, too."
"I will, Dad, I promise."
We had our final rehearsal the day before we left London, and we were all so excited about leaving for London.
"Hey, Diana!"
I turned to see Michael approaching me.
"Hey, Michael! What's up?"
"Emma told me about you and your dad. How are things going between you two?"
"They're going just fine," I answered. "I explained everything to Dad, and vice-versa. He's holding off on my punishment until after prom."
"I'm glad," Michael replied as Ajay held his hands up in the air, telling everyone to quiet down.
"Now that Skye's parents are no longer funding the trip, we're reverting all the changes they made," Aiden explained happily. "Including the musical numbers that they vetoed."
"Yes! Mr. and Mrs. Crandall, eat your heart out!" Amy exclaimed.
"With that in mind, let's run through the musical one last time," Ajay suggested. "Places, everyone!"
In costume, we ran through the play flawlessly and right around the three-hour mark. We were sweating with nervousness by the time we finished the final scene, and we all turned to our junior director.
"What do you think, Ajay?" Amy asked. "How was that?"
"Not bad," Ajay replied. "I wouldn't be too upset if that's what we presented to the judges."
We all cheered at the lukewarm compliment.
"Does that mean we're free to go?" Adam asked.
"Actually, not quite. Everyone, let's take five before polishing up the scene where Prospero tells Miranda the truth of her lineage."
"I thought we nailed it?" Amy said with uncertainty. "But okay."
After the five minutes were up, Amy and I went on the stage to do our 'act.' I say act in that manner because… it was a surprise for Amy.
"Diana, Amy, you're on again," Ajay said after he clapped his hands. "Let's take it from Act 1, Scene 2, at 'Oh, woe the day'!"
"Sure thing! Let's do this, dear daughter," I said with a smile.
"It… feels weird to call you Dad when we're not acting, so I just won't," Amy replied.
"I don't blame you at all," I replied with a chuckle, and my mom started to play the song.
"Oh, woe the day!"
"No harm. Thee my daughter, who art ignorant of what thou art, naught knowing a suitor awaits your answer."
"Um… Pardon? What suitor dost thou speak of?" Amy asked with cluelessness. She looked over at Ajay, who motioned her to continue. "More to know did never meddle with my thoughts."
"'Tis time I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand and follow me."
I held out my hand for Amy to take, and she followed me to the center of the stage. Then, the rest of the cast and crew came onstage with excitement as my mom switched songs.
"A kinder, fairer young lass the world hath never known!" Michael said.
"The hour's now come that thou danceth and enjoyeth pleasures reserved for royalty," Emma continued.
"What's happening?" Amy asked nervously as Ajay came on to the stage, taking her hand.
"You, O you… so perfect and so peerless, are created of every creature's best. Precious creature… Will thou attend'st the promenade with me?"
"Will I go to prom with you?" Amy asked, now with excitement in her voice. "Ay, noble sir! A thousand times yes! My brave Ajay, I thank thee! Such an elaborate display I dared not dream'st of!"
"There's not a goodlier paramour than thou," Ajay replied. "You deserve the world."
We all cheered as Amy and Ajay pulled in for a kiss.
"Way to raise the bar for the rest of us," Caleb said with happiness, and I gave him a smirk.
"Sorry, but not sorry," Ajay replied with a chuckle.
"Well done, everyone," Mr. Olson commended us. "Rehearsal is dismissed."