Okay, here is a little quiz for anybody who thinks they are reading this thoroughly: What is Leslie's middle name? Hint for later on in the story: You are going to need to know it! Plese review, I really hope that you like this! Well, on with the story...

Chapter 2

"Okay everyone, quiet down now; I said quiet! That's better." Mrs. Carmichael said. "Now, we only have four more rehearsals left, so let's get to work! Mike and Maggie, I want to start off with the scene Music of the Night, so get into costume and I'll call places! Choir, I want you in the choir room going over some of the harder songs and dance steps. Promise me that you will actually work this time!"

"We promise!" they all said in unison.

"Now Carle, I want you, where is Carle?" Mrs. Carmichael asked looking around.

"I'm here! Sorry, my math teacher wanted me to stay after." Carle said from the auditorium door.

"Carle, I need you to make sure that the trap door opens and that the cushion is thick enough for Luke to jump on. Also, you need to finish programming the lights, and make sure that the chandelier will fall on cue."

"Yes ma'am." Carle said.

"Okay, now every one get to work!" Mrs. Carmichael said.

As everyone walked off in their separate directions, the choir hovered around Leslie, waiting for her to tell them what to do. "What's everyone staring at me for?" she asked puzzled.

"Leslie, would you take control of dance practice? You seem to be the only one who knows all the steps in order, even though you go too fast." Mrs. Carmichael asked.

"Sure, okay, you all know where the choir room is." Leslie said.

In the choir room, Leslie set up the CD player and put in the soundtrack. "Okay, I guess we should take it from the top." She said, pressing play on the machine.

For the next two in a half hour, they girls worked as hard as they could; determined to get every step right, so that Mrs. Carmichael wouldn't fuss at them again. During one of the breaks, one of the girls spoke up.

"Leslie, I think we should go over the songs. Would you lead us?"

"Yeah Leslie, you sing the solos and we'll back you up!" Heidi chimed in.

"Yeah!" a couple girls agreed.

"Let's do that!" a couple other girls said.

"I didn't know she could sing!" one girl put in.

"Um, I don't know the songs; maybe we should just listen to the CD and sing along." Leslie lied nervously.

"Oh come on Leslie," Heidi nagged. "I know you know them. This can be the way you beat Maggie!"

"Like she can beat Maggie; Maggie is the best singer in the school!" a girl named Jessica said. "She can't even beat me!"

"Just because you got the part of Meg, doesn't mean that you can sing." Heidi chided.

Exasperated, Leslie went over to the piano and started playing so that the girls would have to stop bickering, and start singing. Although the two girls did start to sing, they kept glaring daggers at each other.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Carmichael walked in and started fussing over why they weren't dancing. In order to avoid getting people in trouble, Leslie said that she wanted them to sing the songs while dancing so that they knew what step went to what word. Mrs. Carmichael seemed to buy it, and then told them that she would see them tomorrow, dismissing them to go home.

The next day, Mrs. Carmichael had the choir in the auditorium practicing, while the leads rehearsed in the choir room. They were able to get halfway through their dances before they had the first break. During the break, Mike came up to Leslie and started talking with her.

"Why didn't you audition for Meg? You are a great dancer." He said.

Leslie looked up from the homework she was working on. He was a tall boy at about five feet nine inches tall, with dark dirty blond hair down to the nape of his neck, and hazel eyes. He was also pretty strong, because he worked out and lifted waits. "Oh, hey Mike." She said, smiling up at him, and gestured for him to sit on the edge of the stage next to her. "Um, I don't like to sing." Leslie confessed once he was seated.

"Then why are you in the choir? I'm not saying that I'm upset that you are in the show, I…"

"Mike," Leslie interrupted, gigging to herself. "I like to sing, just not by myself. Plus we do more dancing than singing."

"Oh, okay." he said, understanding a little better. "Well, I better get back to practice. I almost can hit that high falsetto note." Picking up his phantom's mask, he went back to practice.

The next two practices were the two dress rehearsals before opening night. Everyone was getting nervous, so Mrs. Carmichael was going nuts trying to keep everyone under control. "Okay, Carle, I want you to run the lights while we run the show."

"Yes ma'am." Carle said, dashing up to the tech booth.

"Mr. Parker," Mrs. Carmichael said, addressing the band director. "Are your students ready to accompany us?"

"Sure as shootin' they are!" Mr. Parker replied.

"Good, good; now everyone go get into costumes and help each other with make-up. I'm going to call first cue in half an hour, so be ready backstage. And no feeding today! If you forget a line, just improvise!" she called after the backs of the retreating cast.

For a first dress rehearsal, the show didn't go too badly, but there were still some people forgetting lines. As expected, some of the light cues weren't on time, or just didn't work. The chandelier fell too soon, and the trap door opened too late, so Luke ended up hitting the stage with a thud, and then falling through, yelling in shock.

Some of the dancers forgot when to enter on some of the numbers, but were able to get most of the dance steps. Mike, with great joy, hit all of his notes successfully. Maggie on the other hand, squeaked on half of hers. Some of the props were missing, so some of the stage hands got fussed at until they were found; and there was lots of chatter backstage. After Mrs. Carmichael finished her list of things to work on, and stopped fussing, she let them take a break before running the show again.

The second run went much smoother than the first. All the props were in the right places, and the scene changes were quick and quiet. Mike once again hit all of his notes, but Maggie was still struggling. Everything went well over all, and the cast was told not to be late for the last rehearsal the next day.

"Hey, Maggie!" Leslie called, running down the aisle.

"What do you want chorus girl?" Maggie sneered.

"Whoa, I just wanted to tell you to break a leg tomorrow night." Leslie replied, coming to a halt and putting her hands up in defense.

"Yeah right; and any ways, I don't need luck."

"Sure; later then." Leslie said, walking to the dressing room to change for the finale rehearsal.

When Leslie got home, she found that her father and Sandra were making dinner. Well, really it was Sandra cooking, and her father playing around. What is with him? Ever since he met that wench, he has been acting so strangely! She thought to herself. Turning around, she tried to sneak out of the living room and up to her room without being seen, but she ended up tripping over one of Sandra's shoes that was in the middle of the floor, and went sprawling onto the floor, hitting her head on the coffee table.

"Oh, hey kiddo, dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Her father said, not even noticing how much pains she was in. Putting her hand up to the back of her head to make sure there was not blood, Leslie started to freak out when she pulled her hand away with a few drops on her finders.

"Dad, she could have killed me!" she yelled, sitting up. "Her shoes are not supposed to be in the middle of the floor! Did you even hear how hard I hit my head?" She was crying at this point, because it seemed to her that her father didn't care what happened to her anymore; and that all he cared about what Sandra. "Oh, and do you even care that I'm bleeding?" She held up her hand to show the blood. Her father and Sandra looked at it, and then dismissed it.

"There is hardly enough there to say that you are bleeding." Her father said.

"Go wash your hands." Sandra commanded. "I won't have you getting your blood on the furniture, no matter how little there is of it."

Shocked, Leslie scrambled up and ran up to her room. "Should I go talk to her?" asked her father.

"Let her be, she'll come down sooner or later. She does have to eat after all." Sandra told him.

"I just hope that she is okay with my missing the show tomorrow night."

"You still haven't told her?" Jim shook his head. "Well, she'll find out tomorrow, but I promise, it'll be worth it!"

I know." Jim said, smiling at Sandra.