February 23rd 2022
Chapter 54
Our Return to Stage
Of all the things she'd missed about being on leave for the better part of this year – and there were… so many – the one that seemed to itch the most at her was the musical. She wasn't completely out of touch with her students, she had the diaries. And the quiz team were definitely in touch with her, either coming over to study and practice with her or inviting her to attend matches… They were having a great year, not a single defeat. But the musical… She knew what they were doing, knew who had been selected for the cast and the crew, even got to see some videos of their practices, the lunch sessions… They'd had their first Chubbie's show just a few days back and she'd played it cool like she totally wouldn't be back in class on Monday morning. And for all that, she was completely on the outside looking in, and she wanted to be on the inside...
As expected, the surprise of her return had been good and spent by the time afternoon classes had started. It in no way changed the fact that everyone was happy to see her, as she'd figured, so she didn't lose too much over it. Lara and Maggie went the way of those of her students who were family or as good as, coming to hug her as soon as they saw her. Then, after her extended break, where she'd been very good about not calling her parents too much to check on the girls when they were already sending her updates once in a while, she'd had her juniors. The likes of Rosemary, Henry, Stevie, and Cade had apparently guessed today would be the day, but they'd played it cool.
Just like that, her first day back was done… or mostly done… and now there was just one more thing, and she'd been looking forward to it all day. The cast and crew would be gathering in the auditorium.
This year's production counted its share of returning cast members, including Lea, who naturally would be closing out a four-year run as part of their school's musicals. They were doing much more of an ensemble piece this year, so while she did have a lead part, so did others of her castmates. Taylor was back, too, for his third and final run. No matter the fact that he was back for a second time for himself, he continued to be in these musicals as much for himself as in memory of his best friend. For what she'd seen, Maya was sure Lambert would be very proud of how confident he'd grown on stage.
Kelsey was back once again, a lot less unsure of taking her place than she'd been the year before, and from what Maya had been hearing, Ava had shown herself very useful behind the scenes already, as she had been last year and over the summer at the theater's (Back)Stage Ready camps. Maya still remembered the messy outburst of the cast announcements the year before, books and pencils all over the hall… Looking on it now, with the knowledge of what had been happening in her life at home, she only saw how much she'd needed it, this good thing she'd yearned for… She hadn't ended up exactly where she'd imagined, but to hear of it now, she was actually where she was meant to be. It had greatly strengthened her friendship with her art class station mates, Kelsey especially but Olivia, too, as those two were usually together. After what had happened with her father, going to live with her uncle, the two girls had circled around Ava, and as clumsy as she could be in the friendship department, they saw her, and they didn't fault her. She was trying, and they could see it.
The unquestionable surprise this year was that, along with Stevie Brett signing in for her third musical run, she had somehow roped Henry and Cade into the auditions, too. At least, that was what it had felt like, when Maya had first heard about it from Morgan and Miranda. Ever since she was a freshman, Stevie had made it clear that what she really wanted to get to do was act in their productions, because she couldn't sing to save her life. They had always been able to place her somewhere and she'd been happy, each time. But the boys? Not a blip of any kind to suggest they would ever want to even be part of something like this, so the initial assumption was that they'd done it for a bit, maybe to make their friend laugh. They hadn't, and Maya had seen the recordings of their auditions. They'd really given it all they had, and while they were not necessarily the very best singers, they'd done enough to earn a place of their own. Once the idea of Stevie's insecurities had come along, with the premiere of the series and her unveiling as a television actress all of a sudden, it opened up the idea that Henry and Cade might have decided to do it, the better to stand by their other best friend. The boys' infamous conversation overheard by Stevie, which had led to her and Henry becoming a couple, had actually started out with the two of them working out their audition plan.
To see them all up there now, after months of practice, there was still a bit of that 'I'm not sure what I'm doing here' feeling in the two guys, but also it really meant so much to Stevie that they'd done it, and it was a great activity they got to share as friends, great memories they made together. Whether they'd all do it again in their senior year, that would be for next fall. As far as Maya was concerned, she preferred seeing them in here than in detention.
With this unexpected presence, they also found themselves with two pairs of siblings among the cast, all of them Maya's cousins by marriage. Freshmen Lara Sullivan-Reyes and Maggie Hillard had also joined the ranks of the musical cast. This bit at least, Maya had been witness to in part. It was on a day the previous fall, with both families at the Friar house for lunch, that the decision had been made for the girls to audition, possibly inspiring Henry and Cade's scheme in the process. Maggie had mentioned how she was thinking of auditioning, which Lea had been happy to hear about, almost immediately volunteering herself to help her prepare. Only, what had ended up taking precedent was the two of them turning to look at Lara. All at once, she was cornered by both her big sister and her best friend.
She didn't want to do it, not at first, and for much of that day at the house, she'd continued to turn away every last one of their advances. Oh, but they knew her too well, and they were persistent, enough so that by the end, Lara accepted in such a way that she looked nearly blindsided. They could never have convinced her if some part of her didn't want to do it, everyone knew that, just as much as they knew what was really rule number one in 'getting Lara to do something.' Once upon a time it was letting her fathers choose her wardrobe on special occasions so she could get signed up for some activity she wanted to do. Today, it was agreeing to do the musical for Maggie and Lea, both of them aware that she'd come to collect sooner or later.
Maya had been concerned about Maggie's tendency to abandon projects and hobbies, but for what she knew of those things she'd abandoned, there was a strong chance that she'd at least stick with it until they'd finished their run of performances at the end of the school year. If they really got that far, then it would be whether she did it again in the following years that would be the big question. Right now, she was having a great time out there, her and Lara both. As to their respective siblings, well, they sort of kept to themselves, unless they ended up in a scene or a song together, which had really been for the best, especially in the beginning, as both Henry and Maggie and Lea and Lara had struggled not to break character while interacting on stage. Alright, three of them struggled. Lea, the consummate performer, never broke, except to try and get her little sister to focus. She was always so helpful with her regular castmates, but when it was her and her sister, that was a dynamic all its own, and the others would find it hard not to burst out laughing as they'd look on.
"The best is when Lea will look at her like 'you have to be able to do this, you're my sister,' and Lara will remind her they don't share genes," Maggie had once told Maya with a laugh. "But then Lea figures she must have picked it up from living with her."
For having been in and around the family since Lea had even become big sister to Lara and Lydia, she had several memories of Lucas' cousin attempting to get her little sisters to 'do a show' with her in front of their guests whenever they had them. Lydia had always been much easier to convince, while Lara had usually been convinced in a very half-hearted way, much to Lea's dismay. Now, she got to see that some things didn't change all that much. And that was just the funniest part to her.
This strange little cast of theirs, Maya was sure, would be one they were not likely to see again, not in any regular way, and for that she was really sad that she hadn't gotten to be involved more. Sure, she was back now, but even if she had been keeping up with their progress throughout the school year… it didn't feel as though it was her place to get involved. As far as she was concerned, she really didn't see herself able to do much more beside sitting with her fellow muses and observing. They wouldn't see it that way, no, they'd just be thrilled to have her back and then their trio would be at full force once again. Maybe they'd be the ones to have it right, maybe she'd be the one to have it wrong. One could hope.
The kids sure weren't going to let her sneak in and sit quietly. As soon as they spotted her, they were all talking over one another, all with an energy that boiled down to 'we're so glad you're back.'
"Is it true you're doing your own musical?" Kelsey Farrell asked. Maya blinked, especially as she saw a look spread around the stage, suggesting the others had been speculating, too, but they hadn't dared ask. For her part, she was just baffled.
"Who told you that?" Maya asked. Kelsey just shrugged, pointed around. She couldn't say for sure where the rumor had started anymore. "You know I've been home with three infants, right? Not much time to put something like that together," she chuckled.
Whether they believed her or not, the subject was left alone. Sure, she could have told them, but then there would be too many chances for the word to start and spread, and the last thing she needed was for the rumor to get so big that people would come calling, shifting the pace she'd had going with her siblings. No, it was much better for them to keep going as they'd done so far, working quietly, back in the Hex. In the meantime, there was this musical right here, and thanks to Miranda's intervention, the practice started in earnest. Maya sat with her and Morgan… It really was so good to be back.
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
