The beginning of this chapter takes place in Kacey's PoV

Chapter Eight: Would A Rose By Any Other Name Still Smell As Sweet?

I ran down the hallways as I got out late from my art class. Omg, I'm gonna miss auditions I thought running and shoving my sketchbook and pencils into my bag. I ran into the auditorium and saw a line I smiled thank god I didn't miss it. At the end of the line was El, Amanda, Toni, etc. I look to the front of the line waiting his turn to see Jughead.

"Hey did you guys see who's at the front of the line?" I ask.

"Who?" Toni raises an eyebrow.

"Jughead Jones." I smiled a little bit but tried to hide it. "Weatherbee is forcing him to do the show as punishment for the fight."

"What?! Okay no. You're not doing this." Toni says, grabbing Ellie's arm.

"Um, yes I am." Ellie yanks her arm back.

"Ellie this is stupid! It's a school show. It's not worth it." Toni pleads, hurt in her eyes.

"Gee, thanks for the warning Mom." Ellie scoffs.

"El,-" Toni's is cut off by the sound of a throat clearing. They continued fighting until Toni finally walked away. Yeah, Toni never tried out that day, which was sad she was a great singer. But, back to the auditions, It was a pretty long wait because I was in the back but in reality, I got to see a show, a good and bad one. But someone who surprised me was Jughead, I've never heard him sing before but I rarely ever talk to him other than at school or work. Even though work convos would only be like "Here's your food", "Thanks", and "You're welcome", and that's it. Waiting just made me more and more nervous as the line got decreasingly smaller. I just was hoping that I was good enough for Kev. I didn't want him to give me any special privileges, and I told him that I just wanted to be a part of my 1st high school play. I didn't try out last year for Carrie. But I guess that's a good thing now that I look back. I'm surprised the school let us do another play because of last year, but there's no new threat now. Finally, it was my turn. I walked up on stage, shaking like a leaf. "Name?" Kev said smiling at me. I laughed, and replied "Kacey". Kev let us pick out our own songs for audition so I chose one that I felt fit the mood or feel. "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley. I quickly walked off stage and down. Only a few people stayed for all the auditions like Amanda. "Omg Kacey why didn't you tell me you could sing?!". I just shrugged and looked up at Kev who had gotten on the stage to speak. "Okay now everyone who made the cut will be receiving a letter from me by tomorrow. No complaints and No changes. The next meeting will also be in the letters. Thank you and everyone have a wonderful rest of your day". As if the bell had rung us stragglers had dispersed.

I woke up the next morning extremely nervous and excited. I was so desperately hoping Kev put me in the show. He was up in his bedroom for hours working on the show, he didn't even eat dinner with me and Tom. I opened my locker praying for an envelope to fall out but it never did. That's how Amanda, Betty, Eleanor, and Black eye got theirs. So I was a little upset but trusted Kevin's judgment. It was after lunch and so was in Chemistry with Amanda I pulled my textbook out and saw something lodged in it. I opened the book to discover an envelope with my name on it. I opened it and saw a card with the musicals name 'Cry Baby'. I mentally screamed and showed Amanda.

"Well, who are you?" Amanda asked so I opened to see….

"Allison Vernon-Williams" I read what was written down and underneath saw today's date with the time 3:00 pm. We instantly talked about the musical and Amanda educated me on a lot of it so I would be prepared I was excited to figure out who Cry Baby, my onstage boyfriend, would be.

I was sitting on the edge of the stage in the empty auditorium, eating a burger from Pop's.

"How much longer 'til the others get here?" I asked Kevin, who was rushing around the stage moving things. He quickly checks his watch before continuing what he's doing.

"About ten minutes." He responds. I roll my eyes; Kevin and I had been at the school for a half hour already and I was almost done with my second burger.

That's when I saw him. Jughead Jones. He wasn't really known as the type to show up early, but today he did, most likely only out of fear of pissing off Weatherbee.

"Can I have a bite?" He said while jumping up on stage to sit next to me. I shook my head. It was my food, but as a stared into his eyes I noticed how brown they were. A blush found its way onto my cheeks when I realized I was staring too much. He softly laughed at me. Did I have ketchup on my face? Or is he laughing because of my blush? Either way, my face was red and he noticed.

Jughead leans in, giving me puppy dog eyes. Now if there was one thing I, Kacey, was proud of, it is my perfect puppy dog eyes. However, when he looked at me with his deep pleading eyes, I knew he had bested me.

I rolled my eyes once more today but this time at Jughead, and handed him the last third of the burger, he stared at the burger hungrily before beginning to devour.

"So, if you're here, who did you get picked to be?" I asked Jughead as he ate.

"I'm the grandmother." He responded jokingly with his mouth full.

"No that's Black Eye," Kacey responds with a smile.

"Really?" Jughead cocks an eyebrow before laughing and sending burger chunks flying onto the stage. Kevin gives him an 'I just cleaned this look' before sighing and recleaning the stage.

"No, I was kidding" I replied laughing at his reaction, "Who do you play for real?".

"Cry Baby" He replied and my heart stopped. Really Kev? He just had to put me and my crush as the leads who fall in love? But I put on a smile and continued the conversation.

"You got the lead then, I bet Weatherbee never saw that coming," I said grabbing my milkshake for a sip.

"Who do you play?" Jughead asked, swallowing the last of the burger.

"Alison Vernon-Williams," I respond and pick fries out of my Pop's bag.

"Oh yeah? Who's that?" Jughead asks, sticking his hand in my Pop's bag for some fries. I smack his hand.

"Mine," I say like one of those seagulls from Finding Nemo. He smirks before quickly shoving his hand back in my bag and pulling out a fistful of fries before I could stop him.

"Hey! That's no way to treat your girlfriend." Jughead almost chokes on his fries and I look away from him.

"I mean, that's what I am in the musical. Alison is Crybaby's girlfriend. The other lead."

"Huh." He says, eating more fries.

"Huh?" I repeat.

"I just wouldn't have guessed you were a singer." He said.

"Maybe that's why people are so mad I got the lead," I say reaching for a fry, but my hand brushes against his in the process, making me redder.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's just, I've heard some people talking ever since the letters got out. They think Kev precast me as the lead."

"Why would they think that?" He asks, now reaching for my milkshake but I pretended not to notice.

"Wow, I really am invisible around school, aren't I?" I say giving him a look.

"I notice you." He slurped down my milkshake, I began to smile but then he said this. "You sit with Eleanor's cousin and a few of my Serpents." I was slightly disappointed. That was all he noticed me for?

Black Eye and a few other Serpents started shuffling into the auditorium. Jughead jumped down from the stage, finishing my milkshake before giving me back the empty cup.

"Nice talking to you, Kacey." He smiles at me before heading to his gang. I smiled back as he walks away, surprised and gleeful that he at least knew my name.

Third Person Pov:

Rehearsal for the past hour had been primarily leaning towards group dance scenes, but Kevin, being the gossip whore he was, and having heard the conversation between Kacey and Jughead at the beginning of rehearsal, decided it was time for the kissing scene.

Kacey held her breath and mentally swore at Kevin. She also really regretted giving Jughead her onion ring burger, but she ate one too so it was fair game.

"Your motivation is simple. Love." Kevin said acting as if he were a Director of a movie love scene.

"Kacey, you just ran away from your good boy boyfriend to hear Jughead sing at the local bad boy hangout." He tells her, before turning to Jughead. "And you think she's the hottest girl you've ever seen. Almost as hot as Channing Tatum." Kevin looks lost in his own world for a second.

"Kevin?" Jughead asks. Kevin snaps out of his daydream. "The scene?"

"Oh right! Action!" Kevin says.

Kacey's heart pounds as she begins to act out her character for the song Girl Let Me Kiss You With Tongue. She becomes weak to Jughead's voice as he sings. She tries to shake this feeling in her heart but can't seem to get rid of it. She tries to rationalize what she's feeling, by thinking about Betty and Amanda. After all, if Betty can cheat, so can Jughead.

Jughead reaches the last line in the song before the kiss. "You can be sure, my saliva is pure!" Jughead sings. Kacey's heart pounds more as she leans in. Jughead doesn't hesitate to do the same. He blushes, though he's not sure why and his stomach starts to do somersaults. He marks it all up to be the burger not sitting well.

Their lips were about to touch when the clock stroke four o'clock.

"Cut! That's time!" Kevin shouts, breaking the two teenager's trance. Everyone starts to shuffle out of the auditorium except Kacey who sits back down on the stage.

"Sorry, Kace," Kevin says, walking up to her.

"Why?" Kacey turns bright red. Kevin nods towards Jughead who is just now reaching the exit.

"You know why." He wiggles his eyebrows.

"You think I have a thing for Jughead Jones?! Bon Dieu! " Kacey whispers. "That's ridiculous! He's with Betty, your best friends. Why would you even insinuate that?!" She stutters speaking to fast.

"Come on Kace. The way you look at him? You even shared your food with him!"

"So?"

"And he didn't lose a finger! I saw your face going into that kiss. You like him!" Kevin bites his lip, excited that his foster sister is finally socializing with someone other than the waitresses at Pop's, Him and Amanda.

"Okay fine!" Kacey doesn't look Kevin in the eyes and her blush grows. "The truth is, I've liked him for years. Every time I serve him at Pop's I would tell myself that I was finally gonna ask him out but I could never bring myself to follow through. Now he's with Betty so…" She trails off.

"Yeah, and Betty's with Amanda." Kevin's says, matter of fact.

"What?! You know about that?!" Kacey's jaw drops.

"Kace, I'm the king of gossip. I know everything." He says, putting emphasis on the 'everything'.

Kacey sighs and lets her mind wander off. She thinks about Jughead, and their almost kiss. She imagines what it will be like to kiss him for real, and that's when she realizes that the rumors were right. Kevin did precast her. In fact, she starts creating theories that he chose the musical for this exact reason. She starts to think that he must have caught every glance she sent Jughead's way and decided to give her push she needed. That push worked. She was about to be the lead in a musical with Jughead Jones, and she was going to kiss him.