Bella's POV

One word: Auditions.

Theatre was chaotic with panicking, rising actors trying to hammer parts of his or her monologues. Their voices echoed throughout the theater, making it impossible for me to study for Government.

I sat on one of the seats with Jacob near the front row, while everyone else was on stage rehearsing. Mrs. Sisler was talking on her cell phone, trying to hear through her phone so she shouted loudly.

I spotted Edward reading through his book with Rosalie nibbling on his ear. I looked over to Jacob as he was doing homework too. I saw on his paper that it was a biology worksheet about mitosis. Those were the days.

"You need help with that?" I asked him. He looked over at me and shook his head. "Are you sure? I'm positive that number two isn't a scribbling picture of a rocket."

He laughed. "Mr. Whitman doesn't care what I put on my assignments. Just as long as I turned them in."

"When did he say that?"

"When he told me I was failing the class. He was at the point where he was desperate for me to turn stuff in so I can get a C."

Mrs. Sisler approached us with two copies of the list for techies. So it begins the adventures of theatre. "Here are your tasks for today. Bella, you'll not be able to watch the auditions because all I want you to do is clean backstage. Jacob, I want you to start designing the set for the library. Let me know when you're finish so I can get a hold of our technology director. Off you go."

We both leaped off our chairs and walked out of the auditorium. I walked up the stairs, feeling that the actors were staring at me. Mrs. Sisler assembled all the actors to sit in the seats as each actor one by one auditioned.

I dipped a rag into a bucket of water. I mopped the floors, humming to make the possible more tolerable. I began to sing, quiet enough so the actors don't get distracted. I sung, "The Sweetest Sound" from Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella, thinking I was portraying Cinderella, but in a different scenario. I heard the auditions begin and from my hearing, the actors sounded pretty good.

Edward was on stage. I paused to get a good chance to hear his monologue. He was flawless with the way he spoke and never screwed up the entire thing. Honestly, I wasn't very surprised. The class applauded fiercely, whistling like a professional audience. I continued to sing, hoping that singing would make the class go away. I mean singing was appropriate after all because I am in theatre class—well musical theatre really.

Edward's POV

"Next," Mrs. Sisler called after we watched Mike performed his monologue. I kept my laughter inside as I watched him approach Rosalie and me. Emmett went on stage and performed his monologue. The audience cracked up during his monologue because unlike Mrs. Sisler asked of us, he overly reacted to everything. It was like watching Day Of Our Lives but less professional.

"Edward, would you like to go?" Mrs. Sisler asked me. I nodded, seeing that she scribbled my name down a notepad. Rosalie kissed my cheek as I stood up to go on stage.

"Oh before I start, Emmett can you go on stage?" I asked him. "I need you for the monologue I wrote."

"Hell yeah!" He boomed out of his seat and ran up to the stage. He sat down on a stair and somehow tied himself to a chair. My monologue was about me interrogating Brown (which in this case is Emmett.).

I slapped Emmett across his face like we rehearsed it. "Now Mr. Brown, we can negotiate or go down the road of hell. I'm a man with an open mind when it comes to decisions, looking at one thing and then another. You could both negotiate and come up with a price, or I let go of the lever and let you fall through my trap door. Either way, you will fall under my command painless or excruciating. Unlike you Mr. Brown, I'm patient so you can decide what you rather do. I'll be in the other room and make a couple phone calls."

I went off-stage and Emmett did too, even though he was stuck to a chair. The audience laughed at Emmett and roared with applause and whistles.

"All right, that's all today. I'm going to make the callback list. Wait until the bell rings," Mrs. Sisler instructed as she left the auditorium and went into her office.

"I bet you got Harold Hill," Jasper remarked. "Your monologue was the best one."

I shrugged. "It's anyone's game really. Alice, who do you think you're gonna get?"

"Probably Zaneeta because I'm the only one who can dance," Alice answered as she takes a seat next to Jasper, holding his hand.

"Do you hear that?" Emmett asked me.

"Hear what exactly?"

"Someone's singing back stage. She sounds good. Everyone be quiet!"

Everyone was actually silent. I did hear someone sing and really…sounded good. I got out of my chair quietly, walking closer to backstage. Rosalie looked angry while everyone else was too much in shock. I walked through the hallway and went up the stairs quietly. I took a peek from the middle step. Bella was moping the floor, singing with her head swaying back and fourth. My jaw broke open, astonished to see someone like she was sing so…beautifully.

I took another step up and another. I was at the same level as Bella was, seeing that she didn't notice me. After she was finished singing, I applauded, making her spill the entire bucket in shock. She gasped, cussing silently as the water absorbed her jeans and a little of her top.

"I'm sorry for surprising you. I'll help you clean up," I offered, grabbing rags that were on the table. I knelt down across from her and started to clean the water. It didn't work. The water kept getting absorbed onto the washcloth. I squeezed the water into the bucket and continued with that process. "Again, I'm very sorry."

"T—T—That's okay. I can take care of it," she shivered, seeing her arms filled with goose bumps.

"You have a pretty voice," I complimented. "Why don't you be in the musical?"

"Because I have stage fright," she answered. "Plus, I wouldn't be here if it weren't required to have a performing art credit. Mrs. Sisler was kind enough to have me being a stage manager count. Shouldn't you be watching the auditions?"

"Mrs. Sisler is working on the cast list," I explained. "Although you should audition."

She shook her head. "I'm all right for one day."

"Here," I unzip my leather jacket and placed it on her. "You can give it back to me tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. You need it more than I do."

For the first time in our conversation, she gave me a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She squeezed her rag. "You shouldn't be helping me."

"I want to, though. I feel bad for startling you," I smirked, squeezing my rag over the bucket. I noticed that there was a shade of pink on her cheeks that didn't seem natural.

"It's like freshman year all over again," she remarked. "When I dropped all of my papers in English class"

She remembered that too? "Oh I remembered that," I smiled. "Everyone had a good laugh."

"Yeah…laugh," she whispered, looking away from me.

"EDWARD?" I heard Rosalie scream from the auditorium.

"I guess that's my cue. You got it from here?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, thanks for helping me."

"Again, you're welcome. Bye, Bella," I walked away from her, slowly going down the stairs to the auditorium.