AN: Hey! I'm absolutely loving all of the reviews! So I noticed the past few chapters have been pretty dark, so decided to add a more upbeat once to break it up. Enjoy!

4x9- 52 Pickup

"Jenna! Hurry up, the movie is starting!" Matthew called from the living room while I was busy grabbing an assortment of sodas and cups. Matthew, Ari, and I had made it a habit to have sleepovers whenever Spencer went out of town. It gave us just enough privacy and freedom to unwind after tough rehearsals and just be ourselves.

"I'm coming!" I shouted while shuffling in from the kitchen in my light grey sweatpants and black long sleeved sweater. I set the refreshments down on the coffee table and plopped in between Ari and Matthew. We watched the film for all of five minutes, then completely ignoring it and talking through the entire thing.

"I'm really glad we get to do this. God everything is so damn hectic. Props to you Jenna for having a brother with such a demanding job" Ari chuckled, earning laughs from both me and Matthew. We were two weeks away from opening night, which meant we were at rehearsals every single day until ungodly hours. We made sure we went to sleep at a reasonable hour that Friday night, given we had a Saturday rehearsal at 9:00am to 4:00pm the next day.

Matthew, the only one of us being 16 with a license and a car, drove our less-than-thrilled selves to Garfield the next morning.

"Alright everyone! Costumes are in!"

My heart immediately sank. No. Not this soon.

"Girls, you're in the choir room, boys, you're in the bad room. Now go get changed!" A stressed out Mrs. Bates screamed throughout the auditorium. She had been especially wicked lately, which was understandable but never the less horrifying.

My stomach began to churn. I lost four pounds, one more than ordered, but once less than my personal goal. I didn't see a difference, so what is the scale was lying? What if I didn't really lose the weight? My mind was playing tricks on me, almost too much to bear.

Ari and I made our way to our designated dressing rooms, both of us noticeably anxious. She had been told to lose ten pounds, only losing about eight. We had previously confided in each other about our issues with food, and it turned out we were in the same situation. She struggled with herself as well, for years. As much as we both despised seeing each other in such pain, we encouraged one another in a way. Waking up, saying "don't let me eat today" and the other would comply. It was ultimately destructive, but we both knew the demons that plagued if we caved.

"Fantine! Come!" The vicious costumer yelled without looking up. I paced over and was handed a series of dresses, aprons, shawls, and caps. I hesitantly undressed along with the twenty other girls in the cast. I kept my body as covered as possible, taking off one item and replacing it with another one at a time, too shameful to show too much.

My first costume was a light pink puffy empire dress, accompanied by a medium blue apron and cap. It fit, probably due to the nature of the cut, but it made me look double the size. I quickly removed it and picked up my next costume.

It was a dingy, dingy white dress, the top being a fabric covered corset, fraying out to a full cloth skirt just at the start of my hip. The spiteful costumer rushed over just as I slipped the piece on and began abruptly lacing it. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I felt woozy, almost as if I was going to pass out. The combination of a three day fast and the overall tightness of the dress weren't helping either.

"Good, you lost the weight. You're in the clear" The older woman stated, walking back over to the costume rack. I made my way to the mirror, and for once was pleased with what I saw. The corset sucked in every piece of fat scattered around my body. I looked tiny, like my torso could snap at any moment. I didn't even care about the pain it caused me physically, only the satisfaction it gave me mentally.

"Damn, we look good!" an exceptionally pleased Ari called out from a few feet away. Corsets worked wonders.

We ran through the show in full dress, posing more problems than we could afford. Actors who couldn't get changed fast enough, costumes that needed to be altered, and thirteen days until opening night. Needless to say, Mrs. Bates really laid into us that day.

"Do you hear the people sing, lost in the valley of the night? It is the music of the people who are climbing to the light!" Matthew, Ari , and I sang while I put my key in the apartment door and the three of us flooded in, giggles ensuing. We were recovering quite well from the rough rehearsal we previously endured, until I spotted a confused Spencer in hallway of my bedroom. The three of us sort of froze, Spencer's face turning from confused to slightly irritated.

"Oh- um, Spenc, y-you're home. Uh, Matthew, Ari, this is my brother Spencer. Spencer, this is Matthew, he's playing Valjean, and this is Ari- well, Arianna, she's playing Cosette" I said nervously. Matthew walked over to Spencer, and put his hand out.

"Nice to meet , I've heard great things about you" He smiled and shook Spencer's hand, something Spencer seldom let anyone do. Ari followed in Matthews footsteps, greeted him and shook his hand as well. Spencer responded to both with just "Hi", no surprise there.

"Jenna, can I talk to you for a minute?" I nodded my head and internally slapped myself in the face. We entered Spencer's room and he shut the door behind us. Before he could speak, I immediately began apologizing.

"Look, I'm sorry Spencer. I should have asked you if I could have them over first. I mean it is your apartment after all and-"

"Jenna, it's fine that you're having your friends over. This is your home too, and I want you to treat like so" Spencer was oddly calm. I figured he would go off the wall.

"They seem like nice kids. Although I'm not sure how comfortable I am with you having a boy over when I'm not around"

The punch I knew was coming.

"Spenc, you really don't have anything to worry about. We're just friends, nothing is going on between us. Don't you trust me?" I reassured Spencer as casually as possible.

"It's not you I don't trust, it's other people" Spencer replied with a slightly concerned expression.

"Spenc, the kid is a straight A student, the leading man in the musical, well adjusted, and his father is an army commander stationed in Afganistan, I'd say you have nothing to worry about" I repeated with my hands set on his shoulders. He gave me skeptical expression, presumably trying to find a reason to object.

"Hm, alright" He slurred out. "But I want to get to know the kids you're hanging out with" Spencer added. I laughed and took my hands off of his slumping shoulders, letting them swing at my sides.

"Thanks for being cool about this" I said while playfully punching him in the right arm, causing him to flinch and rub over the impacted area. He let out a nervous laugh as his response. I chuckled and ventured out into the living room, where Ari and Matthew were already relaxed on the couch and flipping through the channels.

"Fantine, we thought we'd never see you again" Matthew joked while I made my way to my designated seat in between my two faithful best friends. Spencer stayed in the kitchen for the rest of their stay, supervising their visit and probably profiling them as well. I took in the scene, thinking about how thankful I was to have such remarkably true relationships with my friends, Spencer, and even the team. I wasn't often able to disconnect from all the negative forces that seemed to follow my every move, but that night I was, and I was utterly content.