KAMINA: Okay, dude, just
KAMINA: No.
KAMINA: No. That's all I have to say to that.
BLUE: Oh pish posh!
BLUE: Avatar wasnt that bad!
KAMINA: Look, I was willing to give you some leeway with the blue people movie because despite the not-subtle-at-all way they crammed their "technology is evil" propaganda down the audience's throat, the CGI was still amazing to look at, and the world building and character development was engaging and believable.
KAMINA: But I will not, for even a single second, believe that the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action adaptation was anything more than a steaming pile of horseshit.
BLUE: Youre judging it too harshly!
KAMINA: I'm judging it perfectly reasonably, thank you very much.
BLUE: No youre comparing it to the original tv show instead of judging it on its own merit
KAMINA: If the original animated show had never existed,
KAMINA: I still wouldn't touch this movie with a 30-foot pole, and a biohazard suit.
BLUE: BOLLOCKS
BLUE: What could possibly be so bad about the movie?
KAMINA: The CGI was awful — I literally could have done better animation with a flipbook and a pen.
KAMINA: The acting was cringy at best, and at worst, made me want to shoot myself and/or the TV.
KAMINA: The plot was rushed and barely coherent.
KAMINA: They tried to cram an entire season into under two hours.
KAMINA: What kind of stupid motherfuckers would look at that plan and say, "oh, yeah, that's definitely a great idea, let's go ahead and do that."
KAMINA: I'm sorry, but your movie is garbage.
BLUE: :(
BLUE: I still say that youre letting the expectations of the original cloud your judgement
KAMINA: And I still say that this movie is the worst thing I've ever had the displeasure of watching.
KAMINA: Have you even seen the original series?
BLUE: Well
BLUE: Er
BLUE: *Dabs nervously at my forehead with a handkerchief*
BLUE: No
KAMINA: We can't be friends anymore.
BLUE: !
KAMINA: Nah, man, I'm kidding.
BLUE: :(
BLUE: Thats not funny!
BLUE: You had me worried
KAMINA: Pfft.
KAMINA: My God, dude, you're adorable.

"Dirk!" He looked up from his phone at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name. He wasn't surprised to see Roxy, although it was slightly disappointing. He had been hoping to spend all lunch texting Blue. He turned back to his phone, and sent a few quick texts.

KAMINA: Anyway, I've got to go. My friend wants me for lunch.
KAMINA: I'll talk to you later.
BLUE: Uh right!
BLUE: Ill be chatting with you later then

KAMINA ceased chatting with BLUE at 12:03 am

Tucking his phone away, Dirk focused his attention on Roxy, smiling in greeting as she stopped in front of him. "Sup." He inclined his head in greeting. "You look out of breath. Did you run here? What's— fuck!"

He stumbled forward as Roxy grabbed his arm and yanked him up and forward. "You gotta see this." She had that look in her eyes that told Dirk to just agree, so he nodded.

That seemed to be enough of an answer, because Roxy continued forward. Dirk kept up with her speed walking easily, shoving one hand in his pocket and letting her hold onto his arm.

It was tempting to ask what she was freaking out about, but he knew that he wouldn't get a straight answer. If Roxy hadn't even bothered to text him with the news, then it was obviously "amaz," and needed to be "ogled upon" with his own eyes. He kept his mouth shut as they walked, and instead tried to figure out what could be so important based upon where she was leading him.

A few minutes of thinking later, and it became much, much clearer once she lead him to the arts wing of the school. Painting, sketching, pottery, choir, band, and acting were all in the general area of the school. It was definitely the most… interesting section. The walls were painted entirely from past students, to the point that there wasn't a spot of beige left to see at all. Even the tiles had been colored, and they looked almost like a disco floor in some areas. Kids in pottery were quiet, almost intent as they worked, and the kids in first-year art right next door could never shut up. They had much bigger windows, and the area looked much better with natural light over fluorescent bulbs. Dirk quite liked the art wing, even if he preferred to work alone and in silence on something rooted more in facts and science.

"Are we going to the theater?" Dirk sighed. The positions for the play were always posted right outside of the theater doors. Even though it was lunch, and all of the students were currently in the cafeteria, Dirk could still hear the buzz of a small crowd up ahead and around the corner. "What, you couldn't have just texted me a picture? You know that I don't care, anyway, it's not like I took that audition seriously." Roxy didn't acknowledge that he spoke, or even spare a glance at him. "...Rox?"

Even though the theater group wasn't very big, the plays were rather popular in the school. It was a small town, and the closest real theater was in Houston, which was an hour drive away. Most of the kids in the school were either too lazy, too young to drive, or just didn't have their parents' trust. As such, the plays were considered to be pretty entertaining.

They were also really easy to make fun of.

While he didn't give a damn who was in the play, Dirk just assumed that one of their friends must have made it in. He didn't remember any familiar faces at the auditions, but what else could Roxy possibly be showing him?

She elbowed her way past the few kids hanging around in front of the cast listing, and planted Dirk right in front of it. "Here! Check this out— it's amaz. For serious."

Still somewhat skeptical, Dirk humored her. He scanned the board. Meenah got the female lead, unsurprisingly, and the male lead was…

He swallowed thickly, and as he did, felt the color draining out of his skin. "Roxy?" Dirk asked, feeling faint. "Please, please tell me that that's just a typo. That cannot possibly be my name on that board. I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

There was a grin on Roxy's face that stretched from cheek to cheek, but she still had the good grace to at least provide some comfort. She put her arm around Dirk, and patted him on the back gently. "Yeah." She sighed. "Sorry, Dirk. Guess you just blew 'em away with your trademarked Strider charm. You got the part of the lead. Congrats. Better start learning how to sing on stage."

In that moment, there were a lot of things that Dirk wanted to do. He wanted to go curl up under his bed for a week. He wanted to shake Roxy by the shoulders until she understood that he was currently flipping his fucking shit. He wanted to strangle Hal for dooming him to this.

He wondered if breaking a leg would be enough to get out of doing this play.

Dirk didn't get to act on any of his thoughts. Before he could remember how to move, he felt something very hard and painfully solid slam into him. He could only grunt, still reeling and unable to move as he was crushed in a tight hug.

"'M so proud of ya!" Meenah laughed next to his ear, giving Dirk a squeeze that honestly hurt a little bit. "Wow, never thought you woulda had it in ya, but you really are a bag o' tricks, huh, Dirk?" She pulled back, holding him at arm's length by his shoulders. "We're gonna be co-stars." She grinned, but Dirk couldn't bring himself to do the same.

"I'm going to be in a play." He said instead. His voice sounded hollow, but frankly, Dirk impressed himself by speaking in the first place. "Me. In a play." He struggled to think of something to say. Why? Why him? Surely, the directors had better taste than this. It must have been some kind of mistake. They should have picked someone more qualified, like—

"Wvhat?" Dirk would recognize that shrill voice anywhere. He snapped out of his mental breakdown to look past Meenah at who had spoken. Unsurprisingly, Cronus looked ready to kill. If it had been someone else, Dirk didn't think that Cronus would be nearly as mad as he was, but somehow, the fact that Dirk was the person who got the part he wanted pissed him off beyond reason. "Howv could I get a supporting role?" He snarled. "I svwear to God, there's some kinda mistake."

Meenah smirked, one hand on Dirk's shoulder still, and the other going to her hip as she turned to face Cronus. "'s no mistake." She said in a taunting tone, and impossibly, her grin managed to widen. "Just that Strider here got the role before ya. Must'a been that ingrain gift in theater." Dirk was pretty sure that that was supposed to be a nod at his rich and talented father, but he was too shaken to care. They could compare him to D all they wanted, but there was no way he was doing that play.

Cronus took a step toward them, and if looks could kill, Dirk would probably be six feet underground by now. "I promise," he hissed, "I am going to make you regret evwer—!"

"I have to go find Meulin." Dirk cut him off, and turned on his heel. "Lovely chat, hope we can do it again sometime, goodbye—" It all came out as one word, he had rushed it so badly, but Dirk was officially out of fucks to give. He darted down the hall in search of Meulin. She usually hung out in the arts room during lunch, being an avid painter. He would feel bad about interrupting her work, but Dirk was moving on autopilot and temporarily stopped thinking like a rational, polite person.

At least Roxy had been smart enough not to follow him. She was probably going to hang back and help Meenah roast Cronus, and she would comfort Dirk later after he had calmed down enough to listen to reason. Relaxing him was nigh impossible when he got into a mood like this.

"Meulin?" He stuck his head into the arts classroom, and relaxed marginally when he saw her in the room alone. He stepped in. "Can we talk? It won't take but a moment."

She didn't seem very pleased with being interrupted, but she nodded anyway. Her apron was stained with colors of every shade, and there was a frown on her face as she studied her canvas without painting anything. "Sure…" she reluctantly set the paint pallet down, resting her brush on top of it. "It's not like I'm making much progress, anyway. I can't seem to get this sunset right." Meulin ran a hand through her hair, not noticing as she smeared red and yellow through the black strands. "What do you want to talk about?"

Dirk shoved his hands deep in his pockets, walking deeper into the room until he was standing next to her. "Uh, it's… it's about the play. More specifically, the casting. Even more specifically, the casting of me in said play." He swallowed thickly. "Did I mention that I'm very much against that?"

Meulin paused, frozen for a moment before she turned to look at Dirk like he was a moron. Which he was. "You want out of the play?" She raised an eyebrow. "The play that you auditioned for, and got the lead role of? Dirk, no, just—" She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. It left behind faint yellow fingerprints from the paint, and while that ordinarily would have been funny, Dirk didn't feel like laughing. "We can't recast the role of the lead." Meulin said finally, and went back to cleaning up her painting supplies. "You have an understudy, sure, but we put a lot of thought into both of the leads so that they work well together. Not to mention, we haven't even started rehearsal yet. Why did you try out for the play if you were going to back out as soon as you got the part? That might have been helpful information to know before we gave you the most important role in the show." Meulin looked absolutely furious, and to be honest, Dirk didn't blame her.

"I…" Dirk cleared his throat, and glanced away. "I kind of auditioned on a dare." The look Meulin gave him was borderline murderous, but he hurried to continue before she could curse him out. "But to be fair, I figured that if I did a bad enough job, I wouldn't get the part! How was I supposed to know that you might actually pick me?" He asked.

"That's just…" Meulin groaned, "Dirk, so much more goes into picking a lead than just acting talent. There are a lot of things to consider. I mean, think about it. The lead needs to be able to sing, sing at the correct pitch, get along with his co-stars, be punctual and on time, be able to handle pressure and being on stage, and so. Much. More. Not to mention," she added, taking her things over to the sink to wash (with Dirk dutifully trailing along behind her), "your, uh… blood ties help." She seemed hesitant to admit it, but she continued anyway. "I mean, obviously, your dad has done great in this field before. He could have some great tips, and, uh… the actual directors pointed this out to me, but if there was an accident with the equipment…" Meulin trailed off, pointedly avoiding looking at Dirk.

"My dad could pay for it to be replaced." He finished for her. Meulin only nodded. Dirk almost felt offended, but then he just sighed, and shook his head. "Great. This is just fucking perfect." He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the empty floor in a circle. "So what you're saying is that there's nothing I can do to get out of this?" Dirk snapped, whirling on Meulin.

At the very least, she attempted to look apologetic. Although, it was obvious that she was still annoyed with him. "I'm sorry." She shrugged. "If you had an injury that prevented you from walking, singing, or performing in general, we would have to go to your understudy. Death would also prevent you from being in the play, but I don't think you're going to fake that very well." She turned the sink on, running her brushes under the water and letting it rinse off. "Rehearsals start Friday after school, 3:30. On time is late. Don't be late."

Dirk almost wanted to argue more, but the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch and effectively cutting him off. "Shit." He cursed, and without saying goodbye to Meulin, left the room. Students were already coming from lunch, and he still had to get his shit from his locker and get to the second floor for chemistry. And, he might as well text Roxy, just to apologize for walking off like that. His hand went to his pocket, and his blood went cold.

Oh, fuck. Dirk felt his other pocket, just to be sure, but his phone wasn't there, either. Had he dropped it?

He knew that D could afford another phone for him, but that wasn't the issue. The idea behind a phone was to teach him responsibility, and not only that, but it had all of his pictures, contacts, and personal information on it. It also had easy access to his conversations with Blue. Had he even closed out of their chatting app before Roxy dragged him away?

He started down the hall back towards the theater, only to stop. Cronus was stalking towards him, and Dirk thought to run, but there was a look on Cronus's face that made him stay where he was.

"Strider," Cronus still didn't look happy with him, but he seemed less angry than he was earlier, "'s this yours?" He held up Dirk's phone, an unreadable expression on his face.

For a moment, Dirk didn't know what to say. Of course that was his phone, but he didn't trust the look on Cronus's face. It would be easy to move quickly and grab his phone without a word, but he didn't want to upset Cronus any more than he already had, or start a fight. "Yeah, that's mine." He held out a hand. "Do you mind returning it?"

Cronus seemed to think about it, and then shrugged and shoved Dirk's phone into his pocket. "I'll hawv'ta think about it. Meet me behind the buildin' after school, and wve'll see." He said.

Dirk clenched his jaw in frustration. He wanted to deck Cronus, but that would cause a whole mess of trouble that he didn't want to deal with. "Dude, haven't you been enough of a dick for one day? Just give me back my phone. That's private property, and don't think I won't sue you for stealing." He threatened. Throwing his dad's money around was only okay when Dirk did it for his own personal benefit.

"Don't think I wvon't sue you back!" Cronus snapped. "Obwviously, you paid your wvay into that play. There's no other possibility for wvhy you vwould have gotten than part instead of me." He turned away from Dirk, clearly done talking. "Again. Behind the buildin' after school, or I'll just go ahead and keep your phone. Your choice."

He walked off without leaving room for argument, and Dirk groaned in frustration. Fuck. This was just his luck! He didn't have time to deal with Cronus now, though. He barely had enough time to get to his class before the bell rang.

He struggled for a moment, wanting to run after Cronus, but it didn't take him long to turn around and run off to his locker. What did he care? If Cronus stole his phone, D would understand. Dirk would try to get it back after school, but he told himself for now that it didn't matter, and he didn't care. But it wasn't the phone itself that he was missing.

At that moment, Dirk would have given almost anything to talk to Blue.