just the girl.

So, this girl was touchy, good to know. Tyler sighed. “A new kid, since I actually don’t even know if I’m the only one this year. My bad,” he chuckled nervously. When she pointed out the other pump, he dashed off to retrieve it, grateful for the few seconds to get away from the slight awkwardness he’d seemingly created.

He came back with the pump and sat down at the edge of the stage near her, taking a basketball and starting to inflate it. Her next words were not surprising to Tyler, so he sighed. “I’m probably too late to actually audition- not that that’s what you meant. I’ve just… always liked musicals ever since I saw ‘The Lion King’ when I was ten. So, if I can’t audition-“ He gestured to the ball. “Helping out in any way I can is the next best thing. And I can still make friends, just not a wide range. But it’s fine, though. I’ve always been a fan of small circles.”

Holly J nodded slowly, catching the kid’s drift. “That’s really cute,” she offered, trying to sound just the right amount of condescending (not too much, not too little). “But make no mistake, the cast and crew of this production essentially travel in a horde. So if you were to join us behind the scenes, you’d get just as many chances for debauchery as the rest of them.” She rolled a ball across the stage, trying to land it into an already-overflowing athletic bag and missing. “Did you do shows at your old school?” 

“Hey, Toad!” Holly J called, setting her AP Psych text book down on her lap to wave the boy down. “Not to give you the satisfaction of someone as cool as me actually listening to your podcast, but...nice episode this week.” She took her right earbud out, pausing the podcast in question. Obviously she was listening to the one featuring her best friend. 

Tyler walked into the school’s theater, looking around. He wondered to himself if he had transferred to the school too late to audition for any roles in the school musical, but he figured if he couldn’t do anything in the cast, maybe he could kind of.. hang around and help out a bit. He’d never done anything theater crew-related before, but he could learn, right?

As he looked around at the seats and the stage, something caught his eye. He wasn’t alone. A girl was there, and from what it looked like she was… inflating some basketballs? Tyler walked over to the stage and onto it, heading over to her. He smiled in what he hoped was a friendly and not-creepy way.

“Do you need some help with those? I’m Tyler, the new kid, and I happened to see you, so…”

Holly J looked up at the rather puppydoggish boy standing in front of her. ”The new kid,” she repeated with a chuckle. Before letting herself make some snarky comment about how he seems to have forgotten his New Kid crown and sash, she softened for him just a little. He was new, after all. He didn’t need to know all the prickliest sides of Holly J Sinclair just yet. “Grab a pump.” She cocked her head in the direction of the other pump and made room for him at the edge of the stage. “So, New Kid, your first foray into the world of Degrassi clubs is going to be pumping basketballs for musical theatre? Do you have a social death wish?” 

reggie had been on set, her camera in hand and just filming things going on behind the scenes. she’d talked to eli and she planned to piece together all the behind the stuff she filmed into some kind of little short doc after everything was done. “couldn’t you just boss people around to do this for you?” she asks, setting her camera aside and draping her legs over the stage, grabbing one of the uninflated balls and handing it to her. “lucky for you i have some free time right now and don’t mind helping.” 

Holly J raised her brows at the girl’s offer. “Is this revenge for me invading your table at The Dot that day?” she chuckled, scooting to make room for Reggie nonetheless. “We have a spare pump somewhere around here.” She had to admit that since that day, she really didn’t mind Reggie’s company, even if they did nothing but softly antagonize each other -- it was a fun challenge. 

I can’t blame her for living her life. I did used to resent her a little bit for having nearly impossible shoes to fill, but we’ve worked things out since and now I’m grateful for the reputation that I didn’t even have to work too hard for. 

I kind of regret leaving Powersquad. Like, I know I wouldn’t have been able to afford staying on, but part of me wishes I had maybe tried working and the squad at the same time? I just miss dancing, really. And being part of a team that doesn’t share a tip jar. 

 I mean, sometimes it feels like we’ve skipped all the fun bits and went straight to “old married couple”, so who knows? 

Aquarius. You know, the strong, independent leaders?

I’m sure there’s some from when I was literally the biggest bitch in school, but the sad part is I’ve probably forgotten their names and why.