#rowantreeart

Annabeth grew up on theatre. Her dad used to listen to musical theatre while he was tinkering around in his office, and she would sit outside of the door and listen until she knew what she liked and what she didn’t like. Soon, she could sing along.

Eventually she goes to middle school and is absolutely expecting to join sports, but then she hears that the middle school musical is Oklahoma. Laurie is one of her favorite parts to sing along to– mostly because she absolutely agrees with the logic of “Many A New Day,” so Annabeth decides to audition on a whim.

She gets the part.

What she doesn’t realize is that middle school theatre sets up high school theatre hierarchy, and before she knows it, she’s being cast as the lead in the 8th grade musical and being swept up into this amazing world of high school musical theatre as well.

She joins Theatre I as a freshman and is horribly annoyed because she feels like a fool when they do pantomime and she absolutely hates improv. Cannot stand the idea of not going in with a well thought-out plan before she gets on stage.

You know who’s really good at improv? Percy Jackson. Her fellow freshman who accidentally wandered into theatre I because he wanted to get his arts credit done with and it had fit in his schedule.

As much as Annabeth hates to admit it, his comedic timing is fucking amazing. His facial expressions are something she can actually learn from. And he’s a good, fast thinker. He likes making people laugh.

He excels so much in the class that she probably shouldn’t be surprised when he shows up for auditions for the musical for that year.

Annabeth gets put in the ensemble, but Percy is a boy so of course he gets an amazing part. Of course.

And that’s how he gets the bug.

That year, the cast party is snowed in, and they all sleep over at one of the senior’s houses and eat pasta and watch Pocahontas and everybody knows every word to every song and Annabeth finds herself pressed shoulder to shoulder with Percy as they lie in front of the TV.

Somehow, they end up spending the whole night together and the next Monday, when they go back to school, she plops down next to him during theatre I, and that’s it.

Best friends forever. The end.

By the time they hit sophomore year, they have a small, talented group of kids in their theatre II class that Annabeth knows will stay with her until they are super seniors, taking over the department.

There’s Annabeth, who is basically the Sharpay of the group, except she would never admit it and is way more humble.

Percy is that dude who gets all the leads because there aren’t any other dudes who can stay on pitch and holy hell can he act.

Jason can’t sing to save his life, and he prefers straight-up dramas, as opposed to musicals. He’s the only one in the group that feels that way, but he’ll still join them for the musicals, usually getting cast in parts that have one song or don’t sing at all.

Hazel is an amazing character actress. She’ll never be a lead, but she’s a talented, hard worker who can do character acting better than any of them.

Piper is the ingenue type– she takes on the belty roles, whereas Annabeth is more soprano. Annabeth gets the leads in the old stuff, Piper gets the lead in the newer musicals.

Frank is a goofball with an absolutely amazing bass voice. He’s also way into a capella (as is Piper) and he is always used to play Percy’s best friend. As a result, they get closer.

Leo takes theatre class with them, but he prefers to be off stage and mostly spends his time in the tech booth. He heads up the lighting for every single show throughout high school.

Grover is the stage manager type. He always knows exactly what is going on at all times, and he only ever goes on stage to say a line or two when they can’t find anyone to play the part.

The only time they ever see Grover truly, deeply angry is when someone touches a prop that isn’t their own prop.

Rachel likes improv and acting so she joins the acting class, but when it comes to actual shows, she mostly works on sets and with the art department.

Some of their best memories are based in that auditorium, working on shows together.

Once, on an opening night, Piper is out front singing a reprise of a song, and Grover starts to close the curtain.

It turns out that they had cut the reprise and nobody told him it was put back in.

Piper continues to sing, and her mic is still on so it’s fine, but everybody giggles about it backstage.

One time, while rehearsing for Footloose, Percy is on rollerblades during a confrontation scene with Jason’s character (Chuck) and they accidentally bump lips when they get to close.

Piper likes to say that this affirms their love. She reminds them of this frequently whenever they punctuate mushy conversations with “Bro!” She’s like, “Stop playing it cool, you’ve literally kissed each other.”

Also, during Footloose, Annabeth is playing Vi, the Reverend’s wife. Every single night, when she sings “Can You Find It In Your Heart” to Jason, the cast will cluster together in the wings and listen to her. After the song is over, her best friends will accost her from the wings and throw their arms around her, hugging her.

During senior year, Coach Hedge gets sick during Hello Dolly rehearsals, so they come together and block out the entire hat shop scene, including choreographing the dance to Motherhood March, all by themselves.

It is hilarious and amazing.

Coach Hedge will selectively forget that he wasn’t there for those rehearsals and claim that it is the best scene he has ever directed.

They let him have it.

During a show where they were in period costumes, Hazel bends over to pick up a black box and the back of her dress splits open.

Velcrow that has been used eight million times over stops being so effective, apparently.

One time, the Friendly’s that they go to after shows triple books three different casts from high school shows that had all opened that night. There is a sing off. It is epic.

Then during tech week, everybody has to bring in different sweets, which they tend to imbibe while sitting on the floor of the auditorium at 8 o’clock at night, giggling hysterically because they’re exhausted and they just want to go home.

Hazel has this insane “theatre mom” kit which has everything anybody could possibly need– it’s like Mary Poppin’s bag. Band aids, cough drops, bobby pins, safety pins, makeup, throat coat, mic tape.

They always listen to show tunes while getting ready for a show, and Rachel has to come in and yell at the cast to stop wearing out their voices before they get on the stage.

Percy and Annabeth do a mean “Light My Candle” together. It is a yearly tradition.

Their favorite part is “You look familiar…” and Annabeth shrugs and goes, “Like your dead girlfriend” and they both crack up.

They can’t even do it without cracking up. They’re professionals, but they’re not that professional.

Piper is killer at Baby Baby, Do You Love Me? They play it every year at cast parties and she knocks people down in .2 seconds. Mostly because she doesn’t have a problem with climbing into people’s laps and lowering her voice seductively.

There was a licking incident once sophomore year, but they don’t like to go into it.

Mostly because Piper would kill them.

Anything to win, right?

They’re all so used to seeing each other changing that, by the time they’re in junior year, the girls can have casual conversations with the guys even when Annabeth and Piper are in only bras and leggings.

It’s just second nature.

Annabeth pretends not to notice how casual Percy is when he talks to Piper but when he talks to Annabeth, he’s super tense and keeps his eyes clamped onto hers.

Senior year, Annabeth fulfills a dream by getting to put together a Broadway Revue.

She casts and directs it.

She’s so proud of it, especially because she loves being in control.

Junior and Senior years, they’re in Advanced Acting, and they get to write and direct 10 Minute Plays.

Percy is better at writing and Annabeth is better at directing.

It’s still a huge competition, even though they know how it’s going to end.

Everybody spanks each other all the time. It’s totally normal. Sophomore year, there’s a flapjacking pandemic, but everybody hates it and the spankings rally during junior year, which everyone much prefers.

Annabeth and Percy’s first kiss is actually a stage kiss. Junior year, the school does How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. They’re all lucky because the class above them doesn’t have very many seniors, so most of the leads go to the juniors.

Percy is J. Pierrepont Finch.

Annabeth is Rosemary.

Piper gets cast as Hedy, which she rocks.

Hazel is Schmitty.

Jason is the Narrator.

Frank is Biggley.

The first time Annabeth and Percy practice the kiss, neither of them are surprised by how good it feels. They’ve been best friends for years and they’ve both had crushes on each other forever.

However, they’re not expecting Percy to promptly forget his music as he stares at her. The music swells “Rosemary!” but Percy’s voice doesn’t follow it.

Everybody teases him about it later.

But they still come together and help Percy with his promposal, which is him, Piper, Hazel, and Frank singing “Without Love” from Hairspray, Annabeth’s favorite song from the musical.

(She says yes.)

After that, they’re just together.

They have tons of time to practice kissing for their senior year musical.