Who: Saya and Tommy What: Play auditions When: August 2037 Where: Fyre Island Middle School Rating: Low
Saya had been indecisive about participating in the school play until second period. Her English teacher had made a compelling argument, one that Saya found herself continuing during her daily checkup with her father. She had been her father's baseline for calibrating his tools for years, but she didn't mind. He was often so caught up in his research that sitting on his examination table was a way to get his undivided attention. He was not convinced of her conviction to audition, at least until she began to press him for his assent. "Please? You remember what the teacher said at parent-teacher conferences," Saya continued her petition the minute the thermometer was removed from her mouth, hopping off of the examination table to hover behind her father's shoulder as he began to update his findings. "I need to socialize more and interact with peers my age."
"Saya..." her father sighed, but she continued on.
"It's not going to interfere with my grades! In fact, studies show that children who are active in the arts perform better in math and critical thinking. Besides, I'll be at the school. You'll know where to find me, and you won't have to worry about my new school clothes getting dirty."
"Saya-"
"Before you say no, I'm already ahead of my class! I did my summer reading and read the first chapters of the textbooks so that's really not going to be a problem. And I can still help you out at the lab, it'll only be an hour or two after school every day. Really. How could you say no?"
"I wasn't going to, sweetheart." Her father turned and leaned against his table as he peered down at his daughter. "I agree with your teachers, it is about time you took on an after school activity. The auditions are tonight, are they not?"
"Thank you, Daddy!" Saya clapped her hands together before wrapping her arms around her dad in a bear hug. She grabbed her brand new backpack and began to walk quickly out of the clinic before he could change his mind. "I'll be home before dinner!" She waited until she was outside to break into a light jog, hitching up her ankle-length skirt to keep from tripping on the fabric. She had given up on jeans, her favorite pair no longer fit. Every morning there seemed to be something different about her body, and she wasn't sure what to expect when she looked in the mirror each morning. Why couldn't she just be the same as she always was? All she knew is she didn't look like the older girls who were already wearing bras and had boys staring at their chests and backsides when they walked by. Well, she was mostly glad to avoid that part, she hoped the guys she played with would never look at her that way. It'd be too weird.
By the time she had made it to the middle school auditorium, people were already milling about with pages from the script in their hands. She scanned the crowd for a familiar face, wiping the faint sheen of perspiration on her forehead with the back of her hand. With panic, she realized as she watched the girl singing on stage, that to audition for the musical that even if she was going for a non-singing role, that everyone had to sing. Steeling her shoulders, she walked over to the sign-in sheet. "I'm so screwed," she muttered under her breath and hastily scribbled her name.