Introducing, Indigo.

An audition. A glance. Several expired condiments.

Welcome to the first installment in a fictional series I’ve poured my heart into these past few months. Follow me into the messy magic of a high school theatre, where friendships, rivalries, and backstage crushes collide—and one girl fights to hold on to her dream when love and loyalty tug her in opposite directions.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I loved writing this. Now… onto the story!

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Part 1

Pressing her hands to her chest, Indigo breathed deep. In through the nose, out through the mouth. She needed to slow her pulse to prevent it from creeping into her voice on the stage.

She studied her reflection and adjusted the few blonde wisps that framed her face. Her green eyes were lightly lined, a warm shimmery brown on her lids. Indigo dusted a heavy stroke of highlighter onto her nose and cheekbones and smiled, satisfied.

“Indie!” A senior spoke in a stage whisper from the doorway. “You’re up soon.”

Ignoring the scoff from the red-headed girl behind her, Indigo dropped her makeup pouch to the floor and slid it against the mirror. She straightened, rolled her shoulders back, and held her head high.

Posture creates confidence, Indigo reminded herself as she ducked through the doorway, pausing just beyond the door where the senior gestured for her to wait.

Her best friend, Alice, was currently on the stage auditioning. Her shoulder-length brown hair flicked animatedly with her movements. She seemed to be doing well; it was likely she’d end up in the featured ensemble. Maybe even a lead role. Indigo curiously scanned the wing.

Ahead of her, next in line, was a kid she’d never seen before.

The boy waited, looking out toward the stage. Brown hair curled softly onto his forehead, the silhouette of his nose strong and sharp. He stood stone still, perfectly calm in appearance—except for his hand. He was fidgeting with something between his finger and thumb, long fingers dexterously rolling the object around the back of his hand and into his palm.

Indigo squinted, trying to make out what he held, but at that moment Alice finished and gave a slight bow. She left the stage, brushing between the heavy black curtains and nearly running into Indigo.

“Hey Indie!” She whispered hurriedly. “Break a leg! But I mean, not like you need it—you always do great!”

Indigo smiled as Alice slipped through the door back into the black box. She turned her eyes back to the stage, stepping several paces forward to where the boy had just stood. Darn it. She’d missed his introduction—he was waiting quietly as the music director, seated at the piano on the corner of the stage, started to play.

Indigo leaned toward the stage, eager to get a better look, but he faced away from the wing toward the judges in the front row. His shoulders lifted as he took a deep breath and tapped his fingers in time against his leg.

He began to sing, his voice wobbly at first—another betrayal to his nerves—but slowly building in strength as the song went on.

He had a nice voice, really; he sang with an intriguing richness. It was smooth and thick with potential. Who was he auditioning for? Indigo had never heard another male voice like his in the high school’s theater program.

He finished the short segment of the song and dipped his head. The judges glanced at each other, ill-concealed admiration on their faces.

“Thank you,” said the drama teacher, Mrs. Green. “Can you do a quick cold-read for us?”

She nodded at the music director. Grabbing a piece of paper from the top of the piano, he handed it to the boy and settled back in his seat.

“Sure,” he said, glancing down at the page. Reading the lines, the boy took a second to ground himself before opening his mouth to begin.

“I thought we talked about everything. I thought we trusted each other.”

Of course—he was auditioning for Sky. He had been given lines from the scene where Sky confronted Sophie, frustrated after discovering she kept a secret from him.

“You went behind my back to find some stranger,” he continued, his voice brimming with hurt and betrayal. “Is that what this big white wedding is for? A set-up so you can play ‘One Big Happy Family’? I was marrying you because I loved you… I just don’t know anymore.”

“Wonderful.” The judges gave a short round of applause. “That was really strong! Thank you.”

“Thank you,” the boy said as he bowed his head, turning to leave the stage.

His gaze shifted away from the judges and into the wing—straight at Indigo. His shocking blue eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, causing her heart to catch. They flickered with a smile before he disappeared into the curtains.

Indigo inhaled, realizing that she had stopped breathing entirely. She had never seen eyes like his before.

“Next,” Mrs. Green called, indicating they were ready for her.

Indigo blinked hard and exhaled the confusion of the moment before, then strode out onto the familiar x in the middle of the stage.

“Hello,” she said. “My name is Indigo Bennett, and today I will be auditioning for the role of Sophie Sheridan.”

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“So, tell me how it went!”

Indigo stepped into the kitchen to find her mom sitting at the island with an iced coffee in hand, flipping through a Magnolia magazine as she sipped. She looked up, her dark, frizzy curls falling beside her cheerful face. Indigo tossed her backpack to the ground and slipped onto the barstool next to her mom.

“Oh, fine.” Indigo shrugged. “I feel good about it.”

Her mom smiled and tossed an arm around her shoulders. “We both know that means you’ll get the role. When have you not?”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Indigo replied, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “I’m always nervous until I see the cast list.”

“Oh honey, this is Indie we’re talking about. You’ve starred in nearly every play you’ve been in since third grade.” She squeezed Indigo’s shoulders. “There’s nothing to be worried about.”

Her mom stood up and stalked over to the fridge, pulling it open to examine its meager offerings.

“Should we do leftover spaghetti for dinner? Or grilled cheese? Oh, this mayo is expired…” She trailed off, mumbling to herself as she began to write a grocery list on the magnetic whiteboard.

“How about spaghetti and grilled cheese?” Indigo offered, standing up to grab her bag. “I’m gonna get started on my homework. Oh, and Hudson’s coming over soon.”

“Sure, honey, sounds good,” she mumbled. A pile of expired condiments was quickly growing on the counter next to her.

Indigo chuckled at her mother, then hurried up the stairs. She walked into her room, wanting a moment to think, unsure why she was so nervous about this audition. They were usually not a big deal, but this was her last high school play. If she didn’t get the role she so desperately wanted…

Indigo shook her head and fell back onto her unmade bed. Staring up at the miniature disco ball hanging from her ceiling, she resolved not to think about it until the cast list came out. There was no point in wasting time worrying when she had hours of homework to do.

She rolled onto her side, her eyes catching on the photo from her first high school dance. Hudson’s arm was hooked around her waist as a triumphant, crooked grin spread across his face—he had finally won her over after chasing her through the entirety of middle school.

She thought about that night and the way he’d looked at her in her glittery red dress. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Her eyes drifted to the Mamma Mia! poster taped on the wall above. A collection of polaroids, movie tickets, and little notes from her mom were scattered around it. But lately, the poster was the only thing that Indigo seemed to notice.

It was her all-time favorite play. The first Broadway play she’d ever seen, the whole reason she wanted to pursue a career in acting. And now? It was going to be the final play of her high school acting career—the final act she’d been unknowingly working toward for years.

The thought was overwhelmingly bittersweet.

And she was utterly terrified she wouldn’t get the role.

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“Hey.”

Hudson’s voice broke into Indigo’s thoughts, and she sat up as he walked into her room. His tall frame immediately seemed to take charge of the room as his grey eyes flicked over to her. He gave her an unfocused smile.

“Hi,” she replied, wondering how much time she’d wasted overthinking. “How’s it going?”

“Good. D’ya hear about the game last night? The Cowboys crushed the Eagles. I swear they’re gonna make it to the Superbowl this year!” He threw his bag down and sat next to her, pulling out his phone as he launched into a game recap.

“Uh, cool,” Indigo replied when he paused for a breath. She could barely make sense of the football lingo. “Well, I just got home—”

“Jacob thinks his fantasy team is gonna do better than mine.” Hudson continued, adjusting the cap he always wore backwards on top of his artfully unkempt blonde hair. “Yeah, right. He never gets past week two.”

“Hmm.” Indigo nodded, wondering when Hudson was gonna look at her.

“And I can’t believe Isaiah landed Mostert again—so unfair.”

He glanced over at her and paused, as if just noticing her presence. “Hey, what’s with all the sparkles? I kinda like it.”

Indigo gave a small smile and touched a finger to her cheekbone. He’d noticed. “My audition was today.”

“Oh, right!” Hudson’s screen lit up and his eyes flickered down before looking back up at her. “How’d it go?”

“Good, I think. I won’t know until next week.”

“I’m sure you’ll get, uhh-”

“Sophie Sheridan,” she finished for him. “Remember? We just watched the movie last week.”

“Yeah, her. I’m bad with names, you know that.”

“You remember all those football players,” Indigo pointed out as his phone buzzed and he became absorbed in his screen once more.

“It’s not the same,” he mumbled absentmindedly.

Indigo blinked. “Sure.”

She stared at him for a moment, waiting, but his eyes stayed glued to the numbers and names floating across his screen. She sighed and walked over to her desk, moving aside the few pages of the script she’d already begun memorizing.

“You okay?” Hudson asked, glancing up.

“Yeah.” Indigo sat down in her swiveling chair and pulled her math book from her backpack.

He stood and walked over to her, leaning a shoulder against the wall beside her desk. “Nah. You sighed—what’s wrong?”

Indigo glanced up at Hudson. He was looking down at her with the tiniest crease between his eyes.

“I just wish…” She hesitated, then said, “It’s nothing. I just really want to get this role.”

“Hey,” he began, rotating her seat toward him and putting his hands on the armrests. He bent down and looked into her eyes, fully focused on her for one brief moment. “You’ll get it. You always do.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. He gave her a quick peck and flashed the grin that once gave her butterflies, then flopped back onto the bed, lost in the world of his fantasy game once more.

Indigo’s shoulders drooped slightly as she opened her math book.

At least she could always count on homework to distract her.