chapter four
meet val!

Dylan awoke the next day, bright and early, despite not wanting to. She and EJ had planned to meet up the next morning. She knew EJ wouldn't be able to sleep, after last night and so decided she would calm him down in the best way she could, by being herself, and being with him. She made her way up the steps of the barn, the boy sitting on the bench on the deck.

"Hey." She greeted softly, still half asleep.

"Hi." He smiled, handing her a cup of coffee. She took it gratefully, taking a sip to wake herself up a bit. She sat next to him, a smile on her face.

"You okay?"

"Um, I'm panicking slightly, as I now must direct the first ever student production of frozen that will air in, I don't know, 63 countries." EJ spoke quickly.

Dylan smiled, unphased by his rambling. He was freaking out, but he had no reason to. "I'm not panicking, because I know that you are going to be an amazing director, probably the best Camp Shallow Lake has ever seen."

"You literally have zero proof to back that theory up." EJ deadpanned.

"I don't need any proof." Dylan told him. "Because I said so, therefore it has to be true. I support you, and believe in your potential as my amazing, incredible, talented, witty boyfriend."

Dylan smiled, as EJ pouted. "You forgot handsome."

"Well you wouldn't want me to lie to you." Dylan teased. "But you managed to be humble for about five seconds, which is a new record."

The two made eye contact, keeping it for a few seconds. "Can you believe Ricky turned up?"

"I kinda hoped he would, you know, ditch Lily and all." Dylan explained. "I mean he's still one of my closest friends."

"I get that."

"When are you gonna tell everyone you're directing the show?" The brunette asked, leaning her head on the boy's shoulder.

"Soon, at auditions, but will you not say anything until then?" EJ looked down at her.

"Your secret's safe with me." She smiled up at him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before a bugle began to play. The couple look over to see Maddox playing a certain melody on the bugle.

"Hey-o, I'm so glad you're hearing the bugle." EJ told her happily.

"The what?"

"It's like the perfect start to the day." EJ was so happy that Dylan have the heart to tell him that if she had to wake up to that everyday, she would be the grumpiest person ever.

"Rise and shine, newbies!" Maddox's shouted towards the yurts, way too energetic for this early in the morning. "You're on Shallow Lake time now. Whoo! Oh, hey guys."

EJ and Dylan both greeted the girl, Dylan then bid goodbye to EJ, making her way back to honeycomb. She walked through the door, greeting the girl's who were now awake, and sat on their beds. Dylan brushed her teeth next to Gina, before going back to her bunk and neatly making the bed.

"I can't believe we're actually gonna be in this documentary." Ashlyn said from sitting on her top bunk. "And to be directed by Mr Chad Danforth himself. Okay, one could say the stakes for auditions have never been higher. And one will." She raised her hand. "I will. The stakes have never been higher."

"I think I'm having withdrawals." Kourtney admitted, who was doing her makeup from her bottom bunk. "I mean, this is the first day I haven't had a headache in my entire life."

"But that should be a good thing." Dylan stated slightly confused. "Unless it's not."

"No, I don't know who I am without screens!"

"I'm just gonna let it be known that I'm going for gold at auditions today." Gina announced. "I'm finally ready to play the lead. No apologies, no prisoners."

"Sounds like you brought Gina one-point-oh to camp." Ashlyn replied, making Dylan knit her eyebrows in confusion.

Gina laughed. "No. Look, okay, I loved auditioning with you guys last year, and we're still a tercet, but I just feel like I need to stand on my own this summer, you know? Especially with the whole documentary thing. Like, that could literally be our future."

"Okay." Ashlyn threw her body pillow down to Gina, who caught it. "One-point-oh."

"She's not being Gina one-point-oh." Dylan disagreed. "She's being confident, knowing who she is and going after what she wants, there's nothing wrong with that."

"What are you going for, Dyl?" Ashlyn asked.

"I haven't really thought about it." Dylan answered, walking over to her suitcase and grabbing an outfit for the day.

"I think you should go for Elsa." Kourtney stated.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah, you are totally Elsa." Gina agreed.

Dylan smiled as she went back towards the bathroom to change. She had never auditioned for one of the leads before. She knows that Elsa isn't the lead, lead, obviously that Anna and Kristoff, but the whole show wouldn't happen without Elsa, and she has the main song from the movie. But, knowing her closest friends think that she should go for it, and she'd be perfect for the role, gave her a sense of confidence she didn't know had been unlocked within her.

She got changed into a light blue tank top, pairing it with white jean shorts, and her nike air force that Nini had painted one slumber night, them having two flowers on the toe, and the nike tick being painted a light blue that matched her top. When she was finished, she left the bathroom, and went towards her bed, dodging her friends who were also in the midst of getting ready. She grabbed her hairbrush from where she had thrown it that morning, and a hairband before making her way over to the mirror. Dylan began to brush out her hair, pulling it all back, and tying it up in a low bun, pulling a few strands out of the front to frame her face.

Dylan, for some strange reason, managed to be the first one ready. She grabbed her tote bag, putting in some essentials she could need, water, snacks etc, before bidding everyone goodbye, and leaving the cabin. As she left, Dylan bumped into Ricky, who was coming up the path.

"Hey." Dylan greeted him.

"Morning." Ricky smiled.

Dylan wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a tight hug, "I'm glad you decided to come."

"I knew you loved me." Ricky teased. "Don't let EJ know, this has to be our secret."

"I would never tell." Dylan laughed along. "But seriously though, I'm glad you changed your mind, it feels weird already without..."

"I know."

"I didn't need another missing puzzle piece." Dylan stated.

"I get it." Ricky nodded. "So, what are your plans for this summer? Being as Dylan as possible."

Dylan chuckled, "Um, you know, just figuring out who I wanna be, camp has, uh, been known to help with that in the past, apparently. What about you, why are you here?"

Ricky opened his mouth to speak but Dylan cut him off. "And don't give me none of that Ricky Rubbish, the truth, okay?"

"What do you mean 'ricky rubbish'?" He asked, his mouth agape in offence.

"I mean," Dylan sent him a look before lowering her voice to mimic him. "I don't really wanna talk about it. I just wanted to be here with you guys. Camp felt like the right decision. That Ricky rubbish."

Ricky made a face. Despite the two hanging out during spring break in Chicago, they hadn't really seen much of each other after that. And he was always forgetting how much Dylan actually knew him. They two had been friends for as long as he had be friends with Big Red, it just never seemed like Ricky and Dylan were as close as the two. Maybe Dylan didn't know Ricky? Maybe she just knew herself, and the two were so similar, without realising.

"What happened with Lily?" Dylan asked, punching his shoulder lightly to snap his out of his thoughts. "And you have to tell me now because I said her name."

"I bet you feel like Harry every time he said Voldermort." Ricky raised his eyebrows, causing the girl to laugh once more before he got serious. "Lily stole my harness. I found it in her bedroom."

"God Ricky are you that delusional? I could've told you Lily stole your harness." Dylan practically exclaimed.

"I know, I just thought that she might have changed you know?" Ricky tried to defend himself. "I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I found it and I left. I never should've chosen her anyway. I would rather be here with you."

Dylan smiled at him, "Me too."

When Dylan heard the door to honeycomb open once more, and Gina step out of it, she turned to face Ricky properly. She stepped forward and hugged him, the boy squeezing her tighter this time than the first. After a few seconds, she stepped back, bidding goodbye to both him and Gina and made her way to breakfast, knowing Gina and Ricky would want to talk.

Dylan headed up to the dining hall. Dylan grabbed a few pastries, knowing she needed something to eat. She rarely ate breakfast, but with her nerves for auditions slowly growing, and her unable to call Nini to calm them, she decided stress eating was the next best solution. She sat down at the table in the corner, Kourtney and Ashlyn quickly joining her.

A few minutes later, Gina and Ricky joined them with their own breakfast, the group all eating while conversing about the upcoming auditions that would happen after breakfast. Carlos then burst through the doors, coming over to the group, and demanding they educate Ricky on the show before he 'Zefroned' his way through it once again.

As the group tried to explain the plot and character names to Ricky, Dylan looked around the table, feeling a little out of place and strange without Seb, Big Red, and Nini at camp, but they were all busy for the two weeks that camp was happening. It also felt a bit weird without EJ sat next to her, but she knew he had to get everything set up for auditions, being the director and all.

Once they all finished with breakfast, they left the dining hall to go to the place where auditions were being held. A place called the barn. It was a big red building in the centre of camp, and if Dylan remembers rightly from EJ's small tour, it was where all the plays were held.

When they entered through the doors, Dylan looked around in wonder. EJ and Maddox were moving a table together. There were rows of folding chairs. Up on the ceiling were banners, and right in front of the room was a small stage.

"Okay, I will say, for a barn, wow." Kourtney commented.

"Everyone should start warming up." Maddox instructed.

Dylan stood next to Maddox, who was opening more chairs, the two chatting about random things when EJ's movements in her peripheral caught her attention. She turned and watched as he jogged up to a girl with blonde hair and pull her into a hug.

"That's Val. Eight time Shallow Lake camper and current Shallow Lake CIT." Maddox spoke up, noticing her gaze on the two, what Dylan hoped were simply friends. "Yeah, she and EJ go way back."

"They seem close." Dylan stated.

"They were Gretl and Kurt in The Sound of Music way back in the day. That bond is forever." Maddox told her. Dylan raised her eyebrows at her. Maddox quickly noticed the expression, and spoke again. "Not a bond like yours though, um, it's more like, from what I hear, you and Ricky? That one other there with the curly hair."

Dylan let out a breath, thanking Maddox for the extra reassurance. Maddox smiled at her, but Dylan noticed something else in her expression — gratitude? it was almost as if Maddox was glad Dylan didn't leave after she stopped talking.

"Hey, everyone." Val greeted from her place on the stage, making Dylan turn back to face her. "I'm Val, and not too long ago, I was just like you, waiting in the wings for my chance at stardom. Then I went to college and my dreams of Broadway were instantly dashed by my Intro-To-Movement professor, who said I wasn't convincing as a human being."

Ashlyn laughed loudly at that. "Wow."  

"But now, I'm a psych major, and I'm also your choreographer. The director will kick off the auditions in just a moment."

"Corbin Bleu!" Ashlyn exclaimed. "Whoo!"

The group dispersed. Dylan sighed, turning and making her way over to EJ. When she approached, a look on her face, EJ's one turned guilty. She placed her arms on his shoulder, linking her hands behind his head to play with the strands of hair on his neck. The two didn't speak for a moment.

"You have to tell everyone." Dylan told him quietly. "I'm sick of Ash going on about how she's going to sing gazing into Corbin's brown eyes. And while I'm sure yours are so much more beautiful, she can't do that with you, it'd be weird. I will though."

EJ smiled down at her. "What if I don't tell them?"

"What like wait until Val introduces you and then pop out like a surprise birthday party?" Dylan asked jokingly. When the boy didn't respond, and she noticed his serious expression she sighed. "If that's what you wanna do, I'll support you Eej."

"I know you will."

"And hey, you got like a whole crew here to help you direct okay?" Dylan gestured to the people around her.

"Huh?"

"I mean, who always helped Miss Jenn direct the show, who practically co-directed both of last years productions?" She questioned him.

"Carlos." EJ's eyes lit up in realisation.

"Exactly, find your Carlos, okay?" Dylan told him. "And then recruit the actual Carlos to help too, for extra measure."

EJ nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead in gratitude. "I'm gonna go tell Val what's going on?"

"Is she gonna be your Carlos?" Dylan wondered innocently, stepping away from him so he could leave.

"Yeah she is." EJ nodded once more.

"Okay." Dylan muttered, watching him walk off. However, when he heard the way she sounded so insecure in that one word, he quickly spun back around, surprising her when he pulled her hips towards him and kissed her.

"You don't have to worry about her you know." EJ told her, pressing their foreheads together after he had pulled away. "I lo—, I'm only for you, okay?"

"Okay." Dylan smiled at his reassurance, pushing him away gently. "Now go."

Dylan watched EJ go into the back room, knowing Val was in there. She took a breath before standing with Ashlyn once more, the girl taking Nini's place this year in calming the girl down.

"Yo, we are ready!" Val announced, coming out of the back room with EJ following after her. "It is time to introduce you to your director..." Her and EJ stood in front of the stage. "Rocket Man himself, EJ Caswell."

Everyone began to clap hesitantly, shock covering each and one of their features. EJ stood on stage in shock himself. He took a breath, looking towards Dylan, who smiled at him reassuringly, mouthing a quick you got this! and sending him a wink, which calmed some of his still growing nerves.

"Circle up." EJ instructed, his voice cracking.

Dylan grabbed Gina's hand in hers and they both approached the stage. She took Ashlyn's other hand, and shut her eyes, a sense of deja vu coming over her.

Suddenly, EJ started to sing Do You Wanna Build A Snowman? in a very high voice, just like Miss Jenn used to do. Dylan tried to stifle her laugh at her boyfriend, she told him to find a carlos not be miss jenn! As he carried on singing, it got harder and harder for her to hold in her laugh, her body shaking. Dylan turned her head burying in Gina's shoulder. Dylan's state ended up making Gina laugh, her placing her head in Dylan's hair to hide her laughter, the two nearly doubling over from how much they were laughing, while trying to be quiet, which honestly made them laugh harder.

The door suddenly swung open. Dylan picked her head up again, this time actually doubling over at the sight of wearing a full-on snow suit. And in typical Ricky fashion, he was late for audition, again.

"Frozen time!" Ricky shouted. "Let's go."

Carlos pointed at him. "Now that's tradition."

"Where's Mr Bleu?"

They all stared at Ricky for a few moments in silence before Gina and Dylan explained everything to him. The group spread around the barn.

"Okay, everyone," Val stated. "Let's make some grounding breaths. And we're off!"

"For those of you who I technically know, today, you are not Wildcats." EJ continued. "Today, you're a bunch of blank canvases, strangers to me. Today we've never met."

"Should've quit while you were ahead, honey." Dylan told him, patting his back as she walked past to her place next to Gina once more.

"Maybe don't talk." Val suggested.

Dylan grabbed her sheet music and looked down at it. She already knew the song pretty well, but she was still nervous. EJ sent her a good luck smile, but he couldn't do much more than that, due to his role as director. She would've killed for a hug, or a Nini phone call, but a smile would have to do.

They would be fine. So fine.

( 💌 ) isobel's notes
dylan — i don't know if i should audition for elsa
also dylan — puts on a modern day elsa inspired outfit
dylan and ricky this chapter!
also sorry for not updating in like two
months i just have had trouble writing
this book for some reason but i am
trying to finish it before season 4 is
released because i miss dylan again