chapter three
douche— i mean mack duty

Unfortunately, High School Musical 4 was going to happen whether Dylan liked it or not, and to be completely honest, she didn't like it once bit. Nothing about having another camera shoved in her face enticed her.

"Follow me, and keep your energy contained." Miss Jenn announced, leading them through the hallways back to the bomb shelter. "I'm told we have a special visitor meeting us in the rehearsal room."

Kourtney gasped in excitement. "If it's Dani somebody stop me from saying something stupid."

"If it's Mack, somebody stop me if I flirt with him." Carlos said.

Kourtney laughed at him. "Carlos."

Ricky let out a chuckle and pushed him forward gently. "Yeah Carlos."

They finally reached the hallways where the rehearsal room was, only for it to be completely blocked off from them by yellow caution tape. Multiple people were moving things in the hallway, and a man wearing a shirt that said HOMECOMING SECURITY was standing by the yellow tape holding a clipboard. Dylan's eyebrows furrowed as she slowed to a stop.

"Excuse me, hi." Miss Jenn greeted. "Um, my students and I need to get back to our rehearsal room."

"No can do." The security guard told her. "This hallway's been rented out by Homecoming to pre-light for a scene."

"But Homecoming isn't for, like, a month." Ashlyn protested.

The security guard gestured them towards him, and they leaned in. "Between us, Homecoming is the secret code name for High School Musical 4."

Most of the members of their group cheered in excitement. Dylan, once again however, stayed silence, glancing around at everyone. Sure, it was a huge thing but it was clearly already affecting their show and Dylan didn't want that to happen again.

Miss Jenn gestured the security guard closer to her. "Between us, you should not be a security guard."

Because of the hallway being completely blocked off from them, they had to go around basically the entire school to get back. Dylan watched as everyone left the hallway to find their way into the rehearsal room before she turned back to the security guard.

"You can't get through." The security guard told her.

"I can get through." Dylan nodded.

"Name?" He looked up at her and then down at his clipboard.

"Dylan Valdez." Dylan smiled.

The security guard narrowed his eyes at her, before shrugged and stepping aside. Dylan smiled, ducking under the tape and making her way into her rehearsal room, sitting down on the risers and waiting for the others.

"Everyone take a seat." Miss Jenn instructed as the group walked back into the rehearsal room. "I'm sorry we had to climb through the bushes. Ashlyn, I did not know you are allergic to shrubs." She reached up and pulled a leaf out of Ashlyn's hair. "Hopefully, whatever this is won't take long."

"How were you already in here?" Gina asked, sitting next to Dylan, Ashlyn on the other side of the Valdez girl.

"He let me through." Dylan shrugged.

"How?" Ashlyn questioned.

"I just told him my name and he let me through." Dylan explained with a smile. The girl then looked forwards, and her eyes widened in shock upon seeing the familiar person. "Oh my God."

Because walking towards them from the back of the rehearsal room was Corbin Bleu, his arms extended wide and his smile bright.

"Corbin's on the clock." Corbin stated.

"Mr Bleu?" Carlos asked.

"All right, look, you guys, I'm—I'm gonna make this quick."

"Is your helicopter waiting?" Ricky questioned.

Corbin pointed to him with a laugh. "You're funny. It's a private jet. I am aware that the Frozen documentary turned out... different than any of us expected."

"Seb isn't talking to me." Carlos admitted.

"Big Red is in Cairo for six months." Ashlyn added.

"People still think I was cheating on my boyfriend with Ricky." Dylan tilted her head with a grimace. It was true, after the documentary, the public seemed to think that Dylan was cheating on EJ with Ricky, despite many of the two's conversations being about his feelings for Gina.

"My mum's first husband disappeared under mysterious circumstances." Emmy voiced.

"I hear you." Corbin said. "And I think I found a way to make it up to you."

"Not another documentary crew." Ashlyn insisted and Dylan nodded alongside with her. "Please."

"No. No, no, no, no. It's something way better. Allow me to invite some friends to explain. Lucas? Mo?"

The door in the back opened and Lucas Grabeel and Monique Coleman walked out. Dylan stared at them, her mind spinning impossibly fast. Seeing the people who practically shaped her childhood standing in front of her was shocking and she couldn't quite figure out how to process it.

"Hey Wildcats." Lucas began.

"So, we want the fourth movie to feel authentic, a little bit more grounded, and absolutely accessible to new generation." Monique explained.

"So, what's the plot of this movie, you ask?" Lucas inquired.

"We didn't, but I was going to." Ashlyn cut it.

"Okay, it is our fifteen-year high school reunion." Corbin announced. "My character, Chad is married to Taylor. Martha is a world-class choreographer. Troy and Gabriella are in couples therapy. Ryan is happily partnered."

"With twins on the way." Lucas added with a smile.

The group awed at him. Dylan smiled slightly but Corbin's words echoed in her brain: Troy and Gabriella are in couples therapy. Troy and Gabriella were the first couple that Dylan was ever exposed to that actually truly loved each other, and the idea that they were having relationship problems broke a part of Dylan's childhood that she hadn't realised she had.

Dylan knew that they were only a fictional relationship but when your parents don't love each other, you have to rely on fiction to remember that love does exist. And she knows it now, watching her dad and Eve, seeing herself and EJ, she knows love exists.

So why did a part of her sink at Corbin's words, why was her first thought, if they didn't make it what hope did the rest of them have?

Dylan shook the feeling off, sharing an excited look with Gina before turning back to the three stars in front of them.

"And the future of the East High Drama Department is on the line." Monique continued to explain.

Miss Jenn gasped, her voice lowering. "So it's a horror film?"

The three all burst out in laughter, Corbin answering, "No, not at all, Jessica. The real hook of this movie is that Miss Darbus is retiring. So, the next generation of theatre kids is absolutely freaking out."

"So, it's a comedy." Ashlyn stated.

"We need you to be featured extras." Lucas told them. The group stared at them in shock, some (Kourtney and Carlos) very excited, while others (particularly Ricky and Dylan) were more hesitant.

"Front and centre in every scene with Miss Darbus." Corbin added.

"I mean, what a better way to cast a drama class than with real drama students?" Monique asked rhetorically.

"Wait, is Alyson Reed in this movie?" Ashlyn wondered.

"Um, who?" Carlos stared at her in confusion. Dylan tilted her head at the boy, unaware of how someone so obsessed with the hsm trilogy could not know who Alyson Reed was.

"Cassie in the A Chorus Line movie. The original Miss Darbus, you guys." Ashlyn explained excitedly, also confused on their lack of knowing who she was. The group, except Dylan, all nodded in understanding.

Corbin chuckled, "Alyson is in, 100%. She still has her original costumes."

"And her wings." Monique added.

"That was a wig?" Carlos gasped, sitting forward. "Okay, I am obsessed with Hollywood."

"Um, excuse me." Kourtney raised her hand like they were in class. "If we're going for authenticity here, then I think that Mack and Dani should consult us. The real-life kids at East High."

"I love the integrity of that." Corbin nodded, pointing at her.

"Great idea." Monique smiled.

"Yeah, great. You can cover Dani. Any volunteers to show Mack around?" Lucas questioned.

"Right, like somebody who grew up loving his TV show." Ashlyn agreed.

"Dylan." Gina offered and Dylan turned to her incredulously.

Ashlyn slowly looked at her. "Girl, I was talking about you."

"I know, I know." Gina nodded frantically. "But I just feel like I'm going to make a fool out of myself. Besides Dylan already said that her and Nini watched it all the time."

"It would mean that Dylan would be forced to actually come into school." Ashlyn added, nudging her. "So you cannot skip."

Dylan thought for a moment, looking over at Gina whose eyes were begging for her to agree before she huffed. "Sure."

"Dylan, you are on Mack." Monique instructed.

"Well this is fun." Ricky commented, although his tone suggested he thought the exact opposite.

"Right?" Corbin asked with a chuckle, oblivious to how hesitant they all were. "Rehearsals start this week. Prepare for your entire lives to change. This time, for the better."

Dylan did not want that. She wanted a quiet senior year, focusing on her studies and the musical until she graduated – and figured out where she was going to college. Now she was expected to be in this dumb movie and told her life was going to change? Well Dylan still semi-hated change and Frozen had changed her life enough that she didn't need anything else to affect her.

Dylan decided that she would get the whole Mack over and done with early. The brunette stood up, waving goodbye to the group and walking towards the exit.

"Hey D." Gina called, catching up with her. "I'll walk with you."

"What's up?" Dylan wondered.

"Thank you." Gina stated.

"For..."

"Agreeing to be on Mack duty." Gina revealed, stopping her movement slightly. "I would do it but maybe this whole movie thing can be a time for me to—"

"Spend more time hiding behind the curtains with Ricky?" Dylan raised her eyebrows, cutting the girl off.

"I—What? How did you—" Gina stared at her in confusion.

"I pushed you towards him at the end of summer and plus, I am not an idiot." Dylan told her with a small smile. "I may be oblivious to my own feelings but I can tell what my friends are feeling without them telling me. It's a gift."

"And you'll keep it a secret?" Gina wondered.

"Of course." Dylan nodded. "It's not my secret, or my relationship."

"Thank you." Gina repeated. "And you're right. This move plus the production, everyone will be so busy that they won't notice me and Ricky too much. But I take on Mack duty, then I'll be too busy too and... it's my first relationship, I just want it to be perfect."

Dylan smiled softly. "And I'm sure it will be. I will do Mack duty, and maybe he isn't as bad as everyone says he is. I gave EJ a chance to prove himself, maybe Mack will do the same."

"Good luck." Gina responded.

"I'm gonna need it." Dylan muttered, bidding the girl goodbye and making her way towards the dressing room, where the OG cast said Mack was scheduled to be. When she arrived, she lifted her hand and knocked three times. "I'm coming in."

Dylan opened the dressing room door, slotting inside. She immediately stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows shooting up. Well, she wasn't expecting to see that. Mack was standing there in nothing but his boxers, getting fitted for some sort of costume. Dylan's hand shot to her necklace, twisting the Saturn pendant between her fingers, a wave of anxiousness crashing over her.

Mack glanced at her, "Can I help you?"

"So, sorry about that." Dylan began, forcing a polite smile onto her face. "I'm Dylan, a real life East High student and I was assigned to help you out while you film, authenticity and... stuff."

"Yeah, I'd love to know who assigned you to interrupt my costume fitting."

Dylan's eyes narrowed in an instant. Okay... she so did not like this guy. She crossed her arms over her chest and her smile turned sarcastic. "I didn't know you were actually getting fitted in here, so you can take it easy. If I knew then I would've come later. I wanna be here as much as you do."

"Hey, would you mind turning around?" Mack inquired.

She turned around, now facing the door again. This was just making her more annoyed. She hated the condescending tone of his voice – it made her want to strangle him. Dylan clenched her jaw, turning around to face him, watching as he buttoned up his shirt.

"So, I'm just gonna leave and we can pretend like this never happened." Dylan suggested.

"Oh, I'm way ahead of you." Mack stated.

Dylan took a step forward, she was so done with this, and honestly she did not care how famous he was if he was this rude. "Okay you—" Dylan cut herself off, straightening up and taking a deep breath. "I hope your movie crashes and burns. Have a terrible day."

Dylan then turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her. This day was nothing short of terrible and all she wanted to do was go home.

Dylan flopped on her bed later that day, putting her headphones in her ears and staring at the ceiling as 'Fine Line' by Harry Styles blasted through her ears. She let the music wash over her, trying to calm herself down after the irritating day she had had.

When the song finished, the brunette rolled on her side, grabbing her phone and pressing on the contact that would actually understand her.

EJ answered after a few rings, "Hey, D." His eyebrows then furrowed. "Are you okay?"

Dylan let out a small huff. "You know how we said there is no way they could be filming anything at East High?"

"They're filming at East?" EJ questioned in surprise.

"Yeah." Dylan nodded. "High School Musical 4. It's the whole reunion movie with the entire OG cast and they want us all to be featured extras, and everyone is so excited about it, but I—"

"You don't wanna be in the Hollywood scene anymore?" EJ finished with a raised eyebrow.

"Frozen was insane, last summer was... so hard to deal with and this—this is going to be a thousand times worse." Dylan explained.

"I get that." EJ replied before someone off camera caught his attention. "I'm so sorry but I gotta go."

"What have you signed up for this time? Ping-pong? Badminton?" Dylan teased with a small smile.

"I'm not telling you because I know you'll bully me for it." EJ stated making Dylan laugh. "Dyl, I meant what I said yesterday, you're going to be okay, it's all gonna work out."

And for some reason, she believed him.

"Bye Caswell." Dylan smiled.

"Bye Valdez." EJ then hung up the phone.

Dylan let out a small sigh, grabbing her notebook and turning to the dog-eared page. The girl smiled at the sight of the lyrics to 'Bright', a song she wrote with Nini and then sung in Chicago with Ricky. Her phone then buzzed, a instagram notification popping up that left her utterly confused.

Mack had just followed her on instagram, even though she told him she hoped his movie crashed and burned and hoped he had a terrible day.

Dylan ran her hands down her face, throwing her journal on the floor in frustration. God, why was everything so overwhelming?

( 💌 ) isobel's notes
back for my three monthly chapter
drop yayay
hope you enjoyed this boring ass
chapter
see you again in three months or
maybe more because i have NO
motivation whatsoever :)))