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chapter five
GETTING THE PART
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(typecasting pt iii)

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Once the group was dismissed, Ashlyn, Gina, Kourtney and Dylan were gathered at Dylan's locker, the Valdez girl needing to grab something from it. Gina had stolen Dylan's notebook, flicking through it hoping to find any more songs in it.

"Can I please have that back?" Dylan asked the girl for the third time.

"No!" Gina exclaimed, moving back when Dylan went to reach for it.

"That was song was amazing." Ashlyn complimented.

"Girl, you've been hiding this talent from everyone." Kourtney turned to her. "We are not letting you keep it a secret anymore."

"People knew." Dylan disagreed.

"Oh yeah, like who?" Gina argued.

"My dad knows." The girls scoff. "Nini knew."

The three girls simply stare at her, Gina raising her eyebrows before going back to staring at the pages of the notebook making Dylan scoff.

"It doesn't matter anyway. What you guys did was absolutely incredible!" Dylan praised them.

"Thank you." Ashlyn smiled.

"We should all sing together sometime." Kourtney suggested, Gina slamming the notebook shut loudly.

"Yes." She agreed, pointing at Ashlyn and Dylan. "And you two will write the song."

Before any of the group to reply to Gina's order, Carlos walked into the hallway, a piece of paper in his hand.

"Clear!" Carlos shouted.

Just as before, Miss Jenn had managed to make the cast list the same day as auditions. The four girls are moved forwards to where Carlos was handing the list. Carlos smiled widely once he taped it, walking off to allow everyone else to see it.

Immediately, Dylan linked hands with Ashlyn, who was next to her, the red head doing the same with Gina as they all looked at the list. Dylan's eyes scanned down the paper, seeing Gina being casted as Babette, herself as Cogsworth, Kourtney as Mrs Potts and Ashlyn as Belle.

Ashlyn let go off the two girl's hands, walking over to Big Red when Gina and Dylan turned to each other. The two hugged happily, swaying side to side for a minute before letting go and celebrating with Kourtney and Seb. The brunette then turned, coming face to face with EJ, who smiled at her.

"Well done on getting Gaston Caswell." Dylan smiled. "I'm sure you'll do great at playing him as you're already so much alike."

"As will you playing Cogsworth." EJ told her. The two looked at each other for a moment before the both laughed.

Dylan nodded as she laughed, quickly bidding goodbye to EJ and going over to his cousin. Dylan skipped over to the girl, practically jumping on her when she got closer. Ashlyn laughed as she spun Dylan around.

"Well done Ash!" Dylan congratulated her. "You are going to be a perfect Belle."

"Thank you Dyl." Ashlyn smiled as they hugged.

That night for a celebratory dinner after the cast was announced, the whole group was stuffed into two booths at Salt Lake Slices, big Red's family pizza restaurant. Dylan sat in between Ashlyn and Kourtney, Ricky and EJ opposite them as they all revelled in their excitement.

Ricky then got up, going off into the corner for some privacy as he rang someone on his phone. Dylan and Kourtney shared a look when they recognised a voice.

"Is that Nini?" Kourtney questioned.

Ricky flipped his phone around to show Nini on the screen. Everyone instantly greeting her excitedly.

Big Red's mum then showed up with two pizza trays in her hands. "Pizza tonight for the world's best kiddos!" One person form both booths got up and grabbed their pizza. "Don't forget to tip the waitress."

"Mom!" Big Red protested with a chuckle.

"You love me and you know it."

"Neenerz!" Kourtney continued, taking the phone from Ricky. "We miss you so much."

The two friends shared a short conversation before Dylan jumped up taking the phone from Kourtney.

"Nini!" Dylan exclaimed. "The song worked."

"I told you it would." Nini smiled. "Cogsworth is perfect for you Dyl. I'm so glad you're finally enjoying this theate stuff."

"Hey, I have you to thank for that." Dylan smiled before handing the phone to Carlos, who was holding his hand out for it.

The phone was passed around the group, each of them telling Nini what their role was, all with dramatic effect before Ashlyn took the phone.

"Nini! What's going on at your big fancy boarding school right now?" Ashlyn asked sitting next to Dylan once more. "Make us jealous."

"Oh, um... nothing nearly as exciting as what's going on with you," Nini answered, chuckling nervously. "Congrats, Ash! Of course, you got Belle."

"Oh, actually there was this one girl who auditioned, who kind of looked like a literal Disney Princess." Ashlyn shook her head.

"Yeah, I think I saw a bird land on her finger while she was singing." Gina added, turning around.

Dylan groaned. "Do not get me started on her. I know I said I would try and not be as judgemental this year but she laughed at big Red and I'm sorry the only person who can laugh and make fun of my friends is me."

"Wait, wait." EJ interrupted Dylan's rant, stopping everyone's laughing as they turned to him. "If I'm Gaston, I just realised that you and I have..."

"Okay. Don't." Ashlyn stopped him. "Choosing not to think about it."

"Sweet home Alabama." Dylan then sang, the group laughing at her once more.

Big Red's mum then cam back with a plate of cupcakes that had figurines of the Beauty and the Beast characters on top. "Before you get dessert, mom gets a picture. That's the rule."

"Mom!" Big Red complained.

"That's the rule, all right?" She pulled out her phone, and everyone squeezed together to fit. Ricky even turned his phone around so Nini was in the photo. "Got you all, and... it's cute!"

Dylan and Ashlyn then turned around to talk to Big Red and Gina, the boy still complaining about his mum.

"Sorry about her." He apologised to them.

"Hey don't be sorry Red, at least you have a mom." Dylan joked, the three staring at her in shock as she laughed at her own joke. Dylan's laughter quickly turned into a cough when she noticed the looks she was getting. "Right not funny, sorry."

Seb got up with the plate of cupcakes and came to the other side of the table. Each of them got one with their respective characters. Dylan smiled down at her with the Cogsworth figurine on it. She looked at Ashlyn and Kourtney seeing them doing the same.

Ashlyn and Dylan clinked cupcakes, Dylan leaning over and pressing a kiss to the girl's cheek as she laughed. It was times like these that Dylan was truly happy and she wished it would last forever.

Too bad good things never lasted forever... god damn regression to the mean.

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𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗟 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦
this chapter was literally 1000 words of nothing :)
sorry about that guys! we love dylan's dark humour honestly
next chapter has some major caldez moments