After finding out that Ricky was cast as Troy while Nini got the role of Gabriella, Tabitha wasn't so sure how they were going to do this with the history that those two had. Tabitha was standing at her locker, telling her best friend who had been cast for the play.

"That's going to be a disaster." Maeve commented, leaning against the lockers while Tabitha opened hers.

"Yeah, I really hope it won't 'cause then that's more work for me and the rest of the crew." Tabitha shrugged, putting the books she didn't need into her locker.

"Maybe a miracle will happen and they can work things out." Maeve commented, looking at Tabitha with a small smile.

"Yeah, I hope so. But today are the read-throughs. I'm not for sure how that's gonna go." Tabitha sighed, looking over her shoulder when she noticed EJ walking down the hallway, talking to his phone.

Maeve furrows her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side. "Is he crazy?"

Tabitha chuckles lightly. "He's live." Maeve looks at her with a raised brow, wondering how she knew that. "I got a notification that he was live." Tabitha informed her.

"I can't believe you follow him on Instagram." Maeve laughs. She smiles teasingly at her. "You so like him." Tabitha shushed her when EJ was walking by them. 

When EJ walked by them, he locked eyes with her, and smiled at her. Tabitha couldn't help but smile back. It was like his smile was contagious. He then looked away from her when Ashlyn walked up behind him.

"They're cousins?" Tabitha's eyes widened when she overheard part of their conversation. This was the first time she heard of this information.

"Yeah." Maeve nods. She glances at Tabitha with confusion. "You didn't know?"

"Does it look like I knew?" Tabitha looked at her with surprise and Maeve shook her head in response.

The bell then rang, signaling time for class. "Better get to class." Maeve sighed, linking her arms with Tabitha. Tabitha chuckled as they walked down the hallway to class.

Soon school had ended and it was time for the read-throughs. Since Tabitha didn't really know anyone she stayed besides Ashlyn. "So, I didn't know you and EJ were cousins." She said, standing besides Ashlyn.

Ashlyn nods. "Yeah." She tilts her head to the side. "How'd you find out?"

"I heard him say it in the hallway on his Instagram live." Tabitha replied.

"We're still friends, right?" Ashlyn asked with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Tabitha chuckles. "Yeah, of course." She furrows her eyebrows. "Why would that not want me to be friends with you?"

Ashlyn shrugs, pressing her lips together. "EJ can kinda be self-absorbed and a jerk sometimes." She shakes her head. "And he's popular and I didn't know if you were just being friends with me because of him."

"Ash, I didn't even know he was your cousin until today. I'm friends with you because you were nice to me when I was freaking out." Tabitha informed her and the two shared a smile. They both walked over to the desks that were set up in a circle for the read-throughs.

Tabitha noticed that EJ was changing the name tags so that he would be sitting next to Nini. He stopped when he felt someone looking at him and looked over at her. She looked at him with a 'don't do it' expression, shaking her head. He sighed, putting it back to the way it was, sitting down in his assigned seat.

Her eyes grew slightly wide when she noticed that her assigned seat was next to EJ. Why EJ of all people? She nervously sat in the desk on his right side while Miss Jenn told everyone to take their seats.

She looks over her shoulder as Miss Jenn asks Big Red to read since there stage manager, Natalie, wasn't coming. Big Red then sits in the seat next to hers and looks at her with confusion. "Do you know what that means?" He asked her, referring to the stage directions Miss Jenn wanted him to read.

Tabitha nods, sending him a small smile. "Yeah, I can help you out."

Big Red smiles. "Thanks, Tabitha."

Her eyes widen. She didn't know that he knew her name. "You know my name?"

"Yeah, we have a few classes together." Big Red nodded and she smiled, happy that someone else knew her.

"I realize that you all walked in here as strangers," Miss Jenn starts to speak. Ashlyn then pointed out that EJ's her cousin. Miss Jenn was quiet for a moment before she starts talking again. "But after today, you're a family."

Tabitha leans over to Big Red, pointing out the stage directions in the script while Miss Jenn talks. "One tribe, committed to lifting this classic film to new heights."

Everyone looks over at Carlos when they hear a click of a camera, seeing that he was taking a selfie with his choreographer name tag. He sheepishly smiled, turning off his phone and puts the name tag back down on the desk.

"Please take your neighbor's hands." Miss Jenn continued, taking Carlos' and Big Red's hand. Everyone did the same with who sat next to them and she nervously looked over at EJ when he offered his hand to her with a smile on his face. She nervously smiled, putting her hand in his. For some reason it felt right and she honestly didn't want to let go.

She shyly smiles, quickly looking away from him as she felt her face heat up. She looked back over, noticing that EJ and Ricky were not holding hands until Miss Jenn made them.

"Feel each other's energy. Let the silence speak volumes. In a world full of no, this is a space full of yes." Miss Jenn said. Tabitha opens her eyes, looking over at Carlos when he whispers as he leans over to Miss Jenn. "Nice. Did you just come up with that?"

Miss Jenn nods, smiling proudly. "I did."

Tabitha opens both of her eyes, confused when Miss Jenn starts singing 'We're All in This Together'. She glanced over to her right, tilting her head to the side when Nini pulled her hand away from Ricky and Gina, suddenly finding her script very interesting. That's when Ricky rips his hand away from EJ's. Tabitha was starting to think that EJ might do the same with her hand, but was surprised and happy when he continued to hold onto her hand.

Ashlyn immediately claps when Miss Jenn was done singing. Miss Jenn smiles at her, mouthing to her, "Thanks."

Then it was time for reading through the script and Big Red was reading very slowly. Miss Jenn told him then to don't run it all together and read the punctuation. Not knowing what she meant, Big Red rereads what he said, but saying the punctuation this time. Tabitha groaned, laying her head on her arms that were on the desk.

"Okay, how about we just let Tabitha read?" Miss Jenn suggested.

Tabitha looks up with wide eyes, feeling her heart beat race. She glances around with panic and then back at Miss Jenn. "Me? Are you-Are you sure?"

"Yes." Miss Jenn nods. "Can you read the stage directions for us, please?"

Tabitha bites her lower lip, staring at the script in front of her, part of her wanting to run out of the room. "Um, sure."

Tabitha was very nervous and shy at first, but she did a lot better than Big Red did, and eventually used to reading the stage directions. "Alright, and that's act one. Great job, everyone." Miss Jenn eventually said, smiling at the group. "Let's take a break."

Everyone separated, going to a different part of the room by themselves or hang out with their friends.

"Why do you look like you're shaking?" Ashlyn asked as Tabitha walks over to her.

"That's because I am. Look." Tabitha raised her hand and indeed it was shaking.

Ashlyn lets out a small laugh, shaking her head. "You have nothing to be nervous about, Tabi. You did great."

Tabitha sent her a small smile feeling her nerves calm down a bit. "Thanks, Ash."

"Cool glasses." The two of them look over to see Seb beside them.

Ashlyn smiles. "Thanks. They're my grandmas."

"I have the same ones at home." Seb said.

Ashlyn and Tabitha shares a confused look. "Really? Why?" Ashlyn questions as they look back at him. "So I can see when I'm milking." Seb answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"So you're family raises cattle?" Tabitha realized.

Seb nods. "Yep."

Then Miss Jenn announced that it was time to for more practice and everyone got back in their seats.