𝑱𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 {Louis x F!Reader}

Chapter Seven

"Now, work with a partner to finish the packet." The teacher says and I turn to my left to work with the peacock next to me. I frown as I see she already has a partner, turning back to face forward. I reach into my bag to pull out earbuds, fully prepared to work alone. I write my name at the top of the page before setting up my music, turning it up to block out all noises from around me. I opt to do some musicals on shuffle, deciding to not do lo-fi this time around. I nod my head as I begin reading the article we are supposed to read to respond to the questions in the packet. I feel a tap on my shoulder and glance up to see Louis looking at me. I give him a side-eye before going back to what I am doing. I continue to work as he continues to try and get my attention. I eventually snap, pulling out my earbud and turning to face him. "What?" I seethe under my breath to not draw attention. He looks uncomfortable, not making eye contact with me.

"I need to speak to you privately after you eat lunch today. It is about the Drama Club." I pause in my reading, debating if I want to respond or not. I've been ignoring Louis for the past two days now and it is obviously annoying him that I am not speaking to him. He needs to have a conversation with me regarding the club though. It could be something extremely important if the matter is private.

"Fine. Where are we going to meet?" I respond back. I see his face light up for a half a second before he nods.

"In the auditorium, the stage specifically." I hum, letting him know that I heard him before returning back to my work, preparing myself for whatever he is going to throw at me.

I blink a few times. Out of all the things that I was preparing for him to say, this was not one of them. "What?" I ask dumbly.

~~~~

"I apologize." He repeats. I look around at all the empty chairs that will be filled with students in a few days as I process the words that are leaving his mouth. "What I said was completely out of line. I was upset that you have seen me in a weak state when I need to uphold my reputation in the school. I was also still annoyed that you did not attend rehearsal that previous night even though your reasoning was sound." I nod, crossing my arms and looking back to the taller deer.

"You saying that I will not succeed no matter how hard I try sucks because it is most likely true," I say quietly. Louis' eyes widen a bit. "I know I won't be good at a desk job, I'm obviously not the smartest." I shrug. "I'm only good at creative things and that is so hard to make a career out of creative materials." Louis looks out to the empty seats.

"What do you plan to do after we graduate?"

"Musical theatre." Louis's head snaps back to mine. Musical theatre is actually performing, not managing the stage.

"You've never performed before."

"I know." I look away from him. "I know," I say again, quieter this time. I wrap my arms around me in a protective hold.

"Have you prepared your audition material for college?" My head snaps to look at Louis, my eyes wide.

"No, no I haven't," I respond.

"You will need to begin preparing material. An audition song, blocking," He walks over to the stage lights off to the side and flicks them on. "I need to hear your voice to help you pick a song. I prefer plays over musicals, but I will try to help where I can." I shake my head.

"No, I can't sing to you right now! I need to prepare myself! I- I don't even know what I would do!" Louis crosses his arms, a stern look on his face.

"You are not going to get out of this." He responds. I sigh, closing my eyes, shaking slightly.

"What should I sing?"

"Anything."

I sing the same song I did on the roof the other night. She Used To Be Mine from Waitress. My eyes remain closed as I walk a bit with the lyrics. My voice is shaky as I sing due to my nerves. I am singing in front of the lead actor of the drama club and the animal who is said to be the next Beastar. "You need to calm down," Louis says, cutting me off. I stop singing, opening my eyes. "It is ruining your performance. You need to treat it like every practice is the actual thing. That is how you get better, that is how you rise above the others." He says firmly, walking over to me. He grabs my clasped hands and puts them to my side. "Feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly. You need to ground yourself. Don't worry about walking just yet." He continues to explain as I follow his words. We stand chest to chest and I look up at him through my eyelashes. He goes quiet, looking down at me. We stand in silence, looking at one another for a bit before he clears his throat, taking a step back. "Now. Try again." I nod, beginning to sing again. I can do this, it's only Louis, right? Right.