Hi guys!

I'm sorry I haven't updated in soo long. I had things to do, I kind of forgot (but not really) what happened in the actual series, and then I forgot where I was in the story so it was all too confusing. :p

I'm also sorry that this is a shorter chapter... :l

But, THE CROWN HAS COME OUT! (they don't have it at my local bookstore yet :( ) I haven't read it yet and I know there are a lot others who haven't as well, so pls don't post any spoilers in your stories or reviews (at least for the time being).

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: all Selection rights belong to Kiera Cass

I threw my headphones down in frustration, almost breaking the laptop in the process.

"Whoops," I muttered, checking it for damage that wasn't there. For three hours now, I have been trying to compile the new soundtrack for the play, but I was getting nowhere. There were only two tracks that I managed to complete, and those were to accommodate the most leisurely scenes.

My stomach growled.

It was nearly dinnertime and I was home alone, so there would be no cooked food. I certainly wouldn't do it.

I swiveled my chair around, away from the window's view of Los Angeles, and walked to the kitchen. I grabbed some cereal, poured some milk, and sat back down to resume my work when I received a call.

"Hello?" I answered.

"America, you have to help me."

"Marlee, are you okay? Do you need me to come over?"

She laughed then groaned. "Maybe. My brain is literally melting. I can feel it deteriorating, and it's so uncomfortable. Please, please, please save me."

I rolled my eyes at her dramatization. "What did you do this time?"

"It's not me, it's school. I'm not going to survive this year." She started to fake a sob.

"Hun, you're going to live, because if you don't, I'm going to be lonely. Now, what did you call me for?" I took a bite of my food.

"What are you eating?" she asked.

"Cereal."

"What type?"

"Why does it matter?" I questioned her, yet eating another spoonful.

"Because if you have the one with the granola clusters, I'm going to come over and steal some. But if it has the dried strawberries or anything like that, I'm going to vo-"

"Marlee. Is there something you needed?" I pressed.

"Oh yeah, there is. You know how I got cast as Daniella, right?"

"Mm hm."

"Well, for the line where she says, 'I will never forget the smile you held the sun with', do I say it as, 'I will never forget the smile you held the sun with', or do I say, 'I will never forget the smile you held the sun with'?"

"The first one, but why?" I inquired. "It's only been a few days since you've gotten your script."

She sighed heavily, like she was exhausted beyond belief. "Miss wants our first act memorized by next week. She's insane."

Although she couldn't see, I raised my eyebrows. "Mar, Miss is the best. She probably has a reason for it."

I could feel her glowering at me through the other end of the line. "That's because you've never had her be your director. Anyway, I wanted to ask because I need to know how you're doing the music for that scene."

I searched around on my desk and found the playbook. "Which scene is it?"

"Act one, scene two."

I flipped there and looked at my laptop, scrolling to see if I have a sequence ready. "Sorry, I don't have it yet."

"Ugh, okay. I need to know whether the whole scene will be somber or mellow, and it kind of all depends on that one line. It honestly makes all the difference," she explained.

"Sorry, but I still don't have it. Maybe check back with me the day after tomorrow for it."

"I have to wait two whole days? Fine," she joked.

I ate some more of the cereal and hoped it hadn't sogged up yet.

"Okay, now that that's done and over with, guess what happened?" she asked.

"I don't know, what?"

"No, guess."

"Um, you're going to Canada for vacation?" I blurted out, the first thing that was on my mind.

"What? I wish, but no. Apparently, Celeste tried to ask Maxon out for like coffee or whatever, and he rejected her. Well, no. He just said he was busy and he had to take a rain check on it. Isn't that so weird? She's probably never gotten turned down before," Marlee said without taking a breath. After she finished, she gasped for air and I laughed.

"My dear, he called me right after it happened. He told me that he wasn't sure what to do, so he told her that. He was so frantic it was so funny."

"Oh," she finally exhaled.

"Yeah, so I told him that he woul-"

"Marlee, it's time for dinner," a muffled voice spoke on the other side. "Okay, mom. Just need to finish really quickly," Marlee replied.

"Sorry for that," she said. "Continue."

"Okay, yeah, so I told him that he would be better off with anyone else other than Celeste."

"And?"

"Well, it reminded me that I have to talk to Kriss, and I've been holding it off for so long. I don't know why, though," I told her. "Anyway, that's the end of my story."

"Aw, I thought there was more. Oh well, I'll talk to you later, I guess."

"Yeah, talk to you later."

Hope you enjoyed!

As I said, it was a fairly short chapter, so I'm sorry.

Hopefully, I'll be able to update soon. I'll try to.

Have a good day! Bye!