The talent show had come to a close, and the gym was buzzing with excitement. Julian's performance was the talk of the night—not because it was good, but because it was the perfect blend of disaster and brilliance. The MC had never seen someone trip over a cape so gracefully.
Backstage, Julian was still in costume, sitting on a folding chair, the remnants of their cape draped over their shoulders. They looked pleased, which, given the chaos, was somehow impressive.
"Did you see that?" Julian beamed, clearly delusional with joy. "The crowd loved it! They were moved! I was an artist!"
The MC scribbled in their notebook:
"You were a clumsy artist."
Julian waved a hand dismissively. "It's all part of the performance, darling. It's called physical comedy." They then struck a pose, as if to prove their point. "If I weren't so talented, I would've tripped on purpose, but I'm just that good."
Luca rolled their eyes. "That was almost as good as my backstage shenanigans." They grinned, clearly satisfied with something that had definitely not been allowed.
"Please, no more pranks," the MC wrote. "We survived Julian's drama. Let's not make this worse."
Luca smirked. "I think that's a challenge."
Meanwhile, Milo had wandered off, probably to look up random facts about the history of talent shows. But Lila, the ever-cool presence, made her way over to the MC, still trying not to laugh at Julian's theatrical collapse.
"You know, that was... impressive," Lila said, her smile mischievous. "I didn't know Shakespeare could look like that."
The MC's heart did that fluttery thing again, but they quickly scribbled:
"Julian's version of Shakespeare is... something else."
Lila laughed softly, her eyes bright. "Yeah, but it was memorable." She hesitated for a moment. "You know, you could have joined in. The show was kind of... a mess. It would've been perfect."
The MC froze. They'd never considered performing. But, the thought lingered.
Julian popped up suddenly, startling everyone. "I'm so proud of my performance. I'm going to be a legend!"
Luca snorted. "A legend? More like a walking disaster."
But Julian only laughed, unfazed. "A disaster that will go down in history! I'm unstoppable."
The MC scribbled a quick note:
"Unstoppable... until you trip again."
Luca peeked over. "They're not wrong. Your cape has its own agenda."
"Just wait until next year," Julian said with a dramatic flourish, striking a final pose. "The world hasn't seen anything yet."
Lila, still standing nearby, looked at the MC with a playful smile. "Maybe next year, you'll be the one stealing the show."
The MC quickly wrote:
"Not if Julian's cape is involved."
Lila laughed again, her smile lingering a little longer than before. "Maybe just come watch again. I'll save you a seat."
The MC felt their heart race. Maybe next year. Maybe.