Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

  Anything you can do, I can do better

I can do anything better than you

Anything you can be, I can be greater

Sooner or later, I'm greater than you

Annie Get Your Gun, Irving Berlin 

SEB 

It was becoming clear to everyone at their lunch table that forcing them to sit at the same table for the sake of “drama club togetherness before auditions” had been a mistake. Seb could’ve told them that if they’d asked, and saved them all the trouble. But nobody ever asked before pushing him and Carlos into the same space, and so here they were. 

“All I said was that it’s a little boring to do two princess musicals in a row,” Carlos insisted, voice loud enough to carry across the entire cafeteria. 

“Yeah, and you’re wrong,” Seb snapped, throwing his arms up in frustration. “ Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella have completely different themes. You can’t just lump them together!” 

“Oh, and what’s the theme of Cinderella ?” Carlos scoffed. “Don’t try to leave a bad situation yourself? Wait for a prince to come and rescue you?” 

“That love and kindness will always prevail,” Seb rolled his eyes, arms crossed. “Something you clearly know nothing about.” 

Carlos fixed him with his angriest glare--unfortunately, this was an expression Seb was used to seeing on the other boy’s face. “You know what I do know? I know that no matter how much you talk up Miss Jenn’s choice of musical, she still won’t cast you as the lead.” 

“At least if I get cast, I won’t choke on opening night.” Seb winced slightly at his own words, knowing right away he’d hit a nerve by the minute shift in Carlos’s facial expression, going from anger to hurt for just a millisecond before hardening again. 

“That’s it.” He stood up from the lunch table abruptly, turning to Gina. “Sorry, Gi, I tried.” 

Gina sighed, resigned. “I know. I’ll see you at auditions.”  Seb honestly felt a little bad for her. 

“See you at auditions,” Carlos nodded and pursed his lips. “I’ll be the one not auditioning.” 

As Carlos walked away, Seb felt a tinge of guilt bubble up in his chest. He glared down at his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as if the last half hour’s turn of events had been the sandwich’s fault, and not his. Or, well, partially his, and partially Carlos’s. Seb never meant to say mean things to Carlos--really, he didn’t, even if he did sometimes enjoy pushing the other boy’s buttons--but Carlos always pushed and pushed, until Seb had no choice but to snap. Seb lowered his head into his hands and groaned. 

“I just don’t understand why you two can’t get along,” Kourtney said to him, giving his shoulder a squeeze. 

“I don’t know,” Seb lifted his head slowly. “Every time I get around him I just see red.” 

Kourtney nodded sympathetically if a bit confusedly. “I get that, or I think I do? You two just seem to have so much in common. You both love drama club--” 

“I   loved it first,” Seb cut in. “I’ve been here since freshman year. He only started last year, when Miss Jenn showed up.” 

Kourtney leveled him with a scathing look. “You can’t gatekeep the drama club.” 

“I know.” Seb knew it was petty, but he couldn’t help feeling a sense of ownership over the club, and when Carlos Rodriguez, Captain of the Color Guard, the boy who made sure the Drill Team (of which Seb was now Captain) never got the good practice times in the gym, not only invaded his club, but seemed to already be teacher’s pet from Miss Jenn’s first day at East High, well. It rubbed Seb the wrong way. 

“And there’s your other extracurriculars…” Kourtney was saying. 

Seb scoffed. “Drill Team and Color Guard are not the same. No offense, Ash,” he glanced across the table at Ashlyn, “but anyone can twirl a baton. Cheer takes skill, right Gi?” 

Gina looked up from her phone--where she had more than likely been texting Carlos. “Uh, yeah, sure. Whatever.” Of all of them, Drill Team and Color Guard members alike, Gina was the least invested in the little feud between the Drill Team and the Color Guard. She and Carlos had become friends last year, before she joined Drill Team, so the whole thing seemed to pass right by her. 

Ashlyn huffed. “It does too take skill,” she insisted. 

“Also,” Kourtney continued. “My point was that you’re both Captain of your respective clubs. You’re both leaders.” 

“Maybe that’s the problem,” Big Red spoke up from Ashlyn’s side. “Maybe they’re too similar.” 

That didn’t sound right to Seb--he didn’t think he and Carlos were all that similar--but he gave a small nod of agreement, hoping the conversation would change to something different for the rest of lunch. “Maybe.”

“Or maybe--” 

Seb cut Ashlyn off. “Can we please talk about something else? Wasn’t the point of today’s failed experiment to talk about auditions?” 

“Yeah!” Nini pipped up, voice bubbly and bright with excitement. “Who is everyone auditioning for?” 

“Biggie and I are auditioning for Cinderella and the Prince,” Ashlyn offered, smiling fondly at her boyfriend. Seb smiled encouragingly, though he couldn’t help feel a sting of disappointment. What chance did he have to land Cinderella if he was competing with last semester’s Belle? 

“You guys are gross,” Ricky quipped with a laugh that betrayed just how much affection he had for them. “I’m also auditioning for Prince Topher.” 

“Of course you are,” Gina hummed. “Probably going to get it, too. Which is why I’m not going to audition for Cinderella.” 

“You better not be coming for the Fairy Godmother,” Kourtney interjected. “Impossible is mine.” 

“Don’t worry, Fairy Godmother is all yours.” Gina flashed that devilish grin of hers, “I’m gunning for the Madame.” 

“Oooh,” Nini lit up. “You’d be so good as the wicked stepmother!” 

Gina flushed slightly. “Thanks. I’ve been practicing my audition song with EJ, I really hope I get it.” 

“You’re a shoo-in,” Ashlyn assured her. “I’ve heard you and EJ practicing, trust me.” 

“I knew you were eavesdropping on us!” Gina smirked. “EJ didn’t believe me.” 

“EJ should know me better than that,” Ashlyn retorted, before turning back to Nini. “I assume you’ll be auditioning for Cinderella?” 

“Actually,” Nini hesitated. 

Ricky elbowed her encouragingly. “Go on, tell them.” 

“I don’t want to jinx it,” Nini shook her head, her anxiety palpable. “I’ll tell you guys after the auditions.” 

Seb couldn’t explain why, but something about the way she wouldn’t make eye contact with anyone was familiar to him. He remembered how scared he was to audition for Sharpay the year before, and opened his mouth. “I’m going to audition for Cinderella,” he said.

Ashlyn eyed him appraisingly. “So, I’ve got some competition, then.” 

Seb chuckled and held out his hand for her to shake. “May the best princess win?” 

Ashlyn took his hand firmly. “You’re on.” 

He glanced back at Nini, who seemed to take a sigh of relief, and lean into Ricky, who was whispering something into her ear. Her smile told Seb he had nothing to worry about, whatever Ricky was saying, it was comforting and reassuring. Good. 

Kourtney nudged him. “Are you as tired of them as I am?” 

Seb furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?” 

She gestured towards Ricky and Nini. “The way those two dance around each other. It’s exhausting.” 

“Oh,” Seb smirked. “Yeah. It’s like, why can’t they just realize they like each other?” 

“Exactly,” Kourtney rolled her eyes, still looking at them. “I’ve been dealing with this since seventh grade.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Seb said, putting a hand over his heart. “I can’t imagine the struggle.” 

She shoved him lightly. “Shut up.” 

He giggled. “I’m being serious!” 

“Sure, you are.” Kourtney didn’t believe him for a second. “I just want them to be happy.” 

“Some people,” Seb told her solemnly, “Just refuse to see what’s right in front of them.” 

Kourtney gave him a look he couldn’t decipher. “You can say that again.” 

Seb’s next words were cut off by the bell, signaling the end of the lunch period. The gang scrambled to collect their books and backpacks and head to their respective classes. Seb tossed his half-finished sandwich in the trash and headed to his AP History class. He just had three classes to get through before auditions that afternoon. A part of him was nervous--Ashlyn was stiff competition, but he tried to quiet the voice of self-doubt in his head. He’d practiced his audition song for hours and he knew it backward and forwards. And if Ashlyn got the part, he’d be disappointed, but he’d be happy for her, too. She would be an amazing Cinderella, just like she’d been an amazing Belle before. He just wanted a shot to be amazing, too. 

He sighed, settling into his seat in class. He just had to hope that Carlos wouldn’t have too much sway on Miss Jenn’s casting choices. 

CARLOS 

The auditorium was dark when Carlos walked in, and he breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. As soon as his last class ended, he rushed to the auditorium, hoping to beat Miss Jenn, even just by a few minutes. He needed a moment to himself, to recalibrate after the disaster that was lunch. He set his backpack down near the table he and Miss Jenn would be sitting at to watch the auditions, and hopped up the risers onto the stage. He put his earbuds in, opened Spotify, took a deep breath, and started to dance, slowly at first, and then picking up speed as he felt his muscles warm up. As he danced, his mind wandered. Dancing always helped him clear his head, no matter what else was going on in his life. All he had to do was close his eyes and dance until it was just him and the stage. 

He knew when Gina suggested that he try to eat with the rest of the drama club, including Seb, it would be a mistake. “ It’s a new school year, can’t you two start fresh?” Gina had argued. “Bury the hatchet? It’s not like you’re gonna stop being friends with me just because I joined the Drill Team. So why can’t you be friends with Seb?” 

If only it were that simple. But you couldn’t just erase two years of rivalry with one lunch. Or, with the half of lunch that Carlos actually spent in the cafeteria and not the library. Whatever. Either way, as long as Seb insisted on arguing with everything Carlos did and said, there was going to be a problem. He shook out his limbs, trying to shake out the stress of the day. He couldn’t let anything distract him from auditions. He may not have been cut out for the spotlight like he'd dreamed, but he was still going to be the best damn choreographer and student director East High had ever seen. 

“Carlos?” Miss Jenn’s shrill voice came from the far end of the auditorium. “Get down from there.” She stood with one hand on her hip, the other holding a fresh cup of coffee. 

Carlos stopped midstep, losing his balance, and catching himself. “Right. Sorry.” He scrambled off the stage to stand in front of her. “I was just--” 

She put her free hand up to stop him. “I don’t need to know. Let’s just get ready for auditions.” 

Carlos nodded, and got to work. Getting ready for auditions mainly meant putting the sheet music on the piano for accompaniment (either Seb or Ashlyn), and getting his notebook and fresh ballpoint pens ready to take notes on each audition. Miss Jenn ultimately had the final say on casting, but Carlos knew she would take his opinion into consideration, which meant he had to take careful notes. As he and Miss Jenn got settled, the other drama kids started filing in. Most of them wore the same nervous, yet excited expressions on their faces. Carlos remembered that half nervous, half exhilarated feeling from last semester’s auditions. He missed that feeling. 

“Alright,” Miss Jenn clapped her hands together. “As you all know, today’s audition will feature a song of each of your choosing from a different musical that you think encapsulates the character you are auditioning for. We’ll be starting with the smaller roles and working our way up. Sebastian, on the piano. Lord Pinkletons, you’re up first.” 

Seb slid onto the piano, riffling through the sheet music. He was wearing his glasses like he always did for auditions (not that Carlos noticed). He kept pushing them up the bridge of his nose, face contorted in frustration as they continued to slide back down each time. By the time the first Pinkleton stepped onto the stage, Seb was still shuffling through papers and fighting with his glasses. Carlos pursed his lips. He hadn’t seen Seb this nervous since the High School Musical auditions. Strange, considering how confident Seb had been at lunch. Not that it really matters, Carlos thought to himself, turning his head to focus on the auditioner.  

As auditions go, the rest of the afternoon was fairly standard. Kourtney killed Popular in her audition for Marie/Fairy Godmother, and Gina’s rendition of World Burn from Mean Girls was absolutely stellar. Carlos could tell from the look on Miss Jenn’s face that she had already made decisions for both of them. He took notes all the same, but he knew that there wasn’t going to be any deliberating over these choices, and he was fine with that. Kourtney and Gina were going to be perfect in their roles. 

Finally, Miss Jenn called the Prince Tophers to the stage and things got interesting. 

First up was Ricky, of course. That certainly wasn’t the interesting part. He sang an original song he’d written for the character, which was impressive, but his vocal skill wasn’t as polished as it could’ve been. Big Red auditioned next with his typical tap number, which was also quite impressive, but failed to showcase the vocal skill that Carlos and Miss Jenn knew he had. Last up was-- 

Carlos blinked and checked his list again, but he hadn’t misread.

Last up to audition for the role of Prince Topher was Nina Salazar-Roberts. 

“Nini,” Miss Jenn said. “You’re auditioning for the Prince? Not Cinderella?” 

Nini nodded. “Yeah, I--I just relate to the Prince more. He’s got all these expectations placed on him by everyone, but all he really wants is someone to love him for who he is.” 

Carlos and Miss Jenn shared a glance. “That was surprisingly insightful,” Carlos said, trying his best to keep his tone neutral and hide his surprise. It wasn’t that he didn’t already know how talented Nini was, but Prince Topher was beyond breaking type. He admired her for auditioning for the role at all; a risk like that took guts Carlos could only hope to have one day

“Go on, then,” Miss Jenn nodded encouragingly. “Sing.” 

And she did. She belted out 32 bars of Proud of Your Boy from Aladdin, and it was incredible. It reminded Carlos of her Gabriella audition, somehow, in the way it stirred emotion in him. He could feel the melancholy of the song washing over him as she sang. 

There's no good reason that you should believe me

Not yet, I know, but

Someday and soon

I'll make you proud of your boy

The lyrics hit Carlos unexpectedly. His mind drifted to his parents, to the weight of their expectations. Gabriel and Alejandra Rodriguez were incredibly successful in their chosen fields and expected the same from their children. Carlos’s sisters (Ana, Sophia, and Veronica) had no problem living up to their parents’ expectations. They were all strikingly intelligent and academically inclined. Veronica, the oldest, had just finished her PhD, while Sophia was attending a prestigious medical school, and Ana had gotten into her college of choice with a full scholarship. And then there was Carlos, the youngest of the siblings. He wasn’t all that smart--not in an academic sense, at least--and he didn’t even know if he wanted to go to college. All he really knew was that he loved to dance. 

He wished he knew if that could be enough. 

I'll do my best, what else can I do?

Since I wasn't born perfect

“Alright, thank you,” Miss Jenn said with a tight-lipped smile when Nini finished. “Please tell the Ellas that they’re up.” 

“Will do!” Nini nodded and darted off the stage with a hopeful smile. 

“So that was...surprisingly good?” Carlos said hesitantly, trying not to let his emotions show to Miss Jenn. “Genderbent Cinderella ?” 

She shrugged. “Or maybe just Cinderella and a Princess. Depends who we like for Ella.” 

“True.” Carlos turned back to the stage, where Ashlyn was waiting and pushed up his glasses. “What’ve you got for us, Ash?” 

“I’ll be singing Middle of A Moment from James and the Giant Peach. ” 

As always, Ashlyn knocked it out of the park. She was a perfect Belle, and she could be a perfect Cinderella, too. But like Ricky’s audition earlier, it was lacking something that Carlos couldn’t quite put his finger on. He glanced at Miss Jenn, who was watching with rapt attention and sighed. Maybe his standards were just too high. 

“That was wonderful, Ashlyn!” Miss Jenn was beaming. “Thank you.” 

Ashlyn gave a happy squeal and skipped off the stage towards the piano. Carlos didn’t need to look at his list to know who was auditioning next. He had half a mind to excuse himself, so he didn’t have to watch after the disaster at lunch, but he was nothing if not a professional. As Seb scrambled off the piano and took the stage, Carlos steeled himself. 

“Hello,” Seb smiled broadly at Miss Jenn. “I’m auditioning for the part of Ella, and I’ll be singing Somewhere from West Side Story .” 

“Excellent,” Miss Jenn made a note. “Whenever you’re ready.” 

Seb’s voice was infuriatingly good. Carlos kept his arms folded across his chest the entire time and wondered why talent happened to people who didn’t deserve it. 

Seb finished with a long belt (bastard) and a self-satisfied smile. 

“That was great, Seb,” Miss Jenn smiled placidly. “Carlos will be out soon with the cast list.” 

Seb nodded, “Got it, thanks!” And disappeared backstage. 

“So,” Miss Jenn started. “Ashlyn for Cinderella?” 

They deliberated over the cast for exactly twenty minutes before Miss Jenn declared it finalized, and handed it to Carlos to post in the hallway. Carlos walked out past the actors without making eye contact, tacked the list up, and stepped back to watch the chaos unfold--and it would be chaos, the drama kids were, well, drama kids.  

Everyone was quiet for a moment, as they read through the list, letting the casting choices sink in before celebrating or crying. Seb beamed, blue eyes alight with excitement. Carlos ground his teeth. Ashlyn looked slightly disappointed, but mostly happy for her friend, which was nice, even if her friend was Seb. Big Red looked relieved to have gotten a smaller partner. Gina was grinning ear to ear when she stepped over towards Carlos. 

“Congrats,” he said earnestly. “Your audition was fantastic.” 

“Thanks!” Her voice was practically a squeal. “I can’t wait to tell EJ!” 

Carlos felt a pang at her words, wishing both that he could be feeling the kind of excitement she was feeling, and that if he was feeling that excitement, that he would have someone to share it with, the way she had EJ. He didn’t tell her that. 

“We have a great cast this semester,” he said instead. 

“Definitely,” Gina agreed, glancing around at her castmates. 

The quietest of the bunch was Nini, who was still staring up at the cast list in silent awe. Ricky stood next to her grinning proudly. 

Kourtney put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You’re gonna be amazing, Neeners!” 

Nini smiled, though her voice still shook with trepidation. “I hope so.” 

“I know so!” Seb sounded positively delighted. “We’re going to have each other’s backs this semester, right Nini?” 

Nini’s smile grew. “Absolutely.”