The backstage holding area where we could wait to be next was small and cramped. We were practically sitting on top of our forest props as we patiently waited for our turn to set up the stage.

Anton was making sure we all had everything before we ended up on stage in twenty minutes.

Jamie was much more relaxed than Anton. She distributed water bottles for hydration and calming words to soothe the worries of my fellow castmates.

Shayna, surprisingly enough, was having the most significant case of nerves. She'd made it to the monologue final round, and she was still in half disbelief and half panic.

I'd never seen the cheerleader quite this shaken up. She was sitting in a corner, gripping her script, which was ridiculous since she'd been off-book longer than any of us.

Jack was warding everyone off to give her some space. Their budding friendship was peculiar to see in action. Jack seemed to understand Shayna now, and she wasn't pushing him away.

"You are going to do great," Jack told her. "You made it into the top five. The final performance is just for placement. They picked you because you were good."

"I'm going to be sick," Shayna said.

Jack got his phone out and sent a quick text. Then he leaned down next to her and patted her back. It was a private moment, so I averted my eyes.

Hugh was polishing his glasses in another corner. We'd had fun at the bonfire last night. Hugh was a good dancer. I, on the other hand, was not. All I'd managed to do was step on his feet.

He looked up after he put on his glasses and smiled. "You nervous?"

"I did the hard part already," I said. "I'm at least going to get fifth place."

"That's a little self-deprecating," Hugh said. "And you are amazing, so I doubt you'll get fifth place."

"You have to say that because you're my friend," I said.

Hugh stepped towards me and whispered in my ear. "You are amazing, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your friend."

He winked, and I was about to ask him what in the world he meant when Shayna's brother entered our backstage area.

Parker was dressed in distressed jeans and a red shirt from a rock concert tour. His dark hair was swept back in a man bun, and he made a beeline for his sister.

"Hey, sis," he said as he crouched in front of Shayna. "Jack says you caught a bad case of pregame jitters."

"What are you doing back here?" Shayna asked.

"I came to see you, peanut," he said. "I saw this flyer posted that said you're doing a monologue later."

"Forget butterflies. I feel like a wasp nest broke in my stomach," Shayna said softly. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"No," Parker said. "But you are doing something new. Take a deep breath. They liked you enough to invite you to the finals. You'll be fine."

"Trust me," Jack said. "Everyone gets nervous. I left out a few words in my monologue. That's why Juan did better than me."

"And remember," Parker grinned. "You can't do worse than that time when Roman, Baron, and I danced at the talent show. Remember how Baron got so nervous he ran off the stage in the middle of "Single Ladies," tore off his tutu and the whole thing ended up on YouTube."

Shayna laughed. "I know I can do better than that."

"I remember that," Jack said. "Baron threw up on the DJ."

"That makes me feel a little better," Shayna said. "Just the reminder of you and the rest of the football team in tutus helped a lot."

"Maybe you can imagine the audience is Parker in pink tutus," Jack said. "Like that old trick where you imagine the audience in your underwear."

Just picturing Shayna's older brother in a tutu was enough to put a smile on my face. I wasn't sure if the idea would work for Shayna, but it might be enough to stave off her nerves for a little while.

"Parker," Anton came over. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Mr. Sterling," Parker nodded. "Jack asked me to check on my sister."

"I heard the judge in the girl's tent talking about our students from Crestview," Anton said. "She said first-time entries usually don't impress her, but you did."

"I think knowing you registered them under their legal names might have helped ease a little of the shock," I said. "I'd never heard anyone except a substitute taking roll call, Jules, Juliet."

"The school entered you all in the contest," Anton said. "I'm sorry if that threw you off."

"That was fine," Shayna said. "Just a little surprising."

Jamie walked over. "The scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream is almost over. Once the kid from Elmwood starts their monologue, we can start setting the stage as Kirby clears their props."

"You're going to do marvelous," Parker smiled. "Go on that stage and fall in love with each other."

Jack got up and winked. "Shouldn't be too hard, Parker."

"I wasn't talking to you," Parker said. "Although I'm surprised you two aren't bickering."

"We made up," Shayna said as Jack helped her off the ground.

Parker rolled his eyes. "Then maybe I do have to remind you to keep your hands off my sister, Garrison."

Jack's eyes went suddenly distant. I had the sudden urge to remind everyone that Jack was here despite his tragedy, and we probably should give him a lot more space rather than just assume everything was normal.

Before I could do anything, a college-aged girl in a headset pushed into our area. She held a clipboard, and a purple beanie covered her frizzy dark hair.

"Listen up, Crestview. My name is Emma Kate," she said. "You'll have five minutes to set the stage. Kirby Academy will be off the stage at the one-minute mark. When your scene is over, the curtain will close. You will have four minutes to get your stuff off the stage while Florin sets up. If you are not ready and I pull the curtain open, points will be deducted from your score. If the judges feel excessive noise took away from the monologue, they will deduct points from your score. Your best bet is silence and hand gestures. Try not to drop anything and break a leg."

"Sounds like that's my cue to grab a seat," Parker said. "You got this."

"Jack, Rita, Shayna, Samantha," Anton said. "Find marks and judge your entrances and exits. Novah, Juan, Kai, and Carson, you'll help Jamie and me get the trees in place. Hugh and Jules hang the backdrop. We won't have much time. Players not in the scene can meet me on stage right as soon as their props are in place. We'll wait there until the scene is over."

"Break a leg," Juan leaned over and kissed Samantha. "Remember, the rest of us don't get to perform unless you four nail this scene."

"I chose this scene because Jamie and I thought the scene showcased a range of emotional depth between the characters," Anton said. "And even though it had its bumps, it's had the most improvement overall."

"One minute," Emma Kate said.

Shayna pulled Jack, Samantha, and me into a huddle. She looked at each of us and smiled.

"Whatever the weather if snow," she said.

"Or whatever the weather if, sun," I continued.

Jack smiled. "Whatever the weather, we do the show."

"And be sure to all have fun!" Samantha adjusted her black wig, and we heard the curtain rolling shut.

Each of us took a deep breath. Juan was right. We had to nail this scene if we wanted to perform the rest of the play. A lot was riding on our shoulders.

Jack ran a hand through his hair. Shayna played with the edge of her shirt. Samantha watched as the group before us walked off stage.

We had to be ready. Anton had us wait for the Kirby Academy ensemble to sweep onto the stage and start rolling off their set. Then, he cued us all to set the stage for our scene.

Center stage was marked with a piece of yellow tape. Samantha, Shayna, and I each judged how far we'd walk as Jack estimated his entrance from the other side of the stage.

While it wasn't much different from rehearsals, this was a new stage. We didn't have blocking tape showing where the trees had to go. The lighting was dim, but we plotted it quickly without running into the previous group or our own trees.

Anton led the others off stage as we scrambled to places as Emma Kate gave us a thirty-second warning before she brought up the curtain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Crestview High School in their Hillard debut," an announcer said. "Put your hands together for their rendition of As You Like It, Act IV Scene 1."

The crowd cheered as Lilly brought the lights up from the booth in the back of the audience. I took a deep breath and looked out at the sea of gathered rival schools, friends, and Shakespeare enthusiasts. It was showtime.