Backstage, upstairs, with a shift in perspective.

Iris was chilly.

She wasn't the kind of girl who tolerated chilly. Chili, sure. Chilly, no.

Chilly, bad.

But what was she going to do?

Put on SHOES? That was ridiculous. No one did that during rehearsals.

So it was that her bare feet took her across the freezing floor as she rubbed her smooth arm comfortingly. To think, that Auburn would... be... giving Jessica's BROTHER a boob-job in... in their storage room! Or whatever they called that! Thing you did with boobs. And... and a guy's you-know-what.

Irish shuddered. And she was chilly. But she wasn't sure if she shuddered because she was chilly.

Thus, as she took a breath and side stepped a curtain, she emerged once more into the festive center of her fellow thespian mates. She found their commander-in-chief (at least until Shannon returned) talking to Adam by the right wing of the stage, and pitter-pattered her way over. "Here, Penelope," she rose the crown up into view.

Penelope smiled, took the prop, and thanked the Asian girl. The latter nodded, then scratched her chin.

"Uh, Penelope?"

"Yeah?" Watching Adam put the crown on (a little unwieldily, but alas, it must be so), the smoking hot Latina conversed with her peripherals.

Iris held a breath. Ratting on Auburn like that would probably be screwed up. Frankly, she should just be quiet about it. After all, even if it was a little raunchy, this was a bit close to tattle-taling, no? After all, Iris always thought Auburn was cool. She was funny and sharp and supportive of mostly everyone, as long as they weren't being obnoxious or anything (*cough* Duke *cough*), and very much a symbol of strong girlhood, as coorny as that sounded. She had two little brothers that she somehow juggled like tennis balls, always had a plan, good or not, in a time of need, and had consistently good grades. She was just always low-key about it, since she kept to herself for the most part -- at least until you got to know her. One of those "more than meets the eye" types.

Iris couldn't ever really look at her the same way, now. But that didn't mean she had to drag her theater mate's reputation like that before everyone else...

..be...

...what was that strange pulsing in her head? A foreign sensation broke through the girl's train of thought. Iris took a hand to her temple, rubbing it gently.

Penelope noticed, and averted her attention away from Adam. His regal accoutrement was currently slipping down one side of his scalp. "You okay, chica?"

"Y-yeah, I'm alright." Iris shook her head. Then, her eyes widened, lips spitting into a smile, even as they parted. "Oh, guess who I just saw down in the storage room?"

Brows wrinkled, Penelope shrugged. "Who? Mrs. Dillon and the janitor finally getting it on?"

After a brief giggle, Iris deflected, "No, but close. It was Auburn giving Jess's brother a BOOB job."

An inscrutable look accosted Penelope's eyes. She opened her lips, almost as if to say something other than what came out. "...that's... " Another wrinkle. Then another. Until, only one possible door was left to open, and out it swung with a blinding flash. "...good.... Nice to see Auburn putting those big boobs of hers to good use!" After a bout of thinking, all traces of her pout disappeared, pretty facial features relaxed, and she turned to face Iris fully, smile returned. "I bet John was getting real pent up seeing those on her! You mean titfuck right?"

"Yeah, that's it." Iris shook her head playfully. "You should've seen how much of his cum she had on her tits."

Penelope's eyes gleamed impishly. "Was it a lot? Ooh I bet it was a lot."

"Uh, girls?" As the two looked back at the leading man sharply, Adam returned their gazes with an equal challenge. "Ladies. Can I get a hand here?"

Iris narrowed her exotic eyes, arms folded. "What? You think that just 'cause you're a guy you have access to the same privileges as him?"

"What?"

"Dios mio, don't be such a simp, Adam," Penelope slapped the dashing boy in the arm. "We're only giving one guy the relief he needs when he needs it, and trust me it's not you."

"What are you guys talking about?" Adam, half bewildered, raised his hands.

The two girls looked at each other. Then, dropping the act, they began to laugh aloud, as Adam watched on, unamused. Seriously, why did he have to take the leading part? Where the heck was that guy when you needed him.

Of course, it was natural for girls to goof around with him, as he was one of the cuter guys in his respective grade, face-wise -- and an all-around decent guy. Sure, he was prone to jerkassery, but he was simply the kind of person who took some things too seriously at times. Whether he knew how attractive this made him to his female mates or not, consciously or subconsciously, was up in the air, but it certainly led to a lot of flirty step-arounds by his chromosomal counterparts that he was infamously oblivious to more often than not.

After bidding goodbye, Iris turned and skipped back over to Amy, the blonde girl's feet swinging this way and that and smacking together as her Asian friend returned to her side, stomach-first, and went back to filling out one of their stage play's numerous banner decorations, grabbing a brush.

"Alright, back to work!" Penelope turned to Adam, instantly admonishing him for the way his crown was situated on his head. And so, the two were at it once again, scripts left on an end table by the corner, as the bustling, excited, productive atmosphere of the theater group went on unperturbed.