Neil was buzzing with excitement. His next scene at the theater was an important one, and he wanted it to be perfect. So naturally, he recruited you, Todd, Charlie, and Knox to help him rehearse in the dorm.

Everyone had been assigned a role—except Knox, who, much to his dismay, had been positioned as a tree in the background. “Just stand there and don’t move,” Neil had instructed, trying to suppress his grin.

Todd was reluctantly holding a script, mumbling his lines under his breath, while Charlie, in true Charlie fashion, was already goofing off. Instead of reading his part properly, he delivered each line with exaggerated dramatics, using a ridiculous accent that made it impossible for Neil to keep a straight face.

Neil sighed, rubbing his temples. “Charlie, could you take this seriously for five minutes?”

Charlie smirked. “I am serious. This is my artistic interpretation.” He struck an absurd pose, gesturing wildly as he recited the next line. Knox, still in his tree position, bit back a laugh. Even Todd cracked a small smile.

Neil groaned but couldn’t hide his amusement. “You’re going to get me killed when I mess up on stage because I’ll be thinking about this.” He gestured at Charlie, who had now draped himself dramatically across a chair.

“Oh, come on, Perry, lighten up. The audience would love it if you broke character.” Charlie grinned, but when Neil gave him the look, he sighed. “Fine, fine. Back to boring professionalism.”