Chapter 6
After that night, the season just seemed to blow by for Kait. Everyday would be the same routine. Breakfast, tutoring, rehersal/filming, lunch, more rehersal/filming/tutoring (depending on the schedual for the day), then dinner and free time until bed. Though everday was the same, nobody ever really got bored with it. The crew made every new day interesting and exciting.
The couples of the cast enjoyed free time the most. For couples, especially the older ones, free time was time spent with eachother (alone). Actual dates out of the cast were few and far between for most cast members. But when your special somebody was in the cast, there was always an excuse to see them.
Kait and JC were one of the cutest couples the crew had ever seen. Sure, Britney and Justin were adorable, but they were younger. Those two mainly just held hands and hung out with eachother. Kait and JC were totally focused on eachother- on and off set. It was a total difference from when they were "just friends". Everybody watched happily as they would dance and kiss at parties, hold hands and kiss on trips, cuddle and kiss in eachothers rooms, and just be the perfect couple they were.
Earlier that week, they had taped the final episode of the season. After that, they put MMC aside for six weeks. Everybody was planning on travling (some not going to far) to see their families. Some like Tony, Illana, Kerri, Ryan, Nikki, Jennifer, Marc and Ricky were already gone! When they returned back, they would spend some time going over how they wanted the new season to be laid out, and they would begin shooting after that.
Overall, Kait was pleased with the season. Even though they put her small part in Emerald Cove off until the next season, she had been in many skits and performed numerous times as well. Fan mail came in bags for her, and sometimes Christina and her would take turns reading out goofy ones they had recieved. It was weird knowing millions of people watched her every Thursday and Saturday each week, but it was also a special feeling.
Kait was more excited about going home. On her time off, she planned on visiting friends, hitting the beach, spending time with family and just having a blast. She would be spending four and a half weeks at her home in California. Her mother had already planned on a big dinner the first night she was back. Kait had also been informed that there would be coverage of her plane landing on the local news station, since her town was "so proud of their little mouseketeer". Britney's town was giving her the same treatment, even though her mother had moved them down to Florida.
She was all set to leave. Her plane departed that night and she was all packed and ready. But Kait was also dreading the departure. JC's plans to visit his family as well, but he would be staying in Orlando. His mother had moved down their after his first year on the cast, so JC would be spending time at his own house. Justin and Britney would be staying down their with family who had moved as well, so they would be able to spend time together. Kait was already missing JC terribly, and she hadn't even left yet.
Sighing, the brunette stood up and walked into the kitchen of her empty room. Christina had left yesterday to spend all six weeks with her family. So Kait's room was pretty lonley that night. As the 15 year old finished her glass of water, she caught a glimpse of the clock. It was early, just before 6 am, and Kait was not the least bit tired. Since she was awake, Kait decided to take a walk around the studio to occupy her time. After throwing on her mothers UCLA sweatshirt, she headed into the hallways.
This would be one of her first times walking the hallways alone. Ever since the first day, there had always been somebody with her to talk to. Now it felt as if it would be her last time ever wlaking through the brightly painted hallways. It gave Kait a bad feeling in her stomach. That feeling grew as she exited the hallway that held all the male dorm rooms and she entered the wing with the conference, wardrobe and music rooms were located.
Next to the bathrooms, the door to the main conference room was open. The light was on, and Kait could hear muffled voices coming from the room. Being curious, she edged nearer and nearer to the room on her tip toes. Once she stood right next to the door, she strained to make out some of the voices.
"So Terri, Fred, we're sorry for doing this. But it's for the best." Somebody said.
"I still don't understand." This voice definitley belonged to Fred. "Why would you just up and fire us like this?"
Fired? Kait screamed in her head. She couldn't think much more, for she wanted to hear the truth and why this was happening.
"Well, Fred." Kait recognized this voice, but couldn't put a name to it. "Ratings are dropping. We are trying to save the show by making some improvements for the next season. After discussing the matter thoroughly, you two came up. We feel that the viewers think of you two as bores, a waste of time on the show. Please don't take any offense to this, but they find your skits and roles to be dull and stupid."
"Stupid?" Terri asked, and Kait could tell she was on the brink of tears.
"The kids watch the show mainly to watch their favorite cast members." The same person explained. "Its all about the kids here."
"So you just want us to pack up and leave?" Fred asked. "What about the kids? Who is going to take care of them?"
"The kids will be fine Fred." This voice belonged to Jordana. Kait personally never really liked her. In fact, her and TJ would make fun of the way she was so paranoid. "Just, please, don't tell them that you have been fired. When they come back for the next season, we will have an explination for them." Kait began to shed tears as she heard Terri's sobs. "First you fire us, and now you are asking us to lie to the kids we love?"
"Terri, please just try and understand-"
"I refuse to try and understand." Kait heard the sound of a chair, possibly Terri's, being scootched back. "I spit on your new theories and hope that you all get what you deserve. You are nothing but money hungry people, and care nothing for these kids. This show is gonna fall to the ground because those kids are going to be out of control without us. And next season, you will know I was right, and I am going to laugh. Not laugh at the kids, but laugh at all of you. Goodbye."
The 15 year old cast member listening squatted in the shadow of the hallway, hiding as Terri came out and didn't look up form the floor. Terri made her way out of the wing as Fred made his say clear.
"I would say more, but Terri has covered it all. I cannot think of a word to describe the trouble you are in."
Quickly, Kait ran into the women's room beside the conference room just before Fred exited the room. After waiting a short period, she left the bathroom and began to make a mad dash to the male wing of dorms. On her way, tears overflowed her eyes and fell at a rapid pace. This is what that bad feeling was. And it certinley was a horrible situation.
In less than a minutes time, Kait was in front of the correct door. Words could not express how glad she was that Tony and Dale had already left for their vacations. As she began to pound on JC's door, her sobs came. After only two knocks, Kait stopped and brought her hands to her face to make an attempt at muffling her cries. In a few seconds time, JC came to the door.
"Kait?" He asked in a low morning voice. JC extended his arms to his girlfriend, the sight of her sobbing so desperatley scaring him. "Sweetie, whats wrong?"
Without responding, she found her way into his arms and sobbed into the shoulder of his light T Shirt. Becoming worried even more, JC lead her into his room and shut the door. She was still crying when he sat down on the couch and began to stroke her hair in comfort.
"They... they fired Fred and Terri." She said, barley audible through her tears. "I went walking through the halls and they were having a meeting." Trying to calm down, Kait lifted her head from JC's shoulder and wiped her eyes. "They said that our ratings were dropping, and that Terri and Fred were boring to the show. So they fired them..." She borke down again and JC brought her head to his shoulder again. Kait kept crying softly, and JC's heart broke when she whispered, "He was like a father to me."
JC was the only cast member who knew about her father. He was the only kid who knew that her father had died when she was 13 from a heart attack. Kait would have joined the cast when JC had, but her father died and she was unable to leave for the show. Fred and Terri knew of this, and JC noticed how Fred had taken it his responsibility for Kait. Now that he was fired, JC knew that to Kait, it was like losing another father.
And he himself was hurt by this as well. Terri and Fred had been like second parents to him as well. They had been his caretakers ever since he started on MMC. If there were no adults like them around, how would they manage the next season?
Keeping silent, JC wrapped his arms fully around Kait and kissed her forehead. They sat there, JC holding her, and he stroked her hair and sang a song he had sung last season called Now And Forever. Kait's crying lessened as she listened to his beautiful voice sing her to sleep. After a while, Kait did fall asleep in his arms. Gently, he lifted her thin body and brought it to his bed. After tucking her in, JC squatted beside the bed for a moment.
Right now, he just wanted to take a good look at his girlfriend. For the next four and a half weeks, he would be unable to see her beautiful face, and JC wanted a good picture of her in his memory. So slowly he scanned his eyes over the girl who had stolen his heart form day one. Her thick brown hair, beautiful hazel eyes, full pink lips, beautiful cheek bones; he just memorized everthing. JC felt that she was perfect, and that he was the luckiest 16 year old alive.
The alarm beside Tony's bed went off at its designated time of 7:00, and JC just reached down and unplugged it. There was nothing to do today, so he decided to follow his girlfriend's lead and fall back asleep. For a moment, JC contemplated whether or not to lay in his own bed beside Kait. Quickly he decided against it, and lay in Tony's empty bed on the opposite side of the room. *~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Flight 2743 to Las Angeles is now boarding all first class and handicapped passangers in Gate C."
Hearing her flight called, Kait began to gather her things. JC sighed and stood up, holding onto her hand as they walked towards the window overlooking her gate. For the past hour they had been mainly silent, just enjoying the feeling of the other near them. Their hands had only let go when one needed to use a restroom or something like that. Now, Kait would be leaving. She was not riding first class, but they needed time to talk before she left. So when they reached the window, Kait sighed.
"It's almost time for me to go." Kait said, still holding onto his hand. She didn't know why this was so hard for her. It wasn't permanent, for she would be back in just over a month. But that fact that she would not be able to see him over that time period made her sad.
JC nodded and tried to hide his emotions. "You better be expecting one call and one letter a day."
Giggling, Kait replied. "I will be, trust me. But you need to promise me one thing, Jace."
"And what would that one thing be?" He asked as he finally let her hand go and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"While I am off missing you in California," she began, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You won't go flirting with any of those girls. I've got Justin and Britney keeping an eye out for me."
"I think I will be too lonley to be flirting with anybody. Heck I miss you already, and you're standing right in front of me." He laughed, then turned to serious. "Now you need to promise me something."
"What would this promise be?"
Coach for her flight was called, and JC knew he had to hurry. "You have to promise me that if I sai I love you, and kiss you with all the love in my heart," JC leaned down and caressed her lips tenderly. After holding them there for a few moments, he brought them back up and looked at his girlfriend. "You need to promise me that your lips will not kiss anothers before they kiss mine four and a half weeks from now."
They had never said 'I love you' to eachother before, and she was on the brink of shedding tears of joy. Kait nodded, bringing her sunglasses down to her eyes as the final boarding call for her flight was called.
"I love you too, JC." She whispered before walking to her terminal. JC watched his girlfriend intently as she handed the ticket in, then began to walk away. Just before she was out of his sight range, Kait turned back to face JC. She blew him a kiss, mouthed the words "I Promise", then turned back and on her way.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*