Jia left the house early. Her audition was in the afternoon, but she didn’t want to see any more of her friends from the Sharehouse. She was too nervous and when she got nervous her stutter affected her worse and she took way too long to say things that already took her a while.

She decided to go for a light walk around the city until her audition. Sticking her earbuds in her ears, Jia walked down the street away from the Sharehouse and stood at a stop to catch a bus into town. Gain had offered to give her a ride, but she’d refused. Jia could only hope her stutter wouldn’t annoy the talent scouts at her audition.

The bus let her out a few blocks from where her audition would be. Jia went to the building to scope out the situation. No one was around that looked like a dancer, or competition. Checking the time on her phone, Jia shrugged and kept walking around. She decided to circle the block and she what was around this part of town.

As she stepped off the curb to cross the street, she had to jump back quickly to avoid a passing car. The driver slammed on his breaks and took the time to yell at her out of his passenger window, but she couldn’t hear him over her music and just walked around the back of his car.

When Jia got back to her audition building, she had 20 minutes to go time. Deciding now was as good as ever, Jia opened the door and checked in. Following the signs posted for the new dancers, Jia found her way to the changing room behind the stage.

Jia continued to get more and more nervous as she got dressed and fixed her hair up. She went through her stretch routine and had a last moment to pray to whoever would listen, before they called her name.

Just as soon as the stage lights shone on her, warming up her body, Jia’s nervousness melted away. The song she’d picked to perform to started playing and she burst into her dance. It was as if no one was watching her as she poured all of her passion into her movements, showing the feeling with her body. She landed her finishing pose and looked out at the talent scouts. Her nerves flooded into her like she’d stepped into quicksand and she clammed up.

The judges asked her questions in excited tones until they heard her answering in stutters, then they wrote on their clipboards and whispered amongst themselves. Thanking her for her time, they told Jia they’d be in touch and Jia nearly fell to pieces in tears as she went back to gather her things.

Jia didn’t bother changing out of her audition clothes as she stormed out of the building. She walked down the street, trying to get her eyes to stop their incessant leaking. Stepping into the street without looking, Jia’s ankle twisted and buckled beneath her weight.

Gain got a phone call from Jia, expecting good news, she answered it excitedly. She had been driving home from the hospital, just finished with a speech appointment and it looked like she’d be heading right back there. Gain went to pick Jia up and took her to the hospital for x-rays.

Heechul, Leeteuk, Victoria and Simon were sitting around the table playing Ticket to Ride. Simon was winning them all with a monopoly on the train lines. Heechul was laying down his next pieces as the door opened. They all looked up excitedly, only to have their faces drop as they saw Jia come home on crutches with her ankle wrapped.

Leeteuk and Simon were the first to jump up, helping Jia off her crutches and onto the couch.

“It’s just a sprain,” Gain said as she came to sit down too.

Simon stayed standing behind Jia and rubbed her shoulders. “Did it happen during the audition?” He asked her.

“N-no, b-but th-they w-w-won’t p-p-pick me,” Jia said. “Th-th-they l-l-l-liked m-me un-nti-til th-th-th-they h-h-heard m-m-me t-ta-talk.” Jia was still upset over it, her stutter coming out worse.

The Sharehouse members were starting to get the idea. The more stressed the girl, the worse the stutter.

“It’s all right,” Heechul said. “There will be others, and the ones before that didn’t take you will regret it.”

“I, j-just w-want t-to sleep-p,” Jia said, angrily shaking her head. “Leave m-me al-alone p-p-please?” She tried to stand up and ended flopping back into the couch. Victoria got up to help her and took her to her room.

Heechul sighed and sat back in his chair. “So she doesn’t need any pep talks.”

Leeteuk reached over for Heechul’s hand and squeezed it gently, smiling softly at him.

“She just needs to hate herself for a while,” Gain offered. “She told me she got upset when the people in the audition looked at her funny for how she talked. She stormed off and stepped off a curb at an odd angle.” Gain sighed.

Simon plopped down in the couch next to Gain and nudged her shoulder. “Can’t you do something to help her with her speech thing?”

Gain nodded. “I offered her on the way to the hospital, but she totally shut me down. I guess she’ll just have to come to me in her own time.”

They all nodded, keeping quiet.

“Well,” Simon said, breaking the moment of silence. “I want to tell everyone right now not to make plans for the weekend. I’ve got a couple of new guys who just started at my tattoo place. So I want to have a tattoo party here. Fake of course, just permanent markers and henna. You can all get something.”

Heechul smirked at Simon. “So basically, we’re the test dummies so you can make sure your new guys know what they’re doing?”

“Yeah, if you want to be pessimistic about it. Damn Heechul, ruin the mood.” Simon chuckled.

“Can I invite Kwon?” Gain asked.

“Sure,” Simon said. “Anyone. I’ll warn you now though, my new guys are hot, he might leave you for one of them.”

“Yah!” Gain laughed and punched Simon’s shoulder.

Simon laughed. “Also, if it’s okay with the master of the house, can I please, please make pot brownies or cupcakes.”

“So you want your guys high while they’re coloring all over us?” Leeteuk asked.

Laughing more, Simon shook his head. “They won’t be for them, they don’t even have to be for this party thing.”

Heechul shook his head. “Save it for next weekend.”

“What’s next weekend?” Simon asked; the others looking at Heechul too.

“Memorial Day weekend?” Heechul said, looking at all of them. “We usually go camping? Remember?” He started laughing at them. “Come on guys, most of you have been living with me for two years. I always offer the whole house to go camping Memorial Day weekend.”

Leeteuk was nodding. “I can finally go this year, without the ball and chain tugging me back.”

Simon held up his hand for Gain to give him a high five. She refused him and Simon got up to give one to Leeteuk and Heechul instead. “Getting high in the mountains. I like it.”