“I guess so.” I run a hand through my hair, letting out a sigh. “Do you think Lin-Manuel Miranda felt like this before Hamilton debuted on Broadway?”

Jesse raises a brow, but if he thinks I’m full of myself, he doesn’t say so. “I think it goes by fast for everyone. Even Lin-Manuel Miranda. He did a show every night, right? By the time he got to his last night, I’m sure it felt like he had barely been there before he was passing the role to the next guy.”

“Yeah, Javier Muñoz,” I say, glancing at him. “He’s really good.”

Jesse shrugs. “He’s okay, I guess.”

I raise a brow. Maybe I’m the tiniest bit more protective of Javier Muñoz because he’s positive. But still. How can Jesse say he’s just okay?

“You probably haven’t seen him perform,” I say. “Because if you had, you wouldn’t call him okay.”

“Hey, different strokes, right?” He holds his hands up like I’m attacking him. “I just like the original. That’s all. It’s not like I hate the other guy.”

“Javier Muñoz,” I repeat.

“Right,” Jesse says, but he’s already looking back down at his clipboard. “Him.”

I sigh, turning back to the stage. It looks like Ms. Klein trapped some crew members, who are struggling to lift a fake pay phone while she talks to them. Since she seems to be handling things, I can go look for Mr. Palumbo and talk to him about my notes. He always knows how to say things without making people hate him. I could probably learn from that.

Members of the cast usually cool down by stage left, near the door leading to the choir room. Sometimes Mr. Palumbo disappears back there to give pep talks or just mess around with the other kids. I poke my head in, frowning when I don’t see him.

“Did you see them?” Claire’s voice is low, almost a whisper. Eric and some of the other cast members crowd around her. “I swear to God, they were practically doing it in the middle of the hall. His tongue was down her throat and everything.”

Shit. That little punk. What happened to feminism and solidarity?

“Are you sure it was her?”

“Positive,” Eric butts in. “But maybe he’ll keep her mind off all her notes.”

I know I’ve probably gone overboard, but that doesn’t give him the right to be such a jerk behind my back. Besides, what does Claire have to complain about? I can’t remember the last time I had any notes for her.