Jack

It had been a week since Meet and Greet. We were out of music rehearsals and into blocking. Today was In My Life/A Heart Full of Love and the robbery.

Melissa followed me down the stairs laughing, "We should look into each others eyes and get lost in them! Please! We need vodka to do that!"

"Melissa!" I shushed her and pulled her out onto the sidewalk. She was so giggly today, "Yes." I whispered beginning to laugh as well, "We would need LOTS of vodka."

We entered the theatre in giggles, I signed us in and Melissa made herself some coffee. I walked in and made a corner for me and her to hang out. Nessie was with Joshua working on On My Own. Her voice was perfect for the role, she smiled when she saw me but kept singing. We had texted a few times in the past week. She had become more like a friend now, she also liked Melissa. Ruthie sat on a bench on the other side of the room. Nessie had said in a text they met in New York a really long time ago. They had talked over the years and used to be really close. I sat down and waited for Kelsey to start blocking our scene.

"Hey Melissa! Hi Jack!" Nessie came over and crouched down by us.

"Hi," Melissa smiled big.

"Hi," I murmured.

"What's new here? I was texting Jack two nights ago," She laughed, "He said there was nothing new but you know men!" Melissa and her shared a laugh.

"We'll be did trip over his bed yesterday." She added with a grin, "He was putting on his skinny jeans."

"No need to embarrass others." I said laughing.

"Nice one Jack." She looked directly at me then, "How was Marly? I totally forgot to ask in our texts!"

"She was fine, pretty sick the next morning though. How was Jennifer? Did you get her inside?"

"She slept in the bathroom and refused to let me in for anything! She puked most of the morning and then slept. I don't know how I got her inside but I did!" She laughed.

"Alright Vanessa, Jack, and Melissa!" Kelsey said, "Lets get a move on!"

So we began blocking In My Life. Nessie grabbed my hands and I hugged her at one point. She freely gave herself to the part. She smiled and was solemn. The entire few moments with her were lovely. After some she couldn't help but erupt into laughter. When A Heart Full of Love began I didn't want to leave her, but I was first-sight-Marius. Melissa and I looked into each others eyes perfectly. Her eyes sparkled when she began to smile. She sang her part flawlessly and hit each high note perfectly. I always told her she was Broadway bound or like Dance Moms, she was my Broadway Baby. It's a long inside joke to fully understand why I call her the name of a dead dog.

During the robbery John showed us our dressing rooms to begin loading makeup and stuff into. I walked back out as they began running the full scene. Most of the cast had arrived to stage One Day More. Nessie was pale the entire time. She sang though it though, she looked as if she might get sick.

"I'm gonna scream I'm gonna warn them here!" She sang.

"One little scream and you'll regret it for a year!" Thenardier sang back. She screamed and Thenardier grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall for acting purposes. Nessie hit the wall and crumbled. She began to shake and stare into space.

"HOLD!" Ruthie yelled to the director, "CALL HOLD!" Kelsey called it and Ruthie got onstage and pulled Nessie into her arms and walked back to the dressing rooms. I shot up and Melissa reached to stop me.

"I don't know what I did! I should get to know her, maybe she has PTSD or something! I feel horrible!..." I heard the Thenardier say as I went into the vom to the dressing rooms.

"...Breath Nessie. It's okay he's not here, I promise you. It's all in your head. Your okay, you are fine." Ruthie murmured softly. He? I thought, who is HE? I stood outside the dressing room, I stepped into it to see Ruthie holding shaking, crying Nessie in her arms. Ruthie grinned and motioned for me to take Nessie.

I shook my head and she gave me a look. Take her, she mouthed, she needs to know its okay. I opened my arms and Ruthie moved her into mine. Nessie shuddered a little bit but got comfortable. Ruthie left to go back to the theatre and had shut the door.

"He feels bad. He wants to know what happened. He's worried about you." I whispered.

"It's not him." She whispered so quietly I could barely hear her. She was still shaking, "It was me, I was looking for the worst . My mind was on—" She stopped and looked at me. Her eyes were red from crying. I stayed silent and she stared at me.

"I ought to tell you then." She grabbed a tissue from the counter and blew her nose, "I was nineteen and naive as could be when I met Steve. He was a kind man, a strong man. We fell in love, even though Rosalie who had dated him before told me it was a bad idea. He was like the Angel of my dreams, he was perfect and careful with me,"

She sighed, "We got married one month before my twentieth birthday. Our honeymoon to Jamaica was perfect. Everything was perfect for six months. One night he came home drunk, and I greeted him with a kiss and he pulled me away and hit me across the face. I thought it was just because he was drunk and rubbed it off. Each night it got a little worse though and I went to Rosalie for help each time."

"Finally he broke a mirror and told me if I left him he would kill me. He took a piece of the mirror and threw it at me, I has left a scar across my back. The next day when he went out to drink I packed up and grabbed a taxi. I met Rosalie at the airport and we came here. I was twenty-two when we arrived." She looked at me, "My father was also abusive when I was younger." She leaned onto my chest.

"I won't let him get you Nessie. Never ever will I let him harm you." I said brushing her hair down her back with my fingers.

Nessie

I didn't leave his arms for a while. I didn't know what I had done and the danger it put both me and him in. My whole body felt numb from the fess up I had just made. Plus the fact that I had the first full conversation with him only an hour ago made me shiver.

"We better go out there so they know your okay." He murmured softly.

"Okay." I responded and got up. He tried to lift his arm away but I grabbed it and put it back onto me, "Not yet."

"He's not here Nessie, I promise—"

"Just a little longer!" I begged. He nodded his head and we walked into the house. Everyone turned to us. Heat ran into my cheeks, Thenardier held his head down. I pulled Jack with me to talk to him.

"Vanessa! I—"

"No it was me and it won't happen again sir. I was thinking about something and you caught me off guard. It wasn't your fault!" I assured him.

"You sure?" He said.

"I'm sure." I looked up at Jack in that moment and he smiled.

We walked back over to his corner where Melissa was reading on her iPad.

"Can we get a coffee later?" I proposed, "For my sake." He instantly knew I meant about the confession I had just made in the dressing room.

"That sounds good." He smiled with his arm still around me I felt a warmness for once. I felt free from the past for a split second. For a split second I felt free and that music of the past came back and danced through my head.

"Nessie?" I heard a voice which brought me back to the present. It was Ruthie.

"I'm fine." I assured her, "I'll text you."

"Great!" We resumed One Day More, and Jack took his time with me. He explained to me each movement so I could expect other then be unexpected. He was so sweet when he talked to me. Now I wish I had known him a little better a week ago when I played the piano and he was right there, waiting as if he knew what today would bring. He was no longer the boy who watched me from the woods. He was now the boy who saved me from the dark.

"Shall we get that coffee now?" He asked at the end of rehearsals.

"Yeah." I picked up my things and followed him out into the alley behind the theatre.

"McDonalds or the café?" He smiled.

"What do you think?" I giggled.

"I know. The café." He grabbed my hand like on stage and turned to me, "I can see how you kinda relate to Eponine. You were abused in the beginning and sorta abused by Marius by the way he showed off his love."

"If you put it that way then yes I guess I do." I said with a nod. His eyes were sea-foam green and they stared off as he thought about something.

"What are you thinking about?" I murmured as we entered the coffee shop. We ordered and went up to a private area. He never really answered my question but I guess I didn't mind.

We chit-chatted over our coffees. He told me about where he grew up, his family, where he went to school. He was so open about everything, he even told me about the stupid things he had done. I learned that he played guitar, he thought he had massive lips, and his freckles he couldn't stand. He told me he didn't want to get into movies because his freckles would be like a dot-to-dot game. I laughed with him. I shared memories both good and bad. I told him about my father and what he had done. I showed him some of my scars and explained them. I also told him that I need would've been into music if my mother hadn't been alive for ten years.

We talked even longer about shows we've done and some theatres we've been at. Then I said goodbye because Jennifer texted me about food. I left and picked up McDonalds for both of us and we spent the rest of the night watching movies.

Jack and I got closer and closer with each day. We texted on days off, since I was not allowed to leave the house. He was sweet and cautious about what he said. He began to become familiarize with my boundaries. After four days of this we went to our dressing rooms, to imitate a quick change. Then we were dismissed.

"Hey!" He hissed into the dressing room.

"Hi Jack," I smiled and motioned for him to come in.

"What're you doing after this?"

"Jennifer has a meeting or something so I'll be hanging around here I guess." I shrugged.

"Cool." He smiled and shut the door and sat down.

"I got your text earlier about Little Fall of Rain—"

"Yeah." He shrugged, "Whatever you feel comfortable doing!"

"Everything's fine with me it's Rosalie you'll have to go through." I laughed and he got up to leave.

"So I'll see you later?" He said opening the door and standing in the frame. He was so perfect I that moment. His eyes sparkled and he took a deep breath so that I could see his muscles rise through his shirt. I smiled and walked close to him. I looked up at him, and he grinned. I could smell his peppermint breath as it hit my nose with each breath he took. We stood there our noses almost touching. I took a deep breath and got up on my tip toes and pressed my lips against his. He supported the rest of my body when his arms wrapped around my body. I ran my hands up and down his chest and pulled away," I'll be at the piano later." I breathed and put my hand over my lips and pushed passed him out the door. I couldn't believe what I had done:

Now I wasn't the one he would want—Jack was.

Melissa

Jack was still in the door frame. He had a smile so wide and he was chuckling. He kissed her. They were in love!

I didn't know if I could be nice to her anymore! She took him right out of my hands! He was right there and then he was gone! And then she had to kiss him!

What was I doing with my life? Why live? What's the use? The questions circled in my mind like a whirlpool. Jack turned around and I pressed myself against the wall backstage and he walked right past.

He walked by as if I weren't there.

It was true, Nessie had practically blinded my best friend. Jack couldn't think of anything but her, he couldn't talk about anyone else but her! Even to his parents he talked about the girl who drove him mad! I couldn't handle it, I couldn't. I went into the dressing room and shut the door hard. I pressed in the lock and felt the tears spill. I looked into the mirror and saw my long hair, the hair he stroked only a few nights ago. I saw the two long cuts I made a week or two ago. I saw my red, swollen eyes with little drops of water falling. I saw long black lines falling down my cheeks. I wiped away a few but they kept coming and coming. Each one could've represented a adjective he used to describe her. Each one could've been a word he said that tore me apart inside. I looked into the mirror again and wiped away the tears.

I was his best friend and I should be supporting him. I shouldn't be wishing death upon his new love. I should be happy because he's happy and that's what friends do.

Watching that kiss tore my heart in half and I had to bite my scarf to keep myself from screaming. I wants to pull them apart but I couldn't that would be horrible.

Then someone knocked on the door, "Melissa?" It was Jack.

"One sec!" I wiped away my mascara and brushed my hair out. I swung open the door, "Sorry." I sniffed.

"Are you okay?" He asked looking into my eyes, "You look as if you've been crying—"

"No it's my back I popped it pretty bad and I've got a cramp up here," I pointed to just below my shoulder. He smiled and looked at me.

"I'll massage it! So sit down and relax." He stressed the word relax. I obeyed and her placed his hand on my shoulder and slowly rotated his shoulder around the muscle. He got slower and slower with every rotation. I held my breath as he put both hands on my back and rubbed up and down my spine.

"Melissa?" He said and I instantly resumed breathing.

"Sorry it just felt so good." I said with a fake smile. He ran his hands up and down my back and massaged under my shoulders again.

"So are you and Nessie a thing yet?" I said with a gulp.

"No we're just friends." He said. Really close friends, I thought.

"Oh, she makes you happy doesn't she?" I said again holding my breath for the tears.

"She does. She's a really great girl!" That's what you used to tell me, I thought again. I blinked back tears and turned away from him.

"You should go." I said.

"Melissa? What's wrong?"

"I told you to go." I said holding my mouth. I was ruining everything for good! Stop Melissa, I thought, STOP.

"Did I say something—" Did he say something, really?

"Go." I whispered and he obeyed. He stood in the door and looked toward me.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and left. I stood up and shut the door and locked it tight. I couldn't believe what I had just done. I backed myself into the door at the other end of the room and sat onto the floor. My body ached with a new pain, guilt.

I went to Nessies dressing station and reached to knock over everything, but I pulled back and began to sob.

Why was I regretting what was fate?