"I do beseech you, chiefly that I might set it in my prayers; what is your name?"
Hayden's voice grew louder as Rachel dragged Chloe into the Drama Lab, Chloe too flustered to even think of protesting.
"Miranda," said a voice that Chloe recognised as Dana Ward, one of the more impossibly beautiful (and totally untouchable) girls at school. "Oh, my father," she continued, as Chloe entered the Drama Lab, "I have broke your hest to say so!" Both Hayden and Dana were on a small stage set up on one side, while the drama teacher, Mr Keaton, stood watching them with his arms folded.
"Good," he said. "Continue."
"Admired Miranda," said Hayden, puffing out his chest and extending his arms toward her. "Indeed worth what's dearest in the world! Many a lady I have eyed with best regard, and, um, many a time hath listened…" He stopped and looked around, then tried again. "Many a time the harmony of their tongues… um, hath I listened to… and…"
"Hayden!" reproached Mr Keaton, stepping towards the stage and flinging his arms out in frustration. "You're killing me! You've had weeks to be off book! Seriously, do you even want to do this?" He waved the script in the air.
"Of course," said Hayden. "I'm sorry, I'll…"
"You'll learn your part," said the teacher. "And quickly. You're on stage on Saturday, remember. And don't apologise to me. Apologise to your scene partner, to Dana, who's been very accommodating, and to your fellow actors, but most of all, you need to apologise to yourself for…"
"Mr Keaton, hi," said Rachel, breaking in. "Sorry to interrupt, but does this look better? I had my mom take it in a bit."
Chloe had noticed earlier that Rachel was dressed up, and she now had a full chance to really take in her costume. It looked a little like a court jester, but definitely darker. It was a dark blue, with touches of deep red. It wasn't pristine, either, it looked a lot like a ripped bodysuit, and it looked… good. Very good, in fact. Even better when Rachel started spinning for the teacher. As she spun, she winked at Chloe, who felt her heart skip a beat.
Wow. She looks… hot.
Stop it, Chloe. That's Rachel Amber. You have no chance.
But…
May as well give up before you get in too deep, girl. Unless you're the type of person who gets off on rejection. Because that's all you'll get from her.
"Mrrrooow," said Dana, raising her eyebrows. "Looking smokin' Rache." Rachel grinned and winked again at Chloe.
Fuck!
Stop that, Chloe!
But I can't, she…
Stop it!
"Exquisite, Rachel," said Mr Keaton, "as always. Anyway, Hayden, you need to…"
"I'm sorry Mr Keaton," said Dana, "but there's something I just don't get. This part here, 'My affections are then most humble; I have no ambition to see a goodlier man.' I mean, does she really mean that?"
"Yeah," said Hayden, "especially because I just straight out told her I'd been banging all the chicks."
"Dana, come on," said Mr Keaton, "we've been through this so many times, I…" He stopped talking as Rachel interrupted.
"It's a hard one to look at," she said, "I mean, we've talked about that line forever. I think perhaps it's time for a fresh perspective. Chloe." She put her arm around the surprised girl and brought her closer to the stage. "You're perfect," she said, winking. "You've never heard this play before, right?"
"Um, what play?" said Chloe, which brought a laugh from both Dana and Hayden, while Mr Keaton just looked slightly perturbed.
"This play, um, who are you?"
"This is Chloe," said Rachel. "A friend of mine. She was just passing. We're rehearsing for Saturday night," she continued, for Chloe's benefit. "It's 'The Tempest'."
"Ah, Shakespeare, right?"
"You know it?" said Mr Keaton, excitedly.
"Nah, just saw the posters in the courtyard," said Chloe, earning a chuckle from Rachel.
"Nice one, Chloe," she said, and Chloe felt a quick rush of blood to her face at the praise. "Anyway, you're perfect to view your opinion on this."
"Um, I don't think I'm…"
"Poppycock," said Rachel. "You're perfect." She winked again at Chloe. "Okay, so Dana's character is Miranda, a young girl, and Hayden is playing Ferdinand. Dana, can you do the line again please?"
"Sure," said Dana. "'My affections are then most humble; I have no ambition to see a goodlier man.'"
"So," said Rachel, once Dana had finished, "the question here is: are Miranda's feelings of instant passion for Ferdinand just inexperience and dramatic circumstance? Or has she actually just met the love of her life?" What do you think?"
"She's what? Twelve?" said Chloe.
"She's fifteen," said Mr Keaton.
"Are you sure?" said Rachel. "Only that her dad said she wasn't yet three when they landed on the island and twelve years have passed since then? Wouldn't that make her fourteen?"
"Well… yes, I suppose it would," said Mr Keaton. "But what's a year? Okay, so she's fourteen. Your point, Kara?"
"Chloe," said Chloe, "and okay, she's fourteen. Damn Dana," she said, smirking, "you look so good for fourteen." This earned a giggle from the tall girl. "Okay, so she's fallen in love at fourteen. That's just stupid. You don't do that shit."
"You sure about that?" said Dana. "I mean…"
"No, when you're fourteen you have no idea how true love works. However," continued Chloe, thinking more deeply about the subject, "maybe she isn't in love. Maybe she only thinks she is. Hmm, I guess that could work," she said. "She's too young to really fall in love, but she could certainly think so. I mean, at that age you don't really know the difference between love and lust, do you? Although, then again, maybe she has met the love of her life. I mean, sometimes you just know. Like, with a new friend, or a best friend, or something like that. Yeah?"
"So which is it?" said Rachel, interested. "You're really thinking this through."
"Yeah," said Hayden, "usually you just spout it out without thinking about… shit, sorry Chloe, I didn't mean that."
"Yeah, you did," said Chloe, but she wasn't annoyed. "I mean, I know I've not got the rep here, but I actually do like thinking things through sometimes. I mean, I'm not totally stupid, you know."
"Didn't think you were," said Hayden, trying to limit the damage, but Chloe shook her head.
"I know what people think of me," she said. "There's no need to sugar-coat it. But yeah, this sort of thing does interest me. So Miranda thinks she's in love, or lust, with this guy Ferdinand. Sounds like he's no saint," she said. "Right?"
"Right," said Hayden. "I've basically just told her I've been out banging all the chicks."
"Such a wonderful way of putting it," sighed the teacher. "Shakespeare wound such emotions within his words, and you just blast through them without a second's thought. Still, I work with what I have to work with. Better than the freshmen, at least. Although, not by much."
"So clearly Miranda isn't really cognisant of her true emotions," said Chloe.
"So, which is it?" said Rachel. "True love, or grand delusions?"
"I think it's a bit of both. No," said Chloe, holding up her hands, "this isn't a cop-out. But you've got parents coming to see this, right? At twenty bucks a shot? I'd say it's true love. It needs to be true love, doesn't it?"
"A romantic and a cynic? Cool!" said Dana. "Thanks, Chloe."
"See, I agree with Chloe," said Rachel. "We know that Miranda's a bit naïve and inexperienced. I mean, she's only fourteen. And yeah, Hayden, I mean Ferdinand has confessed to certain… extra-curricular activities. But she totally stands up for herself, right? She may be wrong, but she has a brave heart and a spirit to follow it." As Rachel stopped talking, the school bell rang, and Mr Keaton's head dropped.
"Oh no," he said. "First period improv with a group of… freshmen. Great." He drooped out of the classroom, and both Dana and Hayden jumped off the stage, following him out.
"Thanks, Mr Keaton," said Dana, and then, turning around, "see you later guys!"
Chloe looked around the room. It was empty now, apart from Rachel.
Just… me and her. In a room. Together.
Stop it, Chloe!
No, I won't stop it. It's a nice thought. A nice fantasy. Chloe and Rachel, sitting in the tree…
I SAID STOP IT!
Pff, you're no fun any more.
"So, I've first period chem now," said Chloe.
"No, wait a sec, please, Chloe," said Rachel. "Let me just just slip out of this costume." She leaned in close. "Wow, that eye looks fabulous. Nice work. Where'd you get it done?"
"Uh, what?" said Chloe, confused, but Rachel laughed. She had a very pleasant laugh, one that sent warm shivers down Chloe's spine.
Baseball.
Think about baseball.
On a cold day.
"Just kidding," she said. "That asshole really clocked you a good one."
"It wasn't a big deal," said Chloe. "I've had worse." Rachel smiled and headed into the smaller room just off the main Drama Lab. It had currently been commandeered as a dressing room for the rehearsals.
"I'll just be a minute," she called.
"Okay," Chloe called back, looking around the room. There were a few chairs dotted around, lots of drama posters on the wall. The Drama Lab was a large room, but since the rehearsal stage had been set up, the available space had decreased dramatically. She climbed on to the stage and looked out, trying to imagine what it would be like with the lights on her, looking out into an audience of expectant faces. The thought was warming, surprisingly, and she suddenly felt a pang of regret.
You want it, don't you, Chloe? You want to be on the stage. Or… do you just want to be loved? To be adored? To be… respected? To be…
"Chloe, can you bring me my belt please?" called Rachel, breaking into her thoughts. "I think it's in my bag in the other room."
"Uh, sure," called back Chloe, looking around. She saw what looked like Rachel's bag at the back of the room.
Be cool, Chloe, just be cool. No need to do any stupid shit here. Find bag. Get belt. Take belt. Don't fuck up.
Looking in the bag, she saw a small photograph. Unable to resist, she pulled it out and looked at it. It was a lovely photo of a much younger Rachel with her father. They'd been hiking, hunting or picnicking in the woods, she wasn't sure, but it was clearly a loving photograph.
Rachel looks so happy.
Happy, yes, I remember that. I think I missed it last year, I was in the bathroom at the time.
She looked a little further into the bag and found Rachel's belt. Picking it up, she absent-mindedly rolled it up into a ball and headed through the door into the small room beyond the main Drama Lab. Rachel was there, behind a screen.
"Uh, Rache? Is this your belt?" asked Chloe, and a moment later Rachel's head peeked around the corner of the screen. She smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, that's the one," she said. "Thanks."
Without thinking, Chloe rounded the screen and held out the belt. "Here you…" she said, and the words stuck in her throat.
There was Rachel, mid-change. She'd put her jeans on, but she was wearing nothing on top except her bra. Chloe couldn't help but let her eyes wander, blood rushing to her face as she did so. Rachel was… stunning. She turned around quickly at Chloe's voice, but when she saw Chloe and her obvious discomfort, she began to smirk.
"Like what you see?" she said, biting her bottom lip suggestively.
"Um, I…" Chloe stuttered, still holding out the belt.
"I didn't think you'd actually come into my dressing-room," said Rachel still entertained by Chloe's wild blushing. "Did you bring me flowers?" There was clearly an air to her voice, amused but… searching?
"Uh, no, I… um," said Chloe, trying to catch her breath. "I'll owe you?"
"I'll hold you to that," said Rachel. There was a short silence, Chloe's eyes still obviously wandering, then Rachel spoke again. "Can… I have the belt?" she said, and Chloe's mind slammed back into reality.
"Uh, yeah, of course," said Chloe, handing it over. "I'll… let you finish changing then."
"No, you can stay if you want," said Rachel. "You obviously enjoy the view." She smiled even wider. "It's okay," she said, more gently. "Go on, I won't be a minute. There's a couple of chairs over there."
Glad to escape the embarrassment, Chloe sat in one of the chairs by the dressing-room styled mirrors.
Shit dude, that was intense. Rachel is… fucking hot.
Are you sure you want to do this? You'll only get hurt. Again.
Maybe that's what you want. Maybe you get off on rejection.
Shut up, shut up! You have no idea what I want.
Of course I do. I'm you. I know exactly what you want. And right now, you want Rachel. And I'm not talking about friends here. You want her to…
Chloe cleared her throat and shook her head violently, trying to clear it. She opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the mirror in front of her. There was a note on it.
'Dana you are very beautiful. Do you want to go out? I would be into that…
From
Guess Who'
Looking more closely, she could see the name Logan crossed out above the Guess Who.
Not too difficult to guess, then. Logan's a… football player, right? Think I've seen him around. Think's he's all that, and more. Dana, you're a stunningly beautiful girl; you could do so much better than him. He'll be after one thing, and one thing only. A notch on his bedpost. Or several notches. Or regular notches…
"Chloe Price," came an amused voice from behind her. Chloe rose to see Rachel appear from behind the screen. She'd changed into a simple blue check top, red t-shirt and ripped jeans. She still had her blue earring on, the one that Chloe had noticed the night before, and when she smiled at Chloe, she felt her face flush once more.
"Rachel Amber," responded Chloe.
"Last night was amazing," said Rachel.
"I've never seen Firewalk live, but you call getting attacked by skeevy goons amazing? I need to hang out with you more," said Chloe, feeling her heart beating fiercely.
"Deal," said Rachel, to Chloe's delight. "To tell you the truth," she continued, "I went to bed last night wishing it never had to end."
"Yeah."
"But then I thought, why? Why does it have to end? Why should it have to end?"
Chloe took a deep breath. "Maybe it doesn't," she said.
"Doesn't what?"
"Have to end," said Chloe, beginning to blush again."
"Exactly!" said Rachel, punching Chloe's arm. She looked at Chloe coyly. "How would you like to join me on a little extra-curricular field trip?"
Rachel wants to ditch? With me?
Feeling a lot braver than earlier, Chloe summoned up her courage to speak normally and see where the conversation would go. "You going rogue?" she asked. "With me?"
"That's the plan," said Rachel. "If you're up for it?"
"Where to?"
"We'll see," said Rachel. "Is that weird?"
"Not at all," said Chloe. "In fact, I think it's awesome. Hell yeah!"
"I was hoping you'd say that," said Rachel. "So, it's a date." Chloe's heart skipped a beat. "Now, about that eye. It's a hell of a battle scar. You want me to cover it up with some makeup?" She pointed around the dressing room. "There's plenty here."
"Are you kidding?" said Chloe, beginning to laugh. "It's a badge of honour. We totally took those guys!" Rachel clasped Chloe's hand in hers.
"Respect," she said, seriously, then broke out in a huge grin. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here."
