Glimmer and Adora were on their way to school. It was a bitter cold morning with temperatures way below freezing. Both girls were bundled up in at least four layers that Angella had literally forced them to wear. The heat in Glimmer's car was starting to warm up, but it was still pretty cold inside the car and both girls could see the heat of their breath as they exhaled.

Adora had never really minded the cold and actually preferred it to being too hot. She knew Catra wouldn't be happy, though. That girl could be in a leather jacket in the middle of summer and still be chilly. Adora smiled fondly as she thought of Catra.

Glimmer was humming along to a song on the radio. "So," she said to Adora. "Do you think you'll be acting today?"

"Oh gosh, don't remind me," Adora said worriedly as she remembered her theater session this afternoon. Double Trouble had added them on a group chat and told Catra and Adora that they were vigorously searching for the right play to perform and told the girls to get excited.

Adora was not excited.

The thought of doing anything in front of a crowd made her want to curl up in a dark corner somewhere. She didn't even dislike theater and it had always seemed kind of fun to her. But she had never seen it as something she could do. And now she was being forced to by a principal and an over-enthusiastic theater director.

Adora and Catra had texted about it a lot lately. Catra definitely wasn't a fan either. She wasn't as worried about performing so much as she just didn't want to do it. Catra had reminded her, however, that if they had to, at least they'd be doing it together. This had made Adora feel a lot better. Catra had that effect on her.

"Well it won't be much of a play if it's only you and Double Trouble," Glimmer said with a chuckle. "I doubt it'll be that bad. Plus, Bow already asked for your autograph so you clearly have fans."

Adora smiled thinly. She felt another pang of guilt. She hadn't told Glimmer or Bow that Catra was in theater with her. She just hadn't wanted to explain all of that. Even though she needed to. It was time. Past time actually. It was only making things worse and it was too stressful always having to feel guilty and sneak around.

Glimmer stopped at a red light. They were still a few minutes from the school. Glimmer adjusted all of her air vents and Adora looked at her thoughtfully. She made up her mind to tell her soon. Maybe after Halloween. That way Glimmer wouldn't be mad at her during a holiday.

Adora sighed at the thought of Glimmer being mad at her and looked out the window dejectedly. The sky was a deep, cloudy grey and the harsh wind was whipping around bare tree branches outside. Adora's attention passively drifted to a singular person walking along the sidewalk.

They had on an old worn winter coat that was too frayed to provide much protection from the cold at all. Still, they were huddled up in it as best they could and hunched over to protect their face from the cold. They looked up to view the crosswalk at the intersection and Adora was surprised to see Lonnie.

Lonnie seemed oblivious to Glimmer and Adora in the car beside her. She pushed the button signaling she needed to cross the street with an exposed hand and Adora wondered how cold it was out there.

As Lonnie looked around at the passing cars, Adora could spot the cuts still covering her face from where Catra had hit her. Adora shivered a little bit just watching her. She couldn't forget the image of Lonnie's rage-filled face coming at her with fists raised. But at the same time, Adora couldn't help but feel a kind of pity.

Glimmer looked over casually towards Adora and spotted her staring. "What are y…oohhh," she said as she realized. "Just ignore her."

Adora frowned, continuing to look out the window. "Why doesn't she take the bus or get a ride or something? It's freezing."

Glimmer shrugged. "I dunno. I think she's always walked. Serves her right in my opinion."

"Geez, Glimmer," Adora replied. "Doesn't that seem a little harsh?"

"Harsh?" Glimmer widened her eyes. "It was harsh when she beat up my best friend! This is cosmic justice for being a bully."

This made Adora more upset for some reason. She watched as Lonnie tried to recede deeper into her coat to avoid a biting gust of wind. She scowled deeply as the wind beat relentlessly against her. The crosswalk light stayed a steady red.

Adora didn't really think about it or even ask Glimmer first, but before she knew it her finger was on a button and she was rolling down the car window.

"What the…" Glimmer exclaimed as Adora opened the window and a cold burst of air flooded in.

"Hey!" Adora yelled with cup hands over to Lonnie, whose head twitched a little and then looked over in her direction. "Do you want a ride?"

Lonnie recognized her instantly and surprise flashed across her face, followed by confusion as she heard what Adora had said. She stared at Adora for a brief moment and Adora thought that Lonnie would take her up on the offer, but then Lonnie looked down and turned away, her hood covering her face. The crosswalk light flicked green and she hurried away into the cold morning.

Adora watched her go with a strange feeling as she slowly rolled the window up again.

"Adora...what…" Glimmer said wondrously. "You can't just be that…nice."

The light turned green and Glimmer sped up. They passed Lonnie, still trudging along on the sidewalk, and soon she was out of sight behind them.

"She was cold," Adora said simply and Glimmer frowned.

"And that's too bad, but Adora, she's not a good person! She hurt you!" Glimmer's voice trembled a little as she said this and Adora turned and put a hand on her back comfortingly.

"I'm okay Glimmer. If anyone lost that fight it was her. And…I don't know. I don't forgive her. But…I don't think I should hate people either. It seems…exhausting," Adora explained.

"There's a difference between hating someone and just avoiding them and not trusting them," Glimmer said. "If someone wrongs you irreparably then you cut them out of your life."

Adora thought about this for a moment. "I guess I get that. I don't know. I just didn't want someone walking too far when it's this cold."

"She does it every day," Glimmer said assuringly. "She'll be fine. And even if she isn't, it's not your problem."

"I guess you're right," Adora said unconvincingly. She looked out the rear view mirror thoughtfully and watched as small snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.


Catra was sitting in the cafeteria waiting for her counseling meeting. Usually she spent this time with Scorpia, but the girl was still home with a cold. She had texted Catra almost nonstop while she was bedridden and had promised that she'd be all healed for Halloween the next day and that they could have a lot of fun.

But for the time being, Catra was alone and pretty bored. She looked around the cafeteria and couldn't find anybody that she knew, at least not well enough to sit with. While she was scanning the room, her eyes fell upon Bow, who was also eating breakfast alone in his usual spot.

She hadn't talked to Bow in a while. She just hadn't needed any more intel recently. But, a part of her enjoyed talking to Bow regardless of what he could offer.

Catra would never admit to this, but Bow was the sweetest person she knew and he always made her feel better than she was.

Catra quickly scanned the area to make sure Glimmer wasn't around and then made up her mind, picking up her tray and walking over to Bow.

Bow was listening to music on his headphones and humming lightly to himself when he saw Catra walk up and pull back a chair.

He took his headphones off and looked at Catra in surprise.

"You uh…you mind if I sit here?" Catra asked.

Bow nodded, still surprised that Catra would risk sitting with him in public. Bow was also worried she was here for more spy information. He had decided that he shouldn't meddle too much more with everything and that he should probably stop with the whole supplying information thing.

He wasn't sure how Catra would take that, though. Regardless, he greeted her warmly as she sat down in the chair across from him.

Catra returned the greeting. "Where's your lil friend squad?"

"Probably on their way here. They're slow some mornings. Adora says it's cuz Glimmer always hogs the bathroom," Bow explained with a smile.

Catra laughed. "Yeah she's complained to me a lot about that."

Bow raised a curious eyebrow. "It sounds like you two are getting along pretty well?"

"Yeah. Really well. At least I think so. We talk whenever we can. Which is kinda hard what with the whole…Glimmer thing," Catra replied.

Bow nodded regretfully. "Yeah. I wish you guys didn't still hate each other. Like, you've had a long time to move on and it's not like either of you even cares anymore, right?"

Catra groaned and thought about it. "Honestly, I don't care at all anymore. But it's like…you know when you hold a grudge for too long and eventually you forget why you're still mad, but it's just there anyway?"

Bow shook his head innocently and Catra scoffed.

"Well it's like that," she conveyed as best she could. "I…yeah I don't know. I kinda miss her sometimes. But also it was a big mess and we didn't really work out. I guess you wouldn't really know all of it cuz you kinda met Glimmer there at the end of it all."

"Yeah I did. And she always made it seem like you were the bad guy in all of it," he explained and Catra grimaced a little. "But now I'm sure there were bad moves on both sides. I wish Glimmer had just been less opinionated about it all."

Catra shrugged. "Makes sense. I probably would have spun it my way if you had asked me back then. Anyway it's a dumb grudge, but it still manages to get in the way of a lot."

Bow nodded. "Yeah that is a pain. But I have an idea." Catra perked up and Bow continued. "It's this crazy new thing. Real cutting edge. It's called honesty."

Catra rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair. "I thought you had, like, a real idea."

"That is a real idea!" Bow exclaimed. "Adora has this problem too. If you guys would just be honest with your friends then there would be literally no drama in this entire situation."

"Good point," Catra admitted. "But that's up to Adora. I told her that I'm fine with her letting Glimmer know whenever she's comfortable. I don't wanna push her or anything."

"Aww," Bow said endearingly. "Sweet Catra is sweet."

Catra shook her head and appeared flustered. "I'm not…I…" She gave up and sighed. "It's your fault, I bet. You've infected me with your unceasing sweetness."

"Yaaaay!" Bow cheered and scooted his chair closer to Catra. "We can be sweet buddies."

"Oh my God," Catra said with a grin. "Do you even hear yourself ever?"

"Hey I'm just being my truest self," Bow said in defense. "And being nice never hurt anyone. It seems like it's working pretty well with Adora, huh?" Bow elbowed her lightly.

Catra chuckled. "Yeah I hope. I've been more…I dunno…flirty I guess. And I'm not good at it, like, at all, but I'm really trying to make sure she knows I'm interested."

Bow was fully invested now and propped his head up with his hands, elbows resting on the table. "So does she seem into you?"

"I don't really know," Catra said. "I would normally say yes, but there's still that whole thing with that other girl and I'm just not sure."

Bow furrowed his brow. "Well I think you should just ignore all those outside factors and just enjoy spending time with Adora. I bet everything will work out if you just be yourself."

"That's what I've been trying. I don't really wanna sneak around anymore. I mean you were a great spy, don't get me wrong, but I've been told I'm too dishonest and I'm trying to work on being more…upfront," Catra said slowly. She was surprised she was telling someone all this. And Bow of all people. She had just gotten used to telling him personal things and now it just felt normal.

Bow smiled widely and patted Catra on the shoulder affirmatively. "I'm proud of you," he said simply.

Catra smiled and looked up at Bow to see his eyes glistening.

"Are you crying?" Catra asked in disbelief.

"Maybe a little," Bow said with a big grin, wiping gently at his eyes. "Character growth makes me emotional."

Catra laughed. "Doesn't everything make you emotional?"

"Good point," Bow said, giggling. "But honestly I am super glad that you aren't doing the whole incognito thing anymore. I thought that's why you were coming over here."

"Yeah none of that," Catra explained. "I was just…you know…alone and you were alone and…you know we kind of…sort of…know each other and…"

As Catra awkwardly explained herself, Bow's smile grew more and more. "Catra let's just say we're friends, alright?"

Catra took a quick breath and nodded. "Yeah okay. That sounds good."

"Best friends forever!" Bow shouted as he pumped a fist into the air and Catra felt extremely embarrassed as several people looked over at them because of Bow's proclamation.

"Yeah sure, best friends for all of time or whatever just keep it chill," Catra told him quickly.

Bow agreed, but Catra could see he was still bubbling with excitement. "Do you wanna do a best friend hug?"

"Uh…" Catra looked around her. "Fine. Just a single, very short, half hug," she said begrudgingly.

Bow looked past her apprehension and excitedly gave her a quick hug before drawing away.

Catra smiled and shook her head slowly at the boy who was sitting next to her. "You know, I have a friend who I think you'd get along with very well."


Catra and Adora had made sure after the incident last time not to walk together in the halls. At least until Glimmer knew about everything. Which Adora assured Catra would be the day after Halloween.

However, there was still one spot of time in between classes when Adora knew for a fact that Glimmer would always spend going straight to her next class so she could set up her art station. Bow never came by Adora's locker during this time either so it was a good time for Adora and Catra to catch up.

They were mostly talking about theater that afternoon and what to expect, but Adora had also told Catra about Lonnie that morning and asked what she would have done.

Catra sighed at the question. "You know, I never thought I'd say it again, but I agree with Glimmer. It's not your job to help everyone. Especially not her."

"Well yeah I guess," Adora said unconvincingly. "I just feel like nobody should have to walk that far when it's this cold. Do you know why she doesn't get a ride or take the bus or something?"

Catra sighed and crossed her arms. "Lonnie…geez, I don't know. Look, she has it kind of rough, I'll give her that. Her parents aren't exactly parents of the year. They also don't have a lot of money so they probably can't afford the bus fees or they just don't care. But that's totally unrelated to the fact that they're huge jerks last I saw them."

"Oh," Adora replied simply, a little stunned by the new information. She had spent a lot of her life wishing she had parents. That she was just a normal, everyday girl who was lucky enough to just have someone to take care of her and her alone.

She had seen other kids with their families and been jealous. Wondering why they had wound up with such a perfect life and she had been stuck with nobody.

But she had never really considered that some of those kids may have had parents that made their life harder rather than easier. It was still hard for Adora to fathom. That a parent could not love their child unconditionally. But it happened. Adora had seen it in some of her housemates back at the home. Some of them had been forced into the situation due to parental negligence.

Adora felt a surge of emotion as she thought back to the home and wondered if Lonnie's parents treated her as badly as some of the kid's parents at her old home.

Catra noticed Adora tear up a little and moved in instantly beside her, gingerly placing a hand on the small of her back. "Hey, are you okay?"

Adora quickly wiped the moisture from her eyes and nodded. "I'm fine, Catra. I'm just…how bad are her parents?"

Catra looked concerned. "Look it doesn't change what happened. And you still don't have to worry about any of…"

"Can you just tell me?" Adora interrupted quickly.

Catra sighed in defeat, still eyeing Adora warily to make sure she was alright. "I don't know much and it's been a long time since I've been over there. But she used to tell me about them a lot. I don't think they ever, like…you know…hit her or anything, but they yell a lot."

Speaking of it brought back memories for Catra too and she found herself getting emotional as well. She didn't show it, however, and carried on.

"She never wanted to hang out over there, that's for sure. Any chance she got to get out she'd take it. But…yeah…" Catra zoned out for a bit before shaking her head and refocusing. "Regardless, I really really really don't think any of that matters. At least not to you."

"I think it matters a lot," Adora said plainly. "But I know what I'm doing. I'm not about to go try and make friends with Lonnie."

"Good," Catra affirmed. "Everything she did was all her fa…"

"Heeeeeeeey. What's up?" Came Mermista's droning voice from behind Adora and Catra. She walked up and stared down both of them. "Uh…did I interrupt something?"

Catra and Adora looked at each other and then Adora shook her head. "No you're good. What's up?"

"Weeeell," Mermista said slowly, "I'm kinda having this Halloween party tomorrow at my place and normally I wouldn't invite losers like you two, but you're, like, literally the coolest losers I know."

"Uh...thanks?" Catra said questioningly.

"Yeah sure thing," Mermista said lazily. "It's, like, on Halloween. From, like, 9:00 until…uh...probably late."

Adora frowned. "So when you say party…"

Mermista gave Adora a look of understanding. "It won't be a ton of people. And, like, my parents are home so it won't be rowdy or anything. No peer pressure or whatever like in the movies."

Adora looked relieved at this and relaxed a little bit. Catra liked the idea immediately as it gave her a portion of Halloween to spend with Adora.

"Sounds awesome," Catra said quickly. "We'll be there."

"Sweet. And it's, like, a costume thing or whatever so bring your costumes."

Adora and Catra nodded in agreement as Adora shut her locker behind her and the warning bell rang.

"Shoot I gotta get to class," Adora said, looking at the time on her phone. "Thanks for the invitation, Mermista. See you in theater, Catra!" Adora said and both girls bid her goodbye as she sped down the hall to make it to her class.

"Aaannnnd you're welcome," Mermista said proudly as soon as Adora was out of earshot.

Catra looked up at Mermista. "You…you invited us for me?"

"Well, like, for both of you, yeah. You guys are always gushing over each other right by my locker. You're, like, perfect for each other or whatever. Figured I'd give you two some time together. Maybe you can make a move finally." Mermista elbowed Catra and Catra smiled back at Mermista thankfully.

"Thanks, Mermista," Catra replied. "Are we, like, friends now or…"

Mermista snorted. "You really have been spending too much time with Bow. But yeah we're pretty tight or whatever. You're cool and I like your little swagger."

Mermista held out a fist and Catra bumped it before Mermista turned and walked away.

Catra lingered for a moment. "My little swagger?" She muttered to herself quietly. She decided to just take the compliment and grew excited for the party tomorrow as she walked off to class, the bell ringing to signify her tardiness.


Catra and Adora met up after school in front of the auditorium again and prepped to go inside.

"You ready for whatever this is gonna be?" Catra asked Adora as she stared at the double doors in front of them.

"Nope. But we don't really have a choice," Adora replied.

"Do you think Double Trouble would really get us in trouble though if we tried to switch out of this elective?" Catra asked.

"Definitely," Adora said without hesitation. "Either that or they're an even better actor than I thought."

Catra grumbled something to herself, angry that they were being strong-armed into this. "Well let's get it over with, I guess," she said as she opened the doors and ushered Adora in.

The auditorium was actually lit up this time and Catra and Adora immediately noticed Double Trouble waving at them from the stage. They were sitting amongst a circle of chairs. Next to them was Entrapta, who waved at the entering pair, and beside her were two other girls who Adora didn't recognize, but Catra knew to be Netossa and Spinnerella.

Catra and Adora walked up on stage and took a seat next to each other, filling the last two empty seats on the stage. Double Trouble clapped their hands together and rubbed them excitedly.

"Welcome back, Adora and Catra." They placed emphasis on Catra's name and shot a look at Catra who nodded approvingly, glad that they had finally gotten her name right. "I'd like to introduce you both to Netossa and Spinnerella."

"Nice to meet you," Netossa said with a genuine smile and Spinnerella nodded along.

"We do the costumes," Spinnerella explained. "I mean…last year we just did the one costume for Double Trouble, but this year we're glad to be able to do at least two." Netossa agreed excitedly and gripped Spinnerella's shoulder tightly.

"Yeah costumes are cool and all, but what exactly are we doing?" Catra asked.

"Well I'm glad you asked," Double Trouble said in their usual sultry voice. All eyes turned to them and they smiled widely. "Me and Entrapta stayed late, and I mean really late the other night plotting what our show should be. We were actually kicked out by the janitorial crew. They have no appreciation for the arts."

"They were actually really nice," Entrapta interjected and Double Trouble waved a hand dismissively and continued.

"It was no matter, however, as we had already come up with our masterpiece." They laughed ominously to themselves and looked to be filled with excitement. "Traps, if you could present the rough draft please."

Entrapta reached into a dirty looking bag and shuffled things around. It sounded like a whole lot of metal objects thrown in together. After a moment she pulled out a small packet of paper and held it up victoriously.

"Tadaa!" She exclaimed and slapped the paper down on the stage in between them all. In big bold letters the words on the first page read, 'Title Pending."

There was a moment of near silence as everyone quietly looked at the packet almost reverently. Double Trouble squealed quietly and tapped their heels on the stage rapidly.

"What is it?" Netossa asked bluntly, breaking the silence.

"Ha!" Double Trouble laughed loudly, their voice carrying across the room. "What is it not!? It's humor! Action! Tragedy! Romance!"

There was another bout of silence before Catra spoke up. "So did you…write this?" She asked curiously.

"That I did, sweet Catra," Double Trouble replied immediately. "I'm still cranking out the finer details, but the core story is there! And Traps has some gorgeous ideas for effects."

Spinnerella reached down to grab the packet and Double Trouble lightly smacked her hand away. "No no no, let me pitch it first. Let me set the scene!"

Spinnerella withdrew her hand and shook her head, smiling at the over-enthused stage director.

Netossa leaned over to Spinnerella and whispered into her ear. "I can't tell if it makes me proud or scared when DT gets this excited."

Spinnerella mouthed the word 'same' to her girlfriend and turned her attention back to Double Trouble, who was scooting their chair back a little, making space.

"So," they said dramatically, looking each person in the eye one by one. "Only one set is necessary. Which is good because we don't really have a stage crew after Asad quit."

"He will be missed," Entrapta said quickly and Double Trouble, Netossa, and Spinnerella nodded solemnly.

"But anyway. One set. The scene? An office. A grand office. An office that houses the Senator. Still working on a name, but basically she's a big name Senator who's working for the government or whatever. She is in her office tending to her normal duties when all of a sudden…bam...she hears a gunshot from the lobby, behind the closed doors to her office. Oh no. What could this mean? She immediately rushes to the door to see what's the matter, but it slams open before she can get there. Standing in the doorway is a rugged looking man. He's breathing heavily and he shuts the door behind him, locking it. He stares down the Senator and slowly holds his firearm up towards her. He tells her this is a hostage situation. He wants his demands met by the police who will soon show up outside. They'll give him what he wants and let him leave and if everything goes according to plan, she'll get to keep her life. The Senator is rightfully worried. She keeps a switchblade in her overcoat, but it's hanging on a rack behind the intruder. In the ensuing moments, the Senator makes tense dialogue with the intruder. After a while they begin to grow acquainted and the Senator asks why the man is doing all of this. The intruder looks almost…remorseful. He tells the Senator that he just needs enough money to stay afloat and leave the country. She continues to pry and they learn more about one another. She pities him and then that pity turns to…something more? Emotions fly as the demands are made and the Senator and the intruder are kept at a standstill for over twenty-four hours. The man ponders letting his hostage go, but he does not want to go to jail or be killed. The Senator remains calm and collected. She initially planned to talk her way out, but the more she got to know this man the more she felt for him. The intruder feels the same way. Call it love? A spark of something special? A modern day Romeo and Juliet. Two lovers with an impossible divide. All of the odds stacked against them. And almost certainly ending in death! What will happen!? How will the two embrace their feelings? How will the situation go down? Who will live and who will die? All of these will be answered and more in our stunning, original production put on by the newly invigorated Etheria High Theater Club!" Double Trouble was standing up at this point and breathing heavily. They wiped some sweat from their brow and looked out at the stunned faces of their comrades. "So…what do you think?"

There was a prolonged moment of silence before Spinnerella slowly began to clap. Entrapta joined in and then Netossa as well.

Adora awkwardly began to clap along because everyone else was. Catra looked at Adora as if she had lost her mind. "Hold up," Catra said, rubbing her brow. The clapping stopped and Double Trouble turned to face Catra as she continued. "What? So, like, that wasn't even too bad until the end. Like…why in the world would they fall in love? That doesn't make any sense. If someone is holding a gun to my head the last thing I'd wanna do is get to know them."

The others looked to Double Trouble to see their reaction. They simply smiled and scooted their chair closer to Catra until they were right in front of the girl. "You," they said slowly, "make a great point. In reality, the chances of this happening are near non-existent. But theater does not lie within the constricting bounds of reality. Theater is what you get when you break through those boundaries and tap into true art."

Catra didn't argue but still looked unconvinced.

"Catra. Have you ever inexplicably…fallen in love?" Double Trouble asked with a sly smile and a knowing look in their eyes.

"Uh…" Catra was caught off guard by the sudden question and stopped herself from looking to Adora immediately. "I…uh...I don't see what that has to do with anything," she answered, flustered and annoyed at being put on the spot.

Double Trouble smiled confidently. "Then that answers my question. And, as I imagined, you'll be more than perfect for your role."

"Oh yeah," Adora said quickly, half raising her hand from beside Catra and speaking up. "I was actually wondering...it didn't seem like there were too many…you know…small roles in all that. Who are Catra and I gonna play?"

Double Trouble laughed melodically and leaned back in their chair. "Well there is no such thing as a small role. And especially not for you two shooting stars. No no no. You two…" They paused for suspense. "You two will be playing the lead roles of the Senator and the intruder."

Adora felt her chest tighten as she stared at the confident stage director. Catra buried her face in her hands and groaned. Spinnerella and Netossa gasped and even Entrapta looked uncertain.

"You're crazy," Catra said, chuckling in disbelief. "There's no way we can lead the show. We haven't acted once in our lives. How are we supposed to learn how all of a sudden? And do the whole show? It's impossible."

"Yeah I gotta agree with her on this one," Netossa pointed out. "They, like, just started. And since when have you ever been one to pass up a starring role?"

"Girls, I've practically mastered the art of the stage. I could act in my sleep. But what is more rewarding than passing on my formidable talents to two young upstarts? They will be my legacy!" They shouted and stood up out of their chair, flinging it backwards.

"Not if we suck," Catra pointed out.

"Oh trust me," they said smoothly. "With my teaching, you will flourish. You both have all the raw talent. I'll just teach you how to use it."

"I would really rather not play a lead role," Adora blurted out and didn't meet Double Trouble's eyes when they turned to face her.

Double Trouble seemed to calm down a little bit and they regarded Adora calmly. They took their seat back, twirled it around, straddled it, and sat in front of Adora.

"Why not?" They asked simply.

Catra saw the nerves in Adora and desperately wanted to comfort her. She just wasn't sure how.

"Well…I don't...I don't think I can…perform in front of an audience. Or even at all," Adora answered honestly.

Double Trouble nodded and closed their eyes for a moment. "Well I won't force you to take the role. But…I would like to take a quick poll. Traps, what do you think of Adora?"

"Oh uh…" Entrapta seemed confused, but answered anyway. "She seems to be very intelligent. I've observed her in our programming class and she's one of the best programmers in there. I'd gladly take her to the booth if she didn't wanna act."

Adora blushed and Double Trouble smiled satisfyingly. "And what about you two? First impressions?" They turned to look at Spinnerella and Netossa.

"Well you seem cool, Adora," Spinnerella answered. "I like your hair and you have that cool, collected vibe."

"And you're hella jacked," Netossa threw in.

Adora smiled bashfully and Double Trouble finally turned to Catra. "And Catra…what do you think of Adora?"

Double Trouble's assumptions were proven correct as Catra turned a little red and looked off to the side.

"Well she's…" Catra paused for a moment, finding it surprisingly hard to speak. "I mean she's…" Catra stopped again and looked over to Adora who was watching her expectantly. There was a look on her face that Catra hadn't seen before and it took her by surprise. She spoke without even thinking. "She's incredible," Catra said and then instantly looked back down at the ground.

Adora felt a rush of emotions and she found that her fear was quickly overtaken by what Catra had said. Spinnerella shot Netossa a look and Netossa nodded back with a wink.

"So the results are in," Double Trouble said. "You are smart, cool, attractive, strong, and incredible. These people think you are all of these things and more. I won't force you to play the Senator but I'll just ask that you think on it some more. You might just find that you're talented enough to do anything you put your mind to."

"Alright. Thanks guys," she said thankfully and everyone sitting around her nodded. Adora was embarrassed by all of the attention, but she had to admit that whatever that had been had worked. She did feel a little better and she was honestly flattered that everyone thought so highly of her. Especially Catra.

"And Catra, are you alright being our slightly deranged but tragically compassionate intruder?" Double Trouble asked.

Catra shrugged. "I mean sure, I guess. But I'm confident that no amount of training can make me good at acting."

"Well we'll see about that," Double Trouble responded, raising an eyebrow. "I'm so proud of you two," they said and turned to address everyone. "I think that should do it for today, everyone. It was pretty quick, but next time we'll start getting to work. I have very rough copies for all of you if you wanna get the gist of the whole thing. The end isn't done yet, but I'm getting there." They passed out packets to everyone.

Catra leafed through the packet briefly before cramming it into her backpack. Beside her, Adora opened the packet and read the cast list, eyeing the imposingly empty spots next to each character name.

"I wanna do it," Adora said suddenly, looking up at Double Trouble, who turned around, confused. "I wanna play the part. If I don't commit to it now I'll probably chicken out and it's…it's something I think I wanna do."

Double Trouble smiled lightly as they peered down at the confident face of Adora. "Well then welcome to the stage. Everyone give a round of applause for our leading actors!"

The others began to clap and Adora smiled, looking to Catra, who nodded in affirmation. Catra was proud of her, though she still wasn't quite sure what they had gotten themselves into.

The magic of the theater. So I was originally just gonna do like a normal Romeo and Juliet play, but that's been done a million times and it's just lame. So I was thinking that maybe this modern twist on star crossed lovers would set a nice theme and not be boring like that old Shakespeare. Anyway. This chapter was super fun! And I'm excited for the next chapter because it's Halloweeeeeeeeeen! We'll see what these crazy kids get up to. As always, thanks for all the love and support and I hope you all are doing the best you possibly can!