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Someday My Prince Will Come

Chapter 13

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Jack watched his Drama teacher ranting and raving to the stage crew, trying to get the lighting ready for the show. She began yelling at the whole lot of students, chastising them for their disorganization.

"We went over this several times at rehearsal!" She screamed up at the boys working at the lights. "You have only ten minutes!"

Jack shook his head from the costume room, and continued looking for Snow White's eye liner. He hurried through the new makeup kit and found the little black bottle. As he opened the cosmetic he looked at the girl's eyes briefly and then began applying.

"Not too heavy." She muttered.

"I know that." Jack smiled. "We can't have Snow White looking like a hooker." He finished up and inspected her costume. She was in the rag dress, but underneath was the princess gown. "You nervous?" He asked her, and made a few modifications to the dress.

"Hardly. I've done this tons of times." She sighed and studied her face in the mirror. "Looks too heavy. But we don't have time." Her smile was wry, but Jack accepted it and smiled back.

"Good luck."

"Yea, sure..."

Jack walked along the wall backstage, and made his way towards the curtains. He peeked out the side, watching the children pouring in through the doors. They seemed mildly excited, and chatted amongst themselves. Jack hoped they would enjoy the show.

He was also relieved that the show was finally going to commence. After it was over, then there would be more plays to worry about, better roles.

"Hey Jack! There you are, I need your help." Came a female voice from behind him.

Jack turned to see the Wicked Queen standing in her gown. The girl beneath the costume was rather nice, and Jack had grown fond of her. But upon taking one look at her eyes he gasped.

"What happened?" He asked pointedly.

"Oh, Im sorry. I was in the back room helping with the props when I got an allergic reaction to all the dust. I couldn't stop rubbing." She said miserably and followed Jack back to the makeup.

He wiped her eyes down and cleaned them off, and then began reapplying the makeup; heavy eyeliner, with a wicked sweep of dark violet eye-shadow. He smirked at his work and let the girl look at herself.

"Excited about the show?" He asked, closing up the makeup kit.

"Sure am." She smiled. "Did you see all those kids out there? They're so cute!"

"I guess." Jack shrugged and began playing with a wig that had been laying about. The girl watched him.

"Jack. When this is over, what'll you do?"

"When what is over?" Jack asked.

"The play. I mean, I know you love acting. I can see it. You like attention don't you?" She said playfully.

"Who doesn't?" He smiled back and placed the wig on his head. When the girl giggled, Jack did a playful twirl and curtsied with an imaginary skirt. "Im gonna audition for 'The Crucible.'"

"Really? Me too. What part are you going for?"

"I dunno. Maybe 'Mr. Proctor'."

"In that case, I'll go for 'Elizabeth Proctor'."

Jack gave a toothy grin, before yanking off the wig when a boy appeared in the doorway. It was Prince Charming. "Need anything?" Jack asked brightly.

"Just some hairspray." The boy said awkwardly and reached for it himself. After he was done, Jack and the girl watched him leave. When he was gone, they burst into a fit of giggles.

"I still think he would have done better as Dopey." The girl laughed out loud, looking very uncharacteristic in her Wicked Queen costume.

"You gotta admit though. He's one hell of a singer." Jack mused and smiled. They giggle some more and looked at each other.

"Hey. We should hang out." The girl said, in such a tone; as if it was shame that they didn't. She took the wig from Jack's hands. "I mean, we have been in two productions together."

"Really? Oh yea." Jack nodded, but felt sick with a sudden nervousness. "You sit with Liz don't you? I don't think she likes me."

"Oh. Yea." The girl bit her lip. They were quiet for a little while. She got up and gave the brown wig back to Jack. "Well I better get out there. We start soon."

"Good luck Kathy."

"Thanks!" she called back and gave a little wave.

'Its weird how someone so nice, can play someone so mean.' thought Jack ironically.

Jack looked down at the wig in his hands and gave a bitter little smile. He turned to the mirror, and shook his head. As the narrator's voice boomed through the theater, Jack wandered into the back rooms. So the show would not be disrupted, most of the entrances were locked from the outside. Jack decided to leave.

'I've seen the play a million times.' Jack thought and pulled his bag from off the floor. Struggling with the door that lead outside, Jack pushed it open. The cold hit him like a wave, and he began to make his way out of the school parking lot, and towards the park.

He wondered what stole his excitement away.

The February evening was frigid. There was no snow. Jack wished there was. That kind of cold was inexcusable. Meandering down the street, he watched the clouds move slowly.

There was a bench by the desolate playground. He took his place on it and watched the empty swings sway slightly in the wind. Leaning back he peered up at the stars and shivered.

'Maybe the disease inside of me will freeze.' He thought and closed his eyes. For the past week the only thing that had kept his mind off of the terrible things around him, was the play. But now that would be coming to an end, and he wondered what he would do.

He missed his best friend terribly. Nothing made him happy like spending his time with Will had. A dry whine escaped him.

"What's wrong?" Came a voice from behind him. Jack slumped in his seat and recognized the voice.

"What do you want?"

"To know what is wrong." Jesse sat beside him, a strange look in his eyes.

Too depressed to chase his ex-boyfriend away, Jack found he needed company. He turned his eyes to the older man, taking in the fine features he possessed. Idly, Jack leaned on him, seeking warmth.

"Feeling lonely?" asked the green eyed man, and put a gentle arm around the teenager.

"Kinda." Jack whispered and looked up at the sky again.

"Wanna go for a drink or something?"

Jack shut his eyes and shook his head.

"A walk?"

Again, Jack shook his head.

"Coffee? Maybe in the city?"

Jack paused and thought about it. Getting away from his neighborhood seemed appealing. "Okay." He followed Jesse down the street. They walked for a short while, before coming to a black sedan. Jack recognized it and got inside.

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The Thursday night was pleasant in the city, even in such brutal temperatures. Clinging to Jesse's arm, Jack walked down the street looking at the faces who passed them. He wondered if any of those people were rotting from the inside out with the virus as well. 'That man looks like he's dying.' Jack trembled and chased away the scary thoughts.

"You cold? You need a better jacket?" Jesse asked in genuine concern. Jack shook his head and let go of his arm.

"Im just really thirsty." He watched Jesse pull out his wallet.

"Okay lets go right in here." They entered a nearby cafe and found a table. Jack remembered coming here with Will a few weeks before they stopped talking.

(flashback)

"So, where are we going next weekend?" Jack whined wanting to know what Will had in store.

"Don't worry about it now. Just know that it's upstate and it'll be loads of fun."

"Hm." Jack lifted an eyebrow and the two grew silent. As he looked at Will, Jack began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Will asked with interest.

"Nothing. Just thinking about the first time I saw you."

"Oh." Will's face fell again, and he sighed. After a moment of quiet, Will asked, "Did you think I was a hopeless case? Or did you not even think about becoming my friend at the time?"

"Well, I wouldn't say you were a hopeless case." Jack said with amusement. "After all, I think I've done a pretty good job so far." He looked at Will, feeling something strange in the air. And his eyes grew softer. "But you did look sad. I wanted to be your friend at the time. That's why I went to the second party."

"Why? Why did you want to be my friend?"

Jack thought about this. The truth was, he liked Will, and he felt a strange connection with him. There was no other person he'd met that made him feel so happy and safe and comfortable with. It was strange. But he couldn't say this to Will. "I thought you had great potential. And I knew you would appreciate someone like me in your life!" Jack said brightly and threw a smug little smile in his friend's direction.

Will could only roll his eyes and shift in his seat. They were strangely quiet. It wasn't normal for the two to be that way. Their eyes met for a brief second, and Will felt something inside his chest. Something he was not comfortable with. He looked down at Jack's hands. "You have nice nails."

"Thanks, I know!" chirped Jack and he leaned forward. "I'll show you how to give yourself a mani one of these days!"

And they two dove into conversation again.

(end flashback)

The streets were slick with frost, a Jack observed from inside the cafe. He watched people walk by, mostly couples, engulfed in either conversation or silence. And he wondered how they could stand being so normal. His mind was off in some other place. In the distance he could hear Jesse rambling on about something.

'I hope Spring comes quickly... ' Jack thought absently, and took a sip of his cappuccino. Then he laughed at himself.

"What's so funny?" asked a paranoid Jesse.

"Oh, don't worry. Im not laughing at you." Jack assured him and sat back. His gaze fell on the outside once again, and he almost began drifting again, when he saw Will walking up the street and towards the cafe. "Oh, shit!"

Jack stood up so quickly, his cup fell off of the table, spilling the contents all over the ground. "Oh, shit!" He exclaimed again, and frantically threw a wad of napkins onto the mess. He moved quickly away from the table towards the bathroom, when he was grabbed by the arm.

"Jack, what the hell is the matter?" Jesse asked. Jack struggled away from Jesse and hoped to make a dash for the rest room, but it was too late. Will entered the cafe, and saw him.

Their eyes met for a second; a strange and yet significant period of time. Will looked as if he was about to walk up to Jack, and say something. Until Jack made a sudden and desperate sound and laughed at a joke Jesse never cracked.

"Oh, Jess, you are a riot!" Jack laughed out loud and slapped Jesse's arm playfully. Jesse raised his eyebrows warily before placing an arm around Jack.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Im fine!" Jack kept the smile and stood there in front of the counter, in Will's way of ordering.

"Hey buddy, you're blocking the customer!" Scolded the man behind the register. Jack couldn't remember what expression Will wore on his face. But he did remember feeling awful afterwards, as he walked with Jesse down the sidewalk and towards the car.

'What a phony I am!' He thought furiously, and began feeling numb up inside. He kept cringing at his shameful behavior. 'I could have at least said hello!'

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and clenched his eyes shut. "I can't believe I did that!" He said aloud and stomped his foot. Jesse turned around.

"What? Spill the coffee?" Jesse asked. "I think its too late to be worrying about that... "

"Spilt coffee.. " Jack groaned.

"Come on, lets go." Jesse said, surprisingly soft. Jack stared at the man's outstretched hand and contemplated on going back to the cafe to see if Will was still there.

'He doesn't want to talk to you.' Jack berated himself and sighed, taking Jesse's hand. They walked together, and Jack began remembering all the things he liked about this man. Despite the fact that he was dark and strange, and creepy; Jack appreciated his company.

But it was strange...

...because there was a lot he didn't know.

Jack looked up at him, observing the green eyes darkened in the night. They got into the car and drove out of the city. Jack leaned on Jesse's shoulder and closed his eyes. It was good to have someone beside him. He didn't know how much longer he could take not having Will around.

Jesse parked the car by Jack's house. After shutting off the ignition he looked down at his ex-boyfriend. Jack was staring up at him. "What is it?"

"I was thinking... about why you always call and come over all the time." Jack said frankly. "Why do you do it?"

"Im just hoping you'll change you're mind one day... "

"Oh."

"... and I really like you Jack." Jesse said more eagerly. "I don't know what you're waiting for, or who you're waiting for, but I know I can give you what you want."

"Yea. Sure." Jack rolled his eyes, already bored. As he looked at the hurt on the older man's face, he felt a pang of pity hit him. "Can you just... be my friend? Until Im sure? Its a big world out there. And I want to be sure about who my... prince is... you know?" Jack finished off with a bright smile and laughed at the perplexed look in his companion's eyes.

"Sure." They smiled at each other.

''''''''

Jack sighed and climbed up the stairs to the roof of the school. In his hands were a walkman and a cassette. He smiled at the cassette tape Will had given him when they were speaking. It was the Disney soundtrack to Snow White.

As he reached the top, Jack opened the door and greeted the overcast skies of New York. It was pleasant. Sitting down on a large pipe, Jack looked down at the ground. He remembered what his counselor had told him a week ago, and he compared it to what Noah had said a while later.

"You can only get the virus through blood or seminal fluids."

Jack wondered how Noah knew so much, but that fact calmed him. And he gave up on begging god to help him. The tape got stuck.

"Aw crap!" He shook out the tape and inspected the damage. All the tape was tangled up inside the walkman. "Now how do I fix this?" He asked himself and stood up from his seat.

"How do I fix this tangled mess...?"

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Sorry; not too exciting ne? Just wanted to let you know, I wasn't dead. Im working on Ch 14 & 15, those will be out soon. Many thanks to those who are still reading my story! .