Author's Note: I promise, I haven't forgotten about this fic! In order to make up for the fact that this is a fairly delayed update, I've tried to make this chapter longer and as interesting as possible. However, the lag time between updates is only going to get worse as AP testing draws closer. And then after AP testing, I have a big MUN conference. I had one last weekend, too, or this probably would have been up sooner.

Thanks to YoukoElfMaiden, Emma-J-Riddle, and Obsessed-anime-lover for your reviews of the previous chapter. I hope you like this one. Please, if you're reading this, drop me a review. Any criticism or suggestions on style, plot, etc. are greatly appreciated! (To Katherine: I wanted to title this chapter "Memories and Socks," but I couldn't find a way to fit socks into the plot.)

Chapter 3: Meetings and Memories

"Did you hear the announcements?" Kate asked Ashley at snack the next day when they were at their lockers again. "There's a meeting at lunch today in the theater for everyone who wants to be in the musical, and auditions start on Monday!"

"So I won't be seeing you at lunch, then," Ashley said, stuffing her Spanish book into her backpack. While the prospective actors and actresses for the musical were required to try out in front of the drama and choir teachers, the musicians were hand-picked by the band and orchestra teachers. As the school's best pianist, Ashley had already been asked to play by Mr. Erickson, and of course had accepted.

"Please come with me," Kate said. "I need moral support—it'll be the first time I get to see who else is trying out for Meg's part."

Ashley sighed, closing her locker. "Honestly, Kate, you're better than you think you are! Don't worry about who else is trying for the part, just worry about how well you do."

"So you're coming with me?" Kate asked.

Ashley sighed again. "Yes."

Kate smiled. "Of course you are; that's what friends are for. You can help me size up the competition."

"Sure," Ashley said. "Do you even know anyone who wants Meg's part?"

"Well…no," Kate admitted. "But there are bound to be people who try out for no part in particular, and I've got to be able to sing better than all of them. Mrs. Grimm's not afraid to cast the best person for the part, whether they want it or not."

"Then you'll do fine," Ashley said.

"Well, I just keep telling myself that," Kate said, shutting her locker and picking up her backpack. "Power of positive thinking, right?"

"That and practice," Ashley said. "I'm not doing anything this weekend if you want me to help you find a song to audition with."

"That would be great," Kate said, hugging her friend. "What would I do without you?"

Silence. The curtain rests upon the stage, still drawn closed. Then, slowly, the edges twitch, and it begins to open. The girl looks over to her mother, sitting in the next seat. "Does this mean it's finally starting?" she whispers.

"Yes," her mother says, "any minute now."

The girl strains to see the first sign of movement on the stage, to hear the first note played by the grand orchestra that her mother pointed out to her on their way to their seats. Any minute now, she tells herself. Any minute now…

"Señorita Ashley?"

With a jolt, Ashley snapped back into the present. Spanish was definitely not her favorite class, and she tended to pay very little attention to the teacher. "Yes, Mrs. Rodriguez?" she said.

"Contesta la pregunta, por favor," the teacher said, looking pointedly at Ashley. Slipping into English, she said, "Unless you don't know which question we were on?"

Ashley mumbled something affirmative, and said, "Sorry."

Mrs. Rodriguez gave her a small glare. "Question three, exercise five, please."

Ashley nodded and read the answer to the question, but her thoughts were still elsewhere. This time, their wandering led them back to Damien, a subject that had occupied them ever since she met him the previous day. He seemed so quiet and mysterious, yet his voice held a power that she was enthralled by. She was secretly looking forward to going with Kate to the lunch meeting—if Damien wanted to sing in the musical, he'd be there, and she'd get to see him again, maybe talk to him.

She spent a few moments trying to figure out why she was so intrigued by this newcomer, but as had happened the last times she'd tried, she soon gave up. Sure, there was his voice, but somehow Ashley felt that it was something more than that. Something meaningful. Something that she should understand.

Ashley felt herself spinning off into her thoughts again and tugged herself back. She really should be paying attention, especially in this class; language wasn't her strong suit, and she was still regretting choosing Spanish over something else. Still, her school only offered Spanish, French, and German, and her parents had talked her out of French, insisting that Spanish would be more practical for someone living in southern California. Thus she was left with learning the language, whether she liked it or not.

Ashley took a deep breath in and let it out in a sigh. Less than two periods left until lunch, she thought, settling in to listen to her teacher's rapid-fire Spanish. A long two periods.

Though she complained, lunch came sooner than Ashley had expected, and she walked out of English class with Kate into the oddly sunny day outside feeling confident that the rest of the day would go well. After all, she only had history and orchestra left, and then the day was over.

Walking beside her, Kate bit her lip repeatedly, a sign that Ashley knew meant her friend was thinking hard, or nervous—often both. "Any new news on who's trying out for who?" Ashley asked, trying to lighten things up.

"I heard Bobby and Kevin are hoping to get Andre and Firmin, so that they can sing the Notes songs together," Kate said, a small smile. Bobby and Kevin Cunningham were fraternal twins, a grade above Ashley and Kate, who nearly the whole school knew of. Charismatic and gut-wrenchingly funny, they were also both involved in the school's drama program and nearly always played comical characters.

"That would be fun to watch," Ashley said. "They work together really well."

Kate nodded absently as they approached the school's theater. "They've got a pretty good chance," she said, walking up the short flight of stairs and through the double doors to the auditorium. Ashley walked through the door her friend held open for her and the two girls walked down the side aisle to snag seats in the front near the stage. Mrs. Grimm, the new drama teacher, stood on the stage next to the choir teacher, Mr. Edwards. Papers were taped to the stage—sign ups for auditions, no doubt.

People slowly filed into the room as the minutes passed. Ashley sat and started to eat her lunch, while Kate tried very hard not to look ridiculously nervous. Ashley had to admit, her friend was doing better at it than usual.

Finally, Mrs. Grimm walked to the center of the stage, looked down at the milling people, and whistled sharply to get everyone's attention. The crowd immediately silenced, and people who had been standing sank into the nearest seats. Ashley scanned the people—no sign of Damien. Was he even coming?

She needn't have worried. As Mrs. Grimm started talking, briefly explaining what acting in the spring musical entailed, Ashley heard the door to the auditorium open, and saw a figure in dark clothing walk in and take a lone seat in the back. Well, at least this meant he was considering the musical, Ashley thought on the bright side. With his voice, Mrs. Grimm would have to be a fool not to cast him in some singing role.

"The spring musical is a big commitment," Mrs. Grimm cautioned. "But, if you still feel like you want to participate, sign up sheets for auditions are on the stage. If you don't know that you want a specific part, just sign up under ensemble."

There was a rush around the front of the stage as people got out of their seats and crowed around the papers, eager to put down their names for their desired parts. Kate hung back a bit, though whether out of nervousness or practicality, Ashley wasn't sure.

She was just scanning the people to look if she could see what part Damien was trying out for when she felt someone standing behind her. Ashley turned around to see him waiting politely in back of her, tall as ever and appearing slightly ominous in his black clothing.

Ashley smiled at him, stepping out of the aisle. "I'm sorry, was I in your way? I'm not signing up, you can go ahead."

Looking almost surprised at being addressed, Damien shook his head curtly. "That's alright. I'm still thinking about trying out."

"I think you'd do a great job as the Phantom," Ashley blurted out, before thinking of how the comment made her sound. Gosh, it's not like I'm his fangirl, or anything, she thought as she looked at him, anxious for his response.

Contrary to whatever she had anticipated, Damien smiled. "Thanks—that was a compliment, right?" A slight but musical chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm thinking about it. I'll probably just go for ensemble, though—I'm sure you've got enough good people from your school's drama program without me butting in."

No one as good as you, Ashley thought, remembering his unbelievable voice, but she said nothing. Now was definitely not the time for any more hero-worshipping comments. "Well, good luck then," she said as she saw Kate walking towards her.

"Thanks," Damien said. He turned and walked past Kate to examine the papers up on the stage.

"Who was that?" Kate asked once she and Ashley were out of the theater and back in the sunshine outside. "I don't think I've seen him around campus before. What grade's he in?"

"His name's Damien, and I think he's a junior," Ashley said. "He just transferred in here from another high school at the semester. He's started taking lessons from my piano teacher."

Kate nodded. "Is he any good?"

"I don't know about piano," Ashley said, "but he's got one hell of a voice." She related the experience of the previous day to her best friend.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kate asked when Ashley was through explaining. "I thought we had an agreement: you tell me if you ever find a nice guy who can sing, and I do the same for you. And Damien's no eyesore," she added. "With a bit more color in his wardrobe, he could go from semi-gothic to downright adorable."

Ashley had to laugh at the idea of Damien being "adorable;" it was not a word she would have ever used to describe him. As her friend kept talking, a smile slowly crept onto Ashley's face. Today hadn't been so bad after all.