Billy gazed hopefully up at Diana and Martin, their confusion and disbelief only further proving his suspicions. "Did I get it? Did I get the part?!"
The siblings shot each other a look before returning to Billy. Diana was the first to speak. "Billy...why didn't you tell us you were going to audition? We totally would have been there to cheer you on if we knew!"
The disguised alien simply shrugged. "Didn't seem important at the time."
Martin, who had been biting his lip to hold back raucous laughter, finally slipped, allowing a rather loud cackle to escape. "What made you want to try out for such a dorkfest, anyway?"
He crossed his skinny arms, offering a pout Martin's way. "Hey, I said I wanted to do things like a normal teen, right?" His pout gave way to a sly grin. "Plus, I figured it would be a nice way to meet girls."
Martin laughed again, this time in admiration, and threw his arm around Billy. "You sly dog! Hey, if it works, maybe I'll try out for next year's play."
"Don't you dare, Martin Mystery!" Diana's hands were clenched into tight fists, teeth gritted to where they threatened to chip if she did so any harder. "The theatre is serious business, and you two are just...just...mocking it!"
Once again, Billy looked up at her with that wide-eyed expression that made him look very much like an innocent child. He actually seemed a little hurt by her words. "Gosh, Diana...I really did want to be in the play."
The heat of her fury cooled from boiling to a simmer. "Sorry, Billy. I guess I'm just a little bugged about not getting to be Belinda. Congratulations on getting Kalen, though."
Billy cocked his head curiously, tendrils of synthetic hair bouncing as he did so. "You didn't get the part?" He was genuinely surprised; he'd seen Diana perform before, and she was a natural actress. Whoever was playing Belinda must be a pro or something. "Well then, who did?"
Diana shrugged. "Some girl named Maggie Thorne. But the thing is, I don't think I've ever met someone around here with that name."
"Unnng!"
An unfamiliar groan caused all three of their heads to turn; standing there, looking as if she'd just been told a dear relative had been hit by a bus, was a girl. Her bushy black hair fell into her dark, olive face and neck, tumbling over a pair of glasses and framing the freckles that dotted her heart-shaped face. In her hands was a bright yellow cane that supported her slight weight, held so tightly her knuckles were almost white from the strain. Diana's eyes widened, the floodgates of recognition bursting forth in her brain.
Maggie Thorne. Of course, how could she have forgotten so easily?! Maggie Thorne or, as most people at Torrington called her, That Girl with the Cane. She wasn't really anything special; in fact, a decent portion of the student body (and even a few teachers) didn't remember that she had a real name. She was called "you", "hey you" or, worst of all, "the cripple" by a few inept or heartless souls. Diana bit her lip, thinking that even Martin wasn't cruel or thoughtless enough to behave in such a way. Maggie, who went through the halls, as quiet and dark as a bad omen, never really interacting with people, not joining any activities, attached to nothing and nobody. She was a mystery nobody cared enough to solve.
"Hey, Maggie..." Diana's voice was high-pitched and fluttery, cautious as though she were speaking to a loaded gun and not another student. "Congratulations on making Belinda! I never would have thought you would have-" Diana cut herself off; however unintentionally, she was beginning to sound rude.
Maggie replied, voice flat and even a little bitter, "You and everyone else."
"I-I'm sorry, I never meant to be rude. I just-"
This time, Maggie cut Diana off. "It's fine, alright? I know what you meant."
"Oookay." The brunette replied, hesitantly. She didn't know a lot about Maggie. Nobody really did. But still, Diana never assumed she was so rude. Deciding to change the subject, she beamed, suddenly pushing Billy forward. He let out a startled squeak. "Well hey! While you're here, I may as well introduce you to your new costar! Billy, this is Maggie. Maggie, Billy."
Billy had no idea what to do; usually, when he froze up in front of girls, it was because they were too gorgeous for him to form a coherent sentence. But this...this was different. For one thing, she was rather short for a human teenager. For the first time in his brief existence at Torrington, he had met someone whom he could meet at eye level, and right now he had no idea whether to be grateful or unnerved. Another thing, she seemed to stare right into him, rather than at him. Her eyes were huge, and so dark brown they nearly appeared black, and they showed nothing about her. They betrayed no emotion, exposed no secrets. It was like looking into an abyss, and he didn't like it one bit.
C'mon, Billy!, he thought frantically, say something already!
"H-Hello~" The words cracked as he spoke, sliding a trembling hand forward. "It's, uh, nice to...to...Hi." The words turned to ash in his mouth as he tried to speak from under the weight of her gaze.
Maggie did not offer a hand in return. Instead, she narrowed her eyes lazily, offering a humorless smirk. "You have such a way with words. We can save the meetings for later, okay? We're going to be seeing a lot of each other in the next two months, and I'm late for class anyway. I'll see you at practice, kid. Later."
With that, she turned and began to walk away, the clicking of her cane on the tiled floors echoing throughout the hall.
"...What was that all about?" Martin had been silent for, what for him, qualified as a record amount of time. He had been as dumbstruck as the rest of them about the weird girl.
Billy let out a small whine. "I have no idea. But I think I'm starting to regret this decision."
