Here's another chapter! It starts on the same day the last left off. Thanks to all who read, reviewed, favorited, and all that good stuff. This chapter is dedicated to PolkaPizka. To the chart…
Nina plays Mick/Fabian plays Mara/Patricia plays Jerome/Amber plays Fabian/Mick plays Patricia/Mara plays Alfie/Jerome plays Amber/Alfie plays Nina
Joy was instructing her housemates practically the second the school day was over. "I think it's time we took this up a notch."
"Are you sure about that?" Alfie asked, looking rather unsure himself. "We don't wanna risk losing Nina to the jock side permanently."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mick asked him defensively.
"Whatever it means, I'm not going anywhere." Nina assured the others, laughing lightly. "I'm still me."
The previous year had been much too crazy for Nina to truly discover her love of acting, but just because she had didn't mean she was going to get lost in her character's world.
"Well, anyway, like I was saying," Joy went on. She wasn't trying to be rude to Nina, but she didn't want to lose her housemates' attention. Or her train of thought. "I think we should treat the project like a contest today. Whoever goes the longest without breaking character-"
"Gets to be my new best friend." Jerome finished jokingly, though no one else found that laughable. Especially not Alfie.
"Oh, so you're replacing me, is that it?" He asked this casually, though he looked hurt.
"Well, I find that necessary since you're gonna be spending all your time with her." Jerome clarified, gesturing to Amber, who glared.
"She has a name, and I'm not going anywhere either." With that, Alfie pulled his girlfriend closer to him, and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder, while sharing a smile with Nina.
"I was going to say whoever wins gets to pick their own prize," Joy told the group over Amber's surprised giggling. "Whether it's no chores for a month or-"
"All the money in their wallets." Jerome dreamt aloud.
"We better make sure Jerome doesn't win, or else we'll all go broke." Mara thought aloud. The others laughed, knowing she was saying that in character. When Trudy walked into the living room, the laughter stopped abruptly. The kids could tell she had something to say, and they had a feeling they weren't going to like what they heard.
"Wonderful news, Dearies. Alfie's parents will be joining us for supper tonight. Mick's father as well."
With the way Mara whined in reply, it was as if Trudy had told everyone they would have to go without supper that night. She dragged her feet all the way to the staircase.
"Where are you going?" Patricia asked, slipping right into character.
"To go change." Mara answered. Then, in a mocking tone, she added: "Gotta make myself presentable."
Nina's only reaction to the news was to stand frozen for a while. She hadn't thought about what she would do in this situation, and because of the contest, she couldn't ask Mick for acting tips. Realizing this, she was off and running without another word. To escape the drama before it even started, and try to clear her head. "Oh, be back in time for supper, Love!" Trudy called out after her.
She handled that well. Mick thought, since Joy couldn't deduct points from his score based on thoughts. And because running is exactly what he felt like doing.
"Tense?" Amber asked Nina, once she returned from her run, washed up and got changed.
"No." Nina answered, much too quickly.
"You certainly look tense." Amber told her.
"I'm not tense, man." Amber sent Nina a questioning look, and held it until she gave up the act. (Amber had to check up on her best friend. That was her job whether she was in character or not.) "It's just," Nina said finally, pausing when she realized she was about to admit something that Mick would probably have trouble saying. It was a weak point, and he never liked to acknowledge those. " My dad only comes here when he wants something from me. It's like you with your uncle Ade."
Amber gave Nina a hint of a glare, that quickly softened into a look of guilt mixed with sympathy. "Maybe he's sorry for that." Amber seemed through with her thought, but Nina knew the part she'd left out. The part about how it related to Fabian and Ade. I know I am. "And if that's the case," Amber continued as she led the way to the dining room, "I think you should forgive him."
The words evaporated as soon as the girls saw the three new places set at the table, and Nina gave only half a nod as they sat down.
Mick was trying his best not to break a sweat. He wasn't supposed to be nervous. He wasn't allowed to be nervous. Patricia had nothing to be nervous about.
What were the odds that both Alfie's parents and his dad decided to visit on the same day? The universe could be so cruel sometimes, it made Mick lose his appetite altogether. That didn't matter though, because 'constantly snacking' wasn't something written in Patricia's character description.
What mattered was how Mick's father would react to seeing him dressed like a goth, especially since his eyeliner and biker boots were still some serious attention-getters. Mick's father had barely gotten used to him not wanting to be a doctor. With no breaking character allowed, this would not go over well.
Patricia sat across from Mick, broodingly. He guessed that was because she was sticking to her role, and Jerome probably hated the show Alfie put on for his parents.
Despite the fact that Mr. Lewis made it seem like he would rather have Jerome for a son. It was getting old.
"It wastes less energy acting boring." Patricia stated, as Mara sat down next to her. She had finally decided on what to wear, thinking that her uniform was the best option, since it had worked for Alfie. She gave Patricia a questioning and confused look, unsure of what she was getting at. "That's your justification, isn't it Alfred?"
Alfie's ears perked up at this. Not just because Patricia had said his name, but because it sounded like she was tearing Mara down. He expected that treatment from Jerome from time to time, but to hear a remark like that coming from someone else was hard to ignore.
"As long as my parents are happy, I'm happy." Mara said, though it was obvious she didn't think that way.
"So just as long as they never find out who you really are, there won't be any problems?" Patricia asked, making everyone at the table look at her. They were trying to figure out if she was channeling her own anger from another situation -if what she said honestly reflected the way she felt about Alfie's act- or if she was just trying to be as in-character as possible.
Jerome figured Amber would interject at that point -going by the way her glaring eyes darted down to avoid being spotted by Joy and being booted out of the contest -and he didn't think he could take much more of the arguing. "Leave Alfie alone!"
Patricia scoffed. "At least I'm looking out for him. What kind of girlfriend just sits back and lets this happen? Especially after the way you normally treat him. If you ask me, that's more humiliating than this charade."
Patricia may have been looking at Jerome, but Amber felt all that talk was directed toward the real her. Even though that meant Patricia was playing her role well, hearing that was hard to handle. "Jerome, I think you should just stop talking before you say something you'll regret." Amber said, trying to keep calm. And leave the quiver out of her voice.
"You don't see a problem with the way he's acting?" Patricia asked. With that, a bit of the truth shined through for Jerome. It was possible Patricia was speaking her true feelings. Still asking for honesty. He couldn't speak up about it though, or else he'd be out of the contest too.
"I think it's Alfie's decision." Amber answered.
The more the others talked, the more Alfie thought he might actually be sick. The fact that Joy had her camera rolling didn't make the situation any easier. This wasn't something Alfie wanted to relieve. He related to his character in a way unknown to him, using her accent as a defense mechanism. "Guys, if you're not gonna drop this, can we at least save the fighting 'til after supper's over?"
"Oh, you mean after the show's over?" Patricia countered.
"You've made your point." Mick said, sounding rather annoyed. And he was. Just because he liked Patricia didn't mean he thought she could do no wrong. He knew what she was doing: trying to get on someone's nerves, and make them break character. Mick wasn't going to let that happen, but the only reason for that was if he was in character, he was under no pressure.
Mr. Lewis looked at Joy -who was trying to hide behind her video camera- with quiet scorn. He and his wife had only just sat down at the dining room table. They'd walked through the front door and into a world of utter chaos, in his opinion. Joy was the only one he could take it out on, since she wasn't playing a role. The others kept their heads lowered and shoveled food into their mouths, afraid to speak once he did. "This is ridiculous."
"Please just go along with it." Joy quickly turned from Alfie's parents to Mr. Campbell, who was dead-set focused on his son. More specifically, the clothes Mick was wearing. The gaze was unnerving. It was as if Mick was a car accident, and his father just couldn't look away no matter how disturbing the sight was.
Mick, Alfie and their actresses felt lower than dirt.
Until Mrs. Lewis directed her attention to Mara. "How are you?" She asked this in a motherly tone.
"Marcia," Philip said -before Mara had a chance to answer- in a scolding sort of tone. "You're not honestly taking this seriously."
"Why not?" Rory asked. "It could be fun."
"Fun?" Philip practically spat back in reply.
Fun? Mick's thoughts echoed. He was shocked to learn that his father still remembered what fun was.
"So, what's new?" Mrs. Lewis asked, apparently in agreement with Rory.
At that point, Jerome quickly looked to Mara, his eyes pleading. She read his expression, and knew exactly what he was asking: "Please don't bring me up. " His silent begging was answered by a smirk that settled on Mara's face. This told Jerome just what was coming next. Fabian caught the whole exchange, and had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing. It was moments like that which proved to him that Mara wasn't one-dimensional, and he should stop treating her like she was.
"Amber and I are dating."
Jerome dropped his fork, while Mrs. Lewis shared a warm smile with her 'son'.
Mr. Lewis didn't even flinch. Alfie hoped that was because he was against playing along, and not against Amber.
"What's new with you, Mick?" Mr. Campbell asked Nina, who was just as stunned as the real Mick. Anything new with him wasn't really a topic to discuss over supper.
"Not much." Nina answered. The way she was dressed told Rory that his son hadn't changed much on the outside, but that didn't have him anywhere near convinced that nothing was different.
"So, how long have you two been 'stepping out', then?" Mrs. Lewis asked, unable to keep from giggling at her own choice of words. Fabian and Nina would've exchanged looks if the rules allowed it, but there was no need to. Amber and Alfie took care of that for them. While they looked nostalgic and a tad embarrassed, Fabian felt a pang of guilt. The last time he'd heard those words, was the last time he'd seen his uncle.
"Oh," Mara said, as if it strained her brain to think back so far. "I'd say about eight hours now." She was joking freely, figuring Philip wouldn't react. No participation meant no consequence.
Jerome rolled his eyes, but laughed. "It's not official yet." He said this figuring he had a right to, since Mara put him on the spot like that. Plus, with Amber's way of thinking, that was probably true.
Mrs. Lewis was happy, but she didn't have much to say besides "Congratulations." This didn't surprise Jerome. Mostly all she did was 'yes' her husband to death. There wasn't much room for her own thoughts, being that he always had to be the center of attention. It was obvious she didn't like arguing, and with Mr. Lewis refusing to join the act, that wasn't much of an issue.
He didn't want to play pretend. To Jerome, that was such sad irony.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. To break it, Joy stopped filming and brought up the footage from the previous game, showing it to Mr. Campbell.
"That's very impressive." Rory said, seeing Nina score the winning goal. She would've believed him better if he'd backed his praise up with a smile, but he couldn't go deeper than that. He couldn't relate since it wasn't his passion, but Nina could see that Mr. Campbell was trying to be supportive. Which had been a challenge ever since Mick had failed to get his scholarship.
"Thanks." Nina answered, annoyed with herself. She couldn't understand the way she was acting. Mick's father walked in the room and suddenly it was as if she'd gone mute. Rory and Mick might not always be on the same page, but at least they communicated. Nina mentally scolded herself as she imagined her score plummeting. This was a major failure for her.
"Dad?" Mara said, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. She had Alfie gripping the table as if he'd fall out of his chair from being so mortified if he didn't. "Don't you have anything to say about Amber and I dating?"
The look in her eyes expressed the same plea for acceptance that Alfie kept hidden just below the surface of every loosely rehearsed word he'd ever said to his father.
For a second, all Mr. Lewis did was make himself blink. Then, he looked at Mara. It felt more like he was looking through her when he said: "This girl is no good, she'll only distract you."
Everyone put their forks down as they held in gasps, while Joy put her camera back in the case, too upset to use it anymore. Mrs. Lewis sat speechless, with wide eyes. Alfie and Amber looked down at the table, to avoid their eyes -that briefly glazed over- from locking.
Mara was amazed that Mr. Lewis agreed to play just to insult his own son. She wondered how Alfie could stand not to break character, and figured it was probably just easier for him to keep quiet. But it had to be killing him inside, because those cruel words weren't just meant for him. They were directed toward Amber as well. And Alfie didn't let anyone malign her. Not even his father.
If Alfie wouldn't stand for it, Mara had to play her part. Even if that did mean another argument.
"Aren't you happy for us?" With that question, she made everyone turn their attention to her. She was sticking to her role, but speaking her character's thoughts. Something Alfie had never done in front of his father before, no matter how much he wanted to. Mara understood that anything concerning Amber was an exception to that rule.
"Excuse me?" Mr. Lewis asked, his anger hushing any hint of surprise in his tone of voice.
"Don't talk about Amber that way. If anything, she keeps me in check. And this is the happiest I've ever felt." Mara said, having no idea how well she echoed Alfie's thoughts. And as much as he hated how his father acted, Alfie didn't want his mind spoken.
Mr. Lewis seemed to barely hear what Mara had said to him. "Why exactly would you need to be kept in check? Doesn't Jerome do that for you, anyway?" He might have looked Patricia's way when he said that, had she not been part of the collective glare the housemates were giving him.
"Funny you should mention him." Mara answered, glancing over at Patricia. She knew something was coming. She could almost see the gears turning in Mara's head. "He, uh, inspired me today." Alfie would've interrupted at that point, but he was stunned into silence.
"What do you mean, Alfred?" Mr. Lewis asked. By his tone, it seemed his anger had dissolved, and he was genuinely curious. Conversely, Alfie was absolutely horrified.
"He inspired me to be myself, no matter what you think about it… and that takes a lot. That means standing up for the people I care about and for myself, talking about aliens, pulling pranks," The more Mara said, the more her housemates gaped, and the more it seemed Mr. Lewis would have a heart attack. The group hoped the worst was over. Then came Mara's afterthought: "and having food fights."
From the look on Alfie's father's face, his outrage was evident, but he didn't get a chance to voice it.
Something snapped inside Alfie.
There was no way to undo what Mara had just done. The pride in her voice had chilled him to the core. Her tone had taunted him, trying to get him to crack. He knew he had to get his anger out somehow, or else he would explode. Before he could think anything through, something happened. Something that was beyond his control.
Alfie found himself standing up, and before he knew it, a handful of mashed potatoes ricocheted off Mara's face and got onto her uniform. A smirk surfaced on Alfie's face. "You mean like that?"
In that moment, it didn't matter that Alfie had just broken character. Or that the housemates were in the presence of three adults. Mara couldn't decide whether to laugh or scream and -to her shock- found herself throwing food back Alfie's way, and causing a chain reaction. The food fight was in full swing.
In the frenzy, Mick managed to focus on three things. He saw that Mr. Lewis had reached his boiling point, but could do nothing but sit there and scowl as food flew past him in all directions, while Mrs. Lewis resisted the urge to join in.
What Mick found most surprising, though, was that his father couldn't help but crack a smile…
Thanks for reading, PLEASE REVIEW! Favorite part? Anything you want to elaborate on? Let's put it to a vote: Who do you want to win the contest, and what should their prize be? I'll update ASAP! =]