Hello friends! I am here! Been busy, as I've just moved in to my dorm this weekend and school starts Tuesday! Thank you to all who have been reading and all who have reviewed! :D
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Morgana raised her head from the table as the door to the Chemistry room opened and was greeted with a jittery Gwen. "No list yet?"
"Not until third hour. Luckily I don't have to go out of my way to see it because it's being posted by the choir room."
"How do you feel?"
"Terrible."
"Well it can't be that bad. You were one of the only ones called back for Belle."
Gwen fidgeted for a moment. "I know. But I still hate waiting."
"How's Lance?"
"Nervous as well. There was only one other guy called back for the Beast, and he wasn't very good, but it's still no fun waiting."
"If you two both get those parts, you'll be spending an awful lot of time together." Morgana teased.
"What are you trying to imply?"
Before Morgana could answer, Merlin raced through the door right as the bell rung. Flustered, he sat down quickly, flinging his stuff onto the table before Gaius could scold him. Morgana shot him a puzzled look and in return he gave her his signature shy, yet sweet smile. Gaius lectured for the first fifteen minutes before giving a brief explanation of the lab they needed to complete today. Morgana smiled to herself, finding she was looking forward to working on the lab. Or at least looking forward to working with her lab partner. He's a good partner, she told herself. I like working with him because he's competent. Intelligence goes a long way.
They worked through the lab efficiently, finishing before every other group. The conversation continued to flow smoothly as they answered the questions in their lab packets. They eventually reached the topic of Homecoming, and Morgana steered the conversation in the direction of dates.
"Did you guys have to go with dates at your old school?" Morgana pried.
"No, I don't think so, but I never went anyways."
"How come?"
Merlin shrugged. "I didn't really have anyone to go with, friends or a date. And I never felt like asking anyone."
"And what about this year?"
"Oh, I'm going this year. It seems like they'd be a lot more fun."
"Are you going with someone?"
"Hopefully."
Morgana pouted her lip slightly, and turned back to the questions. His secrecy was frustrating and she wished he would give her a straight answer. Or maybe it's because he can't yet. Maybe he's waiting. She scolded herself. There was no reason to get her hopes up. She couldn't even tell if he saw her as more than a friend.
"What about you?"
Morgana looked up from her packet. "Sorry?"
"Are you going with anyone?"
"I don't know. No one has asked me yet."
Gaius began speaking before Merlin could answer, and only stopped when the bell rang. Morgana wanted to pick up the conversation again, but there was no way of dragging the topic back without making it awkward or her seem desperate. She waved to Merlin and Gwen and headed off to her Post-WWII class.
~x~
Merlin was one of the first to enter the Foods classroom, butterflies in his stomach. He opened the fridge in back, double-checking the item was still there. It was. He made his way back to the table and slid into his seat. A minute later, he felt two gentle pokes in his side. He swiveled his head around and found Freya giggling at him. He returned her smile and she settled in next to him for the lesson. Ms. Lamia droned on. The clock mocked him, the minutes slowly dripping by. Fortunately, they finished up about three minutes before the bell, and Ms. Lamia allowed them to work on their homework. Knowing he already had permission, he slipped a note to Freya.
I heard there's something really cool in the back fridge. You should go check it out when she's not looking.
He knew it wasn't his best, but it got the point across. She read the note and looked up at him with an extremely confused face. He gave her an encouraging nod, and after glancing back up at the teacher, stood up from her seat hesitantly. As she walked over, Merlin turned back around and blew on his hands. They were slightly sweaty all of a sudden. Twenty seconds later, he got the reaction he was looking for. Freya squealed and faced him with a beam on her face. In her hands she held his poorly frosted cake with the single word 'Homecoming?' written on the top. By this time, the whole class had turned to see what the commotion was, and Merlin's face began to resemble a tomato. Thankfully, the bell rang at that moment and the class lost interest quickly and most bolted for the door. Freya walked over and after placing the cake down on the table, wrapped Merlin into a big hug.
"Of course I'll go with you!"
~x~
This was it. All she had to do was turn the corner, and the list would be there. All of her emotions were currently held to the wall by a single piece of tape. Before she could gather up the courage to walk up to it, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Ready to go?" Lance's voice slightly wavered, betraying his nerves.
"I think so," Gwen replied, fully knowing it was a complete lie.
Despite the twenty-foot walk to the list being an incredibly nerve-wrecking journey, it was worth it. The first two names at the top of the list were hers and Lance's. She wasn't completely sure how long they stood there, but they jolted out of their daze as the bell sounded. Gwen couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole class period, and she noticed Lance had the same problem. She bee-lined it over to him after class.
"So the read through is today?"
"Yes, right after school in auditorium."
"Ok. Wait, don't you have a game today?"
Lance nodded. "It's not until seven, so the team isn't getting there until six-ish. I'll have plenty of time."
"Nervous?"
"About the game or the read-thru?"
"Both."
"Well, we don't really do much at a read-thru, so not that. The game…yeah, I'm a bit nervous. But we have an easier team to beat tonight, so I think we'll be okay."
"Right. Okay. Uh…so we don't have to prepare anything for the read-thru?"
"Nope."
Gwen let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding. "That makes me feel better."
"Honestly, Gwen, don't worry about it. You'll be fine. The hard part is over."
"I can't wait to tell Morgana about this! Oh! And Merlin! And anyone who wants to know!"
"Well you can at lunch," Lance pointed out. "Don't you sit with them?"
"I do." Gwen's eyes lit up for a moment before taking on a mischievous glint. "Speaking of those two, they would make a good match, don't you think?"
"Merlin and Morgana? Uhh, I guess? I hadn't really thought about it. But I guess I could see it."
"Good. Because I may need your help."
"With?" Lance asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Getting them together. I think Morgana really likes him but is just too proud to admit it."
"That's Morgana for you. And Merlin?"
"I can't really tell. That's where you come in."
"You want me to find out if he likes her?"
"If you could."
Unfortunately, her plan was short-lived as she discovered at lunch that Merlin had already asked a girl named Freya. She was proud at how well Morgana had taken it, since normally she would've made a snarky remark and stalked off. She would talk to Morgana later, but for now she wanted to revel in her own excitement. After Merlin, Gwen had announced her happy news and it was received with smiles, words of congratulations, and even a few claps. The day flew by, and she suddenly found herself in her seventh hour study hall face-to-face with Arthur Pendragon. He had come over to the small table she worked at and asked if it'd be all right to sit. She, of course, had allowed him.
"So I heard the good news."
"About?"
Arthur smiled. "The musical. Lance told me you got Belle. Congratulations!"
"Thank you! I know the hard work has only begun, but its just such a relief to have the casting done."
"I can imagine. But you deserved it. You were great at the auditions. I look forward to hearing you in the show."
Gwen felt a blush creep up into her cheeks. Arthur had never been so complimentary towards her before, but she wasn't complaining. It was a nice feeling, and she was pleased to discover a kinder side to him compared to his normal confident, laid-back, and slightly arrogant attitude.
"Thank you. I'm looking forward to your game tonight."
"Ah yes." He leaned back in his chair. "We're going to win."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I have to be. If we're going to win the championship this year, we have to give it our all every game. We have to be in the mind-set to win. So as captain, I have to show my team that I believe in them and our abilities, and say that we have a shot even when I think we don't. If I do my job right, then they should be able to go out there confidently, and do all the rest."
"I didn't realize there was that pressure as captain."
"It's not bad once you get used to it. But I really want us to win for our last year here."
"I'll be rooting for you."
"Thanks. And I'll be crossing my legs, or whatever it is you theatre people do for good luck."
"You wish us 'break a leg'," she laughed.
He joined in her laughter. "That's really weird."
"It is. But Lance told me it started back in Shakespeare's time. The stage was slightly slanted so everyone could see, and the poorer people had to stand up front. Apparently, if they cried enough from your performance, it would get the stage wet and pose the risk of an actor slipping and breaking a leg."
"Hmm. That makes more sense now. Though I think I still prefer a simple 'Good Luck' before a game."
"There's nothing wrong with that. If I see you before the game, I'll tell you just that!"
He shot her another smile, which she happily returned. She hoped he would join her more often; she enjoyed having company. Plus, Gwen found herself wanting to become better acquainted with her best friend's brother.
~x~
Today was not her day. First, she finds out Merlin already asked that Freya girl to Homecoming, and now Arthur's idiot friend was trying to get her to go with him.
"But Morgana, just think about it. I would be the knight in shining armor and you would be my beautiful maiden that I've rescued from loneliness."
"I'm impressed by your use of vocabulary Gwaine," Morgana retorted. "But I don't need rescuing. I'm fine on my own."
Gwaine wasn't deterred. "But I need someone to walk out with before the Homecoming game, and I was hoping I could go with a beautiful, smart lady, like yourself."
"Think again. I'm not going with you."
"Why?"
"I don't want to. Get over yourself. You can't just flip your hair and expect every girl to fall for you."
Gwaine looked crestfallen, but he couldn't back down without fighting. "I can try."
"Good luck with that."
Morgana knew she had been cruel, but right now she didn't care. She brooded throughout art, letting Gwaine and Merlin chat without her. She felt pathetic for being upset and knew she needed Gwen. Merlin's mother directed the class to find partners and Morgana got up before Merlin could ask her. She found a freshman named Mordred, and teamed up with him, leaving a confused Merlin to work with Gwaine.
"So why, out of everyone here, did you choose to work with me?" Mordred asked, looking slightly baffled.
"Why not? You seem nice enough, and I thought I'd like to meet someone new."
"I see. You're Morgana, right?"
"That's me. How'd you-"
"I'm good with names and faces. I've seen you pick Arthur up after practice, and I know he had a sister named Morgana. It was just an educated guess, really." He seemed almost embarrassed.
"Well I think it's clever. So you're on the team?"
"Not really. I just help with the equipment. I have a pretty good kick, though, if they ever need me."
"You should let Arthur know. Just in case."
Mordred nodded. "Will do."
"So are you looking at the sports track for high school?"
"Maybe." He shrugged. "I'm trying a bunch of stuff out this year. I'm helping with the football team, I got into the musical, and I'm thinking about working on the Yearbook."
"You got in the musical?"
"Yeah, I'm Chip, the little teacup."
"That's fantastic! Two of my friends got the leads!"
"That's really cool! Gwen and…Lance, right?" Morgana nodded. "We have our read-thru in a bit. I can't wait to meet everyone."
"I'm sure they'll be glad to have you," Morgana said. Mordred was incredibly sweet, and was definitely going to win over the cast. As the school day ended, she found herself in a much better mood than before, and even said goodbye to Merlin and wished Gwaine luck at the game. She brought Mordred over to meet Gwen, and after reassuring Gwen she was all right and they would talk later, she let the two of them walk to the auditorium. Grabbing her things for the weekend, she headed off to find Arthur so they could drive home before the game.
~x~
Arthur happily dug into his chicken fried rice as Merlin scooped out some white rice with vegetables. Arthur had first been hesitant about having Merlin over, but over the past two weeks, they had gotten along quite well. After their initial dislike of one another, they had bonded over the odd and sometimes creepy comments made by their literature teacher. Arthur was grateful that he found a friend outside of the football team. As much as he loved those guys, sometimes he needed a break and Merlin was a welcome one. They had made decent progress on their project, but had ordered the food when Merlin's stomach wouldn't cease growling.
"I heard you already had a date for Homecoming," he said, between mouthfuls of food.
"Yeah, a sophomore named Freya. We're in Foods together."
"Why'd you go for a sophomore?"
Merlin shrugged. "She's really sweet and easy to talk to. And I think she's cute."
"Morgana described her as annoying and airheaded," Arthur stated.
"She can get a little overbearing at times, but she means well. She tries to be nice to everyone, even if she's not the biggest fan of them. And she may not be the smartest but she tries. Anyways, we're just going to the dance. It's not like we're dating."
"Yet. I actually thought you were going to ask Morgana," Arthur admitted.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It seemed like you guys got along pretty well."
"We do, and she's a great friend. I did think about it, but to be honest, I don't think I'd have the courage to ask her."
"It takes a brave man. Gwaine tried asking her today and she shot him down. Luckily, it takes a lot to bring that man's ego down so he was fine for the game. I'm sure his head is as big as ever since he made the winning touchdown."
"How does he do it? Just casually ask a girl like that? I had to prepare and everything."
"I'll let you know when I find out." Arthur finished chewing, then turned to Merlin. "Speaking of which, I need your advice."
"Mine? About what?"
"Gwen. I think I want to ask her to the dance, but I have no idea how or what she'll say. She's not dating anyone, right?"
"Not that I know of. Why don't you just ask Morgana?"
"Think about it Merlin. Would I ever hear the end of that?"
Merlin chuckled. "Probably not. Uhm, well I baked a cake for Freya, so maybe make something to give her so you don't have the chance of screwing up if you ask her with words? She's in the musical, so maybe do something with bells or roses?"
Arthur sat back in his chair and blinked. This kid was a genius. "That's brilliant. How did you think of that?"
"I just did the same thing with Freya. We met in Foods class, so I figured I'd bake something since our teacher never lets us."
"I like the way you think, Merlin. Thank you."
He shoveled another spoonful of food into his mouth as the gears started turning, and his mind was set on Gwen.
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What'd you think? Hopefully I can get another chapter up next weekend, but with school starting, I will be quite busy! I hope you guys enjoyed it and let me know what you thought in your reviews! See you next time! :D
