A/N: I am so excited as I'm writing this. We are moving toward some PIVOTAL chapters. Moments I dreamed of since starting this story are on the horizon and I even started penning some of it already, hahaha.
With me saying that, this chapter is a bit short but the next one will be pretty great LOL!
I'm considering opening up a social media account...somewhere. I can't stand Facebook and I used to like Twitter (I refuse to call it X). Still kicking around the idea so others can reach out or want to share my stories with others, like fans who don't go to this site. But until then, I'm always reachable by private message and I usually respond quickly, so don't be shy!
Alright, let's get into it!
"THAT'S SO GREAT!"
Alice's enthusiasm shook the whole table.
"Yeah, congrats you two" smiled Mia. "Gotta say it makes sense and yet it doesn't."
"What does that mean?" asked Chase.
"You and Lauren," the girl replied. "I remember when you couldn't stand each other."
The pair in question looked at each other for a moment.
"Well, that was a long time ago," Lauren smirked. "He's...grown."
Chase blushed.
"Was he that bad?" Jenna asked.
Mia finished the last of her soda before responding.
"Oh, he was an asshole."
"Mia!" said Alice.
"No, no, she's right."
Jenna and Alice both looked at Chase.
"I was a piece of work in the beginning."
Being the newest members of the group, they didn't know of a Chase different from the soft-spoken musician they see now.
[FLASHBACK]
"HEY!"
Mia looked at the tall boy who brushed past her.
"Didn't mean to push you," Chase huffed. "Some idiot pushed me, and you were right there."
"You're not from around here, are you?" Mia said, picking up on the slight southern accent.
He furrowed his brow at the brash girl.
"Oh, look. We got a detective," he smirked. "You undercover? Is this some 21 Jump Street shit?"
Mia narrowed her eyes.
"You should really watch we're you're going, country boy. Los Angeles is a crowded town. Not as much elbow room as on the 'ol farm."
Chase chuckled and put down his backpack.
"You wanna go, little miss sunshine?"
Mia took a big swig of her bottled water like she was a box getting hyped up in his corner.
"I'm gonna knock you so hard, your brother-slash-daddy is gonna feel it!"
Soon, a crowd gathered nearby, chanting: FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
A girl's voice cut through the mayhem.
"SERIOUSLY!"
Next thing both of them knew, Lauren got between them.
"Who are you?" asked Chase.
"The girl wondering why you're about to lay a hand on my friend!"
He was taken aback by the girl's energy. She was dressed rather festive with bold colors. And yet, she had fire in her eyes.
She didn't look like someone to trifle with.
"I wasn't going to!" Chase protested. "I bumped into...whoever she is...and she over-reacted."
He quickly scooped up his bag and sighed.
"I'm sorry I bumped into you. It was an accident."
Mia folded her arms, her gaze falling on Lauren, who silently encouraged her to be the bigger person.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I talked to you like you were a stupid hick."
Chase shrugged.
"Actually, I've been called worse."
He turned to Lauren.
"Thanks for talking some sense into us."
Her face softened at the newcomer.
"Well, I gotta go."
Chase walked past the disappointed students that they were denied a scuffle.
Later that week, Mia and Lauren were talking at lunch when a familiar face appeared.
"Hey," he said.
The girls looked up at Chase. Lauren made a warm smile while Mia kept herself neutral. Guarded.
"Hello," Lauren said.
"Would you two mind if I sat here? One of the tables is being repaired and...seats are comin' up short."
The two exchanged looks and scooted over to make room for Chase.
"Thanks," he said.
It was pretty quiet for several minutes, everyone just eating.
"So, how do you like the school?" Lauren finally said.
"It's...different," Chase nodded. "The people seem nice...well most of them."
The Latina stuck out her tongue at him.
"And just what are you in here for?"
"Music," he said. "I'm learning on the guitar. What about you?"
"Singing," Lauren replied.
Mia had her mouth full but answered anyway.
"Dancing."
Chase smiled.
"What was that?" Mia said after swallowing.
"Nothing," he chuckled. "I think it's cute."
"CUTE!"
"What's the problem?"
"Listen you!"
Lauren rolled her eyes as she sat between the two bickering fools.
[END OF FLASHBACK]
"Sounds like you both calmed down," Alice observed.
Mia looked at Chase.
"Yeah, we're cool now."
"Uh-huh," he agreed.
"Okay, going back to the contest, why next spring?" asked Jenna.
Lauren explained, "The Cataclysm is an in-demand venue toward the end and beginning of the year. All those itty-bitty industry awards that don't get televised."
"But that's okay," Chase said. "More time to practice."
Mia's phone beeped and it was a text from Ethan.
She discreetly read the message: "COME TO THE PARK 2NITE. HES ONLY GONNA BE THERE 1 DAY."
She texted the reply that she would be there.
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Shapiro?"
The teacher acknowledged Geoffrey in the doorway.
"Yes, sit down."
The student complied and Rob leaned against his desk.
"Let's get right down to business, Geoffrey" he began. "I've been getting complaints."
"Complaints?" he asked.
"About your conduct as director of the play."
The redhead's eyes grew big.
"What?"
Rob folded his arms.
"Don't be coy, Geoffrey. You've been my student more than once. I know how you are."
He shrugged, "Dedicated? Passionate?"
"More like a perfectionist," Rob countered.
"Sorry if I wanted it to be good."
Watching the senior scoff at these complaints tells him he hasn't learned anything.
Last year, there was a Hollywood Arts production of Williams Shakespeare's Macbeth. And Geoffrey was select as the director.
It was meant to premiere that fall but it didn't come off. Why? Nearly everyone walked out and the whole thing had to be cancelled. You can't exactly replace 90% of your people at the last minute.
The thing is, Geoffrey up to that point did everything himself. Whether it was writing a soliloquy or making a short film, he rarely (if ever) utilized a team in any way. Obviously making something as large as a stage play requires people skills that Geoffrey appears to lack. One has to be a leader, to inspire everyone to do their best work.
Geoffrey was treating his cast and crew like cattle.
"Who said these things?" he asked.
Rob sighed.
"I would like to keep the person confidential. But they told me that you openly insult your fellow students and have stormed off numerous times."
"This whole thing is being blown out of proportion!"
Now Geoffrey folded his arms and held them tightly to his chest.
"I know you want the production to do well," Rob said. "But this isn't the way to do it. Maybe micromanaging and breaking down others gets results in your eyes, but the byproduct is that everyone is miserable. This is their play, too! Shouldn't they have fun making it?"
The teen got up to leave.
"Mr. Shapiro, I need to get to my next class."
"Fine, Geoffrey, but listen to me."
"Yes?" the redhead asked.
"If you don't cool your jets, you will be replaced as director. I don't want a repeat of Macbeth."
That bothered him quite a bit.
"Great, thanks." he said as he left.
Mia wasn't used to this.
Friday nights were the normal time, not Thursday nights.
Ethan wasn't usually like this, but it sounded important.
"There you are!" he said to Mia who was out of breath.
"Sorry," she huffed. "Took longer for mom to go to sleep than expected."
"Come on, he's waiting."
The pair joined up with Mike and Renee.
"There she is!" the girl exclaimed. "It's been a minute!"
Mia nodded.
"Yeah, I know. So, where is this guy?"
Renee pointed to a man sitting in a white van with the back doors wide open.
The scraggly-looking adult took the cigarette out of his teeth.
"Is your posse all accounted for?" he asked, impatient.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ethan replied. "Do you have it or what?"
The man turned and crawled further into his van and came back with a brown paper bag.
"Here."
Ethan slowly took the bag and looked inside. He sniffed it and quickly closed it.
"How much is this?" he asked.
"Enough to open a kiosk at the mall," he grinned. "As long as you kids know a gram from an ounce, you'll do fine."
He hopped out of the van and closed the doors.
"I'll be back next Thursday for my cut of the profits. And I know the current price, so don't stiff me, got it?"
Ethan nodded.
He signaled for Mike to put the brown bag into his backpack.
"Ethan, the fuck?" Mia whispered.
"Relax," Renee said. "This is just a side hustle along our regular hustle."
He broke it down for her.
"One of our rubes gets grifted, he's feeling down, why not buy a little weed?"
Mia was not feeling this at all. It was one thing to be a skateboard shark. This was drugs.
"It's no big deal," smirked Mike. "Just a little never hurt."
"Think of it as cross-promotion," said Ethan.
"Yeah," chimed in Renee. "Like weed and skateboarding never intersected before."
The gang laughed but a worried Mia hung back, trying to keep a straight face.
What they were doing was already risky to an extent. Drugs, despite the relatively harmless marijuana, could take things to another level.
California wasn't as draconian towards weed as other states and the country as a whole has softened tremendously since the days of the "Reefer Madness." There was still a war on drugs as it were, but authorities and government entities were more focused on much more harmful substances like meth or the cocaine trade which was awash in the blood of civilians.
Marijuana had been shown to have benefits that outweigh the cons. However, one had to be a licensed dealer with an above board dispensary. It was still against the law to peddle it on the streets.
And Mia knew this.
(I've got a bad feeling about this.)