"Ugh, damn it..." I groaned while staring at my reflection. I was stuck in this bizarre crow outfit, which included a black shirt with blue feather shoulder pads, black jeans, a beak perched on my head, and blue makeup smeared across my face. Plus, I had to hide my cuts with bandages.

I can't believe I let Rachel convince me to do this. I grabbed the script and felt confused about which lines were mine. How the hell am I supposed to learn all this in under an hour? I guess I'll just have to improvise.

When I stepped onto the stage, I tried to remember my lines, but it was tough, and I almost blanked out. It wasn't until Rachel took my hands and knelt down that I really focused.

Prospero (Rachel): Spirit, take my hands, most faithful friend. For but a little longer I beseech: continue in thy service to my schemes. And when they are complete, I swear to thee- We shall fly beyond this isle- the corners of the world our mere prologue. I'll seem to make thy happiness so great the even the name of liberty's forgot. What sayest thou to my most hopeful wish?

Right now, she's speaking as herself but still keeping her character. Wow, her eyes are so green... It feels like she's hinting that she should propose to me.

Ariel (Aiden): Yes.

Prospero: I am most pease. Your duty, is done for now.

After I finished my part, I stepped off the stage and Juliet gave me a big hug, saying, "That was awesome!" I couldn't help but grin at her excitement.

Nathan followed me, looking super nervous. He barely got a few lines out before he started to lose it. "Fuck you," he mumbled as he left the stage, and honestly, he kind of had it coming.

While the play continued, I watched Rachel shine as the star. Everyone was taking their bows together, and even though Rachel wanted me to join her, I hesitated. Eventually, I pushed myself to step out on stage.

"Did you have fun?" she asked, pulling me forward. I joked, "If I live for a thousand years, I'm never forgiving you for this," while smiling. We both bowed with the rest of the cast.

Once backstage, we changed out of our costumes, which I really didn't like, but I kept that to myself. "So, do you still want to hang out?" Rachel asked. I replied with a grin, "As long as it doesn't involve another play, I'm in!" "Come on, you enjoyed it," Rachel said, giving me a little push on my shoulder. "I guess so. It's hard to say," I answered. With that, we headed out of school to find something exciting to do.

We strolled down the quiet streets of Arcadia Bay, where everything felt still. The streetlights were glowing, and a few houses had their lights on, creating a cozy atmosphere.

"Holy shit, did you catch the expression on Keaton's face when you stepped onto the stage?" Rachel exclaimed, bursting into laughter. "I was shitting myself!" I replied, chuckling along with her. "He was shitty himself!" Rachel added. "He definitely owes me a favor," I said.

Tonight felt amazing. There was nothing to stress about or feel down over. Honestly, it would have been even better if Chloe were here. "What if I told you that the whole success of our show depends on you?" Rachel joked, imitating Keaton. Why did her laughter make me feel so good inside?

"I've never had such an incredible experience on stage before!" she said, relishing every moment. I couldn't help but grin at her excitement. "I just love the nights after a performance!" she exclaimed, twirling around a streetlight.

"Isn't it always like this for you?" I asked her with a grin. "Absolutely! It's such a thrill! Without any nerves holding me back, just pure adrenaline. So, as a newbie, don't you feel proud? You were amazing tonight; I was really impressed," she said, standing right in front of me.

"I'll just be relieved that I won't have to do anything like that again. The last twelve hours were totally wild," I said, laughing. "Yeah, you really went through a lot today," she sighed.

"Right now, it feels pretty great," I told her. "It's almost magical," she said, smiling and reaching out her hand. I took her hand, and we strolled for a few minutes until we paused under a streetlight.

"Aiden, we really need to get out of here!" she exclaimed, releasing my hand and twirling around the streetlight. I wasn't sure if she was being serious or just playing around.

"Remember how you said you wanted to leave this town for good? Let's make it happen!" she urged, her excitement clear. I hesitated, thinking about how upset Chloe had been when Rachel mentioned it before.

"Aiden, you can't let her hold you back! I know you want this," Rachel insisted. I felt anxious as I rubbed my neck and replied, "I do, but I can't help but think about Chloe." "Why not just go now? We talked about this onstage!" she suggested.

"Chloe and Aunt Joyce... I know things are tough right now, but I can't just abandon them," I said, feeling a knot of guilt in my stomach. "That doesn't sound like you at all, Aiden," Rachel responded, her voice filled with disappointment.

"I'm all they've got left, and..." I started. "Yeah… I remember how angry Chloe was about me leaving and that Aunt Joyce would be better off without me if I was just causing problems. David doesn't need me either. So, why the fuck not?" I said, feeling sad at the idea of leaving them behind.

"We can figure it out together. I've got enough money to start us off. I always get birthday money from my dad," Rachel told me. I couldn't help but smile when she said that.

"Alright then, Drama Queen. Where is it that we're going?" I asked her eagerly. "Why don't you tell me? What twisted, unique location does Aiden Price and Rachel Amber equal?" she asked me. "How about LA? You can give me the grand tour of it?" I suggested.

"You've made the right choice. It's always 60 degrees every night. We'll be on the Santa Monica pier, gorging on food truck food. A blonde girl will sit next to us and smile at you flirtatiously. She'll say, 'I like your muscles' and I'll say, 'Back off, he's with me," I said, showing off her impression of a LA girl.

I jokingly pushed her away and said, "Come on, you're joking, right?" She twirled around, full of energy, and asked, "Isn't this time of night amazing? It feels like anything can happen!" But I was starting to feel uneasy.

"Rachel, wait a second. If what you're saying isn't real, it's really bringing me down," I replied, but she grabbed my hands tightly. "For fucks sake, I'm dead serious right now!" she exclaimed, pulling me into the middle of the street with her.

We spun around, laughing like we were kids again. "Aiden, what would it take to change your mind?" she asked, looking deep into my eyes. My heart started to race, and I realized that if I wanted to make a move, now was the time. I couldn't let this moment with Rachel slip away.

I moved closer to her and gently cupped her cheek with my left hand. "How about this?" I suggested before leaning in to kiss her.

As we kissed, we wrapped our arms around each other, and she had to rise on her toes to reach me. Her lips felt just as soft as I imagined, and for the first time, I felt completely at ease.

When we finally broke the kiss, we looked into each other's eyes. "Was that good enough?" she asked with a playful grin. "Yeah-" I replied, and she quickly leaned in for another kiss. I held her waist as we stood beneath the streetlight, and after about 15 seconds, we finally pulled apart.

Our faces were bright red from what just happened, and it was even more amazing than I thought it would be. "Wow," I exclaimed, still shocked that we had actually kissed. "Yeah," she replied, resting her hands on my arms.

Suddenly, ash began to drift down from the sky like snow, interrupting our moment. "I think this means we should get out of here tonight," Rachel said, reaching out to catch some of the falling ashes.

"Are you really ready?" I asked her. "If you are, then I am too. Let's head to my place to grab some clothes and other things," she replied, beginning to walk toward her house. "Are you saying we need stuff for both of us?" I questioned.

She took a look at what I was wearing and she gave me a sly smile. "I gotta say, you look good with my brother's clothes on you," she told me. I couldn't help but smile at what she said. "Sweet. Let's do it," I told her as I cracked my knuckles.

"Then, we're getting the hell out of Arcadia Bay," Rachel replied. I brushed some fallen ash off of her hair. "Perfect," I told her. And with that, she grabbed my hand and we made our way to her house.

*X*

Rachel and I were now having dinner with her parents. We all sat down at the dining table.

Rose (Rachel's Mom): So, Aiden, are you and Rachel in any of the same classes?

Aiden: Just a couple but our grades are what's different about it.

Rose: What about the fire?

Rachel ended up choking on her water when her mom asked that. They didn't know she caused the fire.

Rachel: Dinner's really good, Mom.

Rose: Thank you, Rachel. That fire is spreading so fast. I haven't seen anything like it.

Aiden: Yeah. It's pretty crazy. A wildfire comes from a hate crime or something.

I wanted to punch myself in the face for saying that. Man, I don't think before I act sometimes.

James (Rachel's Dad): Passion? What does that mean?

Aiden: Uh… I have no idea. You tell me since you're the DA.

Yep, nice save there.

James: It's certainly troubling. The latest report from the commissioners office suggests arson.

Rose: Arson? Why would anyone do that?

James: Any number of reasons. With everything going on in the world today, even a town like Arcadia Bay isn't immune to the ills of society.

Rose: I cannot imagine how difficult these last few months have been for you, Aiden. Now that you and Rachel have become friends, I want you to know that our home is always open to you.

Aiden: Thank you.

Rose: Well said dear. It's imperative that in troubled times like these we remember what's important to us. Family.

Man, that's really rich coming from this guy. He was coming off as too pretentious for me.

Rachel started to fidget around and she eventually glanced down at the table as James kept talking about what family really was. As if he would know.

"That's true! Remember, Rachel, when shit is the lamest thing ever, you can always run away from what's bothering you. As long as you stay calm," I said, glancing over at Rachel, who gave me a pissed off look.

"Interesting philosophy, Aiden," Rose agreed with me. "Yes, indeed. Not that I would endorse however. I would favor confronting my problems head on. But to each their own," James said. The way he said that got under my skin. It took everything in me to not blow up on him.

"Fucking blow me," Rachel spat quietly, but they heard her. "Excuse me?!" Rose exclaimed. Without thinking, I threw my fork on the ground on purpose to act like I dropped it. "Oh! I'm such a klutz. Rachel, can you help me find another fork?" I asked.

"Stop it, Aiden," Rachel said, sounding more pissed off than before.

Rachel: I can't sit here and listen to this bullshit anymore.

James: Rachel!

Rachel: Stop it, dad. You're a hypocrite, okay? I know! You lying, cheating, piece of shit motherfucker!

James: Excuse me?!

Rachel: We saw you. Yesterday. At the overlook.

Rose: James?

Rachel: Kissing that woman!

Rose: James?

James: Rachel, honey, whatever you saw or think you saw... I know it's hard but I need you to trust me.

Aiden: Trust you? How the fuck can she trust you when she saw you playing tonsils hockey with some other woman. Best part is, she and I use the same drug dealer! So you can go fuck yourself for that!

James: That's enough! You are not welcome here or around my daughter any longer! I know exactly what kind of person you were from the moment I saw you, and I let my

wife's compassion get the better of me.

Aiden: Oh? What kind of person am I?!

James: A delinquent. A broken boy from a broken home.

Rose: That's enough, James! I will not have you continue to speak to him like this!

The argument got more and more heated for the next few minutes. Then, Rachel shot out of her seat, grabbed the salad bowl and smashed it through the table, shattering the glass on it. That got us to stop arguing instantly.

"Why can't you just tell me the fucking truth!? Stop lying! Stop being a politician for one fucking minute! Can you just… be my dad?" Rachel yelled right at him, sounding more tearful than before.

"Rachel… that woman you saw… wasn't my mistress. That as your mother," James explained, causing us to be speechless. What the fuck just happened…?