ACT 1, SCENE 6

ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS GUIDES ON NAVIGATING HIGH SCHOOL POPULATED THE INTERNET, none covered the consequences of smuggling chickens.

"Isn't it too early for senior year pranks?" he asked upon encountering Damien and Liam's attempts to control the clucking bird. After drying his hair with a towel, he entered the combination for his locker. On the top shelf rested a stack of folded clothes next to a pair of shoes.

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" Damien grinned behind the flurry of feathers.

"To get to the other side." Groaning, he hung the towel on the pair of hooks and changed out of his running shoes. 

"And what's on the other side? An education!" Liam chimed in.

With twitching hands, Aarav removed his glasses and wiped the lenses. Maybe they were too fogged up from a shower for him to see properly. However, to his displeasure, the chicken was still there when he slipped them back on. "Bring it back to whatever farm you stole it from. It doesn't belong here."

"Hey, the chicken deserves to go to school just as much as you do," Damien argued. "Besides, the whole cross country team is in on it and you're the captain."

"As captain, I say return the poor helpless chicken to whatever home you two kidnapped it from." His nostrils flared while he pulled a jacket over his t-shirt and straightened the collar. Right after he shut the locker, his foot spasmed with a sudden, pulsating pain. 

"Come on, it's senior year. Lighten up a little."

Ignoring Damien, Aarav grabbed his foot and pressed a palm against the bottom, stretching it back until the pain ebbed into a tolerable throbbing. "I have a spotless record and I'd rather not add animal theft to it."

"Are you gonna snitch to Coach Steiner?" asked Liam.

Aarav rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "No, but if anyone asks, I had absolutely no involvement in this."

Without another word, he grabbed his bag and stalked out the locker room, shoulders relaxing once the door shut behind him. 

A second after the warning bell, he slid into his usual desk in the middle row of AP Calculus. His hair was still damp from a shower, and dark eye circles stained his skin. If it weren't for cross country, he could've gotten an extra hour of sleep, but Coach Steiner had been increasing practices. Not to mention that he also had theatre rehearsals, schoolwork, NHS organizing duties, and debate club. Add in college applications, and Aarav found himself running on too little sleep and too much caffeine. 

Simultaneously fixing her makeup, Iris Saetang slid into the chair in front of him, and scanned him up and down. Her skin was smooth and perfectly powdered—no hint of dark circles under her hooded eyes.

Abruptly, she paused from her lip gloss application. "You look like hell."

"I'm tired." The first period bell hadn't even rung and already Aarav wanted the day to be over. 

"You always are." Humming a lilting lullaby, she rummaged through her Chanel bag and thrust a pale glass tube of cream at him. "Concealer fixes everything." 

Shaking his head, Aarav offered her a half-smile. "You and I have completely different skin tones." 

The teacher finished scribbling the agenda on the whiteboard. 'Group project' glared at him in bold black letters. Gritting his teeth, Aarav stifled a groan. Group projects always had one person doing 99% of the work—mainly him—while others contributed only by writing their names on the back of the poster. Hopefully, the teacher would be merciful enough to let everyone choose their own groups. 

"I'll be randomly assigning groups for this project."

Alas, this math teacher had no mercy. No, she was leaving the fate of his grade all up to a spinning wheel. 

"Aarav Deshmukh," she announced and made notes on the board. Once again, she clicked the start button, and he held his breath, watching the wheel spin round and round before slowing to a halt. 

"Iris Saetang." 

Iris poked his shoulder with a fluffy pink pen and grinned. She was smart, a straight-A student and a hard worker. Even if the third member ended up not contributing, having one more person who'd participate would significantly reduce the workload. It appeared the universe had mercy after all.

"Madison Aster." 

Alas, Aarav had spoken too soon. What an unbelievably wicked world. His eyes scanned the room and landed on the redhead in the back row, focused on her phone, feet resting on the desk.

"Miss Aster?" The teacher cleared her throat and folded her arms. 

"What?" Madison looked up and her brows furrowed while snickers spread throughout the students. 

"If you aren't too busy with your phone, please join your group." 

Her eyes narrowed once she read the board, and she shot a venomous glare in Aarav's direction. In response, he whirled around and stared dead ahead. Madison walked over to the pair and dropped her bag at the desk in the next row. Iris scooted next to her and began to fuss over her hair, nimble fingers combing through the red locks.  

The teacher continued organizing groups then passed out the rubric. "This project will count as a test grade. Remember, tests are worth 60% of your average!" 

Absently calculating his possible scores, Aarav spun his pen around between his fingers. His major grades already averaged to a 100, meaning he needed a perfect mark to ensure his overall average wouldn't drop. He adjusted his glasses and scanned the prompt. A presentation on solving and explaining a specific math concept. Seemed simple enough. It was just having to agree with Madison that would be difficult. 

"We can meet at my house after school," she announced. "I'd rather just get this over with." Her gaze lingered on Aarav for a moment and her nose scrunched in disdain. At least they both agreed they couldn't stand each other's company. 

"How about tomorrow? Or 6:00 pm? I have theatre rehearsal after school." 

She rolled her eyes. "The play's such a waste of time. I mean, it doesn't even look that good on college apps." 

"Maybe colleges would like to see other extracurriculars besides Model UN," he retorted. 

"I also have cheer practice," Iris said softly. She looked between the two and paused braiding Madison's hair. "If it's okay with you, Madison, I'd rather start at 6." 

Madison sighed theatrically. "Fine, we'll meet at my house at 6."

. . .

It wasn't every day a squawking chicken covered in rainbow paint crossed your path when you were heading to play rehearsal. Jackie stopped and stared at the bird racing down the hallway, leaving behind colorful paint globs on Westminster's formerly pristine marble floor while a rowdy group of boys chased after it. 

"Like it? It's one of this year's senior pranks," said a voice. Jackie let out a strangled squeak and turned around, coming face to face with Liam Sinclair.

She laughed nervously and wrapped her arms around herself. She snuck a look at his face—those striking blue eyes. Her cheeks burned and she hastily reverted her gaze to her shoes. "Isn't it a little too soon for senior pranks?"

"Now you're sounding like Aarav." Liam laughed and started to walk alongside her. "Do you want me to carry your books for you? They look a little heavy." 

Jackie shook her head. They were a hassle to carry around since they didn't fit in her bag, but she didn't need Liam knowing the cheesy romance novels she spent too much time reading.

"You don't talk much, do you?" He playfully nudged his shoulder with hers.

"What? I do talk. What do you want me to talk about? The weather? It's sunny. That's so nice, don't you think?" She shook her head, trying to find something more interesting to ramble about than the weather. Did he think she was mean? Or didn't like him? That had never been her intention. 

"We should get to know each other better then, both of us being leads and all." He flashed a disarming smile that made her heart flutter. 

Jackie bit her lip, trying to stop the heat from rushing to her cheeks. It was too soon to be getting infatuated with someone. It was easier to lose herself in books than to deal with reality. The stories, solidified in print, were constant and unchanging. 

Liam held open the door for her and Jackie smiled gratefully. Just like the romantic lead in a novel. She shook her head, steeling her mind solely on the present. She didn't need to get carried away with theatrical daydreams. Straightening her shoulders, she walked in and passed Aarav sitting near the front. He was leaning back in his seat, arms folded, head tilted forward and eyes closed like he was asleep. She suppressed a giggle. Even when he was taking a nap, he looked like he was constantly thinking. 

As if on cue, Aarav awoke the second the time turned to 3:00 pm. It was like he was internally wired to always be on time. Though considering his nature, Jackie wouldn't be surprised if he actually was. His dark, intense eyes fixed on her. Her breath caught in her throat and she raised her eyebrows, trying not to shrink under his gaze. Measurements were scheduled for today so she slipped away to meet Aaliyah in the dressing rooms.

Framed in bright lights like a movie set, two rows of rectangular mirrors lined the walls. The room was cast in a warm yellow glow which gave it an almost comforting atmosphere. Every surface was spotless with not a fingerprint on the counter or a crack on the mirror glass. Unlike her last school where rooms were small and cramped with old equipment, Westminster's dressing rooms were kept in the best condition. 

It shouldn't have been a surprise to Jackie, but she couldn't help marveling at the luxury of it all. It somehow made her theater dreams feel more real.

Aaliyah roped the measuring tape around Jackie's waist who delicately held out her arms. She had a pair of headphones resting around her neck. Humming to herself, Aaliyah jotted down the circumference in centimeters on a clipboard.

Aaliyah shifted behind Jackie and moved the tape from shoulder to shoulder. She continued taking measurements for costume fittings, eventually winding up wrapped around the girl like a python. Her skin was cold to the touch—almost like marble.

Jackie giggled and tried in vain to stay still. Her shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "That tickles." 

Aaliyah detangled her limbs and stepped back. "Sorry."

She hopped on the edge of the counter and allowed her legs to swing back and forth. Carefully, the girl leaned forward so that her chin rested on Jackie's shoulder. She was wearing ripped jeans and converse along with her usual musical tee. This time it was a Rocky Horror Show shirt. "You're new here right?"

"Yeah, my mother remarried and now I have a new house and new school and new family," Jackie explained. 

Aaliyah clicked her tongue and toyed with her studded nose piercing. "That's rough." 

Jackie bit her lip and twisted the ends of her ribbon tighter around her finger. Then she straightened up and flashed a bright smile. "No it's great. Change is good." 

Aaliyah blinked at her sudden change in demeanor but refrained from pushing the issue. Instead, she simply shifted back and crossed one leg over the other. "If you say so."

"Well, what about you? What's your family like?" 

"God, totally annoying." Aaliyah snorted and shook her head. "I was a blessed only child for ten years and now I'm stuck with two heathens for little brothers." 

Jackie glanced at her hands and picked at the chipped red polish on bitten nails. She'd never had siblings, not until Madison. Sure, her dad found a new family, but she didn't count her other stepsisters—not when she only saw them once every Christmas.  

A knock sounded on the door and both girls looked up. "Jackie, you there?" called Anahi. "Time for us to run a scene." 

"Be right out." 

Jackie combed her fingers through her ponytail and secured her red ribbon before heading to the stage.

"Get ready. We're running through the climax today." Aarav gave her a curt nod before moving to talk to the other actors. She opened her mouth to speak but he was gone before the words could form. 

Quietly, Jackie flipped her script to the proper page and headed to the stage. Notes in rainbow ink filled the margins from things to improve on from past rehearsals. The other actors took their positions, including Liam and Anahi Gomez, a sophomore who was playing the sorceress. Jackie didn't know much about her, only that she didn't speak often. 

Liam flashed a disarming smile while Anahi's face remained impassive. She nodded silently in acknowledgment, more focused on scanning over her script. The group started at Mr. Wilson's signal. Jackie inhaled a sharp breath and tried to stay in character. Every now and then, she glanced back at Aarav. His eyes intently analyzed each movement, and he made marks on his clipboard with the occasional whisper to Mr. Wilson.

She swallowed and forced out the next line. The words were drawn from her lips like tape being yanked from the row. It was harder to be impressive at Westminster than at her old school. Aarav's expression remained unreadable and eternally locked into a poker face. Did he play cards often? He would be good at it. Jackie dug her nails into her palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks in the skin, and tried to focus on her lines.

Was she really worthy of participating in a national competition? Someone else, someone better, should've been casted in her place.

"Okay, let's stop here," Aarav declared. "Why don't we try the scene from the top again?"

Jackie shook her head to refocus and walked to her original position. She gasped as she stumbled over her own two feet but managed to stay upright. Anahi raised an eyebrow, dark eyes boring into her skin. She swallowed hard and tried to straighten her posture. Before her, the other actors continued with the scene.

Liam strode over to Anahi and raised his fake sword. He scowled and pointed the tip at her throat. "You're not welcome here, witch," he spat venomously. 

Comfortably sliding into the role of a wicked sorceress, Anahi smirked and simply nudged the blade aside with the flick of a wrist. "Don't waste your breath, Leon. I've only come to claim my father's property," she said. Her narrowed eyes fell upon the red pendant dangling from Jackie's neck—a borrowed item from the prop closet—and her head turned sharply. 

"What..." The words dried on the top of her tongue. Jackie shook her head and checked the script. Why was she constantly forgetting her lines now? Last week, she knew the words by heart.

"What do you want from me?" she said finally while disapproval flashed across Aarav's face. Mr. Wilson's demeanor remained stone cold. 

"Don't pretend. You know exactly what I'm talking about," Anahi snarled without missing a beat, her impressive lamprophony unshaken by Jackie's poor line delivery. Remaining perfectly in character, she stalked over to Jackie and reached for the necklace. "Father has sent me to collect the knight's heart. A little price to pay for Leon rewriting reality and bringing you back to life." 

"You can't have it!" Jackie clutched the pendant and backed away. Anahi lunged at her and clawed at the gem while Liam lept forward to hold her back. 

Jackie intended to deliver her next line but stumbled and tripped over air before falling backwards. She twisted and reached out her hands to break the fall, wincing when sharp pain jolted through her wrists. In mere seconds, Aarav was in front of her. He firmly gripped her arm and pulled her up. She caught a whiff of an earthy scent—his expensive cologne. 

"Alright, why don't we take a ten minute break?" he asked. People cleared the stage and Aarav stopped Jackie once she'd walked off the steps. 

"What was that?" he hissed. "Mr. Wilson and I cast you because we saw potential during auditions. Now your head is somewhere completely different."

"Sorry." She bit her lip and reached up to undo her ponytail. She twisted the red ribbon around her finger until it turned purple. What was Jackie supposed to tell him? That she was getting imposter syndrome just a few weeks into rehearsal? 

"I'll do better next time," she promised.

His eyes narrowed and he waved a hand dismissively. "I don't care for words and empty promises." 

"Sorry," she said again, feeling like a broken record. She wrapped her arms around herself, hunching in her shoulders. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." 

His expression softened. "It's fine. I just... really want to win this competition." 

"I know." Jackie released a rattling breath. "I'll get my act back on track." 

"I'll hold you to it." Aarav offered her a crooked half-smile.

When rehearsal resumed, Jackie's performance ran somewhat smoother. However, she couldn't shake the anxiousness from being under Aarav's scrutiny, those dark eyes that could pick out every flaw. But he seemed at least a little satisfied with the improvement so she allowed herself to relax. It was unrealistic to expect a perfect performance in a matter of minutes. She had to remind herself that she still had time before opening night. 

When the rehearsal ended, she headed outside to the school parking lot. Her eyes scanned the area for Madison's car but it was nowhere in sight. Jackie sighed and pulled out her phone to text her stepsister, only to be greeted with a notification. She grumbled upon reading the new message. It was just like Madison to forget about picking her up. 

She looked around for someone to ask for a ride. Hands in his pockets, Liam was exiting the theater after most people had left. His hair shone gold under the bright sunlight. He raised his eyebrows when he saw her approaching. His lips quirked up into an easy smile that sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. How could life present someone so ridiculously good looking to her?

"What is it?" Liam asked. 

Jackie bit her lip, trying to resist the urge to turn around and run before she could embarrass herself. "Can you give me a ride home? My stepsister bailed on me."

"Sure thing." His smile widened, teeth flashing white, and sent a tingle through her body. There they were again, those pesky butterflies. Jackie regained her senses and nodded quickly. Hopefully, she didn't seem too eager. 

"Alright, follow me."

Liam turned the key in the ignition. So self-assured without a moment's hesitation. He and Aarav were similar in that regard.

Jackie glanced out the window, admiring the grand gated estates with sprawling green lawns. One house even had a golf course to accompany the expansive pool. The blatant display of wealth reminded her how she stuck out like a sore thumb in the glamorous private school. The rich ran in exclusive social circles with well-established cliques. Not at all welcoming for a fish out of the water.

"Thanks for the ride," she said when the car pulled to a stop in front of the Aster mansion.

"Wait a minute." Liam leaned over the window and rested his arms on the edge. "I was thinking we should hang out more. It's nice being with you."

She squeaked in surprise, and her cheeks grew warm. Was it noticeable? Jackie prayed it wasn't. "Yeah, of course! That'd be nice." 

She silently thanked the love gods that she'd managed to churn out a coherent string of words. Maybe it was because she'd worn more red than usual today. Lucky, lucky red.

By the time Jackie made it home, her heart was still pounding a mile a minute. For a second, she allowed herself to hope that Liam could one day like her back. It was a cute daydream to entertain, but as idealistic as the girl was, she knew how impossible it was. Life wasn't a movie with all the puzzle pieces falling perfectly into place. Guys like him didn't fall for girls like her.