ACT 2, SCENE 5

FOR ONE BRIEF, EARTH-SHATTERING SECOND, JACKIE CONSIDERED ASKING HER STEPSISTER FOR ROMANTIC ADVICE. 

Yes, she knew running to Madison for favors was like selling your soul to Satan. But she was desperate. Really desperate. Like nerve-wrackingly, can't-form-a-coherent-thought, constantly-blushing desperate. All because Liam Sinclair, one of the most popular guys in school and the leading male actor of the play, had told her he liked her. 

Liked as in romantically liked her? Or simply liked her? 

Probably romantically. Why else would he kiss her? Unless people kissed their friends on a daily basis. Needless to say, Jackie was terrified and she had no clue what to do. She couldn't go to Má either, who would no doubt scold her on focusing on boys. Má often complained she was too starry-eyed with her head in the clouds. Not that her mother was wrong, but Jackie wasn't in the mood for another lecture.

Asking Aaliyah for had only resulted in one three-word response: Ask him out. Which was reasonable, but she was looking for a less terrifying solution. And being the new kid, she had no other friends to turn to unless she wanted to annoy Aarav. Was Aarav even her friend? They were on good terms. Probably. Hopefully. Sure, he helped her with math and they talked sometimes, but she didn't fit the mold of his other friends—smart, put-together, all-around talented at everything. 

Besides, he could be prickly sometimes. Like a cactus, but he often complained about hot weather. A cool autumn cactus? His friend Iris was nice but Jackie had no contact with her other than the occasional wave in hallways. She didn't even have the girl's number to text. 

So Madison it was. Jackie would march up to her bedroom door, knock on it, and ask politely for advice. However, the second she approached the towering entrance to her stepsister's lair, all plans flew out the window. She stood frozen with a hand raised mere inches away from the wood. Squeezing her eyes shut, she counted to eight. Lucky eight.

She had only reached seven when the door swung open and smacked her in the face. 

"Ow," Jackie hissed and stumbled back, a hand reaching to her cheek. Already a throbbing welt was forming on her skin.

"Sorry!" Then Madison's green eyes narrowed and she folded her arms. "Wait, what were you doing outside my room?"

"Um." She gulped and craned her neck up to make eye contact. Even without her usual heels, Madison towered over her. "Can I ask for a favor? Like advice?" 

An eye roll. But, fortunately, not an immediate rejection. Madison sighed. "Fine, wait in my room. I'm getting a drink and I'll be back." 

Uneasily, Jackie found a seat on the edge of an armchair. In contrast to the rest of the Victorian-styled mansion, her stepsister's room was chic and modern with creamy white walls and a sleek gray platform bed. Resting on the desk was a shiny new laptop and on the nightstand was a pile of gold Apple devices. She twirled the ends of her hair ribbon. The bedroom was harmless enough, but she was afraid what kind of torture lay in wait for her. Was Madison playing a cruel trick?

True to her word, her stepsister returned shortly with a blue Gatorade dangling from one hand. Her red hair was ironed straight and pulled back into its usual perfect ponytail. Even in casual clothing like a t-shirt and leggings, she looked put-together. Gods, Jackie needed an hour to get ready if she wanted to look halfway presentable. 

"So what did you want to ask me?" Madison took a seat on the bed and crossed one leg over the other, the epitome of grace and elegance. It was surprising she wasn't a ballerina. She could belong in a production of Swan Lake. 

"Boy advice?" Jackie looked down and toyed with her hands. Her legs dangled restlessly from the armchair. Even sitting on the edge, her feet barely graced the hardwood floor. "How do you get a guy to like you?

Another eye roll. Madison seemed to do that a lot around her. Not that Jackie was surprised; Aarav could get annoyed with her too. Come to think of it, the two were pretty similar. Although both of them would demand her head if she dared voice that aloud. 

"Okay, who are you even talking about anyway? The answer depends a lot on the guy."

"Liam," she squeaked. 

"Typical," Madison scoffed. "He's like the dude you think is cute and amazing. Then you realize there's better options out there."

Jackie sighed. Of course, Madison would judge. She should've thought better than to ask her stepsister for advice. "Never mind then."

She was halfway to the door when Madison ordered her to sit back down. She leaned forward in an uncharacteristic display of sisterly affection. "Look, I'm just saying that Liam probably isn't the best guy for you."

"What do you mean?"

"You're too dreamy. You want this perfect romance, but Liam's not like that. He goes through girlfriends quickly and doesn't bother with commitment."

"Maybe this time will be different." Jackie gritted her teeth and her cheeks burned. What did Madison know anyway? She never talked to Liam whereas Jackie hung out with him nearly every day. Her stepsister couldn't judge his character, not when she barely knew him.

Madison pinched the bridge of her nose. "You came here asking for advice. I'm going to tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. If you don't like that, you can get out."

"Fine." This time Jackie walked out without turning around. 

"Don't bother crying to Aarav either," Madison called after her. "He'll tell you the same thing I did." 

Jackie slammed her door shut when she exited, consequences be damned. As she scurried down the stairs, she half-expected a scream of anger to follow her out but the house remained silent. Forget it, she'd follow Aaliyah's advice and talk to Liam. Screw what everyone else said. She liked him, maybe he liked her, and she was going to pursue a relationship with him. 

She made it only a couple steps out the house when she realized she couldn't drive and also that she didn't know where Liam lived. So dramatically and slowly, she turned around and walked back inside to her room. Jackie decided she would wait until Monday came at school. Not to mention that she'd have to talk to him anyway.

And her idea for the upcoming winter carnival. Aarav's only response had been to speak with Mr. Wilson. Jackie knew it was a shot in the dark but it had been the only solution she could think of. Her first year at Westminster, her first time achieving invitation to a national competition, and it was all about to go down the drain because a sponsor had backed out. God, she thought going to a fancy private school prevented money from being a problem. Looked like she was wrong. 

Jackie flopped on her bed, mimicking the theatrical collapse of a fainting woman in an old movie. She had come so close to achieving her theatre dreams and the universe had yanked it all away along with doling out a heap of boy troubles.

. . .

The following day after classes ended, she strode through Westminster Academy's ended with her head held high. No slouching this time. No hunching her shoulders to make herself smaller. This time, she had a plan. It was an absolutely wondrous plan that would definitely work. It had to or else everyone's following of making it to nationals were doomed. She walked into the theater about ten minutes early and headed up to the front, near the stage, where Mr. Wilson and Aarav were engaged in a heated conversation. 

Aarav's hair was tousled, some ends sticking up haphazardly, in contrast to its usual neatly-combed state. His jacket hung crookedly off his lean frame and his shirt was wrinkled. For the first time in forever, he looked like a mess. People like Aarav didn't enter school sloppily dressed. People like him had everything together. For once, the chinks in his armor were clearer than day. 

The two turned to look at her and Jackie gulped. She was about to hunch over and hug her arms around herself before she remembered her plan. She kept her posture straight and faced them both. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat. "I have an idea for a fundraiser since, you know, we need the money." 

Aarav had been the first to know, being the student closest to Mr. Wilson, but news of the drama department's budget cuts had spread like wildfire. There was no hiding anything from the theatre kids. Not cast lists and not anything that would jeopardize their play. 

"I sent out a series of last-minute scholarship applications." Aarav rubbed his eyes, which were marked with dark circles. "It might not cover the deficit, but it could help."

Jackie's smile widened. Leave it Aarav to immediately be working on a solution. This made things easier. Her plan didn't have to be wildly successful. It just had to work enough to close the monetary gap the scholarships didn't. Mr. Wilson inclined his head and indicated with a hand for her to speak. 

Again, Jackie cleared her throat. "Since the NHS winter carnival is coming up, I was thinking we could participate. We made a profit from opening night and the subsequent rehearsals, so people enjoyed our performance, right?"

"What are you getting at?" questioned Mr. Wilson. Aarav held up a hand, eyes willing her to continue. She offered him a grateful smile. 

"We can do an immersive performance for the carnival. Like a haunted house or some sort of maze."

Mr. Wilson drummed his fingers against the top of his cane. "That is a wonderful idea, although it would be time-consuming. Enough people must be willing to stay overtime for rehearsals."

"I'm willing to volunteer!"

The teacher smiled, his kindly eyes crinkling. "And I'm grateful for your enthusiasm, But Jackie, it's December. Midterms are coming up and others may not have time. We may not be able to prepare anything at all."

"Fine, what about a can toss? Dart throwing?"

"Already taken by the photography club and the tennis team," said Aarav. "Actually, all the simple booth ideas are. The extracurriculars that need the money most got a headstart."

"So we probably have no other options."

"Selling candy canes?" Mr. Wilson suggested.

"The art and yearbook clubs are already doing that. Westminster's limited it to two extracurriculars selling them at a time."

"This sucks," said Jackie. She collapsed into a plush red chair. 

"It was a good idea though," Aarav reassured. "It's just going to be hard getting enough people to participate."

Jackie toyed with the ends of her hair. She didn't care about midterms, not particularly. All she needed was to pass and with Aarav's help, math was no longer an issue. Of course, her mother would get on her case for her imperfect scores, but she didn't mind too much. However, the theatre group was filled with students similar to Aarav: straight-A, academically driven people who were taking heaps of advanced classes. 

The auditorium started filling up when more students filed in for rehearsal. In the crowd, she spotted Liam, his blond hair gleaming under the artificial light. Her feet itched to rush over him in excitement, but Jackie clenched her fists and tried to keep the giddiness contained. Mr. Wilson still needed to make the announcement about the winter carnival, and she couldn't allow herself to focus on frivolous things like romance until she knew her idea would work. 

Upon noticing Aaliyah, Jackie scurried over to her friend. The girl's smooth umber skin glowed, complimented by her shiny black curls. She was an effortless sort of pretty, the kind that looked great without any effort. As usual, she donned a musical tee paired with ripped jeans. This time it was a Hamilton shirt with the sleeves rolled up. "Hey, stranger," Aaliyah drawled and gave her a smile.

"How was your weekend?"

"Ugh, lame as always, aside from the cast and crew party. I had to watch my siblings."

"How many do you have?"

"Five. All younger brothers."

"Five?" Jackie's jaw would've fallen to the floor if it wasn't attached to her face. Aaliyah nodded in confirmation. "I only have one stepsister and that's too many siblings."

Madison's words rang in her mind and she was overcome with an urge to ask Aarav. Would he say the same thing as her stepsister? 

The sharp clap of Mr. Wilson's hands made her head snap up. Immediately, the auditorium fell silent. "As I'm sure most of you heard, our theatre department has been undergoing budget cuts after a sponsor withdrew funding. If we cannot raise enough money, we may not even be able to compete in Center Stage."

A series of horrified gasps and whispers spread throughout the crowd. Mr. Wilson raised a hand for silence and continued, "One of our students had an idea of us doing an immersive performance for the winter carnival. It will be like a maze and our actors will interact with anyone who participates."

The horror was replaced with murmurs of disbelief. "But what about exams?" called out one girl.

"Yes, we have taken that into account. The carnival will be strictly voluntary, but we need enough participants to successfully create a maze and prepare a simple act. I'll send out the link for a sign-up sheet and you all are free to do as you wish." Mr. Wilson cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. "Now, I'll hand the reins over to Aarav so we can start rehearsal."

Aarav stood and moved to the stage, dark eyes gleaming like black jewels, a clipboard in his hands. "Alright, stage crew, move behind the scenes and prepare for cues. Actors, get into places. We'll start running from the first scene."

There was a flurry of footsteps and shuffling bags while everyone hurried to their places. Jackie headed to the dressing room to change and tugged out the old costume from the rack, not the new one intended for competition. It paled in comparison but she wasn't complaining; at her old school, students often had to scavenge at thrift shops for their own costumes. 

The beginning act proceeded smoothly enough, with effects following as planned and the actors moving on cue. The opening of the second act involved an intensely choreographed fight scene, complete with prop swords. As expected, everyone was all too happy to wield a weapon.

Driven against the wall, the duo of Jackie and Liam found themselves surrounded by the black-clad soldiers—ensemble members following after Anahi, who played the sorceress. Jackie dodged another attack, but wasn't quick enough and was met with a (fake) slash to the cheek—just below her eye. Gritting her teeth, she sliced at the string of lanterns overhead. They swung forward and slammed into the sorceress' minions. 

In the distraction, she jammed an elbow into an opponent's throat and swung the sword into another's eyes immediately after. A sharp kick to the gut sent her spiraling to the ground. The rocks scraped against her arms and her mouth tasted of blood. Grunting, she hurled a fistful of dirt at the attacker's face. Jackie leapt her feet in seconds with her sword ready in her hand.

The deafening clash of steel against steel rang in the air, mainly due to the backstage sound effects than the actual swords, which was made out of wood. 

While a sword swung at her hands, a fist cracked across her chin. Harder than she was used too. Jackie's vision blurred. This wasn't supposed to happen. The script hadn't called for this. The hit wasn't actually supposed to make contact.

Everything was too bright, too loud. A hand flying to her head, Jackie stumbled back and was kicked again in the stomach. The ensemble continued, not realizing that she was no longer faking. The momentum sent her tumbling into a nearby prop cart, which tipped over and sent her falling into the ground.

Black spots swam before Jackie's eyes, and the edges of her vision darkened inward like a tunnel stretching out ahead. The ringing in her ears grew more incessant by the second. Yells filled the air and the people before her blurred. 

"Oh my god, I'm sorry!" exclaimed a voice. It sounded far-away, like she was underwater. 

She blinked rapidly and her eyes steadied. Gradually, her vision cleared. Jackie was face to face with Liam, who was leaning over her with furrowed brows. An arm settled on her shoulder and when she turned, Aaliyah was beside her, eyes filled with concern. 

"Are you alright?" Mr. Wilson called while he and Aarav climbed onto the stage to check on her. 

"Yeah, just…" Jackie shifted upright and rubbed her forehead. "My head kinda hurts."

"I'm sorry! In the middle of the scene, I didn't realize I actually hit you," said one of the black-clad girls.

She forced a weak smile. "It's okay. I'll be fine."

"Gods, why does this always happen?" Aarav muttered with the shake of his head. 

Jackie giggled despite her throbbing face. "It's the theatre ghosts. They placed a curse on me." 

He rubbed his temples, hand covering his face. "I hate how I can't tell if you're joking or not." 

After a moment, she struggled to her feet. Her head spun from the sudden movement and she clung onto the nearest person—Aaliyah—before the onset of blurriness ebbed away. No harm, no foul. Jackie was right as rain. It'd take more than a couple falls to take her out—a fortunate fact due to how clumsy she was. 

Rehearsal, thankfully, continued without any more mishaps. There was an instance in which she almost fell off the stage (again) but managed to catch herself in time. When it ended and she finished changing, Jackie caught up with Liam outside the school doors. He was standing alone with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Liam," she said softly and headed over to him. The winds lifted the ends of her ponytail, her breath visible in the cold air. 

"What's up?" He turned to look at her, and his lips spread into an easy smile.

"Well, I kinda had something I wanted to talk to you about." Ducking her head, she stared down at her feet, her cheeks burning red.

"What a coincidence. I did too."

"Really? Okay, you first."

"What, no! Ladies first!"

Jackie furiously shook her head. "No way. You go."

"Okay." Liam released a deep breath. "I was kinda wondering, do you want to go out with me? Maybe after school one day… like a date?"

"A date," she echoed. The red of her skin deepened. A tingle spread throughout her body, and she hit her tongue to keep from screaming in excitement. "Yes, yes, I'd love that."

"Really?" Liam's eyes blinked in surprise and he rubbed the back of his neck. "So when are you free?"

"How about next Wednesday?"

"Alright, it's a date."

"It's a date," she repeated and smiled so wide her face felt like it might break.