ACT 2, SCENE 6

Aarav took one look at the gaggle of first graders—complete with snotty noses and sticky hands—and promptly turned the other direction. "Great, just what I need: a group of mini failed abortions," he muttered under his breath.

"What's an abortion?" asked one boy who had the audacity to run after him and yank on his jacket. 

Aarav cringed at his food-stained fingers and pulled away. "Do me a favor and don't repeat anything I say to your parents. Also, get out of my sight." 

In typical defiant six-year-old manner, the boy only clung to him tighter, so he growled in annoyance. 

"I'm not going to say this again: let go of me." Aarav wrenched his arm out of the kid's grip and straightened his jacket. Gods, it was one of his favorites and now it was smeared with ketchup fingerprints. His nose wrinkled, and he walked twice as fast to the maze. 

It was an impressive display of cardboard and metal and metal carefully pieced together to resemble winding icy walls. Already, a light layer of snow dusted the maze, only adding to the winter wonderland effect. His lips curved into a small smile. Well, color him impressed--Jackie's idea had really worked. He couldn't believe the extra hours spent after school helping to build the maze actually paid off. Aarav still had dried blue paint caked under his nails. 

Other booths populated the entirety of the football field: the usual carnival toss games, hot chocolate stands, a dunk tank with heated water, a bonfire to roast s'mores, sleigh ride. Hell, there was even a fake igloo full of arts and crafts. Aarav slid his hands into his pockets and leaned against the ticket table, surveying the hyperactive screaming kids running across the grass. Their breaths puffed into the air like smoke. He almost wished he'd brought his little sister, but the energetic six-year-old would've been too much of a handful on top of managing the maze. 

Aarav looked at the list over Aaliyah's shoulder. She was wearing glasses now in place of her usual contacts, which were fogged up just like his. "It's great so far. The kids love it." 

He looked up to see Liam play-wrestling with a group of four or five, having completely forgotten his act. The blond tipped his head back and released a convincing roar that sent the kids into a fit of screams. "You can never hope to defeat the snow monster!" he bellowed and packed a series of snowballs.

He tossed one at a little girl with pigtails and she dodged aside. "You can't catch me!" she squealed and threw one back at him. It missed wildly yet Liam collapsed on the ground and let out a moan of agony in fake defeat. The kids excitedly piled on top of him and he allowed them to pelt him with snowballs. Despite himself, Aarav allowed a small laugh to escape and shook his head. 

"He's surprisingly good with children," commented Aaliyah.

"I wouldn't say surprisingly," replied Aarav, remembering how much of a goofball his friend was. Growing up, Liam used to say he wished Aadhira was his sister so he'd have a sibling. Liam was an only child, so Aarav supposed it was understandable but the blond had something he never would at home—peace and quiet. 

"I think Jackie might like them too. They're a good match."

"He and Jackie?" Aarav's brows furrowed while he recalled the school dance. The girl had insisted on changing herself for him, and even though they successfully danced together, he couldn't see a relationship between them ending well.

"You didn't know? He asked her out on a date last week."

"Didn't tell me." His jaw clenched slightly before he forced himself to relax. When they had been in elementary school, Liam told him everything. His friend couldn't go a day keeping his mouth shut. 

A little boy bounced up to the table and thrust two tickets at the jar, followed by an exhausted parent struggling through the snow with an armful of crafts in his hands. Walking over, Aarav helped the man carry them over and set them on the table. "We can keep these here for you if you want."

The father shook his head. "He'll never let me hear the end of it if I left his things behind."

Typical child logic. He couldn't have said the same for himself. Amma would've scolded him for getting too many crafts at once if he'd asked her to help carry his projects. She had the same attitude when it came to Aadhira winning carnival prizes at the amusement park. Aarav watched silently while the boy grabbed his father's hand and dragged him into the maze. The man reluctantly followed behind but did so nonetheless without a single complaint.

He remembered one time he'd come home crying in kindergarten after an older kid, taller and faster than him, had shoved him into the dirt for the entirety of recess. Amma had simply shaken him until the tears stopped and ordered him to hit back. His parents typical response to every issue. Fight back. Stand up. Because their family didn't lay down and weep. Their family never quit. Their family never gave up.

And yet Amma had prepared a steaming cup of chai all for him. She had even added extra ginger, just the way he liked it. Aarav's hands curled inwards. While multiple parents would relax their rules when it came to the younger children, they treated Aadhira no differently. Unfortunately, that led to the six-year-old getting into a series of fights in school and coming home with complaints about how the kids wouldn't stop making fun of her food or the way her skin looked. 

In a private school full of the white and privileged, they would never fully belong, no matter how wealthy their family became. Aadhira learned to fight back tooth and nail, swinging her little fists at even the kids twice her size. And of course, he would force his parents' signatures on every consequence note sent home for her, knowing they would never approve of disciplinary action no matter the excuse. 

One time he had told her to stop, that there were other ways to fight back. "But fists are faster," she had insisted and clung tightly to her elephant. 

"Can you take over?" Aaliyah's voice sliced through his thoughts. "I'm grabbing a cup of hot chocolate." She stood to her feet and stretched her arms. 

"Sure." Aarav slid into the metal folding chair and twirled the pen around his fingers.

"Do you want a cup too?"

"Nah, too sweet."

"And you're too bitter," Aaliyah teased and elbowed his arm before skipping off. 

A middle-aged couple stepped up to the stand with two dark-haired kids in tow, one girl and one boy. The girl's mitten-clad hands curled around a steaming mug of hot chocolate while the boy gnawed on a sticky candy cane. The father dropped their ticket into the jar. 

"No food or drink in the maze," Aarav ordered and tapped an empty space on the other side of his table, indicating for them to set down the cup and candy cane. The girl immediately obeyed while her brother crammed the entirety of the candy cane into his mouth and started crunching away, his cheeks bulging like a chipmunk. 

When he'd finished, the family headed into the maze and the girl gave him a little wave. Begrudgingly, he waved back before marking the list before him. The interminable hours passed monotonously, Aaliyah coming and going every now and then. She grew easily restless without anything to do with her hands, her boundless energy going unstimulated. Backstage, she was a force to be reckoned with. Sitting still in a chair, she found herself with nothing to do. 

Aaliyah rested her head on the table and groaned once more. She'd already finished off seven cups of hot chocolate and taken a bathroom break. "Is this ever going to end? I don't know much more I can take of screaming children."

Aarav looked up as yet another parent being dragged along by their child dropped tickets into the jar. This one had dirty hands and a chocolate-smeared mouth. He cringed at the stained ticket and stifled a sigh before checking his phone. Three hours till nine. The next longest three hours of his life. But at least he could add volunteering his update for Stanford. 

"This competition better be worth it," Aaliyah muttered. 

"It'll be the experience of a lifetime. Just think, New York of all places. The home of Broadway."

"Yay, Broadway," she said drily. "It's getting harder to be excited by it. I keep getting chased by a kid every time I go get hot chocolate."

"They sniff out hatred. They find the person who's most allergic to them and that's who they cling onto." With a hiss, Aarav pushed his glasses up his nose. 

"I haven't seen you get attacked by children."

"I haven't moved from this table since I got here. One kept grabbing my jacket earlier."

"What'd you do?"

Aarav sighed and rested his head in his hands. "Nothing good."

Just when he closed his eyes, Aaliyah shoved his shoulder. Hard. "Don't go falling asleep on me. I can't make it through this torturous ordeal alone."

He tipped his head back to the skies. "Oh, I'm dying. I can feel it, my life energy leaving me, slowly drained away by all the children." 

Aaliyah laughed again and poked him with her pen. She poked him a couple more times before setting it down. "There, that should revive you." 

Aarav folded his arms and straightened up in the chair. The cold did little to numb the exhaustion that plagued him, no thanks to a lack of coffee. His parents hadn't replenished the supply for days and offered no explanation as to why his credit cards had suddenly been cut off. Why would they be denying him caffeine of all things? He barely had enough energy to make it through an entire day, much less one with screaming children. 

As if on cue, a boy charged into the table and slammed his hands on the surface. Then, he dramatically collapsed into the snow and waved his hands wildly. Aarav and Aaliyah shared a look as though to silently ask what the hell went on in his head. A disgruntled mother tugged him to his feet while carrying a toddler at her hip. Despite the layers of foundation caked on her skin, the dark circles under her eyes remained invisible. Her hair was slipping from its bun, long brown wisps framing her face. 

Unlike her, his Amma had never looked anything less than polished. Her black hair was always pulled back in a sleek up-do, her clothes neatly pressed and never stained. Appearances in his family meant everything. She never chased after him the way other parents did. One look from her carried the expectation that he would remain quiet in public, following the proverb of children are to be seen and not heard. Aarav couldn't recall the last time she resembled anything other than an accomplished businesswoman who dominated a tech company.

Sometimes, he wished she did.

. . .

Giggling, Jackie followed Liam through the maze. Glistening snow dusted her black hair and her cheeks flushed red from the cold. One snowflake landed on her chin and she flicked it away. In his presence, her mind was a compilation of giddy thoughts, a tangle of fluttering butterflies. She couldn't stay in character well, not with him in close proximity. Luckily, it didn't matter as the kids and parents appeared entertained anyway by Liam's snow monster impersonation. Immersive theatre indeed. If only the Center Stage awards could take such a performance into account. 

She tucked a stray lock behind her ear and knelt down when she saw a girl wandering through the handcrafted maze. Her skin was a light golden brown, unlike the series of other pale-skinned, pink-tinted kids who passed through. It was rare to see a person of color in the neighborhood. Also unlike the other kids, this one wasn't followed after by an exhausted parent. 

"Are you lost?" Jackie questioned and tilted her head. 

The girl nodded and her bottom lip wobbled. "I came here with my sister but I ran off and now I can't find her." 

Jackie and Liam exchanged glances. She turned back to the child. "Why don't I help you search, okay? Do you know if she's still in the maze?" The girl shook her head. "Alright, now why don't we head out? You can wait with Aaliyah at the front table while I look, okay?"

The girl nodded and Jackie offered a hand. Hesitantly, the child grasped onto her fingers and she led them out to the entrance. She blinked in surprise upon seeing Aarav next to Aaliyah, arms crossed against his chest. "Since when did you get here?" 

"A long time ago."

Jackie blinked. "I didn't notice," she said and turned back to face the girl. "You wait here with them and I'll bring back your sister."

She nudged the girl toward the table and Aaliyah stood up to offer her seat. Jackie walked back into the maze and it wasn't until after she was a couple of twists and turns in that she realized she hadn't asked the sister's name. Never mind that. One person of color shouldn't be so hard to find among a group of predominantly white guests. She took two lefts, then a right, before bumping into a frantic teenager about her age.

Jackie staggered back and looked up. Anahi Gomez. Come to think of it, she shared multiple features with the little girl from earlier. Her suspicion was only confirmed when Anahi grabbed her shoulders and leaned forward, asking, "Have you seen a kid around somewhere?"

"Your sister? She came across me earlier. I left her outside the maze with Aarav and Aaliyah."

"Oh thank god!" Aaliyah gave her a tight hug. "Jackie, you're a lifesaver." She took off in a sprint, her black hair flying out behind her.

Jackie watched her go, pride bubbling in her chest. Imagine, she was useful! Helpful! She was almost giddy with the realization of having done one good deed. She skipped off to find Liam, who once again had wound up tackled by a group of children. They fired snowballs at him and white bursts pelted his coat. 

"I'm dead!" he exclaimed and spread his arms out wide. The kids jumped on them and he hugged them tightly and rose upright. "I got you now! Fools, falling into my trap!"

The children screamed and ran away. After another round of snowballs, they disappeared throughout the maze. Jackie held out a hand, palm facing the sky, and watched snowflakes gather on her skin. They glittered like diamonds under the golden sunlight. Liam brushed back a lock of hair from her face and clasped her hand, his skin warm against her cold fingers. A blush crept into her cheeks and Jackie smiled.

"I wonder what it's like having snow everyday," she commented, her head tilting up to stare at the falling snow. 

He had moved closer. She felt the warm of his breath against her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat and in the moment it did, she felt more alive than ever. "Ask the reindeer in the North Pole," Liam told her, his voice rough. 

Jackie released a strangled laugh. His face was mere inches from hers, so close she could see the faint constellation of freckles across his skin, tanned from days running out in the sun. Whatever words she wanted to say dried on her tongue. She couldn't think. A tingling spark spread throughout her body. 

He was close. So close. Now only centimeters away. Jackie could see the snowflakes collected on his dark lashes. His eyes were a brilliant blue, clearer than crystal, shining like a piece of sea glass she found once. She'd kept it in her jewelry box for years since she found it so beautiful. Jackie wanted to do the memory equivalent with his eyes—store the image away in her mind for safekeeping. 

Liam's lips brushed against hers. Jackie's eyes widened for a second, her entire body freezing. Her chest seized and her heart nearly stopped. She was acutely aware of every contact on her body, the snowflakes gracing her arms, the brush of his fingers again her chin. 

His hands lowered and lingered around the small of her back. Under the chandelier of glittering snowflakes, she was melting, melting totally and completely into him. Jackie could see every color in the world behind her eyelids, which had fluttered shut, like a spiderweb of cracks had burst open and pulsing light burst in. 

Hesitantly, Jackie's hands came to rest against his chest. She could feel huge steady pulsing beneath the layers of clothes, their two hearts beating in unison. She kissed Liam back. Sweet, gentle until finally they drew away. With flushed cheeks, she turned to see if anyone had seen, but they were enclosed behind the maze's walls.  

Liam's forefinger grazed her cheek and he flicked away a fallen snowflake. His cheeks were red too, but whether it was from the cold or kiss, she didn't know. "Do you still doubt that I like you?" he asked.

Jackie grinned and shook her head. "No, not anymore."