𝐼𝓃𝒻𝒶𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹

Chapter 20- When the Day Came

Simone's P.O.V.

Within five more days, every participant of the play had donned on and tried their costumes, wielded and practiced with their props, and had easily perfected their lines. With two more days to go, the three of us- playwriter cum associate director, director and drama teach- sat together and revised the backdrop arrangements, last-minute sound emergencies, etc.
Ms. Venucci was pretty tense about any last minute troubles, so she ended up deciding to bring sore throat and injury medications. And glucose packets. Once our narrator, Sally, had fully learned a number of voice exercises, our teacher decided to finally chill. Much to the relief of Ajay and I.

For the costumes, we'd settled on some light, simple and affordable Victorian attire. The important props like the fake swords, I'd ordered online after Ms. Venucci provided me with the money. The Silver Sword and its scabbard, though, was one important prop I added touches to with Megan and a moody Ellis, following Ms. Venucci's instructions. It was a pretty huge thing, made of foam. One of the participants brought it over. We'd decided to cleverly paint the pommel golden with silver designs, and paint the blade a shining silver. The scabbard was plastic, and we decided to paint that maroon and gold.
Though Ellis did most of the grumbling about how she was stuck with the two of us, she did make herself useful by shutting up after Ms. Venucci's exasperated warning and painting the locket and chape, along with detailing the quillon. Ellis was a whole mood.

Thanks to Megan's swift hand in art and design, the sword turned out pretty good, as she was the one who pretty much brainstormed every detail of the fake weapon. I painted the blade and some gold designs, but it was hard to keep my mouth shut to provide comebacks to Ellis's self-victimization and complaints. Megan tried to keep me calm too, so that was an extra job for her.

Not exactly the most perfect fake sword-making committee, but we did accomplish the goal, right?

Once the prop work was done, the actors tried on their costumes, though the guys found it useless to wear the plaid high waist pants which they found sorta tight. Ajay told them to shut up and adjust for once, to which he got a few snarky comments and middle fingers as a reply.
Ms. Venucci simply rolled her eyes, sighing and saying the male participants and their director were the worst co-operators she'd seen at a play. The guys shut up after that- even Chase.

Honestly, the play-writer responsibilities were more than just writing up the play with Ms. Venucci. It was much more. It was hard to handle and balance the play and my studies together, but it was yet another feat I achieved. Damn, high school- not a joke.
I even had to sacrifice a lot of my time with Amber, Nora and Julie. Luckily, Jade was in the play. Though being a huge extrovert, she found herself with many friends to spend time with since I was running from place to place due to my play responsibilities.
Even Megan, the play's protagonist and Sally, the play's background narrator became my occasional acquaintances.

As much as I hate to admit, I sort of missed Chase's comments and all that joshing. I suppressed my feelings anyway. As for that little confession he made that day when no one was around, that he thought he liked me, I had no idea what to think. A part of me was secretly happy, but that happiness was suppressed by some particularly cautionary thoughts, and the possibility that he might've been joking. Or, after all, he only said thought.

Thought.

But that sentence meant so much to my heart and it's old scars, my heart bubbled to the brim with a feeling of excitement, happiness. But my old scars throbbed with caution too, making sure they were still bandaged.

What if this might be another one of the playboy's jokes after all?

And a part of me said being happy was a sort of betrayal to Amber, who had set her eyes on Chase for so long. So I made sure to keep the walls of my guarded heart enforced no matter what, and went on with my studies and the play.
My thoughts were just too conflicting.