Love On Stage

Chapter 7: Fights and Forgiveness

The next day at school Milly looked for Carter everywhere, but she couldn't find him. Today they had drama as their last class so that would be the only time she would see him. Today at lunch he wasn't in the library or the cafeteria.

"No sign of Carter?" Bess asked Milly at their table. Harry didn't sit with them today. He knew that Milly probably didn't want to see or talk to him.

"Yeah, if I didn't ask the teacher if he was here today, I'm pretty sure I would've thought he didn't come to school today."

"Well, you'll see him in drama class today."

"Oh no."

"What?"

"I just remembered that today we are doing a full practice, which means costumes, props and the whole play. Which includes the kissing scene."

"Oh no, do you think Carter will kiss you after what happened?"

"There is a high chance that he won't."

"What will you do?"

Milly took a breath, "I'm going to hope for the best."

It was time for drama class and when Milly walked through the door she saw Carter grabbing his role-book and sitting down.

"Should I say hi? Should I sit next to him? Maybe I should clear up what happened yesterday." Milly thought of all of these things, but she couldn't do any of them. Instead, she grabbed her role-book and sat down in a seat away from him.

"Class, today we have a full rehearsal. So no scripts on stage, costumes and props, and we are practicing the full play." Mr. A announced.

The class got dressed and ready on stage. Milly tried her best to ignore Harry and Carter tried to avoid Milly and Harry. Mr. A knew something was wrong because Milly and Carter would have been talking and laughing, but today they hadn't said a word to each other. On stage, the chemistry was gone between Romeo and Juliet and their relationship felt very forced. Shortly after, he called them off stage.

"What happened? You were doing so well yesterday, what changed?" Mr. A asked them both.

"Umm, I don't know, I haven't been myself today," Milly said.

"Well get into the role. The play is in 4 days and I need you guys to be ready."

"Okay," Carter said.

The play went on and the kissing scene was coming up. It started smoothly, with Carter and Milly reciting their lines.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake," Milly said, acting as Juliet.

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purg'd." Carter said.

This was the scene where Romeo was supposed to kiss Juliet. Milly took a breath, closed her eyes and slightly pursed her lips, but all she felt was the air. She opened her eyes and realized that Carter ran off stage. Milly felt her face get hot and hurried off the stage where she saw Carter talking with Harry and looking mad. They started arguing and that's when Carter punched Harry.

"Milly-." Carter started to say when he noticed Milly standing there, but she already ran to the dressing room.

Carter was saying his lines and knew that it was the kissing scene soon.

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purg'd," he said. He saw Milly close her eyes and he wanted to kiss her, but he couldn't. He ran off the stage, leaving an embarrassed Milly. He went backstage and when he saw Harry there he had to talk to him.

"Carter, shouldn't you be on stage?" Harry said.

"Why did you do it?" Carter said, ignoring Harry's question.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb," Carter said.

"If you are talking about yesterday, I don't want to talk about it," Harry said and was about to walk away, but he felt Carter grab his shoulder.

"I need you to tell me why the he** you kissed Milly."

"If you want to know then ask her."

"Listen here," Carter grabbed the collar of Harry's shirt, "Tell me what the he** was going through your head when you kissed her."

"I don't know, it was just a kiss."

"Well did you know that you took away her first kiss?" Carter was starting to get more livid.

"I-i didn't know."

"Well, Milly's first kiss was wasted on someone like you." Carter let go of his collar and turned to walk away.

"Maybe you're just jealous that she didn't kiss you." Something in Harry made him snap as he said that snarky comment. At that, Carter turned around and punched him in the face. Harry's face went sideways as the blow of the punch almost broke his nose. Then Carter saw Milly standing there.

"Oh my gosh," Milly said.

"Milly-." he started to say, but he didn't know what he would say. It didn't matter because she already scurried away to the female dressing rooms. Carter dashed to the male dressing rooms and changed quickly. As he removed his costume shirt, he saw his scar. It reminded him of the night that he saved Milly, the night at the hospital and how close they were. He wasn't going to let their friendship go down because of this. He flung on his shirt and chased after Milly.

She finished changing and walked into the school hallways, heading towards her locker to leave.

"Where did they go?!" Mr. A was confused and irritated. He saw Milly and Carter run off the stage without finishing the scene. He went backstage and saw Carter run after someone and Harry with a bleeding nose. "What happened here?!"

"Um, Carter and I got into a fight," Harry said.

"Milly, wait!" Carter said as he closed the door behind him.

"Get back here!" Mr. A shouted, but he was too late, they were already in the hallway.

Milly opened her locker door and grabbed her backpack. She put it over her shoulder and slammed the door shut.

"Milly, wait!" Carter shouted.

She turned her head in his direction, she hadn't expected him to call after her. He ran up to her and unexpectedly pulled her into a hug.

"I'm not going to let this get between us," he said as he held on to Milly.

She looked up at him and hugged him back. "Me neither." She buried her face in his chest and slowly cried. These were different kinds of tears from the ones she had shed before, these were tears of happiness.

"I'm so sorry, Milly."

"Me too, Carter."

"Please forgive me."

She pulled away from him and looked at him. "Have you already forgotten? All you have to do is show that cute smile of yours and I'll always forgive you." She wiped her tears with her sleeve and laughed.

C laughed as she wiped her teary eyes. Carter looked at her and flashed his smile. He pulled her back into a hug and they stood like that for a while until the P.A speaker crackled.

"Will Carter Malion please come to the principals' office."

"Only you?" Milly looked up at him.

"I did run off stage first and punch someone."

"Oh, yeah."

"Carter Malion, please come to Mr. Denors office." the speaker repeated.

"I'll see you later," Carter said as he started to walk away.

"Wait." Milly ran up to him, stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. Carter blushed and went to the principals' office. He ran down the hallway and knocked on Mr. Denors office.

"Hello, Mr. Denor, if this is about drama cl-." Carter was quickly cut off.

"Sit down, it's about your mother."