Be Mine

"long nights, daydreams, sugar and smoke rings // I've been a fool"

About halfway there, woo!

This chapter's lyric is from "Strawberries and Cigarettes" by Troye Sivan.

Read as you see fit here- a slight warning for a tiny mention of family issues.

Enjoy!

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SIMON POV

JAN 03

When Peter was finally able-bodied enough to stay the whole day at school without having to ditch at lunch, Abby and I took it upon ourselves to go on a secret sneak-about. We broke into the auditorium after school, and let the whole gang in, too, so they could stay. Our first full-cast rehearsal was that day, and we wanted them in the audience.

Bram kissed me good luck, and the five searched for seats out of the teacher's line of sight. Abby and I hustled down to backstage.

"Si, your nerves are through the roof," Abby told me as she handed me my In Case of Emergency script.

"I know, I know. This isn't a big deal, and the opening isn't for three months, and I don't even have any lines... but still."

"Hey. You're gonna do great," she promised. My worries faded a bit, making room for confidence and excitement, and the old-timey intro music started to play.

APR 05

"Wait 'til Bram sees."

"I..."

"I did good, huh?"

In the mirror, I saw Abby smiling proudly at me. She really had done well- my makeup for the play's opening that night was honestly incredible. She had attacked me with powders and brushes and she'd done something to my eyes. They really stood out.

A tech kid crossed in front of me, paused, and went, "Wow."

"I know, right?" Abby said animatedly.

I really couldn't deny how good it looked. It wasn't not enough to cure the jitters, though.

I followed Abby out of the glam-corner and we finished getting changed into costumes. Someone called five minutes, and I got in on the group hug. The second performance of the day was always a bigger deal. In the morning, we'd just warmed up and did our best. I would've bet that half of the student body had microslept through it. anyway. In the night, though, the room extended, family came, people gave flowers, and appearances were a bigger deal.

When I came out for my first part, since I didn't have anything to say, I was able to snatch a glance at the audience from where I was at without too many people noticing. It looked like a big, black pit, but I could envision Bram, Nora, Mom, Dad, and my friends staking out a row to watch Abby, the rest of the cast, and I.

When everyone clapped at the end of the act, the adrenaline set in, and I smiled wide before bolting to stage left to continue on with the play.

* * *

Intermission began, and a senior I recognized who was probably the mastermind behind the play or something came out to the mic and started talking to the audience while we cleaned up for act two. He gave a little speech about how anyone could join theater before thanking everyone for giving us the support our department lived off, considering we were in a STEM school and not an arts one. He ended with an announcement about snacks and candies in the front room for a buck each.