Beckerson High

Chapter Nine

On Monday morning, I'm greeted with a wide smile from Dream, making my stomach do flips.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"So, how was your first homecoming at Beckerson?"

"Pretty cool."

"Dance with anyone in particular?"

I sent him a look and he let out a gleeful laugh that brightened my morning.

"Nope, no one that really stands out." I shrug.

"Mhmm, sure." Dream sets his chin in his palm, watching me intently.

Maybe it was the way that he was concentrated on nothing else but me, his entire body facing mine, his expression, but all the sudden I was hit with this overwhelming feeling of inspiration. The angle that the light from outside hit his face was perfect.

"Don't move." I blurted out, then blushed, realizing I said it out loud.

Dream looked puzzled but didn't move a muscle.

"Okay?"

It was too late to take it back now. I pull out my phone, and take a quick picture, which makes Dream's facial expression change from one of confusion to one of smugness, and I roll my eyes, getting out my sketch book. Now that I took a picture, I won't forget the pose if he moves. But while he's here...

Taking my pencil, I start drawing, first drawing the shapes in his face, then making clearer facial features. Mr Hbomb takes attendance, and the only time Dream moves while I'm drawing is to say "Here" when his name is called.

Somewhat satisfied for now, I close my sketchbook and put away my pencil.

"Wait, aren't you going to show me? I didn't even know you could draw!" Dream whispers excitedly, staring at my sketchbook.

"Nope." I fold my arms and face the whiteboard.

Dream looks like a golden retriever puppy being scolded for tearing up a pillow, and basically pouts the rest of class. I can't help but smile at how outraged he is, it's kinda cute actually.

When I walked into the locker room to get changed for gym, I was reminded that today is the first day of swimming. Great, so now I'll look like a drowned rat the rest of the day, exactly what I needed. Getting changed, I had the weird feeling someone was watching me, but whenever I looked around, the area of the locker room I was in was empty. It must have been all in my head, but I could've sworn I heard a locker slam behind me, but no one was there.

Moving past the weirdness, Today was the day that Karl posted the cast list for "The Crucible, but Mafia." Pretty much everyone who auditioned got in, meaning that Tommy was there early, already goofing around.

"I'm a witch, bitches!" Tommy shouts, cracking himself up.

"You're literally one of the few characters in the play that is never accused of being a witch." Karl giggles, balancing his director's script on a random seat in the audience.

"What character is he playing again?" I whisper to Niki, who was setting her pastel pink backpack down.

"Thomas Putnam, very few lines." She responds back.

"Fitting name." I nod.

The rest of the cast shows up, and we get to do a full read through, with a lot of chaotic line changes. Quackity and Tommy absolutely lost it when Quackity's character, Giles, says, "A fart on Thomas Putman!"

"I think that wraps it up for today guys!" Karl closes his script and gets up, addressing the group. "Start memorizing your lines please, we want to be off-book in two weeks!

The cast shuffles off of the stage, grumbling about memorization.

"Evie!" Karl calls me over, "Hey, I never really asked you, but do you want to be stage manager?"

My eyes go wide with shock and anxiety. Sure I do backstage stuff all the time, but I've never stage managed. That's a lot of dedication.

"I..." I play with the bracelet hanging off of my left wrist, not entirely sure what to say. Dream's blonde hair catches my attention in the crowd of people leaving the auditorium, and I remember his advice on confidence. Taking a deep breath in, I make up my mind, faking confidence.

"Yes, I would love to!"

"Let's go!" Karl cheers.

Huh, that wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

Taking that new bit of confidence with me the next day, I walked into the hallway ready to face any challenge. What I wasn't expecting was that challenge to come so soon. Opening my locker, I realized there were quite a few more stares and whispers than normal. Slightly freaking out, I head to English class, my confidence instantly gone. Dream is sitting in his usual spot, but for the first time since he transferred classes, isn't watching me as I walk to my seat. I set down my phone on the desk, and peek at Dream, staring intensely at a school newspaper in front of him.

"Hi." I squeak, being the first to say anything.

Dream finally looks up from the paper, giving me that familiar goofy smile that made my nervousness die a little bit.

"Hey!" He greets. "You're famous!"

I blink.

"Huh?"

"You're school-newspaper famous." Dream clarifies, sliding the newspaper over to me.

Right smack dab on the front page of the newspaper is an image of me from Tommy's vlog, hiding behind my hands. The title page reads, "The Pink-Haired Wallflower; Beckerson High's Newest Student!" The title alone made me want to crawl into a hole in the ground. I flip to the second page, scanning the words and reading Tommy and I's conversation transcripted into article form. This is not fucking good.

"It's actually a very interesting read, I'd give it five stars." Dream jokes.

"Oh God," I breathe in shakily.

Looking around the classroom, almost everyone is sneaking glances at me. My heart rate starts picking up, and I feel panicky, losing my breath. My hands start shaking as I drop the newspaper back onto the table like it's hot coal in my hands.

"Evie?" Dream asks gently, noticing my shaking.

I yank my bag off the floor and head straight to Mr Hbomb's desk, trying to calm myself enough to speak coherently.

"I..." I can barely manage out, "I n-need to go...to the nurse." I swallow hard.

"Go right ahead, I'll let the Nurse's Office know you're headed there." Mr Hbomb nods, already picking up the classroom phone.

Speed-walking down the hallway, I take deep breaths to calm my breathing. I just need to make it to the nurse.

Right as I step towards the door, it's thrown open and I'm met with a bright smile looking back at me.

"Evie? Hi I'm goop- I mean I'm bones- I mean," He tries to find the right word he's looking for, while I stand there, wide eyed, and very confused. "Let me start over. I'm Mr Slimecicle, but everyone calls me Charlie. I'm the school nurse!"