Behind The Scenes

1. Spring Break

This chapter is dedicated to Lee <3

I stood in front of my mirror, grinning like crazy. My ginger hair looked awesome in the bathroom lights, and guess what? No pesky pimples today!

Mom was on the couch, puffing on a cigarette.

"Feed King before you go," she said in between her smoking. 

I scooped up some dog food and ran out the door. My new car was sitting there, all shiny and blue, just the way I liked it. I had saved up so much summer money to buy it, but it was worth it. 

I hopped in and drove to school.

When I got there, the school air smelled, like it always did. We'd only been away for a week, but I was already dreading the classes. That's when my bestie, Magnolia, snuck up behind me.

"Hey, Rubes, new haircut?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yep. Do you like it?"

"Yeah it's cool, see you in drama club!"

Drama was like my secret getaway. It was the one place I could be me, even though I was pretty shy most of the time. This year, I decided to try something big.

We were doing a play called "Robert and Julia," a modern twist on "Romeo and Juliet." I really wanted to be Julia, but, well, that didn't happen. For the past two years, they stuck me on tech crew. It's like a different world from the actors. Everyone knows cast and crew don't mix. 

Elsie Whittaker got the Julia role, but I didn't mind. Elsie's pretty, even though she's not the best actor. She's popular, that's definitely why she landed it. I still wished I could call the role of Julia mine, but I'm not going to cry about it. 

Jackson Torres, or Jack...got Robert, which was a big deal for him. Grayson Green, who is our school's best actor, (and probably the most handsome guy alive!) was sick that week, so he was unable to audition. 

After my regular classes, I was eager to get to drama club. The cafeteria was our meeting place, and I knew that today would be another exciting day of rehearsals.

I walked into the cafeteria, and Mrs. Lakely was already there, organizing some scripts on a table. She glanced up when she saw me.

"Ruth, just the person I was looking for," she said with a warm smile. Mrs. Lakely always called me by the wrong name, but I knew she was trying to remember it. 

I walked over, curious about what she wanted.

"Rose, we've got a small but crucial role for you," Mrs. Lakely explained. "We need someone to handle the stage props and make sure everything's where it should be during our performances."
"Sure, Mrs. Lakely, I'd love to do that," I replied.

"Great! Your attention to detail will be a big help. You'll be in charge of making sure all the props are in place for each scene," she said.

I nodded, feeling a sense of responsibility. It was my chance to contribute to the success of the play in my own way.

"Thank you, Rhubarb. I knew you'd be perfect for this," Mrs. Lakely said, patting my shoulder.

I beamed with pride as I joined the rest of the drama club on the stage, where everyone was already talking. I sat on the side with the techs, as our assistant director, Magnolia (you remember her right? My best friend?) opened up the script. 

"We left off on page 63, Julia's House." Magnolia said, twisting her pen in between her fingers. 

Mrs. Lakely clapped her hands, "Alright everyone! Elsie, I want you center stage. Can we get Julia's mother and father in this scene too?" 

Everyone got to work and Mrs. Lakely caught my eye, she beckoned for me to come over to where she was standing. 

"Rory, take this key." she handed me a small, silver key. "Open up the prop closet backstage."

"Alright Mrs. Lakely." I smiled, and walked off to the prop closet.

As I fiddled with the handle, I could feel a presence behind me. 

"Hey there." A voice said. 

I quickly turned around, it was Jackson Torres, Robert in our show, the male lead! Why was he talking to me. 

"Hi, Jack right?" I replied back to him, leaning against the prop closet. 

"Yeah, what role are you playing?" he asked, his eyes wandering up and down my body. 

I laughed, he thought I was part of the cast, me, pretty enough to be on the cast. 

"Actually...I'm on crew." I said, holding up my shiny silver key. 

"Oh, then I guess we wouldn't be seeing much of each other." he smiled. "What's your name?" 

"Ruby." I said, softly smiling at him. 

Jack smiled. "Oh, I see. Well, it was nice meeting you, Ruby."

We shook hands, and it felt nice. Back on stage, the play went on. Sometimes, I couldn't help but look at Jack. We shared a few glances, and it felt like something special might be starting, but I won't get too ahead of myself. 

A/N: Let me know if you guys want to see more of this book, I'll still be posting it, but if you genuinely like it and have ideas for it let me know, I'd love to hear them. Yes I know it's cliché, do I care? No. Anyways love you guys, bye bye!!!

(882 words, written by velocitii)