He, she, they, them

Part 2

     "No! STOP!" The director yelled. "Cut!"

     The entire auditorium groaned. The same scene, just a simple interaction between two characters, had already been cut and rerun four times. The two high schoolers, who were playing two teens in love, had messed up a line.

     Four times.

     The director pinched the bridge of his nose. "How many times must I say it? You don't confess until the third song in the second act! We are running through the opening of the act!"

     The girl in the orchestral pit sighed. Running through the same song multiple times was not ideal. Luckily, the director had to dismiss the actors and orchestra members to dinner soon.

     "Then, two hours after dinner, and after 600 rounds of the confession scene, we get to leave this hell hole until tomorrow afternoon."

     The girl beside her snickered. 

     The director motioned for the orchestra to begin. "Measure 64," He huffed.

     Another girl, seated in one of the auditorium chairs doing homework, glanced at her friend in the pit. She found herself transfixed by the fluid movement of her friend's bow across the strings of her viola.

     Snap out of it, she told herself. You've got homework to do; this isn't the time for distraction.

     "Alright!" The director shouted. "I have to release you all to dinner. We are re-running through Act 1, song 18. Dinner ends at 6:30."

     The girl wastes no time putting her viola in the case, instead setting it on top of the case and joining her best friend to the vending machine.

     "You did great," Her friend offered.

     "You too."

     A moment of silence. "Did you get that math done? I'm struggling and the director making us go through the same three measures of background music isn't helping my brain."

     Her friend smiles softly. "I didn't, but I can help you if you want."

     "That would be AMAZING, thank you, my friend."

     "Of course. However, you are going to have to teach me how to do that sentence-quoting thing again."

      "I will, although I still can't believe, after two years of high school, you still cannot cite a source."

     She held a finger to her lips, grinning slightly. "Nobody needs to know that."

     The two girls paid for drinks and joined the other kids around their age in the auditorium seats. The space was bustling with activity and noise, as friends chatted and gossiped  with each other, while others complained about math homework and incoming quizzes.

     "See? Just subtract the three on both sides, divide by two, and flip the equation so the variable is on the left. Got it?"

     She nodded slightly. "So for the next one, you subtract the six, then multiply by three?"

     "Yep! And the variable is already on the left, so you don't need to change that."

     "This is honestly easier than how the teacher explained it."

     "You're welcome."

     A brief moment of silence engulfed them.

     "So.... When a character is speaking briefly in a thing of infor-"

     "Pit!" Screeched the director. "Bring your music for Scene one, Act two. I would like to get this over with."

     The friends exchanged a breif, 'I'll explain later', as the one made her way to the pit to perform.

------

     wait u use apostrophes im so confused

     Would it be better if I called you?

     maybe?????

     Alright, hold on. I have to tell my brother not to bother me for the next twenty minutes.

     okay call when ur done yelling at ur brother

     Will do.

     "But...? The- I already put in quotation marks, why do I have to use apostrophes?? I'm so freaking confused."

     She heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. " You only use apostrophes if someone is talking inside your cited source. However, if your entire source is a spoken sentence, you-"

     A small sniffle.

     "Hey, hey, hey. English homework isn't something to cry over. Calm down, it's gonna be fine."

     " Yeah, but-" her voice cracked. She continued to rant, "but you're so good at this and I get it if you're tired of helping me because I suck at this and I can hear you frustrated because I don't know anything and-"

     "Calm down. You aren't bothering me in the slightest. Deep breaths." 

     A shaky inhale.

     "There you go. You aren't stupid, you're the smartest person I have ever met."

     "I- thank you."

     "Anytime, friend. Anytime."

     They both stayed connected to the call, walking each other through problems and works and writings and beyond.

 --------------

Hello friends.

I hope you enjoyed this, and please, comment your ideas and suggestions. I would love to hear from you!

Take care, hope your day (night, if you have insomnia like myself) is going well!!!