Who Are The Mods?

The Cheap Seats

Telsa sat at the back of the hall, ready to leave at the first excuse. The man with the important-looking tie, whom she'd seen arriving after everyone had taken their seats, was perpetually shifting in his seat. She imagined him leaning back in his chair until he locked eyes with the person behind him. Telsa jolted herself awake at the thought.
She had to leave soon, or else she'd go round the bend.
She looked to her right, eyes sweeping along her row. Everyone else she knew seemed about as enthralled as her, too- that's what you get when you force 20 pre-adolescents to watch a low-budget opera on a bleak January night. Someone hissed her name.
"Face the front!"
Telsa flinched at the tone, but obliged, turning her attention-what was left of it- back to the stage. Her whole demeanour brightened as she saw the curtains close, before a tannoy rang out,
"Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats for the second half in twenty-five minutes. Thank you."
Telsa groaned and slumped back in her badly-padded seat. A low ripple of conversation bled through the audience like water trickling across the pavement.
"What fresh hell is this?" She asked the boy beside her who laughed loudly, startling a few of the surrounding opera-attenders. Behind her, name-hissing Mr O'Connelly told her to 'stop talking to strangers'. With an apologetic grin and a bob of her head to the boy, Telsa followed her somber group out into the cool foyer for 20 minutes of bleak conversation and soggy biscuits.
"This is literal trash." Liberty grumbled, leaning her head on Telsa's shoulder.
"Shove off!" She grumbled, before laughing, "Ah Libs, this school will be the death of me..."
Before Liberty could tell Telsa that only her Gran spoke like that, O'Connelly came hollering, pant-legs wafting as he marched around the bedraggled group in a flurried rage. He paused at Anita and Chris, who were standing suspiciously close to one another.
"What in God's name are you doing?" The dictator roared, which only drew a half-glance from Anita.
"Sir you need to chill, it was just a kiss." She smiled sweetly as Chris put his arm around her. As if to back the duo up, a skinny blond boy commented,
"The Lord said to be fruitful- and they are."
Red in the face and chins like jelly, Mr O'Connelly, Deputy Head of Houseland Secondary School, absolutely lost it. His too-tight suit jacket was nearly in as bad a condition as his mental state after he practically dragged the two juvenile delinquents out of the foyer and into the snapping, crackling night.
Smirking, Telsa squatted to the floor in her swing coat for a second before straightening up again. Walking by, the boy from before raised a comical eyebrow, a trait they both shared.
"Alright there?" He asked with a grin.
"Sore legs." She explained with a laugh whilst Liberty nudged her with a playful elbow.
"Noel." The boy offered a hand.
"Telsa." She shook it.
Noel's brow furrowed. "Telsa?" He asked, "As in, The Great And Secret Show?"
Telsa looked started for a moment by his knowledge but recovered and nodded, beaming.
"The one and only. Have you read it? It was my mam's favourite book growing up. Mine and Libby's too, now."
She gestured to the somewhat shy girl beside her, who waved and began to find her shoes rather interesting.
"Ladies and gentlemen, could you please return to your places for the final part of the performance, thank you."
Telsa groaned as the tannoy ended, as did the rest of her classmates.
Almost ready to bail, the troupe of Houseland's minors shuffled back into the dank auditorium.
"What brings you here tonight then, whippersnapper?"
Noel asked, after Telsa bade a sorrowful goodbye to Liberty as they took their poorly-designated seats.
"Student participation in the community, apparently." The sarcastic girl replied with a smirk. Noel smiled his signature smile and laughed his signature laugh, before shaking his head.
"As least my participation has some moral values behind it." He grinned, as Telsa gave him a quizzical look and asked how on earth going to see an opera was in any way moral. However, before Noel could answer, the lights dimmed and silence overtook the room.
"I'll tell you later." He whispered, close enough that Telsa could feel his hair on her cheek.
The stage lights did not go up.
The orchestra did not start.
The silence was, in essence, deafening.
"Um..." someone murmured in front of her.
Many nervous heads whipped around as the back doors opened, only to see that it was just O'Connelly returning with his two juvenile delinquents.
"Calm down everybody," his arrogant voice rang out over the auditorium. "I think the power has gone out, ladies and gentlemen. It seems the whole street's in darkness too."
"Ooh! He's got his authority voice on lads!" Someone snorted in the back row. O'Connelly either didn't hear or didn't want to embarrass himself.
Out of the corner of his eye, Noel saw Telsa slump in her seat before flicking her hair out of her face as a man murmured,
"Aye, one a' his students probably caused the cut."
"Rude." About ten students growled in return, making the offender flinch and shake his head.
Within seconds, the auditorium was full of conversation but still no light.
"What do we do now, then?" The boy sat beside Liberty whined. "Sir! What do we do now?"
Mr O'Connelly wiped his hands on his trousers and shuffled his feet.
"Phone your parents and tell them to come for you early. I don't think tonight is going to-"
As if on queue, a tannoy cut him off. "Ladies and gentlemen, so sorry to announce this but tonight's performance is cancelled. Please exit the auditorium in an orderly and well-mannered fashion." 
Before O'Connely could carry on with his instructions, half of the group were out of the door, ready to slide into warm cars and leave the grotty evening behind.
Liberty shuffled along the row behind Telsa until she was directly behind Noel. After sending a rapid text on her phone, Telsa bent backwards so her hair nearly touched the floor behind her.
"Eyup Libs. Need a lift?"
Liberty smiled sweetly and nodded. "I accidentally on purpose forgot my bus money."
Noel laughed, earning a scowl from her.
"Tel your boyfriend is acting up."
Telsa swatted her arm. "Don't say that in front of Alex or I swear to God he will knife you."