A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Eighteen: Part Six

I gently swayed my head back and forth as each script passed by. The scripts certainly did not go by numerical order. The first script was number seven, the next was number 14, the next was number 2, and then afterwards were numbers 8 and 11.

When the two students performing Script 11 were up on stage preparing, the audience was whispering. I heard some of the whispers.

“Did you see the ad lib that script number fourteen did?”

“That was a stupid move.”

“Are you kidding? It was awesome and creative!”

Did people voice out their opinions after performances like this?

They would probably comment on my clumsiness, or my mistakes. There was no way any of my klutziness was getting away without any notice, I knew it.

“Hotaru.”

Keita’s voice quickly entered my ear and I jumped in place. “Wh-What is it?”

“Do you have anything written on your script?”

“What?” Written? What on earth would be written? The script was typed in ink.

“The teacher wrote on my copy,” Keita whispered, handing the copy to me. “I want you to be prepared.”

“Prepared?” I flipped through the pages, squinting my eyes to see the ink in the dark.

I caught sight of the thin strokes that must have come from a pen. It was written beside certain lines, scribbled tightly together.

“’Ad lib’,” I whispered aloud. “What does that mean?”

“Ad lib is when you add details in your acting that aren’t in the script,” Keita murmured. “I’m supposed to ad lib on those lines.”

He took the script out of my hands and placed them back beside him.

The lights above the stage quickly flipped on, and the spotlight was focused on the two of them. The first quickly began speaking.

This was around the time where my thoughts lingered away, beginning to become curious on other events that had occurred to me so far.

I leaned towards Keita. Had he been thinking about what had happened that morning?

“Keita?” I whispered.

“Shh. Talking is not allowed.”

“But Keita—“

“Shh.”

“Keita, I want to know—“

“Shh.”

“Keita, listen! Keita, are you going to listen to my request?”

Keita had paused. He kept his glance focused, and he didn’t move an inch.

When he responded, he stated, “Now is not the time to discuss that.”

“But I need to know, Keita.”

“It’s not like I don’t want you to know.”

“Then tell me.”

“No.”

“Keita—“

“Shh!”

I recoiled against his attempts to get me to be quiet. I felt slightly relieved that he didn’t answer my question. It wasn’t exactly the type of thing that I wanted to talk about either.