Capture It

Chapter Six~ Rehearsals and Fall Outs

The weekend passed with Paige and I mulling over what to do about this whole "Alex" situation. I finally decided as we were walking into the auditorium for our first rehearsal that I would be professional, and act as an equal to him. As if nothing has plagued our short past together.

"Welcome, welcome!" Our director stated as we filed in and took our seats. "Welcome to RENT. We are going to start today with a read through on stage. Feel free to add your own blocking for today, whatever you feel comfortable with." The leads took their scripts and got ready to start. Paige and I stood, stretched, and headed to the left wing of the stage to wait for our entrances. Alex and Jake, (who plays Mark) started with their first scene. From back in the left wing, I took a deep breath and smiled.

I was finally feeling better, and I had made it home.

* * *

I was laying on my back on the cold black stage. "Mimi, mimi! Wake up! Wake up..." The raw emotion in Alex's voice was shocking me. I wasn't really dead...Someone must have taken acting lessons.

The director screamed "NOW!" and I started to make my body twitch. Then, my eyes flew open and I saw a pair of sharp green eyes staring down at me. "Mimi," Alex muttered. I looked at my script to see what I needed to say next. Instead, I saw: (MIMI KISSES RODGER)

I started at the script, then looked back at Alex. Well, be professional. Better get used to this now. Leaning forward, I pressed my lips against his. A spark shot through my body, and we pulled apart. The director sat with a slack jaw, and Alex's eyes were wide with fright. Did he feel what I felt?

Alex jumped up from his crouched position, and dropped me in the process. He stumbled upstage, looked at me in horror and screamed to the entire cast before running offstage.

"I'M GAY!"

Wait, what?! Alex is GAY? So it freaked him out he had to kiss me? What just happened?!

The entire cast sat in awe. Alex just came out of the closet in front of sixty kids.

"Umm... rehearsal dismissed. We will finish this tomorrow." The director jumped onto the stage and chased after Alex. I got up from the stage, and looked around for Paige. Where had she gone? Gathering my backpack and script, kids whispered in hushed tones and sent me curious glances. I shook it off and continued the hunt for my best friend. She seemed to have disappeared off stage as soon as Alex made a big scene. More kids whispered as I frantically searched the theatre, bits of  their nasty conversations and rude comments floating towards my ears.

Tears burned in my eyes. Where is Paige? I have no way of getting home!

Finally, I found her in front of her locker. She was talking to the girl who plays Joanne. "Yeah, I can totally give you a ride! I have nothing else to do tonight!" I stumbled behind a locker as they walked past, smiling and laughing. As soon as Paige was out of the school, I whipped my phone out of my bag and called her.

"This is Paige!" her voice chirped over my phone.

"Paige." I said, my voice cracking. "Where are you?"

There was a pause, a beeping of a car door unlocking, and more movement on the other end. "Driving Alexis home. Why?"

I took a deep breath to fight back the tears. "You were supposed to drive me home, remember?"

"Oh yeah...Sorry. Well I can't now, just hitch a ride with someone else. Alexis and I are going out to eat and then we are studying for that big chem test tomorrow."

"Seriously?" I spat, the pain finally riing in my voice. "Page what happened to what you said on Friday? That 'I will never leave you, I will always take care of you?' Where is that Paige? You would leave me stranded at school when you know I have no one else to take care of me. You are the only one I have left Paige!" I cried, unable to stop myself.

She was silent. "Alice, I don't know if I can handle the stress of being labelled your 'caretaker'. I love you, but you take up all my attention. Maybe we need to branch out, make new friends? I need a break from constantly having to be there to protect you, and nurture you, and be the one who gives you a backbone. You need to learn to stand up for yourself and not be so dependant on one person. I'm sorry, I just can't do this anymore." A muffled voice behind her spoke. "Look, I gotta go. I think it's best if we just try to make new friends and give each other a break." And since I couldn't say anything, Paige took that as a yes and hung up.

"No..." I whispered, the noise almost unaudible to my ears. "NO!" I screeched, the sound echoing off the metal lockers and down the empty hallway. "God Paige, why do you do this to me?!" I howled. Sobs overtook my body, leaving me shaking and hiccuping on the worn school carpet.

A few minutes later, footsteps approached. "Alice?" I pulled my head out from under my arms and saw Alex staring down at me in bewilderment. His eyes were red and puffy too. "Why are you crying?"

I sniffeled. "Why were you crying?"

He gave me a small grin. "You first."

Taking a deep breath, I told him about how Paige and I were close, and how she had been my everything for years. "And now she just up and decided that we need to make other friends and spend time apart. But the thing is...I don't have any friends. Sure I have people to talk to in classes but no real friends. Paige was my main focus."

"Well, I'll be your friend." I whipped my head and started at Alex, who had taken a seat next to me in the empty locker bay. "Don't give me that look Alice. I'm serious. I don't have any friends either. When I moved here, I was so excited. I thought I was an amazing photographer and artist, and that I would wow everyone at this school. Turns out, this school is twice the size of my old one, and no one knows anyone's name. And then I saw the work that you do and I was just in awe. I was struck by jealousy and hated you the minute I laid eyes on your work. That led to me being a jerk, and then when I saw you crying that first day I knew I had hurt you. I had to make it up to you. I'm sorry, I truely am." He stuck his hand out in a truce. I shoved his hand aside and hugged him.

"Apology accepted." I mumbled into his chest. He was shcoked, then wrapped his arms around me.

He stood, and I stood along with him. "Do you want to come to my house? No one is usually home with me except my cat Kylie. My mom works night shifts at the hospital and my dad is fighting overseas." Alex just stared at me.

"How do you live like that?"

I shrugged. "it's not bad. My brother was home up until two years ago, and that's when Paige came into my life and kept me company."

He smiled as we walked outside. "Compared to that, my family seems so normal. Both my parents are art teachers at the nearby universities, and my two younger sisters are little princesses who drive me nuts and try to put me in dresses." I laughed.

"Sounds so wonderful." He unlocked his car and let me get into the passenger side.

He grinned and started the truck. "It is pretty amazing." We drove in silence for a while, the only talking was me telling him where to drive. When we pulled up, a car was just turning off in my driveway.

"MOM!" I screamed, jumping out of Alex's still running truck and racing up the snow covered driveway. My mom stepped out of her car and beamed at me.

"Alice! Oh it's so good to see you! The hospital gave me the night off, so I got home early. Who is this?" In my excitement, I hadn't even noticed Alex get out of his car.

I grinned shyly and pulled him up next to me. "Mom, this is my friend Alex. He's new in town, and he's a photographer like me. Is it okay if he stays for dinner?"

She smiled and grabbed his hand. "Of course he can stay. We can all have a nice family dinner." I squealed and pulled Alex into the house.

I looked back as we walked into the house. He was laughing and had the biggest smile plastered on his face. I felt that spark deep i my gut, but shook it off. We were just friends. We could only be just friends. He didn't feel that way for me. Shaking off my thoughts like snow from my shoulders, I pulled him deeper into the large house.

AN: I'm sorry for the long wait! School has been kicking my butt lately. :P Thanks for sticking with me!

~Watson