The Colors of Pride []Lams[]

Chapter 9: Ruby

A wave crashing against the beach, the call of a friend, the caress of the sand beneath him. It was paradise, to a 13 year old anyway, and as the sun began to set, a turtle crawled up the beach. The boy was fascinated by the small little creature, watching it move slowly up the sand and onto the rocks. A smile graced his face as he pulled out the pad of paper and a pencil he had hidden in his pack.

The tip of the pencil barely brushed the paper as he studied the little creature, attempting to capture the small green amphibian in a sketch. He blew strands of hair from his eyes, and looked up again and again at the animal until he had finished his drawing.

"John! Come on we have to pack!" A voice called across the sand. He looked up abruptly and stuffed his supplies back in his pack.

When he had arrived back in Seattle, he had hung the art work above his desk, forever immortalizing his perfect summer day.

Ruby: A shade of red, a precious gem.

John POV

Auditions. They were only a week away and today he was going to find his monologue and song. He was going to find them, with his friends and Alexander. He was so excited he was practically buzzing, but accompanying his joy was a black pit in his stomach, reminding him that if his father found out, he was screwed. At this point, who even cared though? He knew he wanted to be on stage, so damn it he was going to find that perfect audition song and monologue and he was going to take charge. His father's words still scared him, what his father might do still have him pause, but if he let his father decide his future, he wouldn't know how to live on his own.

He waited until his father had left for church before calling Peggy. Though John was religious, the church his father went to was one that was not accepting of the LGBT+ community, and so he had refused to go. He was shocked the first time Henry let him stay home, and then it became normal for him to skip. As his phone rang he grabbed his keys and jacket, preparing for his day out.

"Hey John, we're on our way to the library now," Peggy said as soon as she answered. "You'll need to pick up Vienna and Angie though. We got Alexander."

John grinned and ran to his car. Today was going to be a good day.

-Eliza POV-

Elizabeth Schuyler was dressed in all blue as she sat next to Peggy and a new addition to their group, Charlie, in the back seat of Lafayette's car. She had always loved theater and had fallen for the musical Miranda immediately. Though she was a bit more reserved about her adoration for it than others,  there she was one thing she was very vocal about: her dream of playing Phillipa Soo.

She excitedly jumped out of the car when it reached the library, practically bouncing to the door as she inhaled the scent of old books and the cheap perfume the librarian's daughter wore. The red mini skirt and frizzy hair of the aforementioned girl were nowhere to be found that day though, and Eliza found herself a bit disappointed. Soon the rest of her group were inside as well, and she pushed the emotions to the back of her mind. She was good at that; she was very adept at pretending to be ok.

After an hour or so, they were all laying around with books of monologues, sharing sheet music, and performing random funny ones they found. Something about the calm and the anticipation made her feel happy. But she also noticed something. John and Alexander. The way they moved, the way one would almost instinctively move towards the other. They were always touching. Always together. She could feel the tension and the longing. Jesus could they get a room?

Eliza looked over to Angelica and Angie, who apparently had also noticed and who were smiling knowingly. They all knew, and Eliza was more than ready to help get them together. There was something in her that made her want everyone to be happy, that wanted everyone to be loved and be in love. Alex and John were no exception.

Suddenly, Herc's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey Liza, I found this song from The Great Comet," whispered as he handed her a songbook. It was opened to a song called No One Else.

She smiled. "Thank you Herc," she whispered back. "Hey, is something going on between Alex and John?"

He smirked and shook his head. "Not yet. They're both blind as fuc-"

"As what Mr. Mulligan?" The librarian cut him of with a question that they all knew wasn't really a question, more of a 'you're in trouble so zip it' statement.

"As Fudge Miss!" He said quickly, before turning back to a snickering group of friends.

HI SO. IM ALIVE. IMSORRYFORTAKINGSOLONG.