Fly High | ✅

14 | Inverness: Take Two

◈A D R I A N◈

"Adrian," a soft voice called out.

I stopped in my tracks, turning my head to look for the owner of the voice. My eyes widened by a fraction when they saw the fiery red hair before narrowing in suspicion. It was Kelly. Or someone who looked like Kelly. Lizard people, maybe?

She gave a small smile, her eyes shining brightly when the morning rays shone on her face. I took a few steps backward unconsciously as I waited for her wrath or snarky remarks. None came.

Kelly had given up calling me, knowing well that I wouldn't answer so she settled for text messages. We had a civilized conversation, mainly just her ordering me on what to do and me replying a simple 'noted'.

Saturday night ended on a good note. Logan bidding me good night had left me walking on clouds. It was the first time we parted our ways without any lingering unpleasant feelings. Since I wasn't needed at the workshop, I spent the entire Sunday replaying his words over and over again. My head was in a daze the entire time, almost forgetting my barely legible script I'd jotted down from Kelly's email when I left the house this morning.

"I'm so nervous I think I'm going to puke," Kelly admitted as she came up to me. My feet took another step backwards, away from the possible firing line. "I'm going to go crazy waiting for the third period to start. I can't wait for the play to be over," she added with a groan.

"Hmm..," I grunted in response, still wary of her sudden personality shift. Why is she being so nice?

"You looked...better," she said sheepishly as we walked to the class. I took a glance at her and frowned when she smiled gently. Her expression was the epitome of benevolence. Like Florence Nightingale.

I knew what was going through her mind. Poor Adrian Davies needs salvation. She thought she was capable to mend the broken me. That thought made my blood boil like the fateful volcano eruption befell Pompeii.

"Fuck off," I gritted my teeth. Her unnecessary sympathy suffocated the breath out of me, smothering me with pretentious benignity. There's nothing I hated more than pity. I quickened my steps and pushed through a crowd coming out from the biology lab.

"What? Why?" Kelly asked, her shoes tapping behind me as she tried to cover the distance between us. We rounded the corner to a corridor lined with rooms on both sides and stopped at the third one on the left. Mrs. White has already started calling names.

Fucking great.

"Punctuality is a virtue. One I hope you have, Mr. Davies," she remarked as she peered over her glasses perched on her nose bridge when I pushed the door open. Seriously, what's the point of wearing spectacles when you don't see through it?

I smiled brilliantly at her just to spite her off and made way to my seat. Meanwhile, Kelly was too busy apologizing to Mrs. White to pester me. Naturally, Mrs. White let her off the hook with only a gentle warning since she was the model student. No surprise there.

Kelly slowly made her way to her seat, sitting down with a grace befitting of a ballerina before smoothing out her skirt. She then swiveled in her seat to catch my eyes, silently begging me to talk to her. I averted my gaze and turned my head facing to the window, staring into nothingness.

✴

"What bloody man is that? He can report," Roy's voice boomed in the theatre hall as his hands were raised in a flurry of gestures. "As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt. The newest state," he continued.

The entire class was seated in the first two rows of the amphitheatre seats. Mr. Hawthorne had booked the entire hall for this play, seemingly excited as there was an extra bounce in his steps when we filed into the hall. He sat right at the front with a stack of forms clipped to his worn leather clipboard.

Roy's partner, Gavin took a step forward and said his lines, his voice held a tint of patriotism. "This is the sergeant who like a good and hardy soldier fought. 'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend!"

I stole a glance at Mr. Hawthorne and let my eyes linger on the sheet of paper with Roy's and Gavin's name written on the top corner. He'd scribbled a few notes on it: appropriate gestures and emotions, has a flair of dramatic acting and a bravo in capitals to end it. I smirked at that. Looked like Amanda wasn't the only one Kelly needed to watch out for.

Kelly tapped on my shoulders from her seat a row behind me. I rolled my eyes and turned my head, only to see her unusually pale face. She gave an apologetic smile and pointed to her script. "I-I was thinking if we could rehearse for a bit before our turn," she said slowly. Taking in her breathless speech and shaking hands, she looked close to having a panic attack. I nodded in agreement as I pitied her. Oh look, guess who's the hypocrite now, I grimaced at my own thoughts.

She smiled gratefully and we moved to the seats at the end of the row, rehearsing as quietly as possible. I fumbled a little with my lines and Kelly had pointed them out patiently. I couldn't help but stole glances at her occasionally. She wasn't as terrible as a person I made out of her.

"Adrian Davies and Kelly Montgomery. You're up!" Mr. Hawthorne announced, his body twisted back to look for us in an ocean of faces. Shit! Now I'm panicking!

We rose from our seats and slowly climbed up the stage. The spotlight was blinding my eyes, oddly comforting because I wasn't able to see the pairs of eyes fixated on us. I glanced to my left and saw Kelly's quivering eyes, her knuckles red from the constant wringing she was doing just now. All of a sudden, she wasn't that confident Straight-A's student I'd always pinned her to be. She looked as vulnerable as I was now.

"Good luck," I whispered. She turned to me in an instant, her mouth slacked from shock. She shifted her eyes to the audience and back to me, a smile pasted on her lips.

Good luck, she mouthed back. I gave a slight smile in return.

Maybe it's not too late?

✈

Author's notes

*GASPS* Is this the beginning of a friendship? Kelly wasn't all bad, people. Adrian can be a sweetheart too. The play will continue in the next chapter.

I hope you enjoyed this too. If you did enjoyed it, please consider to vote. It means a lot to an author. If you're a silent reader, feel free to pm me if you have any questions. Don't be afraid, I don't bite...hard 😉

🎆Happy New Year🎆

{Song: Not Too Late by Moon Taxi}