Chapter 18 - Showcase

Jade was freaking out.

And I don't mean freaking out as in really nervous. I'm talking about an actual panic attack.

As she gasped for air, sitting against the wall in the room's corner with a hand over her chest, Courtney and I tried to calm her down unsuccessfully. She was hyperventilating, and I was panicking too from not knowing what to do.

"Someone please get Miss Wick" Courtney yelled at the people running around behind us.

Earlier, we had peeked behind the curtains and the auditorium was filling at an amazing rate. I had tried to spot any of my parents, but many were yet to arrive, and I assumed they were late. Nothing had started yet, but when Jade saw the crowd, she freaked out.

"Please, Jade, calm down. Just breathe, okay? Come on. In and out," I told her as I breathed with her.

I heard the music playing. The choir's presentation. I thanked God for being the last one to step on the stage tonight.

"Where is she?" I heard a familiar voice ask outside the room, and then his lean figure appeared in a black leather jacket.

Mr Deeks dropped a bunch of papers by the table full of flowers and knelt next to Jade, brushing us out of the way. He squeezed her hand and forced her to do eye contact with him.

"Hey, Flora. Quite a show you're giving here, hun? You should keep the drama for later." Her eyes were focused on him, but calm was still not the word for her. "Relax. Breathe. In and out." She complied, tightening her grasp on his fingers. "It's like we discussed. Nothing will go wrong. You're going there and you're going to be amazing. Your parents won't be able to spot a flaw"

He kept saying sweet things, and soon enough she was breathing normally again.

Jade threw her arms around his neck and he patted her back awkwardly with a tight smile. When she let go of him, he said he had to go welcome some scouts but told us to call him if she had another relapse.

"Are you going to tell us what the heck is going on between you and him or we're just supposed to create really disgusting scenarios in our heads?" Courtney asked.

Jade didn't move from her place. "He's nice to me. He... listens..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know...it's not what you're thinking, it's just... he cares, I guess... or maybe he pretends he does... I don't know but feels good to have someone who's there"

I didn't need to ask to know she was struggling because of her parents. I didn't know them but I knew they're very strict. Like panic attack making strict. They had high standards and their daughter had to meet them.

"Hello girls," Louis joined us later on. "How are we doing on this beautiful evening?"

"We're fine," Courtney and Jade said in unison, and I joined in with a "Stole Beth's makeup"

He looked at me and blinked, unsure if he had heard right, and then burst of laughing.

"Girl, you're crazy! I love it!"

I smiled, but my friends weren't too happy. They thought I was making my death bed. Mood killers.

"Okay, I got lucky charms for everyone. Okay, they're not lucky charms, but they taste great," He said as he pushed plastic cups filled with blueberry milkshakes to our hands. "Enjoy heaven and try not to die, 'cause I most definitely will"

"Wait!" I told him before he could take the cup to his lips. "You're not doing this on the play day, are you?"

"Relax, AJ. I'm not part of the show. I'm going to sit in the middle of the audience chugging milkshakes down until I pass out on the floor. When you get me to the hospital, ask for the red-haired nurse. I think her name is Amelia"

"Louis!"

"I'm kidding!" he snorted, but I wasn't convinced. "You know there's zero lactose milk, right? Misha makes magic with anything"

I sighed in relief and he gave us a thumbs up before being off to find a place in the middle of the crowd. Courtney followed suit. I'm still sad she isn't taking part.

Jade and I joined the rest of the cast, who were already dressing up. Beth was yelling at Reed in a corner (something about makeup) and everyone was trying to ignore them.

The music stopped, and the choir left the stage one by one, orderly. It was time for the dancers to make their appearance, and I watched as Quinn and her colleagues passed through us in their pink tutus and serious faces.

"Alright everyone," Chris called our attention and started doing some kind of inspirational speech. "I'm so freaking proud of all of you. We're here today. After getting in on a play, half of our mates couldn't, after days and days of practising the same scenes and saying the same lines. We're here today to show that school that we are their elite..." and he just kept talking and talking and I shut down for a while "...so let's go to that stage and show what we're made of"

"I don't know what about you, but I'm mostly flash and bones. There's also a huge percentage of water." Yuki said with a nod.

"That's not what I meant," Chris sighed.

I shrugged and added, "Well, I am mostly made of success and amazingness. And arrogance too, according to my previous statement"

Beth rolled her eyes at me so hard I'm pretty sure she spotted her brain. This is if she could find it. It's so hard to find tiny things in gigantic spaces...

With that, the curtains closed, and we rushed to do the last details on our outfits and makeup.

I finished putting on the huge wings and helped Jade with hers. Mr Deeks showed up right in time after yelling at some girl who screwed the lights during Quinn's performance. He had got rid of his leather jacket (perhaps noticed that's not how you go talk to scouts) and looked calmer than anyone else. He dismissed Miss Wick, who was yelling frenetically at no one in particular, and told her to go sit in the audience.

He bossed us around, telling us where we should be whilst we waited for our scenes, and instead of doing some pep talk, he did the exact opposite. I hate this guy.

Jade was looking at him in awe, and I repressed the urge to gag at it. To be honest, Beth kind of giggled when he looked at her, and I could feel Reed's annoyance from the other side of the room.

I don't get it. I honestly don't get it! How can they be so whipped by the Antichrist? I mean, sure, he's not ugly at all, but he's insufferable!

Everyone went to their positions when he finally shut up and I took the fact that I wasn't part of the first scene to reach him and ask him exactly that. I mean, after tonight I'll never see him again, so it's all or nothing.

"Can I ask you something?" I said bluntly.

He didn't mind turning to me; he was just leaning against the wall watching the play and made a hand gesture for me to continue.

"What is going on between you and Jade?"

"Who?"

"Flora"

"Flora? I'm giving her anxiety management classes"

"So you're not hitting on her? Or should I say, leading her into believing she's got a chance?"

He finally looked at me, brows furrowed in confusion "Merryweather, I have a girlfriend and I'm not a paedophile," he explained slowly "Flora's got problems and I'm trying to help, but if you think I'm trying something with a twelve-year-old than you're very wrong"

"Fine," I said dryly and turned on my heel back to Jade, leaving him talking to someone on the phone.

Reed was about to take his place in the audience but stopped before us to wish us good luck.

"I don't need luck. I need elephant size sedatives," Jade exhaled, the nerves coming back.

"It's gonna be fine, relax," he said with a smile. "You're gonna be great"

"I hope so," I whispered, but his smile didn't wither.

"Well, I'm going downstairs. See you later," he excused himself and ruffled my hair before leaving. Is he aware of how much time and hairspray I spent to tame it, or does he just like to mess with me?

I'm going to spare you reading about the play, assuming you're familiar with The Sleeping Beauty. Let's just say it went as well as possible.

When the showcase was over, I ran downstairs to find my parents in the middle of the dispersing crowd. Courtney was with her older sister in one of the front sits. I passed through her running and she gave me a thumbs up and a smile as I passed.

They were nowhere to be seen, and I was feeling disappointed. Could they not have come?

I was stopped by the voice of a man yelling and a crying girl in the middle of the hallway. He was a tall, grey guy in a suit next to a woman with a ridiculously shiny dress. They were both looking down at a very sad Jade with tears sliding down her face.

"That's what you call good? Good? That was a disaster! I can't even say it was mediocre!"

"When I was your age, I filled theatres. This was awful. You're not worth the name you carry," the woman said in a dry tone.

Changed my mind, I prefer my parents aren't here.

I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to do. The three of them met Miss Wick so Jade could resign to NAA. She was crying so much and begging to forgive her...it broke me to see her like that.

"Excuse me?" I said, "You can't take Jade out of the school. She's such a talented actress, it would be a shame..."

"Shut up," the woman said.

Miss Wick tried to change their minds, but they were very sure of what they were doing. Until someone else showed up.

I never knew to what extent was Mr Deeks famous in the acting world till that very moment. Only that he was the principal's son, a privileged kid who did not want to be in NAA no matter what, and took it out on us. I had never heard his name before enrolling here, but apparently, they did.

"Merryweather is right." His loud voice filled the space, shutting the parents down and soothing Jade's crying. "Miss Fraticelli here is a prodigy and the school would love to work with her. I would teach her as long as she is part of this academy."

I thought he didn't bother to learn names.

"We're not talking to you, kid," the man ignored him.

"I think you should."

"This is not a matter for some teenager..."

Deeks stepped forward and extended his hand for Mr Fraticelli to shake. My eyes widened at the audacity and the man seemed furious.

"My name's Michael Deeks. You might know my father. He is the principal and co-founder of Nova's Academy of Art." He added. "I have an extensive experience in theatre and I feel that we have a great opportunity to shape her to be the next star"

That left them speechless, peering at each other without knowing what to say. I never thought I'd ever say it, but I loved that guy.

"So you're offering yourself as her teacher?" the woman asked.

"Something like that. We'll see what we can do," he answered. "But before we discuss details... Merryweather, your mother was looking for you. Louis is giving her a tour of the school if I'm not mistaken"

I blinked and nodded before going to find her, hoping they wouldn't take my friend away.

I found my mum and Louis on the basketball field. I found Louis in the bleachers cheering for my mum, who was trying to throw the ball into the basket.

"Mum?" I called.

"Oh, Avery, dear! You were so great on that stage! Do you know this gentleman here? His name is Louis, but you can call him Viz with a Z! Did you know?" she was dribbling the ball in such a professional way I doubted that was my mother.

"Yes, I did. Where's dad?"

"Oh... He was here, but he left for work"

"Oh..."

Louis jumped off the bleachers and put his arms around both of us.

"So, ladies, what is our plan for tonight? Are we going to the movies? Are we getting milkshakes before or after?"

"Milkshakes?" my mum furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes, milkshakes. Misha's milkshakes are pure bliss. Right, AJ? Chocolate for Pipes here. You're lacking substance. Look at your daughter. She looks like she took a bath in bleach."

My mum laughed, but I looked horrified at him. "Did you just call my mum Pipes?!"

"Yeah, we're friends now. Right, Piper?"

"Yeah"

What?

"So, milkshakes?" he asked.

"Surely"

☕☕☕

Wasupp?!

So we are officially two chapters away from The End. Or one if you're like vxy and ignore the Sunrises (F u vxy) How are we all feeling with this?

Vote and comment