Cassies louder clapping distracted the two, looking on stage as she walked from the side, cutting Hallie and Marta's conversation off. "Lexi, you really out did yourself."

"Woah, even acting coming from the audience?" Lydia gapped in shock, showing how impressed she'd been. Rue took her hand with a sharp inhale.

Cassie laughed. "I mean, where did she find these knock-offs. I had no idea that my sister had this in her. Good luck, right. Isn't she brave? She's up here, unpacking all of her trauma. I had no idea how hard your life was, Lexi. Can we give a round of applause for how hard Lexi's life is?"

A few people from the crowd cheered and whistled. Cassie smiled. "I know they hack the heads off women in Afghanistan or whatever."

"That's racist!" a boy from the crowd called.

"Boo!" Lydia called with two thumbs down, Rue snorted as she pressed her head into her shoulder to continue a laugh.

"God, it is nothing compared to living in my shadow." Cassie continued on.

"Yo, is this like apart of the play?" a boy asked from the crowd.

"I don't know." Cassie spoke, looking around toward the back. "Lexi, is this part of the play? Lexi? This is your show. Come out. You're the star of the play. You're the star of the night. She's always wanted to be the star."

Lexi tried to protest as Cassie drug her from behind the mirrors, the spot light on her again. "This is your big moment. Shine!"

"Please stop." Lexi begged her over and over in a whisper.

"I should stop? Me? I'm not the one putting on a play to humiliate and embarrass you!" Cassie shouted at her as Lexi began to protest. "Oh really? Then what is this?"

"Hi, everyone." Suz walked into the stage, Lydia wince. "I'm Suz, i'm the girls moms in real life. Played by Ethan. Where is he? Ethan!"

Lydia smiled as Ethan walked from behind one of the mirror with his rob, giving a shy wave as he accepted Suz's hug with a kiss on the cheek. "He's gonna win an award!"

"So, it's not apart of the play?" Lydia looked to Rue in questioning.

"It's....whatever you want it to be." Rue hummed, satisfied with her answer.

"I deserve this right?" Cassie laughed at Sue.

"Oh my god, please mom." Lexi begged her with a pleading look.

"Mom stop!" Cassie shrugged her off when Suz tried to pull her away.

"You stop it!" Suz scolded her.

"Lexi, i'm gonna fucking kill you!" Cassie threatened as the crowd gapped, Lexi hurrying away. "I deserve this, right? Because i've actually lived a life? I'm the one who takes risk? I'm the one that falls in love? I'm the one that gets hurt, not you, Lexi! You have never even fucking lived! That's why you're able to stand up here and judge all of us. You're just a fucking bystander."

"Right now-" Suz tried to remove Cassie again.

"Mom, stop!" she shoved her away as everyone started to boo Cassie. "Okay, if that makes me a villain, then so fucking be it. I can play the fucking villain. Lexi, is this the part of the play where I steal Jake from Marta?"

"No, Cassies, that not apart of the play." Lexi informed her.

"It is now." Maddy sasses from the crowd.

"Oh, shit?" Lydia looked to Rue. "Are these your friends? I've only been at school a few months, Rue."

"Who said that?" Suz looked out.

"Look, I wanna say, I get it. I understand what you're going through, I lived it." Hallie walked forward to try and talk to Cassie.

"Wait, Hallie steals Martas boyfriend?" a voice asked from the crowd.

"I don't know how many times I have to say this. They were not fucking together." Cassie spoke bitterly toward the crowd.

"Yeah, not only that, but she was fucking him the entire time Marta was talking about getting back together with him!" Maddy called from the crowd again to inform everyone.

"Why?" the girl asked again.

"Because Hallies a two faces cunt!" Maddy said bitterly.

"I'm not the cunt, you're the cunt!" Cassie shouted from the stage.

"You're the fucking cunt, bitch!" Maddy yelled back as the crowd laughed and cheer, Suz trying to scold her language.

"Definitely not apart of the play." Rue shook her head.

Sue tried to yank Cassie off the stage again, getting shoved at once more as the blonde went on. "I'm not going home. The plays not over! Mom, this isn't fair! How can she do this?"

"3.25 for a grapefruit? What is this? Venezuela?" Luna walked onto the stage as the light hit her. The crowd laughed.

Lexi started to head off stage as Cassie yelled for her. "Lexi. Lexi, i'm gonna fucking kill you!"

"Enough. Enough." Suz tried again.

Carnival music started to play as Hallie was shown on a carousal. "Oh my god, yes! Oh, that's it! Oh, my god, I just love fucking everything!"

"Oh my god." Lydias jaw dropped as Rue rubbed her back.

Cassie screamed loudly, attacking Hallie. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, get the fuck off of the horse!"

Maddy rose from her chair, running toward the stage as Cassie began to fight Hallie. Kat and BB ran after her.
Maddy attacked Cassie, smacking her across the face as the crowd cheered. Rue sat up. "Oh, fuck."

Lydia had to laugh loudly again, falling into Rue, as Maddy chased Cassie around the mirrors, Kat and BB chasing Maddy. Lydia whistled. "Get them a emmy!"

Suz laughed. "It's all make believe! It's all scripted! Can you believe this? My babies a genius. Close the curtain! Close the fucking curtain, now!"

"Rue." Lydia gapped.

"Honestly, when I invited you-" she stared.

"This is the best first date in the entire world." she smiled widely. "We gotta get your friend back out here though."

Rue cleared her throat, looking around the confused crowd as she cupped her hands together. "Lexi! Lexi! Lexi!"

The crowd began to cheer with her, all chanting Lexi's name for her and clapping their hands together. It didn't take long for the brunette to walk into the stage, everyone cheering for her.

"Um, as you may have noticed, we're experiencing some technical difficulties." Lexi explained as she moved her hands around by her side. "Um, but seriously, I think we're gonna need a few minutes. Um, I just wanted to thank you all for being here. I didn't know any of that was gonna happen. Ugh, a little bit ago, I was talking to a friend about this play. And I asked him 'What if I upset people?' and he said to me 'Sometimes people need to get their feelings hurt.' Um, even though he couldn't be here with us tonight, this one's for you."

Everyone cheered again as Lexi took a small bow, walking off the stage.

Jade was on stage again, Rue latched onto Lydias hand as she squeezed. "My-my first thought was... 'This feels like a movie' I know a lot of people feel that way when traumatic things happen to them. At least, I-I hear that a lot. It didn't feel real, it felt like a movie. Uh, and this is it, this is the part where the character never recovers. The part where life takes them down, this is the- this is the scene that scares her forever."

It faded to Suz comforted Grace in her bed after revealing Jade had an over dose. Her hand tightened with Rue, because it didn't accor to her until now that she could have lost Rue.

Jade was back, holding her paper. "I watched you die.. and all I could think about was how it didn't feel real, The lights, the heavy boots of theEMT's and their respectful, quiet voices. 'Let's lift him on three' It was so quiet. I was numb. I didn't care. I wasn't feeling life in the way life was meant to felt, because I wasn't there, I wasn't present. I was just watching it. But that's not true. I do care. And what if- what if the reason it felt like a movie was because I wanted to believe that loosing you is apart of a larger story? One that maybe I can- one that maybe I can still shape. I remember a couple of day before you passed away, you told me that if I ever wanted to be with you, all I would have to do is close my eyes. And we'd be together. You said that.. memories exist outside of time, and have no beginning or end. You said as long as I life, you'll be with me forever. I miss you, Dad. I miss you until I close my eyes. That's it. Thank you."

Lydia looked to Rue, making her meet her eye. She reached over, holding her cheek to whip her eyes with a gentle smile. The crowed cheered as the play ended, everyone proud and happy with how it played out. Lydia smiled. "Best first date ever."

"Best first date ever." she confirmed with a cheeky grin.

"Wanna make it even better with a podcast about the planets on the way home?" Lydia suggested, holding her hand out for Rue to stand. The Bennett girl met Jules' eye from a few rows away, they held eye contact.

Rue gave Lydia a smile as she latched into her hand. "Let's go."

•

kylie speaks

hate that it's over but
i've had a good time
writing lydia and rue.
i hope lydia's story has
not only brought a form
of comfort to some of you
but also educational topics
that we can all spread awareness about. thank you
for all the support i've gotten
and i'll see you all again for
the third season!