[Wednesday, Evening]"In this world, there are people who will do anything for the ones they love. They may not even notice, they don"t have to notice. As long as they are safe that is all that matters to them. Happiness is born from satisfaction."
The lights shined bright upon the stage revealing tables and chairs arranged to fit a school. Sitting by himself reading was Ethan, relaxed on his chair and enjoying himself as he flips through the pages. That was when Owen walked in.
"Hey… Dude! Did you hear?"
Ethan ignored Owen. He was too immersed in his book to notice his best friend next to him.
"Ignoring me huh? Well, once I tell you that it"s about the new girl you"ll definitely listen."
Ethan put his book down and began to listen.
"What?" He asked.
"So I get that you guys are dating in secret and all but you"ve got to be careful. Someone claims to have seen you two. If the school finds out you"re dating her, they will kick you out. What if they tell your parents?"
"That won"t happen. You and Ruby are the only ones that know. I get that I shouldn"t be dating her because of her potential but still. I can"t complain."
Owen was convinced that Ethan could make it work. He didn"t doubt him and was sure that they could work it all out.
"Hey! What are you guys doing?"
A sudden voice called out from the door of the cla.s.sroom. Ruby walked in holding a bundle of books from the school library.
"Ruby? What are you doing here? Why haven"t you gone home yet?" Owen asked.
"I was busy in the library, I checked out a bunch of books. I saw Kaylee in there waiting for you, Ethan. It"s empty so you guys will be ok."
"Thanks, Ruby. I"ll see you guys tomorrow!"
Ethan packed up his bag and ran out of the cla.s.sroom as quickly as possible, excited to see Kaylee.
"What are you planning?" Ruby asked.
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"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. You also like Kaylee so you want them to break up. You should know that if the school finds out Ethan will be expelled. He thinks of you as his best friend. Don"t go betraying him."
"I don"t know what you"re talking about," Owen said. "What about yourself? You like Ethan don"t you? Surely you would want to help me out so you can be with him?"
"I don"t want to be with him if it involves using a method like that! True, I do care for him. I"ve known him my whole life. I want him to be happy, and if he is happy with her then that"s enough for me. I know you care about her just as much as you care about Ethan. Are you willing to throw everything away just to be with her?"
"There is more to it than just that. Their relationship is complicated, we both know that. We can both support them but we know it can"t work out. At some point, something will have to be sacrificed for them to be together, don"t forget that."
Ruby watched as Owen walked out, thinking about what he had just said worried for the future to come.
The lights shut off on the stage. A quick transition was made and the lights slowly grew again. Revealing Ethan and Kaylee sitting next to each other, surrounded by shelves towered with half damaged books.
"So what time do you wanna go?" Ethan asked.
"I just need to finish this question then I"m ready."
"Cool."
The atmosphere between the two was awkward, but it was what they enjoyed. The time they spent together was mostly in silence enjoying the company of each other.
Kaylee continued to write whilst Ethan pulled out his phone and started to play on it thinking about everything.
"Oh yeah, Owen was telling me that someone nearly saw us. We might want to stop meeting in the morning."
Kaylee stopped writing.
"Why? I know that it"s hard for us to be together. I know that the school wants to protect me. Just because I have talent they think they can bind me. I want to be free. I want to spend time with you." Ethan had heard the words he wished to hear outside of this illusion, as his mind raced through everything they have done together.
"Kaylee was tied to work for her whole life. She always scores above 99% for every exam she takes. Every school in the area was after her. They wanted her to work as hard as she could so that once she graduated, the school that she went to could leech off of her success. They would do everything they could to make sure she worked nonstop. Including limiting her interaction with those in her cla.s.s, and of course, she wasn"t allowed to date."
"You guys are still here?" Ruby and Owen walked in and sat down next to them.
"Yeah, we were just leaving. What about you two?"
"We were also leaving. Why don"t we walk together?" Owen asked, only to be hit on the side by Ruby.
"Ow... Why did you hit me?"
"No reason."
"It"s ok guys, You shouldn"t all wait for me. If you"re seen with me we will just get in trouble."
"No need to worry. We will wait." Ethan said.
"Yeah, we haven"t walked home together in a while."
The lights dimmed and everyone left the stage, chairs and blocks were being moved around setting up for the next scene.
"As the four walked home they spent time talking. Owen and Kaylee spoke together at the front whilst Ruby and Ethan hung back and talked."
"So, what are you going to do about Kaylee?" Ruby asked.
"What do you mean? About the rumour?"
"Of course. It"s not easy to be dating in secret. If you want this to work you"re going to have to work hard."
"I know."
"No matter what happens. I will support you two."
"Thanks. You"ve always had my back, even years ago you"ve always been there for me."
"Please don"t say that. I just want you to be happy."
"Please, Don"t regret anything." Ruby"s last words resonated within Ethan. Not just within the performance but also outside. He thought deeply to himself about what to do. Unsure of how to progress.
He was considered the smartest in the cla.s.s, but he had many regrets that he wished he could change.
"The next day in the morning, Ethan walked to school alone. When he arrived he heard rumours of people talking about his friend, Owen.
In the cla.s.sroom, Owen sits without a care. Deep in thought."
"Hey, Owen. what are all these rumours about you and Kaylee?"
"Huh? Oh, those. Turns out our walk yesterday was seen and people mistook us for dating. Everything also thinks you and Ruby are going out."
"What? What are the school doing about this?"
"They came to talk to me earlier. I will transfer out of this school so Kaylee can stay. You can continue to date her in secret."
"W-what! Just say you aren"t dating, that way you won"t have to transfer, right?"
Owen looked down and reflected on his friendship with Ethan, worried about Ethan more than himself.
"No, This is what must happen. You can stay together with Kaylee. It"s hard for you two to be together, but I believe you can make it work. I was being selfish. It"s ok, I"ll be fine, Don"t make me regret this."
"W-wha.." Ethan was speechless as Owen walked out of the cla.s.sroom to head to the teacher"s office.
Ruby ran in as fast as she could after hearing the news.
"Ethan? What"s happened, I heard this rumour?"
Ruby looked at Ethan"s face and saw the anxiety in his eyes. He saw the destructiveness that his feelings had caused, and questioned it all. He wondered what he really wanted and if it was ok for him to have it.
Ethan stumbled through his lines.
"O-Owen, They think he is dating Kaylee. He is being forced to move schools. I told him to tell the truth but he won"t. He has accepted it already. He is going to leave so I can continue dating her."
"T-that idiot," Ruby whispered to herself.
"Come on. We just need to stop Owen from being kicked out, right? If you and Kaylee explained the situation it will be fine.
Ruby grabbed Ethan by the hand and pulled him out into the hall, chasing after Owen.
In the hallway Kaylee and Owen were both yelling at a teacher, trying to explain the situation.
"Ethan! What are you doing here?" Kaylee asked.
"There is something I need to say! Something I have to say!" The situation had attracted the attention of everyone else in the school who had gathered around. Ethan took a deep breath as couldn"t stop his hands from shaking in fear.
"No, Ethan, you don"t have to," Owen said.
"It"s ok… I"ve finally got an answer to it all. I"m done running away, you"ve supported me enough. I"m not going to regret it."
Ethan smiled at Owen. Owen was shocked to have heard what Ethan just said as was Ruby. Not because that is what the script said, but because Ethan was improvising and had come to the conclusion he wanted.
"Kaylee. I remember the day you first arrived, you were surrounded by everyone and you always had a smile on your face. You spent the day talking to me and only me, it made me feel special. I enjoyed every moment we spent together, even if there was a reason we couldn"t be together. I didn"t want to cause any issue to you. I tried to move on, I really did. I wanted you to be happy, but no matter what we ended up near each other. That"s why I have to say this. I won"t be able to no matter what… I-i… I… L-LOVE YOU!"
Ethan"s confession silenced everyone around. Kaylee was stunned as her face turned red, unsure what to make of it all. The lights dimmed and Kaylee left as quickly as she could, covering her face.
The curtains closed, and the room filled with the sounds of the audience clapping.