Michael looked at the door to the auditorium and gulped. It was as if he was about to enter a hell of anxiety and references he didn't understand.

“I-I can't do this Jere. I'm not cut o-out for theater…” He muttered, tryna walk away before Jeremy grabbed his sleeve and pushed him against the door lightly.

“Yes you can. It'll be okay I assure you.” Jeremy smiled and Michael nodded before going back to the door and pushing it open half aggressively. He almost tripped upon entering, but pulled himself up before he could do anything too humiliating.

He looked up and saw Jenna rushing around the stage, setting props up, so he assumed, and as he made his way down he actually did manage to trip and fall. Jenna saw him and immediately came over to help him.

“Are you alright?” She asked and he nodded as she helped jim get to his feet. “Oh silly me, how'd this get over here?” She looked down and grabbed a prop beaker off the ground. “Must have dropped it on my way in. This is probably what you tripped on.”

“O-Oh. I guess I should h-have been looking w-where I was going.” Michael's face grew red from embarrassment and Jenna smiled at him.

“I dropped the beaker, it isn't your fault. C'mon, maybe you can help me set the rest of the props up.” Jenna began heading back to the stage, and Michael followed. “So is this your first rehearsal?”

“Y-Yeah I-I guess, I mean I've never r-really acted before...unless reading a-all the lines in an RPG out loud c-counts as acting.”

“Oh it totally doe- oh hey, can you grab that box for me?” She pointed to a wooden box of what appeared to be outfits for a Shakespeare play. “Careful though, that's the outfits I made for the play this year.”

“W-What play?”

“Only the best Shakespeare play...A Midsummer Night's Dream.” Jenna's eyes practically lit up as she sat one of her boxes down and danced over to Michael, grabbing one of the costumes and holding it up as if she was going to try it on. “I've been waiting for this day for my entire highschool career.”

“Oh, I've never h-heard of that play before. I only r-really know Romeo and Juliet. S-Sorry.” He sat the box down and she placed the outfit in it.

“Oh it's okay. A lot of people don't know much of Shakespeare. His greater works are the more obscure ones. It's such a shame not more people are interested in him.”

“W-Well this play sounds n-neat. What's it about?”

“Oh I don't want to spoil it, but it does have fae involved so things only end so well.”

“Oh, aren't those l-like mischievous fairies?”

“Mmhm. I'm curious, what made you sign up?” Michael didn't really know how to answer that. So he quickly fabricated a lie that he hoped could fool Jenna.

“I-I just wanted to b-broaden my horizon. That's all.”

“Oh. Well I'm kinda jealous. The first play rehearsal is always the best, because you've got zero clue what's in store but then you get the script and it's like everything is laid out in front of you. It's predictable. It's easy. You're in control of a life where you know what'll happen. Do you know what I mean?”

“It's k-kinda like a video game. Being i-in control of your life. I mean, you a-also die every time you don't know w-what's gonna happen b-but like...you know?”

“I mean I don't play video games.”

“So where's the rest of the c-cast?”

“I...don't kno-” Jenna was cut off by the door slamming open and the popular kids walking in. “There they are.”

“Finally! I was getting worried we weren't gonna have a cast.” The drama teacher, Shane Reyes, walked on to the stage, which Jenna led Michael off of. The two sat down in the front row seats, the popular kids sitting two rows behind them. “Anyways, you may call me Mr Reyes, or if you want to you can just not call me anything at all, I don't exactly mind. And you may know me from drama class, or from the Pinkberry in the mall. I work there as a part time job.”

“Oh yeah you served me last time!” Chloe Lohst, best friend to the hottest girl in school, Brooke Valentine, yelled from the audience with a wide smile on her face.

“Oh I remember that. Anyways, I was so thrilled to find out the school wanted me to put on Shakespeare's a Midsummer Night's Dream.”

I was right!” Jenna yelled, and Michael laughed slightly at her enthusiasm. It was charming.

“But sadly, due to the lack of money given to the drama program, that dream died. And had to be recreated...only deformed, mutated, and with zombies. It saddens me.” Jenna immediately went over and hugged her drama teacher.

“It saddens me too.” She mumbled, and an awkward silence filled the auditorium.

“Anyways, I'm going to go shove my face into a bucket of froyo because I am sad now.” Mr Reyes/Shane left the room, most of the popular students doing the same. Jenna was packing her bag up when Rich Dillinger walked over to her.

“Hey uh, you were in last year's play right?” Jenna looked at him and nodded. “Yeah you died.”

“Yeah. That's what happens when you play Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.”

“It was depressing. But uh, you were really good. I actually cried. Like actual tears. Which I don't normally do...I was really glad you weren't dead...before I got to know you.” Rich smiled and Jenna caught herself blushing. Michael watched with a tinge of sadness, which, surprisingly, wasn't for himself, but rather for Jenna. Michael knew how Rich was. He was a player. He'd be all flirtatious and sweet with a girl just to sleep with them. Then he'd leave. “Anyways, a bunch of the cast is headed out to the mall this Sunday and I was wonderin’ if you'd wanna come.”

“Oh okay! Here's my number so y-you can text me all the essential information.” Jenna wrote the number on a slip of paper and handed it to Rich.

“Thanks. Oh and as I'm leaving, parting is such sweet….uh...sorrow! Yeah that's the word. Anyways I gotta go now.” Rich snapped at Jenna before making his way out of the room.

Michael noticed how much she was swooning and walked over to her.

“Jenna you k-know he's a player right?” She turned around and blinked as if she hadn't heard him.

“Sorry Michael did...did you say something?”

“I-It's nothing…” Jenna nodded before packing her stuff up and left. He stood there and watched the door swing. That poor girl was going to be eaten alive. He suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket and took it out. It was Jeremy calling.

“So how was it?” He asked after Michael immediately picked up the call. He held the phone with his shoulder as he made his way out of the auditorium and to the bathroom.

“S-She likes Rich...but I mean why would she like me?” Michael mumbled and Jeremy could tell he was about to cry. He wanted to tell Michael why he liked him, why anybody should like him...but he felt it would be wrong to bring his own feelings into this

“I mean he is the most popular boy at school. Who doesn't like him? Other than us, although I'll admit he is attractive.”

“J-Jere, that is the gayest t-thing you've said all day.” Michael said softly, knowing it wouldn't piss Jeremy off since he was technically somewhat gay.

“Yeah...I will think of something gayer to say later. Anyways, I'm gonna get ready to come pick you up. Your place this weekend?”

“Mmhm.”

“Okay, I'll be there soon. Bye.”

“B-Bye.” Michael hung up the phone and sat it in his pocket. He then grabbed his bag and sat it on the sink so he could wash the BOYF off.

“You done talkin’ to your boyfriend?”