My Fictional Boyfriend

Chapter 28 ~ Props and costume

I had a good start of my Saturday morning. I woke up in a sunny day and when I walked to the bakery shop at exactly eight fifty-nine, the guard just finished turning the CLOSE sign to OPEN.

"Goodmorning," he said, showing his perfect white beam.

I smiled back. "Any treat for your first costumer for today?" I joked.

I heard a cling and I turned to the cashier. She was laughing. "Buy one of our cakes and get a heartful of happiness, miss." I waked to the glass stand. I was sad to see it was almost empty. "The other cakes will be available in thirty minutes," she said with an apology.

"It's okay. I'll just... uhm," I read each of the labels in front of each cakes. Hazelnut, Green tea, Pistachio... "I'll just take this."

"Pistachio roll?" She pointed to the green cake roll with white ice cream and pistachio toppings. I paid and went to the door. It was when I already walked several feet away and turned back to the bakery did I felt a heartbreaking deja vu. I remembered the Old Man's café. If he was as real as I was now, I hoped he was in the world where the person he was waiting for was as as real as Marvin. No one else's could see, only the two of them, but it did not matter because they loved each other far more than reality.

I waved the thought out of my mind. "Anyone's birthday?" Marvin appeared beside me.

I took my phone to my ears and talked to him. "I just want to congratulate my friends and an apology gift as well."

"Don't forget to congratulate yourself as well," he reminded me. The pride of it vanished in my thoughts but my friends, parents and Marvin made it sound special over and over. I was afraid that I might give them the expectation of having that article published but then disappoint them and myself later on. "What do you plan on writing?"

"Still thinking about it. They needed the submission three weeks from now and it will be published for the end-of-school-year issue. I'm afraid that I might get pressured by the deadline. I often experience mental block whenever I'm pressured."

Marvin placed his arm around my shoulder. "Don't be, I got your back. We'll surely support you all the way."

~

This Saturday was the first practice and preparation for the Play two months from now. I accepted the offer to be part of the backstage crew as Props and Costume staff. Bea, who turned out to be the president of the club, said that she would be busy being the character director so someone else would be the props and costume head, also known as my mystery boss. I got a memo that I should be on Room 319 at EXACTLY 10:00. It was only 9:45, that means I still had fifteen minutes before the emphasized exact time to go to my friends and give them the cake.

I called Liam and he said they were in Room 517, the room next to the balcony of the auditorium. The elevator left me and I did not want to waste time waiting so I ran through the stairs. It was strange that the building seemed empty.

Their room was not hard to find because there was a golden star posted on the door and above that was a sign that read ORGANIZATION ROOM 7. I knocked. A guy from the senior year opened the door, he clearly didn't have a clue who I was. "Steve, that's Ella," said Bea standing from the couch. Liam and Aly saw me too. "Ella!" They exclaimed in surprise. "You did not tell us you accepted the offer." Aly said, hugging me.

"Another adventure," I smiled and gave them the cake.

"Come inside," said Bea. "Welcome to the theater club room."

"Thanks," I said and offered the cake to her too.

"What is this for?" Liam asked as he placed the box on the table.