When the Curtains Open

 (Author's Note at the end.... Even if you lose interest in this story, you should probably read it, especially if you're mad at me for not uploading some stuff)

Abigail walked down the sidewalk, head down, bent against the biting cold. Her cheeks were stained pink and a strand of curly, dark hair flew into her face, sticking itself to her lipgloss. Annoyed, she pulled it away, reaching for her phone at the same time. "Shoot," she mumbled to herself. It was 6:17 and choir rehearsal would start in less than fifteen minutes.
She picked up her pace, striding confidently uphill and sticking her phone into her bag. Suddenly, a figure raced around the corner and slammed into her, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps.
The figure held out a hand to steady her, while cursing quietly under his breath. He was going to be late for rehearsal if his father didn't come soon with his costume. The choir director had already made it clear: one more tardy, and he'd be demoted into a lower class. He shuddered at the thought of singing with those inexperienced freshman. What would the be worse, though, wouldn't be the nauseatingly off-key singing; it would be those annoying freshman girls that threw themselves shamelessly at him.
"Sorry," he muttered to the girl he bumped into, realizing with a blush that he had held her hand for a bit too long. After looking into her hazel eyes, he cleared his throat. "Yeah... Sorry... I'm Collin," he said rather awkwardly. "I kinda gotta go. Bye. And, erm, sorry." He ran down the street frantically, looking for his dad's car, leaving the girl standing there, staring at his retreating figure.
Abigail sighed as he disappeared into a car. She turned around and made a right, walking heavily towards the choir room. Inside would be a safe haven, she thought. As she stepped into the room with renewed energy, she smiled at the familiar smell of cinnamon rolls. Festive lights adorned the walls, and the mirror was painted with various holliday greetings. This was her home away from home. She walked to the piano, setting her bag down, before being attacked with a bear hug. Without turning around, she knew who it was. "Hey, Diane," she said, pulling out her dress- a beautiful, knee-length, sparkly number. Straightening up, Abigail turned towards her friend, who was already wearing the same dress Abigail had in her hands. The baby blue fabric brought out Diane's eyes, and the dress shimmered with every movement. "Ugh, you pull off that dress so well," Abigail said. "I wish I could look at good in it!"
"Oh, shut up," Diane exclaimed, her strawberry-blonde curls bouncing forward as she rolled her eyes. "You'll look gorgeous, as usual."
Five minutes later, both girls stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Diane giggled and turned around, making sure everything was in place. "We look hot!" she said, smiling into the mirror amd realizing with a frown that she had forgotten her makeup. "Hey Abs? Can I borrow your makeup?"
Abigail barely registered her friend asking her a question, and she nodded quickly, sinking back deep into thought.
Diane put on her makeup in silence, sweeping dark mascara onto her long lashes and dabbing some bright red lipstick onto her lips. After musing for awhile about whether or not to put on sparkly eyeliner, she turned to Abigail to ask for advice. "Should I...?" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Abigail standing there, staring off into space. Diane shrugged. Might as well go with the sparkles. After all, show choir was all about the glamour. When she finished, she looked at her silent friend in worry, wondering if she should ask what's wrong. Normally, Abigail told her everything, so what was bothering her must be something big. "Hey, are you alright?" Diane asked quietly.
Abgail suddenly jerked out of her reverie. "What makes you think I'm not alright?" she asked quizzically.
"I don't know," Diane began sarcastically. "Maybe the silence for the past few minutes?"
Abigail looked sheepishly down at the floor as Diane gasped in surprise. "Oh my gosh, it's a boy, isn't it? Who?"
"It's nothing." Abigail rolled her eyes. Trust Diane to make such a small thing seem so big.
"No it's not! Tell me! Who's the lucky guy?"
Abigail blushed and traced a circle in the ground with her shoe. "He's not a lucky guy, like that. You know, I just met him. Collin Hammer? He introduced himself to me." After he crashed into me, she mentally added.
Diane gasped, eyes wide. "No way! THE Collin Hammer? But he's so shy and doesn't talk to anyone! He's gorgeous, though!" She laughed at the fact that she had totally fallen head over heels for him last year. But then again, everyone had, hadn't they?
Even though Collin Hammer barely talked to anyone, he had that quietly stoic persona that every girl seemed to swoon at. He was perfect in every way, a blonde Adonis, with his shaggily tousled blonde hair and sparkly eyes that looked both blue and gray. Looking into his eyes was like staring into the depths of the ocean, where the waves crash together, foaming and swirling into a turbulent mass. However, most girls were also trying to use him to meet his father, former member of The Thermedorians. Although that band had been past its glory days long ago, Mr. Hammer was still influential in the industry, and every girl dreamed of killing two birds with one stone. Getting to date Collin while meeting ex-celebrity Mr. Hammer was a dream come true for most.
Abigail was thinking about Collin, too, when Diane dragged her away from her thoughts. "You know it's almost time for rehearsal, and you don't even have makeup on!"
Abigail gasped as she saw the time and clumsily fumbled for her makeup pouch, swiping on some eyeshadow and blush with the air of someone that did this constantly. Within minutes, she was ready.
Diane whistled in admiration. "That must be an applying makeup record!"
Abigail just rolled her eyes and sprinted towards the choir room, grabbing Diane's hand. "We're going to be late, Di!" She groaned as her heel got stuck in a crack in the concrete. When she finally got out, she quickly crept to the door, Diane hot on her heels. It was already 6:30- they were late. She tried to slip in unnoticed, ducking her head and creeping along the back wall until... "Ow!" she exclaimed, clutching the back of her head ruefully. Looking up, she gasped as she saw who she had run into, again.
Collin looked up at who he had bumped into, ready to look at them apologetically and walk away. Suddenly, his breath caught in his throat as he recognized those eyes he was looking into. It was the same girl he had run into earlier, except now she was dressed in her costume, and her hazel eyes were lined with makeup, making the colors pop. Involuntarily, he straightened his tie, then silently cursed at the costume for being so darn itchy. He had to admit, it made him look good, but couldn't it be a bit more comfortable? He made a mental note to ask his father to help a bit in the wardrobing department.
The girl stared up at him, blush creeping across her cheeks as she caught him staring at her. Any minute now, he thought warily, waiting for the typical response to meeting him. He braced himself for her to go into flirtacious mode, gigglimg amd twirling her hair ditzily. It's what all the girls did to him, hoping that he'd find it attractive. Frankly, he thought it made them look like malfunctioning Barbies.