Within the Lines

24.

In the morning, I looked like a train wreck. I was already wholly aware of it before looking in the mirror, because when I rubbed my face, I physically felt the skin around my eyes being swollen from the lack of sleep. I just hoped I wouldn't attract attention and cameras like a wreck.

Unfortunately and fortunately, I had great people who cared about my wellbeing surrounding me.

Chiara asked if I was doing alright while we sat at the breakfast table, even offering that I could stay home from school if I wanted to. Tempting as that offer was, I knew I'd be better off with distraction. At home, I'd just end up eating chocolate cookies all day, moping, and being reminded of Atticus from all the drawings I'd made.

I didn't want Atticus to see me like this, so I purposely got up early (couldn't sleep anyway) and made sure I was gone from the table before he made it downstairs.

The car drive to school together with Dad and Atticus I spent looking out of my window, which wasn't strange and didn't raise questions. Atticus and I had done that often enough, especially in the beginning.

There was only a brief conversation in which Dad sternly told both of us to go to bed earlier, because we looked like we hadn't slept all night. We both muttered some incoherent response. Dad wasn't one to pursue the topic further. Had this been Chiara, we would've been in trouble.

With Dad, Atticus and I could simply exit the car and walk to the school building side by side.

I didn't speak and Atticus didn't speak, until we had to go our separate way inside, each riding a wave of fellow students to a different location.

"See you later," Atticus muttered, or so I thought. His voice was too quiet to transfer over the noise in the hallway, so I read his lips.

"Have a good day," I wished Atticus, genuinely meaning it. Even if I would've rather been a part of it.

With a curt nod, Atticus turned and walked away, disappearing around the corner while I stared. I snapped out of it, hoping nobody saw that. Probably not - like me, everyone was mostly focused on themselves and getting to class in time.

Sighing heavily, I also turned and immediately found myself faced with a brightly grinning Jonah. He had his hands raised, in a position to grab my shoulders and scare me as a joke. The way the twinkle in his eye dimmed to disappointment that I noticed him before he could ambush me showed me I was right. Jonah's pout was so child-like I couldn't help but laugh.

"Geez, you look like shit," Jonah told me, taking in my face from different angles.

"No kiddin'," I replied with a wry smile. "I could probably hook clothing hangers to my eye bags and they'd stay there."

Jonah let out a laugh. "Well, good to know you haven't lost your sense of humour, Turner. And don't worry too much."

He patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Atty will come around. Just give him some time."

Jonah hit the hammer on the head. Against knowing better, I still hoped.

I let out a small sigh. "Yeah. I hope he will."

I was no longer surprised Jonah already knew everything. I hardly ever saw Jonah and Atticus interact at all in school, but that just seemed to be the way their friendship worked. Like online and high school world were two completely different places, except nobody was cat fishing anyone. They both knew exactly who the other person was in real life, but just chose to ignore it.

"Meanwhile..." Jonah hooked his arm in mine for a moment with a grin. "You're gonna come with me to the theatre after school. Nah, not like that. Just like friends, to cheer you up."

Jonah seemed to understand I craved distraction, and I flashed him a smile. "Alright, I can't stay long because I gotta ride home with Dad. But see you after school then."

Too many people asked me whether I was alright that day. Way too many people, including some I didn't even know. It seemed like my reputation had preceded me even further by being involved with the Student Council, being Coach Turner's son, and being known among the theatre kids as the set guy now.

I liked being liked, but at the end of the day I was exhausted from smiling and assuring people I was fine. I almost cancelled on Jonah. But when I walked into the home economics classroom where practice would take place today, I was glad I went.

The energy in the room was incredible. Chairs were set in a big circle and in the centre, one girl and two guys were on the floor, wriggling around while the audience laughed.

I saw Jonah holding up a piece of paper reading 'pieces of bacon being cooked.'

If I had to describe what the people in the centre were doing, that was exactly it. They appeared to be doing an improv class, and it made me grin because it was so silly and yet, it seemed like both the actors in the centre and the audience were having lots of fun.

Careful not to interrupt practice, I snuck to a seat. But my asscheeks barely hit the surface or Jonah spotted me and grinned widely. He promptly passed the stack of paper to the girl next to him.

"Switch!" he called out.

The two guys and girl in the centre of the circle got up and took a seat while Jonah approached me.

"Come on, let's go. You and me are up next," he said, putting a hand on my back and pushing me towards the centre of the circle.

"Oh uh, up next for what exactly? What are we doin'? Some sort of improvisation?" I asked, feeling some heat rise to my cheeks.

I wasn't really shy or scared of being in front of a crowd, but being thrust into a group of people and immediately having all of them look at me was a bit much.

"Just go with it. Don't worry, you got this," Jonah promised me, patting my back.

"Ready?" the girl Jonah had handed the paper prompts to asked.

"Sure?" I replied, looking at her sifting through the prompts before finally selecting one and holding up the paper.

Land mower it read.

Jonah wasted no time. He started racing around inside the circle making engine sounds. I grinned, and opted for a more old-fashioned land mower with no motors in it, mimicking the sound of grass being cut as I walked around slower.

After a few seconds, the girl with the prompts rang one of those old hotel bells. She switched the papers to show a new thing we needed to improvise.

Atom and electron

I stared at the piece of paper, not quite sure what to do immediately. Jonah didn't have that problem. He ran to me and grabbed me in some sort of ballroom pose with one hand in mine and one on my shoulder.

"Uh?"

I laughed, confused but amused, as Jonah started moving around, dancing while dragging me along.

"We're an atom and an electron revolving around each other," Jonah explained with a grin.

"Not sure it works that way, but sure," I laughed.

Our dance become more and more of a bad but elaborate tango and the rest of the theatre kids applauded when the girl rang the bell again and we finished in silly poses that reminded me of Greased Lightning.

One guy even whistled. "Cutest dance couple ever!"

For a brief moment, and for the first time that day, I'd forgotten about breaking up with Atticus. But I was quickly pulled back down to reality when I glanced at the door of the Home Economics room and saw Atticus standing there.

A jolt went through my body, and a stone sank into my stomach.

Last time Jonah and I were working together on a painting and Jonah flirted with me, Atticus' look could've killed.

Now, I felt like I was the one who was being killed by Atticus' tense jaw and hard eyes.