Warped: Running In Time

Episode 10: We Interrupt Your Daily Program For This Special Part 1

Rehearsals for Between The Lines had finally begun. While Barry was on a bowling date with Linda, I was at rehearsal. By this time, my covers and songs had become pretty popular locally. I mean, the whole cast of Between the Lines had my covers and songs on their personal playlists. So did Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and even Joe. That was except for three people, two I expected, and one I didn't expect. One was Dr. Wells, because he didn't really have a music preference. One was Hillary who hated my guts. And the one who surprisingly didn't have me on his playlist was Jake. Well, I wasn't really gonna force him.
    We all got completed scripts. We all were learning songs from the musical, going over lines, blocking scenes and learning choreography. I was also learning my academic stuff. It was thrilling. I made sure to put my all, and prove why I was casted as Delilah McPhee. In just a few rehearsals I was already off-book with my lines. A few more rehearsals, I got the hang of my blocking and acting notes. A few more rehearsals, I got the hang of the dance numbers. And after a couple weeks, including those rehearsal days, I had learned all the songs, and was completely off-book, before everyone else even got the chance.
    I got my own social media for the first time, and I was advertising the show, by making videos of the show rehearsals on the social media. I also made my own videos, that weren't just for the show but for myself and my songs and cover albums. They were videos of me recording those covers and songs and writing them. I was getting a lot of followers very fast, and I was gaining popularity on the streets. I was getting recognized when going for a walk, which felt unreal. It wasn't at the point where I had to hide my face as myself when going out yet, but it felt really nice to be recognized as myself, and not as Singer Girl for once. But it was to the point that I didn't have much time to help back at S.T.A.R. Labs (This episode takes place at the same time as Out of Time, during Rogue time, but before Tricksters).
    Jake and I kept going on dates outside rehearsals, but I would soon realize that he was starting to get distant when we weren't making chemistry on stage. . .
    One evening, I forgot my water bottle at the theater, so I came back to get it. I came in through the stage door, and I spotted something I wish I would've never spotted. It shook me to my core. Backstage, I saw Hillary and Jake making out with no shame. Jake was cheating? How did I not see the signs? Jake hadn't even let me kiss him!
    I sunk down to the floor with tears streaming down my face. How could he do this to me? The beginning of a suicidal spiral had just been triggered by seeing this. I spotted my water bottle, grabbed it, and ran out of the theater sobbing.
    For the next few rehearsals, I didn't show up. I couldn't bear to see Jake or Hillary. And everyone else seemed to be not noticing of the downward spiral I was going in. The denial stage of grief was finishing, and that eventually led me to try to kill myself, while I locked in the room I had been staying in. Until Barry noticed something was wrong, found me, and ran me to the hospital (after the time-traveling events of Out of Time.)
    I woke up in the hospital. Well, briefly, when I saw an angelic person, with albino skin, rigid muscles, hair a tone lighter than most of my hair, with blue eyes.
    "Don't worry," he said. "I'll take care of you, my niece. I won't let them hurt you anymore, I promise. Just stick around for your father, alright?"
    "Raphael," I realized, before going unconscious again.
    I woke up again, with Barry at my side.
    "Hey," Barry smiled. "How are you doing?"
    "What happened?" I rubbed my head.
    "I found you in the room, and ran you to the hospital," Barry said. "Honestly, I should be asking what happened to you? Why did you have another episode?"
    "It was Jake, that dirty rotten scum," I said. "I guess my heartbreak got the better of me."
I couldn't even quite remember my downward spiral, other than what caused it.
"He broke up with you?"
"No, much worse, in all the ways it could've been," I began tearing up at the thought of it.
Barry gasped. "He cheated on you? With who?"
"Hillary."
"Hillary? The one who hates you? Oh, now I've got a problem, a bone to pick with them!" Barry cried. "How did you find out?"
"I left my water bottle at the theater, and when I went to go get it, I saw them making out backstage."
Barry's expression hardened. "That jerk! You know what? I'm going to go handle him myself."
"No, I don't think you have to, someone is already handling it," I sat up and groaned. I took out my chakra from inside my hospital gown. The emerald on the pendant was glowing. "Uncle Raphael is here. I saw him. He has the capability of overpowering Michael in battle, so I'm pretty sure he's ripping Jake and Hillary to shreds and acting the way he does when faced with Uncle Lucifer. He was saying something to me about my father, I think."
I looked at where I had hurt myself to kill myself, the skin was magically healing before my eyes. It was healing faster than I could ever accomplish with my healing powers. This just proved how powerful Raphael really was.
"Well, if he's handling that, you should look outside," Barry said. He helped me up off the bed, and walked me to the window. I gasped in shock as I saw what was outside. There was a crowd of people outside holding up signs with loving messages, people who had recognized me for my work and social media. There were fans I had taken pictures with, and people who I had given autographs. There were regulars from the Musical Tavern. I was quite moved, even to tears.
"Look at how many people love you here," Barry said. "They love you when you're yourself, not just as your secret identity."
I was shocked. "How did they even find out about—"
"I made a video," Barry said. "I told your followers about what happened to you, and they all just showed up. You don't need the love of that jerk. Just look at how many other people love you."
I hugged Barry. "Thank you, Barry."