When the Curtains Open

Be My Partner?

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.

To his surprise, the expected reaction never came. There were no sultry glances at him, no "Oh, Collin!"'s spoken to him. All she did was tuck a lock of brunette hair behind her ear and whisper "Sorry," crouching down to continue her trek against the back wall. The girl behind her, with bouncy reddish blonde hair, smiled at him knowingly before following the brunette girl. Collin couldn't help wondering who she was, and why she acted so... normally around him. Not that he minded, of course