Sweat began to trickle down Samuel's bare torso as the loud thumps of his fists connecting sharply with the punching bag echoed in the gym. The powerful muscles of his back and arms rippled with pent-up energy as his attacks grew more and more ferocious. There was a dark glower on his face and anger roiled off him in waves.
'Should we do something?' Paul asked Leo with concern on his features as they watched Samuel from the back of the gym.
Leo shook his head. 'No, it's better for him to get all that anger out trust me.' He winced as Samuel delivered a particularly powerful blow. 'Remind me to never get on his bad side.'
Samuel's attacks continued to grow even more vicious and his arms became a blur. He delivered a successive round of violent blows that suddenly tore the punching bag from its hook and sent it flying to the other side of the gym.
Paul and Leo sprang into action as Samuel followed the bag and continued to rain blows on it.
'Okay, that's enough buddy,' Paul stated as he and Leo hooked arms around Samuel's and dragged him away from the bag.
'Yeah,' Leo added as he glanced at the bag which lay forlornly on its side. 'I think you got em good. Next time it'll think twice before messing with you.'
Samuel sighed as Paul and Leo deposited him on a bench. He grabbed the bottle of water Leo handed to him and took a sip. Paul studied him closely before taking a seat beside him.
'So,' he began as he handed him a towel. 'Want to talk about it?'
Samuel's eyes were dark as he shook his head.
Paul sighed. 'You've been like this since this morning when you came to class. What's wrong?'
Samuel stood up and slung the towel over his shoulder. 'I need to take a shower.'
Paul watched as he walked away. Leo slid into the space beside him and frowned worriedly at their friend's retreating figure. 'What's up with him?'
He shrugged as they watched him disappear into the showers.
Samuel stepped out of the showers a few minutes later and together they made their way out of the gym. He paid half attention to Leo's chatter beside him, his mind occupied with something else.
At the other side of the school, Noel stepped out of the music room and walked across the lawn to the wall where Jayden sat waiting patiently for him.
He took one look at his friend's face and demanded, 'What happened?'
Jayden hopped down from the wall. 'Nothing happened. How was choir practice?'
'Don't change the subject. It was okay now tell me what happened.'
'What makes you think something happened?' Jayden asked as they began to stroll across the grounds.
'You look more impassive than usual which means you're trying extra hard to hide your emotions. You usually don't need to try hard to conceal them it comes naturally to you. Which leads me to conclude that something huge must have happened to frazzle even you.'
Jayden hummed. 'An acute observation but a faulty one.'
Noel huffed impatiently. 'Don't try to play coy. Now spill!'
'So commanding,' Jayden drawled but he gave up when Noel shot him a glare. 'Fine, Samuel and I got into a fight.'
Noel shot him a worried look. 'What? How?'
'Doesn't matter. It was just a mistake. We'll get over it.'
Noel frowned and grabbed his arm, pulling them both to a halt. 'Was it? Was it really a mistake? Jayden, I'm your best friend and I say this with love but you have a tendency to push people away when they get too close to you. You did that with me and you started with Samuel and now it looks like you've succeeded.'
Jayden shrugged. 'So what? People would end up hurting you anyway. It's better if they don't get too close.'
Noel let go of his arm. 'You're right. However, have you stopped to consider that in trying not to get hurt you've ended up being the person who causes the pain and hurting him instead.'
'I...'
'Look, everyone is human so no one is perfect. Even the people who care for you would end up hurting you one way or another but it's worth the risk. It's worth the risk that for that one moment of pain you would have so many moments of love and happiness.'
Jayden frowned and looked straight ahead but Noel continued.
'What I'm trying to say is don't close yourself off before you've had the chance to experience love. In the end you would find out that every tear was well worth the risk and so much more. You owe it to yourself.'
They continued walking and before long they arrived at the table that Cam had saved for them. Shortly after, Paul and Leo walked up with Samuel and Jayden looked up as he approached but Samuel avoided his eyes and slid in beside Cam and Noel.
The tension between them was palpable but the others studiously ignored it as they chatted away amongst themselves. Samuel however couldn't stand it anymore and he stood up.
'I have some stuff, I need to do. See you guys, later.'
Leo sighed and glanced at Paul who nodded. 'That's our cue.'
'Wait,' Jayden stated as they got to their feet. 'Let me talk to him.'
They glanced at each other in hesitation before nodding and sitting back down.
Jayden got to his feet and chased Samuel across the grounds. 'Samuel! Hold up.'
Samuel paused and turned around. 'What?'
Jayden slowed to a stop. 'I took the part.'
Samuel raised an eyebrow. 'Well, congratulations.'
'And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the things I said. I didn't mean them.'
Samuel stared at him.
Jayden bit his lips. 'It was stupid of me. I was angry and I was frustrated. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You didn't deserve it. I'm really sorry.'
Samuel continued to stare at him and Jayden began to grow nervous. 'Please say something.'
Samuel turned his eyes away. 'I have nothing to say.'
'How long are you going to avoid me?'
Samuel sighed. 'Jayden-'
'Please, I can't handle you being mad at me. I'm sorry, I-'
'Jayden stop.' He run his hand through his hair in frustration. 'I know you're sorry and I know you probably didn't mean those things you said. I probably shouldn't have said some things either.'
Jayden opened his mouth but Samuel cut him off. 'Let me finish. I know you are trying to make it up to me but don't. Maybe one day things can go back to normal but for now it'd probably be best if we don't talk to each other for a while.'
'I-'
'Please.'
Jayden closed his mouth and nodded. He watched as Samuel turned and walked away before making his way back to the table.
Paul and Leo looked up as he sat down and Jayden nodded at them. With grim smiles, they stood and slung their bags over their shoulder, leaving in the direction Samuel had taken.
Noel glanced at his watch and stood up in alarm. 'Oh no, I'm late for cello practice. I'll catch you guys later.'
He waved at them before rushing off, muttering quickly under his breath and leaving Cam and Jayden alone at the table.
Cam cleared his throat awkwardly. 'Guess it's just you and me then.'
Jayden made a noncommittal sound at the back of his throat.
Cam cleared his throat again. 'So erm, what happened between you and Samuel?'
Jayden shrugged absently, not looking away from the direction Noel left in.
'I get it. Leo always drives me crazy. He can't do the simplest things without getting into trouble and he always manages to drag me along with him. It's like he finds joy in watching me go insane.'
Jayden looked up and studied him closely as it finally clicked into place. 'You love him.'
Cam's eyes widened. 'I... I don't... he's my best friend that would be...'
Jayden nodded as if he had just confirmed something. 'You do.'
Cam's face began to grow panicked. 'No... it's not... I'm not-'
'It's alright. I'm not going to tell anyone.'
Cam sighed in relief. 'Thank you. If people find out that I'm... I'm sure you can guess what would happen.'
A dark look passed over Jayden's features but when Cam blinked, it was gone. He shook his head, deciding he must have imagined it.
'Do you know about Noel as well?'
'Yes.'
A sad look descended on Cam's features. 'It's sad that we are not allowed to be who we are, with the people we want because of stupid bigotry and ignorance.'
'It is, but is that really all that's stopping you?'
Cam frowned. 'What do you mean?'
'You want to be with Leo, don't you?'
'Yes, I do.'
'But?'
'I mean it's obvious, isn't it? He's straight. All he wants to do is to stuff his tongue down girls' throats.'
A self-pitying smile came on his lips. 'And I have to be forced to watch it even if it breaks my heart.'
Jayden smiled to himself as he looked away. 'It's strange how we have so much in common.'
'What do you mean? Do you have a crush on someone?'
Jayden stood up. 'I need to take care of some stuff.'
Cam frowned to himself in confusion as he watched Jayden walk away. Was there something he was missing?
The days crawled by slowly as Lumière International School prepared for the play. Rehearsals were awkward and tense to say the least as Samuel continued to ignore and avoid Jayden. The pressure was beginning to get to the performers and fights became a common occurrence.
The actors were not the only ones to feel the pressure. Due to Jayden's role, the play had garnered a lot of media attention and it was all that anyone could talk about. The staff of Lumière were under enormous pressure to make sure the play went off without a hitch and that the students conducted themselves properly.
It was a relief to everyone when finally, the big night came. Thousands of people trooped into the grand auditorium. Students, some with their dates and others with their friends, parents, staff and journalists were all among the crowds of finely dressed attendees.
The headmistress stood at the foot of the stage with the board of governors as they greeted arriving dignitaries. Miss Alberta was backstage as she tried to get everything in order. She sneaked a peek through the curtains and scanned through the audience.
'Jesus Christ, is the entire country here or what?' She turned to Stacey who stood beside her with her clipboard. 'Is everything ready?'
'Yes. The actors are in their dressing rooms getting ready. Our tech and effects team are done with their tests. Maintenance is on standby.'
Miss Alberta nodded and took a deep breath but her voice was still breathless. 'This is going to be my night Stace. I can feel it.'
Back at the foot of the stage, Francesca turned as Victoria Mills walked up to her. 'I'm so glad you could make it Victoria.'
Victoria smiled as they gave each other an air kiss on the cheeks. 'I wouldn't miss it for the world. Where is Jayden?'
'He should be in his dressing room getting ready. Let me show you to your seat, you would be sitting up with me in the Headmistress's Box.'
'Thank you, headmistress. I'm honoured but if you wouldn't mind I would like to see my son first.'
'Of course.'
Meanwhile, in the dressing rooms, Jayden was on the verge of having a mild panic attack. He gripped his hair as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. They had tried to put make-up on him but he had outrightly refused and his cold glare had discouraged anyone from attempting. Miss Alberta had however pleaded and worn him down till he finally conceded to at least the bare minimum.
As his grip tightened on his hair, he remembered that they had tried to put him in a wig too. It had been a bitter fight but in the end, they had compromised on simply changing his hairstyle to look more feminine.
As the time got nearer and nearer to the performance he wondered how he could go out there and perform with his emotions all over the place. Samuel still wasn't talking to him and to make matters worse he still wasn't sure about how he felt for him. His feelings were confusing and his plan of making it up to him by playing Juliet hadn't worked.
Things were a mess and he wondered if it was worth it to even step on the stage and pretend everything was alright.
A soft knock came from the door, breaking him out of his thoughts. He didn't turn as the knob turned but through the mirror he watched his mother enter his dressing room.
'What do you want, mother?'
'I came to check up on you.' She closed the door silently. 'How are you feeling?'
A dry laugh came from his lips. 'What do you care? Don't act as if you're okay with this whole thing. We both know that the last thing you want is your son playing a female character.'
'You confuse me for your father.' She walked up to stand behind me. 'I admit the idea surprised me at first but if that's what you want to do then I don't mind.'
She looked down at him. 'This is what you want to do, isn't it?'
Jayden sighed. 'I'm not even sure anymore.'
Victoria hesitated before asking, 'Why did you do it in the first place?'
'It doesn't matter anymore,' he muttered. 'It made no difference now please leave. You are the last person I need nor want to see at this time.'
Victoria nodded and turned to leave.
'Mom?'
Victoria paused with her hand on the doorknob. Her heart began to beat rapidly and she turned to face her son, unable to believe her ears. The last time Jayden had called her by that term was before he came out. Since then he had always addressed her by mother or Victoria to distance himself from her.
Her eyes grew moist but she blinked it away and cleared her throat. 'Yes?'
'Can I ask you a question?'
He seemed unaware of the profound impact of the word he had used. She gathered herself and walked up to him. 'Of course.'
He bit his lips before blurting, 'How did you find out you were in love with father?'
Victoria blinked. Of all the questions she had been expecting this wasn't it. She studied him curiously. 'Why do you ask?'
'Nothing, just forget about it.'
'No, no. I'm sorry, forget I asked.' She pulled up a chair and sat facing him as she contemplated the question. 'Let me see. I don't think it was a single moment, more like a series of moments. It was mostly the little things that helped me.'
A fond smile came on her lips. 'I remember how we met; I was in my second year and he was a first year. I was the prefect guiding them to the auditorium when he rushed up to me. He looked far different back then and I remember thinking that for such a high-ranking member of the Noble 52 he looked far too skinny and malnourished. His clothes were too big for him and were of less quality than others who were less ranked than he was.'
A light lit up in her eyes as she recalled the events. 'He walked up to me, looked me right in the eyes, and told me he would marry me one day.'
She laughed fondly. 'I was amused of course. I was way out of his league but when it came to class he was way out of my league. Two completely different people, as opposite as night and day. But his eyes, I could tell from his eyes that he meant it. I guess for him it was love at first sight. From then on he kept asking me out, doing chivalric things for me and generally trying to be with me. I always refused him but he kept coming back.'
She shook her head. 'Your father was so stubborn and so determined. He was relentless in his pursuit for me but I wanted nothing to do with him.'
Jayden listened intently. 'So what changed?'
'We became friends. No one could make me laugh as much as he did and that brought us close enough to become friends. That was the first moment I think. The second moment was when he did something completely unexpected. He was willing to sacrifice his love for me, to not be with me so that someone else could be with me. When I asked him he told me that he didn't care, he would gladly live his entire life with the pain of not being with me if it meant I would be happy with someone else.'
'That's...'
'Crazy? Yes, it was. He was not going to fight to be with me if I was happy with someone else. All he wanted was to see me happy even if it wasn't with him.'
'What were the next moments?'
'Well, I don't remember most of them. Everything happened so fast but the final moment was when we got married. He was in his last year and I had completed the year before. There were a lot of things against us; we were barely of age, he was still in school and he was already betrothed. His parents would have been furious if they found out, I had no background, no money and no standing but we still got married. It was stupid I know but we were young, we were in love-'
'You were pregnant,' Jayden cut in, an amused smirk on his face.
Victoria chuckled and reached out a hand to pat his head fondly. 'And I was pregnant. With you. You were such an unexpected surprise but from that moment, I knew. Oh my precious child, do you really think that I don't love you? All I want, everything I've done is to ensure that you are safe and have a good future.'
Jayde looked away from his mother's earnest eyes. 'I thought hearing your story would help but it didn't.'
Victoria withdrew her hand and placed it on her lap. 'Then you haven't been listening properly. Your father taught me what true love was.'
'Willing to sacrifice everything to make them happy even if it means losing your heart in the process,' Jayden whispered.
Victoria nodded and stood up. 'I would leave you to get ready, the play is almost about to begin.'
'Mother.'
Victoria paused.
'Thank you.'
She smiled and bent to place a kiss on his head. 'Good luck, my darling.'
The door clicked shut behind her and Jayden was once again alone in his dressing room but this time with a clearer mind.
A knock came from the door and someone shouted from behind, 'We're on.'
He grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote, folding it neatly when he was done and stepping out of his dressing room. The actors and stagehands were bustling about, getting some last minute preparations done before it was time for the curtain to rise.
He searched quickly through the moving bodies before he found her. He made his way quickly to her. 'Have you sent the package yet?'
Stacey looked up from her clipboard. 'Not yet, but he would get it before he goes on stage.'
'Can you add this letter to it?'
Stacey nodded and took the letter just as Miss Alberta rushed up to them. 'What are you doing standing around for? It's time for the opening act. Places people!'
She glanced around. 'Where's my Romeo?'
'He's getting a few touches from the make-up artists.'
'Well the two main characters aren't part of the opening act anyway but still get him over here.'
Stacey nodded and took off in the opposite direction. Miss Alberta turned to Jayden. 'This is it. It's time.'
Everyone stopped and turned to watch as the first actors took their positions and the curtain slowly began to rise.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the late update.
Hope you enjoy the chapter, I know it's not my best, I've been busy with exams but I wanted to update that's why it came out a bit rushed. If you do enjoy it please don't forget to vote and comment.
Today is the death of the seventh month so; HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HARRY JAMES POTTER AND JOANNE KATHERINE ROWLING.
🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
See you at the next chapter when the curtain falls and fireworks ignite 😉.