"A festival?" The girl questioned, raising a brow at the hazel eyed boy beside her.
"Yeah, it happens every year." He stated, smiling at her ecstatically, "There's games and food and they even have a ferris wheel."
The girl bit her lip as she thought. Spending time with the boys would be nothing short of fun, possibly even helping her overcome the embarrassment that had plagued her since their first meeting.
"I'm not much of a fan of crowds...or heights." She mumbled, sinking down in her chair slightly as doubts overtook her mind, "Plus I always visit the children on the weekends."
He frowned lightly in response, trying to think of a way to convince her. His brows furrowed in deep thought, zoning out ever so slightly.
She cast a careful glance over in his direction as her burning cheeks slowly cooled. Upon noticing his concentrated frown she turned her full attention towards him, the curiosity overpowering her previous embarrassment. She raised a brow in concern, quietly calling out his name as she waved a hand in front of his face.
"That's it!" He exclaimed, an excited smile overtaking his face as his head snapped up, startling her back away from him. He shot her a sheepish smile, briefly apologizing before hastily explaining his idea.
"Bring the kids?" She mumbled, biting down on her lip as she mulled the idea over in her head.
"Wouldn't they enjoy getting out a bit?" He questioned, "We'll all be there to keep an eye on them too."
"I don't think Ms. Dorris would be all for that." She replied, fiddling with her locket slightly as a shudder passed through her at the mention of her previous caretaker.
"Well why not just bring them a treat or a prize or something. I know it's not the same, but you should be allowed to have fun." He stated, a pleading look on his face, "Plus the fair is Friday night, if you leave early Saturday morning you'll still be able to see them."
She bit down on her lip harder, causing his frown to grow ever so slightly until a small sigh escaped from her as she nodded slowly in agreement.
"Yes!" He cheered loudly, immediately being shushed by their teacher as other groups gave the pair an odd look. He sunk down in his seat, rubbing his neck sheepishly as she giggled in response, turning his attention back towards the project at hand.
...
"Sooo, were you able to convince her?" The brown eyed boy drawled out, excitingly plopping down into one of the red cushioned seats beside his best friend.
"Somehow, she's even more stubborn than you," He replied with ease, barely batting an eyelash at the loud noise Jack made in return, "But yes, she agreed to come. Although she did say she didn't want to stay out to late so she could still make it Saturday morning."
The brown haired boy let out a quite grumble in response, wanting to protest further, but knowing it took a lot to get her to agree to come at all. They fell into a brief silence for only a moment before the boy began voicing the thoughts that had been plaguing his mind,
"Do you think she's hiding something?"
"Hiding something?" Crutchie mumbled turning his attention back to him, "What on earth are you on about?"
"I don't know, Crutch." The boy sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration, "Something just ain't right."
"Jackie, you know I love you, but we've literally known her for like uh week, maybe two." He responded, giving the boy a pointed look, recalling a similar conversation he had with a certain teacher not long ago, "You can't expect her to just spill everything all at once."
"Well yeah I know that, but I just don't get it. She seems familiar somehow."
"Familiar?"
"Yeah, I know her from somewhere I can feel it, I just can't figure out where." Crutchie let out a snort in response, resulting in a hard glare from the boy.
"Ok, ok I'm sorry, but come on, the day you forget a girl's face is the day I can actually predict the weather with my leg." He replied. The boy scrunched his face in slight disgust, about to retort, when he was interrupted by Mrs. Medda calling them all up to the stage.
Their playful banter continued as they made their way up the stairs, the (H/C) headed girl joining them shortly after. She shook her head at the boys, slightly envious of their closeness, yet smiling nonetheless.
"Alright boys, and lady," Mrs. Medda called, sending a wink towards the girl as the group turned their attention to her, "Everyone to the back, grab your shoes, and let's get ready to tap!"
The boys cheered loudly at her declaration, excitedly running backstage. Jack let out a groan in response, arguing slightly with the woman as she shooed him away, resulting in a giggling Star as she lightly poked fun at him.
Her teasing was interrupted by Mrs. Medda herself, the kind woman gesturing for her to follow. She noted Crutchie waiting patiently beside her, seemingly called over for whatever reason as well.
"Star dear, I do believe it's about time we gave you a proper tour of this here fine establishment." She started, walking out to the middle of the stage, her arms raised as she fondly looked out among the theatre, the stage lights making her eyes seem like they were twinkling, swirling with memories of years passed.
"You know this place here is where I first met the guys." Crutchie stated, smiling at the girl beside him as she tilted her head ever so slightly in confusion.
"I thought you all met in the newspaper club?"
"Oh I love this story, Crutchie, why don't you finish up this tour while I go tend to your brothers over there." Mrs. Medda interrupted, turning and heading back over to the other boys.
"Sure thing Mrs. Medda." He replied, chuckling slightly.
The girl watched the older woman retreat, wincing slightly when she saw Jack slip in the tap shoes, knowing whoever his poor soulmate was would definitely be feeling that one. The boy beside her followed her line of sight, shaking his head as Davey attempted to help him up, the others making no move to assist, instead just laughing.
"As you can see, Jack is about as good at dancing as I am walking." He stated, turning his attention back to the girl. She stared at him in slight shock, not knowing what to say in response to his choice of words.
"Anywho," He continued, carrying on as if nothing happened, "The newspaper is where we spend most of our time yes, but once Jack took over the club he somehow managed to convince everyone to take this class. Gives us kind of an escape."
"Did you join with Jack?" She questioned, brushing off his earlier statement as they slowly made their way backstage, making sure to avoid the chaos.
"Not right away, but a bit after. He saved me from some bullies back during freshman year, been by my side ever since. He dragged me to the club with him that same day. That's where I met Race and Romeo and all them, the rest is history." She nodded slowly in response,
"Have you guys always been so close?" He laughed lightly in response to her question, a light shade of pink tinting her cheeks as she bit her lip, second guessing herself, but still curious to know the answer.
"Na not at all." He stated, smiling at her as he held open a door, "Used to be a lot more of us actually. Most graduated, but they weren't really interested in a bunch of random freshmen. Jack officially took over I think around the second semester of sophomore year. Around the time Spot moved here. Davey's the newest though. Besides you of course. He only came about a month ago, but we've had our fair share of learnin. We're a family now, and family looks out for eachother. So that's what we do."
She barely registered they had come to a stop, mulling his words over in her head as she studied his face. He wore a genuine smile, a soft blush spreading across his face upon noticing her unwavering gaze. She could detect no trace of malice, no hints of dishonesty. Just that smile, and those words.
Her mouth fell open for a second, but shut just as quickly. Instead she turned away, tearing her gaze from him and looking around the dimly lit room, only for her jaw to drop once more. He gently shook his head, clearing his throat and pushing away the lingering questions in his mind.
Plastering on a smile he turned his attention back to her, watching as she took careful steps towards the many different cases all around where they stood.
"Welcome to the music room."