EDIT (August 17, 2020): I would just like to remind everyone that the relationship between Stephen and Rachael is purely platonic at this point. They're only so close and comfortable with each other because they grew up together. They do not get together until they're both well into adulthood, with Stephen being 33 and Rachael being 29 when they get together.
Thank you.
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(Eight Years Later)
"Oh, Doctor Strangelove!"
Stephen rolled his eyes as Rachael climbed through his window. She was fourteen now, and he was eighteen. He'd thought that as they got older, she would gradually fade out of his life but she'd been stubborn and wouldn't let him abandon her. Besides, it wasn't like he had anyone else.
"Are you ever not going to call me that?" he asked.
"No," Rachael said. "So, I found this great college-"
"Rachael, stop with the colleges," Stephen said, sighing. "I've already told you that I really want to go to Columbia University."
"But this school has really good medical and theater programs!" Rachael said. "Just look at the brochure? Pleeeeeeaaaaase?"
"Columbia University has a good acting program," Stephen said.
"But my parents can't afford Columbia University," Rachael said. "And it's so far away..."
Stephen sighed and turned away from his computer to see Rachael flopped on his bed. "Rach, what's this really about?"
"You're going to college, Steve," Rachael said. "You're going to meet more people like you and you're probably gonna abandon me."
"Have you let me abandon you in the past eight years we've been friends?" Stephen asked.
"No," Rachael shook her head.
"So what makes you think you'll let me abandon you when I'm in college?" Stephen inquired. "I'll just be a phone call away, Rachael. I'll still talk to you."
"Promise?" Rachael tilted her head.
"Promise," Stephen said. He saved his college application essay and shut his computer off before laying down next to Rachael on the bed. "So, how's your graduation party coming?"
"Well, I just wanted to have you over, but Mom's insisting on the whole family," Rachael said. "You can still come to the ceremony and party, though."
"I'll be there," Stephen said.
"How's your party coming?" Rachael asked.
"The party is the least of my problems," Stephen groaned. "I still need to apply to all of the colleges, and the homework has been hell. I don't know how much more I can take."
"Same here," Rachael said. "I'm sure I don't have as much homework as you, but it's enough to make me panic a little."
"I need a break," Stephen said, stretching.
"Me too," Rachael agreed. She turned her head to look at Stephen. "Movie night?"
"Movie night," Stephen confirmed.
A tradition that they had was that whenever they were stressed or wanted an escape, they would have a movie night and watch movies. If they were feeling extra stressed, they'd order pizza. This was one of those nights. Rachael ordered while Stephen found the movies. They went down to the basement together and put in the first movie: Annie.
"Aren't you trying out for this?" Stephen asked.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah..." Rachael buried her face in her hands. "I'm so nervous."
"Who are you trying out for?" Stephen asked.
"I really want to be Annie, but if I can't be her I want to be Grace," Rachael said. "I should probably practice..."
"No, no, no!" Stephen said. "Don't you dare start singing!"
It was too late. From the moment "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here," started, Rachael was singing her heart out. She definitely wasn't a bad singer, in fact she was one of the best Stephen had ever heard, he just liked to tease her about it. Also, sometimes he wanted to hear the actual versions of songs and not Rachael's covers of them. When the song was over, Stephen was able to breathe easy.
"Finally," he sighed.
"Oh, you know you love my singing," Rachael teased. "I really do need to practice though."
"I think you'll at least get Grace," Stephen said. "I need to get my college essays done."
"What's the next best school you want?" Rachael asked.
"New York University," Stephen said. Rachael's head snapped up.
"Really?" she asked, grinning. New York University had one of the best acting programs in the country.
"Don't get your hopes up. That one's just a fallback. I still really want to go to Columbia University," Stephen said. "When's your audition?"
"A week after graduation," Rachael said. "When's the deadline for your essay?"
"Soon," Stephen said. "I'll get the acceptance slash rejection letter a few weeks after that. What about the cast list?"
"It'll come out a few weeks after auditions," Rachael explained. "It's probably because they have so many people trying out. It's gonna be in an actual theater, not some little stage inside a school or anything like that."
"Well, if you get in, I'll be there on opening night," Stephen assured.
"Thank you," Rachael said. "If you get into Columbia, I'll come with to drop you off."
Stephen and Rachael watched the rest of the movie in silence. They were both too terrified about what came next for them to talk.
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Rachael opened her mailbox and took out everything that was in it. She looked through them, muttering nervously. Finally, she found the one that she was looking for. It was the cast list for Annie. She gulped and went upstairs to her room and picked up her phone and punched in Stephen's phone number.
"Stephen," she said when he picked up.
"Rachael," Stephen said. He sounded nervous.
"It came," they said at the same time.
"Wait, your college letter came?" Rachael asked.
"Yes. Your cast list came?" Stephen asked.
"It did. I'm too scared to open it," Rachael confessed.
"I'm too scared to open mine, too," Stephen said. "I'll be right over. Don't open it without me."
Stephen hung up. Rachael put the phone down and stared at the envelope. If she got a good role in this...it could make her acting career. This play was being put on by a good teenage acting company. If she impressed the directors, she'd be on her way. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the window. She looked outside to see Stephen on the roof. She opened the window to let him in.
"Hi," Stephen said.
"Hi," Rachael said.
"Okay, let's open the envelopes and take out the cast list and the letter. On the count of three, we'll unfold and read them," Stephen said.
Rachael nodded. They both opened the cast list and took out the folded up papers. They took a deep breath, counted to three together, and unfolded the papers. Their eyes skimmed over the words on the page before they looked up.
"I got in..." Stephen breathed. "I got in!"
"I did it! I'm Grace! I got a part!" Rachael punched the air and threw her arms around Stephen in a bone-crushing hug.
"We did it!" Stephen exclaimed. "I'm going to be a neurosurgeon! I'm going to my dream school!"
"I'm going to be in a real musical! Not a school one, a real musical in a real theater!" Rachael said. "Let's go tell my mom! MOM!"
Rachael tore down the stairs, Stephen getting up and running after her. He found Rachael in the living room with her mother, talking excitedly about getting into the musical and Stephen getting into Columbia University.
"Stephen, I didn't know you were here," Rachael's mother said, eyeing him warily. She hadn't ever been keen on Rachael being best friends with Stephen, especially after he'd turned eighteen.
"Rachael let me in," Stephen said. "We were scared about opening our letters, so we opened them together."
"Well, I'm very proud of you, Rachael," Mrs. Barrow kissed her daughter on the head and hugged her. "Congratulations, Stephen. Rachael's told me that Columbia University was your dream school. I'm happy for you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Barrow," Stephen said.
"Come on, let's go tell your mom!" Rachael grabbed Stephen's arm and dragged him out the front door. The next thing he knew, he was home.
Stephen opened the door and Rachael burst in. Stephen followed after her and found his mother in the living room reading. She looked up at Stephen and Rachael and smiled. Stephen's mother- Beverly- was much more keen on Rachael than Rachael's mother was on Stephen.
"Hello, you two," she said. "What brings you here?"
"Go on, Stephen, tell her," Rachael said.
Stephen handed his mother the letter. She looked at it and screamed before jumping up and hugging her son. Stephen felt like he was being suffocated.
"Mom, Mom, can't breathe!" he said. "Mom, come on!"
"I'm so proud of you!" she said, not letting go.
"Rachael got into her play," Stephen said, desperate to have his mom hug someone else.
"You did? Rachael, that's wonderful!" Beverly stopped hugging Stephen and moved to Rachael. Stephen smirked at her as she glared at him.
"Thank you, Mrs. Strange," Rachael said.
"Who do you play?" Beverly asked, letting go of Rachael.
"Grace," Rachael said. "I'm really excited to get started."
"When's the first practice?" Stephen asked.
"In two days," Rachael said. "Opening night is August twentieth. You'll be there, right, Stephen?"
"Yes, I will," Stephen said. "And I'll help you practice if you need it."
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"Dude, you said you'd help me practice!" Rachael whined.
"I didn't know that meant dancing!" Stephen protested.
Rachael's practices had been going very well. All she wanted to work on was the dance for, "We Got Annie," because it was so advanced. It wasn't kids stuff anymore, this was hardcore Broadway crap where she'd have to dance in high heels.
"Stephen, please?" Rachael said. "You know how much this means to me!"
"Fine," Stephen sighed. "Unpause the movie."
"Thank you," Rachael smiled. "All I need you to do is just help me out with the parts where I dance with other people."
Rachael unpaused Annie. She did her solo stuff while watching the screen to make sure she was getting it right. When it came time for Stephen to help her, it didn't go so well. Stephen was a full eight inches taller than Rachael, so it was hard to her her arm around him. The high heels helped a little, though. Since Rachael already knew what to do, she was going through the motions while Stephen had no idea what he was doing. He watched the screen and picked Rachael up before spinning her around and gently putting her down. When he tried to kick his leg up and bend back at the same time, he fell to the floor with a bang.
"Ow..." he muttered, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.
"Are you okay?" Rachael asked, pausing the movie and sitting down next to Stephen.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he nodded. Rachael laughed a little.
"I see you've got your own style, tenderfoot," she teased.
"Haha, very funny," Stephen said. "I think you'd be better suited to ask if you can practice the dance some more after rehearsal."
"You're probably right," Rachael admitted. "Do you want an ice-pack?"
"Yes, please," Stephen rubbed the already-forming bump on his head.
Rachael ran upstairs to the fridge and grabbed an ice-pack. She brought it downstairs to Stephen, who gratefully put it on the already forming bump on the back of his head. He settled down on the couch while Rachael went through the motions of the dance by herself. When she had done it three times in a row, she collapsed on the couch.
"Do you think I'll do well?" she panted.
"I think you'll do magnificent," Stephen smiled.
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It was the opening night of Annie. Stephen was sitting in the front row with his own family and Rachael's. He was talking with Rachael's little brother (who thought he was the coolest guy ever) about Pokemon when the lights dimmed and the play started. Rachael's character didn't appear until after the first fifteen or so minutes of the musical. When she did, though, Stephen didn't recognize her at first. The immature child he knew had gone and been replaced by a sophisticated business-woman. Rachael's hair had been pulled up and she was in a baby blue suit and hat. She had drawn herself up to her full height (the heels she was wearing helped). Stephen almost couldn't believe it. He'd known she was a good actress but not this good. It was like she'd been possessed by the character she was playing.
Rachael was definitely the best singer in the cast He was surprised that she hadn't been picked for Annie. He supposed it was her hair color. Her acting was so believable. Stephen knew right then and there that Rachael was going to become famous one day. He would do whatever it took to get her there even if it meant paying for her college.
When the musical was over, Stephen and Rachael's family rushed backstage to see her. She jumped into Stephen's arms and he hugged him tightly. The character she'd been playing was gone for the moment and Rachael Barrow was back.
"You did so good!" Stephen said.
"Thank you!" Rachael said.
"I didn't recognize you! I wasn't sure if I watching you or not you!" Stephen said. "You were so different than your usual self!"
"That's what you have to do when you're an actress. You have to give yourself up to your character," Rachael explained.
"Rachael, you did so well!" Rachael's mother whisked her away from Stephen. Rachael gave Stephen an apologetic smile and went to see her family. After Rachael had accepted hugs, flowers, and cards from her family, she came back over to Stephen who felt a pang of guilt about not getting her anything.
"We're gonna go get pizza," she said. "You and your family are welcome to come."
"Let me ask my mom," Stephen said. He went over to his mother and asked her before coming back to Rachael. "She said yes."
"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rachael said.