i posted this twice last night and it keeps freakin disappearing! so hopefully it stays this time.
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“Did you guys hear about Distression’s new album coming out? I think it’s being released in three weeks.”
“I heard it’s coming out in two.”
“Someone else told me three. I hope it’s two, though. The sooner it’s out the better.”
Laila’s ears immediately perked up at the new conversation, and she did her best to look nonchalant while she eavesdropped. She casually turned to the two girls from her ballet class as she peeled her pink tights off. “What’re you guys talking about?” She asked curiously. Both girls were juniors Laila rarely spoke to, but this information was way too interesting to pass up.
“This new band from the UK,” The first girl answered. “They mostly do underground shows and the only recordings are on youtube. I’m so excited that they finally decided to do an actual CD!”
“Do you know which singles they’re doing first?” The second asked eagerly.
“I heard they’re recording all of them, plus some new ones,” Another girl said from across the locker room. She pulled her leotard off before adding, “I don’t know which ones they’re releasing as singles, though.”
“Did they get a record deal or something?” Laila asked. All three girls turned to look at her. They were the only four left in the entire locker room. Most of the others had already finished changing and gone off to their fourth period classes, but Laila wasn’t in much of a hurry. The late bell wouldn’t be ringing for about three or four more minutes. “What?” She adjusted her short, white cotton dress while the others continued to stare.
“Since when are you into their kinda music?” One of them finally asked. “I thought you were all obsessed with Broadway stuff, not rock and screamo.”
“My boyfriend got me into them,” She replied seamlessly. It was strange they even knew that with how rarely she spoke to any of them, but she was starting to get used to everyone knowing her information. She was beginning to realize Bonnie may have been right about her being one of the most popular cheerleaders.
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” One of the juniors said.
“Yeah, we’ve been together for a while,” Laila straightened her dress out before sitting down to lace up her matching converse.
“Huh. No one’s mentioned him before,” The girl said thoughtfully, as if the entire school should’ve known. “Well anyways they still don’t have a record deal. I think they’re gonna release it independently.”
“I can’t wait for it to come out.”
“Me neither! I wish they’d take those masks off so I could know what they look like.”
“I bet they’re all super hot.”
Laila smiled to herself as the other girls continued to gossip and giggle about how hot all five of the band members must be. If only they knew the lead guitarist was only a few rooms over. She finished changing and stood up, shoving her dance clothes in her locker before slamming it shut and closing the lock.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” She waved over her shoulder at the chorus of goodbyes and left the locker room. She freed her hair from its neat bun and rearranged it to a high ponytail as she walked. There were definitely some questions Jace would be answering once they both got home later that day. She made a quick stop at her locker for her monologue book, once again opting to leave the english binder despite her better judgement. The halls were empty as she strolled down them, and she already knew she’d be late to English. Just as she’d expected, the late bell rang seconds before she pulled the door open and walked inside.
“Oh, good! Laila’s here,” Ms. Garcia smiled at her before picking up a pen to adjust the roll call.
“Sorry I’m late,” She smiled back and quickly walked to her table. Unfortunately the only open seat was beside Jace. She slid in and across from Wes, who was beside Caleb. Amanda had taken the seat off to the side today, and Laila looked around in confusion. “What’s with the seat changing?”
“I saved this one specially for you,” Jace replied, smiling at her. It somehow managed to come across more menacing than anything, and she quickly looked away. She’d somehow managed to go all morning without running into him, not even while she was waiting for Caleb or getting pointe shoes from her locker before class. But apparently her luck had run out. She tried to scoot her chair an inch or two away without making it noticeable, because right now they were entirely too close for comfort.
“Am I making you uncomfortable or something?” He asked, smirking as she froze in her seat.
“No,” She lied. She stopped moving as he laughed and leaned back, assessing her with his cold eyes. So much for that plan.
“How come you’re late?” Amanda asked. “You’re never late.”
“I was talking to some girls in the locker room about Distression’s new cd,” Laila replied, hoping to get some type of reaction from Jace. He didn’t show the slightest response. It was like she’d never even spoken. But Wes, on the other hand, looked absolutely delighted.
“You heard about it too?” He leaned forward in his seat in sudden excitement, nearly knocking Amanda over in the process. “I can’t fuckin wait! They’re awesome. I think they’re officially my favorite band.”
“Yeah?” Laila barely kept from laughing as she caught Jace smirking from the corner of her eye. Finally, some type of reaction. But it was gone as soon as it had come, quickly replaced by a look of distaste.
“I still say they’re rubbish,” He said brazenly, “Their lead guitarist is decent, but other than that their music is the worse I’ve ever heard. It’s absolutely atrocious.”
This time it took all of Laila’s willpower and acting skills to keep a straight face, but even then she couldn’t help but lightly hit Jace’s leg beneath the table. He shot her a mischievous smile, one she couldn’t return for fear of breaking character.
“Everyone stop talking,” Ms. Garcia cut in, standing up to get everyone’s attention, “Today we’re starting our first assignment of the year. I want a three page story. The story can be about a character you create or yourself, first person or third, a true life experience or complete fiction. Just be creative and make sure you keep it appropriate for class. I won’t be collecting these, but we will be presenting next Tuesday in class.” She smiled as a girl from the front row eagerly raised her hand. Laila recognized her as the same one Jace had made fun of the very first day of class.
“Can it be more than three pages?” The girl asked hopefully. Laila heard him stifle a laugh, and she glanced over to see him holding back a full on grin.
So he can keep from laughing when he pretends to hate his own band, but not when a girl asks a question in class, Laila observed, trying not to smile. She did have to admit, he was pretty entertaining at times.
“Three page minimum, five page maximum. Please don’t write any more than that or we’ll run out of time to present throughout the week. Any other questions? ” Ms. Garcia looked around the otherwise silent room. Not a single student spoke, minus a lone cough from the back of the room. “Alright, get to writing.”
Everyone pulled out paper and pens or pencils, and Laila reflexively looked to Amanda.
“You really need to start bringing your own,” Amanda tore out a page from her notebook and slid it across the table.
“Thank you,” Laila smiled happily and caught the pen that came rolling toward her a second later. “I promise I’ll start bringing my own one day.”
“One day,” Caleb grinned and shook his head. “You’re such a bad student with everything academic.”
“Which is why she’s gonna fail at life,” Jace said rudely. Laila shot him an incredulous look as Caleb muffled a laugh.
“Could you be any more rude?”
“I’m sure he could,” Wes said cheerfully. He still seemed preoccupied by the news of his favorite band’s new album, which had him in an even better mood than usual.
“This is why I don’t like you,” She grumbled, obviously referring to Jace. She flipped her monologue book open and started copying it word for word onto the paper Amanda had given her. A few minutes of concentrated silence passed before whispers broke out throughout the room, and eventually those turned to a low hum of mutters and murmurs about who knows what.
“Are you even working?”
Laila looked up to see Amanda peering across the table at her neat writing. “Yeah,” She held it up to show her monologue. So far she’d copied it twice on the front, and she was currently in the middle of a third time along the back. “I’m doing muscle memory. The more I write it the more it gets internalized,” She explained. “That’s what I’m gonna do when I get cast as Roxie. I’m gonna copy all of her lines and all of her monologues over and over again until I have them memorized. I already know all the songs by heart.”
“What makes you think you’re even gonna make it?” Jace set his pencil down to join the conversation, and Laila was surprised to see he’d even been writing in the first place. “I doubt you’ll get cast. I wouldn’t cast you, if I were them. I might not even let you audition.”
“I think she’ll make it,” Wes defended.
“Thank you,” She smiled at him, ignoring Jace completely. “I think I’ll make it, too.”
“I know you’re gonna make it,” Caleb put in. “We all have to make it, otherwise the show won’t be any fun.”
“I don’t think I will. I can’t sing or dance,” Amanda frowned as all eyes turned to her. Everyone except Jace, who didn’t seem to care about anything she had to say, ever. “I can only act.”
“Who knows? Maybe you’ll make ensemble. Or an only acting part,” Laila meant every word, because there was no denying Amanda’s talent as an actress. She was absolutely amazing. It was just the singing and dancing that needed work.
“Are you trying out?” Wes looked at Jace, who was sketching random and extremely violent pictures on his paper now.
“I have to,” He said grumpily. “Ms. whatever the fuck she’s called is making me.”
“Ms. Lewis,” Laila corrected, taking minor offense to his attitude. Ms. Lewis had been her drama teacher for the past three years, and was one of her very favorites.
“What role are you trying for?” Amanda was watching him attentively, making no effort to hide her current infatuation.
“I don’t know what roles are in the show,” He finally looked at her, but it was far from friendly. “I’ve never seen it.”
“You’ve never seen Chicago?” Caleb asked loudly, causing a few other students to look over. “That’s sinful! You have to watch it.”
“I think you’d make a good Billy,” Amanda piped up.
“Who the hell is Billy?”
“We’re watching Chicago asap,” Caleb told Jace, who looked blatantly disgusted by the very thought. “There’s a movie of it, too. Laila has it.”
He looked even more disturbed now.
“She does,” Amanda gasped dramatically, “Let’s watch it!”
“No,” Jace said harshly. “I’m not watching it, especially not with you people.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Laila’s voice was equally harsh, which seemed to please Jace for some reason.
“I don’t like you or you,” He pointed to her with one hand and Amanda with the other. “He’s alright,” He nodded toward Caleb at that part. Caleb smiled happily, if not completely smug.
“We’re friends when you’re not around,” He said proudly.
Laila looked between the two, trying to decide which she was more offended by; Jace’s declaration of dislike for her, or Caleb’s lack of caring about it. She finally decided she was offended by both and shut her book, sealing the paper inside.
“Well I don’t wanna watch it with you, either,” She said haughtily. “And have fun being friends when I’m not around.” She stood just as the bell rang, which was perfect timing, because she’d been planning to leave regardless.
“Wait for me,” Amanda hopped up as she walked away.
“Are you mad at me?” Caleb called after her.
“Yes,” She turned to see Jace watching her with a satisfied smile, while Caleb looked like he actually felt bad for once. “Are you coming to lunch, or are you gonna hang out with your new best friend?”
Caleb hesitated for a second, long enough to irritate her further. She spun on her heel and stalked from the room with Amanda at her side.
“Don’t be mad. You know how Jace is,” Amanda tried to comfort her as they walked, but she was having none of it. “And you know how Caleb is, too.”
“Yeah, I know,” Laila didn’t slow down, not even when she heard him running to catch up. She knew exactly how he was. He was too entertained by things that actually bothered her. Normally she didn’t mind that much, but for some reason it was getting under her skin more than usual. Maybe it was because of the whole thing with Jace the day before, or maybe it was just Jace in general, but either way Caleb fueling the situation was doing nothing to calm her nerves.
He eventually caught up to apologize, and once she grudgingly forgave him things went perfectly back to normal. Lunch passed by quickly, and other than catching Jace staring from across the cafeteria a few times, she had no more encounters with him before, during, or after her sixth period dance class. It wasn’t until she was stretching on the field to prepare for cheer practice that she spotted him again. He was walking with Wes toward their own practice, and she smiled at them both as she went into a new stretch on the ground. Wes grinned and waved enthusiastically, but Jace simply looked away and kept walking as if he didn’t even know her. She frowned at their retreating backs.
He is so freakin confusing, she thought to herself. One day he was insulting her left and right, then it was like they were almost somewhat but not really friends, and the rest of the time he pretended he didn’t even know her.
“Staring at Jace again?”
She jumped at Ramani’s young sounding voice. She’d completely zoned out and was apparently watching their warmup, her eyes following Jace the entire time. She hadn’t even realized it.
“It’s okay, we all know you’re crushing on him,” Katie laughed as Laila looked up to shoot them both a playfully dirty look.
“I have a boyfriend,” She reminded them.
“And I still don’t believe you,” Katie sang before walking away.
“Yeah, I decided I don’t believe you either,” Ramani said matter of factly. “We’re gonna figure out what the fuck is going on, because we all know you would’ve told us the second you met this so called ‘boyfriend’ of yours,” She held out her hands until Laila took them, then easily hoisted her up. “You know what else?”
“What?” Laila asked, praying it would have nothing to do with her fake boyfriend.
“Distression is finally releasing a real CD!” She shouted, hopping up and down in an unexpected burst of energy. “I told you about them, right? I’m pretty sure I did. If not they’re this fucking awesome band from the UK, and-”
“You told me about them,” Laila interrupted. “Where’s everyone hearing this from?”
“They put an announcement on their youtube channel last night. But only four of them were in it. They were missing my favorite,” She said sadly. “You know the one with the black mask? He’s the lead guitarist and he’s the sexiest. It makes me sad ‘cause he’s been MIA for the past couple videos.”
“So how are they playing shows without him?” Laila asked nonchalantly.
“They’re not. They haven’t done any since like a week before school started. The video before this one was just another boring announcement. They said they’d be doing a short break from shows but they didn’t say why,” She explained. “I hope it’s because they’ve been too busy recording! Maybe that’s why they didn’t announce the album until last night, because they wanted to surprise us.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Laila agreed. It was so much easier keeping her composure when Jace wasn’t actually around. “So they put the video up last night?”
“Yup, last night,” Ramani confirmed.
“Guys! Pay attention,” Katie shouted, looking right at them. She waved them forward and both girls hastily took their place on either side of her. “So the game is tomorrow. We have our list of cheers in order, Ramani and Laila have their tumbling routines set, and the flyers all know what they’re doing. Right?”
“Right!” Caleb shouted from somewhere in the middle. He grinned at Laila and she smiled back.
“Good. So we’re running through everything in order. Everyone get in formation,” Katie ordered. She turned front and waved her pom poms for everyone to follow. Laila grabbed her own from where she’d left them near Katie’s feet.
The cheers, flying, and tumbling were all so ingrained in Laila’s brain that she barely had to think throughout the rest of practice. The only thing she focused on was not staring at Jace, which took way more effort than she’d expected. She could easily blame it on her eagerness to ask him about the album he was apparently in the process of recording. She found herself averting her eyes several times, and the second practice was over she happily skipped to the bleachers to retrieve her bag. She was just stuffing her pom poms inside when she heard footsteps approaching.
“Hi Laila,” Wes ran up and gathered her in a hug, and she giggled as she was set back on her feet. “Are you excited for the game tomorrow?”
“Yes,” She responded immediately. The first game was always her favorite. “Are you?”
“Yeah,” He grinned as Jace came to a stop beside him. “Where’s Caleb?”
“Over there somewhere,” She waved a hand over her shoulder, gesturing toward his general direction. “He’s giving some of the new girls advice or something.”
“So I’m guessing you guys made up?”
“Yeah,” She smiled. She was perfectly aware that she’d overreacted a bit, but she still wasn’t willing to admit it to either one of them.
“I’m glad. Well I gotta go, I need to help my mom with a few things. My grandparents are coming to town for the game tomorrow, so I offered to clean most of the house for her,” He said modestly. “I’ll see you in english tomorrow.”
“Aw, you’re so sweet. Have fun cleaning,” She waved as he walked off, then turned to Jace before he could follow. “Wait, don’t leave yet,” She said urgently. He only stared. “I have to ask you something.”
“Is it about..?” He trailed off and she nodded. “No.” He turned and headed off in the direction of the parking lot, no doubt going to his deathtrap motorcycle.
“But I wanna know,” She complained loudly. She pouted when he showed no reaction whatsoever. He was still walking without a care. “Jace, come back!”
“No,” He said it louder this time, probably because he was already almost to the parking lot. She could hear his insulting laughter as he walked away. She let out an immature ‘hmph’ and crossed her arms.
If he wants to be an immature brat I can do that, too, she decided. It would be easy enough to chase him down and ask once the were both home. They were next door neighbors, after all. She finally turned around to see Caleb beside her and ready to go.
“Don’t say anything,” She warned. Judging by his smile he’d heard everything, and she already knew he was on the verge of laughing.
“I wasn’t gonna,” He laughed and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, running off as she kicked a foot at him.
“I hate you!” She shouted. He was laughing openly now, and she sighed in frustration as she trudged after him.