Chapter One

The big show ends and so is the school year. Almost. And Jasper is still Jasper. Sort of.

Robin Skye. Many who attend Teddy Rivers High School know the name, and the face who owns it. That would be mine. My name is stuck to these idiots' minds simply because I am an icon even though I don't want it. There's nothing worse than being center of attention, to me, anyway. I try my best to blend with the crowd by keeping my hair straight and up in a simple ponytail, wearing dark hoodies over white V-necks, navy skinny jeans even though I hate the tight feeling (as I said, I'm trying to blend in here), and plain Vans that I come to adore. Simple. That's what I'm going for.

Right now, I'm not dressed to blend with a crowd I have no caring for. In fact, this screams "Look at me!" since it's a flowing blue dress that reaches the floor, a crystal-like necklace hangs around my neck, light makeup that reflects the dress, and my hair is pulled up into tight curls by pins and clips.

This is the look I go by when I'm ready to perform, as of tonight. My bangs aren't pulled back, but curl to the side in such an elegant way that would take me days to perfect. I smell like vanilla for the actors' sake over my sweaty musk. Deodorant smeared under my armpits minutes before I take foot on the stage. Heels clash onto the wooden floor and I can hear the audience prepare themselves for another school play.

People would usually cringe at the sound of a high school play. However, this is Teddy Rivers High School, a high school that praises the arts and should be considered a special administration school. I'm lucky enough to have it as my neighborhood school and able to use the stage as my personal escape.

The school is known for its best performances, great light effects, wonderful artists, and costume designs to die for. Yeah, you could say I died and went to heaven, but I still have to deal with people messing with my body as they try to make me look presentable.

I stand beside Eric, the only guy I can stand in this entire school of four thousand annoying students. He's much taller than me, my eyes reach his chest, and he became somewhat of a friend to me since I started drama club in sophomore year. He looks out of the ordinary with his dark blond hair moussed back to fit the role of Richard, a rich man who uses women for business reasons, and he wore a white suit that he'd never wear even on special occasions with an exception of acting.

He glances at me and I catch him smirk. "You look ridiculous." His voice is hushed but it still manages to tickle my ears.

With a smile, I gaze up at him and look into his dark hazel eyes, or what I think are his eyes through the darkness, and say, "I tried my best to appeal quite disgusting. How am I doing?"

"Dangerously well," he responds before taking a seat on the sofa that is being used as a prop. I take a seat next to him with my head on his shoulders like the script directed. Two freshmen scurry off the stage after placing the rug in its correct spot in front of us. They even placed a glass coffee table on top (bought three years ago), a plant at my left and a wall at his right where the other room is being set behind it (took the designers three weeks to build correctly), and there should be a background of an ocean view.

As soon as everything is ready, a voice I learned to hear whispers that the play will start in fifteen seconds. Richard slips his hands in mine and I pull up my feet onto the cushions. I take even breaths as I begin to think that Richard wants me to marry him. He's finally going to propose after a summer fling and I will have my dream of being his wife.

The thoughts fade as the curtains fly open, bright lights burn my eyes but I don't wince, the crowd applause, and I sigh loudly when it grows silent. I turn my head and smile up at Richard, wondering why he isn't as joyful as I am.

"Richard, darling," I coo in my perfect British accent. "Why don't you smile for me, hm?" I place my free hand on his chest and feel his heart race beneath it. He's quite nervous for some reason.

He responds with a clenching jaw and turns his head away, facing the wall. "I need you..." he trails off and I can feel the tension rubbing on me.

"Yes, you need me to what?" I beckon him.

"To get me some refreshments." The respond is meant to shock me. I've been hurt and surprised. So I force my eyes wide and quiver my bottom lip that was painted red hours ago.

I take in a sharp breath and stand, feeling his body heat fade away and the feel of his hand in mine still lingers in my palm. My heels echo as I make my way over to the door built in the wall and slip through. I'm shadowed by plant suddenly and hear faint voices.

"We can't just tell her. She'll be devastated and you know how Richard can get." The voice is familiar, I know her by Cathy but as of right now, she's Regina, a maid who has quite the tongue. "He'll murder her if she knows the truth!"

"Don't you think I know that?" a second voice retorts in a loud whisper. Riley, a girl from my science class, plays the second maid as Madison. "We'll just have to keep it from her. I'm sure Gloria will survive-"

"What will I survive, Madison?" I hiss when I hear my cue. I step away from the plant and cross my arms over my chest. "What is going on you two and don't tell me it's nothing!" I can feel my cheeks heat up as I watch the two stand there, gaping at me. Regina has her dark hair braided down her back with her uniform on as usual. Madison wears the same uniform with her crimson hair in a side ponytail over her left shoulder, a duster in her hands.

They glance over at each other and a second later, they scream and cause the audience to gasp in fear. I scream as loudly as I can when arms grasp my waist and pull me back into the room I've left. A gun is placed to my forehead and the arms wrap over my own to keep my from fighting back. Tears fall down my cheek when I see that it's Richard holding the gun to my forehead.

My mind is racing and I feel sweat forming on my palms. I try to speak but I have no lines, so my mouth just hands open and more tears fall. I taste the salt of my tears slipping into my mouth. It burns and I feel the heartbeat of the man holding me against my back. It's slow and steady unlike mine and I fear for the worst. Death.

"You have been a bad girl, Gloria." Richard says in a low, menacing voice. "You think because you're so beautiful that you can get away with anything? That you can sleep with my brother without me knowing at get away with it?" More tears fall and he slaps me with his gun. Pain should strike against my cheek but the gun never touched my face. I scream in agony and the crowd holds their breath. "Shut up!" he screams, making me tremble. "You've done nothing but hurt yourself, Gloria!"

The man straightens me up and the gun takes it's place on the side on my head. Richard eyes me and I stare into the tender hazel eyes that are Eric's. "Goodbye," he whispers, his voice wavering and he fights back the tears. The soundtrack plays a heart-stopping gunshot and I fall onto the floor, my body aching with pain. But it's all too perfect as the lights turn black, curtain closes, and the crowd applause from the unexpected ending of Gloria's death.

Eric helps me up and glance over at who held me and wince when I see Jasper standing there with a c**k brow. Him, of all people, is the understudy for Michael? I did not know he enjoyed the arts. Then again, all he had to do was hold me tightly. Duh! All he had to do was hold me tightly. I groan at the realization but turn to face Eric and walk over to the the curtains, gripping onto his hand and Cathy's as we prepare for the bow.

The curtains fly open and a smile flashes onto my face. The crowd stands as they cheer, parents along with students and teachers come to view past the blinding light. The show has come to an end and I can stop pretending. Or at least, in front of them.



School is always the same after a big show. People glance at me and whisper things to each other. I suspect it's good, they're just afraid of me. That's right, tremble in fear you peasants!

I was once told by an oblivious freshmen last year that she thought I was an amazing actress. People watched in silence as to what I'd say. Instead of scolding at her or telling her off, I simply nodded and kept on walking. Not sure how the others took it simply because I didn't look at anyone as I stroll down the hall, preparing myself for the day's lessons.

Now, they just whisper and keep an eye on me. In the corner of the hall, I can see a group of boys chatting it up. I try to find Eric and grin when I do. He leans against the lockers, hands in the back pockets of his perfectly fitted black jeans and his hair tousled in perfection in long waves. He looks over and spots me, I tear my eyes away swiftly before he gets a chance to notice. When I get close, Eric walks over to me and I sigh as if it were the worse thing he could ever do.

"Morning, darling," he teases with a smirk. He keeps a steady pace besides me while I continue to walk and climb up the stairs to the second floor. I can feel eyes on me, not his, others.

"You reek of charm," I say while pulling my books closer to my chest. I find it quite hard to believe Eric is conversing with me after the big show. Usually we acknowledge each other with a nod or a wave, but that's usually it since we're done running lines with each other and there's only three weeks left of school. What's there to talk about?

Eric sighs and drapes an arm over my shoulders. I nudge him softly, not really wanting him to remove it. "I do, don't I? I think it smells like a waterfall." He gazes down at me and I roll my eyes.

More people begin to stare and I can feel my body tensing up. I need a diversion or something to keep everybody thinking I'm warming up to people. Well, do I really need to do that? It's more reasonable that I'll talk to Eric since he's the only person I'll genuinely smile to and he does live next door to me.

"Really? I thought it was more of a crap-scented musk. Isn't that right, Dick?" My homeroom is coming closer and the warning bell rings in the halls. Damn, he's going to have to leave soon.

He tugs at my ponytail and I yelp. "Don't use my character's name against me! I'm quite glad Richard killed Gloria now."

"Why don't you screw yourself, Dick?" I say, slipping into my homeroom before the second bell rings. I feel like congratulating myself for telling him off, but I don't feel so good especially when I spot Jasper sitting in my seat.

I make my way over to the far right corner and glare at Jasper who looks up at me with a cocky grin. "Get out of my seat, Blood-sucker." Most girls would use Twilight as a fantasy escape and a good read. I use it against this idiot who believes he can do whatever the hell he wants with a smile that I seriously want to slap off.

He fakes shock, a strand of dark brown hair falling out of place. "I didn't know we had assigned seats." Crap. Must he go around and ruin the simple things in my life? "You could sit here if you want," he says, raising his brows as he looks down at his lap. I slap him across the face and hear my name coming from the last person I wanted to have witness my assault.

"Miss Skye," Mrs. Greener croaks and I can feel the world stop spinning. Last three freaking weeks and I just had to have Jasper ruin it for me. Goodbye graduation.

I turn slowly and smile at Mrs. Greener, hoping she'll take my side and kick Jasper out of the class. Preferably through the window. Though, with her stare, I have a great feeling that I'm screwed.


That great feeling apparently was right. Maybe I've turned into a physic sometime in my life, or it was just so predictable that I'm having lunch detention because of the epic slap on Jasper. The thing is, Mrs. Greener  isn't all that harsh. She basically was making an example of me in front of the class and all I have to do is help her clean the classroom. It's not torture since that's basically what I do when I'm home since I have nothing better to do when I'm not being Crystine. Just the thought of her makes me smile as I sweep under a desk. Being masked behind the feathery mask made of fluffy white feathers I bought at the dollar store and gems from my scrapbook kit makes me feel so majestic.

"You missed a spot," a voice intrudes my thoughts.

My smile fades and I groan when I see Jasper leaping to the back of the classroom with two brown boxes in his grasp. Mrs. Greener comes behind him, her eyes glued to her phone. One thing I admire about her is the fact that she's updated. She texts much faster than my little sister and she always updates her phone to the next big thing with her cell phone company. It's not like she's old, she's barely close to forty, it's just compared to the other teachers with their oblivious vocabulary with today's generation's slang, it's rare to fine someone over thirty who really knows what's cool and what's not.

I catch myself staring at her phone and look away, forgetting all about Jasper until he takes a seat on the chair I am sweeping under. Just pretend he's not there and maybe he'll go away. If that's even possible.

"So tell me, Robin. What's it like?" He stretches his legs out and bangs it against the leg of the desk. I suppress the urge to laugh at him and continue on sweeping as if nothing happened. "I guess you don't know what I'm talking about. Okay. I'm talking about what's it like to be in the arms of the most god-like man in this school."

Ignore.

He furrows his brows and sits up while I move on with my pile of dirt to the next dirty desk. Sweep. Sweep. Sweep. That's all I have to do. Just take away the dirt and carry on.

"Are you a robot? Am I being punked?" Jasper glances around and I catch Mrs. Greener holding in a laugh while she sorts through papers at her desk. Jasper stands from his seat while I push the pile of dirt towards the front door where the trashcan is sitting. "Mrs. G, I think we need to get a doctor! Robin has turned into a cyborg!" If only he were funny.

"Relax, Mr. McKinley. She is simply doing her time while you're here acting like an idiot. Enough chatter and get to work!" Her voice is too soft for it to be a demand and I can tell she really wants to laugh her head out by the redness on her cheeks.

Jasper glances over at me as I pour the dirt from the dustpan into the trashcan. I then look over at Jasper and watch as he erases the whiteboard. What on earth is he doing here anyway? I didn't see him get in trouble in class this morning. He didn't even say a word all period! Even at third period he was quite and it was art!

"Jasper...?" I say, not sure why when I could be enjoying the silence. It's probably best if I act like he was imagining things when he stops erasing and stands stiffly with the eraser in his hands. I should just keep sweeping and avoid Mrs. Greener's eyes on me. Instead, I lean against the broom and ask, "Why are you here?"

Mrs. Greener snorts surprisingly and Jasper fumbles with the eraser. His ears are pink and he ducks his head towards the window so I'm not able to see his face. I raise my brows at his sudden bashful side. Never in a million years did I image that he'd have one.

"I uh," he finally starts to say, taking a tight grip of the eraser, and continues to wipe the board. "I got caught." Best. Excuse. Ever.

"Yeah...? Doing what? Drugs? Bullying? Being you?" At this, Mrs. Greener laughs and for the first time all year, I realize that she's more alive than any of us here. Well, more tipsy anyway.

Jasper spins around and crosses his arms over his chest as if it's supposed to frighten me. To be honest, it doesn't. It just reminds me what an idiot he is and why muscle men aren't attractive to me. "What's so wrong about being me?" he questions, deepening his voice. Wow, I'm so scared.

There are many things I can say to that, the first being that donkeys are offended that he's in the same category, but I am quite curious as to why he's here. "That doesn't matter. All that I'm worrying about is why I have to spend my lunch period with you."

He doesn't say anything. Not even a stupid combat or a cocky smirk. He just stands there as if I were a ghost or something. Maybe I am. That would explain so much of my dead personality. Huzzah!

I shrug it off thinking he's trying to play a mind game and return to my sweeping. However, all afternoon, I keep wondering why he was there.

Author's Note

When Robin refers Eric as "Richard", she's getting into character which is why she starts thinking differently.

Tell me what you honestly think about this piece. Should I keep the play, should I take it out? What could I add and what could I improve on? Let me know!

Reviews

[Mathias Winters]

Keep the play. That was the best part. I can't believe how well written that was. In fact, if you could, I would add more to it. It's such a great scene that it deserves more emphasis. The character development is also amazing. I love the dialogue in the story, and the fact that, over time, you realize that they are on stage in the beginning. This story is simply great, and I can't wait to read more.