The first Friday of my junior year finally came around after days of classes, making enemies, redoing introductions, and rehearsing lines for a play. Although it was the first week of school, it felt as if I completed a whole year's worth of work already. I was exhausted and ready for the weekend. However, I still had a whole day of classes left before I could enjoy some rest.

The idea of getting rest at home almost made me laugh. Since my parents filed for divorce, my dad was barely home. I wasn't complaining about his absence, but his being gone worried my mother so much that I couldn't relax as I watched her pace around the house. I knew this weekend would be the same as any other because my dad had a new girlfriend and would disappear for days spending time with her doing God knows what. Even though they were divorcing, my mother still loved his slimy ass, and I hated him for what he put her through in their marriage and outside of it. He broke her down to where I was almost her parent instead of having her as mine.

I forced these thoughts away and focused on the present. The first-period bell was about to ring any moment, and I sat in my seat nervously thinking about how I would be up on stage rehearsing my lines for the second time. Yesterday was the first day of rehearsal, and although it went very well, I hated the attention everyone suddenly gave me. Even Candace seemed to overcome her lunch outburst as she cheered me on while we practiced.

Owen—the guy with the green braces—sat next to me every morning, and I started to kind of enjoy our interactions. He was a little odd, but who wasn't? Between him and Candace, I barely got a word in, and I liked that. They made me feel present without having to contribute to the conversation, which I appreciated. I even started to convince myself that the drama club wouldn't actually be all seven levels of hell. In fact, I started to enjoy the first hour of the day. However, I knew it was too early to admit that to anyone. I also didn't want to jinx myself with the luck I had.

Even though Jacob and I started over, we hardly spoke to one another since the library. I knew he was busy, but I kind of missed him shadowing me. It took every ounce of pride I had to admit that to myself. I kind of wanted to be his friend, and I accepted that was all I wanted. I might've been attracted to him, but I wasn't going to allow it to go any further than friendship. I wasn't aware of his sexuality, but I was pretty sure he was straight after watching him and Candace interact. It also made sense why she was so defensive of him. If they were dating, of course, she wouldn't want me to say anything bad about her boyfriend. It also made sense why she would blame me for starting the feud between Jacob and me saying I egged him on. A complete lie, but at least I understood her a little better.

"Mrs. Frita and I were chatting earlier," Jacob began once the bell rang and Mrs. Frita took role. "And we decided that today we were going to give you all a break on rehearsing. Instead, we're going to focus on the props. We have a lot of props to paint and tape together, so let's start on those today and see how far we get. Besides, you all have your scripts and can practice your lines at home. Next week we'll continue rehearsing, and we'll also have our dress rehearsal even though the play isn't until December. Mrs. Frita's sister is going to help her sew the costumes, so we need to get everyone's measurements so they have enough time to get the material and outfits together. Sound good?" He asked even though we all knew it sounded good regardless if we thought so before he began handing out jobs to each of us.

"We have a lot of the cardboard out back in the recycling bin, so we'll have to cut it today. I'm hoping we can paint some of the props, but we'll work on them next week if we don't have enough time today. However, I need a few of you to retrieve the cardboard...hmm...Owen and Drake will get the cardboard, Candace and Milanie will get the paints from the art room..."

I zoned out as Jacob droned on giving all my classmates a job until I realized he was done with the list and never mentioned my name. "Hey!" I raised my hand as I shot out of my seat and walked toward the stage. "What am I going to do?" I asked as I glanced up at him as he stood on the stage and hovered about six feet over me.

"You're going to help me. We have some backdrops backstage that were used the first time the school put on The Wizard of Oz, so I want to get those put up so we can easily transition between the scenes. We used to have the props too, but Mrs. Frita said the last drama teacher threw them out since she didn't think we would ever put on The Wizard of Oz again since it was such a disaster the first time," he informed me before walking toward the back of the stage. "C'mon," he waved when he noticed I was still standing there.

I hopped onto the stage and followed him back behind the curtain where all the backstage props and backdrops were piled high.

"Why was the original play a disaster?" I asked him as we began to sift through the pile of dusty backdrops that hadn't been touched since the spring.

"Apparently, when the Wicked Witch threw the fireball at the Scarecrow, they decided it was a good idea to use real fire in the play. You can imagine their horror when everything that could go wrong went wrong on opening night. Scarecrow caught fire on his arm and got three-degree burns. After that, the play was canceled," he shrugged as if it wasn't a huge deal.

"Shit," I muttered as I stopped looking and stared off, imagining the horror of both the actor and the audience. "Did they rehearse with real fire?"

"Oh, yeah. They thought they had it down to a science, but apparently, they were wrong," he laughed bitterly. "A bunch of idiots. The school was lucky the kid's family didn't sue them. Those medical bills were rough."

"The school didn't pay for treatment?"

"Oh, they did. They offered before the parents could even think about suing. It was a different time back then anyway."

"Was the kid okay?" I asked even though I couldn't imagine he was. He was probably scarred for life emotionally and physically.

"He's fine. At least, he's fine now," Jacob laughed. "He eventually got over it. He enjoys sharing the story of his scars."

"You know him?"

"Yeah. He's my dad."

He dropped this plot twist on me as if he told the story to everyone. I was speechless for a few moments before I shook it off and began helping him look for the backdrops once more.

"They don't seem to be here," he sighed as he stood up straight and huffed. I could tell he was annoyed, but he stayed positive as he adjusted his suspenders and took a deep breath. "They have more backdrops in the back room. Let's check there because I know they didn't throw them out. My dad told me the school basically treated those backdrops like the Mona Lisa since it took so much time to paint them."

"I'm still shocked it was your dad," I admitted as we walked further into the dark. I was suddenly aware of our proximity as we stood next to each other. Our bodies were dimly lit from the backstage lights until he found the light switch in the tiny room. My jitters vanished with the darkness, and I forced those thoughts out of my head. Friends. I reminded myself. Friends.

"How long have you and Candace been dating?" I casually asked as we found another pile of backdrops on the far end of the wall.

"What?!" Jacob exclaimed before he began laughing so hard that I found myself in another embarrassing situation involving Jacob Warner. My cheeks lit up, and I crouched over the backdrops to hide my face. "We're not dating," he admitted after he pulled himself together. "It's not that she doesn't want to, but I have no interest in her. We've been friends for too long, and I don't want to ruin that, you know?"

"She's beautiful, though," I shrugged.

"She is," he agreed. "She's very pretty, but I don't like her like that. We're just friends. Why would you think we were dating?"

"She's so protective of you it just made sense."

"I can see that," he nodded. "Don't be embarrassed," he chuckled, "I can totally see why you would think that once I thought about it."

"I just-" I sighed and gave up. I wasn't about to make excuses for myself or put myself back into the seven levels of hell I pulled myself out of. I had enough on my plate, and I didn't know Jacob enough to worry about what he thought of me. Even though I did worry about what he thought ever since that handshake in the library.

"Don't worry about it," he assured me. "Hey! We found it!" He shouted as we pulled out a massive piece of cardboard. Whoever stored it folded it multiple times, letting me know it was larger than it looked. "This is the yellow brick road one. Now we just need Emerald City and the Witch's castle."

"Do you think the other two are in here?" I asked as I looked through the last few left on the floor. "Oh, wait, here they are."

"Perfect! Now, let's get them back to the stage."

Even though they were just pieces of cardboard, it took a lot of strength for us to maneuver the backdrops through the doors and back to the stage. The pieces were awkward, lengthy, and hard to grasp as if they sat in some type of oil. I didn't even want to ask why they were greasy, but my question was answered when we went back for the Emerald City and saw a can of clear stain broke open under the props.

"The dampness of this room must've kept it from drying. Oh, well. It is what it is," Jacob shrugged as we struggled with the last two backdrops and finally moved them to the stage.

"Yuck!" Drake muttered after we dropped the large pieces of cardboard and turned toward our classmates. "What's that on your clothes?"

"Some kind of stain that leaked into the cardboard," Jacob replied as we looked down at each other and saw the mess we were in.

"That's great," I grumbled as I admired my brand new Nike hoodie that was soaked in stain. Brand new, my first time wearing it, and already ruined.

"I can get you a new hoodie," Jacob muttered under his breath so nobody else could hear. He noticed how bothered I was, but that wasn't his responsibility.

"No, it's fine. It wasn't your fault," I shrugged as I removed the hoodie and rolled it into a ball.

"It was. I had you help me move the backdrops even after seeing how they were soaked in stain. Seriously, Lee, it's the least I can do," he pressed. I simply nodded. I didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill even though I was upset. I saw this hoodie months ago before my mother was able to afford it. I hated how I balled it up like it meant nothing to me even though it meant everything.

For the rest of the class period, we cut the cardboard as much as we could before we had to store it behind the stage with the older props. We didn't accomplish as much as Jacob and Mrs. Frita would've liked, but at least we accomplished a few things here and there.

"Aubrey! Wait up!" Jacob called out as I tried to slip out of the auditorium after the bell rang. "Do you have any plans later?"

"Umm," I muttered, wondering where he was going with his question. "Not really, why?"

"I gotta replace your hoodie, remember? I thought we could go to the mall afterward and hang out. Only if you wanted," he suggested before he glanced down at his shoes and slightly rocked on the balls of his heels. It was the first time since I met Jacob Warner that he showed any signs of nervousness. And it was because of me!

I tried to ignore the smile growing on my lips as I eagerly agreed. "Sure, why not? I'll let my mum know, and we can take my car. Unless you have yours today?"

"No, I only have my mom as a chauffeur. Your car is perfect. I'll meet you there after school!" He called out as he hurried down the hall and disappeared into the crowd as I took out my old Nokia and texted my mum. I assured her it wasn't an emergency before I informed her of my new friend.

I could hear the happiness in her response as I walked to class and read her text:

Happy to hear my baby's invited out with friends! Have fun, honey! :)

Even my mother knew Jacob Warner was my first actual friend. I was a junior in high school and made my first friend at seventeen. While this made me simultaneously sad and happy at the same time, I decided to focus on my happy feelings. My lunch group wasn't my friends, and I hadn't stuck with anyone since I was in primary school in England. However, this was the beginning of something new, and I could tell it was going to be something wonderful.

Even though we were just going to be friends, of course.

***
Eeekkkkk things are getting exciting :)