In my junior year of high school, I decided to take drama. I didn't enjoy the theater or acting, but I wanted to be able to earn an A without busting my ass too much. However, I was unaware of how much work the drama club really was. Nevertheless, it was better than building a wooden clock that would never work.

He—Jacob Warner—was a senior at the time and head of the drama club. He was the director for the play I was about to audition for without even realizing it.

"Good morning, you useless wenches," he began once the first-period bell rang. I practically spit out a mouthful of my water as I listened to him insult us. "If you're here for an easy A, get the hell out now. The drama club is for artists, actors, people with a dream—not people who aren't willing to work," he sneered as he walked to the edge of the stage and hopped down.

He sat next to Mrs. Frita our teacher, before giving us instructions on what we would be doing.

"When I call your name, step forward and introduce yourself."

Unfortunately, my last name was Aubrey, so I knew I would be one of the first ones called as usual. My go-to fun fact about me was how much I enjoyed singing. However, that fact might be seen as boasting in theater, so I thought of something else to say.

"Lee Aubrey," Jacob called out so fast I didn't even realize it was my name. I was still thinking about my fun fact. "Aubrey!" He shouted a moment later. I jumped causing everyone but him to chuckle.

"Present," I squawked out pathetically. I sounded like a scared little mouse, and I immediately felt my cheeks heat up under the stage lights.

"I can see that," he muttered. "Tell us about yourself," he demanded as he crossed his arms and whispered something inaudible to Mrs. Frita.

"Well, I'm a junior, and—" I paused as I tried to think of anything to say. Anything at all. Without hesitation, I declared the first thing that popped into my mind:

"And I thought this would be like High School Musical." The whole place erupted into laughter, but Jacob eyed me severely. I thought my interrogation was over, but unfortunately, it just began.

"What a load of shit. I bet you're here for an easy A," he drilled me as he stood up and walked toward the stage. "Tell me something real about you, Lee, and I don't want any easy-out garbage facts I don't care about."

By now my cheeks were inflamed, and I was so nervous I blurted out my original true fact:

"I like to sing," I whispered.

"Thank you," Jacob nodded. He seemed satisfied with my answer because he sat back down and role-called the rest of the students. I don't remember anyone's name that first day because I was mortified by my introduction. What a jerk! Humiliating me like I was a freshman.

The rest of the class period went by with ease as Mrs. Frita took over and passed out the script for the play we were going to work on and audition for. Fortunately, the play was The Wizard of Oz which I knew a lot about.

"Before you heathens assume you know everything about this play since you dressed up as Dorothy in the third grade, we're going to mix it up a bit. I suggest you read through the script before coming back to class tomorrow," he eyed us as we stood in a line across the stage. "I will know who read it and who didn't," he warned.

"What a load of bollocks," I muttered under my breath as I tilted my head back toward the stage lights and sighed.

"Mr. Aubrey," his annoying, irritating, grating voice spoke up. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

"Actually, there is," I huffed as I put my head down and glared at him from above the stage.

Immediately, he hopped onto the stage and got as close to me as he could without touching any part of me or my clothes. "Tell me. What do you have to say that's so important?"

"You're a bloody dictator," I snarled as I refused to break eye contact. "You act like we're going to war instead of a damned play. This is high school, mate, not the Navy." I was so fucking angry. I was angry he humiliated me, I was angry he had such an attitude, and I was angry because I knew I had chosen the wrong class. This wouldn't be an easy A. This would be one—if not all—of the seven levels of hell.

"You're wrong," he snarled. "In the theater world, this is the navy. You will work, train, and listen to everything I say. Is that clear, soldier?" He asked before he hopped down from the stage as if he wasn't in my face seconds ago. Something about the proximity made me nervous, angry, and excited at the same time. I hated him already, but I couldn't deny that he was attractive.

He wasn't a girl's guy. He was for the boys. Beautiful, feminine, sassy, artistic, and determined. He was everything I wanted and hated at the same time since he came with an insufferable personality. I wasn't aware of my sexuality at the time, but I knew he was the type of boy that I could fall in love with if given enough time. And that fact made me so irate that I ignored everything else for the rest of the class period.

Relief wasn't a strong enough emotion for how I felt after exiting the auditorium. I wanted to hide in the bathroom and scream, but I wasn't going to let some theater kid affect me that much. I made my bed, and now I had to lie in it. I picked drama, and I was going to do my best to get an A even though something told me Jacob wasn't going to let me earn one without sweating blood.

The rest of the first day back to school was pretty normal. I sat with my friends during lunch—people I knew since junior high but had nothing in common since then—and sped through the rest of my classes. My favorite was AP chemistry, but I couldn't even fully enjoy the hour spent surrounded by test tubes as I thought about how I signed my year away to a stupid class that was going to kick my ass. Why was drama bothering me so much? Was it because of Jacob or because I knew I made a mistake when picking the class? I should've succumbed to woodshop and convinced my drunken dad to build the clock in my place.

Just as the last bell rang indicating we were free to return to the real world, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. This was abnormal because 1.) nobody texted me and 2.) my 2009 flip phone was reserved for emergencies. Even though it was 2011, my three-year-old Nokia stayed strong.

Opening my phone, I cursed under my breath as I read a group text from Jacob:

Hey drom-ease, auditions are TOMORROW. Read the script and respond with the character you want to audition for along with your name. 

I wanted to scream as I snapped my phone shut and shoved it back into my pocket. I forgot that I wrote my number down on the sheet of paper Mrs. Frita passed around and had us sign before the bell rang. Now what was once only an emergency contraption would be buzzing like crazy until I was a senior because of a stupid play.

Packing the rest of my notebooks into my backpack, I angrily walked to the parking lot and found my car without even realizing it. I hated how one stupid class was making me so unhinged, and on the first day of school too! This was going to be the worst year of my life, and it was my own damned fault for trying to ride easy.

"Calm down, Lee," I breathed out as I climbed into the driver's seat, closed my eyes, and clenched the steering wheel. "It's the first day of class. Stop letting something as simple as the drama club actually cause drama in your life." 

After a few moments of self-meditating, I started my car and buckled my seatbelt. I was just about to put the gear into drive when a sudden rapping on my window caused me to shout and almost piss myself.

"The fuck!" I screeched as I held one hand over my heart and cranked down the window with my other hand. "Bloody hell," I muttered as I looked into the familiar blue eyes I learned to hate in less than an hour of meeting them. "What could you possibly want?" I growled.

"A ride," Jacob shrugged nonchalantly. "My mom called and said she wasn't going to get out of work on time. I told her I would find another way when I saw you walk to your car and get in. I do hope that's all right. Everyone else I know rides the bus, and it has already left."

"Are you going to act like a dictator and complain about my driving or the music? Because if you are, your ass can walk home for all I care," I snarled as I stared straight ahead and refused to look at him any longer.

"Ha!" He laughed heartily before walking around the front of the car and opening the passenger door. "You're pretty funny, you know that? I can tell you don't like me," he admitted as he buckled his seat belt, "so, I really appreciate this."

"It's not that I don't like you," I lied between clenched teeth, "it's just that you annoy me."

"Touché. I'm glad to see you're honest. Oh, turn left," he directed as I pulled out of the parking lot. "Where did you get your accent from? You sound like you're from London," he commented.

"My dad's in the Navy. We traveled a lot," I shrugged. "We lived in England most of my childhood, but we've been in the States since I started junior high."

"I've seen you a lot," he admitted, "but I never heard you speak until today. It's not like we have any connections. You never seem to hang out with anybody."

"So? What are you the buddy police?" I scoffed. "I have friends."

"Don't tell me it's that clan you eat with," he laughed. "They're dead heads."

"How the hell do you know so much about me?"

"I observe," he shrugged as if I was the most interesting person in the world to watch. "I want to become an actor. To act, you must imitate. In order to become what I want to be, I have to first watch others."

"Makes sense," I muttered even though agreeing with him was the last thing I wanted to do.

"You'll want to turn right at the light," he guided me after we fell into silence. Passenger seat Jacob was the complete opposite of Director Jacob, and I hated it. I understood he was probably in character during class, but I hated unpredictable people. I was the same every moment of every day, and I believed that was how it should be.

"Once you turn left at the next stop sign, I'm the third house down."

I wanted to comment on how close he lived to me, but I didn't want to talk anymore. I didn't want to read the damned script, audition, or take orders from him. I just wanted to go home and pretend today didn't happen.

"That's me right there," he sighed as I turned at the stop sign and noticed the large blue house he pointed to. "Thanks for the ride, I owe you," he promised as he collected his belongings and hopped out of the car before I could put it in park. "Read the script," he commanded before shutting the door and disappearing into his house.

"Fuck the script," I cursed under my breath before tearing it out of my backpack, tossing it in the back seat, and forgetting about it entirely as I drove home and enjoyed my evening without being bossed around by a boy in suspenders.

***
I know I said Monday is the updating schedule, but I wanted to post the first chapter. Chapter two will be out Monday :)