"It's fine, we can fix this," Oddey assured her team as she looked up at the balcony with no railing. Meanwhile, the Romeo decided to stay behind to help her even though rehearsal ended.

"Alright, how? We can't spend more money," another one asked, but Oddey didn't have the answer yet so she was too distraught to come up with one and did not know what to say to her fellow set crew.

"Why not just remove the balcony?" Gage suggested as he walked to them. However, everyone looked at him like he was crazy or something, especially Oddey.

"We need the balcony... for the balcony scene, so that you can see Juliet, Romeo," another student reminded in a sarcastic tone which annoyed Gage.

"Hold on," Oddey told them. "Let's hear him out first."

"What I'm saying is, just remove the railing on this and install them there by the doorway so you won't have to spend buying more materials to support the extension," Gage continued, and the art student could see that it was a good idea.

"Okay, but one problem, Juliet could barely be seen," the student added.

"Then let's just move it there so that it's upfront facing the audience," Oddey followed.

"That's right," Gage said.

Everyone seemed to agree. "Sounds like a plan," replied a guy.

"Awesome, I'll talk to Madame Vestia about it tomorrow to let her know about these changes. Okay, meeting adjourn," the art student said to them. Once the set design team began walking out, Oddey turned to her crush. "Thanks for that, Gage. I didn't come up with anything anyway. I think you will make a superb architect."

"Sure thing, happy to help," he replied.

"By the way, I didn't get the chance to ask you about the exhibit. How was it?" Oddey asked.

"It's great, I'm gonna get an internship in the firm of my dreams," he answered with an excited tone.

"Oh, right. I'm glad that things worked out for you."

"Thanks." But then, Gage remembered what Courtney disclosed to him and he began doubtfully glancing at her. "Uhm..."

Oddey noticed that he had something to say to her. "What is it?"

However, after looking through her eyes, his trust in her came back. "Never mind, it's nothing," Gage lied.

The girl gazed at him with a weird look on her face and just shook it off, then took her belongings. "Okay then." However, Oddey remembered what Eva told her and her father's problem with his parents. It gave her a reason that she should not pursue him since he was an enemy, but a very caring and harmless enemy.

Later, the art student was in her studio to do some sketching there to clear her mind. Making pencil sketches on the canvas before painting it. Suddenly, her best friend came. "Hey, Bestie!" Rita exclaimed.

"Hey," Oddey moaned.

"Oh, that is not a happy hello. What's up with up? Still having problems with the broken balcony?" her best friend quipped. "So, sorry I wasn't there when that Courtney gave you an earful about it. I would've slapped the cockiness out of her."

"No, I'm sorta over it."

"So what's wrong?"

"I just can't help feeling guilty," Oddey sighed.

"To what?" Rita asked.

"That I'm lying to Gage and to Dad too."

"Oh... Does your Dad know?"

"No, but Mom does."

"She does?!" The friend gasped. "Did you tell her?"

"It's Mom. She knows everything," the art student exasperated.

"That's so true. So what did she say?"

"She doesn't mind, and not gonna tell Dad, but she still told me to stay away from him."

"They can't tell you who to love, Bestie," Rita reminded her.

"I know that," Oddey grunted. "But... you should've seen my Dad. I have never seen him so broken after meeting Gage's parents again."

Her best friend empathized. "Yikes."

"I hate seeing him that way."

"I get that, but what about you and Gage?" Rita refused for her bestie to not have her love story just because her father could not accept it.

"Gage doesn't even like me like that anyway."

"You don't actually know that."

Oddey scoffed, "Bestie, I appreciate the support, but I don't think it's happening."

"What if it does?" Rita questioned. "What if he likes you too, and after that, he admitted it to you?"

The young artist stopped what she was doing and just stared blankly at her canvas and pouted her glossy red lips. "I don't know how to answer that, but I can't find myself to hate him."

"And why is that?"

"Because he's smart, creative, and kind."

Without their knowledge, Felix happened to hear their conversation, and he did not look happy that Oddey had strong feelings towards his best friend. However, he knocked on her door and then went inside when the art student allowed him to.

----

At night in the boys' dorm, Gage worked on an assignment with his acting partner in the play. "Ugh, I hate this," Courtney grunted. "I wish I could just practice for the play for all my college life and not deal with this stupid homework for the next three years."

"It's not so bad," the architect major chuckled while calmly answering the questions provided in their textbook.

"Easy for you to say," She whined. "You're a Brainiac."

"Uhm... you could be too if you just focus and stop copying from my work."

"Well, I don't need Algebra for Broadway audition."

"Good, because this is Calculous," He replied bluntly, then saw Courtney give him a sour look on her face. "What? It's true. Just answer what you can."

The actress squirmed. "Ugh... fine." And just resumed writing down in her notebook. "So did you ask your little girlfriend about the... you know? That she has an architect for a Dad?"

Gage paused for a bit and continued working. "You mean, Oddey. She's... not my girlfriend. And also, nope."

"Not yet, or you just didn't?"

"I just didn't."

"You should."

The guy felt annoyed and just strangely looked at her. "Why would I bother to know if someone has a Dad or not? If you really want to know, why don't you ask her?" he snapped.

"Okay, Geez... I'm just looking out for you," Courtney claimed in a defensive tone. However, it was also because she had no other way to budge him into thinking differently about Oddey.

"Appreciate it, but don't take this the wrong way, Court. I just don't need it, especially to Oddey. Besides, she's kinda cool once you get to know her better."

"Do you like her?" The jealous actress questioned him.

Gage became so embarrassed that he could feel his face burning. "Tss... That's not the point," he stammered. "I'm just saying that you get pretty selective with the people you choose to be your friends."

"And what's wrong with that? I just like to be protective."

The guy just rolled his eyes and decided not to respond to that last statement. "Just saying, though."

The two just went back to finishing their assignments afterward. However, Courtney had no plans to stop her from getting Gage away from Oddey by hook or by crook.

"Finally, we're done," Courtney sighed in relief.

"Great, now I can lie down on my bed," the guy replied.

The actress wanted to use this chance to advantage since Felix was not back yet, "Uhm... do you have time to practice our lines for the Masquerade Ball scene?" she asked.

"I have an essay to write, but it's due next week anyway. So, yeah." However, Gage was hesitant at the idea. "Let me just get my script."

Once he got the booklet of lines from his bag, Courtney tried to hide her smirk from her face. "Okay, let's start," she said. "You go first."

Gage began getting into character. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this," he recited. "My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this." Courtney also started getting into character. "For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." The Romeo felt unease since he was reciting a very romantic line and that he was saying these to Courtney. He kept reminding himself to follow his private acting coach's advice, and it was imagining that he was speaking to the girl he liked.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake." It was no challenge to Courtney because her Romeo was sitting right in front of her, and it was getting better for her since it was getting to the kissing scene which was the reason why she wanted to rehearse that specific scene.

Gage could feel that the sequence was getting sort of spicy, and it made him even more unsure about it, yet he reminded himself that it was all just an act. "Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus, from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."

The sly Juliet was feeling the romantic mood as she pulled herself closer and closer towards her Romeo for what she hoped for a kiss. She even placed her hand on his face, which made Gage flustered. "Then have my lips the sin that they have taken."

"Yellow!" Felix just arrived in their dorm room and was taken aback to see his two best friends being very close to one another with Courtney's hand still touching Gage's face. "Oops... sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"Uhm... no, we were just rehearsing," Gage stammered as he pulled away from Courtney. However, he was glad that Felix came in perfectly.

"Yeah... we were." The girl became dejected and disgruntled that her chance was lost because of her Romeo's annoying roommate. After that, she got up and took her bag. "Okay, practice over. Thanks, Gage."

"Hold on. There's this silent movie convention this weekend that I heard from the film club, and I'm thinking of going and getting tickets. Maybe you guys want to go?" Felix invited his two closest friends.

"Sounds lame," Courtney scoffed. "Not interested."

"Same," Gage agreed. "Not sure if I'll enjoy boring old movies."

Felix had mixed feelings about their response. On one hand, he felt upset that they had to comment, but at the same time, he did not mind. "Understood."

"Why would you think we want to go to something so dorky?" Courtney added.

"Meh. I'm just checking."

"Okay. Bye, guys." Courtney abruptly went to the door and left their room.

Felix had a smug in his face as he darted to his buddy. "Something you guys want to tell me? What was that back there?"

Gage became embarrassed. "Uh... Nothing."

"Oh, okay. I think your acting has improved. You guys almost had me believe that there's something between you two," the roommate teased as he put his stuff down, and then sat on the bed.

"We were just rehearsing."

"Right, rehearsing," Felix snickered, putting out both of his hands by air quoting the last word to tease his best friend.

"It was just acting back there," Gage insisted in a defensive tone.

"Right, acting." Felix made that same gesture with his hands again.

"Would you stop that?!"

"Geez, I'm just messing with you, but you do realize that you are gonna do a kissing scene with Juliet. Which also means you're gonna have to kiss Courtney?" Felix quipped.

"Yes, it did occur to me that I have to... kiss her." The poor guy even looked disgusted just thinking about it. "But... it's all just acting. Right?"

"Yeah. Oh! Are you guys gonna do it in front of the audience? You know the part after the wedding?"

"Oh! God, no," Gage reacted. "We are not doing that. Well... not exactly doing the actual thing, that is."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the idea. Just can't believe it." Felix muttered at the last part.

"Anyway, I just can't wait for this stupid play to be over."

"Hang in there, dude."