Chapter 61- Want You Back (Part 1)
Camryn sat in the toilets at school, staring at the packet in her hands. This wasn't what she had planned for her life.
But maybe Ernesto was right- it's the DeRosa way of life.
Certain that no one would be in thr toilets this early, Camryn broke down in tears.
"Hello? Are you ok? Well, obviously you're not but... what can I do to help?"
Camryn recognised the voice as Kennedy's.
"I get it if you don't want to talk. I've been having a pretty bad week too. Lost a friend, realised I'm not over something I thought I was- ok, I should probably stop talking about my problems. The point is... there are people out there that care about you. Like my boyfriend cares about me. So let them in."
Camryn couldn't help but smile at her advice. But the people that cared about her were the same people she was trying to protect.
-
Miss Laine called a Theatre Club meeting at lunch, which was rare.
"What's going on?", asked Darius. "Amethyst wants to eat her caviar."
Amethyst rolled her eyes. "You know we're both hella rich, right?"
"Yeah", said Stanley. "Darius just dresses like he lives in a bin."
Darius punched him. "Oi! Trendy Trash is very sophisticated."
"Can everyone settle down?", asked Miss Laine. "I've called you all here to discuss... Weronika."
"What about her?", asked a surprised Amethyst.
"She's been late far too many times. As much as I love having her in this Club... we can't risk her being late on the show days. So I want you all to decide her fate as a group. In rehearsal, I'll tell her so that she can't just blame one of you."
An uncomfortable silence loomed over them.
"We can't just kick her out! There has to be some explanation!", said Leonie.
"For once, I agree with Miss Sunshine", said Amethyst. Her friendship with Weronika may have been ruined but she still had a soft spot for the girl.
"They're right", said Kennedy, not making eye contact with Leonie. "She's one of us."
Maxon nodded. "And we look after our own", she said, before looking at Leonie. "Right? You said that's what Theatre Club's all about."
An uneasy Isaac didn't say anything, but no one seemed to notice how worried he was. Camryn had told him what she did, and Isaac was wrestling with his guilt. He didn't know whether to tell someone, or keep it a secret.
"So that's your decision? You want to take the risk of her not showing?", asked Miss Laine.
"It's a risk we're willing to take", said Meredith. "If it means Weronika gets to stay."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Couldn't have said it better myself", said Darius.
-
Before rehearsals were due to start, Isaac rushed to the toilets, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt.
From the girl's toilet, he heard someone violently throwing up. He quickly rushed to the boy's toilet.
-
Everyone entered the Theatre Room. Leonie came in a few minutes later than the others. "Sorry I'm late. I was in the toilet."
"Oh did you hear that girl be sick? I wanted to make sure she was ok", said Isaac.
"Oh! Uh... yeah. Um, she had food poisoning. She said she's going home now."
Weronika entered, a sad look on her face.
"Ah, Weronika! We have some news for you. Your punctuality has been very bad and we've been debating letting you stay. So we've decided-", said Miss Laine, before stopping when she saw Weronika's face.
"I... I can't be in the Club anymore", said Weronika.
"What? Why?", asked Amethyst.
Her parents entered the room. "Because she lied to us. She told us she was in a Book Club when she was actually in this Club neglecting her studies for this."
Everyone just stared at them, stunned.
"Is this why you were always late? Because you had to convince your parents why Book Club was so long?", asked Miss Laine.
Weronika nodded.
"I'm sorry but Weronika doesn't have time for this", said her father, his German accent thick.
"Well she clearly made time for it", said Amethyst, making Weronika shake her head at her.
"Please Mr. and Mrs. Robinson... we need Weronika", said Miss Laine.
"Considering you were willing to kick her out... I'd say that's not entirely true", said Mrs. Robinson.
Miss Laine just put her head down. She struggled with the decision. She didn't want Weronika to leave but at the same time, she had to think about the Theatre Club's future as a whole.
"I'm sorry to do this at such short notice but her involvement in this Club can't continue. Her lies have caused this mess and she needs to learn that there are consequences", said her Mum.
"Come on, Weronika", said her Dad.
Amethyst's eyes met with Weronika's and for a brief moment, she let herself frown. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it faded away.
An emptiness filled the room. Yes, they had only lost one person, but that was one person too many for them.
"What now?", asked Stanley.
"We have to respect their wishes", said Miss Laine.
"But it's not her wish. It's her Mum and Dad's", said Amethyst.
"You guys fought for me", said Eli. "We need to fight for her."
"I agree", said Maxon. "But how?"
"Let's do what we do best", said Eli.
"Start drama?", questioned Amethyst.
Everyone looked at Amethyst.
"Where's the lie though?"
-
The next day, Weronika and her parents entered the Theatre Room.
"What's this about?", asked her Mum.
Everyone stood in formation, smiles on their faces. Amethyst looked at Miss Laine, who nodded and turned the music box on.
I Want You Back by Jackson 5 started playing, with the group providing the vocals. They did a dance routine, each person taking a minute dance next to Weronika.
Weronika smiled as she watched everyone performing. For her. She always thought that, because she was late, she wasn't as valuable a member than the others. But now she knew she was. They did all this for her.
They ended in a kneeling position, with their hands out.
"Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, we don't think Weronika should've lied. But we need her. Not just for this show but because... she's always thinking big and her personality makes rehearsals so much fun", said Eli.
"She always faded in the background before, or atleast to me, anyway. But after spending time with her in the Club... I'm sorry for not getting to know her sooner", said Maxon
Amethyst had already prepared something, but decided against using it. She chose to speak from her heart instead. "We didn't get along at first. And... still don't, I guess. But that... might not be her fault. Not entirely. If I had to choose one of these people to be stuck on a desert island with, I'd choose Weronika."
Darius gasped. "Wow! That's basically a wedding vow right there."
Amethyst rolled her eyes but Weronika smiled at her.
"I understand her studies are important. But we have a few members that are in their final year of school and we make sure they dedicate enough time to their studies", said Miss Laine, gesturing for Stanley and Leonie to step forward.
Leonie nodded. "Miss Laine is right. We still have time to go to study sessions and sometimes leave an hour early to study."
Stanley nodded. "Yeah, Miss Laine supports us with it too."
Everyone stared at Weronika's parents. "When I first moved here from Germany... the world was not a kind place. People were unforgiving. We found it hard to find jobs. We didn't want our future children to face the same treatment. So we vowed to make them work hard, so that they could achieve success based on their own merits", said her Dad.
Weronika turned to her parents. "I didn't know that."
Her Dad looked at her. "That's the point, Ronnie. I prayed that you never found out what your Mama and I had faced."
Weronika hugged her parents. "I'm so sorry. You're both the bravest people I know."
"No", said her Dad "You are."
"For chasing your dreams", said her Mum. "We're still upset that you lied though."
"I know. I just didn't know how to tell you", said Weronika.
"You can always come to us, Bon-Bon", said her Mum.
Darius' eyes widened. "Bon-Bon? This is officially the best day ever."
Weronika reached forward and punched Darius' arm, a grin on her face.
"After seeing how much these people care about you... I think you're in safe hands", said her Mum.
"So?"
Her parents smiled at each other.
"You can stay in this Club", said her Mum.
Everyone cheered and clapped.
"In fact, I'd love to hear more about the things you get up to with your friends", said her Mum.
"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson! If you ever need a kidney, I'm your guy", said Mr. Robinson.
"And if I ever need a patient to test a brain transplant on...", said Mr. Robinson, discreetly gesturing towardd Darius. "... I've found the perfect candidate."
Weronika covered her mouth to supress a laugh.
-
After the rehearsal, Isaac felt more pressure to tell someone. He watched as each person left, summoning up the courage to tell someone.
"Are you ok?", asked Eli, with Camryn beside him.
Isaac just nodded, not wanting to tell Eli what was going on when Camryn was right there.
Isaac had always been in tune with his emotions and wasn't afraid to cry. He didn't see it as a weakness. He held his tears in until he physically couldn't anymore. He broke down, covering his face to muffle the sound.
"Isaac? Isaac, what's wrong?", asked Leonie, rushing towards him.
Isaac let Leonie pull him into a hug. "It's all my fault..."
"What is? Weronika's parents finding out she lied?", asked Leonie.
Isaac shook his head. "I've really messed up, Leonie."
"Messed what up? You can tell me if you want."
So he did.
He started from the beginning and told her everything, crying once more when he re-lived it.
"Hey, hey... it's ok. Cry it out. I'm here."
"I don't know what to do."
"You did the right thing by telling someone. I'll handle it, ok?"
"H-How?"
"Don't worry about that. I won't let Camryn get hurt, ok?"
Isaac nodded. "I shouldn't have spoken to him."
"He gr**med you, Isaac. Looked for things you worried about. Looked for things he saw as insecurites. This isn't your fault", said Leonie.
-
Hi
What are your thoughts on this Chapter?
Weronika's staying! And I'm sure she's learned an important lesson about lying.
What did you think of Amethsyt's speech?
What's going on with Leonie? If you think you know, you can PM me!
Isaac told someone about Camryn! What do you think will happen? And how will Camryn react to what Leonie will do?
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