01 | HOLD YOUR BREATH
PART ONE

     "WHERE the hell are you? I'm in desperate need of help around here." Allie hollered into the phone, clearly panicking alongside Cassandra, who was frustratingly attempting to locate Harry and Kelly. Allie paced back and forth as she hurriedly waited for a response from her co-manager, and friend, of the play. The sounds of shuffling and a faint string of curse words could be heard from the other end of the line. "Cassandra and I are losing our minds here, where the fuck are you?" Though before Allie could scold her friend anymore for her absence, she overheard the main doors to the auditorium crash open suddenly, followed by an apologetic Athena as she made her way past the audience of gathered individuals and onto the side of the stage where she met with Allie and Cassandra behind the curtains.

     "I just want to start by saying," Athena dropped her backpack, filled with her school supplies and work clothes, "how sorry I am and that I am parched as fuck." The brunette panted as she leaned down and pulled a water bottle out from her backpack and downed a few large gulps before wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "Now, as for that Harry-Kelly problem, where haven't you guys checked yet?"

     Cassandra and Allie shared a look before glancing towards the back exit, which led to the back of the building. Athena then caught on and nodded in understanding, "okay good, well tell them to get their asses back in here so we can start this damn show." Cassandra nodded in agreement and dashed off towards the door in an instant. Athena pulled out her backstage gear and began putting them on when she noticed the faintly upsetting look on Allie's face. "Don't tell me you're that upset about my lack of punctuation?"

     Allie half smiled as she saw the expression on Athena's face and shook her head no. "I'm just thinking about how much I'll miss you being with me backstage and how some grimy underclassman is going to have to take your position. It just won't be the same without you here, with me." Athena playfully rolled her eyes and went over to give her friend a comforting side hug.

     "Oh my gosh, I forgot how dramatic you could sometimes be." The two girls chuckled before Athena let go and turned to face Allie, "you just have to trust that you could manage things by yourself, or with a grimy little underclassman, and know how you are capable of accomplishing great things all on your own." Allie smiled brightly before rolling her eyes and wiping a tear from her right eye.

     "Dear God, now I forgot how dramatic you could sometimes be." Allie playfully nudged Athena, which caused her to laugh in amusement, "that kinda sounds like something my mom would say to me." Though, before Athena could joke with Allie anymore, a flushed Harry and Kelly came walking by with Cassandra on their heels.

     "Hey, Harry, I think you wiped off all of Kelly's makeup because I think I see some on your teeth," Athena smirked as she watched the two quickly get ready before the show. Kelly giggled embarrassingly whereas Harry rolled his eyes and promptly flipped her off before getting on stage with Cassandra. Athena grabbed onto her clipboard and stood by Allie silently, watching the play go on.

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     "Hey, you guys made it." Athena finished putting away her backstage equipment and turned to face her sisters with open arms, which they gladly embraced. "I'm sorry about not being able to greet you before the performance-"

     "Because you were late, again, weren't you," Vera smirked knowingly as Morgan giggled quietly. Athena rolled her eyes and muttered for her sister to shut up before laughing softly to herself. "I thought you had gotten off work at least an hour before the play, what happened?" Vera questioned, watching as Athena sighed and went over to her backpack and pulled out a few small boxes and handed them to Vera with a slightly dejected look upon her face.

     "I tried to make a quick run to the pharmacy for Morgan's medicine because I had forgotten to pick it up after you had texted me to do so and the pharmacy was about to close, and I didn't want to risk waiting until tomorrow." Athena gazed at her little sister as she waited for Vera's reaction.

     "Athena," Vera reached out for her sister's hand and held onto it tightly as she shook her head in saddened disbelief. "I appreciate you thinking of your sister, although it may have been last minute, I texted you right after you got out of school where you would've had a decent amount of time to go and pick it up before you went to work."

     "I know, I'm aware," Athena nodded in agreement. "I just, I lost track of time." Athena bit her lip as she saw the confused expression on her sisters face, though before her sister could question her anymore, a happy Allie came around and locked Athena into a side hug.

     "Hey, Parker sisters, how's it going?" Allie smiled at all of the Parker siblings before earning an excited hug from Morgan, who happened to enjoy the Pressman sisters' company. Cassandra followed Allie as she made her way to hug Vera as well.

     "Thank you guys for coming." Cassandra smiled brightly as she glanced between Vera and Morgan before looking to Athena, "and thank you for helping me find out where Harry and Kelly were; otherwise the show would've been quite the disaster." They all laughed gaily as they all began to make their way down the aisle and out of the theater before Cassandra stopped walking and associated herself with Harry and his friends. "Party at your house Harry?" Cassandra questioned as she peered between the group of people sitting around them. "So nice of you to invite everyone." Athena snickered at the petty tone Cassandra was giving Harry, though she attempted to cover up her remark with a few fake coughs.

     "Would you even come Cassandra?" Harry laughed mockingly before looking to the Parker siblings and gestured to them with a smirk. "Though you can come if you'd like." Vera rolled her eyes whereas Morgan lifted a brow mockingly and crossed her arms in a taunting manner. Harry noticed the expression Morgan had and squinted his eyes with a smile on his face, "sorry pipsqueak, might wanna sit out on this one."

     "Like anyone would want to go anyways." Morgan sighed as she rolled her eyes, earning a few shocked reactions from the teenagers around them. "Besides, I'm only one year younger than you and it's not like I could drink alcohol anyways. It's a little disgusting, like you." The boys on Harry's left attempted to suppress their laughter as Athena rolled her eyes and proudly nudged her younger sister on the shoulder.

     "Is that really the point, Harry?" Allie spoke up, reverting everyone's attention to Harry's question towards Cassandra, and looked between the Parker girls and her sister.

     "It's not for the play. It's for the people who are helping out with prom." Kelly intervened on the conversation before Harry could answer Allie's question impertinently. "But if you want to come..."

     "It's okay. I'll see you tomorrow." Cassandra smiled sweetly as she redirected her attention towards all of the other teenagers around them. "Good job, everyone." Athena smiled politely at Cassandra's words and had begun to walk out when a hand reached out and lightly touched her right arm. Gareth Visser, otherwise known as Grizz, faintly pursed his lips into a smile as he handed her an iPhone, though more specifically her iPhone.

     "I, um, saw you drop it earlier, on the ground, before the performance." Grizz chuckled nervously as Athena timidly took it from his hand with a small smile on her face. "I was gonna give it back to you right after I picked it up, but you had already gone backstage."

     "Oh, um, thank you Grizz." Athena stuck the phone in her back pocket as she continued to smile in thanks humiliatingly. Vera knowingly nudged Athena in her side while Morgan struggled to maintain a straight face as she watched her sister bite her lip, which was something she did as a nervous habit.

     "Oh, by the way, Cassandra, you were really, really great tonight." Grizz then turned his attention to Cassandra as they all began walking out. They all stopped walking and acknowledged the kind remark given by Grizz, causing a smile to form on Allie's face.

     "Thanks, Grizz," Cassandra uttered appreciatively before walking out, followed by Allie and Athena who both waved goodbye to everyone around them with Will, Morgan, and Vera following behind.

     As they all headed their separate ways outside, Athena linked her right arm with Vera's left arm and slung her left arm over Morgan's shoulders. "It means a lot to me that you guys came tonight." Athena then looked down at Morgan and pulled her closer as they walked on, "even if you weren't feeling well." Morgan smiled up at her sister and tightly wrapped her arms around her waist.

     "Of course I'd want to come, this is only, what felt like, the one-hundredth play you've helped to co-manage in all four years of high school." This response from Morgan caused all three girls to laugh, with Athena lightly nudging her younger sister in the side playfully. "I think I'm going to miss you when you go away to college," Morgan stated as all three girls entered the car, pulled out of the parking lot and drove home. Though, upon arriving at their humble abode, Athena helped Morgan with her medication, as well as getting ready for bed, before assisting Vera in sorting out the bills for the night.

     "So, are you really thinking about going away for college?" Vera questioned her sister as they went through and calculated what the payment would be for the month. "Because you can always get your degree online, just like I did." Athena stopped what she was doing and looked up at her sister with her full attention and furrowed her eyebrows as she thought about what she was suggesting her to do.

     "You don't want me to go away for college, do you?" Vera was quick to shake her head no, but Athena scoffed in disbelief and stood up and pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought about what she would say to her sister next. "You want me to stay here with you, so that you can have someone to, what, give a helping hand so that you wouldn't have to do things on your own every day. Is that it?" Vera stood up and shook her head no as she tried to look her sister in the eyes, though all she saw was hurt and hatred.

     "No, Athena, listen to me." Vera sighed as she pursed her lips and thought about what she was about to say, which would break her sister's heart. "I can't afford to pay for your college, even with your help."

     "But I have scholarships, Vera-"

     "Those scholarships will only take you so far Athena." Vera sighed in a dejected manner as she slowly sat back down and placed her head in her hands. "I want, more than most things in the world, to have you experience the opportunity of going away for college, even with financial aid supporting you as well, but we have to think about-"

     "Morgan?" Athena furrowed her eyebrows in a saddened expression as she made eye contact with her sister before sitting back down in her seat with a sigh escaping her lips. Silence engulfed the two of them for a while before Athena stood up and went over to where Vera was seated and kissed the top of her head and knelt beside her and held her hands in her own. "I'm sorry if I've been thinking selfishly, but this is what I want to do."

     "No, I don't think it's selfish." Vera quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes and looked down to her sister and grasped onto her hands once more. "I just want you to know that I would do anything and everything in the world to help support you, but I cannot promise you something I do not have the power to do." Vera smiled apologetically as she reached out with her both of her hands and held her sister's face in a comforting way. "Things would be different if mom and dad were still around, so I'm sorry if what I'm offering you isn't enough."

     Athena sniffled quietly as she wiped the tears from her sister's cheeks with both of her hands and nodded in understanding. "Though, for the record, I will always be here to help you, no matter what." Vera smiled and embraced her sister in a tight hug and nodded in acknowledgment.

     "I know, and I will always do the same for you. Always."

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n o t e
OHMYGOSH, THE FIRST CHAPTER IS FINALLY DONE and it only took me about twelve hours to complete it , lol. i really wanted this chapter to focus on Athena's relationship with her family, which will be continued further in the following chapter, so STAY TUNED !! anyways, the sad part is that i've BARELY made a dent in episode one so i guess that means the next chapter should at least cover the rest of the episode, hopefully ..

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