"Everyone, settle down. I have an announcement to make and it is extremely important." called Ms. Lutter.
Everyone kept talking amongst themselves. Ms. Lutter looked like she would explode any minute, but she kept her cool, until...
"SHUT UP!" she yelled. Finally, like a summer night, not another sound was made.
"Thank you. Well, since you all know that winter break is Monday, I want everyone to memorize their lines and practice their blocking so that you will be prepared for the next couple of months." she announced.
"Ms. Lutter, when is the exact date or dates that we'll be performing?" I asked.
"We'll be performing in the beginning of February." she replied.
"Is that enough time?" I asked, a worried look on my face.
"Have you even looked over the script? It's been revised." she asked. "You, after all, have a main role, and you haven't even looked it over yet. I might have to do something with you."
"Oh no, I've looked at it. It's just really long, and...I don't know. That doesn't seem like a lot of time." I replied.
"Trust me. If you practice your lines and your blocking on your script over vacation, it will be much easier on you when it comes to getting ready for the performances. Now, any other questions before I go on?"
No one talked, then Ms. Lutter continued on. "You have two weeks to study. I know this is a lot of work, and it doesn't seem like we have a lot of time to prepare, but you decided to join the play, and now it's your responsibility to participate in this show. It's a commitment. It will be okay, and I'll understand, if you don't memorize all of your lines and blocking because I understand that you probably have things planned for your vacation, and that you have a lot of work to do, but I don't want to see anyone with no lines or blocking started, okay? Practices will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after school. Okay, class dismissed. That goes for you understudies, too." she finished, and left for the back of her room.
"Come on Tay, let's go home. I'm tired." I said, grabbing my backpack and his hand.
"Yeah, we can do something better at home." he replied with a smile, getting up with me.
"Not tonight." I whined, slumping my shoulders.
"Oh, Taylor and Noelle, can I talk to you two for a minute?" Ms. Lutter called out to us as we were leaving.
We turned around. She walked up to us. "I know that you two have the most important and longest roles in the play, but I'm counting on you two to-"
"Ms. Lutter, don't worry. We're spending our vacation together and we plan on heavily practicing our scripts. We're just a dedicated as you are to this." I said.
Ms. Lutter gave us a thoughtful look. "Thank you. Thank you very much. See you two in two weeks." she said, and we left the building.
Taylor and I began our long trek home, when I gasped. "Taylor, I totally forgot!" I spoke up as we walked through the freezing snow in twenty degree weather.
"What, what is it?" he asekd.
"That party at Natalie's is tonight!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, yeah! Do you still want to go?" he asked unsurely, creasing his eyebrows.
"Um, yeah, because...it'll be something to do tonight besides being lazy and kissing all night."
He sighed. "Okay."
"You don't want to go, do you?" I asked, frowning.
"Well, I just wanted to be with you tonight." he confronted.
"Taylor," I whined. "Sweetie, we've been alone practically every night. We need to get out and do something. The party will give us something to do besides our regular agenda. Some more excitement and fun. Please?" I begged.
As if jumping off of a trampoline, he replied, "You know, you're right. Let's go to that party. I want to go with you." he changed his mind.
"You mean it?" I asked, my eyes perking up.
"Yeah. Come on, let's go." he said, and we hurried home to prepare for the party.
"Come on Brian, this is stupid. I don't want to spend the whole time at this party making-out." I confessed, unfusing my mouth from his.
"Come on, why not?" he asked, kissing my cheek and neck.
"Taylor, as much as I enjoy kissing you, I came here to relax and have fun." I informed.
"Then what else do we need to do?" he asked, smiling, and leaning his mouth into mine again.
"No Taylor. Besides, I promised Cassidy a dance, and I want to get it over with." I said, a half-frown on my face.
"Cassidy, that dick-head?" Taylor asked disgustedly.
I kissed him. "Yes, that dick-head. Now come on." I walked away from Taylor to find Cassidy.
I got Cassidy's dance over with. He said that some of his friends were waiting for him in the basement, so he wanted me to go down with him and I accepted. I wanted to find Taylor first, but I figured he was visiting some friends, so I left him alone.
We walked down there and saw about five other people, including Rae Ann.
"Rae Ann! What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming." I exclaimed, rushing over to her and sat down on the floor.
"I got bored, and decided to change my plans and come here instead of going to my cousin's." she replied. Then she took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and took a drag from it.
"Oh my god, give me one of those now." I commanded, and dove for the cigarettes.
"Woah, you smoke?" Cassidy asked, taking a drag from Rae Ann's cigarette.
"I have been since...well, for awhile." I replied, my eyes welling up.
"Noelle, are you crying?" Rae Ann asked, and put her hand on my back.
"No, the smoke makes my eyes dry, and then they water, that's all." I lied, taking another drag.
"Noelle Angelina Chavez." a voice said from behind me. My eyes turned wide at the sound. Taylor.
I turned around. "Taylor." I said.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked, frowning at me.
"Nothing." I tried to act innocent in the act I was engaging in.
"Nothing? It looks like you're getting high."
"High...on cigarettes? No, but, they are," I said, and pointed to 4 people in a corner of the room, "I'm just smoking." I replied nonchalantly, like it wasn't a problem.
He just stared at me in awe.
"Have you ever smoked?" I asked, holding out my half-smoken cigarette to him.
"No." he replied slowly.
I pulled him down to sit next to me. "Here, just have one drag. It won't hurt you." I said, handing him my cigarette.
He took it with caution, and stared at it. Slowly, he brought the cigarette closer to his mouth.