Chapter 31 - XXX (1/2)
THE PLAY IMMEDIATELY HAPPENED THE DAY AFTER THAT.
The moment Laia entered the auditorium, everyone seemed to be doing something whether it be rehearsing their lines on the corner of the room or perfecting their stances and facial expressions.
Jake and the asshat were talking to each other nearby her, but she knew it would seem awkward to approach them so she crossed it off her mind.
”Laia! Go backstage, please!”
Her adviser's voice brought Laia back to her senses as she quickly made her way to the backstage on where Brie also was.
”Hey!” Brie motions her friend to approach with a wave.
”Brie, don't move!” Thalia, who was fixing Brie's hair, hissed.
Laia fought the urge to laugh when Brie had to apologize profusely to an obviously irritated Thalia.
Instead of going to where her friend was, she decided to approach Shane, who was practicing her lines.
”Hi,” Laia awkwardly greets.
Shane chuckles at Laia's awkwardness and places her script aside. ”Hey to you too,”
Unfortunately, Laia had no idea what to say next. The only plan she had in mind was to talk to someone else except Brie, not this small talk she was about to have with Shane.
The same Shane who she forgot to give a part on their presentation.
Internally cringing at her mistake, Laia was not able to restrain a frown on her face which Shane noticed.
”Are you still feeling bad about our presentation?” Shane crosses her arms. ”You do realize we got the highest grade on that, right?”
Laia sheepishly turns away. ”I was just--”
Shane waves her concerns away. ”Laia, don't make everything a big deal. Honestly, it's okay,”
The asshat certainly made sure to make Laia think that it was all alright.
Sarcasm on point.
”I'll definitely remember to check our group chat next time,” Laia promises with a tight smile.
Shane raises an eyebrow. ”Do you really want to be in the same group as Samuel again?”
”Uhm,” Laia checked their surroundings quickly and realized that everyone seemed to be preoccupied with something else. ”Definitely not.”
Her blunt statement made Shane laugh out loud. ”I happen to share the same sentiment as you, don't worry.”
Shane motions Laia to sit beside her. Laia obliges and decides to be blunt again. ”I thought you liked him,”
”Well,” Shane pursued her lips. ”He is really handsome.”
Laia begs to disagree but doesn't say that out loud when the asshat enters the room alongside Jake. ”He's not my type.”
Shane nods her head but grins. ”Yeah, sure.”
”But I'm not lying?” Laia retorts with a frown.
Shane shrugs and stands up. ”That's what everyone says, honey,” She even winks at Laia who was still sitting down. ”But trust me, everyone likes him one way or another.”
Shane's words stayed with Laia until they were finally a few minutes away from performing.
Laia's phone vibrates in her pocket and she hides it from her adviser's eyes as she checks.
Mommy: I'm on my way honey
The girl lets out a sigh. Of course, her mother just had to go and probably embarrass her later. Good luck to Laia's nonexistent crystal clear reputation.
Laia: Okay. Stay safe and drive slowly
Mommy: Don't perform without me!
It's not like Laia was in charge of when they would perform but she texts her mother back anyway.
Laia: I'll try.
Placing her phone back in her pocket, she does a few breathing exercises to calm herself down from both the anxiety and fear of acting like shit in front of, well, everybody.
Brie suddenly appears beside the girl and holds her hand. ”Hey, you'll do amazing,”
Laia grumbles. ”You don't know that.”
”Shh!” Brie narrows her eyes at her friend. ”Don't go all pessimistic on me before the performance!”
Letting out another shaky exhale, Laia drifted away from her gaze from the curtain separating them from the audience's eyes.
Brie gently massages her friend's back as a way to coax her growing anxiety. ”Hey, just think of it as our usual rehearsal,”
Laia finally crouches down on the floor. ”Ugh, easy for you to say. You've been performing your whole life,”
”You do realize having a panic attack doesn't allow you to be meaner than usual, right?”
The short-haired girl shrugs as a response.
”Hey,” Brie nudges Laia's crouching form with her foot. ”Just imagine that nobody is around. Trust me.”
”Sure,” Laia stands up and dusts herself off. ”I can definitely imagine that there are no less than two hundred people watching my every move on stage and would laugh at the very moment I make a mistake,”
Brie rolls her eyes and elbows her friend who lets out a whimper. ”Stop it!”