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Sitting on the floor in his high school art building’s hallway, Jayce stared blankly at his laptop. He was busy deluding himself into believing homework was a feasible task while waiting to be called into his musical (yeah, you heard the narration right, musical ) audition.
In truth, Jayce was one solidly-brainstormed excuse away from packing up his supplies, pulling out his keys, and driving home.When he’d told his mom he was planning to audition for Piltover High’s spring production of Mamma Mia!, Ximena Talis had looked at her son like he’d grown a second head. “A musical? Cariño, are you sure that’s the best idea?” Her gentle scolding rang in his head, which he was currently thudding repeatedly against the muralled wall behind him. “I trust Cassandra, but rehearsals, performances, that’s going to be a lot for you, and your PSAT scores were so good, you don’t want to be distracted for the real thing.” She was right, of course. Junior year was not the time to spontaneously try new pastimes. If Jayce wanted a shot at any Ivy League engineering programs, he needed to focus on his advanced classes and his recent appointment as Speech & Debate Captain. Focus. He needed to stay on top of his SAT practice booklets. Focus. He needed to learn the 32-bar-cut of “Lay All Your Love On Me” that had been posted with the rest of the audition materials. No, wait. Focus. Focus.
Jayce was notoriously bad at focusing.God, why was he even here? Sure, he enjoyed singing. He had grown up singing with his mom in the kitchen and with his church choir on Sunday mornings. When he’d taken the solo in “O Holy Night” as a 6th grader, the old ladies in the pews had elbowed Ximena, loudly whispering that her son had the voice of an angel. He’d never acted, but how hard could it be?
There it was again, the optimistic curiosity that was going to be the death of him.
Deep down, Jayce knew why he was here. See, there was this girl in Jayce’s AP Physics class. Not just any girl—Mel Medarda. The hottest, smartest girl in the junior class sat right next to him—even better, spoke to him—three times a week. She was everything: straight-A student, champion fencer, cabinet member of 3 different clubs, and an avid participant in their school’s theatre ensemble. When she’d heard him humming to himself (to call it singing would be a stretch) during a handful of labs, she’d invited him to audition, laying on thick the fact that she would also be auditioning. “I’ve heard you and you have the perfect tone for it, honest. There are some duets in the show that would really suit you.” He’d been able to smell her perfume, clean and floral, and what was he supposed to say? No?His friends had laughed when he’d told them. “A musical ?” Vi had almost choked on her smoothie after their most recent sparring session. “What, Talis, you’re about to start throwing jazz hands instead of uppercuts?” Caitlyn had just slung an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, smirking and remarking that Jayce looked like he’d be great in a kick-line.Groaning and shutting his laptop, Jayce turned up the volume of his headphones and picked up the sheet music he’d printed, blasting the accompaniment for “Lay All Your Love On Me.” If the voices in his head wouldn’t shut up, he might as well polish his cut of the song.In an anxious frenzy the night before, he’d signed up for one of the later spots, hoping it would help him feel more prepared. All it had done was give his nerves more time to boil over, watching as Mel, Mylo, Orianna, and even Claggor had entered and exited the audition room. They’d all left at this point, and the only auditionees remaining in the building were Mel’s friends, the die-hard theatre kids he was too afraid to interact with. Whatever. Jayce checked the hallway to make sure no one was in his immediate vicinity and began to hesitantly sing through the track. Gradually, his volume raised out of necessity to belt the high notes. He lost himself in the music, fast enough that he didn’t notice Salo and Elora walking back from the water fountain.
When he reached the penultimate chorus line, he faltered, voice cracking in a way it rarely had since middle school. Jayce immediately pulled off his headphones, embarrassed. When he heard the giggling coming from the other end of the hallway, he looked up to find Mel’s friends turned away from him, whispering to each other. In the after-school silence of the art building, he could just barely make out bits and pieces of what they were saying.Salo’s tone was cutting. “It’s always so painful…Mel’s boys trail after her…our community,” he sniffed.
Elora seemingly asked him a follow-up question, to which he rolled his eyes, “Oh, please, why else…toxic jock like Jayce Talis…both know who’s getting Sky.” He punctuated those last few words by flipping an imaginary ponytail, and then they were rounding the corner, no longer audible.Jayce felt his face burn, glancing down at the sheet music. His hands had crumpled the edges of the paper he’d unconsciously gripped too tight. He’d twisted the clefs and time signature out of shape, a physical representation of what would figuratively happen should he continue with this stupid plan.His gaze shifted from the sheet music to the filled-out audition form lying by his backpack. What had he been thinking, deluding himself into believing that Mel, the Mel Medarda, actually took him seriously enough to personally ask that he be in the musical with her?
He packed up his things. He pulled out his keys. He picked up both the music and the form, crumpling them into one big wad as he marched towards the building’s front doors.
Jayce wanted to correct Salo. He wasn’t even a jock. Not really, not since freshman year. Not since the sickening crunch of tackling his opponent had caused him to flee the football field and vomit in the locker room toilet.
I’m not like that, Salo, he’d explain. My therapist says I always lead with optimistic curiosity, that it might be my downfall, actually, so if anything, I’m too the-opposite-of-toxic, Salo.It wasn’t going to be his downfall anymore. Jayce knew what he was good at, and he’d be smart enough to know his place from now on.But still, he paused in front of the trash can on his way out. Plopping unceremoniously on a student-decorated bench, his backpack throwing off his balance, he uncrumpled the papers and stared at them. He spent a full minute glaring at the little smiley face with misshapen sunglasses he’d drawn next to his name before growling in frustration. Self-loathing writhed like a pile of maggots in his gut.
No. Focus. He was going to throw the papers away. Focus. He heaved himself up again, hand already outstretched to the trash can’s opening. Focus. He was going to—“Am I interrupting?”Jayce frantically pulled his hand back, whipping around to see who it was.The stage manager was striding towards him, cane thump-ing on the linoleum tile. Viktor, Jayce recalled. How could he forget? The lanky boy had made quite the impression during pre-audition introductions earlier that same afternoon. “I and Ms. Kiramman wish to treat you as professionals, so do not give us any reason to question that treatment.” His demeanor would make sense coming from a middle-aged professor, but from a borderline sickly teenager, it was disconcerting. No, not disconcerting—surprising. Rare.“Uh…” It took Jayce a moment to find his words. “No, no, I just—No.”“No?” Viktor stepped closer. “I find that hard to believe…Jayce?” His soft accent made the name sound so smooth.Jayce quickly straightened. “I promise, you weren’t.”Viktor reached for the mess of paper in his hands and he instinctively held them closer. The stage manager huffed a laugh. “I don’t bite.” He gestured towards the form. “I believe you meant to turn that in during introductions?”“Oh. Sorry. I just,” Jayce stumbled out a hasty and flimsy defense. “Sorry, I’m just not sure there’s a place for me here. And you know, I have Debate already…to worry about.” Stop talking stop talking stop “So, yeah, you can just cross my name off and I’ll—yeah, I’ll go—““Jayce.” There was his name again, prettier than he’d ever heard it. “Theatre has a place for everyone.” Viktor briefly cringed at the slogan-like quality of his own words. He looked down, waving his cane around his right leg. “Humor me. I’m the stage manager. It’s my job to make sure the actors and the tech departments are working well together, yes?”Jayce could only nod. The shape of Viktor’s legs was just barely visible in the wide-fit slacks he was wearing, a belt fastened tight around a devastating waistline. Devastating? Stop staring stop staring stop staring.“Have you noticed the entrance to the light and sound booth in this building?” Yes, he had, on the second floor, a short ladder leading to—oh. “Or the access point to the riggings on stage?” Jayce had only been in the theatre a few times, but he remembered a rolling staircase, dangerously steep and—ah.Viktor’s expression was one of amusement as the realization dawned on Jayce. “They allowed me, someone who cannot and will never access half the spaces in this theatre, to be in charge of them. If that does not prove my point, I’m not sure what else will.”Jayce let this sink in. He searched Viktor’s eyes—he’d never seen eyes that color before, like amber and molten gold and what is your problem, Jayce— for any hint of mockery, but all he found was determination, maybe even sympathy.
When Viktor opened his palm again, patiently waiting like he’d already predicted Jayce’s next move. Predicted correctly, no less, because Jayce smoothed out his form the best he could and tentatively gave it over. The stage manager smiled with just the corners of his mouth as he scanned the information, satisfied.“This is good. We need more low voices,” he mused. “And if you don’t mind my saying, I heard you rehearsing earlier and you have a very nice voice.”Jayce’s embarrassment renewed itself. “Oh, uh, thanks.” He watched Viktor pull a pen and sticky note pad out of his pocket, scrawling an audition slot number before peeling the square off. The boy marched up to him and slapped the sticky note onto his pec, just under his polo shirt’s logo, then patted that same spot. “You’re in the hole, Jayce.”Jayce gulped. “Break a leg. Just not too badly, or you’ll end up like me.” Clocking the taller boy’s discomfort at his joke, Viktor smirked, turning to leave. “Don’t worry, the irony of that encouragement coming from a cripple is not lost on me.”
And then he was walking away, the thump, thump, thump of his cane hammering in Jayce’s chest. Huh.
Most debate tournaments weren’t until the end of the school year. Forget the SAT booklets, he was fine. Forget how Salo and Elora saw him. He liked to sing and he wanted to try this. He’d just needed a little push.(When Viktor had gotten close, he hadn’t smelled anything like Mel. Jayce wasn’t sure why the comparison came so easily to him. Viktor’s scent was more natural, herbal and musky, and what was Jayce supposed to do? Give up?)The sheet music remained in his hand. He was going to practice his cut a few more times before they called him in.
Jayce felt good. Optimistic.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I swear, this shit gets more overpriced every week.”Despite her complaints, Vi began slurping her Super Citrus smoothie like her life depended on it as soon as Jayce’s Camry had pulled away from the drive-thru window. She wordlessly handed the driver his Movin’ Groovin’ Mango with an extra shot of protein powder and, to the confusion of the employee taking their order, a sprinkle of Tajín.As he drove them up to their favorite viewpoint in the city, Jayce relished in the pure peace of the moment. Since he’d miraculously landed the role of Sky (much to Salo’s chagrin) and rehearsals for Mamma Mia! had picked up the month prior, gym-and-smoothie hangouts with his friend had become less and less frequent.
But his last practice test had gone well, he was slowly memorizing his lines, and he’d just bumped up his benching weight by ten pounds. Right now, he could afford to live in the present.There was just one problem: he couldn’t stop thinking about his godforsaken stage manager.
After their first conversation at auditions, Jayce had considered Viktor a theatre kid he officially knew , someone he could talk to if he felt stranded. But it seemed, once rehearsals had begun, that the fellow junior barely cared to acknowledge him. Every time Jayce tried to spark another conversation with him, Viktor would assume he had a question about the show and answer that non-existent question before rushing as fast as he could to his next task.
For example, just yesterday, during a break in the schedule, Jayce had attempted to invite Viktor to his friend group’s game night. The conversation had gone something like this:“Hey, Viktor! How are—”“Fine. What do you need?”“I was just wondering if—”“Yes, I’ve already spoken to lights about getting a spot on you during your solo. You won’t have to worry about coming too far downstage.”“Oh, cool. No, actually, I was—”“If you’ll excuse me, Jayce, I must clarify something with Ms. Kiramman.”And that was the end of the conversation. If one could even call it that. Jayce had returned to Mel’s side when the break was over, mesmerized by the way her head tilted back when she laughed at his jokes. She was playing Sophie, a surprise to absolutely no one in the cast, and he felt lucky to share the stage with her (even luckier that Sky and Sophie kissed in the show, meaning Jayce would kiss Mel for two weekends worth of performances).When he wasn’t chatting up his co-star, Viktor’s coldness towards him gave Jayce no choice but to silently observe. In the past month, he’d learned that their stage manager was incredibly smart, maybe even smarter than him (not that he’d ever admit that). Viktor had more sarcasm in his pinkie finger than most people had in their whole body, and had no problem sharing that sarcasm with everyone who crossed his path, including their director. Thankfully, Ms. Kiramman seemed to enjoy his sense of humor.One other observation Jayce had made was that Viktor was, for lack of a better word, stunning. He was always dressed impeccably, flowing linen trousers or trim slacks on the bottom and a rotating circuit of dark button-ups and sweaters on top. He rarely wore jewelry, save this one tiger’s eye pendant that made his actual eyes look insane . His cheekbones and jawline appeared hand-painted, and with the smooth confidence he carried himself with, the guy knew it.
With Viktor in the house seats and Mel next to him onstage, Jayce’s neck was starting to ache after long days of blocking.“Hey, Talis,” Vi’s voice roughly yanked him out of his thoughts. She smacked his arm. “Earth to Jayce!”
Jayce inhaled sharply, turning to her. “ What? ”“We’re here!” She gestured to the sprawling view before them.“Oh, yeah, we are,” he hummed. He barely remembered arriving.“ Oh, yeah? You drove us here, dingus!” Vi took an angry sip of her drink, grumbling, “You were the human embodiment of dry-texting the entire time.”Jayce slumped over, forehead resting on the steering wheel. “Sorry, man, I just have a lot on my plate right now.” He sipped from his own cup. “I can’t stop thinking about—““The musical?” His best friend read his mind. “Yeah, I figured. Seems like I’m the odd man out nowadays.”She wasn’t wrong. With her sister in lights, her brothers in the cast, and her girlfriend in the pit orchestra, she couldn’t seem to escape Swedish pop group ABBA’s grasp. Jayce felt guilt bubble up in his throat, already forming another apology when Vi cut him off, wearily asking, “Do you wanna talk about it?”“God, yes, please,” he responded a little too quickly.“Yikes, not too desperate,” Vi grimaced. Then, with a smug look, “You’re sounding a lot like Cait last night.”“Ew, shut up!” Jayce clapped both hands over his ears. “I don’t wanna hear about you and my kid sister’s exploits!”She reclined the passenger seat, leaning back. “You’re just mad you’re still a virgin and I, a sophomore, am not.” Suddenly, she straightened. “Unless…” She scrutinized his face. “Is theatre going… better than you’re letting on? With that Medarda chick?”At the mention of Mel, Jayce’s cheeks flushed. “Wh—Mel? No, no, it’s not—we’re not like that.”
Vi’s piercing gaze didn’t falter. “But you want to be?”He shoved down the immediate urge to deny. His gym buddy wasn’t stupid, and denial would only make him look more so.
Jayce liked Mel, that was no secret. She was the main reason he’d even considered doing Mamma Mia! in the first place. From her lethal face card to her matter-of-fact attitude to that heavenly perfume, always wrapping him up in its rosy tendrils and clinging to his clothing afterward. Salo hadn’t been entirely wrong about him trailing after her, crossing into her domain in the hopes of winning her affection.
He’d shown up to auditions for Mel. But he’d stayed for—
his name softly-accented, paintings, tiger’s eye
—other reasons.
At some point, between learning the dances and growing accustomed to the bright lights shining down on him, Mel’s domain had begun to feel like Jayce’s, too. And he still wanted her, but he also maybe wanted… no . No, he was finally brave enough to approach her and she, unlike Viktor, actually wanted to talk to him.
How was he supposed to explain all that to Vi?Knowing he was taking too long to answer, he said what made the most sense. “I mean, yeah. Who wouldn’t?”Vi punched him in the shoulder. “That’s all you, man, you got it!”
Jayce huffed a laugh, fidgeting with his bracelet. “You really think so?”“Dude,” Vi gave him a pointed look. Her voice garbled with smoothie as she argued, “She’s literally obsessed with you.”“Okay, okay.” A small smile spread across Jayce’s face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Why did the confirmation that this was his best option fill him with disappointment?Everything would be okay. He and Vi were going to sit here and admire the view for a little longer. It was a beautiful day.
—
If he had to listen to those freshman techies making out over the intercom one more time , Viktor was going to throw his headset across the theatre.“Miss Lanes,” he called into his mic. The disgusting sounds, grainy and warped by the wires, continued. “Miss Lanes, your—ugh, Jinx !”There was a bump and a crash that he didn’t need the intercom to hear. He spared a glance up at the light and sound booth, just in time to see the blue-haired girl poke her head over the side. “Whoopsie!” she hollered, before realizing the actors were running their scene. “Whoopsie,” she repeated in a loud whisper.“Sorry, Viktor,” another voice came in over the comms. Viktor could just make out Ekko’s white locs from his seat in the house. “She really thought it was turned off.”The stage manager scoffed. “I hope you both understand that while I do not have the power to fire you from your non-fireable positions, I wish to daily .”“We know,” Jinx said, drawing out the last syllable.“Yeah, we get it, we’re sorry,” Ekko mumbled, sounding appropriately mortified.Viktor pinched the bridge of his nose. Such a shame this wasn’t a paying job. “I think you two deserve a break. Be back in the booth in five minutes.”The lovebirds chorused a quick “Thank you, five!” before shutting off their comms and presumably returning to their previous activity.Next to him, Sky laughed in amusement. She’d been jotting down ideas for costumes but was now fully focused on what had just transpired. “Such a good mother to your children,” she teased, poking Viktor’s cheek. He swatted her hand away.“Do not test me, Sky, I’m supposed to be on top of the blocking right now.” Viktor turned back to his laptop, click-clacking away while Jayce and Mel worked the scene leading up to “Lay All Your Love On Me.”
His stage notes were his pride and joy, eyes flicking between the screen and the actors. J enters stage left. J meets M center stage, dialogue into Track #7. J sings out to the audience, moves downstage. J sings with rich, tenor voice, rakes hand through tastefully-mussed hair and grins his stupid, gap-toothed, blinding smile… “He’s a natural,” Viktor muttered, reverent. He wasn’t sure if his comment was meant for Sky or himself. Or Jayce.The song ended and Viktor couldn’t remember when he’d stopped taking notes. He rushed to catch up, trying to ignore his friend when she leaned in and noted in a low voice, “You wanna be on top of something , that’s for sure.”“ Sky ,” Viktor grit his teeth, typing faster and angrier.“Yeah, that’s the ‘something’ I was referring to,” she cheekily replied, patting him on the arm. “ That Sky really is a natural, isn’t he?”Viktor shook his head. “He’s just another actor.” Shrugging, he quietly conceded, “Eye candy, one could say, but still an actor.” He allowed his gaze to briefly wander back to the stage, where Jayce was currently kneeling before Mel, clutching her hand in his. “And besides, he’s taken, no?”His friend’s face fell, squeezing the arm she’d just patted. “Yeah, that’s what I heard through the grapevine.”The stage manager turned to her. “What grapevine?”“Jinx’s sister is super close with him,” Sky explained. “She told Jinx, who told me, that Jayce was thinking of asking Mel out.” She leaned further into him, nuzzling his shoulder. “I’m sorry, V.”
He brushed her off, chuckling. “What for? Like I said, he’s just an actor.” And a painfully straight one, at that. Sky sighed. A kiss, feather-light, was placed on his sweater-sleeve. “Of course.”Viktor rarely allowed anyone to invade his personal space, but Sky was an exception. She was his person, from the moment they’d met—two lonely eleven-year-olds exiled to the corner of their classroom, victims of the freedom to choose one’s own seat. She saw past his carefully-constructed confidence, straight through to the part of him that would forever be the grieving and friendless new kid from Prague.
He bonked his head against hers. “Now leave me to my notes, you wretched creature.”She poked his cheek again. “Happily, you monstrous vermin.”As she walked away, contentment settled over Viktor like a warm blanket. He had come a long way since middle school. His life was abundant in both friendships and eye candy; he didn’t need anything more than that. If he allowed every attractive leading man to disrupt his peace, he would never get anywhere.Line of sight already zeroed in on his laptop, Viktor wasn’t able to see how Jayce watched Sky leave, brow furrowed.
—
The gentle, calming sound of Caitlyn’s piano-playing created the optimal ambience for Jayce’s weekend studying. He lay sprawled on the Kirammans’ sofa, with his math notebook resting on his stomach and calculator propped on his chest. Working under his family friend’s direction, calling her Ms. Kiramman instead of Aunt Cassie, had made visits to their house more awkward as of late, but he still felt at-home with his honorary parents and sister.While Caitlyn was flipping to the next song in the show’s soundtrack, he took the opportunity to get her attention. “Hey, Sprout?”“Yes, Jaybird?”“Have you met Sky? Like, the costumes head?”His sister set down her sheet music and turned to him. “Yes, we met during Into the Woods last year. Why?”“Nothing, just—” Jayce hesitated, worrying his question would reveal too much. “Is she dating Viktor?”“Oh. Um,” Caitlyn propped her chin on her fist. “I’m not sure.” She tilted her head to the side, deep in thought. “Now that you mention it, they are together a lot.”“I know, right?” he exclaimed, shutting his notebook. “They are! And the other day, they were, like, fully cuddling during blocking!” His hands were gesturing wildly, which sent his calculator flying halfway across the living room.
After crawling to retrieve it, Jayce faced Caitlyn again. The pianist seemed to be biting back a laugh. “ Somebody ’s clearly invested in this.”“What?” he spluttered, looking everywhere but her. “No, not really, I was just curious and—”“Are you—?” Caitlyn was interrupted by her own giggling. “Are you jealous ?”“ Nuh-uh! ”“Yuh-huh, you whiny bitch!”“Fuck off!”“Language, pups,” Tobias yelled from the kitchen. He was cooking dinner for both of them while their moms were out together at some jazz club. “Be kind to one another, will you?”And maybe it was because Uncle Tobin was the closest thing to a dad he had, but Jayce immediately felt bad.
“Sorry, Tobin, we will!” The couch cushions were a welcome embrace when he flopped back onto them.Caitlyn studied him intently. “I thought you were interested in Mel?” Man, Vi, why couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut? “I am!” Jayce protested, but it fell flat.
“Are you really?” his sister wondered aloud. “Here, let’s do a little thought experiment.”He raised his head. “Huh?”“If Mel turned out to be dating somebody, would you be this upset?”Jayce blinked at her. “I—” Would he?
Maybe a month ago, but now, he’d honestly be relieved.
Relieved?
You told Vi you wanted her, Jayce.
You told yourself you wanted her.
What do you want? (Yesterday, Viktor had been instructing Jayce on which of his lines cued the lighting changes in the bachelor party scene. His lips had been pursed while he scrolled through his notes, slender fingers pointing to the booth and the riggings and Jayce. He was looking at Jayce, eyes glinting under the stage lights. Jayce had never seen him under the stage lights before. Where the harsh brightness made Mel glow, it deepened Viktor’s shadows.)Jayce sagged in defeat. “I don’t know why I like him so much, Cait. He doesn’t even wanna talk to me.” One hand came up to tug at his hair, the other drumming on his knee. “And I like Mel so much, too, and I’m pretty sure she likes me, so I told—I told Vi last week that I would make a move because why wouldn’t I?” He laughed to himself. It sounded more manic than casual. “And now Vi’s telling a bunch of people, which is fine, I’m—I’m not mad at her or anything, but also…”He glanced up to check if Caitlyn was still listening. Of course she was, eyebrows raised with curiosity.“I don’t really want to anymore,” Jayce confessed, “except now everybody’s waiting for me to do something. And I feel so dumb, because it’s all perfect and I’m the only thing ruining it!”
He’s left out of breath and desperately trying to get it back. A cool touch took his hand from his hair, smoothing the black waves back.His sister was crouched in front of him, any hint of teasing gone from her expression. “Jay, lovey,” she tread cautiously, “Have you considered that maybe…even though you like Mel…that you like Viktor just as much? Maybe even more?”Jayce found himself disarmed by the confrontation. Here were his feelings, holding out their arms to him, and here he’d been, gaping at them like a fish.“When I met Vi,” Caitlyn started, “I’d just been asked out by Maddie. You remember—““That bitch? Yeah, I remember Maddie.”“Easy,” she warned, but her scolding tone faded into a fond smile. “I’d been in Scouts with her for years, we both realized we liked girls because of each other—when she kissed me, it made sense. Objectively.” Something close to wistfulness crossed over her face. “But then Vi transferred here. Even though I didn’t know her nearly as well as Maddie, she drew me in, and I followed. And that made sense, too.”
She cupped his cheek in a rare display of tenderness. “Attraction is hardly logical, Jaybird. Who cares what people are expecting?” Me, apparently .He couldn’t help but lean into her touch. “I can’t believe you’re giving me dating advice. Aren’t you, like, five?” That earned him a flick to the forehead. “Ow!”
“You’re welcome, you numpty,” Caitlyn grinned and winked. “Don’t give up on him just yet.”Jayce stared at his sister for a long time. He wasn’t sure when the shy daughter of his mom’s college friend had grown into this wise young woman holding him close. “Thanks, Sprout,” he whispers. “Love you.”Caitlyn stood, ruffling his hair. “Love you bunches.”They both briefly returned to their work before Tobias declared, “Right, pups, it’s dinner!”As they made their way to the dining table, Jayce nudged Caitlyn. “You’re not surprised it was Viktor instead of Sky?”HIs sister rolled her eyes so hard, he worried they might fall out of her skull. “Please, Jayce, be serious. We’ve both known you were bi for years. Why are you surprised it’s Viktor?”He raised his hands defensively. “Well, I don’t know! It’s been a while since it came up!” That was true. He wasn’t out to many people, and he’d exclusively pursued girls in high school. One could call it building a brand, just as one could call it fear of the unknown.She cackled, almost dropping the plate she was handing him. “I’m not gonna forget you’re into men just because you haven’t liked one since that scrawny Deckard kid in 8th-grade PE.” Scooping a hefty portion of potatoes onto both of their dishes, she elbowed Jayce in the side. “You have a type, you know.”“How dare you remind me of such a dark time in my life?”“He looked a bit inbred, didn’t he?”“Shut up !”Their bickering quieted once they’d sat down beside Caitlyn’s dad. Jayce met her eyes across the table, reading her lips as she mouthed, “ Talk to him. ”He shrugged, digging into his food.“I’ll try.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mornings were always chaotic in the Lanes household.
Mylo and Jinx were infamous bathroom-hoggers, hair gel and eyeshadow dust smudging the mirror after they deemed themselves ready. Vi and Claggor never seemed to learn their lesson about time management when it came to meal prepping, their counter spaces left littered with whole-grain cereal and protein powder as they rushed to the family minivan. Even Silco struggled to pick the right color or pattern of tie for his principal uniform, scowling in envy as he watched his husband throw on a simple t-shirt and worn-out khakis to teach his shop class.Mornings were chaotic, but since tech rehearsals for the musical had begun, evenings were much, much worse.Not right off the bat, though. Vander, Silco, and their eldest daughter would arrive home at a normal hour, while their other three kids stayed at the school. Most nights, Vi would help her parents prepare the dinner item they’d signed up to bring the cast and crew that day. She’d transport the food in her dad’s Prius while Silco coached her driving from the passenger seat. It was peaceful. Sometimes, especially if she’d been arguing with her siblings, Vi liked to imagine that this was what her life would be like as an only-child.All of this came crashing down as soon as rehearsal ended, well past eight o’clock.Jinx would essentially start changing into pajamas as soon as she crossed the threshold of their home, her jacket and boots flying across the room and occasionally hitting somebody else (“What gives, Pow? That’s gonna leave a mark!” ). Mylo and Claggor would rush to the bathroom to remove the obscene amount of stage makeup on their faces. Vi, having already finished her assignments for the day, would inevitably be asked by at least one sibling to cover their evening chores while they crammed for a quiz or an essay. The only reward she ever received was an extra helping of dessert from Vander, who sympathized with her plight.To make everything suck even more, her best friend and girlfriend were involved, too. She’d tried to call Caitlyn the other night, and was met with a short text explaining that she couldn’t afford to get distracted from her limited study time. Vi had tried Jayce soon after, and had gotten a similar response, along with the information that Jinx and Cait had been arguing again during dinner.
Her best friend had come clean to her the month before that he didn’t actually want to ask Mel out as much as he’d led Vi to believe. Instead, he had his eyes set on Viktor, the stage manager. Vi only knew the guy as Mr. Reveck, her chem teacher’s, judgy upperclassmen assistant. She didn’t personally understand the hype (was Jayce really gonna fumble Mel Medarda for a mean twink?) but then again, she didn’t understand the hype around any man.She needed to know how things were going, but Jayce was far too busy to give her updates, and she wasn’t about to stay posted on her best friend’s love life via her siblings . They’d all begun exclusively referring to Jayce as “Sky,” like he’d never had his own name prior to Mamma Mia! They did the same with Mylo (he was just Pepper now) and Claggor (strictly Sam Carmichael). It was getting difficult to follow.Fuck. Vi knew what this meant.If she wanted to lessen her family workload and feel more included, she was gonna have to join theatre next year.
—
Elora was tired.
To be fair, every member of the cast or crew was tired during tech week, but Elora liked to think that her position as Mel’s best friend made the process particularly exhausting. And it was all Jayce Talis’ fault.Over the course of the past two months, Jayce had gone from trodding after Mel like a lovesick puppy to practically ignoring his co-star when they weren’t onstage. Mel was convinced he was avoiding her, but in Elora’s humble opinion, he just seemed preoccupied—disinterested in her friend’s advances.In Elora’s humble opinion, Mel could do a lot better than clueless boys like Jayce.This evening was no different than any other tech dinner so far. Elora and Salo joined Mel at their usual picnic table outside the art building. Their leader was already craning her neck to catch Jayce’s eye. When he finally emerged from the dinner line, she waved him over. “Need somewhere to sit, darling?”He smiled, shaking his head. Elora thought he resembled a wet dog when he did that. “Thanks, Mel, but I think I’m gonna sit at Caitlyn’s table today,” he politely declined.
Their trio watched as he walked over to a table of techies, planting himself right next to Viktor and launching into conversation with the stage manager. Well, more accurately, Jayce was talking at Viktor, whose gaze remained solely on his laptop. The taller boy didn’t seem deterred in the slightest by the cold behavior—if anything, he seemed to try harder as a result.
Mel was shockingly similar, growing more and more annoyed by the day. She’d confided in Elora the day before, emerald eyes blazing, “Sometimes, it feels like everyone here looks at me and sees Sophie, instead of…well, you understand. Sophie doesn’t make sense without Sky.” Despite literally glittering with stage makeup, her light had seemed so dim. “Then Jayce looks at me like I’m a lamppost, or some other deeply average, mundane object, and I— I just can’t help but feel like there must be something wrong with me.”Her head had fallen onto Elora’s shoulder. She smelled like roses. (Or maybe, Elora thought, roses just smelled like Mel.)“There is nothing wrong with you,” Elora had whispered fiercely into her friend’s hair, although she doubted Mel had heard her.
Was Mel Medarda aware that she chewed the inside of her cheek when a problem arose that she couldn’t quite solve, and that Elora could always tell because of the way her lips jutted out? Even worked up over Jayce Talis (and she frequently was, in recent weeks), Mel was perfect.Currently, the leading lady was picking sadly at her food (some type of casserole that Claggor and Mylo’s dads had made), which forced her two friends to reckon with the fact that she was their trio’s best conversationalist.
Salo made eye-contact with Elora across the table. He jerked his head towards Mel and mouthed, “Say something! ”Elora stared pointedly at him before turning to the girl in question. “Good casserole, right?” she prompted, praying that Mel would take the bait and leave her boy troubles behind for the time being.“Yeah, it’s good,” Mel mumbled, trying and failing for a pleasant tone.It was going to be a long night.
—
“How’s that casserole, bud?” Sky asked, hand hovering over Jayce’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure whether to pat him on the back. He certainly deserved some form of commendation for his efforts the past few weeks. An actor with a role as big as his, sitting at a table primarily composed of underclassmen techies every day of tech week? Just for the chance to talk to someone as standoffish as Viktor? Unheard of.“It’s good, yeah,” Jayce mumbled, plastering on what was supposed to be an easygoing, everything-is-fine smile. If anything, it had the opposite effect. “How’s the vegetarian dish?”As much as Sky hated to admit being wrong, she’d been wrong about Jayce Talis.Or rather, her grapevine had been wrong. So technically, Sky still had no personal errors to correct. But she had been surprised to hear from Jinx, gossiping in the booth the other day, that Jayce did not in fact have a thing for Mel. The lights member wouldn’t disclose who he was interested in, but based on her observations, Sky was pretty sure she knew.Honestly, she found the whole situation hilarious.Here was Jayce, sitting beside Viktor, rambling about the show and expressing genuine interest in the latter’s notes. And there Viktor was, cutting Jayce off before he could get a full sentence in, assuming the actor pitied him and using an unconvincing excuse to leave before dinnertime was over. Cue Jayce moping and frantically pushing the falsehood that he wasn’t just there to talk to Viktor by asking everyone else bad small talk questions.Viktor never explicitly stated his reason for leaving, but Sky understood her friend well enough by now. She knew that, in Viktor’s world, unwanted pity was a bee sting. It was nature’s repeated betrayal, sharp pain that faded to a dull ache; while the sensation wasn’t necessarily alarming to him, he preferred to avoid it if possible. His hackles were raised more often than not, and someone like Jayce—kind and eager and good for goodness’ sake—would be quickly dismissed as a hornet’s nest.The stage manager had been gone for about ten minutes now, and Jayce had yet to move on, so Sky humored him. “Meh. Not as good as Marcus’ mom’s yesterday.”“Hey!” Jinx protests from the other end of the table. “ Sorry if my carnivorous family doesn’t meet your Michelin-star standards.” She slung an arm around Caitlyn, who was sitting next to her. “I’d expect that from the Queen of England over here, but not you!”Caitlyn shoved her away. “I’ll tell Vi you’re bullying me again.”Jinx’s shit-eating grin only widened. “And I’ll tell her you pushed me!”Jayce perked up slightly. “How about I let her know that both of you are insufferable and we call it a day?”Deeming him appropriately consoled, Sky managed to slink away from the table fairly unnoticed. She headed straight for the costumes closet, confident that Viktor had retired to his favorite (and only) quiet place in the building.“Are you comfortable like that?” She asked when she opened the door to find him sitting between clothing racks, right leg stretched out in front of him and laptop balanced on his left. His paper plate of casserole looked relatively untouched.The only response he gave was a noncommittal shrug. Sky kicked his foot, drawing a hiss out of him as he roughly massaged the calf attached to it. She’d joined him on the floor by the time he recovered.
“Assaulting the disabled!” Viktor chastised. “Have we really come to this, Sky?”She giggled, leaning into his side. “You deserve it for ditching us, again.”
“I did not ditch you,” he scoffed, glancing at the door. “The distraction level was just getting a bit much.”
Sure, V. Sure.
“Well,” she tested, finding Viktor’s gaze. “Your distraction gets very sad when you go.”His amused expression faded into his stage manager mask, cool and collected. To say it didn’t hurt Sky to see it used on her would be a lie. Viktor turned back to his screen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.”“It’s—Distraction is an amorphous concept, incapable of emotion.”“What I’m trying to get through your thick skull is that Jayce gets all pouty whenever you—”“Stop, Sky!”
He rarely snapped, and when he did, it was almost never directed at his best friend. Sky recoiled like she’d been slapped.
Viktor immediately softened, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to yell.” She reached to shut his laptop and he allowed her to. They sat in silence for a moment, until Viktor shifted uncomfortably and broke it.“It’s ridiculous how taken I am with him, Sky. I feel ridiculous.”Sky didn’t dare speak, not wanting to interrupt her friend’s show of vulnerability.
“And how fitting, that I’d want someone who clearly thinks so little of me.” His head fell back against the wall behind them, frustrated tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Every second I spend at that table, I run further risk of mistaking his intentions as genuine.” God, I wish they were. He does not have to finish that thought, Sky’s mind completing it for him.
How could someone be so smart, yet so oblivious? She wanted to smack him, scream at him that Jayce was being genuine, you idiot, but she understood that Viktor wasn’t in a place to receive that news.Instead, she pulled him close. “So much for ‘just an actor,’” she teased. He grumbled, resisting her hold for all of five seconds before relaxing into it. “You are much more lovable than you think.”Viktor sighed into her neck. “He’s still an actor, I stand by my previous statement.”Sky frowned. “You could also stand to be a little nicer to him, V.” He pulled away, confused face searching for an explanation. “I’m serious about him getting sad when you leave. He wants to get to know you.”It took him a minute or two of furrowed-brow consideration before Viktor reluctantly nodded. “I suppose I could take a longer break from this,” he conceded, gesturing to his shut laptop. “Help me up?”“Gladly,” Sky agreed. Once he’d risen, she kissed the back of his hand, knowing it would make him laugh.
When they returned to the table, Jayce lit up like a Christmas tree. And if the actor’s hazel eyes, wide with curiosity, inexplicably warmed Viktor down to his core…That was his business, not Sky’s.