Chapter 14: XIV

THE FIRST REHEARSAL FOR THE PLAY HAPPENED TWO DAYS LATER SO EARLY IN THE MORNING, and despite it not even starting yet Laia already wanted it to end.

Their adviser gave out the scripts with an excited smile on her lips. Laia thinks the woman might have had gone insane with how wide her smile was and she even looked like she wanted to start jumping in glee.

"... and that's everyone, now let's start the reading of scripts starting from Laia,"

Everyone turned to Laia whose eyes widened. The girl was obviously taken aback, but she regained composure quickly.

"Is there really such a need to wear this dress, sister?" Laia starts, trying her best to sound angry which was easy since she already was.

Apparently she gets to play the younger sister, Emilia, a pessimist when it comes to love and friendship. She's the complete opposite of her older sister, Phoebe, played by Brie, a hopeless romantic and an overall outgoing person.

However, Brie didn't say her line which was supposed to after Laia's. And the next. Or even spoke at all.

The girl was just staring at her boyfriend who didn't even bother sparing her a glance the whole time. She had a sad expression on her face and even looked like she was about to cry.

"Brie?" Their adviser calls her to no avail. Brie's entire attention was on her boyfriend and everything else didn't seem to matter at this point except Jake looking back at her with usual admiration in his eyes. "Miss Hall?"

The asshat even had to nudge Brie using his shoulder. "Hey, say your your line,"

Brie finally gets out of her trance-like state of staring at her boyfriend to no end. She blinks repeatedly and then proceeds to profusely apologize.

She then says her line in a delicate tone, characterizing her character's sweet and elegant like personality. "Yes indeed, Emilia. We are going to a party, after all,"

Laia clears her throat and makes her voice laced with annoyance. "I don't even want to go to that party Phoebe. I'm not interested in dancing and singing and all that like you,"

Unfortunately, even if Laia's character talks about not wanting to dance or sing, she still has to do much later on when the play is about to end. She rolls her eyes at the thought of having to do such things, but of course she will do everything for extra grades at this point.

Even if she has to dance and sing like an inexperienced fool.

Everyone continued reading their lines without stop or any difference until they reached the ending part on where Jake's character, Henry, finally confesses his feelings towards Brie's character.

He still doesn't look at his girlfriend even if he's supposed to stare into the eyes of Brie's character with pure love and affection. His eyes remained on his script.

"Phoebe, I saw you that night and I wondered whether I should change to be the person you want or should I remain the same and let you love me this way,"

Laia silently hopes that Jake will finally look at friend but he still does not, instead he leans towards the wall and continued to keep his eyes on the script.

Their adviser couldn't reprimand Jake about it as well, for he was amazing at conveying his emotions and even his facial expressions are spot on. Brie wasn't kidding when she told Laia once that Jake is an amazing actor.

"You complete me," Jake even made his voice crack, as if he was about to cry much to Laia's shock and admiration. "I want nothing else but to love you and treasure you for the rest of our lives."

Brie sighs in disappointment when Jake still did not look at her even as he spoke his lines. She didn't let it affect the way she delivered her lines, though.

She kept her eyes on Jake who still refused to look up from the script he was holding the entire time. "You don't have to change to earn my love," She even stands up from her seat and walks towards her boyfriend to hold his hands. "You have already earned it the moment I first met you."

Jake doesn't pull away from Brie. However, before Brie could say anything else to him, their adviser clapped her hands and urges Brie to return to her seat.

Instead of offering her girlfriend to sit beside him, Jake pulls his hands away from his girlfriend and remains silent.

Dejected, Brie returns back to her seat beside Laia. Laia sympathically pats her friend on her back, smiling at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, just talk to him later after we're dismissed,"

Brie nods but the dejected expression on her face didn't completely vanish.

"That was great for our first reading!" Their adviser seemed to be the only person in the room that was delighted. "We will be having another reading this Friday and rehearsals will start next week."

Since nobody voiced out their disagreement with the plan, their adviser then allowed them to leave. Everyone was quick on their feet to start gathering their things to leave, particularly Jake who was already about to leave the room.

Brie manages to catch up to him and grabs his wrist. Laia stayed close behind but not close enough, not wanting to make things awkward.

"Jake--"

"Brie, can't you just leave me alone for one fucking day?" The boy spats.

Brie was taken aback and stepped back. "I don't understand why you're suddenly so angry at me--"

The pained tone on the girl's voice made some of their nosy classmates tried to listen in to the conversation between the couple but Laia's glare was fortunately enough to make them leave.

Jake scoffs. "That's the problem with you, Brie. You're always like this," He ran his fingers through his hair, annoyance radiating out of him in waves. "You always act as if you don't know what you did wrong and you never try to acknowledge your mistakes. You're so fucking immature--"

Brie laughs sarcastically and interjects. "I'm immature?! You're the one suddenly ghosting me and acting as if I didn't exist after you went to that flirt Vivi's house--"

"And now you're calling someone a flirt just because I went over to her house to make our group report? Am I supposed to call you a flirt as well since you even bragged to Laia that you flirted with a waiter to make me intentionally jealous?"

"H-how--"

"I'm not as stupid as you think," Jake shakes his head, disappointment in his eyes. "I know you more than you think."

Jake's words were enough to silence Brie. Laia didn't say a single word and watched her friends in silence. Despite being personally closer to Brie, Laia knew that Jake had a valid point.

Her eyes widened when she realized that the asshat was there all along, still seated on his chair and remained silent as well.

Well, at least he knew basic human decency.

"Jake, it wasn't even a big deal--"

"No," Jake pulls himself away from Brie, who tried to hold his hands again. "It was. Now look how you're not even acknowledging your mistake as usual. Can't I get an apology for once?"

Brie wasn't able to say anything. Jake shakes his head and took it as her response, leaving without another word.

The asshat stood up from his seat and clicks his tongue as he passed Brie with a frown on his face. He didn't say anything, but the expression on his face was enough proof that he was on Jake's side as well.

"Lopez, check the group chat. Make yourself useful for once and aid Shane in making the powerpoint," was what the asshat said before leaving.

Laia rolls her eyes. Of course, the asshat just had to be a perfectionist as well. She had already checked what Shane made yesterday (which she sent on the group chat) and thought that the asshat had no complains since he didn't send any message.

Apparently, not.

Brie sighing heavily caught Laia's attention and she walks towards her friend, crouching down to Brie's level. "You okay?"

Of course she's not, Laia reprimands herself, internally facepalming.

However, her awkward question made her friend giggle. "You're always so awkward with small talk, Laia,"

Laia sheepishly smiles. "It's one of my talents, I suppose," She then places her hand on Brie's head to lightly caress her hair. "Why didn't you apologize to him?"

Her question made Brie's expression return to a sad one. Laia immediately regretted asking the question, but knew that they had to acknowledge the elephant on the room sooner or later.

Brie sighs. "I just didn't know how to at the time," She looks away guiltily. "He looked so disappointed on me and I felt myself freeze. I can't believe I didn't go after him,"

She covers her face with her hands. Laia sympathically pats her in the head. "Don't worry, you can apologize later when he's cooled down. The asshat's probably talking to him right now,"

"I still can't believe you're calling him an asshat," Brie laughs. Sometimes Laia wonders how does her friend's mood change so quickly. "Anyway, do you want me to drop you off to where he lives later?"

"You know where he lives?" Laia stands up from her crouching position and offers a hand to Brie which her friend takes.

"I think everyone knows," Brie looked genuinely confused at her friend's question. "He did had a party last week, he didn't invite you?"

No wonder everyone seemed to have hangovers last Monday and some even still looked intoxicated. Laia ignored it back then, thinking nothing about it. Apparently, the asshat had something to do with it.

"Obviously not," Laia replies, grabbing her bag from where she left it. "Not that I mind. Going to parties is the least of my priorities,"

Brie pouts. "He's so mean to you," The girl loops her arm around her friend, pulling her towards the door to finally leave. "Not that you're not mean to him too,"

"Apparently, the feeling's mutual," Laia retorts back, grimacing at the thought of having to spend time with the asshat later.

Brie just laughs as if it was funny. Laia thinks it's absolutely not.