Freewrite

She felt like there was a current in her body, electricity rushing through her veins and making it impossible to keep still. She wished she could be still, that she could just stop moving and enjoy the movie playing for the hundredth time on her computer screen, or relax with a good book, anything other than practically pacing her small room and consciously deciding not to cry or throw something.

She couldn’t understand why this was happening to her, or more importantly, why it was happening to her again. Nothing about it seemed fair or to make sense to her. No matter how many excuses she came up with, she still couldn’t make herself calm down.

What had she done to deserve this? Did guys find it funny to toy with her like this? To draw her in, to make her believe they were so wonderful, only to walk all over her, or worse, desert her the moment she was hooked on them? It certainly felt that way and she knew it was starting to break her. She was already in pieces that didn’t seem to quite fit together anymore, and each time she broke again, they became an even more impossible jigsaw puzzle that she was afraid no one would ever solve.

The sad thing was how silly she felt, how foolish and ridiculous her tears and anger made her feel. A part of her, the part that they had successfully gotten to and manipulated, told her that she was over reacting, that there was no legitimate reason to be this upset. Ha! the rest of her mind screamed. Ha! She had every right to be upset, to be angry and hurt, and she knew it. Sure, it was a small thing, not worth stressing anyone else out over or playing depressing music for, but it was enough. He had succeeded at making her feel so small and insignificant that a part of her genuinely believed it.

She hated him, but she hated herself more, for letting his unintentional, but still completely heartbreaking actions, or lack there of, to bring her down. She’d been here before, in this place, with these emotions and the same feeling of unimportance beating down on her like a metal bat. Somehow she’d found the strength to get away and to move on, so why was it so hard to do that now? Especially when she knew better?

She knew why. It was simple, really. It was because this time he really was different. He had made her feel good about herself, like she was worth something. He had respected her, cared for her, made her laugh, and been honest with her. He’d also hurt her before, but she’d forgiven him, and he’d made her smile again. So why was he doing this now? Now that they were finally together, it seemed like he thought his job was over. She’d heard about husbands behaving this way, stopping all the courting and romantic crap the moment he said “I Do,” but he’d never heard of a boyfriend doing this.

It made no sense to her, and as much as she tried, she couldn’t sort it out or make sense of it in any way. So, she did what any girl would do. She cried. Finally she broke down, literally crumbling to the floor, and cried.

As she cried, it began to consume her, making it impossible to breath. The pain in her chest was overwhelming and she could feel herself beginning to break again. For a long time she just laid there, hands putting pressure on her chest, trying to hold herself in one piece.

Then finally, it stopped.

A bittersweet calm that she knew wouldn’t last began to sweep over her, and the pain began to fade. At least the physical pain did. Inside she was still screaming, begging the universe for answers that she knew it would never give her. She took a deep breath and cleaned her face, deciding that, at least for now, she wouldn’t let him win. Not again. She closed her eyes, and forced herself to smile. Slowly her body began to relax, and she could feel the strength return to her muscles, her bones steadying her on her once wobbly knees.

After that she sat down, and did the one thing that could sooth her. She wrote. She let it out, every thought and frustration and pain in her body, and poured it onto the innocent paper. As she stared at the smeared ink, she felt a real smile pull at her lips. The pain was still there, lightly pounding at the door and battling to take hold again. She knew that eventually the door would break, but at least now she knew she would be able to put up a fight.

Much Ado Part 4

“Well that went well,” Connor sighed, dropping down onto the worn out couch in John’s basement bedroom.

“Oh, shut up, Connor,” said Brad, slumping down beside him. John followed into the room, moving to his bed and laying down. He grabbed a baseball off the nightstand and began to throw it up into the air, catching it, then throwing it again.

“So now what? I know you two, you’re gonna come up with some other plot to mess with them,” Connor said matter-of-factly, leaning into the corner of the couch. John said nothing.

“Actually, I did have an idea,” began Brad. John looked over, but still remained silent. Connor looked at him hopefully. “Well, you know that girl Marcy?” he asked.

“The one you suck face with every day before biology,” commented Connor absently, before being knocked in the arm by Brad’s fist. “Ouch! Geez, sorry,” he whined.

“Anyway… well, it may be a long shot, but she does look just like Hannah, at least from behind,” he added when Connor gave him a questioning look.

“And?” said John quietly. Brad looked at him, seeming a little surprised by the verbal response.

“Well, like I said, they look alike… What if we tricked Chris and Pat into thinking she was Hannah? If he saw me with her and thought it was his Hannah, well, he’s sure to blow his lid,” Brad laughed.

“That’s ridiculous, Brad,” said Connor, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, it could work!” Brad retaliated.

“Sush,” said John, still tossing the ball up and down. Both boys stared at him, silently. “That’s actually not a bad idea,” John said simply. “I’m in no rush though. Homecoming is in a few weeks… we can do it before then,” he said. Connor and Brad exchanged looks.

“Whatever you say, John,” Connor said unsurely, but he shrugged it off, falling further into the depths of the couch.

Much Ado Part 3

When Friday rolled around the party at Leo’s house was all anyone could talk about. Even the teachers knew about it at this point. When the final bell for the day tolled the students were quick to rush home, eager to get ready for the simple masquerade party. Leo was quite popular at Messina High and had invited nearly everybody, and those without invitations had plans to sneak in. Becca and Tony had come over early to help with decorations and they could already feel the excitement in the air.

“Guess who is our homeroom this year,” Leo called to Becca as they worked together to hang up a banner above one of the doorways. Becca shrugged. “John, Pat’s brother,” he said unhappily, rolling his eyes.

Becca laughed. “Well that has to be a sour fifteen minutes,” she said, feeling no envy whatsoever. John was, well, disagreeable, to put it simply. Becca had no real reason to dislike him, but there was just something about his attitude and solitary ways that put her on edge.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I just hope he doesn’t show up tonight,” Leo frowned, “Though knowing him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.”

“And if he does, who cares? The worst he is going to do is sit in some corner moping behind a black mask,” Becca joked. “At least he isn’t obnoxiously annoying,” she said in a low voice. Leo looked at her and raised a brow, realizing they were not just talking about John now.

“Please don’t tell me you are comparing Ben to John,” he said, pausing at the top of his step ladder to cast her a look.

“I’m just saying, they both get on my nerves,” Becca replied.

“Ben’s not a bad guy, Becca. Give him a break.”

“No, he’s just a pain in the ass who doesn’t know when to be quiet,” she sighed.

“At least he isn’t some… overly melancholy drama king who mopes too much and doesn’t know what color is,” Leo laughed as he taped his corner of the banner.

“True. Maybe if we combine the two we’ll have a decent person,” Becca laughed in reply, reaching for the tape from Leo. “A little bit of John’s melancholy and some of Ben’s humor… a good balance. Not too boring, not too obnoxious.”

“You are too picky, Becca. We’re never going to find you a boyfriend.”

“Probably not,” Becca grinned.

“Wow! That looks great!” said Stella as she walked into the room, crossing her arms and smiling up at her brother and best friend. “Tony’s just about done out back. We just need to bring out the food,” she said, looking around the room and taking in all the decorations. Leo got down from the stool and moved to the stereo set, turning on some music. Both girls smiled at him.

“This party is going to be great,” said Becca.


When the boys arrived they could hear the music playing before they even came inside. Once they did come inside the music grew much louder and the colorful lights put smiles on all their faces.

“Damn. Leo outdid himself this time,” said Ben from behind a mask as they moved through the house, trying to find their friends and hosts.

Moving out to the back patio it didn’t take them long to spot Leo, Tony, Stella, Becca, and Hannah, all standing together with a few other people and talking loudly, laughter mixed splendidly with their words. The boys were wearing full masks while the girls had classic masquerade style masks that only covered their eyes. Chris and Pat looked at each other through the eye holes in their masks. Pat gave Chris a pat on the back before stepping forward. Chris moved away, watching nervously.

“Nice party, Leo,” Pat said, doing his best to sound like Chris. “Would you like to dance, Hannah?” he asked, turning to the shorter brunette beside him. She looked to her brother, smiling, and he winked at her. She nodded, and they walked back into the main house hand in hand.

Ben had taken off in another direction as well the moment he spotted Becca among the bunch. The last thing he wanted right now was the put up with her. He grabbed himself a drink and wandered aimlessly through the crowd, hoping to find something interesting. He finished the drink rather quickly, almost disappointed that it was plain old punch and not something alcoholic. Tossing the cup into the trash he turned back to the table and reached for another cup. As he did he knocked wrists with someone else and looked up, startled to see Becca, eyes covered only by an elaborate blue and gold mask which she now pulled up into her hair, revealing her whole face. He sighed, pulling his hand away as she grabbed up a cup.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to get in your way,” Becca said, amused.

“Oh, no, I’m the one who got in your way,” he practically drawled, figuring that Becca didn’t recognize him and therefore deciding to play along.

“Hmm,” said Becca, sounding curious.

“What?” asked Ben.

“Usually I’m the one being blamed for being in the way, well, at least when Ben’s around,” she said simply, bringing her plastic cup to her lips and shrugging.

“Who is that?” asked Ben coyly.

“Who? Ben?”

Ben nodded.

“I bet you know him,” Becca replied.

“I don’t know anyone named Ben,” Ben insisted, and Becca nodded.

“Oh, well, he’s an amateur comedian, stress on the amateur, sadly. Only his friends actually like him, because makes people laugh but at the same time he pisses them off with his pathetic lines. You’ve had to have met him at some point,” explained Becca.

“If I meet him, I’ll tell him what you said,” replied Ben.

“Please do. He’ll probably crack a joke about me, which you better laugh at or he’ll start crying and refuse to eat,” Becca sighed. “Enjoy your drink.” Becca winked at him before pulling her mask back down and swiftly walking away.


On the other side of the room Chris leaned against a doorway, watching his best friend, wearing the same shirt and mask as himself, dance and laugh with Hannah. He smiled and crossed his arms, trying to keep calm and hoping things would work out.

“I actually feel bad for Chris, though. He has no idea what’s about to happen,” came a familiar voice from just behind him. Pausing, Chris turned. He had no reason to think that whoever this was was talking about him, until he realized that the person speaking was John, Pat’s brother, to his two friends, Connor and Brad. None of them were wearing masks and Chris was certain that hadn’t even been invited. He kept his distance. They didn’t seem to notice him at first. They continued to whisper and he could hear names amongst the hushed words. Finally, he became too curious and couldn’t help himself.

“Um, hi, it’s Ben,” he began, lying through his teeth but too afraid to admit who he was to them. “You were talking about Chris? And Pat?” he asked, and John looked up at him.

“Oh, hey… well, I guess I might as well tell you, everyone’s gonna find out soon enough,” John began with a frown, appearing to be concerned. He beckoned Chris closer, lowering his voice.

“My brother has a thing for Hannah,” he began, gesturing across the room to Pat and Hannah as they danced. “I heard him talking about it on the phone to Leo the other night. He said he had a plan to get her alone, win her for himself… And Ben, I know your friend, Chris, has a thing for her. I know I can be an ass but even I don’t like to see people being messed with like this.”

Looking over again Chris watched as Pat took off his mask, revealing to Hannah who he truly was. She pulled her mask back as well and they shared a quick hug. Chris turned back to John, thankful that his mask hid the anger he was sure was clearly written on his face.

“I figured you ought to know now before things really go down hill,” said John before quickly walking away with his friends, leaving Chris alone and full of confusion.

He stumbled out of the room and out onto the front porch. A few people were passing by, coming in and out of the main door, but for the most part he was alone. He sat down on the steps, pulling off his mask and running a hand back through his sweaty hair.

“Why did I have to pretend I was Ben?” he asked himself, wishing he hadn’t heard anything John had said. “So Pat wants Hannah for himself… Dammit!” he shouted, slamming his mask onto the ground. He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and cradling his face in his hands. “I guess friends are loyal about everything except for love,” he began with a mock laugh. “I should have just done it myself, I should have just talked to her on my own instead of trusting somebody else do it!” Chris rose to his feet, practically shaking with frustration and anger. He reached down and picked up his mask, staring at it for a long moment. “If he wants Hannah, he can have her,” he said bitterly before stalking back into the house.

As he came inside Ben, who was no longer wearing his mask, ran into him, almost literally.

“Hey, watch it, man. What’s with you?” he asked, but Chris didn’t answer. “Pat told me to come find you. And now I have, so let’s go,” he said, directly Chris toward the main room. Chris stepped away.

“Leave me alone,” Chris demanded.

“Oh, come on! Pat has Hannah, so let’s go!”

“Good for him.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ben asked, staring at Chris was concern.

“Just leave me alone!” Chris shouted, pushing past Ben and to another part of the house. Ben held up his hands and let out an unsure laugh.

“Okay…” he said carefully, shaking it off and deciding it was better not to get involved. Looking up he spied Becca talking with Stella and Tony in the kitchen, and he frowned. “How could she not know it was me? And call me an ‘amateur comedian’! She’s just bitter. As always. I’ll get back at her, that she can count on.”

Just then Pat toward him with Hannah at his side, looking around, obviously for Chris.

“Well? Where is he?” Pat asked.

“Who knows. I found him, tried to bring him to you, but he refused to listen,” Ben replied, rolling his eyes. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need a drink, and sadly this sober punch will have to do,” he continued, turning on his feel to walk away.

“Becca is pretty upset with you. She says she talked to someone earlier who told her you think she just gets in the way,” Pat called after him, and Ben, without missing a beat, turned back around and marched right back up to them.

“What?! That is completely untrue! Agh, that good for nothing…” Ben trailed off, clenching his fists and looking around for Becca. He snapped his attention back to Pat and Hannah, who were trying not to laugh, though Ben hardly noticed. “She insulted me, not the other way around! She told me, not realizing it was me, that I was an ‘amateur comedian!’ That I was some lame comedian. I felt like I was standing at gunpoint with a whole army of people shooting at me! I couldn’t do or say anything in my defense.” Ben groaned, still ignoring the laughter that was being poorly suppressed by Pat and Hannah. “I swear, if her breath were as bad as her demeanor she would infect the entire planet, no one would go near her. Every word she says is like a knife in my chest,” he said, pounding a fist into his chest for emphasis. He sighed again. “Please, talk about something else. The last thing I want to think about right now is her.”

“Oh look, here she comes,” said Pat with a huge grin. Ben turned around to see Becca with Stella, Tony, Leo, and Chris, slowly moving toward them.

“Please give me something to do. Anything, anything at all! I will go get something from your car, get you both drinks, refill the chip bowls, anything! I just don‘t think I can handle talking to this, this vixen!”

“All I need from you right now is your company,” Pat smirked, making Ben’s face fall.

“That isn’t funny,” he said seriously. “Gah! I am out of here. I can not bear to hear a single word from her!” Ben quickly pushed past Pat, leaving he and Hannah in a fit of laughter as the friends approached.

“It seems you know how to get under his skin,” Pat said to Becca. She smiled weakly.

“I guess you get to know what buttons to push when you have a history like ours,” she said softly. He somber disposition confused Pat a little. He looked up at Leo, who just shrugged. “Anyway, I found Chris like you asked,” she continued, forcing Chris forward. He was just as sour as before and seemed to want nothing to do with what was happening.

“Why do you look upset?” Pat asked.

“I’m not upset,” Chris replied plainly.

“Then are you sick?”

“No, I’m not sick.”

“He’s not upset, and he’s not sick, but he’s not happy either. If you ask me, I’d say he was jealous,” said Becca, and Chris cast her a dirty look, which she simply shrugged off.

“I think your right Becca,” Pat said in disbelief. “Though I’m confused as to why… I told you I would sweep her off her feet for you, and I did. Though she somehow knew about our little plan, though she found it to be kind of funny, actually,” Pat explained.

Chris’ face lit up, relief and joy replacing the anger from before as he realized he had gotten it wrong.

“Go dance already,” Pat continued, no so subtly pushing the two toward each other. Hannah smiled innocently up at Chris, who was grinning from ear to ear.

Once the two love-birds were dancing the rest of the group moved to stand against the wall.

Pat was staring at Becca with a smile, and it took her a moment to realize it. When she did she turned to him and arched a brow, leaning away a little and crossing her arms.

“What?” she asked defensively.

“You’re a romantic,” he said simply. Becca laughed.

“Not really. I just want to see Hannah happy, and if involves a guy, well, I can’t really stop her.”

“Uh-huh,” Pat grinned, casting his eyes back onto the floor.

“Think what you want,” Becca shrugged, casting him a grin. “I’ll see you all later,” she said, smiling at them and walking away.

Once she was gone and completely out of earshot, Pat called a sort of huddle. As they did Hannah and Chris came walking over, watching curiously as the group moved closer together.

“What’s going on?” Chris asked.

“I have a plan… we’re going to set up Ben and Becca,” he declared proudly, and everyone began to laugh.

“Ha! They would kill each other if they ever dated!” Leo exclaimed.

“Oh, I don’t think so. I think there’s something there, they just need a little push,” said Pat. “So, will you guys help me?”

“Well I’m in, Lord knows I’d love to prove Ben wrong,” said Chris with a laugh.

“Me too!” said Hannah, and within moments the rest all agreed as well.

“Awesome. Now here’s the plan…”

Much Ado Part 2

It was no surprise to Mr. Freeman when Ben, Pat, and Chris walked in together, sitting in the front far corner and huddling over their desks in discussion.

“You think they would learn to separate you boys,” Mr. Freeman said with a smile, shuffling some papers on his desk.

“You know you love us, Mr. Freeman,” Ben said with a goofy smile that made the teacher laugh.

“Just keep telling yourself that, boys.”

They turned back to their own conversation as other students began to file in. The bell rang to mark the beginning of home room and Mr. Freeman began to take attendance while the general announcements rolled in over the loud speaker.

“Seriously? Hannah? The quiet one?” Ben was asking Chris, who looked about as red as his shirt, refusing to make eye contact with either of them.

“Yes, that Hannah. It isn’t that crazy Ben, I don’t know why you are making such a big deal out of this,” said Chris.

“But she’s so… plain!” Ben said a little too loud, making Chris sink further into his desk.

“Do you always have to pick on him?” Pat asked, flicking Ben in the arm. “I think it’s cool that he likes Hannah. I mean, he’s Leo’s little sister, so she gets some points there. And she’s good looking. A little quiet maybe, but I don’t know, I think that sort of fits Chris.”

“I don’t see it, but whatever you said, captain,” Ben replied, giving Pat a mock solute.

“Just because you’re never going to date doesn’t mean you should make fun of the rest of us,” Chris said, making Ben laugh.

“Look, I’m thankful to my mom for having me and raising me. But forgive me for not wanting to be hung over some girl,” Ben said bitterly.

“Oh, I know someday we’ll see you sick with love,” Pat laughed.

“Ha! Sick from the flu or from hunger or from anger at you two, maybe. But not love, trust me on that one,” Ben said confidently, crossing his arms and slouching in his seat.

“Keep telling yourself that, Ben,” said Pat with a wink. Ben rolled his eyes and looked away, suddenly pulling out his phone as an excuse to leave the conversation.

Pat and Chris laughed, and Ben continued to ignore them. Pat turned to Chris at this point, whispering even quieter now.

“I have an idea, to help you with Hannah,” he began. Chris groaned.

“It better be one hell of a plan. I’m useless with girls, I get all tongue-tied… you’ve seen me in action, you know how I get,” Chris said, obviously flustered by the very thought of having to actually talk to Hannah.

“I know, I know, that’s why I figured we’ll do it at the party. We’re all suppose to wear masks, right? Like Ben said, it’ll be hard to tell people apart. We wear similar outfits, get the same mask, and at the party, I pretend to be you, talk to her, and once she’s hooked, I make an excuse to leave, and you come back and step in. I’ll have gotten the hard part out of the way, the rest should be smooth sailing.”

Chris listened carefully to Pat’s plan, running it over in his mind. A grin slowly began to form as Pat’s words continued, and by the end, Chris was smiling.

“There are so many ways this plan could go wrong,” said Chris, “but I like it.”


In the back of the room a boy was sitting by himself, seemingly distracted by the comic book in front of him. While his eyes were on the pages, his ears were tuned into the quiet conversation a few desks in front of him. The bell rang and everyone quickly rose from their seats and fled the classroom and into the hallway, hastily making their way to first period.

The boy was very tall and dark. He looked like a linebacker with his size, and the strange grin on his face only made him appear even more frightening. He was quick in the hallway, unafraid to push a smaller student out of the way. It didn’t take him long to get to his class, hesitating in the doorway only a moment before making a beeline for the back row, sitting down beside two other guys. They were all dressed in dark clothes and had a strong melancholy disposition about them. Though nearly every seat was filled, no one sat in the desks immediately beside any of them.

“I don’t get why you care so much about him. Sure, he’s your brother, but he’s a prick. I think it’s better to just stay on his good side and avoid trouble. Next year he’ll be gone and we won’t have to worry about him,” a smaller red-headed boy said. He was doodling on the back of his new notebook absently, unaware of the look the other two were giving him.

“You’re a wuss, Connor, you know that?” the large boy who had just stepped into the room said evenly. Connor looked up.

“Say whatever you want, Brad. I just think John should stop worrying so damn much about what his brother thinks,” said Connor.

“I don’t care what he thinks. That is exactly my point.” John’s voice was low and had an eerie tone that gave Connor chills every time he talked. “I do what I want, not what other people want me to do. I don’t care what my brother thinks, or his stupid friends.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s why you’re always messing with them,” Connor frowned, still eyeing his drawing.

“Just because I don’t care what he thinks doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to screw with him sometimes,” said John, a blank expression on his face.

“Speaking of which… I have an idea,” said Brad, leaning forward. “I was listening to them talk in homeroom. Turns out Chris has a little crush on Hannah, Leo’s little sister,” he grinned. John didn’t seem intrigued. “They’re planning to trick her into liking Chris at Leo’s party, you know, Pat pretends to be Chris, gets Hannah’s attention, the Chris gets the girl, yada yada,” he continued, and John sat up, slowly becoming interested. “So what do you think? Pull a little switch-a-roo of our own?”

John managed a wicked grin. “This could be fun,” he said, giving Connor a case of the chills again. Connor looked up at them and shook his head, seeming to have no real opinion on their plan. The bell rang and class began, and the three of them spent the majority of it perfecting their plan.

Much Ado Part 1

The first day back to school was always the most interesting of any year. Three long months had kept many of the students separated but with the start of term came a grand reunion for Messina High School and her students. The hallways were littered with students, scrambling from locker to locker before the first bell and attempting to reconnect with friends before the monotonous day of algebra and physics ensued. Freshman nervously meandered through the thick crowds, just trying to find a familiar face or a classroom on their schedule without being knocked to the ground.

The seniors were far from nervous, though, as they entered those halls for the last first time, heads high and confident as they moved easily from place to place, hardly having to think about it, just knowing where to go instinctually. One particular group of boys had a couple of underclassmen staring, the carefree attitudes practically contagious amongst their older peers. They held their books lazily under their arms, laughing and talking loudly as they moved down the hall, waving or shouting a quick “Hey!” to friendly acquaintances every now and again. The underclassmen staring were envious, hoping they would someday feel that at ease in this strange place.

“I’ll have to take you guys out there some time,” a tall boy with blond hair and a far too charming smile laughed. “Seriously guys, my uncle’s ranch was amazing. He has so much land. We could go hunting or paint balling or camping or horse back riding, you name it.”

His two friends just shook their heads and laughed.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to go all ‘horse lover’ on us now, Chris,” said another boy, shoving Chris a little, who shoved right back.

“Oh, leave him alone, Ben. It’s cute that he likes horses so much.” The third boy was grinning. He was taller than the other two and held himself a little differently. He was clearly the leader of their little pack.

“I’m just messing with him, Pat,” the one named Ben grinned, messing up Chris’ hair with his hand, which made Chris recoil and glare at him disapprovingly. Pat shook his head with a grin.

“You two are worse than my brother sometimes, you know that?” Pat said. They all stopped, stepping up to their lockers.

“Hey now, let’s not play dirty,” Ben said suddenly, leaning on one of the lockers and pointing his index finger in Pat’s face. “Immature, maybe. Creepy and insane? Not so much,” he frowned.

“John isn’t that bad,” Chris said, and they all laughed a little.

“Hey, Pat!”

A new voice entered the conversation and all three boys looked up.

“Leo! Hey man, it’s good to see you!” Pat sat his books down in the locker and then moved toward the newcomer, embracing him in a short ‘manly’ hug with a firm pat on the shoulder and all.

“How was your summer? I didn’t get to see much of you,” Pat said.

“Yeah, I know. My dad hooked me up with a job a few towns over, so that pretty much consumed my life,” Leo laughed. “Hey, you haven’t seen my sisters have you?” Leo asked, looking at the other two as well. All three shook their heads.

“No, haven’t seen any of the girls yet. I’m sure they’re around here somewhere,” Pat shrugged.

“Probably gossiping in front of a bathroom mirror,” Ben chimed in. Chris hit him in the arm with a book.

“There they are!” Leo said suddenly, stepping around Pat. A group of three girls and one guy walked up to them. The tallest of the three girls was Stella, Leo’s twin sister. As Leo approached her, the two siblings exchanging smiles, it was obvious that they were related. She was holding hands with a tall dark haired boy whom Leo began talking to immediately and it was instantly clear that the two were close.

“I still can’t believe you haven’t gotten sick of her yet, Tony.” Leo smirked at his sister, and Tony laughed. “You are either the most patient guy in the world, or the dumbest.” Leo grinned again, and Stella made a face at him.

“I’m just still surprised you haven’t tried to kick my ass for dating your sister,” Tony said with a chuckle, and Leo nodded.

“Yeah, well, what are best friends for if not to dump their annoying sisters on?”

The conversation continued and the other two girls stood awkwardly against the lockers, talking in hushed voices and glancing back and forth between the other two groups. Pat, Chris, and Ben had gone back to their own conversation, discussing what they had done with their summer and comparing schedules. The groups weren’t separated for long, though, when Leo suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, guys, we’re having a party next weekend, sort of a back-to-school thing. We have a Saturday game for football, so we’re just going to do it Friday night. You guys are gonna come, right?” Leo asked. The groups moved a little closer together, forming a more solid unit than three separated entities.

“Yeah, of course,” Pat replied.

“Awesome. It’s actually a masquerade theme, Hannah’s idea,” Leo went on, grinning at the shortest of the three girls, who blushed and looked away. “But hey, my little sister is pretty creative, I know it’ll be great.”

“Masks, huh? Oh that’s a great idea, just what we need, to not be able to tell all those girls apart,” Ben said with a loud laugh.

“The bigger problem is how will the girls be able to avoid you,” the third girl said with a hint of bitterness, making everyone stop. They were all quiet as Ben stepped forward, looking around Pat and Leo to see Becca. She was thin, pretty, sandy hair, the exact look that Ben would normally drool over. However, there was a certain disposition to Becca that gave her a rather menacing vibe. Perhaps it was the scowl on her face, which didn’t seem at all fitting with her otherwise pretty features. Everyone was holding their tongues, watching with anticipation. In Pat and Leo’s cases, they were trying not to laugh.

“Still as bitter as ever I see,” Ben said with a sarcastic grin.

“I’m not bitter, well, except for when you are around, but then again, who can blame me for that?” she replied quickly, standing up straight and looking him in the eyes.

“You are the only girl in this school who feels that way, Becca. Not that it matters, it’s not like I find any of the other chicks in this school worth my time,” he laughed.

“We’re lucky then, aren’t we? You’re not exactly the best catch yourself.”

“I feel bad for any guy that dates you. You’d probably scratch their face just for looking at you wrong.”

“It wouldn’t be your face I scratch, so why do you care? Then again, some scratch marks might make it look better,” Becca retorted, cocking her head to the side as if examining the possibilities. At this point it was impossible for the others not the laugh. Ben scowled, his face turning red and glaring at his friends.

“I wish my car was as fast as your replies, though speed has little to do with true value,” said Ben. “Keep practicing, maybe someday you’ll actually be able to compare to me.” Ben grinned and with that he turned around and to the other side of Pat, grabbing up his books and slamming his locker shut. Chris and Pat were laughing. A moment later all three had their books and were headed back down the hall, laughter ringing from their mouths. Chris and Ben were pushing each other again while Pat just led them on carelessly.

Becca was frowning, turning to the rest of the group that remained, who quickly stopped their laughing and tried not the smile.

“Oh, don’t let him get to you, Becca. He’s a moron, it’s not worth it,” said Hannah in a small voice, smiling reassuringly.

“My sisters right, Becs. Don’t stress it, alright? We better get going. I’ll see you guys at lunch, okay?” Leo said next. The girl nodded. Tony gave Stella a quick kiss before the boys took off together down the hall. Becca was still frowning, though the two sisters were smiling.

“Stop worrying about him. C’mon, we have Mr. Jonsen for homeroom again, that should cheer you up,” Stella laughed, and Becca finally cracked a smile.

“That isn’t fair. How do you two get the only good looking teacher in the school, and I get stuck with Ms. Shaffer again?” Hannah sighed and the older girls laughed.

“Maybe you’ll get him next year,” Becca shrugged.

“Hope so, it’s my last chance,” Hannah said with a half-hearted smile. “I’ll see you two later.” Hannah gave a small wave as they started in opposite directions. As she walked alone she smiled to herself, unable to get the face of a certain blond-haired boy out of her head.

Ideas for Once Upon A Dream!

I am very excited to say that I finally have a plan for "Once Upon A Dream"! I am very excited. I can not tell you much, but I will tell you this:

-Sammy, Peter, and Wendy are much older than the originals. More like 17-ish. Older, but still young.
-Hook is not as creepy. He is cruel and definitely the bad guy, though, and scary in a more contemporary, adult way. He is in his early 30s, handsome, charming, but it is all a part of his act to lure people to his side and get what he wants.
-Sammy knows Hook's pirate ship very well.
-Slight romance story, though it is an underlying theme to the overall tale and mostly helps with giving is a Happy Ending.


I had a dream last night about Peter Pan, that I was in a play or something for it and we were working on blocking and lines and stuff, like we were making the play as we went, and there were some weird things happening that I ran with and came up with these ideas. I think I might have even been Sammy again, but I'm not sure.
I am busy with school and "Oliver" right now, but I will try to get some pieces up for my new ideas on Once Upon A Dream [including a new title!] and post them as soon as I can!

<3