Act One: Drama Club

To be able to put on plays on time for major school events consistently and immaculately, one would expect an amount of levelheadedness from the people involved. After all, theater wasn't just roleplaying princes and princesses now and then. It was production, design, blocking, management, promotion, and acting all poured into one fabulous and decorated cauldron.

Once the curtains opened, grand drapes parted for an even grander performance, what came after would be the product of hard work and well-thought-out decisions made behind the scene.

Terrance certainly didn't expect the theater club to be so... melodramatic, which was ironic the more he thought about it. He didn't want to have preconceived notions from his experiences with Lucy, not when he knew she was a rash person on her own.

His head hurt after listening to one of the club members assigned to managing special effects explain to him and Felicity how one person slept with another and the first one avenged themselves by sleeping with who and who cheated with and entered an affair with who— it didn't matter. In conclusion, almost everyone who mattered in the theater club was a whore and it had caused their main villain to walk out of production in the middle of rehearsals.

What a unique thing to be experiencing on the day he wanted to call it quits with Felicity.

Almost as if the universe didn't want him to leave her side yet.

Said blonde massaged her temples, ever so often making exhausted sounds. At some point, he couldn't tell if it was from her or himself. "Wait, wait, wait, so now you have—"

"No one to substitute our main antagonist, a few weeks left to prepare, and a collapsing group morale. I mean, people have volunteered, you know, but mister director won't really... make considerations if you know what I mean. It's practically perfectionist hell here."

Felicity sighed into her hand, "Trust me, I know. You guys don't exactly let up when it comes to where you want to perform."

The special effects guy shrugged, "That's Nikolas for you. But with everything going down, the dispute with the programming club is probably the last thing on his mind."

The prodigy felt bad, mostly for himself, coming to terms with the amount of pettiness and conflicting personalities that overtook the theater club. It was grade school all over again, just a bit more vulgar and sexual.

Speaking of. Terrance gave Lucy a side glance, her impish expression only growing under his attention. She looked certifiably stupid and he was an even bigger idiot for involving himself with her.

Well, it couldn't be helped, he supposed. For Ambrosia, he was more than willing to play the role of a fool.

Lucy pulled him away from the glum conversation the blonde secretary was in, a polite excuse uncharacteristic of the redhead leaving her lips before they moved closer to the stage she had been standing on.

"Didn't think I'd see you here. I was convinced that bums like you couldn't appreciate art, but I do love being surprised. Keep it up." Lucy said, playfully hitting Terrance's arm, harder than necessary, of course. Days ago, her words would've been nothing but cryptic to him, but he had figured it out. He asserted himself as she advised.

"Don't tell me you were involved in the sleeping around part of the drama." He brought up, killing any possibility of meaningless small talk.

"Oh, trust me, I was the centerpiece."

"Of course you were." Terrance mimicked the displeasure on Felicity's face, judgemental in a way he never thought he would be with his eyebrow raised as if to question the red-haired senior's motives. Not that it was a questionable move coming from the spontaneous girl. Fun was fun in the eyes of someone like Lucy, no matter the immoral implications.

It reminded him of the previous night he spent with his own immoral angel. Ambrosia was gonna have fun with him, she swore to leave scars, and for a moment, the thought made his day more bearable.

"And you, don't tell me you're still walking eggshells around my beloved Rosia."

"No. As a matter of fact, I confessed."

The gasp Lucy let out was heard throughout the theater, a visual of her soul momentarily leaving her body clear in Terrance's viewpoint. Perhaps he really didn't have any balls in the past to be garnering such intense reactions.

"No way! You're not just joking around, right?"

He shook his head in disagreement and watched as sparks flew from Lucy's eyes.

"No way!" She gasped and repeated herself, "No fuckin' way!"

"What are you two talking about?"

The prodigy turned towards the source of the voice, not expecting their newest intruder.

Nikolas. Terrance recognized the older student. There was no other indicator of his identity, other than the atmosphere he brought about. An air of authority and flawlessness followed him everywhere his heels clacked against, eyes sharp and watching like a feline's, sharpened nails dictating whether or not the smallest details would be allowed on the stage.

His gaze was suffocating, but Lucy seemed to thrive in it, having gotten used to the anarchic ecosystem that was the theater club.

"Oh! Hi, Nikolas. We weren't talking about anything important. This is Terrance, he's a year under us." Lucy was impressively quick to answer, pulling the prodigy closer to her side with reckless abandon. It was a clumsy gesture that caused the two to bump against each other. Whether prompted by anxiety or excitement, Terrance couldn't tell.

"You sound surprisingly normal." The junior mumbled, careful not to let the theater club's most esteemed member hear.

"What? I've always talked like that."

"I'm Nikolas, the director of the theater club. It's nice finally meeting you Terrance, I've heard so much about you."

"Oh, uh.." The gray-eyed heir stiffened, his instincts flaring, yelling at him to either pounce at the senior or rush towards the pretentious doors of their academy's theater.

Terrance let the embarrassment sink in, realizing how ruffled up he was getting from a measly introduction. No one could blame him, the theater director had a way of controlling whatever and whoever crossed his territory. In that case, Terrance had walked straight into the theater club's grounds, presenting himself as mouthwatering prey willing to be devoured.

"It's nice to meet you too." He finished for himself, fidgeting as he reached out to shake Nikolas' hands, friendliness forced, gestures hilariously awkward.

"You're more gorgeous than the rumors made you out to be. Taller as well." A catty grin formed itself on the director's face, aura more menacing than mischievous. Lucy seemed to have noticed because she was walking out of the scene seconds after, remembering out of nowhere that she was asked to retrieve something.

The way Nikolas appraised him like he was a product displayed on top of silver shelves was unsettling.

"I'm flattered. Your work is commendable. Much more professional and astounding than what one would expect from a high school theater club." Terrance said politely, trying to steer the attention from his looks.

The theater director seemed to take offense at his words, grip tightening around Terrance's hand. The younger student's discomfort only grew, something Nikolas noticed when he let go, enjoyment heightening. "Of course, I'm just trying to live up to those who came before me. The academy has a rather valued history in theater."

"That's good to know." Terrance quipped, unsure of himself.

"Say, Terrance darling, have you ever done acting in your life?"

The prodigy shook his head, "No." Acting was a bit of a leap. He'd been struggling to fit into ordinary social situations just days ago. There was no way he could deliver a convincing performance as a complex fictional character in his life.

"That's unfortunate. I was just thinking of how perfect you would have been in one of the available roles."

Terrance's eyes widened, his disbelief practically stapled on his face. "Available roles?"

"Yes, I'm sure you've heard by now that one of our actors walked out in the middle of rehearsals. An unfavorable but inevitable course of events." Malevolent eyes trailed from Terrance's arm to his face. "Your charm is frightful as much as it is captivating. Perfect for the role we currently have no actor for."

"Is this an offer?" The prodigy questioned.

"One may call it that. However, I doubt you're the type to take such risks. I wasn't even aware that you could hold a conversation this long without being disinterested."

Lucy was right about one thing—Terrance held no love for theater. How could he when he barely understood it? And in moments where he was left with tantalizing offers others would kill for, he barely understood himself. Perhaps it was the high from the previous night's encounter or his arrogance from asserting himself that had motivated his next move.

Whatever it was, he was sure it was something theatrical spurred on by his metamorphosis.

Something he failed to understand.

"And what if I agree to it? What will I get out of it?"

Nikolas let out an amused laugh, "My, my, I've never met an actor who's thought so highly of himself."

Terrance said nothing in response, still searching his head for answers, wondering why the hell he was agreeing to such an outrageous offer.

"Alright. Meet me backstage at the dressing room. If your potential proves to be what I think it is, then you get the role. As for what you get in return..."

The dangerous man looked at him, waiting. That was when he realized the amount of power he had in the bargain, and it motivated him to push.

"Will you give up the land space for the programming club to use?"

Nikolas' laughter waltzed around the theater's air, stress evident in every chide. He seemed to be laughing more that day, but his sanity wasn't in any improved condition. "Now, my dear, why would I do that?"

"It's either extra space or an essential role. The choice is yours, director."

There was a suspenseful pause. And then, a scoff from none other than the theater club's director, "You're incredibly cocky, Hunton."

"And yet I'm the only one you've approved of so far."

Nikolas waved his hand in the air, already quite riled up. "Alright, alright. I agree to the terms and conditions of this deal. Just get your ass in the dressing room right now before I regret my decision."