The Quiet Script

Ria woke up to the dull thrum of rain against her window, a sound that seemed to pull her eyelids back with the gentlest insistence. She blinked at the gray morning, her mind still fogged with sleep, but the steady patter on the glass reminded her that summer was officially over. Today was the start of senior year. The thought sent a ripple of something—nervous excitement?—through her chest.

She rolled onto her side and grabbed her phone from the nightstand, squinting at the time. 6:45 AM. She'd planned to get up earlier, but the extra fifteen minutes wouldn't kill her. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, feet brushing the cool wooden floor as she glanced at her desk, cluttered with pens, old notebooks, and a stack of plays she hadn't finished reading.

There, at the top, was the script.

Her fingers itched to grab it, to make just one more edit before the first day back. But she didn't have time. She could hear the muffled chaos already starting downstairs—her mom bustling in the kitchen, one of her siblings yelling for their lost backpack, and the unmistakable sound of cereal clattering against a bowl.

With a resigned sigh, she padded across the room to her closet. A hoodie, jeans, and sneakers were her standard armor, blending in like a background character in someone else's story. She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, glanced at herself in the mirror, and frowned. Her eyes lingered on the faint dark circles beneath her eyes, the result of one too many late nights spent tweaking lines of dialogue no one would even notice.

But Kael would notice.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of him, the way his sharp blue eyes seemed to light up whenever she handed him a new draft, as if he could see the life she was pouring into every word. She shook the thought away, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs.

The kitchen was alive with movement. Her siblings darted around the small space, one reaching for the toaster, the other wrestling with his coat. Her mom was halfway through packing lunch bags, shouting reminders between bites of toast.

"Ria, don't forget your lunch!" her mom called over the din, waving a brown paper bag toward her.

"I've got it, thanks," Ria mumbled, tucking the lunch into her backpack and slipping out the front door before she could get caught in the whirlwind of last-minute chaos.

The rain had turned to a light drizzle by the time she made it to the bus stop. The air smelled fresh, like wet pavement and the beginnings of autumn. Ria tilted her head up, letting a few cool droplets land on her cheeks as she closed her eyes for a moment. She needed this—just a few seconds of quiet before the day began in full.

The bus arrived with a hiss of brakes, and Ria climbed aboard, nodding to a few familiar faces but making her way to her usual seat near the back. She liked the view from there, watching the world outside blur into soft streaks of color as the bus rattled along. It gave her time to think, to let her mind drift to the upcoming day.

First day back. That meant new classes, awkward reintroductions with people she barely spoke to over the summer, and the inevitable swarm of first-day gossip. But more importantly, it meant the drama club was back. A soft smile crept onto her lips as she thought of the dusty old room behind the auditorium, the familiar faces, and the sense of belonging that always took root there.

And Kael.

By the time the bus pulled into the school parking lot, the drizzle had stopped, leaving behind damp sidewalks and a cool breeze. She stepped off, slinging her bag over her shoulder and weaving through the clusters of students, their voices buzzing like static. She caught bits of conversation as she passed—plans for homecoming, complaints about summer reading, excited chatter about the new drama teacher.

Her stomach gave a small flip at the thought of Ms. Reyes. This would be her first full year with them, and Ria had heard rumors about her shaking things up, pushing them to try new, riskier productions. Ria wasn't sure if she should be excited or terrified.

As she approached the drama room, she heard the hum of voices ahead. The door was propped open, and inside, the familiar smell of old curtains and stage makeup hit her like a wave. A few early arrivals were already scattered around—Olivia, of course, busy organizing a stack of scripts with her usual meticulous energy, and Alex, adjusting the lighting equipment with their quiet, focused intensity.

"Hey, Ria!" Olivia waved her over without looking up. "We're doing a quick read-through in a bit. Kael said you'd have some new pages for him."

Ria nodded, her fingers instinctively curling around the straps of her bag. "Yeah, I've got a couple of changes I think he'll like. Has he shown up yet?"

Olivia shook her head, finally glancing up from her papers. "Not yet, but you know Kael—he's probably making some grand entrance as we speak."

Ria smiled, though something tightened in her chest. Kael was always late, but he had a way of making it seem intentional, like the world had waited just for him. He'd walk into a room and instantly draw everyone's attention, his presence larger than life, as if he were already on stage.

She dropped her bag on a nearby chair and sank into it, taking in the room. A few more people trickled in—Noah, Maya, Sarah—voices filling the space with an electric kind of energy. It felt like home, like the place where she could just be without needing to explain herself.

But the minutes ticked by, and Kael still hadn't shown.

Ria glanced at the clock, a knot forming in her stomach. He was never this late.

Before she could dwell on it, there was a sudden commotion at the door, a burst of energy as Kael finally made his entrance. He swept into the room, damp curls falling over his forehead, his usual easy grin plastered on his face as he held up his hands in mock apology.

"Sorry, sorry! My alarm didn't go off... or maybe it did, but who can really say in the grand scheme of things?" He flashed a smile, and the tension in the room evaporated.

Everyone laughed, just like always. Kael had that way about him, a charisma that made it impossible to stay mad. He crossed the room, dropping into the seat next to Ria without missing a beat.

"Ria! You've got the magic pages, right? Can't wait to see what you've cooked up this time." His voice was warm, familiar, but Ria couldn't help but notice something—just the smallest hint of something off in his tone, like the brightness wasn't entirely real.

She nodded, pulling the pages from her bag and handing them to him. "Yeah. It's mostly just some adjustments to the second act. Let me know what you think."

Kael took them, his fingers brushing hers for just a second longer than usual, and something flickered in his eyes—tiredness, maybe? Or was she imagining it?

"Looks great," he said, glancing over the pages. "We're going to crush it this year. State championships, here we come."

Ria smiled, but her mind lingered on that moment, that flicker. She wanted to believe everything was fine, that Kael was the same as always. But something about the way he held the pages—like they were heavier than they should be—made her wonder.

Maybe this year was going to be different after all.