Gathering the Cast

The bell shrieked overhead, cutting through the buzz of conversation and slamming everyone back into the reality of their first day. Ria watched Kael as he stuffed the freshly edited script into his bag with the same nonchalant grace he always had, like he wasn't carrying the entire weight of the drama club on his shoulders.

"Don't worry," he grinned, catching her eye as he stood up. "We'll talk through the changes later. First practice's after school, right?"

Ria nodded, biting back the questions stuck on her tongue. His voice was a little too light, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. Something about him felt off, like he was wearing his confidence today instead of it flowing naturally from him.

"Yeah," she managed, slinging her own bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you there."

He gave her a lazy salute and disappeared through the door, the easy charm of Kael pulling a few stray greetings from people as he passed. As soon as he was gone, the room felt a little smaller. Less electric.

"Doesn't he look a little..." Alex's voice drifted in from behind her as they fiddled with one of the lighting fixtures, their hands moving in precise, controlled motions.

"A little what?" Ria asked, turning to them, though she already had an idea what Alex was thinking.

Alex shrugged, stepping back to assess their work, but there was a knowing edge to their silence. "Tired. He's been pushing himself pretty hard lately, right?"

Ria chewed the inside of her cheek. It wasn't just Kael's dedication to the drama club or the hours he spent working on scenes, rehearsing lines. Kael had always been like that—driven, passionate. But Alex was right. There was something in the way he moved, a kind of fatigue that even Kael's larger-than-life energy couldn't fully mask.

Ria opened her mouth to agree but then stopped herself. It wasn't her place to speculate—at least, not out loud. Kael hadn't said anything. Maybe this was just a bad first day. Everyone had them. She nodded, more to herself than Alex, and grabbed her bag.

"I'm sure he's fine," she said, though it came out more as a question than a statement.

Alex didn't argue. They just gave her a quiet glance, one eyebrow raised as if to say, Are you sure?

But Ria wasn't sure of anything right now, except that the first day of senior year already felt heavier than she had expected.

The end of the school day arrived faster than Ria expected, but her stomach churned with nervous energy as she made her way back to the drama room for practice. The hallway leading to the room was already alive with the familiar mix of laughter, banter, and the occasional outburst as people reunited after the long summer break. It felt like stepping into another world—the drama club had always been its own kind of bubble, separate from the rest of the school.

"Ria!" Olivia waved as soon as she saw her, motioning her over. "We're just about to start. Ms. Reyes is running late, but she'll be here any second."

Ria gave a small nod and headed toward their usual corner of the room, where Olivia had already laid out a few script drafts. She glanced at the group—a handful of faces that had been with the drama club since the start, all of them loyal and talented, but nowhere near the numbers they needed for the state championship play.

"We're still short on people, huh?" Ria murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

Olivia let out a sigh, overhearing as she dropped into the chair next to her. "Yeah, it's not great. We lost a couple of seniors last year, and now we don't have enough bodies to fill the cast for the play we want to do. That's why Kael's pushing for this audition next week."

Ria nodded slowly. The club had always had its core group, but they needed fresh faces, especially for the ambitious production Kael had planned for this year. He was aiming big—bigger than any of them had before—and he needed a cast that could carry it. But as she scanned the room, it was clear they weren't there yet.

"Think we'll get enough people?" Ria asked, her fingers absently tracing the edge of one of the scripts.

Olivia flashed a hopeful smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "If anyone can make it happen, it's Kael. You know how he is. He could probably convince half the football team to audition if he wanted to."

That made Ria smile, if only for a second. Kael did have that effect on people—his enthusiasm was infectious, pulling people in even when they didn't expect it. It was part of what made him such a strong leader, but it was also why Ria's stomach twisted at the thought of something being wrong with him. If Kael wasn't at his best, if something was really off, what would that mean for the rest of them?

The door swung open, and Kael appeared, his entrance just as effortless as it had been that morning. He strolled in with his signature grin, though this time Ria was prepared for it—the careful performance she could see in his posture, the energy that didn't quite feel real. He clapped his hands together as he crossed the room, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Alright, folks, let's get down to business," Kael called out, his voice booming with that familiar theatrical flair. "We've got an audition to plan, and we're gonna need all the talent we can get if we're going to pull this off. This year is big. We've got regionals, states—hell, we're aiming for nationals."

He said it like it was a guarantee, like he believed they could reach the stars if they just stretched high enough. But Ria caught the small pause in his speech, the hesitation that crept in just for a split second before he flashed that grin again.

Olivia jumped in, ever the efficient stage manager. "I've already started posting the flyers around school, and I'm working on a few social media posts to get the word out. But we should probably talk through who we're looking for specifically. Do we need more leads? Ensemble? Tech?"

Kael's eyes flicked over the group, and for the first time since he'd walked in, his confidence seemed to waver just slightly. He rubbed the back of his neck, something he only did when he was thinking hard or avoiding something uncomfortable.

"We'll need everything," Kael said finally, his voice a bit softer now. "Leads, supporting roles, stage crew. We're running on a skeleton crew right now, and that's not going to cut it if we want to make it to states."

Ria's eyes followed him as he paced a bit, gesturing with his hands like he was physically trying to will more people into the room. She could feel it—the weight he was carrying, the pressure he was putting on himself to make this year the year. But it was too much, wasn't it? Even for him.

"Kael, what if we—" Ria started, but he cut her off with a wave.

"We'll be fine," he said, sharper than usual. Then, catching himself, he smiled again, softer this time. "We'll make it work. We always do."

Ria bit her lip and glanced at Olivia, who was staring at her clipboard like it held the answer to all their problems. Everyone else was chattering now, throwing out suggestions for where to recruit new members—people from the choir, maybe some students from the art department who might want to try acting for the first time. But the low hum of doubt buzzed in Ria's mind.

Just as the room started to feel tense, the door opened again, and Ms. Reyes walked in, her presence immediately grounding the group. She was in her usual crisp, button-up blouse, with a stack of papers tucked under one arm and a warm but no-nonsense expression on her face.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone," she said, setting the papers down on the nearest table. "Let's talk auditions."

Kael straightened up, his grin returning. "Perfect timing, Ms. Reyes. We were just discussing how to get enough people in for this production."

Ms. Reyes nodded, her eyes sweeping over the group. "Good, because we'll need to cast a wide net. I know this play is ambitious, but if any group can pull it off, it's this one." She gave Kael a knowing look, one that seemed to say, I'm trusting you.

She turned her attention to Olivia. "You've got flyers posted?"

Olivia nodded quickly. "Yeah, they're up all around school. We're aiming for auditions next Wednesday, right?"

"Exactly," Ms. Reyes confirmed. "And we're going to need to pull in people from outside the usual crowd. Don't be afraid to recruit. Everyone starts somewhere, and we've got the time to work with anyone willing to learn."

Ria watched the conversation unfold, her mind wandering back to Kael. He was nodding along, agreeing with Ms. Reyes, but there was a slight glaze over his eyes, like he wasn't fully present. He leaned against one of the desks, his arms folded across his chest, a picture of casual leadership. But Ria knew him too well to miss the tension in his shoulders, the tired set of his jaw.

Her heart sank a little. He was pushing himself too hard.

As the discussion turned to logistics—who would be running auditions, how they'd divvy up the roles—Ria found herself drifting, her eyes lingering on Kael. The room buzzed around her, voices rising and falling as plans were made, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was shifting. That something bigger was looming, just out of reach.

"We'll figure it out," Olivia said beside her, noticing Ria's distant look. "We always do."

Ria forced a small smile, but inside, the unease only grew. She nodded absently, but her mind was already elsewhere, piecing together the fragments of something she couldn't yet name.

She glanced back at Kael, who was laughing now, cracking some joke about how they'd need a miracle to find enough people for the chorus. But behind his laughter, there it was again—the crack, the weight he wasn't letting anyone see.

Ria wasn't sure how, but she knew. This year wasn't going to be like the others.