The sun streamed through the classroom windows, casting long, golden rays across Ria's desk as she stared down at her notebook. Equations blurred before her eyes, the jumble of numbers and letters refusing to make sense. She sighed, resting her chin in her hand and tapping her pencil absentmindedly against the paper.
It was the calm before the storm. Prelims were just around the corner, and even though she had promised herself she'd focus, her mind kept drifting back to the drama room, to the stage, to the endless rehearsals for The Last Hour.
She glanced over at Olivia, who was sitting next to her, furiously scribbling in her notebook. "Are you actually understanding any of this?" Ria asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Olivia didn't look up, her pencil still flying across the page. "Are you kidding? No. I'm just writing random numbers and praying Ms. Reyes will save us from the evils of math."
Ria laughed, feeling some of the tension ease from her shoulders. Leave it to Olivia to make her forget, even for a moment, about the looming exams and the guilt that had been sitting in her chest since the last rehearsal.
The guilt Ms. Reyes had jokingly reminded them all about.
The drama room had been filled with the usual energy yesterday—buzzing with excitement, everyone talking over each other about lighting cues, costumes, and blocking—when Ms. Reyes had made her announcement.
"Alright, everyone, gather up!" Ms. Reyes had said, clapping her hands to get their attention. "We need to have a serious talk."
Everyone had quieted down, turning their focus to her, though there were still a few murmurs of excitement about the upcoming district competition. Ria had been standing next to Kael, still riding the high of their successful rehearsal.
But Ms. Reyes' tone had been lighter than usual, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"We're going to have to scale back rehearsals a bit," she'd said, and immediately there were groans and complaints. "Hey, don't give me that. I'm sure you all remember what happened last time."
The room had gone silent. Ria felt her stomach twist. Oh no.
Ms. Reyes raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know—last time when half of you nearly flunked your prelims because you were too focused on rehearsals and forgot that you still have academics to worry about?"
A ripple of laughter spread through the room, but Ria couldn't shake the flash of guilt that shot through her. She had been one of those students. Sure, she hadn't exactly flunked, but she had definitely skirted dangerously close to failing.
"Don't look so guilty, Ria!" Olivia had called out, laughing as she elbowed Ria playfully. "We all know you were just too busy writing genius scripts to care about physics."
Ria had tried to laugh it off, but the reminder lingered. Ms. Reyes had only been half-joking when she told them they couldn't afford any more close calls. So, for the next week, they were cutting rehearsals down to three days instead of five, and everyone was under strict orders to focus on studying.
"I don't want to hear that anyone's failed anything," Ms. Reyes had said with a mock-serious tone. "Or you'll be running extra lines until your grades come back up."
Now, sitting in class with Olivia by her side, Ria couldn't help but feel the weight of that playful threat. She had tried to study—really, she had. But it was hard to concentrate on balancing chemical equations when her mind kept wandering back to the play, to the stage, to the tension between Kael and Ethan, and how it would all play out once the competition hit.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she discreetly pulled it out, glancing at the screen under the desk.
Group Chat: Drama Dorks
Alex: "Physics is the real villain in The Last Hour."
Olivia: "Right?? Why can't we have a fun villain like Jack Caldwell? At least his evil makes sense."
Ethan: "I'm with you on that. Who invented prelims, anyway?"
Kael: "Someone who hates drama kids, obviously."
Ria snorted, quickly typing a response.
Ria: "Prelims were definitely designed to keep us from achieving our dreams. I'm sure of it."
She put her phone away just as the teacher turned back toward the class, scribbling more equations on the board. The lesson dragged on, her mind still wandering, though it helped knowing she wasn't the only one suffering through the academic slog.
Later that afternoon, after classes had ended, Ria found herself in the school courtyard with Olivia and Alex, sitting under one of the big oak trees. It had become a sort of ritual for them lately—taking a break from everything to hang out and just talk. No pressure, no rehearsals, no tests.
"Well," Olivia said, flopping onto the grass dramatically, "we survived another day of academia. Barely."
Ria lay down beside her, staring up at the sky through the branches. "I still don't understand how I'm supposed to remember all the physics formulas. It's like a second language."
"Try third," Alex chimed in from where they were sitting, leaning against the tree with their sketchbook. "I'm still trying to figure out why they won't let us bring cheat sheets. How is that not helping us learn?"
Olivia sighed loudly, flinging her arms out dramatically. "What's the point of studying when we're clearly destined for greatness on stage?"
Ria laughed, turning her head to look at Olivia. "I think we're supposed to pass prelims first. Then we can win our Tony Awards."
Alex nodded sagely. "Yeah, the path to Broadway is paved with good grades."
The three of them laughed, the sound light and easy, filling the quiet afternoon. For a moment, Ria let herself relax. These moments were rare, especially with everything happening in the drama club lately. It was easy to get caught up in the stress of the play, the competition, and even Kael's struggles. But right now, under the shade of the oak tree, with her friends by her side, she felt like a normal high schooler.
"Speaking of Tony Awards," Olivia said, rolling onto her side to face Ria and Alex, "what's everyone's study plan for the weekend? Or are we just gonna wing it like last time?"
Alex grinned. "I was thinking about doing a last-minute cram session the night before, fueled by caffeine and panic. It worked for midterms."
Olivia gasped dramatically. "How dare you! We're supposed to be responsible students now. Ms. Reyes is counting on us!"
Ria snickered. "She did cut rehearsals so we wouldn't all fail again."
Olivia groaned. "Ugh, I hate it when she's right. Okay, fine. I'll actually study. But only because I want to avoid being lectured again."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Is that why? Or because you want to stay on her good side so you can suggest even more lighting effects for the final scene?"
Olivia grinned mischievously. "A girl's gotta have goals."
Ria shook her head, smiling as she listened to her friends banter. As much as she loved the drama club, as much as she cared about the play, these moments reminded her that there was more to life than the stage. There was friendship, laughter, and the simple joy of hanging out after school, lying under the trees and pretending that physics wasn't waiting for them just around the corner.
"I'll study," Ria said finally, sighing. "But only because if I don't, Olivia will drag me down with her."
Olivia gasped, placing a hand over her heart. "Betrayed! After everything we've been through together!"
Alex laughed. "Don't worry. We'll get through this. And then we'll crush the competition at districts. One thing at a time."
Ria smiled to herself, feeling lighter than she had in days. For now, the stress of the play could wait. They had prelims to survive first.
And maybe, just maybe, they'd come out on top of that too.