Keeping It Together

The next day felt different, lighter somehow. Ria hadn't seen Kael all morning, but she carried their conversation from the day before with her like a small, quiet victory. She knew things weren't magically fixed—Kael was still carrying a weight that no one could fully lift for him—but there had been a shift. He had let her in, and that meant something.

When Ria finally spotted him by the lockers after the last class of the day, she felt a surge of relief. Kael was standing there, leaning against the metal doors with his bag slung over one shoulder and a small, worn notebook in his hand. His expression was thoughtful, his eyes flicking down to the pages like he was trying to remember something important.

Ria made her way over to him, her usual teasing smile already in place. "What's that, your secret to becoming 'Model Student of the Year?'"

Kael looked up, his lips twitching into a smile that was both amused and tired. "Something like that."

Ria raised an eyebrow, trying to peer over his shoulder to get a look at the journal. "C'mon, let me see. What are you writing in there? Planning your acceptance speech already?"

Kael chuckled, but the sound was softer than usual. He glanced down at the journal in his hands, flipping it closed with a small sigh. "It's not that exciting. It's just... for me."

"For you?" Ria's teasing tone faded slightly, replaced by curiosity. She hadn't seen him with a journal before, and something about the way he held it made her wonder if it had something to do with their conversation yesterday.

Kael nodded, his fingers tracing the edges of the notebook. "Yeah. I've been... having these memory lapses, you know? Forgetting little things. Sometimes bigger things. So I figured maybe writing stuff down would help keep things together. Like, if I forget something, I can at least look back and remind myself."

Ria's heart tightened. He said it so casually, like it was no big deal, but she knew better. This wasn't just about forgetting his lines during rehearsals or misplacing his keys—this was about trying to hold on to the parts of himself that were slipping away.

"Smart idea," she said, keeping her voice light but sincere. "That way, if you forget who I am, I can just point to the entry where you wrote, 'Ria's the coolest person I know.'"

Kael let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'll make sure to put that one at the top."

Ria grinned, but the lightness didn't completely erase the worry tugging at her. She glanced at the journal again, wondering how much Kael was really writing in there—how much he was holding on to with quiet desperation. But she didn't push. Instead, she just nudged him with her shoulder and nodded toward the drama room. "Ready for the meeting?"

Kael sighed, tucking the journal into his bag. "Yeah. Let's go."

The drama room was buzzing with energy when they arrived. It was the kind of chaotic, pre-rehearsal noise that always seemed to fill the space before things officially started—people chatting, shuffling scripts, talking about the upcoming competition.

Ria took her usual spot near the front, glancing around the room as everyone settled into place. Olivia was already deep in conversation with Alex about set design, gesturing wildly with her hands as she described her latest vision. Ethan, of course, was standing near the back with a few of the newer members, his usual confident grin firmly in place as he talked about something that made the others laugh.

Kael moved to the center of the room, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. The chatter died down almost immediately, the group turning their focus to him. Ria watched him closely, noticing the slight tension in his posture, the way he held himself a little too stiffly. But his voice was steady when he spoke.

"Alright, everyone. Before we jump into today's rehearsal, I wanted to take a moment to check in with all of you." He paused, his eyes sweeping the room. "The district competition is coming up fast, and I know we've been working hard. But I think it's important for us to talk about what our goals are. Why we're doing this."

Ria raised an eyebrow, intrigued. This was different. Kael wasn't usually one for long speeches—he preferred to let the work speak for itself—but something about today felt more intentional. Like he was trying to ground everyone, himself included.

"So," Kael continued, crossing his arms over his chest, "I want to hear from you. What do you want out of this? What's your goal for the competition? Is it about winning? Having fun? Pushing yourselves?"

Olivia was the first to speak, her hand shooting up before anyone else could jump in. "Aiming for the gold!" she said, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. "I mean, isn't that why we're doing this? To win? To show everyone what we've got?"

A few others nodded, murmuring in agreement. Ria wasn't surprised—Olivia had always been the competitive type, especially when it came to drama. Winning was her way of proving they had all worked hard enough.

Ethan spoke up next, his voice confident but casual. "Yeah, aiming for the top sounds good to me. If we're gonna do this, we might as well go all the way, right? What's the point of competing if you're not in it to win?"

More nods, more agreement. Ria glanced around the room, noticing how easily Ethan's words had swayed the group. He had that effect—his confidence was contagious, even when it rubbed some people the wrong way.

But not everyone was on the same page. Maya, one of the quieter members of the group, raised her hand hesitantly. "I think... I think it's about more than winning," she said softly. "I just want to enjoy it. I want to make something meaningful, something we can be proud of, no matter what happens."

A few people murmured their agreement, but the room was still leaning heavily toward the "winning" side of the argument. Ria could feel the divide growing, the tension between those who wanted to push for the gold and those who just wanted to have fun.

Kael stepped forward again, his eyes scanning the room. "Both of those goals are valid," he said, his voice calm. "But we need to be on the same page. If we're going to make it through the competition, we have to be working toward the same thing."

There was a moment of silence as everyone considered his words. Ria glanced at Kael, wondering where he stood on this. He hadn't said anything yet, but she could see the wheels turning in his mind.

Finally, he spoke. "We've got a lot of talent in this room," he said slowly. "And I believe we can aim for the gold. But we can't lose sight of why we started doing this in the first place. We have to enjoy the process, too. So let's try to strike a balance."

Olivia nodded eagerly. "Yeah, let's aim for the top but make sure we don't forget why we love doing this. It's not just about the trophy."

Ethan smirked, but didn't argue. "I'm in. As long as we're still aiming high."

The rest of the group seemed to agree, the tension easing slightly as everyone nodded in agreement. Ria smiled to herself, feeling a small sense of relief. Kael had found a way to keep everyone on track without letting the pressure overwhelm them.

As the meeting wrapped up and the group began preparing for rehearsal, Ria caught Kael's eye and gave him a small nod. He had handled it well, and she could tell he was feeling more confident—like the weight of the decision hadn't crushed him this time.

But as the rehearsal began, Ria couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. The competition was looming, the pressure mounting, and Kael's burden—though lighter for now—was still there.

And as much as she wanted to believe everything would work out, Ria knew that the real test was still to come.