Truth (pt. 7)

Hello Guardians!

(I’m actually getting this up within a reasonable amount of time. Wow.)

Anyway, I’m back with another installment of Truth! I hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the previous chapters to refresh your memory!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter 7: Friendship

Everything went smoothly before the play. Scarlet and I went to all the dress rehearsals, even though we only had to attend a couple for our roles.. Scarlet was a really great friend you know. She had absolutely no interest in acting, She was an artist. The only reason she auditioned was for me. I was surprised that she even got the part. It wasn’t that she was a bad actor, she just didn’t really like to be the center of attention. Meanwhile, I couldn’t wait to shine on stage.

“C’mon, let’s just practice our lines one more time,” Scarlet begged, clearly nervous.

“Scarlet!” I laughed. “We’ve probably practiced our lines a thousand times by now. You’re going to do great.”

Scarlet frowned. 

I wasn’t really that concerned about my lines. After all, I pretty much just had to say “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” and my part was over. But, since Scarlet was so anxious about it, I agreed to practice one more time.

I remember meeting Scarlet for the first time in Second Grade. She had just moved into town, so she hadn’t made any friends yet. I saw her sitting alone at lunch, and instantly declared that we would be “best friends until the end of time.” Well, that’s been true ever since. Scarlet and I have been inseparable ever since.

After we practiced our lines, we drove to the ice cream shop. 

“We only have one day until opening night,”  Scarlet sighed, as we waited in line.

“I know!” I exclaimed. “Isn’t it exciting?”

“Yeah,” Scarlet replied. “We’ve been dreaming of this since middle school, haven’t we?”

In middle school, we both found out that our favorite actress had gotten her start in high school plays. We both vowed to play in at least one play while we were in high school. Scarlet never had the heart to tell me that she’d lost interest in that dream long ago, but I could tell my best friend wasn’t as excited as I was. 

We grabbed our ice cream cones and sat down.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” I sighed.

“Do what?” Scarlet played dumb. “Eat this ice cream cone? Because you are definitely not getting it.” She laughed.

“That’s not what I mean. I know you don’t like acting as much as I do. You should follow your dreams, not mine.” I replied.

“Look Lexi, it’s okay! I think it would be fun to act in a play,” Scarlet smiled.

“Okay, but promise me this,” I began. “After this play is over, we’re both taking an art class.”

“No!” Scarlet retorted. A scoop of ice cream fell on the pavement.

“Scarlet, you’re incredibly talented! You have to know that by now!” I cried.

“Yeah, try telling my parents that,” Scarlet groaned.

“What?” I asked.

Scarlet’s parents were like my second family. I was over at their house almost more than at my own. They knew about my family’s monetary situation, but they were polite about it, and tried to help out as much as they could. Scarlet’s mom sometimes snuck a $20 bill in my bag when I was over there, and she always wanted Scarlet to pay for our meals whenever we went out. That didn’t stop me from sticking money in Scarlet’s bag whenever I could. I knew I’d never be able to repay her and her family for everything they’d given me, but I tried to help out whenever I could. I couldn’t imagine Scarlet’s parents not supporting her.

“They think that I need to spend less time drawing and more time studying. That I’ll never be able to get a ‘real job’ in art,” Scarlet dejectedly explained. 

“Scarlet,” I began. Her face was red and her eyes started to water.

“No,” Scarlet managed. “I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me. That’s why I never told you.”

“But I can talk to them!” I protested.

“No Lexi,” Scarlet sighed. “You’ll only make it worse.”

“But, they have to see reason. There are so many careers for you to take in art!”

“Stop.” 

“No Scarlet, I am going to talk to them. They’ll listen to me!” I offered.

“I said stop! This is my problem, and I’ll deal with it myself.” She stormed away.

“Scarlet wait!” I called after her. “I’m your ride home!”

“I’ll call an Uber,” she said, hostilly. 

We didn’t talk again until after the play.

Hm, why do I always leave you with a cliffhanger? Maybe because it’s fun!

Let me know what you think, because you guys are what keeps this series going!

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