Chapter: 7
The morning sun peeked gently through the curtains as Rachel grabbed her schoolbag.
"I'm heading out early today," she told Millie. "I want to study a bit at the library before class. Don't worry, I'll help you tonight with whatever you need, okay? See you at school, Mill."
"Okay, bye!" Millie smiled, waving as Rachel walked out the door.
The week passed slowly. Millie couldn't help but notice how Alex had been completely ignoring her. Ted, too, seemed distant. Though she tried not to dwell on it, a quiet thought crept into her mind—Maybe it's just the pressure of the exams.
Eventually, exam week came to an end, and with it came relief and celebration. As was tradition, the school prepared for a spring festival to mark the new season. Students bustled with energy, excited to participate in the annual event.
Rachel and Ted, though in the same grade, were in different sections—Rachel in A/B and Ted in A/C. For the festival, their homeroom teachers had decided to combine both classes. When Rachel walked into Ted's classroom, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Now that everyone is here," the teacher said, "class representative, please lead the discussion on what your group would like to do for the festival. You have thirty minutes."
Rachel stepped forward confidently. "If anyone has an idea, feel free to share it with the class."
Kyle leaned over to Ted with a teasing grin. "Yo, isn't that your girl, Rachel?"
Ted flushed. "Wait—what? No, she's not my girl! Well… not yet," he muttered.
Kyle chuckled, clearly up to something. "I've got an idea," he said, standing up.
Ted narrowed his eyes. "What are you going to do?"
Kyle cleared his throat and proposed a theatre performance. The class responded with enthusiasm.
Rachel nodded. "If everyone agrees, we'll go with that. Now, we need to select our main characters—one girl and one boy. Each class can nominate someone."
Kyle smirked. "How about this? Your class chooses the girl, and ours chooses the guy. Fair?"
Rachel glanced around. "If there are no objections, then we'll proceed like that."
From her class, someone quickly nominated Rachel as the female lead, and the room erupted in support. She blushed in surprise.
Taking full advantage of the moment, Kyle shouted, "Then I nominate Ted for the male lead!"
Ted turned to him, flustered. "Seriously? Why would you do that?"
"You'll thank me later," Kyle winked.
The room burst into applause, encouraging Ted and Rachel to stand together. The two exchanged a shy glance as the class continued to cheer for their pairing.
Meanwhile, in Millie's class, a different plan was brewing. The students decided to host a concert, especially since Alex could play guitar. Though Alex wasn't thrilled, he changed his mind when he noticed Millie's eyes light up at the idea.
Eventually, the teacher proposed a compromise: the class would run a small cake shop during the festival, and Alex would perform with the school's music group at the end of the event.
Roles were assigned quickly. Millie, eager to contribute, volunteered to design the cake shop banner and serve as a waitress.
But the teacher hesitated. "Millie, I don't think you should do too much. We'll find something less strenuous for you. For now, brainstorm popular cake flavours. Class dismissed."
"That's not fair," Millie muttered under her breath. "I wanted to help too…"
Liz gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know it's frustrating, but maybe we can find something else for you. Even a small job would mean a lot to our classmates. Right, Alex?"
Alex didn't even look up. "Why would I care? If she really wants to do something, she needs to stand up for herself instead of sulking."
His sharp words stung, but Millie sat up straighter. As he left to meet the music group, she whispered, "He's right."
She stood, determination filling her eyes. "Liz, I'm going to ask the teacher again."
Liz raised an eyebrow. "Well, look at you, full of energy again. Go on, then! Let me know how it goes—I'm going to my cram school today."
Millie approached the teacher, politely insisting that she wanted to help more. The teacher refused at first, until Alex unexpectedly walked in to register for the music club. That gave the teacher an idea.
"If you're so eager," she told Millie, "then help the music group. Keep track of their song list and attendance. It's mostly a seated job, so it should be fine."
Millie's face lit up. "Really? I can do that?"
"Yes," the teacher confirmed. "Alexander, please introduce her to the group."
As they exited the office, Millie beamed. "I can't wait to work with you!"
Alex barely responded, but when she smiled so brightly, he froze. This is why I was avoiding her, he thought, caught off guard by her radiance.
Inside the music room, Alex made the introductions. "This is Millie, from my class. She'll be supervising and taking attendance."
Then he walked off to tune his guitar.
"Hi! I'm Eddie," said the boy at the piano. "That's Dan on bass, and Shade's our drummer. We're all in class E-B."
"Nice to meet you," Millie said cheerfully. "I'm excited to work with you guys! I hope I won't be a burden."
"Don't worry," Eddie replied. "We're not exactly a famous band. We're still missing a singer, so we're doing our best for this festival. It's not on you if things don't go perfectly."
"A singer?" Millie tilted her head. "But Alex can sing."
Three heads turned. "What? Really?" they chorused.
"He plays guitar well, but he can sing, too."
Before she could continue, Alex quickly guided her to the door. "That's enough for today. You can go home now."
"Okay, okay—no need to chase me out!" Millie laughed. "Bye, everyone. See you tomorrow!"
Once the door closed, Eddie grinned. "So… you can sing?"
Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "Just a little. I don't really sing in front of people."
"Well, time to try!" Shade grinned. "Let's play something now!"
—
That night, Millie recounted everything to Rachel and her dad.
"I got assigned to the music club! I met Eddie, Dan, and Shade—and I'll be helping during rehearsals!"
Rachel chuckled. "Sounds like you had fun. As for me, I'm somehow the lead in a mini-play. And guess what? I'm paired with Ted."
Millie blinked. "Stop smiling for a moment and think about it. That might bring you two closer…"
Rachel's smile faded slightly. "I guess so. It's strange how things turned out. I should be studying, not acting. I never do anything this time of year."
"Well," Millie teased, "not this year. I'm heading to bed."
"You sure? I'm cutting apples."
"I'm good. Good night!"
"Night."
—
The next day, the whole school buzzed with activity. Rachel and Ted rehearsed lines while their classmates built the stage and sorted costumes.
Rachel burst into laughter. "Why are you so bad at this?"
Ted pouted. "I'm not! Just give me a second! Stop laughing!"
They mimicked each other and laughed until they cried. A few classmates looked on in surprise—Rachel, the quiet and serious girl, was laughing for the first time.
As she noticed their eyes, Rachel composed herself and refocused on her lines. Still, the glow of happiness remained on her face.
Kyle, watching from nearby, smirked. His plan was working.
Elsewhere, the music club was hard at work choosing songs.
"Any ideas?" Alex asked.
Eddie shrugged. "We've never had a singer before, so no real plans."
"You get to choose," Shade added.
After some discussion, they decided on two songs: one popular track everyone knew, and one original piece written by Alex himself.
Though Millie tried to help more, Alex wouldn't allow it. "You've done enough," he said, gently pushing her back toward their classroom. "Help your class instead."
Even so, Millie walked away smiling, grateful to be part of something special for the first time.
I can't wait.