"What is this?" Kayla eyed all the food Louisa set down on the table and the ones she was still bringing from the kitchen.
"You missed your class because of me, so I thought I could make it up to you by preparing your breakfast amongst other things." Louisa sat on the chair opposite her in the dining room.
The dining room was a round table with about four chairs inside the kitchen.
"You don't need to repay me for taking care of you, Loui. It's what friends do and I know you'd do the same for me."
"So you're saying that the trip I planned for us to go to the Isis resort should be canceled?" She asked, a knowing look in her eyes.
"What!? The Isis? The Isis? How in god's name did you get a reservation? I thought it was always closed this time of the year because of the holidays!?" Kayla's eyes widened, her mouth agape.
"Daniel and Rory wanted to go there, you know, couple things." The two friends sighed dreamingly. "Then I asked Rory if we could come and if Daniel would let us come and she said yes!"
"Oh my god! We are going to the Isis!?" Kay jumped up from her seat and grabbed Louisa's hands shaking them excitedly.
"Yes, we are!"
"You, me and snow and massages and waking up to the most magnificent view in a presidential suite!" She paced the room, a fulfilled expression on her face as she spoke.
"Well…."
She stopped in her tracks, "Well what?"
Louisa was biting her fingers which Kay knew was not a good sign.
"Loui? What is the problem?"
"So… Rory might have blabbed and told her other friends, Siao and Asher that Daniel knew the owner of the resort and they decided to come. Then Siao told her boyfriend, Tyler who told Nate, who told Oliver and I told Blaire and..."
"Slow down. Oliver, Oliver Wilde is coming to the resort?" She honestly didn't care about the others that were coming because they were Rory's friends but him?
When she woke up this morning, her room was organized and clean. And the only other person in the house was him!
She blamed all that happened yesterday on the exhaustion because she would have never let him in her house and be in the same space as him. Oliver made her uneasy fifty percent of the time and the other fifty he made her annoyed as hell.
"Cancel the trip! We are not going!" She said firmly.
"What? What do you mean we aren't going? Louisa stood up, glaring at Kay.
"See this was what Rory and I were worried about."
"What are you talking about?" she folded her arms across her chest.
"Your fights with Oliver! Now you want to miss out on the one trip we've both wanted to go on for almost a decade because of him! I will not stand for this! We are going and both of you will behave like the responsible adults you are, do you hear me?" When Loui was fierce, it was more frightening than her anger.
Her brows would raise, her head inclined forward with narrow eyes as she threatened the poor unfortunate soul. In this case, she was the poor unfortunate soul.
Kayla grumbled and Louisa asked daring her to repeat what she said loudly, "Did you say something?"
"No, no, no." She faked a smile and sat down to finish her breakfast. Breakfast that was ruined because of Oliver freaking Wilde!
She was grateful he fed her and helped with Louisa but she didn't like being around him one bit.
After her morning routine, she grabbed her tote bag and headed out. "I'm going to rehearsals, Loui!"
"Okay!" came Louisa's reply.
Kayla was rehearsing for the last play her class would put on. Not just for the entire school but for outsiders. It was a big deal because scouting agents, directors, and execs would be coming to see them perform which everyone was excited for.
Fortunately, the playwrights which included her chose to make the play an original ensemble musical project.
It would take place over four days and the tension was thick as she stepped into the auditorium.
The play was in May and they had started rehearsing towards the end of their junior year.
The lighting crew, sound team, and stage design people were running around on stage.
Kayla entered the auditorium, her footsteps echoing softly in the vast space. The ceiling arched high above, adorned with delicate lights that cast a soft glow over the room. Rows of plush, red velvet seats stretched out before her in a semi-circular arrangement, each angled perfectly toward the grand stage that dominated the far end. The polished wooden floors of the stage gleamed under the spotlight, reflecting the flurry of activity—lighting crews adjusting their rigs, sound teams running checks, and cast members milling around, each preparing for their roles.
The stage was enormous, large enough to host the most elaborate performances. Tall velvet curtains, drawn back for now, framed the performance area. Above, a network of catwalks hinted at the complexity of the production, while backstage was hidden from view, offering a sense of mystery about the set pieces and props waiting for their moment. The acoustics in the auditorium were impeccable; every small sound reverberated, crisp and clear.
"Kayla!"
"Maya!" She exclaimed when she saw the one who called out to her. The girl had Fox-like brown eyes and brunette hair. She was a bit shorter than Kayla but slimmer.
Maya ran to Kay's side and hooked her arms with hers. She carried a duffel bag and wore leisure clothes like Kayla.
It would be another month or two before they used the official clothes to rehearse.
"Gosh, I'm so happy that the one-month break is over!" She gushed.
"Shouldn't you be happy that the director has been discharged from the hospital, Maya?" Under Kay's protruding eyes, she smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah. That too. Anyways how have you been? I haven't been able to see you around campus lately."
"I'm good, you? How was your summer trip to Korea? Did you get to see your grandma?"
"It was so much fun and I have plenty to tell you!" Her eyes brightened. "We have to have lunch, today so we can catch up on each other's lives."
"Sure!" They smiled at each other, arriving before the grand stage.
The girls were divided into groups. Some were stretching, others did vocal exercises and the rest practiced their lines while Kay discussed with the other playwrights.
"Did you guys hear?" One of the girls in the stretching group questioned in a hushed tone but since they were very close to Kay, she heard.
"Wyatt Hudson has a girlfriend!" her voice became loud and everyone heard it which caused gasps and squeals.
"You are not serious! Really!? Who told you that!?"
"That's not true! He can't be dating!" One girl refuted harshly.
Wyatt was the perfect boy to all the girls. Part of the top five best students in his major, the captain of the soccer team, and the heir to a business empire. Plus he was nice and charming. Everyone said so.
When Kayla heard this, she stiffened. When did he get a girlfriend? Didn't they go on a date recently?
He didn't see her on the bench so he called to ask what happened but she didn't tell him the truth. She said she wasn't home and forgot to inform him beforehand.
So who was this girlfriend? She kept talking with her group, but her ears perked up to listen.
Maya stopped her vocal warm ups and went to the group of girls gossiping.
"Where did you guys get the news from?" she eyed them.
"His best friend, Aiden posted a picture of Wyatt in a nice tux with the caption, 'You know he's gone when he wears his hair like Leo Di Caprio.'"
Kayla didn't know if she should amused or weirded out because the girl recited the post by heart. She couldn't act all righteous since she was a stalker too.
"So he's taken! Oh my god! My heart!"
Another girl clamored.
"Oh dakchyeo! (shut up) You never stood a chance with him in the first place!"
"Maya!" The girls groaned. "We don't say things like that with all your k-drama crushes!"
"Because I'm the perfect blend of delulu and self-awareness." She raised her chin with a wide smile.
"Liar! The perfect blend as in where you shaved your head because BTS would have to shave their heads when they enlisted in military service!" Someone called her out and the other girls giggled.
"You guys are so annoying!" she huffed.
Kayla took out her phone when the other playwrights dispersed and checked if it was true. It was the same tux he wore on their date. His Sapphire eyes shone, lips curved up into a drool-worthy smile.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her mind wondered, not her, how Oliver would fare in a suit or a tux. Would it hug him like Wyatt or would he look like an asshole?
Dress a pig, Wash a pig and a pig would remain a pig. The same went for Oliver.
"Enough gossip, let's start!" The director clapped her hands, her curly hair in a bun and her caramel skin matched her eyes.
"Director!" All the girls flocked to hug her or hurdle around the ones hugging her.
"Let go of me you brats! You almost got me kicked out of the hospital with the hundreds of gifts I received every other week!" The woman scolded them with a scowl but they all knew she wasn't serious.
"I'm serious, we have to begin! The show never stops!" This time they let her go, except for Kay.
"Don't scare us like that, Bianca!" Her grip on her tightened. She was in her early-forties and Kay adored her more than anything.
"Hands off me you prat!"
"Hogwash!" Kay let her go with a smile,
"I would make a deal with the devil in everyone to show everyone that I would Never, Ever, get back to you!"
She sang beautifully but the last sentence came out strained because of her being out of breath.
Her clothes stuck to her skin, and her hair in a messy bun had a lot of strands out, as she whipped her head to the side, hands on her waist dramatically.
"Stop!" Bianca shouted, her legs crossed and she shook her head. Everyone sat behind her, holding their breaths.
Kay fanned herself, wiping her sweat off her face.
"You know what you did wrong?"
Kay nodded. "I was a little bit off on the last note."
"Because you have terrible breath control. That's why this is your only musical number but I need you to strengthen your core or I'll remove you from the play."
"I know but it's very hard to sustain it because of the belting on the never and ever, Director."
"Not an excuse. I'm sure Maya would take this place and crush it without a second thought. Would you like for Maya to have it?" Maya froze, embarrassment flushing her face.
She turned to Maya, "Would you take the role?"
Kayla's fists clenched. Bianca always did this and she understood it was to push her but it still hurt.
She wanted to say something when the door to the auditorium opened and five boys entered.
They all turned their attention to the back of the auditorium and murmurs and squeals rang out.
Kay lifted her head and her eyes met azure eyes. "Wyatt?"