Things went on smoothly after their first reading session, leaving the class in awe as they began to see the story with new depth.
"This story is seriously something else," Justin remarked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"It's not flashy or over the top, but every emotion and word hits you. It sticks in your mind."
The whole class was present, even though some had only come to observe how things would unfold. It wasn't long before the energy in the room shifted from curiosity to excitement as everyone started to brainstorm ideas for the props needed to bring the scenes to life.
Harmony, quiet as always, was there too. She had been given the task of overseeing the entire play, working closely with Patricia, who had been selected as the director.
"What's wrong?" Patricia asked, noticing Luca deep in thought as he scanned the script projected on the board.
Luca stood up, moving beside Patricia and gently taking control of the mouse. He scrolled through the script and highlighted a section that had caught his attention.
"I've been thinking about this part," he said, pointing to a particular scene.
"What if we made this moment more realistic, something that will make the audience feel they were in that moment as well?"
"Are we even allowed to do that?" someone from the back of the room questioned.
Luca shrugged with a smile.
"We can always ask for permission. Plus, if we arrange the stage just right, we could definitely make it work."
Patricia nodded in agreement, and Beatrice stood up from her seat, joining the conversation. She scrolled further down, stopping at a later part of the script.
"We could do something similar here at the end of the story," Beatrice suggested.
"It would make the whole thing feel more heartfelt, like a real emotional punch."
The class murmured in agreement, but both Luca and Beatrice turned their heads to Harmony, waiting for her input.
Harmony gave a small nod.
"That would work. Since the story jumps between different time periods, why not make those transitions more noticeable? It could serve as a reminder of what's at stake."
Luca's eyes lit up.
"That would definitely make it more meaningful," he agreed.
"So in this next scene…" Beatrice began, and the three of them delved into a discussion, their energy drawing the rest of the class into their vision for the play.
They debated over key scenes, deciding which moments needed more impact and how to make them resonate with the audience.
Patricia found herself watching from the sidelines, simply observing the way Luca and Beatrice had taken charge of the laptop, highlighting key points and scrolling through the script as they worked out the details.
Harmony gives her own input from time to time.
It was clear that their collaboration was pushing the play to new heights, and the rest of the class quietly absorbed the ideas, eager to follow their lead.
Once the discussion had wrapped up, Patricia clapped her hands, signalling the end of the session.
"Alright, I'll organize everything that was discussed today and get the updated scripts out to everyone."
Beatrice shook her head, "Actually, I think Harmony should handle the script. She knows the story better than anyone."
Luca nodded in agreement, "That's a good idea. She's the best person for the job."
Patricia smiled at Harmony, "Okay, I'm fine with that. Just send me the final version when you're done, and I'll take care of distributing it to the class and assigning the rest of the roles."
Harmony gave a small nod in response. Luca, however, couldn't help but frown slightly.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw the tiniest smile cross her lips, but before he could be sure, her usual indifferent expression had returned. He shook off the thought and smiled as Patricia dismissed the group.
"Alright, everyone, that's a wrap for today. Take care on your way home," Patricia said, her words met with cheers from the class as they eagerly gathered their things and left for the day.
…
The next morning, Luca could barely suppress a yawn as he slumped into his seat.
"You look exhausted," Kenneth observed, spinning a basketball lazily in his hands.
Luca groaned, rubbing his eyes, "Can you blame me? That stupid party last night went on forever. I didn't get home until who knows when."
His three friends exchanged glances. Every time Luca returned from one of those high-society parties, his usual cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by grumpiness. They could only imagine the kind of exhausting conversations he'd had to endure, surrounded by boastful parents and self-important elites.
Kenneth gave him a sympathetic grin, "How about we hit the court for a bit? A good game will wake you up."
Luca shot him a sharp look, "I'm resting my head on this desk until the teacher shows up. You can wake me up then."
Without waiting for a response, Luca folded his arms on the desk and rested his head on them, effectively ending the conversation.
Kenneth whistled under his breath, "Scary."
"What did you expect?" Justin asked, shaking his head.
"He's running on zero sleep, and you want to drag him into a game? You're crazy."
Before they could continue, Gabriel suddenly spoke up, "Do you need something?"
Both Justin and Kenneth turned around, startled to see Harmony standing behind them. She handed Gabriel a folder and then quietly returned to her seat without saying another word.
"She seriously only talks when it's absolutely necessary," Justin muttered.
Gabriel opened the folder and skimmed the pages inside. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"She finished editing the script."
Kenneth peeked over his shoulder, reading a few lines.
"Wait, didn't we just talk about this yesterday? She already finished the whole thing?"
Gabriel nodded, his voice full of awe, "Yeah, and it's better than before. It's like she knows exactly what to tweak to make everything flow perfectly."
Kenneth scratched his head, "You know, I'm starting to think she really did write this story. I mean, who else could edit it this well? Unless that person was also present yesterday."
Justin leaned back in his chair, "Maybe she didn't want to take credit for it. I guess we'll never know unless we ask her directly, and even then, she could just deny it. But honestly, only someone who's really familiar with the story could edit it to this level. Just reading it over and over again would not cut it."
Gabriel nodded in agreement, "Yeah, but let's not overthink it. If she wants to keep it quiet, we should respect that."
And with that, they let the topic drop, knowing that some things were better left unsaid.