Chapter Text
It was the first day of Race’s junior year and he was currently driving there with his sister. Today was also her first ever day of high school, and their mother was incredibly nervous, so they left home way too early.
He sighed, “And? Are you nervous, Vivi?”
“Not really… I mean, Francine is gonna be in my class, so I at least have my best friend with me.”
“Well, that’s good.” Race smirked, “By the way, I hope you’re joining the drama club.”
Vivi shrugged, “We’ll see, the literature club seems interesting too. Or maybe wrestling?”
“Of fucking course, Vivi. Mom will love that idea. But come on, it’s like a Higgins family tradition to be in the drama club.” He rolled his eyes to support his words.
“I’m just joking, Racer. Francine and I already decided on the drama club.”
Race grinned at that, as he parked the car. They grabbed their things and walked towards school, where Race was immediately greeted by Jack, who started telling stories about his trip to Santa Fe.
Viviane quickly said Hi to Jack, before heading to her classroom, reminding Race that she’d rip his head off if he forgets taking her home with him later after school.
Race and Jack took a seat in the cafeteria now, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. It took another ten minutes for the first few people to arrive, namely Davey, Romeo and Katherine.
As Romeo sat down, he beamed more than usual. It seemed like the break did him good.
“Guys, did you know there’s a new kid in our class this year? I heard they moved here from Chicago over the summer.”
“Romeo, where do you even get these things from?” Katherine chuckled.
“Oh, he’s right though. Medda mentioned it last week.” Jack pointed out.
Medda was Jack’s adoptive mom and the drama teacher of the school, so she had to know. Race wouldn’t lie, he was interested now. He wondered what the new kid could be like and if they were going to be a part of their friend group soon.
After another few minutes, the group had fully assembled, and they started heading to class, chattering like excited freshmen, still wondering about the new person joining their class.
“I bet he robbed a bank and has to go undercover now, new city, new name, everything!” Elmer was fantasizing again.
“Elm, dear, I don’t think that’s the reason. You watch too many movies. Plus, you don’t even know if it’s a guy yet.” Sarah stated, which made Elmer pout.
“Well, we’ll see, once I unlock their tragic backstory, it’s over for you guys!”
“Shut up, Elmer.” Race laughed.
The first class of the year started as usual, first attendance, then their teacher gave out their time tables and then they voted for the class rep. As usual, that was completely useless, because everyone voted for Davey anyway.
After that was through, there was a knock on the door. The teacher left the room for five minutes and came back with a redheaded guy right behind her. The kid turned around, as the teacher tried to get the attention of the class back on her and damn. Race was fucked. That kid was cute. Really, really cute.
He had soft brown eyes and freckles spluttered over his face and arms. His red hair was obviously the first thing you noticed about him, and the way it was a bit too long made him even more attractive and-
“Hey Racer, you’re drooling.” Jack nudged him with his elbow, wearing a sly grin on his face.
Race just rolled his eyes and focused on the teacher, who started talking now.
“Ok class, as some of you may have heard, we’re having a new student this year. This is your new classmate, Albert DaSilva.”
Albert just smiled shyly.
“Eliasz, I would like to ask you to show him around a bit. Make sure he knows where the classrooms are and all of that.”
Elmer gave her a thumbs up and she turned her attention to Albert, whom she handed his time table and gestured for him to sit next to Elmer.
After that, she continued talking about typical first-day-of-school things and Race stopped listening.
It was merely the first day of school, but Race was already exhausted by the time he reached the auditorium for the first meeting of the drama club. They would be introducing the new kids to the club today, Race could already see Viviane and Francine as he walked in. Medda would also tell them which play she’s planning for the school festival in spring.
He sat down in the first row and watched Medda run all across the stage, heading backstage with the freshmen behind her like little ducklings, walking over to the other side of the stage and vanishing behind the curtains again.
Race chuckled to himself, it was really a beautiful sight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone sitting down next to him. As he looked to his left, his eyes lit up.
“Spottie! I thought you wouldn’t be joining us in your senior year?”
Spot just shrugged, rolling his eyes at the stupid nickname Race used to tease him, “It’s just handling a few lights for a few shows, I think I can manage. Plus, I wouldn’t trust you to do that alone.”
“Wow, rude! You know, maybe I’ll audition for a role I like this year, so you don’t get to yell at me for moving the light one mere inch too far to the right.” Race stuck out his tongue, turning back to the stage.
After a few minutes, Medda came back on stage and the freshmen started sitting down in the front row.
“Alright, kids! I guess we’re all here now and the freshmen know their way backstage. So, do you want to know what play we’re gonna do this year?” She asked, smiling brightly.
“Uhm… Ms Larkin? Elmer’s not here yet.” Buttons chimed in.
Race looked around, he was right. Elmer was nowhere to be seen, but it was very common for him to be late. In that exact moment, the door opened slowly, and Elmer peaked into the room, all eyes on him.
“Sorry I’m late, I had to show the new kid to the soccer grounds.” he quickly snuck in, taking the seat next to Spot, smiling at him.
“That’s okay, Elmer.” Medda smiled. She always called everyone by their nickname, it was something Race loved about the club, it was almost like a family.
“Well anyway, I’m going to make it short. The play we’re doing is Tuck Everlasting! And if any of you haven’t heard of it yet, that’s what you’ll do as your homework. Listen to the soundtrack, read about the story, or even read the book! Hell, even watch a bootleg, I don’t care as long as you familiarize yourself with it.”
She got off stage and began handing the script to anyone who was there to act, not to work backstage. As she reached Race, she looked at him expectantly. Race used to play a main role in every little production up until his freshman year. As a sophomore, he started working the lights with Spot, as he lost confidence in his acting.
Medda tried to get him back again, but he always hesitated. Race’s mind was running, he knew Tuck Everlasting and he loved it. His family always told him that he would fit the character of Jesse Tuck pretty well and he could see himself in that role too. He just shrugged and took the script, causing Medda to smile widely at him.
It seemed like he might give acting a second chance.