Alex had done another transition. The leather jacket was back on her shoulders. She walked down the platform, swagger in each step. A bit of her fringe came loose from the hair tie. She bowed her head and swept it back. She lifted her chin up while she ran her fingers through her hair.
“Hey, Sebastian,” Logan called out.
She gave him the side eye. Then, she continued her stroll around the room.
Logan made a show of chasing her through random paths, “Dude! Come on, we’re partners. Don’t avoid me.”
“I don’t like trespassers,” Alex replied. Her facial muscles were as hard as stone. She kept walking away from him.
“It’s not like I mean to do it. The door was unlocked. When I opened it, your sister was there to greet me” he explained. Inside, he wondered if she still held a grudge against that. It had been so long… and things turned out for the better in his eyes.
What about hers?
Alex glared over her shoulder, “Then, I have no tolerance for thieves.”
“How am I a thief?” Logan frowned.
His question made her turn around. She clicked her tongue. Her steel gray eyes met innocent green ones. This moment, right here, brought out memories for Alex. Man, did Logan annoy her back then. How could he be observant at one second and oblivious at the next?
He saw right through her but didn’t notice that he took her phone?
It was a phenomenon that she probably would never understand.
Alex raised a skeptical eyebrow, “Who has my sister’s phone again?”
“I—”
“That’s what I thought,” She snorted. She lifted her hand, its palm facing the ceiling, “Hand it back so I can forgive you.”
Logan stepped back when Alex approached him. He held up his hands in surrender. He shook his head vigorously, “No way. I want to see her again.”
“I—” Alex stopped short, saying, “Wait, what?”
The frown lines between her brows deepened. Her mouth hung open slightly. Was there something in her ear? Or was what she heard correct? Was this his way of sticking to the original play?
“Yeah, I want to see her again,” Logan repeated, adding a grin. He knew that the startled expression was real. Thinking about it now, he really did want to see her again back then. He just wasn’t aware of it at the time.
Was this how time travelling felt like? Reincarnating to the past? If his present self went back, what would he have done? And would he have the same relationship with Alex as he did now?
Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, “And why is that?”
“I feel like we got on the wrong foot” he shrugged. He lost the last round but he’d win this one. He remembered that he did. If they wanted to retell their story, Alex would need to follow through.
Ah, he loved this feeling.
Alex dropped her hand and exhaled sharply, “You did that by stepping inside the house.”
“I don’t care,” Logan snorted, his hands clasped over his front, “I am not returning the phone unless she gets it herself.”
Scoffing, Alex turned to the audience with a finger pointed at him. She wore an incredulous look. She shook her head slowly. Then, pulled back her hand and wiped it down her face—really hard. Her eyes shined with murderous intent.
“Do you think there’s a magic box that teleports people?!” She spat towards Logan.
He merely snapped his fingers, “I think it’s a blue police box.”
“That is not even—” Alex groaned, ruffling the loose fringe. She closed her eyes and buried her forehead on her palm. She portrayed how troubled ‘Viola’ was over this development. Something she felt deep in her core.
Then again, they were enacting memories.
It was natural for this to affect her to this extent.
“Those are my conditions,” Logan declared with delight. He tilted his head to one side, “Mind relaying the information, best friend?”
As if in a slow motion film, Alex raised her head. Her neck twisted in Logan’s direction. None of her facial muscles moved. Impassive, indifferent, emotionless… she stared him down.
Logan rocked back in heels and waited. He grinned pleasantly at her reaction. His shoulders shook a bit from amusement. This felt just as good as it the first time. They should do this again for another time.
Maybe have the whole school there as well?
Alex held up a finger. She stayed in that position for a few seconds. Then, her feet hastily went back to the teacher’s desk. She removed the hair tie and jacket, cursing profanities. She made them louder than usual for the others to hear.
She heard a deep chuckle and a cough.
Her gaze shot lasers on the podium.
She threw the jacket and came out on the other side. She marched back to Logan. The moment she laid eyes on him, an idea popped in her head. She decided to run before he could turn towards her.
She twisted her leg backwards and hit his thigh, “Duke, I’m here. Where’s my phone?”
Logan stumbled a step. He shifted his attention in her direction, letting the surprise attack go. Nothing could ruin this moment for him. He was a train that ran at full speed. He spread his arms wide as if to hug Alex.
“Xa—Viola! Good to see you again!” He greeted enthusiastically.
Alex squinted. She heard the slipup. The others probably did too. The happy expression on his face made her more suspicious. He was clearly enjoying this more than normal.
She crossed her arms over her chest, “Where’s my phone?”
“Don’t worry. I have it nice and secured” Logan replied, patting his jeans pocket. Then, he clapped his hands, “So, want to go out on a date?”
…
…
…
…
…
“Huh?!” The wires in Alex’s brain reconnected. This wasn’t in their agreement. She yanked his arm, ducking their heads together. She hissed loudly, “Logan, that’s not what happened.”
Since this was a retelling, she didn’t want the audience to misunderstand fact from fiction.
“But Duke is supposed to fall for Viola. How else am I supposed to do that?” He hissed back, using the same volume, “This is still a graded project and we can’t deviate that far from the themes.”
He straightened his spine and went back to character, “I’ll give you your phone back if you go on a date with me.”
“Can we just skip the date part?” Alex whined. She pushed her knees and fixed her posture. She still thought of it as unnecessary. Besides, it would take too long. How were they supposed to act out a date?
“Sure” Logan agreed. He faced the audience and cleared his throat. Then, he pressed the back of his hands together and pulled them apart—as if opening a curtain. His feet hopped over an invisible line. Folding his arms behind him, he narrated the following, “And so… Viola and I had a lovely time at a diner. We talked a lot and opened up about a few things in our life. The world around us became a blur. What mattered was only her and I. The place could be on fire and we wouldn’t even notice.”
“Hey—”
“Okay, maybe not that far…” he quickly corrected, “We wouldn’t have seen the smoke coming out of the kitchen though.”
He jumped backwards, passing over the invisible line again. He spun on his heel and shut his eyes. He pulled something from the top of his face. Then, blew a breath on his closed fingertips.
When he finally looked at Alex, he said, “I had a lovely time on our date, Viola. Do you mind if we do it again?”
She rolled her eyes, ignoring how he broke the 4th wall.
“Can I have my phone back now?”
“Sure, you can.”
“Thank goodness” Alex breathed out. She quickly snatched the phone away from Logan’s hands. She clutched it close to her chest. She relaxed her body. Her face morphed into relief. With the phone back, she could forget about this matter and move on.
“Can I have your number?” Logan asked suddenly.
Her head snapped towards him, “No?”
He frowned, “Why not?”
“I-I—” Alex stuttered, her eyes blinking, “I don’t have it memorized.”
“Your phone is right there,” Logan pointed with his finger. He secretly hoped that she’d catch on. They couldn’t possibly go through how she lost her second phone. What they needed to focus on was the reveal.
They also had to do that soon.
The bell was about to ring.
“You—”
“It’s not mine” Alex blurted out, “It’s Sebastian’s.”
“You mean to say that you use your brother’s phone?” Logan desperately wanted to facepalm. What was she thinking right now? He raised a skeptical eyebrow, “What happened to yours?”
Alex opened her mouth but closed it again. A lump appeared in her throat. She gulped it down, blanking out on what to say. Logan was close to figuring out the truth. Her eyes swept around the room. They landed on the wall clock. She saw that they only had 5 minutes left before class ended.
Then, it hit her.
She’d almost forgotten the most important part of this act. They went back and forth for a while until they caught Ms. Smith’s eyes on them. That was when they questioned about the sudden project… and, as if she read their thoughts, she informed everyone that they could be as creative as possible—even modernizing the play.
A modern Twelfth Night? Alex had mused.
The idea seemed to hit her and Logan at the same time. They threw aside any script and focused on the execution. They specified the key points, where to start, where to end… ad libs for any that could help shorten the act.
They only had one shot.
Logan’s voice echoed in her head.
‘Whatever happens, you need to tell me the truth. Everyone has to know that you made that decision. Once they see that, it would change things. They’d see that deep down… you’re an honest person.’
Alex broke out of her daze. Her shoulders sagged in defeat. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, taking a deep breath. When she opened them, she made sure to look directly in Logan’s eyes.
The moment had come.
“I don’t have one.”
