The Beta

V

*Faye*

The first part of the play went well, if not long. Rhonda had one of the main roles, and anyone could tell how natural acting came to her. I managed to enjoy myself enough to forget about all the people around me. By the time intermission had come, however, my bladder was about to burst. As soon as the overhead lights came on, I leapt out of my seat and bounded towards the restrooms.

After I'd made it through the line and finished with my business, I abandoned the bathroom for the concession counter. My stomach had been rumbling for the last few minutes. The logical thing would've been to eat dinner before I came, but I'd been in a rush and distracted. So now I was paying for my foolishness. Literally.

"Hi there," a young girl greeted from behind the counter. "What can I get for you?"

"Let's see..." I stalled. My stomach growled when my eyes ran across the nachos. I informed the lady of my decision and sifted through my clutch for some cash.

"Here you go," said a masculine voice on my right.

I looked up, curious, only to be stunned by what I saw. My creepy new neighbor was handing a five-dollar bill over to the cashier. The girl accepted it before I could stop her.

"Y-you don't have to d-do that!" I stammered, meeting the man's gaze.

"It's the least I could do after causing an accident earlier," he remarked with an embarrassed smile.

A blush warmed my cheeks. "Thank you."

"Your nachos," said the girl while handing over my nachos, grinning in amusement. "Enjoy the food."

"You, too," I replied, then almost face-palmed myself. Just go on and say stupid stuff in front of this cute guy who is nice enough to buy you food.

They both chuckled. I blew out a chagrined huff and headed towards the theater again.

"Hold up now," the man called, jogging just to catch up with me. "I didn't catch your name."

"Faye. Faye Derby." I awkwardly offered my hand up.

"It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Faye Derby. I'm Rian Whitewater." His long, lean fingers were cool against mine. "Rian with an 'i'."

One of my eyebrows rose. "An 'i'?"

"R-I-A-N."

I chuckled. "Gotcha."

"Have you made a friend?" a woman inquired as she approached.

She was tall and willowy, beautiful with hip-length dark brown hair. In spite of her smile, something about the shape of her lips seemed disapproving.

"Thea," Rian greeted pleasantly. "This is Faye."

"Hi," I said, offering her my hand as well. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Thea, Rian's sister." Her handshake was weak, and I almost jerked her hand from taking it too firmly.

A smile pressed against my mouth. Whereas before I thought she was his girlfriend, now I could see the similarities between them. Their bright, lively eyes and plump, red lips. High cheekbones and thick eyebrows to correspond to their rich hair color.

"We should probably head back inside," I reminded them, gesturing to the theater. Most of the other viewers were already inside.

"Of course," Thea replied.

I headed back into the theater, assuming they would return to whatever seats they'd been in before. Thus, I was completely shocked when I plopped down in my aisle seat and Rian was standing beside me, looking like he wanted to get around my legs.

"Are you sitting alone?" he asked.

This isn't embarrassing at all, I thought sarcastically. "Yes," I said instead.

"Do you mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," I lied, twisting to the side to let the siblings by.

Rian took the seat right next to me. I wouldn't be able to think properly with him so close.

"So, Faye," Thea addressed me from the other side of her brother. "What are you here for? Do you have family in the play?"

"My best friend, actually." I smiled. "What about you?"

She directed a pointed look at him. "Our cousin is the director," she told me. "He invited us to see it."

"Oh, cool. I didn't know Mr. Wright had family here." I grimaced. "I just mean he never talks about you all. He's always been so mysterious."

Thea stiffened while Rian laughed. Biting my lip, I swore myself to silence. Anything I said sounded totally ridiculous and borderline rude. The lowered lights saved me from further conversation. Once the play began, I looked down at my untouched nachos. It would be far too awkward to start eating them now, so I set them on the floor beside my clutch. The new scene began and Rhonda entered the stage with her fellow cast. Rian leaned closer to me, shocking me when he whispered in my ear.

"Is your best friend up there now?" he queried.

"Yes. She's the princess' sister."

He nodded in appreciation. "She's talented."

"I agree," I said. "I'm really proud of her."

Judging by his grunt, Thea had elbowed him or something. We didn't speak again until the play ended forty-five minutes later. As the lights turned on, I stood up from the seat and gathered my clutch and cold nachos. Rian and Thea were already on their feet when I turned to them. The three of us headed out of the theater together.

"Well, it was nice to meet you both," I told them. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Definitely." Rian grinned good-naturedly. "If you ever need a biking buddy, just stop by. I love to bike."

"Thank you. I'll let you know if I do." That will definitely never happen.

Thea opened her mouth to speak, but Rhonda's cheerful screech interrupted her.

"FAYE!" my best friend shouted. Her arms wrapped me up. "Thank you for coming!"

"Of course!" I hugged her back. "You did great, Rhonda. You're amazing."

"You're too sweet. Where's Kate?"

I scratched my eyebrow and reluctantly explained, "She couldn't make it. They had to take Tommy to the hospital. He has a really high fever."

"Oh no! Poor Kate."

"I know. She was really disappointed she couldn't come."

Rhonda sighed. "I understand. Her brother needs her support more than me."

I nodded solemnly. Then, remembering I had just been speaking to my new friends, I turned around. Rian and Thea had disappeared. A frown pulled at my eyes and lips.

"Who're you looking for?" Rhonda asked.

"Um...nobody, I guess."

She pouted for a moment before lighting up again. "Well, thanks for coming, Faye. You're such a doll."

"You're the only doll between us," I teased. "Are your parents here?"

"I think so. They're talking to some other old people." She shrugged.

"Hmm. Well, when you're done talking to them, we can go out for ice cream or something?" I suggested. "To celebrate?"

Her lips drew back in a grin. "The cast is all going to Waffle House in a few minutes, if you wanna join us. I don't know if they have ice cream, but I know they have waffles."

The girl knew I loved waffles. But I didn't want to intrude on their celebration. It was probably a sacred tradition or something. Her drama club had all kinds of strange traditions.

Swallowing my disappointment, I pulled her in for a hug one more time. "I'll take a pass. You go have fun with them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I know this is a memory you all want to celebrate together. I'd feel weird hanging with you guys anyway."

Rhonda giggled. "Probably. Well, text me later, okay? Maybe we can do a sleepover tomorrow."

"Sounds good," I agreed, starting for the doors. "And eat some extra whip cream for me!"

She flashed me a beam. "Always!"