Three Cheers for Sweethearts [Frerard AU]

PART I: Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 – PARTY POISON

I didn't hear the bell ring to signal the end of lunch, so I was the last person to get to US History. I sat in the seat closest to the door and didn't pay attention to anything else the rest of the period. No one cared about history – it already happened, so why relive it every day of our teenage lives?

The same way I was the last one in, I was the first one out. I headed off to Study Hall, where I knew I could hang out with Ray.

"Hey," I greeted him. He gave me the "sup" nod. He was doodling something. I peered over his shoulder out of curiosity, but he sensed me there and glared at me. I only laughed and decided that the most useful way to use my time was to try to fall asleep. I asked Ray to wake me up when there were five minutes left. The attempt was in vain, though, because no one can succeed in falling asleep when they know they have to be up again in a few minutes. I tried again in Latin. Granted, with the obnoxiously loud and echoing voice the teacher had, I'd never be able to sleep – but I may as well have been sleeping; I paid zero attention.

When the bell rang, though, the teacher reminded us that we had a test tomorrow over what we had learned today. I relied on muscle memory to get to Theatre class as I tried to recall anything he had told us during that period.

I nearly slammed right into someone right outside the Theatre room.

Flynn. No, wait, was it Flynn? It had started with an F. Crap, I was never good with names.

I pretended I didn't see him lest I accidentally used the wrong name to greet him, and just walked into the classroom. As usual, the class was being obnoxiously loud and energetic. Theatre kids are weird.

Our teacher, Mr. Burner, started class with a smile in the new kid's direction. "Welcome to thee-a-ter!" he boomed, intentionally pronouncing the word incorrectly. "You must be Mr. Frank Iero. Tell me, everyone, will Frank loooove this class??" Frank.

Everyone cheered like they were at a concert or something.

Mr. Burner immediately sent Frank to the stage, which Frank climbed onto reluctantly. He surprisingly was willing to obey our strange theatre rituals without question. All it took was a quick straightening of his tie and an expectant look at Mr. Burner.

"Now, Frank," Mr. Burner said to the uncomfortable-looking boy on the stage, "we all did this at the beginning of the year, so you get to do it now, yeah?!" Frank smiled awkwardly in response while everyone stared at him in excited anticipation.

"The most important thing to remember is that you literally cannot do this wrong. Ready?? Become a tree!"

Frank hesitated, but then put his arms up in a V, again without question. Smart kid. "Hayley, go!"

Hayley, the girl with the orange-dyed hair in our class, grinned and yelled, "Become an angry tree!" Frank tightly balled his fists and frowned obediently. "Jack, go!"

I remembered this game. Mr. Burner had us all do it on our first day to prove that it was okay to make a fool of yourself ("The more ridiculous it feels, the better it looks," he'd said. "If you feel stupid, you're doing it right!"). No one would judge you in performing arts, at least not too harshly. When each of us had played the game on the first day of school, Mr. Burner always started with something for us to be, called on someone else to add something, who then called on someone else to add something, and so on, until everyone was either laughing too hard to continue or we ran out of people to shout things out. Not only was it a great acting exercise that forced us to take risks, but it's the only way I knew anyone's names.