Siobhan’s voice caused Marisol’s brow to furrow, because she did not sound okay. Her voice was muffled and shaky, like she had her face buried in her palms or something. It did not matter that Siobhan was a stranger; she was distressed, and for some reason, it was tugging at Marisol’s heart. There was always the possibility that Siobhan was just a drama queen who only knew how to blow up and freak out. It was possible that she was always going to fall apart and Marisol was wasting her time.

Even with cause for doubt, Marisol moved toward the stall door and leaned her back against it. Speaking to Siobhan over her shoulder, she sighed and shook her head. ”I mean, this school has a lot of talented girls. Another McNamara is out there, probably, sure.” There were girls Siobhan beat out who would love the chance to step up, but that was missing the important point. ”We also have talented directors who know what they’re doing. If they picked you over all those other girls, Siobhan, there was a reason.”

Theatre at the school was serious, so they were not going to cast someone from outside the school if they thought it would screw up the performance. Siobhan earned her role, and she needed to understand that. ”Come out and get back on stage with me. I want you to show me what the director saw.” Her tone was still friendly, but she had shifted into a command nonetheless. Maybe a little bit of Chandler was warranted, after all.

Siobhan rested her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around her calves. She was starting to get a little cold on the tile floor and she could feel her legs going numb from the awkward position. She didn’t want to be there anymore. At the same time, though, she did not want to stand up or have to face Chandler and her stupid pity. That only made Siobhan feel like more of a failure.

Maybe Chandler did have a bit of a point, though. If she just got out there, then she could prove to the director and herself that she wasn’t just some worthless nobody. She was good at something. She was good at acting. By sitting in the bathroom, she was denying herself the possibility of something great.

Still, she didn’t want to have to go out and see her…

Siobhan sat silently for a few minutes, thinking over her options. Finally, she said something. ”Can you… um… leave? I’ll be out in a minute,” she said tearily. She wasn’t trying to be mean, but she also didn’t want to leave any chance of the meaning of what she was saying to be misconstrued.

She gave it a minute, and once she had heard the door open and close, Siobhan stood up and opened the stall door. It felt better to be standing, but worse at the exact same time. She had to go back out there now. Back out in front of everyone. Everyone who would know that she’d been crying. The brunette balled her fists and dug her nails into her palms, working up the courage to keep going and not run back into the stall.

She met her own eyes in her mirrored reflection and took in the sight of her puffy, red features. If only she had some makeup on her person to fix some of it. She didn’t, though, so that meant that the only thing she was able to do was take some damp paper towel and dab it on the red areas, hoping that it would bring some of the swelling down. She tugged at the sleeves of her dress and brought them as far down as she could to hide her hands before turning to go.

With that out of the way, she exited the bathroom and rejoined Chandler in the hallway.

Sometimes the best of intentions weren’t enough. Marisol was starting to accept she might have failed in her attempt to reach out to another antisocial soul. She was not the most empathetic person, though she was trying. Maybe she had to admit to herself that the situation needed someone warm and welcoming. Apparently, that was not her.

At least, that was what she thought. Just as Marisol removed her back from the stall, a tiny, shaky voice spoke up. Siobhan needed a moment, but she was going to come out of her washroom refuge. Marisol smiled, understanding the need to regroup. ”Sure, of course. Take your minute; I’ll be outside.” And with that confirmation of a job well done, Marisol stepped out and waited for Siobhan.

Eventually, the girl came out, hands hidden in her sleeves and eyes clearly still red and puffy from crying. Marisol contemplated saying nothing, but ignoring it seemed just as bad as saying something. As much as they needed to get back to the stage, Siobhan’s sob session would be obvious to everyone. Marisol nibbled at her bottom lip contemplating the right decision before finally sighing. ”Okay, hang on, come with me, Siobhan.”

Marisol was extremely lucky with her locker placement. By virtue of a senior graduating the previous spring, she inherited a locker three spaces away from the entrance to the backstage area. Other theatre students had offered her cash for a trade, but Marisol identified the convenience as more valuable than a small monetary boost.

Stopping at the locker, Marisol quickly fiddled with her lock before pulling open the door. Inside, she opened a small makeup kit. ”Alright, do me a favor and hold still.” A guiding hand took Siobhan’s shoulder and gestured her toward the mirror on the back of the locker door. ”I know I would feel self-conscious going out there with puffy eyes. So just… real quick.” Marisol took concealer on her pinky and started blotting the area around Siobhan’s eyes, not exactly giving the girl an option.

The scene felt familiar for some reason, and without realizing it, Marisol was humming the Heather’s makeover sequence from “Beautiful.”

Siobhan hung her head slightly as she saw Chandler waiting for her outside. Some small part of her had hoped that the other girl wouldn’t be there when she left the bathroom, meaning she could leave and have no one follow her or ask her where she was going. She hadn’t gotten that lucky, though. The brunette girl was standing outside just like she said she would be.

She stood beside Chandler, waiting for the girl to lead her back to the auditorium so the torture could continue. She knew full well how awful she looked, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. It didn’t exactly help that Chandler seemed to be examining her with that cruel look she had perfected. Where did she get off, exactly? Had it been her plan all along to get Siobhan there so she could make things worse. Siobhan could already feel the tears beginning to brim again.

>>”Okay, hang on, come with me, Siobhan.”

What now?

As a stranger to the school, Siobhan didn’t have much choice other than following her guide around the school, so that meant that she had to follow where this new whim would take her. Even if it would be to her detriment.

They came to a locker. That was probably harmless. Hopefully. Siobhan stood frozen at the girl’s request while she opened up a little makeup kit. For a second, her breath left her lungs in fear of what was about to happen. Thankfully, though, it was just a concealer stick that Chandler had taken out. Siobhan relaxed just a little, but tensed up as soon as the girl invaded her personal space.

Siobhan squeaked quietly as Chandler dabbed under her eyes; an area that she prefered was not touched by others. Especially a girl she hardly knew, even if she was trying to help. She flinched, smearing the makeup along her skin. She then flushed bright red, embarrassed that she’d reacted like that to something so simple.

”Sorry,” she mumbled, trying to hold still again. It took all of her willpower not to just reach up and finish the job herself or at least request that Chandler took it easier. She was, after all, humming part of the makeover sequence from the play. Siobhan could not figure this girl out.

The human element was such a problem for Marisol. She could see ideas and plans in her head when it came to dealing with other people and, once those ideas were in the chamber, she often went with them. She looked at the surface-level elements of the situation and came up with a simple, logical solution. The only thing she failed to account for every time was the human element under the surface and how it would react to her otherwise logical choices.

Siobhan was the human element. The obvious parts: Siobhan was still clearly marred by her sob session, but clearly cared enough about making a better first impression with the cast. Simple, logical solution: Marisol should do Siobhan’s makeup, so she was ready to get back out into the public eye.

And there came the problem: Marisol never took the time to consider that, just maybe Siobhan would feel weird having a girl she barely knew doing her makeup against her will. It was obvious in retrospect, but that was only when Siobhan literally squeaked at her touch. The moment she heard the sound, it clicked in her head: if someone did that to Marisol, she would freeze with anxiety.

Wincing, Marisol pulled back and shook her head at Siobhan’s apology. ”No, I’m sorry. I didn’t… here.” Marisol handed over the makeup so Siobhan could take care of herself in the locker mirror.

With her castmate now in control of her own makeover, Marisol leaned against the next locker over, slumping down. ”I… I’m not good at this stuff. Like… people. I’m not good at people. With people.” A frustrated sigh. ”At or with people. Sorry, Siobhan.” Marisol was no longer feeling as up to rehearsal as she once was, though she would find it in herself to fake it in spite of her string of social faux pas.

Usually, Siobhan would have done her best to be as polite as possible, even when there was someone else physically handling her face, but she had already been beaten down quite a bit that day. There had been so much that had gone down and it was all a bit much for her, so she had flinched. It had been a natural reaction for her and she just didn’t have it in her to suppress it.

To her surprise, though, Chandler actually took it well. Rather than getting rude, angry, or being rougher, she actually handed the concealer to Siobhan. The girl stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do with this offering. After a second, she took it from her and began to apply the makeup herself.

>>”I… I’m not good at this stuff. Like… people. I’m not good at people. With people. At or with people. Sorry, Siobhan.”

Siobhan paused, turned to Chandler, and chewed her lip for a second. She definitely sounded genuine there. Maybe, just maybe… maybe she was as trustworthy as she was making herself out to be. She had only led her astray a few times, and there was a chance that those had been misunderstandings. It wasn’t the perfect solution, and Siobhan didn’t necessarily like her, but maybe she wasn’t all that horrible. That would certainly make having to work side-by-side with her for the next number of months a lot more bearable.

”Thanks. For this, I mean,” she said quietly, holding up the concealer while she nodded toward Chandler. She looked down for a second before she rubbed in the makeup on her face. It blended alright, but their skin tones were noticeably different, so if anyone looked too closely they would be able to tell that it wasn’t her own. She fixed it as best she could by going down to her jaw and up to her scalp. For the situation, it wasn’t a horrible fix.

She then turned and handed the concealer back to its rightful owner. ”I-I don’t think you ever told me your real name,” she mused quietly, almost to herself. She had a bad habit of talking in a way that only she would be able to hear.

Being the ice queen was something Marisol was used to, but if she was not careful about the way she was acting with Siobhan, she might end up earning a reputation as the weird girl. She was enthusiastic about helping a fellow outcast, but her excitability was making her pushy and invasive, defeating the purpose of her kind intentions. The thought of returning to the auditorium occurred to her, but Siobhan was still using her locker and makeup. Besides, if she left first, there was a strong chance Siobhan would reconsider and run off again.

When Siobhan offered her thanks, Marisol looked up from the spot on the ground she was fixated on. It was soft, but she sounded genuine, which cheered Marisol up. Maybe she helped in some small way after all. ”Of course. I’ve gotta look out for a fellow Heather,” she joked meekly.

Eventually, the concealer was returned to Marisol’s possession, so she returned it to the makeup kit as Siobhan pointed out that she had not yet shared her name. ”Oh, I didn’t, did I?” It sounded like a mistake she would make. She made an effort to rectify it by offering her hand as an official greeting. ”My name’s Marisol Cervantes.”

With actual introductions out of the way, Marisol closed her locker and took a deep breath. ”So do you think we’re ready?” Now that they were finally ready to return, Marisol felt the nervousness that she might be receiving some kind of reprimand for running off to follow Siobhan. Hopefully the director was understanding or would at least limit their punishment to a tongue lashing.

Chandler - well, Marisol - was being quite pleasant. Siobhan looked at her through curious eyes and tried to get a hold of what was going on. She looked a little better than before and the girl next to her was being nice. Things were shaping up. She still didn’t look awesome; the makeup was a different colour from her skin and it was still clear that she had been crying, but it was a definitely an improvement.

”Well, it’s nice to meet you officially, Marisol,” Siobhan greeted cordially.

Siobhan turned back to the mirror and smoothed her hair, taking in the rest of her appearance in the process. Yes, she was good to go. Sure, it was going to be awkward and there would be people staring at her…

OH GOD SHE WAS NOT GOOD TO GO.

Her brain was going in every different direction and Siobhan was freaking out. She needed to go. She needed to leave. They would all still see the fact that she had cried and they would judge her. Who would want to act with a girl who had run out crying during the first scene? Nobody! That was who!

She needed to turn invisible and get out. Only, she couldn’t turn invisible. Her powers still weren’t working. Whatever was keeping her from shifting was still doing so. She wasn’t going anywhere that wasn’t obvious.

So, that meant that she could make an even bigger fool of herself or she could get herself together and suck it up. She wiped underneath her eyes, straightened her back, smoothed her skirt, and chose the latter option. What was it that her therapist had always said? Fake it ‘till you make it? No. Fake it ‘till you become it. ”Yes, we’re ready.”

It was clear that Siobhan was taking one last moment to panic. It was hard to blame her; she had a very rough first day of rehearsal. In the end, she was still able to smooth her skirt and power through the panic. They were ready and that was a reason for Marisol to smile brightly, nodding her head. ”Definitely ready. You’re great, it’s all gonna go great. So yeah,” she said awkwardly, trying to find the point she was making. ”Let’s… go be great!”

With one more beaming smile, Marisol led the way back through the backstage area so they could join the cast on stage. They had moved on to one of the early scenes with Veronica and JD, but the acting took a pause when the missing girls returned. All eyes fell on them, which caused a knot in Marisol’s stomach. That was the last thing Siobhan needed.

“Are we all through with day one distractions?” the director asked flatly. Okay, maybe that was the last thing Siobhan needed. The director was known for being prickly, which was not great for a girl who was trying to find her footing and confidence.

Without really thinking about it and without looking at Siobhan, Marisol’s hand fell to her side and grabbed Siobhan’s. Siobhan stood a step behind her, so the action was hidden behind Marisol’s back. She gave the girl’s hand a squeeze, hoping to reassure her. ”Yep. Siobhan wasn’t feeling well.” There was an awkward pause as Marisol realized where she was pulling that excuse from. ”Which, I guess is usually a Heather Duke thing, but I think we’re good now.” That actually earned a chuckle from the rest of the cast.

Mr. Bigelow rolled his eyes, but even his lips seemed dangerously close to breaking the smile-frown threshold. “Yeah, yeah, sit down and we’ll return to the bathroom scene next.”

”Of course!” she replied, so thankful that he accepted the excuse that it came out as a squeak. She turned back to Siobhan and offered a weak smile. ”We’ve got this, right?” Marisol asked in an optimistic whisper.

Dear god, they were all staring at her.

Siobhan had steeled herself before walking back into the auditorium. She was sure that she would be able to handle whatever was thrown at her next, be it a few snickers or a glance that was less than friendly. She was so sure that her anxiety had been quelled and she would be alright for the rest of the rehearsal.

That definitely wasn’t the case, though. It didn’t really help that it was the director that called her out as soon as the two girls stepped back inside, causing everyone to direct their attention toward them. Each high school aged teen stared with that same dead-eyed expression that only a student could manage, looking directly into her eyes.

Siobhan wanted to die.

She could feel her chest growing tighter and she wanted to shut her eyes and turn invisible, but yet again, her powers were giving out on her. All that she could do was stand slightly behind Marisol and pray that some forgiving deity would smite her in that very moment.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t quite so lucky. She was, however, lucky enough to have Marisol doing the talking for her. Siobhan blinked her eyes open and looked at the other girl in disbelief as she covered for the two of them so effortlessly, diffusing the horrible situation in a matter of a few words. Okay, she had definitely let her first impression of the girl influence her, but she wasn’t bad. She wasn’t bad at all. This situation had maybe even made Siobhan like her as a person.

Her hand was grabbed, which normally Siobhan would have recoiled at, but she had been too distracted to stop it. The skin on skin contact sent shivers through the girl's whole body and she tried to keep from blushing. Leave it to a pretty girl to kill her like that. Yeah, Siobhan definitely liked Mari.

She wasn’t going to get ahead of herself, though. For that moment it was just a matter of getting through the rest of the rehearsal. That much would be on her. ”Y-yeah, we’ve got this,” Siobhan replied in a hoarse tone. She followed the lead of the rest of the cast members as they gathered for the original scene that they had been set to practice.