Welcome to a fictional series I’ve poured my heart into these past few months. Follow me into the world of high school theatre, where friendships, rivalries, and backstage crushes collide—and one girl fights for her dream as love and loyalty tug her in opposite directions.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I loved writing this!
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10
Chapter 3
“Well??” Alice asked, expectantly.
“Hm?” Indigo’s thoughts had trailed off; she hadn’t realized she’d been asked a question.
“I said, have you talked to Hudson about the stage kiss yet?”
Alice’s blue eyes peered intensely at her from above her ice cream sundae as she plucked off the cherry and dropped it into Indigo’s glass. Despite her intense love of sweets, Alice claimed that maraschino cherries made her want to gag.
Indigo grabbed the cherry’s stem and pulled it off with her teeth, chewing slowly to stall her answer. She looked down at the white tabletop and traced her thumb along the aluminum edging as if seeing it for the first time—even though it was comfortingly familiar.
The 50’s-themed diner was a favorite haunt of theirs, which they frequented regularly for ice cream sundaes. Strawberry cheesecake for Alice, with a heaping scoop of sprinkles, and simple vanilla for Indigo. With, of course, whipped cream on both.
“Well, have you?” Alice’s meticulous eyebrows raised so high, Indigo wondered if they would vanish into her hairline.
“No, not yet…” Indigo replied slowly and took a bite of ice cream.
“Indieee.” Dragging out the word with exasperation, Alice grabbed a sprinkle and flicked it at Indigo. “It’s already almost February. You’re gonna start rehearsing it soon—and that other scene too.”
It was true. Just that week Mrs. Green had pulled aside Sophie, Sky, Donna, and Sam, for the “I-need-your-consent-to-kiss-each-other” talk. It was more awkward than Indigo had anticipated, and seemed to completely reset the friendship that had begun budding between her and Nic over the previous weeks—at least on her end.
She could barely look at Nic without every thought fleeing from her brain. He was just as cool as ever.
“I know, I know.” Indigo sighed. “I just have a lot on my mind. I haven’t been seeing Hudson as much lately, and I have so much homework all the time, and I should be hearing back from the colleges I applied to soon, and–”
“Whoa, slow down!” Alice waved her hands and shook her head, her hair flinging back and forth. “That’s too much stress for Ice Cream Sunday! One thing at a time, Indie. And right now, it’s this.” She flicked another sprinkle at her head.
Indigo threw her cherry stem across the table in return. “Yeah. I just don’t know how he’s gonna take it.”
Truthfully, she didn’t want to know. Indigo had been toying with the idea of not telling Hudson at all, but she knew it would come out eventually. And Alice was right—the sooner he knew, the quicker he could get over it.
Hopefully.
“If you want me to tell him, I can,” Alice offered.
“No, but thanks. I really should do it.” Indigo set her jaw. “I’m seeing him today for the game. I’ll… I’ll do it then.”
“Well, good luck.”
“Thanks.” Sighing, Indigo began to churn the rest of her sundae into ice cream soup. “I’ll probably need it.”
“YEAH!!!”
Hudson launched up from the sofa where he had been sitting next to Indigo, causing her to jump and knock a bag of chips onto its side. He threw a fist into the air and howled at the television.
Indigo began scooping the scattered tortilla chips back into the bag, thankful it hadn’t been a drink or the salsa that’d spilled. She glanced up—another touchdown. The second one in the fourth quarter, and with barely a minute left on the clock.
Football might be difficult to understand, but she had to admit: this game had been interesting. The Cowboys had started off slow, but with an intense comeback at the end, had risen to the top and were now guaranteed a victory. Not much could happen with a minute left.
But Indigo almost wished something would happen—something that pushed the game into overtime. She’d sat diligently next to Hudson the entire game, actually invested in the outcome for once, and now the game was over.
Now it was time to break the news.
“Yeah! Indie did you see that?!” Hudson hovered near the TV, clapping and raking his hands through his hair as the victors rejoiced on the screen in front of him. His hat lay off to the side, forgotten after being discarded in celebration.
Indie stood next to him and smiled. Hudson’s joy was contagious. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, twirling her in a circle.
Setting her down, his laughter echoed in her ears. He really did have a contagious laugh.
Indigo stepped back, doing her best to laugh along lightly. She turned, gathering the plates and empty soda cans from the coffee table. Hudson pulled out his phone and started to type frantically; he was probably texting his friends about the victory.
“I can’t believe it.”
Indigo looked up from across the room from where she was discarding an armload of garbage into the trash can. “Can’t believe what?”
“I can’t believe it,” Hudson said again, shaking his head. “Thirty years and we’ve finally made it to the Super Bowl again. What a year.”
He looked up at Indigo and grinned, his crooked smile pulling Indigo’s heart even further into her stomach. “Come sit, Indie. We’ll clean up later.”
Indigo blew out her cheeks. She had to go home soon—she’d promised her mom she’d be home after the game since it would be ending so late.
Approaching the couch, Indigo hesitated. Hudson had his arm draped invitingly over the back of the couch next to him. The thought of putting the conversation off again presented itself, but she shooed it out of her mind.
She needed to do this now.
“I, uh, I need to talk to you.”
“About what?” Hudson sat up from the position he had been lounging in, his face flickering with concern and… fear? What did he think she was going to say? “Did I do something?”
“No, no. It’s not you. It’s about the play.” Her heartbeat pounded furiously in her ears.
He relaxed slightly. “The play? What’s such a big deal about the play?”
“Well, I told you I got the part of Sophie. And, um, you know how you made me promise I wouldn’t take a role with…” Indigo closed her eyes. “With any kissing scenes?”
There. She said it.
Hudson opened his mouth, then shut it. He looked down at his feet. “You have to kiss someone?”
“Yeah.”
Oblivious to their discomfort, the football player in the background spoke breathlessly with a reporter, his ecstasy sharpening the tension in the room.
Hudson lifted his eyes to hers with a look she’d never seen before—he was hurt. Deeply. “Then why did you audition for her?”
“Well, I-” Indigo faltered under his gaze. “I forgot.”
“Really? You forgot?” His gaze clouded with disbelief; he gave a small shake of his head as he tried to understand. “And… wait, don’t they have that beach scene, too?”
That caught her off guard. Hudson hadn’t paid much attention when they watched the movie; she was surprised he remembered anything from it.
“Well, yes, but it’s just a high school play,” Indigo replied, her voice sounding more defensive than she meant. “Nothing happens, it’s not like the movie.”
“It’s still a love song, Indie. You have to sing all lovey-dovey with a guy and then kiss him.” Hudson’s voice climbed higher, almost pleading. “Wait—who is it?”
“Hudson, it doesn’t matter. It’s just acting!” Indigo felt regret and irritation swirling into a cloud of uncertainty in her chest. He was speaking like he knew anything about acting—or theatre.
Standing up, Hudson turned away from her.
“It does matter, Indigo. You broke a promise!” He was pacing the room now, the brief glimpse of hurt swallowed by frustration. “Who’s the guy?”
“It’s…” Indigo was suddenly not keen on the idea of sharing Nic’s name. But why did it matter? She owed it to Hudson, to prove to him that it didn’t mean anything. “It’s a new kid—Nicolas Park. I-I barely know him!”
“Sure, say that after you kiss him!” Hudson shoved his hat onto his head. “Maybe I should talk to him. Let him know you’re taken.”
“No, Hudson, please don’t!” Indigo stood and reached for his arm, recoiling when he shook her away. “It doesn’t have anything to do with him.”
The words felt too small against the storm in front of her. Hudson reached for the doorknob, and without a backwards glance, left the room.
Gazing after him, Indigo didn’t know whether she should pursue him or wait it out; she could’ve sworn she heard him sniff as he closed the door behind him. Sighing, she turned off the TV.
The room dropped into an unwelcoming silence. As she gathered her things, Indigo decided it would be best to just head home and be patient.
Hudson would come around. He had to.
Didn’t he?
Indigo stepped through the front door, hoping against all odds that her mother would be asleep. She really didn’t want to talk about what had just happened, and her mother would certainly pull it out of her the minute she saw her face. She might be a good actress; but she could never hide anything from her mom.
Quietly slipping off her shoes, Indigo tiptoed through the empty living room and to the stairway—only to nearly run headfirst into her mom. Indigo jumped as a startled yelp escaped her mouth, embarrassingly high-pitched.
“Whoa, kiddo!” Indigo’s mom reached for her shoulders to steady her. “It’s just me! I heard the door and wanted to make sure you were home saf—”
She paused, studying Indigo’s face. Here it came.
“Indie, what’s wrong?”
And although she hadn’t at all felt like crying the moment before, Indigo burst into tears.
“Honey!” Her mom pulled her into a hug, and Indigo buried her face in the fuzzy pink robe to hide her tears. “What happened?”
Indigo let her mom guide her over to the couch, where she curled into a ball under the safety of her arm. She already felt a little bit better.
“It’s Hudson… he just doesn’t understand.”
“Doesn’t understand what, honey?”
“That-” Indigo realized she hadn’t told her mom about it, either. “That I have to kiss someone in the play!”
“Oh.” Her mother cocked her head to the side. “Well, Indie, he’s… young. And he cares about you.”
“I know.” Indigo sat up and swiped a finger under her eyes. “He made me promise not to when we started dating freshman year. And it was never a problem until now.”
“So you’ve broken a promise, but it’s also your dream role.” Indigo’s mom furrowed her eyebrows. “And you just now told him?”
“Yeah… but I totally forgot about it before I auditioned!”
“Well,” her mother said, pursing her lips. “I can see how you’re in a weird position—and I can also see how he’d be hurt by that. But, if this is something you want to do with your life, he’s gonna need to be okay with it.”
“And if he can’t reconcile himself to that side of your career, then…” Her mom paused as she searched Indigo’s face. “...maybe he’s not the right one”
Indigo glanced up, confused. “Are you saying we should break up?”
“No, honey, it’s just… acting is a big deal to you. And you deserve someone who can support your goals without jealousy.” Her mom shrugged her shoulders, a somber look on her face.
Indigo looked at her mother blankly.
The thought of breaking up with Hudson wasn’t something that had crossed her mind. They’d been together all throughout high school—he’d been there for her when her dog died, when she broke her wrist and had to give up a lead role.
Hudson knew her coffee order, her favorite candy, and that she didn’t like getting flowers unless it was a single red rose.
The idea of leaving him was scary.
“No, I-” Indigo shook her head. “We’ll figure it out. I just wish he understood.”
“I know, honey.” Her mother wrapped her in another hug. “But you should get some sleep. It’s late—and I think he’ll be cooled off in the morning.”
“I hope so.”
But that night, as Indigo lay in bed, she couldn’t get her mother’s words out of her head. And when she finally fell asleep, her dreams were filled with images of Hudson and Nicolas battling each other on the stage, the curtain falling before she saw who had won.
Up next, Chapter 4
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Introducing, Indigo.
Welcome to the first installment in a fictional series I’ve poured my heart into these past few months. Follow me into the messy magic of a high school theatre, where friendships, rivalries, and backstage crushes collide—and one girl fights to hold on to her dream when love and loyalty tug her in opposite directions.
I Have a Dream (Ch. 2)
Welcome to a fictional series I’ve poured my heart into these past few months. Follow me into the world of high school theatre, where friendships, rivalries, and backstage crushes collide—and one girl fights to hold on to her dream as love and loyalty tug her in opposite directions.
Ahh I'm finally catching up on this!!!
Hi Sol, this is so much fun to read, I'm really enjoying it -can I just make a suggestion to put a link to the next chapter at the bottom, when it's available, so people like me who are catching up can just move from one to the next easily ☺️