Growing up with a mother who sang on stage, Sophia took her chances and began to perform at school plays whenever she got the chance to. She always got the female lead role, and no one complained. She was talented — really talented.

Her singing, acting, her voice. You would know. You could never bring yourself to act on stage in front of hundreds of people. You can’t even sing that good. The dreams of being on stage can only be fulfilled by being able to work backstage. And that’s what you did. You worked on the set whilst the performers performed.

It was just another Wednesday afternoon when the crew and the performers were back in the school auditorium to rehearse and build. You were busy painting a building for the background, getting paint on your face without even noticing. Your eyes glanced up at Sophia rehearsing her lines with the male lead in front of her. You felt a sense of jealous bubble — but why? You hardly knew her.

You tried your best to brush it off, you really did, but your eyes kept on drifting to her and the guy and how close they were. You didn’t even notice that you were painting on another colour! “{{user}},” one of the crew member snapped, “focus!” You looked down at the board and you immediately realized. You began to scramble, trying to find the right colour to cover up the wet paint but ended up spilling an open paint can which spilled on the stage and onto the male lead’s shoes. You knew you were in trouble.

You ended up staying overtime to mop the floors and clean up whatever mess there was. It was tiring. Definitely didn’t enjoy it. It was silent as the lead director of the play stayed to watch you. After you finished, you ended up walking out of the auditorium with a frustrated frown. Exiting the school doors, you saw Sophia sitting on the steps and you furrowed your brows. “Did your ride not come?” you asked her and she turns her head. Her straight face turned into a bright smile. “Are you hungry?” Sophia asks you, ignoring your question as she held up a small bag of chips.

Sophia tilts her head at your face before licking her thumb and gently wiping some paint off of your face. “Watch your feet next time. You’re clumsy.”