The final school bell rang out, echoing through the halls. Students immediately sprang from their seats, chattering excitedly as they grabbed their bags and rushed out the door.
"Don't forget to submit your assignments tomorrow!" the teacher called out, trying to regain control—but no one was listening.
Outside, Ruby, Tasha, and Maya walked in silence. The air between them felt heavy, each of them lost in their thoughts, trying to process what had happened earlier. Tasha finally groaned and broke the silence.
"Okay! I can't take it anymore. What was that in class, Ruby?" she asked, coming to a sudden stop. Maya and Ruby paused with her.
"I... I don't know," Ruby said quietly, almost unsure of her own answer. "It must've been a nightmare."
"Who the heck has full-blown nightmares in the middle of class?" Tasha teased, raising an eyebrow.
Before Ruby could answer, Maya let out an excited gasp, her attention now glued to her phone.
"OMG, guys—look! Red Rehearsal Season 2 is rumored to be in the works—and they're casting new actors! Any age!"
"WHAT?!" Ruby and Tasha screamed in unison, their earlier tension instantly forgotten.
"We have to audition," Maya grinned, practically bouncing in place.
"Obviously!" Tasha beamed.
Ruby was about to say something when her eyes caught a familiar black sports car pulling up beside them. Her heart skipped.
"Wait... isn't that Mason's car?" she asked.
Tasha glanced without much interest. "Yeah, so?"
"I don't know..." Ruby said with a small smile. "It's just... Mason."
The car came to a smooth stop beside them, and Mason rolled down the window with that signature charming smile.
"Hey, girls," he said, effortlessly cool.
"H-Hi, Mason," Ruby said, giving a shy little wave.
"Hey, Tasha," Mason added, smiling more directly—ignoring Ruby's wave completely.
Ruby's smile faltered as she looked over at Tasha, who simply shrugged.
"So... the guys and I are throwing a sleepover party tonight. It's gonna be wild. Wanna come?" Mason asked, flashing a perfect grin.
"Yes! We're definitely coming," Ruby said quickly, almost too eager.
"Cool. You in too, Tasha?" he asked, eyes lingering on her. Tasha gave him a quick nod, more to end the conversation than anything else.
Mason revved the engine and sped off.
Maya looked at Ruby, a little puzzled. "Why did you say yes? We're supposed to be auditioning for Red Rehearsal."
"It's just one night," Ruby replied with a forced smile. "We'll send in our auditions tomorrow."
She turned away before either of them could respond, her smile fading the second her back was turned. Tasha and Maya exchanged a glance, concern flickering between them, and then silently followed Ruby down the road.
AT RUBY'S HOUSE
Ruby stood in front of her full-length mirror, dressed to impress. She admired her reflection with a satisfied grin.
"I'm so pretty," she whispered to herself, then giggled softly.
Grabbing her phone from the bed, she typed out a quick message to Maya and Tasha:
> Hope you guys are ready for Mason's sleepover party tonight!
Attached: a glittering party emoji sticker
She hit send, gave herself one last glance in the mirror, then picked up her overnight bag—the one holding her pajamas and a few other things she thought might impress Mason.
As she headed downstairs, she found her grandma planted in front of the TV, eyes glued to the screen.
"Grandma, I'm going to Maya's. She's having a study group sleepover with Tasha and me," Ruby said, already halfway out the door.
"Alright, dear. Be careful out there," her grandma called, not looking away from the screen.
"I will," Ruby said sweetly, then stepped outside, her heels clicking against the pavement. A soft ding came from her phone.
Maya had replied:
> Totally!
Ruby smiled to herself, the thrill of the night already bubbling in her chest.
---
AT MASON'S HOUSE
TIME: 6:55 PM
Loud music thumped through the walls. Lights flashed in vibrant colors—red, blue, green—as laughter, chatter, and the clink of bottles filled the air.
Ruby stepped inside, her eyes wide. The living room was packed—some people were dancing, others smoking, a few lost in intense make-out sessions. It was the kind of party she'd only seen in movies.
Then she spotted Mason.
"Hey, what's up?" he greeted, walking over with that signature confident smile.
Ruby beamed. "Hi!"
Mason glanced around. "Where's Tasha?"
Ruby's smile faltered just a little. "She'll be here soon," she said, trying to sound casual, even though her voice strained.
"Cool. I'll wait for her outside. Enjoy the party," Mason said with a grin before turning and heading toward the door.
Ruby's fists clenched at her sides as she watched him walk away.
Ding.
A new message popped up on her phone—from Tasha:
> Hey girl, Maya and I are waiting outside. Where are you?
Ruby let out a deep sigh and turned to leave the house, her shoes clicking again on the pavement as she walked toward the front door.
---
EXT. OUTSIDE MASON'S HOUSE – NIGHT
Maya and Tasha stood beside a parked car. Tasha glanced down at her phone, her fingers typing quickly.
"I just texted Ruby—she said she'll be out soon," Tasha said, slipping her phone back into her bag.
Maya rolled her eyes as she dabbed on lipstick using a tiny compact mirror. "Ugh, I seriously don't care about this party. What does she even see in Mason?"
Tasha shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't want to disappoint her by not showing up." She let out a small sigh. "Maybe we should head in?"
"I'm not stepping foot in there," Maya replied sharply, her face twisted in annoyance.
"Why not?" Tasha asked, just as a familiar voice joined in.
"Yeah, why not?" Mason appeared beside them, his hands casually tucked into his jacket pockets.
Maya scoffed, rolling her eyes at the sight of him. "Yuck. Because it reeks of Mason in there."
Mason chuckled, clearly amused. "Come on, let's go inside," he said, his gaze shifting and locking onto Tasha.
"We'd love to, but we're waiting for Ruby," Tasha said, instinctively stepping back as Mason moved slightly closer.
"She's already inside," Mason replied smoothly. "We could go find her together."
"Um… yeah, no, Mason," Maya cut in, her tone laced with irritation. She flipped her compact mirror open again. "I'm gonna touch up my face." And with that, she walked off toward the streetlight, leaving Tasha and Mason alone.
A quiet pause hung between them before Mason broke the silence.
"Wanna grab a drink?"
"No, thanks," Tasha said with a polite yet obviously fake smile.
Mason tilted his head, his tone turning slightly more curious. "What's up with you? Do you hate me or something?"
Tasha let out a small, uncomfortable laugh. "What? No… why would you even think that?"
"I don't know. Maybe because you're always in a rush to get away from me," Mason said, inching a little closer.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tasha replied, taking another step back.
"See?" Mason smirked. "You just did it again."
Tasha gave a nervous laugh. "It's just awkward standing this close to you."
"It's not awkward to me…" Mason murmured. Then, after a small pause, he added softly, "…because I like you."
Tasha froze. Her eyes widened slightly, completely caught off guard.
Mason leaned in, slowly closing the space between them, his lips just inches from hers—
"Tasha!" Ruby's voice suddenly rang out.
And just like that, the moment shattered.
Tasha quickly stepped away from Mason, brushing down her clothes in a flustered motion.
"Um… hi, Ruby," she said awkwardly, her voice low and uneasy.
Ruby's jaw clenched. Her eyes burned into Tasha with a glare that said everything she wasn't saying out loud.
"Looks like Ruby's here now," Mason said, trying to ease the tension with a teasing grin. "We should probably head inside—we're missing all the fun."
"You and Tasha can go in," Ruby snapped. "I'm going to find Maya." Her tone was sharp, her eyes avoiding both of them.
She pulled out her phone and began dialing Maya's number. But just as she turned to storm off, she bumped into someone—tall, striking, with pale skin, tousled blonde hair, and piercing grey eyes.
"Whoa, watch where you're going, baby," the guy said with a lazy, flirtatious smile.
"Go to hell, Jace," Ruby snapped, shoving past him and disappearing into the night.
Tasha let out a sigh and instinctively started to follow her—but Mason caught her hand gently, stopping her.
Before she could say anything, Jace grinned and slung an arm around Mason's shoulder.
"Mason, what the hell, man! Why are you out here missing the real party? Come on, baby, let's go!" Jace winked at Tasha, making her recoil with visible disgust.
"Ew," she muttered under her breath.
"Let's go inside, have some fun," Mason said, still holding Tasha's hand as he led her toward the house.
Jace followed behind them, humming along to the muffled bass thumping from inside.