Symphony of Sound.

Chord approaches Zack in their Journalism class a few days later to okay their song selection with him, and Zack promises to tell Greta when he next sees her. He spots Chris a few feet away from them, and they roll their eyes at each other as Chord starts to talk at Zack about how worried he is about the show.

“Chord, calm down, would you?” Zack asks finally, raising his hands to the other blonde. “You’ll be fine. The choir’s won Nationals twice since you and Chris have been co-captains.”

“I suppose I-”

“Chord.” Zack says sternly. “You. Will. Be. Fine. Trust me.”

“Well, if you say so, I mean-”

“Stop talking, honey.” Chris says, appearing over his shoulder, taking hold of his hand and pulling him away from Zack. He gives Chris a thankful smile, and the brunette laughs quietly.

It’s unfortunate, then, that Zack doesn’t see Greta until class is over that day and they’re all sitting in the junior common room trying to plan a running order.

“Well, the musical cast only agreed to do it if they can have the spot right before the interval, so they can’t be moved.” Greta deliberates from where she’s sprawled on her stomach beside Zack.

“Oh!” Zack suddenly remembers his conversation with Chord earlier. Greta turns to stare at him sceptically. “The show choir want to do two songs. Chord said something about Don’t Stop and Maybe This Time.”

“Okay, I’ll just have to squash them in somewhere then.” Greta scribbles down a few words on her paper. “I got a few of the theatre classes to perform some Shakespeare and some monologues.”

Zack nods.

“Well, maybe if you have the show choir open, then half of the theatre acts before the interval, then close the show with the orchestra? That could be a start.” He suggests. Greta thinks for a moment, drawing a few lines and arrows onto her plans.

“That could work, actually. Thanks.” She smiles at him for a second, before ducking her head and returning to her work.

A few days later, when Zack returns to the common room after his after school Biology class, and after he’s dropped Alex off with Greta, he discovers Paul and David with a mess of empty envelopes, unfolded flyers and messily printed letters.

“Zack!” David yells when he spots him, his voice hopeful. “Help!”

“What on earth have you done?” Zack asks incredulously, moving over to them gingerly as he dodges piles of paper.

“Greta told us to put all the invite letters in envelopes, and fold all the flyers but we messed up.”

“I guessed that much.” Zack rolls his eyes as he leans down to pick up a flyer. The Shakespeare School Summer Showcase is written across the top in an ornate, italic font. He folds it absently.

“Will you help?” Paul almost pouts from his spot on the floor as he reaches for an envelope and a letter, folding it into three.

“I guess. How long will Greta and Alex be?” Zack clears a spot in the mounds of paper and sits between the two of them. He pulls a pile of flyers towards him.

“Well, I think they went to find out which teachers are actually coming. So they could be a while.” Paul comments as he seals five envelopes in a row.

“Good.” Zack says as he folds another three flyers as neatly as he can manage. “Because we might be too.”

Greta and Alex return a few hours later with a few sheets of paper, discussing something to do with the seating arrangements feverishly. Paul seals the final envelope and sets it on the teetering pile on one of the desks. David and Zack fold their last two flyers and add them to the other pile.

Greta fixes them with a look of disbelief.

“You actually did it? And you didn’t make a mess?”

Zack opens his mouth to tell her that yes, actually, they made quite a big mess, but David nudges him in the side and Paul stands on his foot not-so subtly.

“Yep.” David replies with a cheeky grin. “Zack wanted to help.”

The blonde narrows his eyes at the brunette. Alex stifles a laugh behind his hand.

“Can we go now?” Paul asks impatiently, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I have a boyfriend to make out with.”

“Spare me the details, guys.” Greta interrupts as Alex pretends to throw up in the background. “Have fun, okay? And tell Dan and Martin we say hi.”

She waves them off and the two of them high-five as they head towards the senior block.

Greta watches them leave in disbelief for a moment before turning back to Zack.

“Do you know where Rian or Jack are? I need them.”

“Probably in their rooms.” Zack shrugs. She goes marching off into the boys’ corridor.

“God help the man that marries her.” Alex laughs quietly as he watches her go and knock loudly on Rian’s door. Zack raises his eyebrows at him.

“I’m just saying.” Alex continues. “She’s running this thing like it’s an army, I pity her future husband.”

Zack frowns at him, and Greta reappears in the boys’ corridor with a smug smile on her face. Rian leans out of the doorway of his room and shouts a few insults at her. She laughs at him.

“So, Rian’s going to email details to all the teachers that are attending, which means I can start work on my textiles work.” Greta grins almost cheekily before she disappears off into her room.

Zack and Alex exchange a confused glance for a minute before they laugh a little and sit down at one of the desks by the window.

“Ready for some Business homework?” Zack asks with a tentative laugh as he produces a thick textbook from his bag, throws it down on to the table and opens it to a double page on accounting.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Alex laughs, producing a sheet of paper from his bag and starting to write.

Rian, meanwhile, is struggling with his laptop and the massive list of email addresses Greta was nice enough to present him with. He sighs as he messes up Miss Patterson’s email for the fifth time, deleting the entire message and trying to start over.

He gives up after five minutes, grabbing his laptop and his list from his bed and marching across the corridor to Jack’s room. He knocks unceremoniously on the younger boy’s door, until the cello music coming from inside jerks to a halt and Jack appears at the door, bow still in hand.

“What do you want?” Jack asks indignantly, his arms folded across his chest. Rian almost laughs at him.

“Help me.” He demands, pushing past the dark haired boy and settling himself on his bed. Jack sighs, spends a minute or two packing his cello away before he sits down next to Rian.

“What is it?” Jack asks, grabbing the list from Rian’s hand. “What’s this for?”

“I have to email all these teachers details of the showcase.” Rian sighs heavily, opening a new email and typing in Mr Robson’s address.

“This is almost all of the teachers, though.”

“I know!” Rian replies, almost angrily. “The least you could do is help me, Jack.”

“Fine.” Jack rolls his eyes affectionately and pulls his laptop up from the floor. “Give me an email, then.”

“I must say, Merrick,” Alex laughs after over an hour of work on a spider diagram, “I’m impressed. I had no idea that calculations could actually be interesting.”

Zack rolls his eyes and closes his textbook.

“Don’t lie, Alex. They’re still as dull as hell.”

“Okay, you’re right.” Alex cracks into a grin, folding his sheet of paper and stuffing it into his folder. “I still hate calculations.”

“Good. I was worried I’d have to get you checked for a mental deficiency.”

“Hey, shut up!”

Just as they dissolve into a fit of laughter, Rian and Jack come careering into the common room.

“Where’s Greta?” Rian asks with a smug expression on his face.

“In her room, I think.” Zack replies. “Why?”

“Because I’ve done all of her stupid work.”

Jack elbows him.

“Sorry. Because we’ve done all her stupid work.”

“Well, good for you two.” Alex says, feigning interest as he tugs his bag further up his shoulder. “Go shove it in her face and not ours. And hurry up; I want to watch a movie.”

Alex heads off in the direction of the boys corridor, and Zack rolls his eyes at him.

“We’ll be in my room.” Zack says, leaning in to kiss Rian on the cheek before following Alex down the corridor.

“You’re blushing.” Jack comments. Rian glares at him before elbowing him in the side.

“I am not. Stop talking.”

By the time Rian and Jack are done bugging Greta, Alex and Zack have gotten bored of waiting. Rian pushes open the door to his boyfriend’s room and finds the two of them under a blanket watching New York, I Love You.

“Nice of you to finally join us.” Alex comments, patting the area next to him on Zack’s bed. “Now sit down, Shia LaBeouf’s character is just about to die.”

“Thanks for the spoilers.” Jack replies as he sits down beside the other boy and snuggles into his side. Alex frowns a little, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

Rian and Zack laugh softly at them, and Rian pulls Zack into a hug. Zack sighs contentedly, burying his face in Rian’s chest. The brunette laughs into his hair, kisses the top of his head and looks back at the movie.

Jack twists his fingers with Alex’s, and the older boy closes his eyes.

Everything is good, he thinks with a smile.