A short while later, and Aubrey and Ben were shifting boxed backstage, just behind the curtains. They rummaged through the boxes, looking for costumes and props.

Sitting on the edge of the stage, Haru and Sasha and Amelia sat, talking together happily.

‘So how about this bit?’ Sasha spoke, pointing to a section in the book, the script from the play they were practicing. ‘This is the part the main character confesses his feelings for the young girl’ she said to the others. ‘Haru’ she glanced up at him, ‘are you confident to play this? Do you still want to be the main character in this story?’

‘Yes, I do’ Haru spoke. ‘I really want to do this, I feel like it would help me a lot.’

‘That’s awesome’ Sasha said cheerily. ‘I’m so excited.’

‘So, who is going to play the girl?’ Amelia asked.

‘We could flip a coin?’ Sasha suggested, leaning forward and winking at Amelia. ‘It’s gotta be one of us.’

‘Oh really?’ Amelia said, blushing slightly now.

Sasha began to laugh at that. ‘I got a penny in my pocket’ he said, reaching for it. ‘Are you ready?’ she asked Haru.

Haru could not answer, only stare back at Sasha with wide eyes.

‘Are you ready to start yet?’ Aubrey called out to the small group.

‘Yeah’ Sasha called back.

‘We found the dress’ Ben told them, holding up a loose-fitting purple dress.

‘Oh, I love that one’ Amelia said beginning to clap her hands then. ‘We’ve used that dress before in a play’ she explained to Haru as he looked back at her. ‘I love it so much.’

‘Well you have a fifty-fifty chance of wearing it again’ Sasha said to Amelia with a grin. ‘Are you ready?’ she asked Amelia.

Amelia gave an eager nod.

‘Ready?’ Sasha said to Haru.

Haru stared at Sasha nervously, swallowing the lump in his throat and giving a nod.

‘Here we go’ Sasha said, throwing the coin up in the air and catching it again. She placed it on the back of her hand, covering it. ‘Heads or tails’ she said to Haru.

‘Uh....’

‘I’ll be tails’ Amelia said.

‘Then I’m heads’ Sasha breathed. ‘Call it’ she said glancing to Haru.

‘I...uh....heads.’

Sasha’s eyes shone with excitement and anticipation, and she looked down, taking her hand away.

They all looked down at the coin. It was heads.

‘Yey’ Sasha laughed then. ‘Looks like the dress is mine.’

Ben held it out then, and Haru turned, seeing the dress clearer now.

It looked beautiful.

‘Too bad’ Amelia sighed forlorn as she tilted her head towards the dress. ‘I would have looked good in purple.’