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A/N: I think I fixed the problem people seemed to be having. I apologize for not having caught it before I posted it.
Chapter 1: Auditions
“You still plan to audition for the play, don’t you Elliot?” my sister asked taking her eyes off the road for a moment to look at me.
“I don’t know. I might but…” I trailed off.
Normally I would audition for any play my school was putting on, and get a part every time and a lead more than half the time. So when I had heard that they were putting on another play I went to find out which it would be, thinking of course that it would be some famous one or at least one I had heard of. It turned out to be a play written by a fellow Hargrove School of Arts students. The drama teacher, Mrs. Murf, had given me a copy of it but I wasn’t sure what part, if any, to go for. Some of parts of the play had made me less than comfortable.
“But what?” Lauren flicked her gray eyes, the eyes we shared and had inherited from our dad back to me. “You should at least try for a small part. The more versatile you seem in the parts you can play the better you’ll look to Julliard.”
I smiled at the mention of my dream school. “I guess.”
“What type of play is it?” she asked, turning onto another street.
I shrugged. “Romance,” I watched the buildings and stores passing behind us.
She smiled, “So what’s the big deal? You played Romeo, this can’t be much different,” she raised an eyebrow. “Is it?”
“Maybe not,” I focused on a boy walking down the street. He looked familiar. “Don’t worry. I’ll audition for a part.
“Alright,” she pulled up in front of my school. “Do you have everything? Lunch money? Bus money?” I winced as she went from concerned sister to mom mode. “I am sorry I can’t pick you up today but my boss wants me to work late today.”
“It’s fine,” I said trying to reassure her. Ever since our parents died…No, I wouldn’t think about it.
“Okay then. Bye, have fun and good luck!”
“You’re supposed to wish me luck in your mind Lauren,” I had started saying that when I was little. I just never stopped. “Later.”
I got out of the car and looked up at Hargrove. The school is in the middle of down town, and while not the biggest it is one of the most noticeable. Three floors with all the main gathering rooms on the bottom floor which includes the auditorium (where theater class is), all the dance art, and music studios on the second, and all the regular classes at the very top. The outside has an old time gothic castle look to it. I love and hate the school.
I pulled my book bag higher up on my shoulder and started up the walk way. All over the grass beside it other students stood around talking. I waved to the ones I knew but none came over to say hi and I didn’t intrude on them and their friends. We all have our groups of friends and we stay in those groups.
“Elliot!” and one of my friends happened to be attacking me, I thought wryly. My friend Blaize had wrapped her arms around my neck and had jumped onto my back.
“Blaize! Get off before you choke me to death!” I twisted around trying to toss her off.
She hopped off and stood in front of me her strawberry blonde hair all over the place. “Hey, Elliot!”
I glared at her rubbing at my neck. “What do you think you were doing?”
“Surprising you?” her smile widened.
“Whatever,” I was actually used to her jumping on me like that. Doesn’t mean I like it though. I stalked past her but she grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Look there’s Noah!” she started waving wildly at someone behind me.
I glanced back to see our other best friend, a tall dark skinned boy, coming up the walk. I stopped trying to tug away from Blaize.
“Hey guys,” he flashed a smile full of bright white teeth. “Ready for today?”
Blaize frowned. “Is thee something special about today?”
He shrugged. “No, not really,” he was still smiling.
“Wait,” I said slowly remembering what he had told us yesterday. “How’d your date with Shanna go?”
“It was perfect!” he strode past us continuing the forgotten walk to the door. “We got along great! We have another date planned for next week.
“So it’s a good thing you asked her out,” Blaize commented running in front of us then turning around to walk backwards.
“Yeah, it is,” he frowned at her. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I didn’t say it would,” she said defensively. She turned to open the door for us.
“Oh,” Noah’s smile returned.
“You know there is another reason to be happy!” she jumped into the door after us.
“What’s that Blaize?” with her it could be anything.
“Our junior year Harvest Ball is in twenty-eight days, ten hours, and thirty-two minutes!”
Noah and I stared at her in shock. Noah was the first to think of something to say. “You know the exact amount of time till the dance?”
“Yep,” she nodded happily. “I could tell you the seconds to but first I might have to check a clock,” I rolled my eyes stopping at my locker just as the warning bell rang. The other two took off for their lockers.
I twitched nervously as I waited for Mrs. Murf to call my name. School was over and it was time for the auditions. It had taken me all day to come up with what part I wanted to read but I had finally decided on what I thought was one of the smaller ones.
That didn’t lessen my nervousness any. Going in front of any amount of people made me nervous. It was always a challenge but it gave me a rush every time. I loved being able to become someone else even for a short amount of time. That’s what had me coming back to the stage every time. I never felt disappointed in how things went on stage.
“Elliot Fairbrook,” Mrs. Murf called from the seats in front of the stage.
I moved into the middle of the stage and looked down t her and the boy beside her. It was the boy from the street this morning, no wonder I had thought he looked familiar.
“What part will you be reading?” she peered up at me from behind her overlarge glasses.
“Uh…” oh God had I forgotten the name? “Leon’s”
“Really?” why did she seem surprised? “Go on.”
Nervously I recited the lines I had memorized, acting them out the way I was supposed to. “I know what you’re trying to tell me Zach, I think I may have since I saw you together. So, stop. I know you hate saying it out loud. You think it’s a weakness, but it won’t be once you tell the right person,” that was all I had memorized. Had it been enough?
“The results will be posted tomorrow.”
She stared at me for a second, “You mean Elliot? But he was auditioning for Leon.”
“So?” I sat back in my seat. “I think he’d make a better Theo.”
“Alright, Sterling, we’ll make him Theo,” she marked something on her paper. “Chrissa Fields,” she called the next person up. “What part would you like to read?”
“Amy’s.”
I didn’t bother to listen to the girl. This was my play and Mrs. Murf had said I could have a say in who got what part but I only wanted a say in who the leads were. The other parts I trusted her with. She had been about to cast the boy who would be a perfect Theo as Leon though. Why would he even try for a small part like Leon’s?
“Vance Lee,” Mrs. Murf interrupted my thoughts, calling up the next person. “And who’s part will you be reading?”
“Theo’s,” I looked at the boy. Taller than the Elliot boy, with dark hair. To me he was completely wrong for the part.
When he was done Mrs. Murf looked over at me, I shook my head. He wasn’t even good enough for a different part.
“We only have one person left,” she checked something on her paper. The auditorium was empty except for us. “Sterling Trumble,” she frowned at me. “You don’t have to audition, it’s you’re play.”
“But you’ve never seen me act,” I pointed out. I had just started here last month. “You don’t know if I’m a good actor or not.
“Well, you don’t have to do this but what part do you want to read?”
“Zachary’s,” I stood brushing my dark brown hair out of my eyes. “Do you want me to go up on stage?”
“No need,” I scowled. Even if I sucked I would get the part because I wrote the play.
I waited a moment thinking of which of Zach’s lines I wanted to say. “I know a lot more about you than you may think I do. Yes, there are a few things I don’t know, and one of them is the part about you I want to know most,” it was the minimum of the lines she required us to say.
“Well, you have the part,” she made another of many marks on her paper. “Now lets decided who the other parts go to.”
“Okay.”
“You want Elliot as Theo?”
“Right,” was she going to try to say we should give him the part he tried out for instead? I wasn’t sure which of us had the deciding vote.
“Well it may not be the part she tried out for but Elliot is very good at acting,” she smiled. “He has been the lead in most of our plays since he started here.”
“Really?” then why hadn’t he tried out for the lead this time?
She nodded. “How about we give Chrissa Amy’s part? She was good,” I just nodded. “You’re going to be Zach. So how about May Peterson as Giselle?” who had she been again?
“Okay,” I said a little cautious.
“Hmmm, and Gale Frost as Dominic,” I had to interrupt.
“Mrs. Murf, I think I’m going to go home. You seem to know who is perfect for the rest of the parts,” I stood grabbing my bag from my by my feet. “Okay?”
“That’s fine, Sterling,” she waved her pen at me. “See you tomorrow. Don’t get into any trouble!” she called the last after me as I sprinted to the door.
“I won’t!”
Right outside the door was a clock. 4:36. “Shit, I’m going to be late,” I started running again. I had to get home.
