Prologue:

A Year Later

A year later, a lot can change during that time. I’ve gone from being with an improv troupe, being in a local sitcom, and having a good relationship with my ex to: being kicked out of the troupe because I was usually too busy to get there, the sitcom being cancelled, and my relationship with my ex slowly disappeared to her only talking to me when she needed help. I had changed also, not a lot; I now had a rugged complexion as compared to the smooth face I had before, and I was a little weirder out in public.

Though I will admit that having all of those things happen to me has given me more free time and it gave me an opportunity to try and create a troupe of my own. Of course, this troupe was going to be at school. I had asked both principle and teacher in charge of drama club near the end of the school year if I could create an improv troupe for the school, and they said I could if I could get enough people interested, which I did.

Almost all of summer was spent with me trying to figure out stuff to do in the improv, what I needed for it, how to do the meeting, and such. I did, luckily, happen to get asked to do some acting stuff throughout the summer to have a source of income, but I did have a decent amount of money saved up after my commercial and sitcom.

Though I will admit that being in the commercial and sitcom helped my self-esteem. It’s just that I did something that I love, acting, and that I get commented upon it by random people on the street. It did get annoying at school though and it did lead to me getting bullied by some people and even getting in fights, though I didn’t mind getting in fights.

One of the few things that was good and stayed good was bowling. Our school’s bowing team went to state and won; I also went to state individually and miraculously pulled out in first. Saturday morning, our team was first in the league, but ever other tournament didn’t go so well.

As for today, it seemed reminiscent of last year, though it wasn’t anything like last year. I woke up later, around noon; the same song wasn’t playing, it was “Ex Lover’s Lover” by Voltaire; it was a Tuesday, but still the 1st of August; and I got up to look on IM, but no one was on. A year had passed and nothing was the same, but it seemed like it was, perhaps that because I want to make it that way.

In only about two more hours I was going to get my schedule from school, till then I had nothing to do. Unlike last year, where I played games, watched TV, and surfed the web, I had a little more important stuff I wanted to try and finish.

In just a few days into school, there was going to be a drama club meeting. I needed to have an outline of what to bring up about the improv troupe, and have everything ready to say and hand out when I had the troupe meeting, which I planned on having about a week later.

About 2:00 I had finished everything, unless you count having a place to do the improv troupe’s shows, but I knew some people. I got dressed in my usual all black attire and got in my car, once a nameless car I didn’t know to a black and red 2005 Mustang GT. One of the few things I actually upgraded with the money I obtained, the others being a projector for the computer, a gaming laptop, a gaming desktop, a newer cell phone with the same number, and some personal martial arts training after I started getting in several fights.

Anyways, I drove towards the school to get my yearly schedule. This years schedule I had first semester Criminal Justice II, Geometry Honors, Web Design Honors, and Chemistry I Honors; second semester I had English 11 Honors, American History Honors, Theatre Arts II, and Math IV.

I went around to several of my classes to see what I needed for the class, most of them bringing up about that they saw me on TV, with the improv troupe, or some other acting thing I’ve done. Besides my regular teachers, I went to talk to the principle and the drama club teacher about the improv troupe. I brought up that I planned on making an announcement, both on our mourning announcement and in front of the drama club, about the improv troupe. They said I could do it, which was good news for me.

After that, there wasn’t much left to do at the school, actually, anywhere. I just drove back to my apartment and laid in my bed, till my cell phone went off a little before 5:00. I picked it up and it was a phone number that I remember. I answered it.

“Hey Tiff,” I said. “What do you need?”

“Kayne, we need you here,” she said to me.

“But I’m not with the troupe anymore. Remember, you kicked me out because I was too busy.”

“Well, we need you tonight. Almost all of our improvers are sick; we only have four, counting myself, that can perform. We need at least five to do a show.”

“Will I get paid what I used to get paid?”

“Yes, just please come.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in a little while,” I said as I hung up the phone.

I know that it might have been a little rude to ask about getting paid, but if I do a show that people get paid for and I used to get paid for, I expect to get paid. It’s not like I asked for double my usual rate or anything, just to get paid what I would get paid if I still worked there.

I left my apartment, got in my car, and drove to the theatre. It had been a while since I actually came to the theatre, even longer have I worked there. It felt weird for once me going backstage with the rest of the troupe.

“Good, you finally got here,” said Tiff as I got into the back area. “It’s almost time for us to go out into the audience.”

“I’m sure he’s prepared to go out there,” said on of the improvers, David. “Oh, or have you forgotten how to act without lines?”

David was in his mid 20s, was about 6’2”, had short blonde hair, blue eyes, had an athletic build, and had a huge ego. We didn’t get along so well when I was with the troupe, but when I was approached and asked to be in a commercial, then a sitcom, he mega loathed me. The only real reason was that he believed he was the best actor and he wanted to be noticed, but the youngest person with the troupe was selected.

“David!” Tiff yelled at him.

“So how much can you do now that you are actually a star in our small town?” he asked. “I know, we can just put you on stage and the audience will love the show.”

“David! Just…” Tiff brought up before I cut her off.

“There’s no point in telling him anything,” I said to her. “He won’t listen to anything unless you’re below him or you’re kissing his ass. Let’s just get ready to go out there. So am I going to be an improver or the MC?”

“I would like you to be the MC if you believe you can remember everything quickly,” Tiff said to me as the other improvers left.

“Yeah, I can do it, no problem.”

She gave me the list of the games and improvers and I quickly went over it. I memorized it a few minutes before the show was to start, so I tried to figure out an introduction.

Time had finally arrived for the show to start, and I went out the backstage door and onto the stage. As I walked onto the stage, surprisingly, there was a lot of applause.

“Please,” I said through the applause as they slowly died down, “it’s not that big of a deal. More so, I can’t do this by myself, so I picked randomly these four names.”

I announced the improvers’ names and all of them came up onto the stage as I said their name, acting surprised as they usually do. We went through all of the games, always fun to announce them and explain as to being in them, and in the end, several people wanted me to give an autograph or have a picture with them. I was only somewhat a star in this town, but it felt like I was a bigger star than that.

Though being a star, even a small one, has its problems, especially if a person has a problem with the star.

I was walking to my car when I had to hear an annoying voice.

“You think you’re so good, now don’t you?” said David from behind me.

“I am what I am,” I replied while turning around. “I leave it up to people to determine what they believe I am.”

“You’re only 17, and you’re a star among our town.”

“Makes up for all the other shit that’s happened in my life.”

“How about I give you something else then?” he said while getting in a fighting stance.

“I don’t have time for a fight nor do I really want to get in one,” I replied.

“Too bad.”

He charged at me, telegraphing a strong right punch. I dodged his punch, grabbed his arm with my left hand, tripped him with my right foot, and flipped him over with my right hand and arm. He hit the ground hard on his back.

“Damn it!” he yelled while on the ground, too hurt to move.

“Not a good idea to go against a person who knows martial arts,” I said to him. “Well, see ya.”

“Fuck you Kayne!”

I got in my car and drove off. There was no reason to stay behind, and there was no reason to continue fighting him; I had better things to do than get in a meaningless fight with him.

I arrived at my house about 9:30, a little later than I usually did when I was there. Oh well, today’s been okay, I couldn’t complain.

When I entered my room, I don’t know why, but I noticed the picture that Skye and I had took before she was to leave. I went over to it, reading “I wish I didn’t have to leave a friend like you behind. I’ll know I’ll always think of you. Skye ‘Angle’ Larins.”

“Yeah,” I said, “if you were still here. Would it be the same? Would we possibly be together as a couple again? I feel like I’ve changed and everything’s changed, but I wish you were still here. It’s been almost a year now, now hasn’t it?”

I laid down on my bed as I stared at the ceiling. The song “Miss You” by Blink 182 started to play in my head as I thought about Skye and how it has been almost a year since we’ve been together. I fell asleep with all of that on my mind, wishing she would come back.