Title: Cast (1/1)
Author: Morgan R.
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.geocities.com/crimsonclad/
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ryan as Snoopy.
Author's Note: I love you, Ryan thread. I love you love you love you.
****
After the final curtain call, Theresa jumped into Ryan's arms with a squeal. "You were amazing, Ry! They totally clapped the hardest for you out of anyone!"
He laughed and hugged her back. "You were really good, too."
"Well, duh!" She giggled, still holding his arm. "I can't wait till we get to do this in high school, you know? We could do West Side Story, and I could be Maria."
Ryan gave her a dubious look. "I don't think they cast freshmen in the leads."
Theresa turned to answer, but began to laugh instead. "Ryan, I'm sorry, but it's hard to take you seriously when you're still in that makeup."
He rolled his eyes, and she giggled again. "Come on, Snoopy, let's go eat. I'm hungry, aren't you? I think it's...suppertime!"
He poked her in the side, eliciting a squeal. "Okay, Patty, that's enough. Let's go find our adoring fans." He blew on his knuckles and pretended to polish them on his chest, grinning as she bent double with laughter.
She managed to regain control as they walked through the stage door. The other kids were standing with their families and friends, some clutching bouquets.
"Hey Ryan, Theresa!" Amber called out excitedly, waving her cluster of pink carnations at them. "Cast party at my house, okay? Bring a couple bucks for pizza."
"Cool. See you there," Ryan answered, beginning to sweat underneath his makeup. He turned to see Theresa being lifted off the ground in Arturo's arms.
"Arturo! Put me down!" she laughed, wriggling madly in his grasp.
"I always thought you were just a show-off, little sister! I didn't know you were an actress!" He pretended to wince as she elbowed him in his side.
Ryan turned to see their mom grinning at him. "Ryan! You were the star of the show- well, except for my little Theresa, of course." She pulled him into a careful hug, and Ryan smiled into her shoulder.
"Thanks for coming. Is my mom here?"
She looked away. "I don't think she was feeling well, Ryan. Why don't we head back to the house, you can wash off your face and change, and Arturo will give you a ride over to Amber's house."
"What?!" Arturo squawked, holding Theresa in a headlock. His mom shot him a glare, and he sighed. "Fine. But they find their own way home!"
****
Staring out the window as they drove home, Ryan tried to quell his disappointment that his mother hadn't come. As she left for work that morning, she had promised to be there. He knew better than to believe her promises- she would forget, and it wasn't really her fault. Still, he had hoped that just this once, she would remember. They had been rehearsing for months.
He heard Arturo's muttered "Not again," before he saw the car sitting in front of his house, and Ryan's heart sank.
Theresa turned to him, her eyes moving quickly. "Ry, why don't you just come change at our place, okay? It'll be faster, and I heard Amber's parents let her rent some movies-"
Ryan shook his head. "No. Why don't you go ahead without me- I'll meet you there later."
They both knew he was lying.
"Ryan, you can just-"
He cut her off, his head down. "I said I'll see you there, okay? It's fine."
He grabbed his backpack and slid out of the backseat. "Thanks for the ride," he muttered, his gaze resting on Carl's car for a minute as he walked up to his front door. All the adrenaline of the performance drained out of him, leaving a tingling feeling in his fingers and a slight headache behind his eyes.
As soon as he closed the door behind him, his mother was hanging from his shoulders, weeping, a the bottle clenched in her fist digging into his back. "Ryan- baby- I'm so sorry. I wanted to come, honey. I'll come tomorrow night, I promise, I won't miss it again." Her words were barely understandable, and Ryan turned away from the stench of her breath.
"Tonight was the last night, Mom," he answered, trying to guide her toward the couch.
Her wet sobs were too close to his ear, and he gritted his teeth as she wailed. "Honey, I'm so sorry. You aren't mad, are you Ryan? I wanted to be there, but-"
"But Carl came back, right?" He managed to sit her down on one of the couch cushions, but she wouldn't let go of his arm, and managed to spill alcohol all over his costume.
"Ryan- oh, god, Ryan-"
"What the hell?" a deep voice came from the doorway of his mother's room, and Ryan slowly straightened to see Carl for the first time in three months.
Ryan said nothing, standing utterly still as Carl walked over to him. "Playing dress-up, huh?"
"I was in a play." He kept his eyes on the stained carpet.
"It isn't Halloween," Carl muttered, apparently not hearing Ryan's explanation.
"I'm gonna wash this off-" Ryan began, heading for the bathroom. Carl's grip on his shoulder stopped him, and every muscle in his body tensed.
"You're a dog, right?" Carl laughed, and Ryan wondered if happy was a more dangerous emotion than rage. His blunt fingers swiped at Ryan's cheek, some of the stage makeup coming off on his hand.
Ryan nodded.
"Well, you shouldn't be," Carl finished, his tone almost reasonable. "Let's fix it."
So he helped Ryan clean up- taking some of the makeup off with his fists, wiping some of it off on the carpet as he smashed Ryan's face in the floor. Dawn had passed out, so she couldn't see Carl do his best to help Ryan out. The blood made the makeup come off much more easily, and as far as cleansers went, it wasn't exactly an obvious choice.
Ryan wouldn't have thought of it.
****
"Ryan, I told you to be careful with your costume. What do you mean, it's damaged?" Mrs. Coleman asked, irritation written all over her sallow face.
Torn. Stained. Covered in blood and booze? "Sorry. I'll pay for it."
"Yes, you will. The theatre department doesn't have the budget to pay for your mistakes, Ryan." She walked down the hallway, her high heels clicking.
Ryan turned to see Theresa's unsure face. "Hey- we missed you at the party, Ry. It was okay, but it would have been a lot more fun with you there."
He shrugged, giving her a small smile. "I guess I was more tired than I thought."
"Yeah." She looked down, searching for something to say. "Hey, I talked to Arturo and made him do some spying for me. He said the high school is doing Grease next year. That's pretty cool, right? Drag racing, bad boys- you could wear your leather jacket and slick your hair back. Could be fun!"
Ryan was still struggling to keep his limp from showing, and he wouldn't be wearing short sleeves for a few more days. "I'm kind of over the whole musical thing, Theresa. No offense."
She shrugged, disappointment and frustration written all over her face.
Tell me about it, Ryan thought, as he turned and walked away.
****
fin