| Page 3 Josh opened the side door to the theater. The blast of cool night air that greeted him felt good against his flushed, angry face. He walked outside and sat down on the cold, hard steps and put his face in his hands breathing in and out. Michelle didn�t get him fired which he knew was her original goal. What she got him was a hearty beating and a cut in his salary which was pathetic to begin with. The door opened and Josh heard the sounds of orchestra and Michelle singing onstage. Claire stepped outside and sat down next to him. Josh couldn�t bear to look at her. He knew the lets-pretend-like-we-were-making-out idea was stupid but he didn�t know that Max had had a run in with the director of a play using the space directly after them and was in a mood. The harmless little prank that Josh decided to pull set him off. He wasn�t sure if Max believed him or was angry that they were fooling around but it didn�t matter. Josh was ashamed and embarrassed. He sat there staring straight ahead and ignored Claire hoping she�d go away. Claire shifted her position on the steps and scooted closer to Josh. Josh recoiled by instinct and Claire sat back looking hurt. �Um, are you okay?� �Yes, this is the best day of my life,� Josh snapped irritably. �After this, I think I�ll go to Disney World.� �Sor-ry, I was just asking,� Claire said indignantly. �What�s your problem? Not used to people being nice to you? �Claire, just leave me alone okay? You don�t understand and I don�t want you to try.� Josh ran his hands through his hair. Tears sprang into his eyes and he had no idea why. Claire put a hand on his knee. �Josh, just let me-� �Go away, Claire,� Josh spat his voice breaking on the last word. �Go!� Claire stood up walked back up the stairs into the theater slamming the door behind her. Josh heard Max start yelling at her for slamming doors and thought about calling her back but then dismissed the idea. She had better things to do than waste time with him. He sprung to his feet and went for a walk instead. The show was on and to Max and basically everyone that mattered he was invisible. Chapter 5 Later that evening at the party celebrating the show Jayson and Andrea were the center of attention. They had performed their usual dance number that night just a little better and with more energy than usual. Suddenly, everybody was talking about them. That night after the show they stood in the center of the throng that surrounded them. Fans and celebrities alike gathered around them. Claire watched from the doorway as Jayson and Andrea tried to handle their admirers, looking overwhelmed. Claire stepped back. Stage hands weren�t allowed to parties like this. She and Josh were supposed to be cleaning up but Josh had been doing all the work himself without speaking a word to her. Claire wandered into the wings of the theater and plunked down on a chair. Josh was center stage sweeping the floor. Claire heard the door to the party open and saw Michelle walk through. Michelle had been sitting in a corner all evening sulking because she wasn�t the center of attention as usual. Now she paused as she saw Claire. Michelle grabbed a folding chair and dragged it over to sit down next to Claire. Claire expected her to make some nasty comment and was surprised when Michelle was nice to her. �It must suck to not get invited to the party,� Michelle said. �Yeah well I wouldn�t fit in,� Claire said. Michelle shrugged and started to something but then Max banged through the door. �Hello!� he yelled. �What�s up?� Michelle responded sullenly. �You are supposed to be out there making people smile not socializing with stage hands!� Max screamed.� �What about JaynAnde?� Michelle asked. �What about them?� �They�re getting my spot right? I might as well go home,� Michelle said her eyes filling with fake tears. �Are you kidding? The thought never crossed my mind,� Max said. Michelle raised an eyebrow at him. �Okay maybe once it did but you know I�d never do that! Jayson and Andrea were great tonight but they can�t do that all the time. You can and that�s why you�re the best.� Max said as if he were reading off as cue card. This was exactly what Michelle wanted to hear. She beamed, took Max�s arm and strode back into the party talking loudly and totally forgetting about Claire. Her kindness was nice while it lasted Claire thought and watched as Josh cris-crossed the stage with a mop the dim light casting shadows on his face. Several days later in a small city somewhere in Maine, Claire was alone on stage after the show. Since that day last week Josh had rarely said a word to Claire. Usually they split the work evenly between them. However, there were some nights that Josh randomly disappeared sometime during the show and Claire wouldn�t see him again until sometime around noon the next day. Tonight was one of those nights. Claire was finished with the cleaning and was too wound up to go back to the hotel and turn in. Claire was always timid to enter the room that she shared with Andrea because she was always afraid she would find her and Jayson�together. So far whatever they did together they kept it private but Claire was always unsure. Tonight she was in a really good mood for some unknown reason and she felt like dancing. She took classes back home and never considered herself to be necessarily good but she loved it anyway. Now she wandered over to the radio and turned it on. She flicked through the stations. Coverage of a local sports game, two men laughing hysterically at some joke unknown to Claire and she finally landed upon a station playing a sensual, upbeat dance song. Claire jogged to the stage and began to move to the music. For the first time in months she felt completely free. Her problems at home, her unexplainable attraction to Josh and her inhibitions at being the hired help all floated away. She felt the music reach her and just felt like a bird with the whole world in front of her waiting for her to eat it up. The song ended abruptly and the DJ began speaking in a loud, dramatic voice. Claire laughed out loud exhilarated by her workout. She didn�t realize how hard she had been working until she realized she was sweating. Claire found a towel and blotted her forehead as her whole world fell into place around her. Suddenly the sound of applause rattled her out of her daydream. She turned to see Max standing and clapping for her. �That was great,� he said with genuine pleasure showing in his voice. �Excellent.� �I didn�t know anyone was watching,� Claire said feeling her face turning several shades of red. �I know. However I would like to ask you one question. How do you feel about performing with the Traveling Players?� Claire was dumbfounded. What began as a happy-go-lucky burning of energy was turning into a great opportunity. She didn�t have to think twice before she spoke: �Yes!� �Great,� Max said grinning. He looked like a different person. �Call your family; they�ll need to be involved in your contract because you�re under eighteen. Hopefully you�ll be able to perform by the time we hit Pennsylvania.� Max patted Claire on the shoulder and strode out the side door. Claire waited a count of five whole minutes before she let out an ear-piercing squeal. Chapter 6 Claire tore out of the auditorium and raced back to the hotel as fast as her legs could carry her. She rushed into the room she was sharing with Andrea and found Andrea sitting on the bed eating Oreos, drinking cheap wine coolers and watching TV. �Guess what?� Claire said breathlessly. �What?� Andrea said not taking her eyes off the TV. �I just got cast in the Traveling Players!� Claire squealed. Andrea tore her gaze away from the TV at this her eyes wide. �No lie?� Andrea said turning off the TV with the remote. �No lie. Isn�t that great?� Claire said. It was all she could do to not jump up and down screaming. About five seconds later she did just that clutching Andrea�s hands and jumping up and down and shrieking. A loud thud came from the adjoining room and in a few seconds Jayson was standing in the doorway in his pajamas his hair sticking up every which way scowling. Page 4 |