You know the drill. Email me at [email protected] or post on the message board if you'd like. Happy reading!
* * *
Josie was standing in front of her locker waiting for first period to start on Wednesday when she saw Cody hurrying down the hallway. He stopped when he got to her, and he seemed a little out of breath. "Josie Geller, right?" he asked.
She nodded, smiling at him. "Yep, that's me. Hi, Cody."
"Hey. Well, since I'm president of the Drama Club, Mr. Peterson asked me to spread the word that the cast list is now posted on the stage door."
"Oh, it is?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Have you�seen it yet?"
Cody nodded, touching her shoulder briefly. "Yep, as a matter of fact, I have, and just between you and me, I think you'll be pretty happy with what you see." He glanced down at his wristwatch. "Listen, Josie, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go tell the others."
"Okay. Thanks, Cody. See you."
Cody had already hurried past her, but he stopped and turned around, smiling at her again. "Yep. Remember, practice starts tomorrow right after school on the stage. See you there!" He turned around once again and was gone.
After he left, Josie practically ran all the way to the stage where a crowd had already gathered to see the results. She thought maybe she'd spot Sam among them, but she didn't. She slowly edged her way to the front of the mob to get a look at the list. She wasn't at all surprised to see that Sam was "Hamlet" and Cody was "Horatio," "Hamlet's" good friend. Then, when she saw her name just above Cody's, across from where it said "Ophelia," she could hardly believe it, even though Cody had already told her that she'd like what she'd see. Behind her, she heard someone say, "This play is gonna be radical! Sam was awesome as 'Hamlet' at auditions on Monday, and he and that girl, Josie�Man, it was hard to believe that they weren't really 'Hamlet' and 'Ophelia!'"
Suddenly, Josie felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around, seeing that it was the guy who had just been talking about her. "Hey, you're Josie, right?" All she could manage was a small nod. "Way to go. You did great!"
"Thanks," Josie replied, blushing. Just then, the bell rang, indicating that it was time to head to first period. Josie made her way out of the mob and headed for class, a satisfied smile upon her face.
* * *
At lunchtime, Josie and Angela took their sack lunches out to the courtyard just outside the cafeteria and found a shady spot to sit underneath a grand willow tree. "See, Josie, what did I tell you?" Angela exclaimed.
"About what?" Josie asked, taking a bite of her carrot stick.
Angela laughed and slapped Josie playfully on the arm. "About the play, silly! Actually, I have something to tell you about that�don't get mad�"
Josie turned to her, eyeing her suspiciously. "What am I not supposed to get mad about?" she wondered.
"Well�see�I knew that you were going to be 'Ophelia' for sure yesterday, but my uncle told me that I had to keep it a secret."
Josie shook her head, laughing. "Why would I be mad about that, Angela? I completely understand. It's not like knowing a day ahead would have mattered much for me anyway. After all, practice doesn't even start until tomorrow."
"Okay, good. I'm glad you're not mad." Angela took a sip of her Diet Coke. "You know, my uncle also said that he's never seen high school kids act the way you and that guy did at auditions Monday. He said you two didn't even need scripts or anything!"
"Which guy?" Josie asked, even though she already knew that Angela was talking about Sam.
Angela rolled her eyes. "I don't know his name! The guy that my uncle cast as 'Hamlet'!"
"Oh�Sam," Josie whispered, trying to keep from smiling too much.
As usual, Angela saw right through her. "Hmmm�This is very interesting�"
"What is?" Josie wondered, although she knew that Angela was on to her, as always.
"That look on your face, that's what," Angela explained. "As soon as you said the name of that guy, Sam, you got all dreamy-eyed. So what's the story?"
Josie shook her head. "Well, there really isn't a story, per se�Well, remember on Friday when we talked outside the cafeteria about the play and everything and you invited me to the mall?" Angela nodded, so Josie continued, "Well, right after you left, this guy, Sam, was there. Well�I thought he was�you know�handsome�right away, but he also turned out to be really nice too. He talked to me about the play and about how he was planning on trying out. I had never seen him before, but it turns out that he is in the Drama Club and he's good friends with Cody, who's the Drama Club president. He was at the auditions on Monday, trying out for the title role, and Mr. Peterson had the two of us audition together�It was surreal. I had memorized all of 'Ophelia's' lines long ago, but I'd never met anyone else who cared that much before�But Sam didn't need a script either. He was every bit as much into his role as I was mine. I still have bruises on my arms from where he grabbed me."
Angela nodded. "My uncle told me about some of this, but it's interesting to hear it from your point of view. Sounds really intense."
"Oh, it was!" Josie exclaimed. She didn't say anything for a few moments because she was thinking about how she felt like she could completely trust Angela, that she could tell her virtually anything. It was so nice to finally have a girl friend to talk to like this!
"Hmmm�Well, Jos, it sounds to me like you have a little crush on this guy!" Angela exclaimed triumphantly.
Josie bit her lip, color rising in her cheeks. "I barely know him," she whispered. "I mean, the most I've talked to him was when we auditioned together, and we weren't really ourselves, you know?"
Angela nodded. "True, true�But just think�Now that the parts are cast, you're going to get to spend plenty of time together. You will get to know each other."
"Yeah, I guess we will�Did your uncle tell you about how we're doing a 90s take on the play?"
Angela nodded. "Yeah. That sounds really cool. Uncle John sounded really excited, even though he had originally planned to do the play set in Shakespeare's time. He said he's going to let the actors pick the songs that will play during their scenes and everything, and that they will basically wear their own clothes. That cuts the costs of costuming�Oh, and he finally convinced me to have some part in the play. Since there's no way he'd put me on stage as an actress, he's got me working on the set. I'm in charge of the design and everything�Of course, one of the art teachers, Mrs. Allan, has the final say, but I guess I'll be directing the other students I work with in a sense."
"Wow. That sounds like fun. So what are you going to do?"
"Not sure yet, but I have a meeting with Mrs. Allan and some of the students interested in working on the set after school today. I think it'll be great."
* * *
Josie could hardly wait for the first play rehearsal, but Thursday came at last, and she hurried to the stage right after school. When she got there, Mr. Peterson was standing in front of two rows of mostly empty chairs talking to Sam, whose back was to her. "Ah, here's our 'Ophelia'!" Mr. Peterson exclaimed. "How are you doing today, Josie?"
Josie smiled, coming toward them. "Alright. I'm really excited about the play."
"Well, that's fantastic. We'll get started as soon as everyone gets here, so go ahead and take a seat. We're not doing any rehearsing today. I'm just going to pass out some schedules that I have worked out and talk a little bit about what the overall plans are."
"Okay." Josie took a seat in the front row, and felt her pulse quicken when Sam sat down beside her.
"Hi," Sam said, turning toward her. His voice was low and husky, and Josie could have sworn that his hands were shaking slightly.
"Hi," she replied, smiling at him.
"So�" He looked down at his lap, as if the perfect words to say might be found there. "Are you excited about the play?" he finally asked, looking back up at her again. It wasn't until after he got the words out that he realized that she'd just told Mr. Peterson that she was.
Josie nodded. "Yeah. I've never been in a play before." She didn't know why she'd just said that, and she wanted to kick herself. Now he would think she was an amateur, which, technically speaking, she was.
Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Wow! I can't believe it! You were so great on Monday. I was sure that you'd acted at least a dozen times before!"
Josie shook her head. "Nope. This is my first time."
She drew in a breath as he suddenly leaned closer to her and said in a low voice, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear, "Well, I'll tell you something here�This is my first play too."
Now Josie was the one who was surprised, and she wasn't sorry she had told him the truth anymore. "Really? But you knew all the lines perfectly!"
"Well, so did you," he pointed out. "I guess we're just two people who love Shakespeare."
Josie nodded. She wasn't sure what else to say, but it didn't matter because only moments later, Mr. Peterson stood before them and began the meeting. It was only then that Josie noticed that the two rows of chairs had been filled. It had seemed that she and Sam were the only two people in the room when he talked to her. "Good afternoon, everyone!" Mr. Peterson exclaimed. "It's nice to see all your smiling faces again. I must admit that I've never been more excited about a school production than I am about this one. I think I've put together what's going to end up being a phenomenal cast. But let me warn you in advance that it's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication from all of you to pull this off. Of course, I'm sure you're all going to pull through just fine. I don't have much for you today, just a little schedule I've made up for the next couple weeks. I'll pass it out and then we'll talk about it, all right?"
When Josie received the schedule, she saw that the real practices didn't start until Monday, when she would be doing Act One, Scene Three with "Polonius" and "Laertes," who were "Ophelia's" father and brother, as well as Act Two, Scene One with "Polonius." On Wednesday, she would do Act Three, Scene One, with Sam, the very same scene that they had auditioned together with. Also on Wednesday was Act Three, Scene Two, with Sam and Act Four, Scene Five, with "Gertrude" and others; and finally, on Thursday, Act Five, Scene One, in which she had no lines but had to lie there dead.
Mr. Peterson's voice broke through Josie's thoughts. "Alright�Any questions about the schedule?" No hands went up at first, but then Sam raised his. "Yes, Mr. Coulson?"
"Well, it's just that�This seems like a lot to cram into one week, you know�I mean, Acts one and two on Monday, three and four on Wednesday, and five on Thursday�"
"I know, but we're just going to try to read the thing straight through next week. No blocking or anything�so everyone can get a feel for their parts before we worry about sets and everything. Make sense?" Sam nodded. "Anyone else?"
Sam's turned out to be the only question, so the cast was free to go after that. As Josie left the stage, she was pleased that Sam walked alongside her. "Do you think my question was reasonable?" he asked her.
Josie nodded. "Yes. I was sort of wondering the same thing�but I guess if all we're going to do is read through the play next week, the schedule makes sense."
"Good. I'm glad you thought so too. I just felt kind of stupid. I think I saw Mr. Peterson give me an odd look, as if to ask, 'What are you talking about?' you know what I mean?"
Josie nodded again, smiling at him. She affectionately put her hand on his arm. Then, realizing what she'd done, she quickly removed it. "Don't worry about it," she said quietly. "It was fine."
Josie had to stop at her locker before she went out to the parking lot, and to her further surprise, Sam followed her. "Got any homework tonight?" Sam asked casually, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Josie shook her head. "No�Do you?" She reached inside her locker to retrieve her backpack, which she brought home every day out of habit. She closed and locked her locker then, throwing her backpack on her right shoulder and looking at Sam. She felt incredibly nervous, but oddly, it appeared as if Sam was as well. She couldn't imagine why, but she noticed he kept pivoting his weight from one foot to the other and scratching the side of his face with his fingers.
"No�for once. I don't have a backpack or anything either�Where's your car parked?"
Josie sighed. "Pretty near the back of the lot," she told him ruefully. "I would get to school earlier, but I have to drive my brother Rob, who is a freshman, and he's never ready when I want to go."
"Well, listen�My car is parked right near the front door of the school. If you want�I could give you a ride out to your car."
Josie giggled. "You don't have to do that."
Sam paused for a moment, and then almost cautiously he rested his hand on her shoulder. "I know I don't, but I'd like to," he said, looking her straight in the eye.
Josie looked away, unable to handle the emotions that moved around inside her as he looked at her like that, with such meaning in his eyes. "Okay," she whispered, following him toward the front door. Once in the parking lot, they walked to a small red car that looked relatively new and Sam slipped into the driver's side, but not before opening the passenger side for Josie to get in. "Thank you," she murmured.
"No problem." He turned the key in the ignition, looking over at her. "Where to?" he asked.
"Just keep driving until you get to the back of the lot," Josie instructed, "and I'll show you where my car is."
"Okay." He nodded, pulling out of the space and driving slowly down the narrow path between the cars. He kept going until the second-to-last row, when Josie pointed out a blue Dodge Spirit. Sam pulled into the empty space behind it and put his car in park. He turned to her and took hold of her left hand before she had a chance to get out of the car. "Don't go yet," he whispered. "I�um�" He looked down at his lap, clutching her hand tighter. Josie thought she would swoon. What was happening here? Her heart felt as if it would burst from her chest at any given moment. "I don't know you all that well yet, Josie, but I like you a lot," he said at last. "I'm really looking forward to spending time with you working on the play."
Josie swallowed hard. This was real life now, no acting involved. He sounded so sincere and so shy. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, and she wasn't quite sure exactly how to handle it. "I'm�looking forward to it too, Sam," she told him. "You�seem like a really nice guy."
Sam looked back at her at last, smiling nervously. "Hey, do you�mind if I call you sometime?" he asked her abruptly.
"What?" Josie was so taken aback that she wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly, and she blinked a couple times, making sure this wasn't just some wonderful dream that she would awake from suddenly.
To her dismay, Sam withdrew his hand from hers, looking away. "That's okay. I understand," he said sadly.
Wait a minute! Did he actually think that she had just rejected him? Was he completely insane? "No, wait!" Josie choked out, placing her hand on his arm. "I would�really like it if you called me sometime," she told him, and he looked back at her, a smile lighting up his entire face. Hastily, she groped in her backpack for a piece of paper and pen, scribbling her phone number down and writing her name with a small heart on either side of it just above the number. She handed the paper to him and he put it in his pocket, but not before tearing off a corner of it that she hadn't written on.
"Can I see your pen?" he asked. She nodded, handing it to him. She watched as he wrote down his own name and phone number and handed it to her along with her pen. "Just in case you ever feel like calling me," he explained casually.
Josie placed the piece of paper in a pocket of her backpack and reluctantly unbuckled her seatbelt, getting ready to leave his car. "Thanks for the ride, Sam," she said. "That was really nice of you."
"Anytime�"
"So I guess I'll see you next Wednesday then?" she asked.
To Josie's surprise, Sam shook his head. He saw the look in her eyes and said quickly. "Well, yes, of course you will�But�I was thinking I'd call you this weekend to talk. Is that okay?"
Josie blushed. "Yes, that's fine. You have my number."
He nodded. "See ya."
"Bye," she whispered, sliding out of his car and into her own. She sat there in her own car for a few minutes after he left, replaying the events of the day in her head. There were plays and then there was real life, and for once, real life was looking a lot better to her!