Carrying The Banner With You

Chapter 19- She Set Herself On Fire Once

"Jared, this is ridiculous. I am completely fine. One hundred percent fine," I say as Jared, our physical therapist, sticks needles into my leg- yay acupuncture.

"I want you to rest for three days. That is it. You make it sound like I am making you miss opening night."

"You are making me miss needed rehearsal time because we are cutting it awful close to previews." Earlier today at rehearsals, my knee gave out twice. It is not like I am in pain or anything, but apparently now Jeff and Jared think that I should take a couple days off to rest, even though I am completely fine.

"Kaylee I have seen you in rehearsals you know what you are doing and you probably know what everyone else is supposed to be doing too. And Jeff and I both agree that just resting your knee before the show won't kill you." Jared proceeds to stick more needles into my knee and I roll my eyes. "Okay and I am going to give you a different kind of tape for your knee. It should support your knee a lot better than the kind you were using."

After taking the pins out of my knees I go and join Steph who waited for me to get done with my physical therapy session. Much to my dismay, she promises Jared she will keep and eye on me to make sure I am actually resting my knee.

...

"What's wrong with you?" Sky asks me.

"What are you talking about? That is how she always looks. Very mean and grumpy looking," Josh says taking a seat next to me and stealing a chip off my plate. I just glare at him. "Did you just let me take your food?" He places a hand on my forehead. "Are you okay? You're not feverish."

I swat his hand away. "I am aware that I am not feverish."

"She was ordered to rest for three days by Jared because of her knee," Steph calls from the living room.

"But you are okay right?" Josh asks, sounding completely serious and concerned.

I roll my eyes. "Yes I am fine. People just worry too much."

Ben walks out from his room, freshly showered and looks over at the three of us in the dining room. "What are you guys talking about?"

"You," Josh says bluntly and manages to keep a straight face. Ben looks at me with a slightly panicked look on his face. I shake my head at him and he rolls his eyes at Josh.

...

"What are you doing?" A pair of newsie boots stop in front of me.

"What does it look like I am doing?"

"Sitting upside down?" Ben asks. I roll off the chair, stand up, and turn to face him.

"That is exactly what I was doing." I get a look. "What? I was bored okay? I have nothing to do but watch, which is killing me by the way," I say pointedly to Jeff our director is talking to Dan and Steph. He glances up at me and waves me off. "The only things I did today was stretch- a lot- go to a physical therapy session with Jared, and take notes on stuff for the show, but I got really bored with the notes after a while." I point to the notebook I brought with me. Ben grabs the notebook and pages through it.

He glances up at me. "These are kind of harsh."

"It's not like the notes are about other people and I just want to make sure that I can perform to the best of my ability. But I did balance out my harshness with some doodles on the next page if that makes you feel any better."