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The Amateur and the Actor | richie tozier

>>timeskip<<

Richie had no clue what he had gotten himself into. The day after the audition, callbacks were posted, and to his complete shock and disbelief, he got one. Except two days after the callbacks, roles were posted. So here he was, clutching the piece of paper that told him he'd gotten the male lead.

He was wracking his brain, trying to figure out how this possibly could've happened. There were far better actors that had auditioned. Hell, Bill could beat him even with his stutter. How had a joke begun to spiral this far and out of control? He wasn't sure. But he was sure that he had to let the teacher know now before things got even worse.

He pushed the doors of the theatre open, immediately greeted by several people on the stage. He walked toward everyone quickly, determined to get this done as soon as possible. His eyes darted around, searching for the teacher but coming up empty.

"Glad our lead finally decided to show up." You said, handing Richie his script.

"What? I'm just looking for the teacher. Where is she?"

"Ms. Johnson is out for the day. I'm in charge. Next time, please try to show up on time. We're doing a rough reading of the script, here's a highlighter if you'd like to highlight your lines. Starting from the top everyone." You spoke quickly, handing him things and directing others all the while.

"No, I don't think you understand. I don't want to be in this production. I'm not an actor!" Richie exclaimed. You sighed and turned to him.

"You auditioned, didn't you?"

"Well, yes but-"

"Then you're an actor, and you're going to perform. Now, lights go on, curtains up, and the script starts with Nora." You ushered to the actress to say her line. Richie looked down at the papers in his hand and sighed. This was going to be a long couple of months.

>>timeskip<<

The first few weeks were fine, or at least they started that way. As they got closer to the deadline of the show, Richie's inexperience on stage was starting to glare through. He'd fumble over his lines, mix up his blocking, and that's not even to mention how awful he was at time management.

It was Friday, the one day he had off of rehearsal, and he was looking forward to doing absolutely nothing. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and began to walk out of the school. He was inches away from his car when he was stopped by none other than you.

"Richie," You said, sounding almost out f breath.

"(Y/n), hey." He replied, grabbing his keys from his back pocket.

"Look... I don't want to come off as rude but... I think you need to practice your lines more." You said. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, I regret to inform you that you didn't exactly succeed." He replied. You sighed and looked at your feet.

"Look, I'll read 'em over some more tonight, okay?" He suggested.

"What if I helped you?" You asked. He raised his eyebrows.

"Help me how?"

"I could come over to your place and we can read your lines. I can give you tips on delivery and tone and when to do what. I think it could be incredibly beneficial." You replied. He looked to his car and then back at you. It was like he could see his hours of lazing away fading by the second. He sighed.

"I mean... sure, I guess but-"

"Perfect!" You exclaimed, already rushing to the passenger seat of his car. He exhaled deeply. So much for a day off.

He pulled out of the school and began the short drive to his house, arriving in almost no time. He grabbed his keys from the ignition and made sure to lock up once you were out. He noticed his parents' cars weren't in the driveway either, and he was somewhat thankful he wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of introducing you to them.

He unlocked his front door, turned on the lights, and led you to his room. He dropped all his things on the floor, not caring about the clutter. Your eyes scanned the walls of posters and you almost wanted to comment on how similar your taste in music was, but you were here for one reason and one reason only.

"Let's get started, shall we?" You asked. Richie raised his eyebrows as he laid on his bed.

"You're eager." He replied.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Now stand back up. It's important to keep your entire body engaged when acting." You said, grabbing your script from your backpack. Richie rolled his eyes before grabbing his and standing once again.

"I'll read page 48 since those are some of your most emotional lines. Get a feel for how I perform them and then we can discuss some methods." You said. Richie nodded and leaned on the wall. You closed your eyes and exhaled, preparing your mind for the reading.

"Nora, listen to me. I can't carry on like this anymore. It seems like every time I try talking to you, you either avoid me or talk over me- No, I'm not letting you do it this time. You need to listen. I'm going to talk and you are going to listen. Too much has happened this year for you to keep doing this. I have had to say goodbye to everyone I love, the same way you have so don't act like I don't know what you're going through." You delivered the lines passionately, every syllable you spoke seemed to drip with passion. Richie was starstruck.

"Uh... Say Nora's line." You whispered, breaking character for a moment. Richie fumbled with his script.

"O-oh yeah... right. Um... It's different for me Ronnie. I had to say goodbye to Max, and you swore that that was something I would never have to do."

"You think I wanted that to happen, Nora? We had no choice! Max was already dying and we would've been next. All I ever wanted was to protect you! Why can't you see that?" You yelled.

"Well, I don't feel very protected. All I feel is hatred. Toward you, toward Midas, toward everyone in this god-forsaken colony."

"Then why don't you leave? Say goodbye to me the same way you did to everybody else who cared about you. See if that stops me. Cause I'm taking down Emaje with or without you Nora."

"So that's it then?"

"That's it." Your anger has trickled down into something that Richie could only place as sorrow. He was completely moved by your performance, and he wasn't even sure what to say. But just like that, the emotions you had portrayed had switched off as if they were never there in the first place.

"So what did you notice about the performance?" You asked. Richie opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of something to say.

"Wow." Was all he could muster. Your face flushed and you laughed.

"Thank you, but that's not exactly what I meant..."

"The passion you had in your delivery was insane! I felt like I was watching a Grammy-nominated performance! How do you do that?" He asked.

"Years of practice. I've been acting since I could walk." You replied with a laugh.

"It was kinda hot..." Richie suggested, averting his eyes as his face also flushed red. You were caught off guard by that statement.

"I- what?" You asked.

"Do you wanna get coffee together sometime? Or like, lunch or a movie or something?"

"Are you trying to flatter yourself out of this rehearsal?" You asked. He laughed.

"No, I'm being serious. We can keep rehearsing I just... I don't know..." He shrugged, his confidence now faltering as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Tell you what. You ace this scene and I'll think about that date. Deal?" You asked.

"Deal."