Time After Time

4

Being nice, I quickly return it before looking away.

“…as usual, we will generally center around a play we will be performing and working on for most of the school year. Most of your evaluation will also revolve around the main play, though we will also work on some side projects.” Pellini says, “This year, we’ve decided to change it up a little and work together with the music department here, and our main production will be a musical.”

Despite his most engaging smile, every single person in the class groans loudly. Oxford rarely does musicals, so the faculty regards this as a treat for the students, and it’s not that we here in the drama department don’t like a little singing mingling with our acting, but the thing is, everyone here hates the music students. The feeling’s mutual, though. There’s not really much why to it for me, I just hate them. They’re all the most stuck-up pricks in the entire fucking school, strutting around with their instrument cases telling everyone they’re going to music festivals and shit. Well it’s not that I hate them, I just hate seeing them. Are those two different things?

Pellini looks around the class, trying to get everyone all excited and at the edge of their seats or whatever, but everyone’s just watching him wondering when the hell this stupid speech is going to end. Even Harper-Williams has her arms crossed over her chest now, leaning against some stray desk on the stage and tapping a fingernail against her arm.

“This year…we will performing Guys and Dolls!”

About five people out of our class of thirty cheer. I remain silent, frowning to myself. Guys and Dolls, oh Lord.

“Auditions are next Wednesday, so you all have a little over a week to practice and memorize. We’ll post the audition results up by next Friday at latest,” Pellini continues, “You can pick up monologues and sample songs for your auditions here at this table that happens to be onstage…” he looks at Harper-Williams, who moves to the side and reveals five neat piles of paper lying on the desk.

Immediately everyone stands up and begins making their way up to the stage to pick up monologues and songs. I sit back, picking up my books from the ground and placing them onto the seat next to me. Then, before I can pull my phone out of my pocket and text Jay, someone grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me to my feet, nearly making me fall over.

“Hey, fuck off!” I say, ripping Jay’s hands off of me, though I can’t resist a smile from seeing my best friend, “The hell’s wrong with you, man?”

“I was missing you, that’s all,” Jay’s smile widens, and he holds out a sheet filled with the monologues Pellini was talking about, “So, you tryin’ out for this Guys and Dolls thing?”

“No shit, I’m Alistair Beaufort.”

“I saw you checking out that girl there, by the way,” Jay juts his chin towards that new girl who had smiled at me, “She’s pretty hot. You think you can snag the lead with her?” I sneak a quick glance at her. She already has a monologue, and is reading it, head ducked, legs crossed at the ankles in the seat in front of her still.

I shrug. “Probably.”

“What do you mean, probably? You’ll get it for sure,” he punches me lightly in the shoulder, then lowers his voice significantly as he says, “And then your mother won’t be sending you to therapy anymore.” I glare at him. “Yeah, I got your text.”

“Hopefully it’ll work,” I say, “It’s the only way to show her that I haven’t changed from the person I was before. I mean, I’ve gotten the leads for the grade ten play last year, and the grade nine one the year before that…”