RUMOURS

Chapter 20: The Drama Club (2009)

This part of the hallway had always carried a different scent than the rest of the school. Instead of the greasy haze drifting from the cafeteria, the air here was thick with the smell of tempera paint, sawdust, and old costumes, slightly musty, yet strangely exciting, like the lingering ghost of forgotten performances. The walls were no longer covered with championship banners and sports rankings, but with worn theatre posters curling at the edges and fragments of hand-painted stage props left behind from old productions.

As Ruby Jane and Lisa approached the entrance to the auditorium, Lisa's steps slowed a little. Ruby Jane noticed it. Though she didn't stop walking, she eased her pace just enough for their shoulders to brush together.

"Don't freeze on me now, Manoban, this was your idea. I can already see Chloe, and if we turn around, she'll chase us down with her damn flyers," Ruby Jane murmured quietly.

Chloe sat behind a sagging table overflowing with scattered papers, documents, scripts and registration forms. The second she spotted Lisa, her eyes lit up.

"Hi! I swear, I thought you were just being polite yesterday and had absolutely no intention of showing up," she said, before her gaze flickered curiously toward the girl next to her. "And Ruby Jane... honestly, you're the last person I expected to see. But I'm glad you're here. This club could use some fresh blood."

"I just decided to see how much truth there is behind the rumors about Miller's terrifying standards," Ruby Jane replied casually, plucking two sheets from the table, giving one to Lisa. "Besides, someone has to supervise Lisa before she accidentally volunteers to play a tree in the background just to avoid speaking."

Laughing, Chloe handed each of them a pen. Across the top of the form, in bold letters, was written: Lakeside Drama Club – Registration Form.

The two girls took their seats at the table reserved for the applicants next to Chloe's. Alongside the usual questions were prompts such as: "Do you possess any singing or dance experience?", "Do you suffer from any stage-related anxieties or phobias?", and a large blank section reserved for previous roles.

"What am I even supposed to write under experience?" Lisa whispered, leaning closer to Ruby Jane, smelling the faint scent of her parfume. "I narrated the eighth-grade Christmas show once, but honestly, I think that counts more as embarrasment than experience."

"Write it down anyway," Ruby Jane replied, filling out her own form, blatantly lying about her theatre experiences. "I'm currently inventing half of mine."

Once they finished, they rounded the table. Chloe collected the papers and slid them into a thick binder.

"Alright, listen carefully" she waited until both girl were looking at her. "Auditions are next Monday after school, four o'clock sharp on the main stage. Professor Miller hates lateness, so be there at least ten minutes early. The scripts are pinned to the notice board over there." She pointed toward the wall behind them. "If you want more options, visit the drama club's website. You don't need to memorize an entire play, just choose a character you connect with and prepare a two-minute monologue. Or, if you want to audition together, pick a short dialogue scene. The important thing is that Miller can see how you move and whether the emotions actually come through."

"A dialogue scene?" Lisa echoed, glancing toward the board.

"Honestly, I think that would suit you two better. Find something explosive."

Ruby Jane and Lisa bid their goodbies and headed back toward the exit. By now, the corridor was nearly empty, the late afternoon sunlight stretching in long golden stripes across the worn linoleum floor.