You and Me (Perhaps, Book 2)

ACT I - Scene 4

PAC's Auditorium

    The first two weeks of rehearsal were nothing more than line readings on the PAC stage. I wondered why we spent so much time reading the lines and not getting up on stage and adding motion to them—Daniel said that it was supposed to serve as a way for all of us to start building synergy with one another, but I thought that synergy would be better built if we were actually acting out our parts. However, I trusted the wisdom of the PAC producers. I was lucky to be here, so I shouldn't really be questioning their procedure.

    I found that I got along very well with most of the main cast. Elliott reminded me a lot of Sam, and I could see why he was chosen to play 'Ellison': he was incredibly eccentric; and, like Sam, he was hardly serious whenever we weren't rehearsing. Jesse played a melancholic role well, but he was less serious than Luke had been when he he wasn't in-character. Like Elliott, he was a little goofy.

    Jamie was a decent 'Lacey'—I couldn't deny her talent—but I thought to myself that Layla had performed the role much better. And that wasn't simply because I disliked the way she kept smiling at Daniel, or because I still couldn't get over the fact that she had hugged him at the first meeting—or that she continued to hug him every time they saw one another. It was just my honest and unbiased opinion.

    It was a real treat watching Daniel read his lines. By the second day, he had most of them memorized (thanks to us practicing together at home), and listening to him recite 'Daniel's' words was truly a dream come true. I felt like I put the most amount of emotion into my own line-reading when he and I were interacting. We were the first to start singing our parts to one another—I just couldn't resist putting the words of "Perhaps" to its tune. My mind took me back to the two practices he and I had shared almost two years ago, and swelled in my chest. I knew that his was doing the same.

    And then, there was Riley.

    Riley acted like his normal self with everyone in the group. He smiled and joked around a lot with Elliott, reminding me tremendously of the way he and Sean had acted during Accent's DIM rehearsals. He tried to teach Jesse how to laugh evilly one day, and he even acted cordially towards Daniel—Daniel reacted cordially in turn.

    But then, there was me.

    Riley would only speak to me whenever he and I were reciting 'Lucas' and 'Gloria's' lines. He would barely look at me, and instead focus on a point just beyond my shoulder whenever we would have to look at one another. He never smiled at me or tried to joke with me or teach me how to laugh evilly. I was like a stranger to him—and, I supposed that I kind of was. After all, we hadn't spoken to each other in so long. I should have expected things to be difficult, given how things had ended between us.

    That didn't make it sting any less, though.

    Daniel and I didn't really talk about his behavior. I knew that Riley was not a topic he was keen to discuss, and I honestly didn't know what to say about it all. I knew that he was concerned about me, though—because he could see that it was affecting me. Even though I tried really hard to not let it. I tried to be the kind of actress that could put her emotions aside on stage. I had done it before: that fall when I had tried to forget my feelings towards him. But pushing aside these feelings and ignoring them would only work for so long.

    The question was: just how long could I last?

    At the end of the second week, I watched as Riley departed rehearsal that night with Elliott, Jesse, and Jamie, apparently joining them for dinner and drinks. I left the PAC building, walking a polite distance from Daniel until we rounded a corner—then, we joined hands.

    "You could have gone to dinner with them if you wanted," I said. Jamie had invited him, and I had been more than just a little smug when he had turned her down (she had been smiling that way at him again—the way that made my blood boil).

    "I didn't really feel like going out to dinner," he replied. "I'd rather spend the night with you." He smiled, and some of that angry fire melted away.

    "Daniel," I giggled. "You know, we spend every night together already..."

    "Is that a complaint?"

    "Not at all!" He was teasing me again. "I'm just saying—you're allowed to go hang out with your friends..."

    "I know that I'm allowed," he chuckled. "I just didn't feel like it. I wanted to hang out with you instead. I know that Elliott wanted to invite you as well, but I also know that things would have been...awkward...with Riley there. He's picked up on it enough to not ask the both of you, I think." My smiled faded.

    "Yeah..."

    "So, instead of an awkward and likely-terrible dinner with Riley and everyone else, I decided I'd rather a private, more-enjoyable dinner with just us." As quickly as my smile had disappeared, it came back at his words.

    God, this man is perfect!

    We arrived at his car, discussing what we wanted to make for our dinner that evening, when my phone began to chime. I pulled it out of my practice bag to see Layla's name flashing on the screen. I answered as Daniel started the vehicle.

    "Layla, hi!"

    "Hi, Gloria! I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

    "No, not at all. Rehearsal just ended, and I'm on my way home. What's up?"

    "Are you free tomorrow? Is PAC having you guys practice on Saturday's yet?"

    "Not yet. We just finished line-readings, so we'll start putting the pieces together on-stage Monday. Why?"

    "I want you to meet me at Freddy's tomorrow!" Layla's voice had suddenly jumped up an octave in excitement. "I have some big, big news to share! If Sean and I didn't need to catch a second flight to get back home and then unpack, I'd drag you out tonight! Ijustcan'twait!"

    "You could just tell me on the phone," I laughed. Layla's words were slowly beginning to blend together: she tended to talk faster and faster the more excited about something she got.

    "No! Thishastobesaidinperson!"

    "Okay! Sure!" I laughed harder. "We can meet there around noon? Get in on their Saturday Shake Special for lunch?"

    "Soundsgreat! Seeyoutomorrowbye!!" I chuckled as she hung up the phone with an excited squeal. In the background, I caught a brief flash of Sean's laughter joining it.

    "Layla wanting to meet for lunch tomorrow?" Daniel's voice carried over to me, and I glanced over at him.

    "Yeah. She said she has some 'big, big news' that she wants to share." I stowed my phone back into my bag, and then reached over to touch his hand where it lied on the on the center console. His fingers instantly laced through mine. "We're going to meet at Freddy's around noon."

    "Any idea what the news could be?"

    "Well, she was wait-listed for a graduate program at Julliard, so I wonder if she's finally heard back about getting in. I'm absolutely certain that she did: they would be fools to not take her for their drama program." Honestly, I was a little surprised that she had chosen Accent Academy over an undergraduate study at Julliard. Accent was good, but it was no Julliard.

    "Well, make sure to buy her an extra milkshake from us as congratulations." He smiled, and I returned it. "Julliard is an excellent school, and they've gained a very talented student."

    "If this is her news, then I'm really happy for her."