When Sikowitz told Jade that she'd be shadowing him at the Weston Theater, she thought it meant being something of a teaching assistant for his acting classes. While she didn't necessarily enjoy every class he taught at Hollywood Arts, there was no denying the occasional brilliance behind Sikowitz's directing and how he sometimes knew just what everyone needed before they even did. Jade even resigned to believing that the loony teacher was a big part of her and Tori becoming the couple they are now. All of those served as Jade's motivation in this new job; a first step to teaching and directing plays of her own someday. Her first days, however, felt nothing like that.
Today, like every day since she started work, was spent with Jade behind an old desk in the managing office, sorting through paperwork while Sikowitz taught his class of roughly a dozen in the main stage. The papers she was filing ranged from city permits and safety inspection certifications to budget reports, available licenses for performance rights, student applications, and more necessary evils that Jade had to read thoroughly; lest she risk missing something essential to the theater's already low-end means of staying afloat. Once she managed to finish skimming a 12-page report, Jade set it down on the desk with an exasperated groan and stared at the ceiling to readjust her vision. As her mind cleared, she could faintly hear Sikowitz's booming voice from the stage. She got up from the desk, deciding it was time for a much-needed break, and quietly made for the stage area.
As she stepped out of the office door, Jade noticed the stage curtains were all opened and Sikowitz stood behind a small podium with his back to her. In front of him were about twelve people, of widely varying ages and appearances, seated in folding chairs and listening intently to instruction.
"Alright, class! So far, only half of you have managed to get The Bird Scene down on your first try! I have to say, I expected just a little more from you after three days!" Jade rolled her eyes upon hearing that exercise's name after so long. The Bird Scene was the easiest assessment in all her time at Hollywood Arts, but it was a real struggle for many of her classmates; especially, Tori. It didn't surprise her that this gaggle of young adults—and even grown adults—were having the same troubles with it.
"So, that leaves us with one more brave soul to tackle the scene for today...Tara, you're up!" Sikowitz dramatically waved his hands toward a young tan-skinned woman wearing a dark-green checkered button-up shirt and jeans with both factory-made and actual tears along the legs.
This Tara was sitting quietly with a very neutral expression, even as her classmates applauded her as she got up in front of them. Jade raised an eyebrow, noticing the girl stood significantly shorter than Sikowitz and probably most of the other students, yet her face indicated a maturity greatly contrasting her stature.
As Tara stood over the X marker made with colored tape on the floor, she briefly glanced in Jade's direction before turning her back and facing her audience. "Just so you know, it's pronounced 'Tah-rah', not 'Tare-uh'." Her tone was firm, but without malice or attitude, which Sikowitz accepted with a silent thumbs-up in one hand and a 'rolling' motion with the other. Clearing her throat, Tara began to recite:
"It was 1934 when my...husband...left me alone. Living on the prairie was a dreary existence. No telephone, no radio; only a large, majestic bird with whom I shared my feelings."
Jade couldn't see Tara's expressions from far behind her, but she could hear her tone remaining even through the initial exposition of the scene. Jade's eyes narrowing at the unusual pause around the word "husband"; perhaps to emphasize that this man was no longer "husband" in her character's mind anymore. Tara's hands rose up, gently cupping an imaginary bird above her as she continued:
"One day, I said to him, 'Oh, bird, you can fly. You can soar miles from this lonely place, yet you stay. Why?' And apparently, my question rang true, for that afternoon, the bird...left. And so went...my spirit."
Her last lines were delivered softly and delicately until her final pause, punctuated by a reviled scoff and her staring down at her stage marker for a beat until she looked back up at Sikowitz with a shrug to indicate she was done.
He clapped generously, nodding with approval and encouraging the rest of the class to join in the praise. "Excellent, Tara! Probably the best I've seen all day! You've all got some work to do tomorrow if you want to join!" He was met with a few groans, but more positives and agreements from the students in response. His eyes briefly met Jade's from backstage and he clapped one more time. "That's all for today, everyone! I'll see you bright and early tomorrow for more Bird Scene assessments!" Once the students filed out of the auditorium, Jade stepped out from her spot backstage to join Sikowitz. "So, did you enjoy the little trip down memory lane, Jade?"
"I'm just surprised people older than we were can't figure out that they're not supposed to ask for your approval on the scene," Jade chuckled, watching some grown adults scratching their heads over the exercise. "But don't worry. Most of the paperwork's done, so I thought I'd check out your class for once."
Sikowitz quickly scanned behind him at all the students nearing the entrance. "Yes, well, it helps to remember that we all grow up and learn a little differently; some...much more than others." Shrugging it off, he pointed backward to the entrance with his thumb, "Anyhows, you're free to go, Jade! Give my regards to Tori!" Jade flashed a quick smile and a pat on her former teacher's shoulder as she eagerly dashed to the theater's front entrance.
Most of the students were already in their cars, driving on out of the block, while Jade stood just outside the entrance steps, stretching her stiff arms. In the corner of her eye, she spotted Tara sitting at the bottom step, sliding her ponytail from her hair to her wrist and letting her long curls fall over her back. Taking a better look at her face than back during class, especially her large, dark-colored eyes, Jade stared for a moment before calling out to her.
"Hey! You waiting for your ride, too?"
Tara's head poked up immediately and she looked at Jade unsurprised with the same neutral manner as before. Her reply was just a short, silent nod before turning back to her previous view of nothing in particular.
Jade hummed inquisitively, but decided not to pursue it. After all, she would have probably answered the same way if asked by a total stranger. After a minute, she could see her mom driving in on the black coupe Neutronium loaned out to her, prompting her to walk up to the passenger's window curiously.
Nora rolled down the window and waved to her, "Hi! Tori's working late at the office, so she asked me to pick you up! You don't mind that, right?"
Jade scoffed and promptly opened the passenger door, sliding her bag in before entering herself, "Like I'd willingly walk all the way back home? No, I don't mind." She looked ahead, catching Tara in her vision again, still in the same spot looking at nothing in front of her. A part of her wanted to ask if she wanted a ride, but the young girl had already stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder and walked back into the theater without a word.
Nora noticed her as well and turned to Jade, "Is that one of Sikowitz's students? You two friends?"
Jade just shook her head, still watching Tara climb the steps, "Nope, not one for words, that one."
"Sounds like someone I know all too well," Nora chuckled and put the car into gear, "Come on, then. Piper's meeting us at Nichijou, so let's get some dinner to bring to Tori, too."
Jade shrugged and settled back in her seat as her mother started to turn back out of the block and toward the restaurant district.
As she reached the top of the entrance steps, Tara took one long look back as Nora's car turned out of sight. She turned back to the entrance, catching Sikowitz as he locked every door except one.
"Alright, see ya tomorrow, Tara," he flashed another thumbs-up as he sipped the straw in a coconut in his other hand.
"Thanks." Tara returned the thumbs-up as she walked back inside the theater, turning the lock shut behind her as it closed.
Finally giving some insight to Jade's theater work with Sikowitz, and introducing another original character to the mix.
OC face-claim actors for your visualizing purposes:
Tara - Yasmine Al-Bustami (from The Chosen, I Ship It, and NCIS Hawai'i)
As always, thank you for reading, hope you can give whatever feedback you can, and continue to enjoy!
Until next chapter~