CHAPTER 27: Elephants and Noodle Arms
"Are you sure girl rhymes with world?" I question London as all three of us snuck in from the backdoor, through a series of winding hallways that led to some of the dressing rooms in the left wing.
Annoyed, she huffed. "Yes!"
You would not believe the sight of a theater hallway before the curtain opens. It was all running and yelling and nerves. Chaotic was a word invented specifically for theater geeks. The three of us didn't even have to sneak in. Nobody would have noticed us anyway, what with all the turmoil of preparing.
Makeup artists tailed after half-dressed actors. Stage managers kept yelling and yelling and yelling. Props were being dragged everywhere. I must have bumped into at least five people just trying to get to the wings.
We hid behind the curtain, right beside where the guy who controlled the lights was located. He was pretty focused on his job. We might as well have been shadows to him.
"So when do I go on?" I asked, fidgeting with the loose string of my hoodie. Today's a pretty important day. I should've worn something special. Like bow-or-tie kind of special. But I admit, I was already pretty antsy. I couldn't have identified a bow from a tie in that state. So I wore what I was comfortable with.
It's ironic, really. It was the hoodie I had on under my coat when I found the diary. I guess it's only poetic that I'd wear it when I returned the journal. That won't be the only poetic thing...
"I talked to stage manager and she said they're doing two performances tonight. The first one's a musical and the second's a regular old play about screwing up college interviews or something. Anyway, there's a short break between those two," London informed. "You go on then."
"Yeah, but isn't there like some sort of intermission during that time?" I asked.
London and Louie kinda looked at each other like some psychic siblings. That got me worried. That got me really worried. Nothing good ever came out from those kinds of stares. "What?" I asked, eyes narrowing.
"Trev." Louie put a hand on my shoulder. "You are the intermission."
I could only stare. My head traveled between the two of 'em. From Louie to London to Louie to London... My neck was about to twist itself when London stopped me.
"Relax!" she piped. "It's short. You'll go on for a few minutes. You'll do your thing and go down."
I nodded with my mouth opened. A few minutes. I couldn't even breathe during that introduce yourself bullshit during the first day of class.
The lights suddenly dimmed. A single limelight shone on the stage. My attention was stolen by the actors, all dolled up. Audience members clapped. The music rang up.
Then, another spotlight flickered on, illuminating one single person on center-stage. She was dressed in that get-up Louie and I saw when we came asking about Kaye. The blue shirt, the pink jogger jeans, the brown wig. Boy, from afar Sage kinda looked like Kaye.
My frantic nerves were suddenly calmed as I saw her face, beaming up as she delivered her first lines. All the cowardice and anxiety somehow melted as if they were they were snow. That only meant Sage is the sun.
The funny thing was that she didn't even have a line. It was a freaking musical and all she said was "Smiley face!" during the first song. She was just sort of dancing a little, with the boys surrounding her. But I couldn't take my damn eyes off her!
Finally, she had her moment. The second song was all hers. And, boy, that girl could sing. She had the audience at the palm of her hand. Certainly had me. The whole theater erupted with laughter when she said something funny.
Halfway through the last song, London tapped my shoulder. "I'll go look for Kaye," London said. I nodded. We had a plan. Seeing Sage on stage made me forget a bit about it though.
London left. As soon as her footsteps were out of earshot, Louie came to me. "You okay?"
I sort of nodded and shook my head at the same time. Whatever it was, I was just moving my head diagonally. Like I was having a seizure or something. "I don't know."
"You got the paper with you, right?"
I nodded.
"Then you got nothing to worry about!" he piped. "All you have to do is read. You can read, can't you?"
"Of course, I can read, Louie. I'm not that stupid. I just don't know if I can do it in front of all these people."
"You can," he encouraged, then took my jaw. Squishing my cheeks, he turned my head towards the stage. "For her." For Sage.
London came running back from nowhere. Out of breath, she couldn't say anything. So Louie took the opportunity to ask, "Did you find Kaye?"
"Yeah," London gasped. "She's fine. She'll make sure Sage gets a front row seat for Trev's intermission."
"Then why are you outta breath? Did you run all the way here to tell us that?"
She shook her head. "We have a problem."
"What?" I groaned.
"Diego is here."
"So?"
"'So'?! Hello! Have you forgotten about Friday night? You tackled him in his own home! If he sees you, you're dead."
I laughed. Boy, I was getting cocky. I felt entitled to it, though. It was the first fight I got into where I didn't go home with a bruise and fatlip. "I think your exaggerating. Besides, he's not gonna try to pick a fight. There are a lot of people watching here."
To prove my point, the audience started clapping. There must have been at least a hundred of them. There's a good chance that there was a doctor in the audience, just in case Diego did try to pick a fight... and ultimately won.
The musical was done. Sage bowed along with the four boys and the narrator. They exited with shining grins towards the right wing of the backstage. There was a narrow hallway connecting their wing to ours. I could see them hugging each other and patting each other's backs. Then I saw Kaye rush in and drag Sage away. The plan was in motion.
"Donnie, Mr. Spaghetti ain't got the guts to pull off shit like that here," Louie assured her, when London still looked unsure. He turned to me. "Now, you. You gotta get up there."
I nodded absentmindedly. Clutching the diary and a folded piece of paper, I walked out into the stage. I must have been going on turtle's pace because Louie, impatient as he is, shoved me right outside. I stumbled out the curtains.
"Break a leg!" Donnie yelled.
Then, I turned to the audience that was now gazing at me. I've never been the one to try and grab the spotlight. Now, there's a literal spotlight shining on me. That made me lose it. That made my knees rattle.
Like the perfect idiot, I let out a nervous laugh that echoed throughout the theater. "Hi --" My voice broke at one tiny syllable "-- everybody."
Clearing my through, I scanned the audience. In a sea of scrunched-up faces that were probably wondering what the hell I was doing on stage, there was Sage... who had the same expression but with more intensity. Boy, she looked like the poster child for "WTF?!"
I suddenly remembered why I was doing it. Who I was doing it for. I got a hold of myself and breathed, cleared my head.
"I'm Trevor," I opened with the lamest line I could think of. "I hope you enjoyed the first part of Montaño Theater's year-end production. Uhm -- personally, I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to come up here and read something for one the main actors: Sage Dewirth." I pointed at her, sitting in the front row. The blinding light suddenly shifted from me to her, illuminating her blushing face.
"Let's give her a round of applause, everybody!" I cheered. Only few clapped. The awkwardness of my failed pep cheer got me feeling antsy again. But I focused on Sage. Blushing Sage. Undoubtedly-embarrassed-but-still-confident Sage.
"She wrote me a poem once," I said, smiling. Sage's mouth vaguely turned up, too. "She called it 'Hymen and Heart'. Well, I've got a reply poem called 'Elephants & Noodle Arms'. It goes a little something like this:
'Sage Dewirth, you little elephant,
You turn every little joke into a rant.
When I made fun of your size, you turned red,
With the way you glared at me, I could've wound up dead.
You gave me an earful, your words in a swarm,
Even called me a 'stick' on account of my noodle arms.'"
The audience was warming up. Some chuckled at the last line. But nothing beat the full-blown smile that came out of Sage. That gave me the guts to continue reading.
"'But even with the insults, I could always count on your aid
To help me out with things as long as you get paid.'"
Another string of laughter erupted. But then I paused. I had to take a deep breath for the next line.
"'But I've done you wrong so many times in the past, I didn't even know,
Starting from that incident last September up to that rollerblade fiasco.
I thought that sprained ankle was the only hurt I accidentally caused you
But that ain't the case and you know it, too.'"
I stopped to see the look on Sage's face. For a seasoned thespian, she was doing a shit job of trying to keep a blank face. Sure, she looked expressionless, but you could see it in her misty eyes and the way her jaw tightened. She was hurt. And all I could do was continue to read.
"'I didn't know it back then, I didn't how you felt
Until I reread it in your poem all worded out and spelled.
Now I'm replying this poem as an apology, as a confession
To say sorry for the shit I messed up and for this late-ass admission
Of how stupid I was for looking for a goddamn mystery girl
When I had by my side the greatest elephant in the world.
I hope this time around, you fall again for my charms
And I promise this time I'll catch you, in my stupid noodle arms.'"