by Lina Langley
I needed to stop reading into this person. I took a deep breath and told myself to get a grip. “Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate that. She gave the role to Jamie West.”
“I know,” Mr. Redford said. “He was good. I just think you could have been better.”
“I’ll keep that in mind when I audition next,” I said. “Depending on what you’re doing this year.”
“We’ll have to do something popular,” Mr. Redford said. “I see Miss Danback was hardly breaking even and the drama department really does need a cash infusion.”
I cocked my head, set my gaze on him and narrowed my eyes slightly. “So we sell out?”
“Yes,” he said. “But only so we can keep the program going. Surely that’s an acceptable reason to sell out.”
“Yeah,” I replied, looking at my lap. I didn’t like the idea that the program wasn’t going to put on quality plays, but I also knew that wasn’t entirely the case. Miss Danback’s casting choices might have been dubious, but she cared very much about producing high-quality work. It was the kind of work that had gotten me noticed, especially around the community theater circuit.
“Don’t worry,” Mr. Redford said. I looked up to meet his gaze. “We’re just going to try and get a show done this season so the program can keep going. That way, you can end the year with a bang.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate that.”
“Of course,” he said. “And I appreciate you coming here and introducing yourself. I’m sorry Miss Danback isn’t going to be the one to finish your high school experience with you, but I’m hoping I can breathe some new life into the program.”
“The program does need it,” I said. “I mean, if you need any help, I’m here for that.”
He looked me up and down, a smirk on his face as if he didn’t believe me. “Really?”
“Yes,” I said with a snicker. “Really. Why would you think I was lying about that?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Other students have already come to talk to me.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re not going to tell me what they said, are you?”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t, even if I could,” he said. “But people have a high opinion of you.”
I rolled my eyes again. “It’s okay,” I said. “They think I’m a good actor but a total diva, don’t they?”
He blinked, not answering my question. I knew he couldn’t say anything, but I wanted to shake him. “I’m not here to gossip, Callum,” he said. “I’m your teacher.”
“Right,” I said, licking my lips. “But you were the one who said you were surprised by this.”
“Yes,” he said, holding his arms out in a motion that looked a bit like defeat. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have.”
I looked away from him. “I’m not a diva,” I said, wondering how much I should tell him. I wanted to get him on my side, but I didn’t want to say too much, just enough so I would turn him against me. Teachers, especially drama teachers, are people too. People with preferences. I knew I needed to be one of those preferences if I wanted to get into my college of choice, I told myself, so what I was doing was technically for my own benefit. It had nothing to do with making him like me as a person. “Things were just hard at home.”
He stared. “Are things still hard at home?”
I shook my head, then met his gaze again. He could have melted me with the way he was staring, his eyes wide. They were light blue, almost clear.
I looked down at my lap. “No,” I said, hoping I sounded sincere enough. They were certainly not as hard, but that didn’t mean they weren’t hard at all.
“If there’s anything you want to talk about,” he said. “You should know that’s what I’m here for.”
I resisted the urge to look up at him. I wanted to see his expression, but I also didn’t. I already felt like his eyes could pierce into my soul and I didn’t like that. I didn’t want anyone to look at my soul, at least when I wasn’t on stage.
When I was performing, everyone got to see every last part of me. Not when I was sitting in front of this man, who was just asking me how I was doing. Out of professional interest, not because he really wanted to know.
“Yeah,” I said, licking my lips, which were dry. “I know.”
“Good,” he said. “Thank you for offering to help me out. I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” I replied. “So what do you need help with?”
“I’m trying to come up with a program this year,” he said. “Maybe you can help out with that?”
“Yes,” I said. “Sure. That sounds great.”
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