My girl Kelly Clarkson came on singing Breakaway. I scrolled through my messages until I found the last one from Jen and clicked on it. I met a guy today, not sure where it will go, or if I’ll see him again, but I wanted you to know. I hit send and thought back to Maine. I wished I could be at Echo Lake, jumping off The Bluffs and soaking up the sun. Life was already so different than it was a couple of weeks ago when we were leaving our childhood home behind. My phone buzzed and I looked at my sisters reply, That’s fantastic!! I’m proud of you Kyle. I hope this turns into something special. Love, Sister.
I closed my eyes and the imagine of Scotty, his amazing brown eyes and wonderful smile, flashed behind my lids. The notion of touching his hand or kissing his lips sent tingles to fizzle the pit of my stomach. I replayed the audition in my head. Recalling the heat of the studio lamps, the nervousness in my voice, and how gentle and reassuring his was. The feel of his hand, the goose pimples it caused, and the flush in his cheeks when our hands touched. I rolled onto my stomach and imagined Scotty was next to me.
§ § § §
I was surprised when my father asked me to come along with him for call backs to meet the cast. Our fight after the auditions had me thinking he wouldn’t want me involved at all in the processes, but he was the one who mentioned I liked theatre and perhaps I’d enjoy the behind the scenes aspects of filmmaking. Deep down I think it was his way of both showing his support and hinting I could pursue this further in college.
I was brought to the same room. This time the table and camera were gone, instead two dozen chairs were place in a circle, with a script on each. I sat down and eagerly awaited the arrival of the man who had starred in my daydreams. That is if he got the part. He got the part! I thought when I saw him walk in. I did my best to subdue my rapidly beating heart. I sat up quickly and then casually leaned back against my chair. Although he was talking to one of his co-stars. He looked right at me and he smiled wider.
Flutter bys—I mean butterflies danced around my stomach when he winked.
He noticed me! Now smile back you fool. Now he’s walking toward you Kyle, remember act cool.
“Hey kid, nice to see you again,” he said, his left eye twinging a little.
Kid.
“Likewise,” I said sounding slightly defeated.
“I didn’t think I’d see you again.”
“We were called back to meet the cast.”
He held out his hand, smiling again.
“Let me give you a jump start. If you didn’t remember, I’m Scotty. I play Matt,” Scotty gayly said.
“I definitely remember you. Your hair was longer last time,” I said.
Scotty laughed. “Oh yeah, I was due for a trim.”
“I like it,” I said, unable to shut up.
“Thanks.”
“Well congrats on the role.”
“Thank you. Ryan over there is well playing Ryan. And your Kyle, right?”
He remembered my name! I beamed, nodded, and realized we were still holding hands.
“Yes, pleased to see you again,” I said.
“Indeed.”
He slowly pulled his hand away. I jumped when I felt his fingertips slide over my palm, and heard a quiet giggle come from him. I caught my breath before it could escape, swallowed it down and looked up at him, smiling. At that precise moment, it was like my experiences in Maine never happened. Being in Scotty’s presence left me feeling high, that is if you felt euphoric, relaxed, and balanced when you were high. Scotty sat down to the right of me, leaving a chair open between us. He put his arm on the back of the chair between us, stretching it across. Even when he sat down, he was taller than me.
“Valentin is an interesting last name,” I said, ending it with tin.
“It’s actually pronounced Valen-teen but growing up everyone said Valentine, so it stuck as my stage name. It’s Italian I believe. My dad was adopted not that, that matters,” Scotty nervously stammered.
I chuckled. “Valentine, like the cards?”
His shoulders relaxed as he slouched forward. “Yeah, like the cards,” Scotty said in a monotone voice.
“Sorry,” I said, leaning back.
Before my brain registered his thumb was touching my shoulder, he took it away and crossed his arms.
“It’s okay I got it a lot. I hated my last name as a kid.”
“Why? It’s cool.”
“Yeah, try having a last name everyone pronounced Valentine. Girls always asked if I’d be theirs.”
You could be mine.
“Still Scotty Valentine sounds like a comic book hero or something. Extra! Extra! Extra! Read all about it, Scotty Valentine swoops in and saves the day,” I said in my best campy, newscaster voice.
Shut up Kyle.
He just looked at me and smiled. I felt myself turn hot red and decided to shut up, I was just babbling now. Then his hand returned to the back of my chair and his thumb met my shoulder once more.
“How does your day look after you and your dad leave?” Scotty asked.
“Not sure, why?”
“I’m free. Interested in going to the fair?”
Fair? What do I look like a little kid? Then again, he’s the one who suggested we go, so he’s the kid.
“Um… Sure, I guess. I haven’t been to a fair in years.”
“Seriously, dude? I go multiple times a year. It’s so fun to beat out a bunch of brats at those games. Kids have fairs and arcades and adults have casinos and the lottery. Pick your poison, am I right?”
“The Breakfast Club?” I asked, wondering if he was referencing my favorite movie of all time.
“Yeah, I love that movie.”
“Me too!”
I chuckled and noticed how much we had leaned in toward each other. The door opened again, and I snapped out of my daze and sat up. My dad walked over and just before sitting between Scotty and me, Scotty crossed his arms again.
Wow way to block me, Dad. I really should have moved when I had the chance.
I rolled my eyes and peered past him.
“It’s not quite a fair, more an amusement park,” Scotty said
“Where’s it at?”
“Have you been to the Santa Monica Pier yet?” Scotty asked.
“What are you guys talking about?” Dad asked.
“Scotty asked if I wanted to hang out after the meeting.”
Dad surveyed Scotty. Sizing him up, probably trying to figure out if he was gay or not. Scotty was built, not jacked, but lean and toned. He had a swimmer’s body. Clearly athletic in some capacity. He looked like the kind of guy who could change the oil in his car, and then go play a game of tackle football afterwards. The thought of him doing this excited me a little on the inside. He was the kind of guy my father would appreciate. He sat back.
“As long as you’re back by eleven.”
YES! Dad, you’re amazing. You have no idea what this means to me.
“Thanks Dad.” I looked back at Scotty. “To answer your question no, we only just moved here two weeks ago. I believe we live right down the road from it though, it has a Ferris wheel that’s all lit up at night.”
“That’s the spot. And you haven’t gone yet? Boy you’re in for a treat. You look a little familiar.”
“Well we did read lines together last week,” I teased.
“If you’d like, we could trade places so the two of you don’t have to talk over me,” Dad finally offered.
“Yes please.” I got up and happily switched seats with Dad.
I noticed Scotty change his stance. He was now leaning as far left as the barrier of his chair allowed. Bees buzzed in my tummy as I followed suit and leaned in Scotty’s direction. I relished in the feeling of his weight against my shoulder. More people gathered and some were reading over the scripts, so we dropped our conversation to a neutral whisper.
“I know, I mean I feel like I’ve seen you before the reading. How long ago did you say you moved here?” Scotty asked.
“A couple weeks back.”
“Where abouts do you live?” Scotty asked.
“Down by Will Rodgers Beach.”
“Oh, maybe I was wrong,” he said, sounding defeated.
“We did stay at The Cadillac Hotel our first night. It’s down near Venice beach, why?”
Scotty perked up. “Had to be you. I was with my friend Laurel. We were visiting her boyfriend who works at Boardwalk Skate and Surf. We looked at each other and you said ‘evening’ to me.”
This time I perked up. “That was you? You carried a surfboard if I recall,” I said.
“Good memory. That’s ah me.” Scotty sat up and pointed both his thumbs at himself. “Small world. Well, I digress,” he said relaxing back against my shoulder again. “If I’m feeling nice, maybe I’ll treat you to some dinnah at Bubba Gump,” he said, smiling.
I laughed as he emphasized his words.
“Bubba Gump as in from Forrest Gump?”
“That’s the one,” Scotty cheered.
Stan cleared his throat, I watched some of the energy deflate from Scotty’s body when he sat up. Stan’s cold stare silenced him. We were introduced to the rest of the cast and given the schedule for shooting.
Since it was my father’s story, we were allowed on set whenever we wanted. Nearly two hours had passed and all we had learned was who was playing whom, and when shooting would begin. I quickly became uninterested and slouched against my chair and admired the girl sitting across the room to stay awake. Something tapped my shoulder. I took my eyes off her and looked at my dad.
He leaned in and whispered, “She has had her eye on you the entire time. You should talk to her when we take a break.”
The girl playing Ryan’s girlfriend continued to look at me, smiling occasionally. Politely I smiled back; I could tell she was the girl you took home to your parents. Her brunette hair hugged her face in luscious curls, giving her face a youthful tone.
“Yeah.”
I leaned back in my chair and glanced over at Scotty. He was still leaning toward me and his arm was slung on the back of the chair next to him. My mind flashed back to reading lines with Scotty. My nerves felt a little fired and my stomach churned. I sighed and got up.
“Sorry to interrupt, where’s the bathroom?” I asked
Scotty was quick to react, standing up immediately.
“I’ll show you,” he said.
§ § § §
“I’ve been waiting for a break to happen,” Scotty said when we walked outside.
“Yeah, there’s only so long I can sit on my butt before it falls asleep.”
Scotty laughed, it made me feel warm on the inside. “The first day is always the worst,” he said.
“How long have you been in the business for?”
“I’ve been acting since five, got my start in commercials. But more for later, I can’t reveal all my cards. How are you liking California so far?”
“I love it, I grew up on a small island off the coast of Maine, so it’s nice to still be living near the water.”
“Where in Maine?”
“Mount Desert Island.”
“Oh! I love Bah Ha-bah.”
I smiled and rolled my eyes. Usually, it irked me when people tried to mimic the Maine accent when saying things like Bar Harbor (bah ha-bah) or lobster (lobstah). But for some reason it didn’t bother me as much when he said it.
“You’ve been there before?” I asked, a little surprised.
“Yeah, my family used to vacation there when I was little. We stopped going when I was eight or nine I believe. Don’t remember much but I do remember it was beautiful, and I spent most of my time in the park. What’s it called again? Arcadia, or something like that.”
“Acadia.” I laughed.
“That’s right.”
We stopped and he pointed at a picture with a white male stick figure on it. Under it read Men’s Room.
“Here it is.”
“Thanks.”
We awkwardly walked into each other before he let me pass.
Sometime during the introductions my stomach churned a few times. I chalked it up to hunger because sometimes I’ll mistaken stomach grumbles as something worse. After a few moments with nothing happening I walked back. Everyone had cleared the room by then and dispersed for the day. Despite my feelings, I approached the brunette. Her name was Tessa. This was her first film.
“How do you like California so far?”
Question of the day. “It’s alright, been here a couple weeks, seems okay so far. Wondering what school will be like here.”
I watched as she smiled and leaned against the corner of a wall. Behind her was the hallway to the bathrooms. She gazed at me for a moment. I stared back unsure of what to say next. I looked down the hall, waiting for Scotty to return from the restroom. I turned my attention to her necklace, a cross dangled from it.
“Nice necklace.”
Wow Kyle great thing to say. At the risk of sounding too gay I added another compliment.
“Gold really brings life to your eyes.”
“Thanks, my grandmother gave it to me before she passed last year,” she said dragging her fingertips along the chain.
“Oh, sorry to hear.”
“It’s okay, she’s in a better place now. Have you found yourself a summer job yet?”
“Yeah, I was able to get into Joe’s Hamburger Hut, ever heard of it?”
“Have I ever, my best friend works there, she’s the hostess with the mos-test as she likes to say,” she said.
“Yeah, I took over for her, she’s now on the wait staff. Don’t know anyone yet, I just met the team on Monday.”
I looked at Scotty the moment I saw him approaching from behind Tessa. He now wore a thin cotton grey hoodie with California written across the chest. I looked at Tessa long enough to see her lips were still moving but didn’t hear what she said because my focus was back on Scotty.
“Hey, I have to get going, do you have a cell?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“Hey man you ready?” Scotty asked as he kept walking.
I had to catch up with Scotty, so I quickly jotted down my number, while she did the same.
“It was nice meeting you, talk soon. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Scotty and I walked out the back door to the nearly empty parking lot. We headed toward a navy-blue Jeep. Scotty rolled the roof back and hid the fabric behind the back seat. Then he placed his hands on the door and launched himself over it and into the car before leaning over to open the door for me.
“I can’t jump over the door?”
He laughed and began to close the door, I stopped him.
“That’s what I thought,” he teased, grinning.
I hopped in and closed the door. I couldn’t believe I was in his car. I started to feel dizzy being in his presence. My nerves were on edge, and I felt positively queasy. Scotty was the answer, deep down I knew it to be true.
“Do you care what we listen to?” Scotty asked.
“Nope.”
I watched Scotty flip down his visor to reveal a bunch of CDs.
“I think I’m the only one who still listens to CDs, especially in the car. There’s something nostalgic about them.”
“I still listen to them. My brother gives me shit all the time for it, because I won’t trash my stereo and CDs for digital music.”
He ran his fingers along the CDs as he spoke. “Don’t get me wrong I have an iPod I listen to on my runs but when I’m driving around it’s always a CD.”
I examined Scotty while he intently looked at the three CDs all labelled Summer Time Jamz, before selecting a tan disk.
“Ever heard of Kings of Convenience?” he asked putting the CD in.
I jumped when the music blasted, and he quickly turned it down.
“Now I have.”
“Sorry about that.” I laughed and he continued, “Riot on an Empty Street, what we’re listening to now is by far their best albu
m. It came out in oh-four and seven years later it’s still just as good.”
“Timeless.”
“Exactly. Take this song for example,” he paused to skip a head a few songs. “I love the sound of this song.”
“What’s it called?”
“Love is No Big Truth.”
“It’s relaxing.”
“I agree, good for city road trips on a hot summer day. They feature Feist on this album.”
“I know her. She sings 1234. I love that music video, its superb in its simplicity.”
“I like the way you speak,” Scotty said.
I turned away to hide the red in my face and pulled the seat belt, but it didn’t budge. I tried again and nothing happed. Scotty reached over me.
“Sorry the seat belt sticks, I’ve had this thing since high school,” Scotty said yanking on the strap.
I couldn’t describe his scent, even if I tried, I’d say it was lemon and pine mixed with two other scents I couldn’t identify but presumed one was his natural musk. It made me want to curl up beside him and bury my face into his chest.
“Come on you fukr,” he mumbled. “There we go.” He sighed.
I felt the belt run along my legs and stomach as he pulled it across me and heard it click. Scotty’s hand accidently brushed my leg. He turned the key and sped away. The song changed to a little more upbeat tempo.
“This song is so sexy. Was that awkward for me to say?”
I laughed. “No, what’s this one?”
“I’d Rather Dance With You.”
“I like the lyrics.”
“You’re going to love this amusement park, it’s awesome. Kinda touristy but still fun.”
We paused for two beats.
“So…” was all I could think to say.
He didn’t answer. I nervously drummed my hands against my thigh to the beat of the music. I thought of all the questions I wanted to ask him. I was curious to know if he was gay or not. If so, he was good at hiding it. Knowing he was gay would alleviate some of the weight anchoring me down. Yeah, he’s cute, and yeah, I kind of have the hots for him, and he also has the prettiest eyes and most adorable smile, and when his hair is the right length it curtains his eyes, but these silly things won’t get in the way. I began to feel restless.
Playing It Out Straight Page 9
