Perchance to Dream

by Lyssa Chiavari

After lunch, Patricia sat beside Grizz in their drama class. She was carefully taking notes as Mr. Gardner lectured on The Taming of the Shrew when she felt a sharp poke in her right arm. She turned curiously to see Grizz brandishing her pencil, motioning for her to look at something. Patricia rolled her eyes at what she saw. Kurt appeared to be holding a four-way note-passing session with the three girls surrounding him. Each giggled shyly as their hands touched his.

  Grizz shook her head in disgust. “It’s like witnessing an orgy,” she whispered to Patricia.

  Glancing back at the foursome, Patricia had to agree. It was surprising to see Kurt in class, actually, since he skipped drama almost as much as he turned up in her cooking class. At least he’s awake for once, she thought. Then, wrinkling her nose in annoyance, she turned her attention back to copying notes from the whiteboard.

  “Well,” Mr. Gardner said a few minutes later, glancing at the clock on the wall, “your homework is on the board. Take these last few minutes of class to break up into your individual groups to talk about your projects. For those not participating in the theater festival, please gather to discuss the thematic elements in Act I of The Taming of the Shrew.”

  Quickly scribbling the homework into her day planner, Patricia stood with the rest of the class as they migrated into their groups; but she paused as she noticed Mr. Gardner approach Kurt, who was still hunched over a note, laughing.

  “Mr. Minola! May I have a word with you?”

  Kurt jumped at the sound of the teacher’s voice. “Uh, sure,” he replied, looking confused as he followed Mr. Gardner.

  Ha! In trouble twice in one day! Patricia stared after them for a moment before shouldering her bag and joining Grizz, who had already chosen a spot in the corner.

  “Okay, so I guess we can go over the script and I can write down what props we’re going to want, and maybe how the stage should look?” Patricia suggested as she slid her backpack off and sat down.

  Grizz nodded, pulling a notebook out of her messenger bag. “I had some ideas for finishing the script, too, lemme write them down real quick.”

  Patricia dug through her backpack and pulled out the binder where she kept all of her notes and sketches for their one-act play. While she waited for Grizz, she began to doodle ideas for how the props should be laid out on the stage. According to Mr. Gardner, how much or how little they used in their production was completely up to the director; even if it was a period piece, the cast could wear modern clothing so long as it fit the theme. However, being a known overachiever, Patricia wanted her production to look as professional as possible. She’d dreamed up costumes, props and sets that probably went above and beyond the theater festival’s expectations.

  “Grizelda? Patricia?”

  Patricia’s reverie was interrupted by Mr. Gardner’s appearance. Grizz grunted and rose to her feet, her brow furrowed, but she kept her annoyance at being called “Grizelda” to herself. Patricia knew Grizz loathed her full name—it was too stuffy and old-fashioned for her taste. From a very young age, she’d declared that everyone should call her Grizz with two ‘z’s, and immediately shot down any other (albeit more conventional) nicknames that people had tried to stick her with. Given her fiery and sometimes quirky personality, Patricia could not imagine a more fitting name for her best friend.

  “I’d like to talk to you about your project,” Mr. Gardner began, folding his arms over his chest.

  Patricia shared a worried look with Grizz before replying, “Oh, okay…” Did we do something wrong?

  Their drama teacher sighed. “Well, I was looking over your outline, Patricia,” he began, referring to the preliminary ideas that Patricia had turned in a few days prior, “and I saw that you had ideas for costumes and props. You were also talking about doing some actual set work, right?”

  Patricia nodded, clutching her binder to her chest. “Yeah, I really want to showcase the fact that Mrs. Winchester is trapped because of the earthquake. I thought there could be a lot of debris, and maybe have a cutout that’s like her door that the cast can come in through.”

  Mr. Gardner pursed his lips thoughtfully, which made Patricia nervous. Were her plans too over the top?

  “I think it’s great, but with all the ideas you have, I just don’t see how you are going to be able to do this all on your own. It’s quite a bit more extensive than some of the other plays, and there are only two of you.” Taking a deep breath, Mr. Gardner continued, “That’s why I’m assigning Kurt Minola to the project.”

  Patricia felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She looked over at Grizz. Her friend’s eyes were bugged out and her mouth was agape, a sure reflection of the horror that must be showing on Patricia’s own face. “Wait, what?”

  Mr. Gardner held up his hands as if to calm them. “Now, I know it seems odd, but I spoke with the principal this afternoon, and it seems Kurt’s parents were not happy with his quarter report card. Since college acceptances are already out, they want to make sure that he pulls his grades up so he doesn’t lose his spot.”

  Patricia frowned. “What does that have to do with our play, though?”

  “He is currently flunking this class,” Mr. Gardner stated flatly, “and will have no hope of passing unless he puts in some serious extra credit. Now, I know you girls are receiving some extra credit for participating in the theater festival, but Kurt is going to have to do a lot more than that. Aside from redoing some assignments—and actually turning them in,” he added wryly, “I want him to dive fully into this project. I think if he clocks in so many hours with you, I will be able to raise his grade in good conscience. I will also, of course, expect him to write a paper on his experience of working firsthand on a production. So, assign him whatever you need him to do. Building props, stage managing, running errands…”

  “Mr. Gardner,” Grizz interrupted, planting a sickening sweet smile on her face that Patricia knew was completely phony, “we really don’t need his help. We’re fine. This play is kind of like Patricia’s baby, and I think she’d rather have full control.”

  “Oh, but she will,” Mr. Gardner replied, nipping Grizz’s strategy in the bud. “Patricia, you will be completely in charge. After school, on week-ends, whenever you are working on the one-act, Kurt is expected to be there. You will be supervising this portion of his grade. If he doesn’t put in the work, he doesn’t get the extra credit.” Seeing Patricia’s sour expression, he added, “Don’t worry, Patricia. If he goofs off, his grade will suffer, not yours.”

  “Mr. Gardner, can’t he work on someone else’s?” Patricia pleaded. She didn’t want to sound desperate, but she felt backed into a corner.

  “You two need a lot of help if you want your production to be anywhere near your expectations,” Mr. Gardner replied seriously, though not unkindly.

  “Then assign us someone else!” Grizz exclaimed, tugging on a red-tipped lock of her hair in agitation.

  Mr. Gardner shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m sure Kurt is not your favorite person, but I think it is in everyone’s best interest that he works on this play. You are two of my best students. You are both responsible and dedicated, and I am confident that you will judge his contribution to your play fairly and honestly.”

  Patricia sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. What he was saying was true; neither she nor Grizz were part of Kurt’s little fan club. They didn’t even consider themselves his friends, so there was no way that he could sweet-talk them into letting him do no work while still getting credit. And, though Patricia didn’t want to admit it, she would be fair with him, and not try to spike his attempts to pass. If he was willing to put in the effort, she’d be willing to put up with him.

  She glanced over at Grizz, who nodded glumly, knowing that there would be no way out of it. Finally, she said, “Sure, Mr. Gardner. We’d be happy to have him in our group.”

  Mr. Gardner’s face broke into a relieved smile. “Wonderful. I’ll call Kurt over to give you a few minutes to discuss the project.”r />
  Patricia blew a stray bang out of her eye in frustration as Mr. Gardner went to fetch Kurt.

  “‘Sup, Patty, Zel,” Kurt greeted them when he reached their corner.

  While Patricia merely grit her teeth at the nickname, Grizz inhaled sharply and spat, “You know damn well that it is Grizz, you—”

  Patricia quickly held out her arm to stop her, widening her eyes to send a warning message to her friend. “Hey, Kurt,” she greeted him, a forced smile plastered on her face.

  “So, Mr. Gardner said that if I’m in your play I’ll get extra credit,” Kurt began in his usual relaxed tone. “I’ll take a small part.”

  Patricia cocked a brow, shocked by his gall. Lazy and presumptuous as always.

  Before she could respond, Mr. Gardner cleared his throat, having crept up behind Kurt without him noticing. “As usual, Mr. Minola, you appear to have selective hearing. You must participate in this production, but that does not mean you will be acting in it. And if you are, it will most certainly not be the only contribution you make. As I understand it, carpentry is a hobby of yours, is it not?”

  Kurt looked taken aback by this question, slowly scratching his ear as he replied, “Well, like, I’ve made a couple boards.” Patricia could only assume he meant for surfing. “Oh, and, like, this really sick stand for my stereo system.”

  Mr. Gardner turned to Patricia and Grizz and lifted his eyebrows, appearing pleased. “There, see? He can work on the sets and props for you.”

  Patricia grimaced. She did not at all enjoy the thought of trusting Kurt with any aspect of their play, particularly something that involved power tools.

  “Though if you would like to try your hand at acting,” Mr. Gardner continued, “maybe you could come to the tryouts and read for their play. If they select you, acting could be a portion of your grade.”

  Now this was getting ridiculous. Kurt? Act? That was most certainly not an option. “Um, Mr. Gardner, I don’t think there’s any role that…”

  “Oh, Patricia,” Grizz interrupted her, smiling sweetly at Kurt and Mr. Gardner, “I think Kurt should definitely come try out if he wants to.” Turning to Patricia, she said seriously, “In fact, I have a character that he’d be perfect for.”

  Patricia stared at her as if she was crazy. What on Earth are you up to? she wondered, racking her brain. She’d read Grizz’s drafts and could not recall any character that Kurt could pull off. But, seeing the mischievous glint in Grizz’s eye, she quickly caught on. “Oh, oh! Right! Yeah, Kurt, you should definitely audition. And of course there will be lots of other things we can have you do.”

  Kurt nodded with a lazy smile on his face. “Sweet.”

  Patricia tossed her long hair over her shoulder and nodded to their teacher. “Just leave it to us, Mr. Gardner. We’ll go over everything with Kurt.”

  “Thank you so much, both of you,” Mr. Gardner replied. “Kurt, I expect to see you in my office today right after school to go over those assignments.” He looked severely at Kurt over his wire-rimmed glasses.

  Kurt nodded. “Sure thing, Mr. G.”

  With an exasperated sigh, Mr. Gardner left the group, shaking his head.

  “Okay, Kurt,” Patricia began, “since tryouts are on Friday, Grizz and I have a lot to prepare beforehand. Grizz will have to finish the script, and—”

  She was interrupted by the loud buzz of the bell, signaling that class was over. When Kurt stood and reached for his backpack, Patricia held up her hands. “No, no, stay for just a second. Here, let’s exchange numbers. We can meet up after school to work it all out, and you can see what we’re going to be doing.” She pulled her cell out of her pocket and glared expectantly at Kurt, who reluctantly reached into his hoodie and produced his own.

  After rattling off numbers to each other, Patricia smiled, satisfied. “Okay, I can’t do today, but let’s meet here tomorrow, right after school. Can you make it?”

  Kurt nodded without hesitation. “Sure thing, Patty.”

  Rolling her eyes but choosing to ignore the nickname, Patricia smiled thinly. “Great. See you then.”

  “Can you believe this?” Grizz said as Kurt walked away. “Argh, stuck with Kurt the Jerk for our entire play!”

  Patricia wrinkled her nose in commiseration as they filed toward the door and into the hallway. “I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Dammit,” she swore under her breath.

  “Why do we have to be so responsible and reliable?” Grizz demanded bitterly, only half-joking.

  “No surprise that he’s flunking, though,” said Patricia as they wove through the throng of students congesting the hallway. “He hardly ever even shows up to drama.”

  “Probably thought it was gonna be an easy A that would boost his GPA with no effort while he coasted through senior year,” Grizz said. “Like all the other tools around here who think that just because they got accepted to a college, their grades can tank and there won’t be any consequences.”

  Patricia shook her head. “How stupid can you be?”

  Grizz laughed, then glanced at her watch and realized the bell was going to ring any second. “Gotta run, I’ll talk to you later!”

  Patricia watched her friend hurry away, her red-tipped hair trailing after her. Stifling a laugh, she turned and entered her own classroom.

  ❦

  “All right, tous les mondes, choose a partner and do exercise B, numbers one through five, on page two-hundred thirty-three, s’il vous plait,” Madame Kelley instructed the next day during Patricia’s final period French class.

  As Patricia pulled out a clean sheet of binder paper, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Ben Minola had leaned over from his chair next to her, and he asked with a smile, “Avec moi?”

  Patricia grinned. “Absolument.” Clearing her throat, Patricia began to read the directions aloud in French. “Okay, so we’re supposed to change the following sentences to use the conditional tense. Numèro Un. J’irai consulter…”

  After several minutes, Ben finished writing the last answer. Craning his neck to check the clock and seeing that there were a few minutes of class left, he stared down at his textbook. “So, uh, I heard from Kurt that you’re stuck with him for your one-act.” He glanced up and met Patricia’s eyes, his dark brows furrowing in sympathy. “That sucks.”

  Patricia laughed at his reaction, which pretty much summed up how she felt about it. “Yup, it does.” Then she took in a deep breath and smiled at Ben. “But it’s what Mr. Gardner wants. Maybe it won’t be so bad.”

  Ben nodded, running a hand through his short black hair. “I hope not. Our parents were pretty pissed at him the other night. They laid down the law, so he’d better put in the effort if he knows what’s good for him.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll find out soon enough,” Patricia said with a cluck of her tongue. Seeing Ben’s curious look, she explained, “He’s meeting me and Grizz in the auditorium right after class.”

  “Patricia?” Madame Kelley interrupted them, standing at her desk with her eyebrows raised. “If you and Benjamin are done, could you write the answer to numèro trois up here, s’il vous plait?”

  Patricia blinked rapidly, glad that Madame Kelley hadn’t reprimanded them for chit-chatting in English. Glancing at Ben, who flashed her an easy grin, she stood. “Oui, Madame.”

  At the end of class, as Patricia sat scribbling the night’s homework into her planner, a shadow fell over her. She looked up in surprise to see Ben standing next to her desk again. “Have you started on your paper for English yet?” he asked casually, shouldering his backpack as she stood.

  Patricia pulled her hair up and away from her back, adjusting the straps of her bag. Then she let it fall freely down her shoulders once more and nodded. “Yeah, a little bit. All I’ve got is an outline, though.”

  “Yeah, same here,” Ben said. “It’s really hard to pick a theme, too. I don’t know if it’s senioritis or what, but I feel like my paper-writing… ness is… not good.” He scratched the b
ack of his neck awkwardly as Patricia laughed and added, “See? I can’t even brain anymore. Words… hard… brain… ow…”

  “Okay, that was pretty special,” Patricia said with a laugh. “I do the same thing, though! Recently I’ve been making a ton of stupid spelling mistakes. I’m just going to blame it on being tired, because my brainpower can’t have depleted that much, right?”

  Ben raised an eyebrow as he surveyed her for a minute. “Nah, you don’t look like you’ve gotten stupid,” he told her seriously. When she bit her lip and smacked him, he grinned and held his hands up. “Kidding! But seriously, we are in the home stretch, and that means that the workload is just way worse. And on top of it all, you’re directing your own play for the theater festival. That’s got to be taking a lot out of you.”

  Patricia shrugged. She knew that he was right—she’d done the school play every year since she was a freshman, so she knew how hectic it could be, even when you weren’t running the whole thing on your own—but she didn’t regret her decision one bit. “Yeah, it’ll probably keep me pretty busy, but I’m still excited. I can’t wait for the festival!”

  They slowed their steps when they reached the auditorium door. Patricia turned, expecting Ben to take his leave. She was surprised he’d even bothered to walk with her all that way. But she was even more surprised when he held the door open for her and followed her into the auditorium.

  “Hey!” Grizz said, her eyes widening as she took in Patricia’s companion. “Hi, Ben, what’s up?”

  Ben smiled and lifted his hand in a wave. “Hey, Grizz, how’s the playwriting going?”

  Grizz lifted her notebook and wiggled it enthusiastically. “Rockin’. I think I had a major breakthrough last night. I was kind of scared that it wouldn’t be done in time for auditions, but now I think it’ll be a piece of cake.”

  “Cool! What’s it about?” Ben asked.

  “So, you know the Winchester Mystery House, right?” At Ben’s nod, Grizz went on, “Well, I toured it for the first time over break, and the idea of restless spirits haunting her was, like, way too cool. When we got to the room she’d been trapped in during the 1906 earthquake, I had such a brainstorm.” Grizz made an excited gesture with her hands. “Wouldn’t it be cool if ghosts had caused the quake?” She lifted her eyebrows. “Huh, huh? What do you think?”