Sometimes Love Isn't Enough

by Lurlene McDaniel

  Andrea had just finished working with Ms. Vesper on some of her songs for the show when she came out of the choral room and found Terri waiting for her. Her best friend had a smile so big, it looked like her cheeks might burst.

  “Guess what!” Terri cried when she saw Andrea.

  “You’re catching the city bus with me?” Andrea asked, surprised to see Terri still hanging around so long after school.

  “I had to tell you the news,” Terri said, ignoring Andrea’s question. “Guess what?” she tried again.

  “I give up. What?” asked Andrea, laughing.

  “Tony Columbo’s going to get suspended from school!” said Terri joyously.

  “What?” Andrea asked in disbelief. “You’re kidding.” She remembered that he had not been in chorus that day. He skipped his other classes all the time, but he always made it to Ms. Vesper’s class.

  “It’s true,” Terri continued. “Tony and Josh Rosen got into a fight in the cafeteria today. It was so bad that it took two teachers to pull them off each other. Mr. Grimes said he was going to suspend them both!”

  Somehow Andrea wasn’t as delighted by the news as she thought she would be. It was true that Tony hassled her all the time. But he had a different side, too. She’d seen it at Christmas time. And she’d never forgotten what Ms. Vesper had told her about him. “Wow,” Andrea said. “That’s too bad.”

  “You are kidding, aren’t you?” Terri asked in disbelief. “I thought you’d be thrilled—especially after the way he treated you when we got back from winter break. He’s such a pain,” Terri said, rolling her eyes.

  “I know,” Andrea agreed. “But, suspended . . . ”

  They rode the bus home, and Andrea stopped off at Terri’s before going on to her house.

  “Andrea!” Mrs. Chambers cried. “How nice you look.”

  “Thanks,” Andrea said and smiled. She had always liked Terri’s mom. She couldn’t help remembering all the times she’d wished her own mother was more like her. “So, Terri tells me you’re a star,” Mrs. Chambers said, beaming.

  Andrea blushed. “Not really.” she said. “I just got a part in the school musical.”

  “Well, you can bet the Chambers family will be there on opening night! You always sing so well. I just know you’ll be wonderful.”

  Later, as Andrea arrived home, she saw her mom’s car in the driveway. Inside, Timmy sat watching TV. Her mom was in the kitchen fixing dinner. Andrea almost didn’t recognize her.

  “Your hair!” she gasped.

  “Do you like it?” her mom asked, almost shyly.

  Andrea stared. Her mom’s once mousy-colored hair was now a rich shade of auburn. It was shortened in a style just like one of the actresses in her magazines. “It looks great!” Andrea exclaimed. She really meant it, too. It made her mom look years younger.

  “Timmy almost wouldn’t come to me when I picked him up at school today,” her mom said with a chuckle. “I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while now, so I took half a day off and had it done. I used the gift certificate I got at Christmas to buy myself some new clothes, too. I’ll show them to you after supper.”

  Andrea noticed that her mother’s makeup looked fresh—brighter and more modern.

  “Complete makeover,” she confessed. “What do you think of the new me?”

  “I like it—lots,” Andrea said honestly. Her mom had never looked better. Andrea wished her dad could see her mom now. She certainly looked prettier than that woman, Jill. In fact, she looked pretty enough that he might fall in love with her all over again.

  The main cast clustered around the piano in the choral room, waiting for Ms. Vesper to arrive. She’d told them all that she had an important announcement about the show.

  “Hope it’s good news,” Paula said.

  “Yeah, like when we’re going to start rehearsals on the stage in the gym,” Mike Hudson said. He was playing the part of Kenickie, Danny’s best friend.

  The speculation ended when Ms. Vesper breezed into the room. “Sorry I’m late,” she apologized. “Thanks for waiting. But I think I have some very good news for all of you.” She paused. “I’ve finally found someone to play the part of Danny.”

  Everyone began to ask, “Who?”

  “Come on in, Danny,” she called to the closed door.

  Everyone waited.

  “I said, ‘Come on . . .’”

  The door swung open with a thud, and in walked Tony Columbo.

  ELEVEN

  Tony scowled at everyone as he sauntered into the room and plopped down in a chair. He stretched out, draping his arms over the backs of the chairs on either side of him. He glared defiantly at the surprised faces staring at him.

  Andrea felt her own heart doing dull thuds against her chest. It couldn’t be true! Ms. Vesper couldn’t mean it! How could she have picked Tony Columbo to play the part? It was obvious by his attitude that he didn’t want to do the role.

  “You may as well know,” Ms. Vesper said, “that Tony was my choice for the part of Danny from the very beginning.”

  The rest of the cast exchanged glances. Tony leaned further back in his chair and continued to look hostile. Ms. Vesper continued, “But when I asked him about assuming the role, Tony told me that he was ‘too busy.’”

  “I still am,” Tony said curtly.

  Ms. Vesper shot him a warning glance. “Yes,” she said. “It seems that he was busy getting into fights.” She turned her attention back toward the small cluster of cast members.

  “I have asked Mr. Grimes to allow Tony to be in the show. I told him that I would be responsible for his behavior.”

  “Yo, Tony. Some kids get detention—and some get sentenced to musicals, eh?” someone called out.

  Tony shifted in his chair and sighed. Paula gave Andrea an inquiring look. Andrea shrugged. Her palms felt clammy, and her mouth was dry. She would be the one most affected by Ms. Vesper’s decision.

  “Now,” Ms. Vesper began, “Tony has some catching up to do. Most of you know your lines and your songs. Next week, I want to start blocking on the gym stage. Tony will be working with me on his music and lines every morning before school starts.” He groaned his displeasure, and she ignored him. “Then we’ll all work together after school to start putting this show together. We have just over two months’ time to do this. Any questions?”

  About a million, Andrea thought. Working with Tony Columbo wasn’t going to be easy—not only because of his attitude now, but also because of their history. But there was nothing she could do about it. The decision had been made. Andrea sighed, picked up her books, and headed for the door. It was going to be a long time until opening night!

  Blocking for the show was a slow and tedious process. It took hours for Ms. Vesper to set up each scene and mark the floor with chalk so the actors would remember where to stand when delivering their lines.

  They worked on the small scenes first. “We’ll bring in the ensemble toward the end of rehearsals,” Ms. Vesper told them. The ensemble was going to fill in as the other students of the fictional Rydell High School. They would sing and dance around the central cast.

  While Tony was hardly pleasant to them, he at least was cooperative. Andrea began to wonder if he was secretly enjoying himself. He still went out of his way to be disruptive and provoke Andrea. Whenever they stood next to each other he always seemed to “accidentally” step on her foot. Or he would shove up against her and cause her to lose her balance.

  Yet, the first time they performed a song together, the effect was magic. Tony’s voice complimented Andrea’s beautifully. They blended in perfect harmony when they sang. Ms. Vesper was very pleased. So were the rest of the cast members.

  After a particularly energetic rendition of “Summer Love,” everybody clapped. Andrea blushed. Tony bowed arrogantly from his waist.

  One afternoon, just as rehearsal was ending, Andrea heard someone call her name from one of the gym bleachers. She was surprised, mostly because Ms. V
esper always insisted on closed rehearsals. No one was allowed to watch the actors work. The cast felt less self-conscious rehearsing without an audience, plus it heightened interest in the show for the rest of the school.

  “Andi!” the man’s voice called again. She looked down from the stage to see her father approaching. She caught her breath. What is he doing here? she wondered.

  He smiled up at her and said, “You look terrific up there! And you sound even better!”

  She smiled weakly. She was glad to see him, but she was still upset about discovering his girlfriend. “Hi, Dad.” she mumbled.

  “Give you a lift home?” he asked.

  “I usually take the bus,” she said, coming down off the stage, gathering her books, and walking toward the double gym doors.

  “My car’s right outside,” he persisted.

  From the corner of her eye, Andrea could see Tony watching her. She hadn’t told anyone at school about her parents’ divorce—not even Terri. And she didn’t want anyone to know now, especially Tony.

  “Well, all right,” she said quickly, as her dad fell into step next to her. “Let’s go. Mom will have supper waiting.” She hoped they sounded like a normal father and daughter heading home for dinner.

  When they were outside, her dad said, “I’ve missed you, Andi.”

  She felt her resentment over their last meeting rise again.

  “I tried to call you the night you left my apartment,” he said. “But your mom thought it best to give you some time to adjust and come to grips with the situation.”

  Andrea felt both touched and angry over her mother’s protectiveness. “It’s okay,” she told him. “I understand. You’re divorced now. You can date if you want.”

  “Honey,” he said, opening the car door for her. “You’re very important to me. I care what you think and how you feel.”

  She couldn’t think of anything to say, so she slid across the cold seat and waited for him to get in and start the car. They rode a while in silence.

  “Have you seen Mom lately?” Andrea asked.

  “Uh, no,” he said. “But I talk to her on the phone every week about you and Timmy.”

  “She’s changed,” Andrea said. “She’s fixed herself up. She looks real pretty now.”

  “When I first met her, she was very pretty,” he mused. “I’m glad she’s fixing herself up again.”

  Andrea’s interest perked up. An idea began to take shape in her mind. “Do you have time to come in?” she asked as his car pulled into the driveway.

  “No, not tonight,” he said. “I just wanted to see you today. I wanted to explain about Jill and me. I didn’t want you to be mad and upset.”

  She tried to be angry with him, but she couldn’t. All she felt was confusion. She loved both of her parents, and she wanted them to love each other again more than anything. Andrea sighed and leaned over to kiss her father. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ve missed you. I’m not mad any more.”

  “Good!” he smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’ll make plans to pick you up soon. We’ll go to a movie, just you and me.”

  “I’d like that,” she said.

  “You’re going to be great in that show! Don’t forget to tell me when it opens. I don’t want to miss my little star’s big night!” Andrea’s dad called as she closed the car door behind her.

  “I won’t,” Andrea promised. Then she hurried up the steps of the porch. She remembered the article she read months ago about the celebrity couple that had reunited, and the hope she had felt then rekindled. She had a plan. . . .

  TWELVE

  Andrea was tired. Her voice was tired. Her eyes were tired. Her whole body was tired. In fact, everybody on the set was tired—and irritable.

  Ms. Vesper had a terrible cold. She kept trying to give directions between coughs and sneezes. The rehearsal wasn’t going very well. With the performance less than six weeks away, it seemed they would never be ready.

  The props still weren’t finished. Terri had helped paint those that had been built the previous Saturday. But the shop class volunteers were still working on the rest of them. Andrea began to wonder if Grease was ever going to have an opening night.

  “All right,” Ms. Vesper said through a tissue. “Let’s try the drive-in scene.” Andrea had been dreading this scene. This was the part where Danny was supposed to try to kiss Sandy. As Tony and she took their places on the side-by-side metal chairs on the stage, she could feel her heart pounding. Her palms felt clammy.

  It wasn’t that she was afraid of Tony. In fact, it was more that she was becoming attracted to him. Working with him every day, like she had been, was proving to her that he was a much different person from the tough guy image he tried to project.

  Tony still tried to annoy her a lot. But when he let his guard down, he was different. He was a sensitive guy. Being near him sometimes made Andrea’s heart jump or caused her stomach to flip-flop.

  “Now remember,” Ms. Vesper said after she finished coughing. “This is your first real date, Sandy and Danny. You’re as different as two people can be. But you’re also strongly attracted to each other.”

  Andrea sat stiffly in her chair with her palms flat on the top of her legs. She stared straight ahead and pretended she was in the front seat of Danny’s car facing a drive-in movie screen. Danny sat still, also. Then ever so slowly, he inched his arm up, cracked his knuckles, and stretched.

  “Good. Good,” Ms. Vesper encouraged. “Not too fast to put the moves on her. Nice and slow, Danny.”

  Slowly, Danny inched his arm around the shoulders of his date. Sandy watched him nervously from the corner of her eye, then clasped her hands in her lap.

  “Excellent!” Ms. Vesper whispered.

  Next Danny’s hand began to stroke the back of Sandy’s hair and rub the base of her neck. Andrea felt a tingling sensation shoot up her spine. She began to blush and to lose the character of Sandy.

  “Don’t fidget, Sandy,” Ms. Vesper said crossly. Andrea tried to regain her concentration on her character. Sandy nervously tossed her hair and shot Danny a warning glance. She hoped he got the message from Andrea, too.

  Danny let a half-smile trail over his mouth. Then he reached his other arm across in front of Sandy and locked his hands. “What are you doing?” she asked both as Sandy and Andrea.

  “Checkin’ the time,” he said. “Movie should start soon.” Then without warning, he leaned over, brought her chin up sharply, and kissed her.

  Andrea shoved him hard in his chest, trying to break his hold on her.

  “Tony!” Andrea could hear Ms. Vesper shout. “Stop that! I told you to just try to kiss her! You know that!”

  The rest of the cast laughed and clapped. “Nice going,” Mike Hudson yelled. “Me next?”

  Andrea squirmed within Tony’s strong embrace. Finally, he released her. She leaped to her feet. Her face was flushed. As she stood up, her chair hit the floor with a loud bang. “How dare you!” she yelled at him.

  Tony grinned up at her and shrugged, “Just trying to set the mood, Sandy,” he said.

  “Ms. Vesper!” Andrea shouted.

  But the teacher was already shouting at Tony. “That was totally uncalled for!”

  “So what are you going to do?” he asked with a smirk. “Throw me out?”

  “No way, Tony!” Ms. Vesper said coldly. “Are you all right, Andrea?” she asked.

  Andrea was embarrassed, but she was all right. She glared at Tony and wished she had the courage to slap him.

  Ms. Vesper sighed and told the cast, “Let’s call it quits for today.” Andrea felt relieved. She didn’t think she could have tried the scene again. “I feel lousy, anyway,” Ms. Vesper said. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead. But we’ll start fresh again tomorrow. Besides, it’ll do everyone good to get out of here early today.”

  Everybody began to talk and gather his or her things. Ms. Vesper walked up to Tony and pointed her finger at his face. Andrea noticed that, like herself, Ms. V
esper only came up to Tony’s chest when she stood in front of him.

  “I don’t want anymore improvisations like that again, young man,” she announced. “You play your part correctly. Do you understand?”

  Tony shrugged and slipped on his leather jacket. “Got it,” he said, grinning. Then he turned and walked out of the gym.

  “You okay?” Ms. Vesper asked Andrea one more time.

  “I’m all right,” she said. “Maybe if I hurry, I can catch the early bus and beat my mom home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Ms. Vesper nodded. Andrea left the fantasy world of Grease and went outside into the blustery late March afternoon.

  She arrived at the bus stop just in time to see her bus disappearing down the street. “Just what I need!” Andrea cried. Now it would be twenty minutes before another bus would come along. She leaned against the bus stop signpost and mulled over her churning thoughts.

  She could still feel Tony’s lips on hers. It had made her mad. But it had also been exciting. It was the first time a boy had kissed her—really kissed her. It wasn’t just a stolen peck on the cheek like David Bates had done in the sixth grade. Besides, that kiss had been on a dare anyway.

  What a way to get a first kiss, she thought. She couldn’t wait to tell Terri. It would probably be all over school tomorrow anyway. Leave it to Tony Columbo to always be in the conversation.

  “You mad?”

  Andrea had been so deep in thought, she hadn’t heard Tony walk up next to her.

  “Huh?” she cried and whirled around.

  “I always seem to be scaring you,” he teased. “I just want to know if you’re mad about the rehearsal.”

  “That was pretty sneaky!” she snapped, trying to sound angrier than she felt.

  “Yeah,” he said. “But it was fun, wasn’t it?” His dark eyes danced mischievously. “No hard feelings?” he asked and held out his hand.

  “Oh, stop it,” she said, giving him a half-smile.