Marissa put a reassuring hand on my arm. “It's just for show, Soph. It's not a real kiss. It doesn't have to count if you don't want it to.”
“I guess,” She's right. It's not Sophie kissing Ayden, it's Wendy kissing Peter. And besides, there are much worse guys I could be kissing. Like Drew.
* * *
Our first performance was scheduled to start at 2:00. When I walked into the auditorium at 1:30, carrying my costume in a large shopping bag Mom gave me, I got a full view of the stage, with its curtains parted and Ms. Hough's amazing sets in place. There were several settings, which the kids who volunteered to be stage-hands would move in and out between acts: Wendy's bedroom, the cliffs of Neverland, and a spot near the sea, where a painted Captain Hook's ship was docked next to a painted pier. It was no Hollywood production, but to me, it was the most awesome thing I'd ever seen.
I walked up to the stage, where Mr. Danbury and Mrs. Lynn were setting up the piano and the sound system that would accompany the play's four singing numbers. Many of my fellow cast members were already there, decked out as Lost Boys – and a couple of Lost Girls – and pirates. Ayden was onstage, looking amazing as Peter. He was talking to Simon, who was adjusting Michael's top hat on his head, and Korey, decked out as Wendy's other little brother, John Darling.
“Sophie, glad to see you!” Mr. Danbury said, walking over to me.
“Wow,” I said, excitement already building inside me. “Everything looks great!”
“Yes, it does. This is my seventh production as James Madison's drama teacher, and I think this is going to be the best one yet.”
“I hope so.” I couldn't keep the quake from my voice.
Sensing my growing unease, he sat me down at a nearby lunch-table. “Sophie, may I tell you something?”
Our gaze met. “Of course.”
He smiled. “For someone with no previous acting experience, I must say, I'm simply amazed by your progress since we began this … adventure. Sometimes, in a production, it's not about the experience of the actors that matters as much as it's about heart. You and Mr. Saunders,” he gestured toward Ayden, still horsing around on the stage, “are the hearts driving this production. You've thrown yourselves into this play with such joy, such abandon, it's made me realize that I made the right choice in picking you both to play Peter and Wendy. I have nothing but the utmost confidence in you.”
I blushed, utterly touched by his words, and I felt my guts untightening. “I won't let you down, Mr. Danbury.” I stood up. “I'm going to go change now.”
“Alrighty then,” He stood up as well, turning his attention to a flurry of movement occurring in front of the stage. “Miss Quinn, I know you love your hook, but don't impale anyone, please!”
Still smiling, I climbed the steps to the stage and went into the girls' changing room. Rebecca was there, adjusting her Tinkerbell outfit, as was Marissa, who looked awesome in her Tiger Lily costume.
“Hey, Soph,” said Marissa.
“Hey, Riss. Hey, Becca.”
“Hey,” Rebecca said, looking in the mirror, making sure her fairy-wings were on straight. “Does this outfit make me look fat?”
Riss and I locked eyes, and we chuckled to ourselves. Pulling out the blue night-dress, I started to change out of my school clothes.
* * *
My heart beat frantically in my chest as I looked at the huge curtains that separated me from the audience. On the other side, the fifth- and sixth-graders were filing noisily into the auditorium. In a matter of minutes, those curtains would part, and my career as an actress would officially begin.
The more I thought about it, the more nervous I got, and I became aware that I was humming loud enough for the rest of the cast to hear. Marissa, sensing my growing panic, rushed over to me. “Hey, Soph, you okay?”
I latched onto her arms, hoping I could transfer some of my nervous energy to her before my brain exploded. “Riss, I don't know about this,” I stuttered, panic creeping over my face.
Her mouth flattened into a straight line, and she looked me dead in the eye. “Hey,” she said softly but firmly. “This is what we practiced for. You're gonna do this. And you're gonna knock their socks off. You wanna know why? Because that's what my best friend Sophie Devereaux does.”
I stared at her for a few moments, and like that, I felt my heartbeat slow again. I took a few deep breaths. “Thanks, Riss.”
I looked her over from head to toe. Her transformation into Tiger Lily was incredible, but … something was missing. I gave her an ironic smirk. “Don't see any polka dots …”
Looking around to make sure nobody was watching, she knelt down and lifted up one of her pant legs a few inches, revealing her neon-green knee-highs with the black dots on them before hiding them again. I had to put my hand over my mouth to stop from laughing.
“Hey, they're my lucky pair,” she whispered conspiratorially. “I never go on without them.”
Mr. Danbury strode onto the stage. “Gather round, people,” he said, and we all crowded onto the stage in front of him. I found myself right next to Ayden, who looked so awesome as Peter that part of me wanted him to never dress any other way. Standing right next to me were Marissa, Siobhan, Michelle, Simon, and all my other fellow cast members.
“Guys … and girls,” Mr. Danbury said, scanning our faces, “When we started this production six short weeks ago, I asked that you all put your egos aside and work together as a team. And look at you all now. You're actors. And I could not be more proud of you.” He smiled, then looked at the rest of the assembled kids. “And to the rest of you, who helped with the sets and did all the little things to pull this show together, this victory is as much yours as theirs. Give yourselves a huge round of applause.” And then he started clapping.
Before long, we were all clapping and cheering. In the back, I saw Kayla and Autumn hollering with excitement, and as our eyes met, Kayla gave me a gleeful thumbs-up.
After a few moments, though, Mr. Danbury held up his hands, silencing us again. “All right, folks, let's give your fellow students your absolute best.” He clapped his hands. “So, places, everyone! Curtains up in five minutes!”
Everyone hurriedly scrambled off the stage, except for me. The set for Act One was Wendy's bedroom, and the only prop was the bed I'd be “sleeping” on when Peter made his first appearance. I was about to take my place when I realized Ayden was still standing there, looking at me.
“Ayden, come on! You gotta get off the stage! Your opening monologue is coming up!”
“I – I need to tell you something.”
I glanced left and right, noticing several of my fellow cast members staring at us from offstage. “What is it?” Our eyes met, and he smiled. There was more emotion in his eyes than I'd ever seen before.
“I would never have been able to do this,” he looked around the stage, “if it wasn't for you. I'd probably still be hiding in the shadows if you hadn't asked me to try out.”
I smiled. “You had a lot to do with it, too, Ayden. You didn't have to help me all those times, but you did it anyway. That wasn't me, it was you.”
“I guess … you just bring out the best in me.”
“Okay, that I'll take credit for.”
He looked around again, listening. The crowd outside was still murmuring, and Mr. Danbury hadn't started speaking yet, so we still had a little time left. “I hope … I hope we can always be friends, Sophie. No matter what happens between me and Riss, I hope … you know.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“I hope so too.” And what do you know. I really mean it. “Now would you please get your butt off the stage?”
“As you wish, my lady.” He gave an exaggerated bow, and then scurried off to take his spot.
By now, the audience had taken their seats and the auditorium's lights had been dimmed. Mr. Danbury walked on stage, introduced himself and gave thanks to everyone who volunteered their help and support during production. And then, with his usual dramatic flair, he s
aid, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you … Peter Pan.”
A hushed silence fell over the crowd, and, on the other side of the curtain, I heard Ayden bound out to center stage. I couldn't see him, but I could just imagine the smile on his face as he addressed the crowd. “Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to a wonderful story all about … MYSELF!”
I smiled. Any second now.
Breathe, Sophie. Just breathe. Remember your lines. Have fun.
And most of all, be AWESOME.
* * *
Riding the bus home was usually very uneventful. I barely knew anyone who rode the same bus as me; however, that all seemed to have changed. About a dozen kids who saw me perform today, fifth-graders mostly, took every available seat around me, bombarding me with compliments and questions.
“Oh my God, you were awesome!”
“Was that girl's hook real?”
“That boy who played Peter is so cute!”
“Are you, like, gonna be a movie star someday?”
“You really kissed him? That's so gross!”
“That was Peter Pan? I thought it was Robin Hood!”
One little redheaded girl in a pink Old Navy sweatshirt – sporting the words “Girl Power” below a picture of a trio of Disney heroines – even took a selfie with me. And then she asked for my autograph. My first ever.
Squee!
Chapter 27
~ Day 80 (Wed.) ~
AYDEN
Today's performance for the upperclassmen didn't start until 2:30, so I spent every minute possible going over the script again. I'd done really well yesterday, but there'd been a couple of times where I'd momentarily forgotten my lines, and I was determined to not let that happen today.
At 2:15, kids and teachers started to take their seats in the audience. After putting on my costume in the boys' changing room, I walked out onto the stage, where some of my fellow actors were already assembled behind the closed curtains. I noticed Sophie peeking out through a tiny gap between the curtains, and my brow furrowed when I saw that she looked even more nervous than she did yesterday.
“You okay, Sophie?” I asked, strolling up to her.
“I don't know.” I could see stress written all over her face. “I'm just a little scared, that's all.”
“Why? You were great yesterday! Why is it different today?”
“Because yesterday it was fifth-graders. We didn't know any of them.” She pointed at the curtains. “But these are eighth-graders, Ayden. Our classmates. The ones who have treated me and Riss and Shell like losers for the last two years. The ones who have listened to every disgusting lie told by Alexis and Rhianna and the rest of them. And oh, yeah, the Coven will be out there, too.”
Looking her straight in the eyes, I said firmly, “So what, Sophie? There'll be, like, hundreds of people out there, and you're worried about two of them?”
She closed her eyes, staring at the ground in front of her. I waited for a response, but it didn't come.
“Sophie, you stood up to them, remember? Right out there,” I said, pointing. “In front of everyone. You said you weren't going to let them push you around anymore. You said you weren't afraid of them anymore. Well, are you or aren't you?”
Our gaze met again, and she nodded. “I'm not.”
“You used to be afraid to sing in front of people, and now you've done it. Right?”
A steely glare flashed through her eyes. “Right.”
Taking a step closer, I bridged the distance between us until we were practically chest-to-chest. “This is an opportunity, Sophie. For you, and me, and Riss, and Shell, and Simon, and all the other misfits to show everyone what we can do. We nail this performance, and those people out there,” I indicated the waiting audience, “will never disrespect us again.”
She looked away for a moment. “How can you be so sure?”
I took a step back, putting my hands on my hips and puffing my chest out. “'Cause I'm Peter Pan, that's why.”
A huge smile crept onto Sophie's face before she threw her arms around me in a huge hug. If I'd been a teddy bear, all my stuffing would've come out. “Thanks, Ayden.”
“Hey, hey, that's my boyfriend, you know,” said a voice behind me.
I turned to see Marissa watching us with obvious annoyance. Suddenly self-conscious, I disengaged the hug and scooted over to her. “Don't worry, novia, just giving our friend here a pre-show pep talk.”
She looked back and forth between us. “You sure that's all it was?”
“Yeah, Riss, that's it,” said Sophie.
She glared at us for another few seconds, and then broke out into a smile. “Ah, come on, you guys, I'm only messin' with ya.” She turned to me. “I just wish there was a scene where Peter gets to kiss Tiger Lily.”
I chuckled. “Well, if it makes you feel better, when I kiss Sophie, I'll pretend it's you.”
“You'd better, mister.” She encircled her arms around me.
We leaned forward and shared an awesome kiss … that is, until Mr. Danbury strode onto the stage, clapping his hands. “Hey, you two, knock it off!”
Marissa and I immediately took a step back. “Sorry, Mr. Danbury,” she said.
After the rest of the cast assembled onstage, Mr. Danbury addressed us. “Okay, guys, you all did great yesterday, but I know you can do better. Hit those lines, hit those cues, and most of all, feel what you're doing. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Mr. Danbury!” we all chorused.
He smiled in approval. “Okay people, we are live in five minutes. Stage hands, get Wendy's bed into position. The rest of you, take your places!” And then he stepped through the gap in the curtains and down the stairs leading off the stage to make the final preparations with Mrs. Lynn, whose piano was right in front of the stage, just like yesterday.
As several kids lugged Wendy's bed-frame onto the stage, Michelle and Simon walked over to join us. A sudden inspiration hit me, and I held out my hand, palm-down, in front of me. “Okay, guys, hands in.”
Sophie flashed her most beautiful smile and stuck her hand on top of mine, followed by Marissa, Michelle and Simon. Indicating the murmur of the crowd on the other side of the curtains, I said, “Hear that? Those people out there are here to see us perform. The Drews and the Alexises of the world may rule out there, but not here. This is our world. Today we own them, we own the stage, we own this whole damn school. Today we show them all what we're made of, right?” I looked over their faces as they stared at me, not speaking. Increasing my volume, I repeated, “Right?!”
“Right!” they all said in unison. One full round of fist-bumps later, we walked off-stage and took our places.
* * *
Hearing the underclassmen cheer for us yesterday was one of the greatest moments of my life. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from an audience of kids our age who had a lot more reasons not to show respect to a bunch of theater geeks. After all, it wasn't as if attending our play was optional. I remember being in the audience for a lot of school plays in the past, and there were always kids – and sometimes I was one of them – that saw a school play as nothing but a chance to get out of class and mess around once the lights went off.
There was a moment, after I made my final exit and the curtains started to close, when all I could hear from the audience was a deathly silence. I'd done my best for the last hour to concentrate on my cues and my lines and not engage the audience at all except for my opening monologue. If it wasn't for the sunlight shining in through the windows on the north side of the building, I might have believed the auditorium was completely empty.
But then that moment ended, and just about every seventh- and eighth-grader in the room jumped to their feet, clapping and cheering. The lights came on, and the curtains opened again as the entire cast filed onto the stage, preparing to take a bow. I stood in the middle of a line of my fellow actors, gaping at the sea of smiling faces as they gave us a standing ovation.
Kids. Love. Peter. Pan
. Oh, yeah.
I shot a glance at Sophie and Marissa, both standing to my left, and I could tell they were as shocked as I was by this reception. Stepping forward to the edge of the stage, we all joined hands and bowed in unison, eliciting another loud cheer from the crowd of our peers.
I felt Sophie squeeze my hand so hard I thought she might crush it. I could hear her breath coming in shallow gasps as we drank it all in.
Not bad for a bunch of misfits.
* * *
About ten minutes later, after we'd changed back into our school clothes, we all congregated in front of the stage, where Mr. Danbury and Mrs. Lynn heaped a mountain of praise upon us. Siobhan ran up and gave us all congratulatory hugs before sprinting out one of the building's exits, no doubt on her way to do something even more exciting. Seriously, does that girl even have an “off” switch?
I decided this morning to once again take the bus instead of riding my bike to school. We still had twenty minutes or so before the school buses left, so we stayed a few extra minutes to have our hands shaken and our backs slapped by some of our fellow eighth-graders, who were looking at us a lot differently now. Even Simon and Michelle were getting kudos for their performance. I was so happy for them. They'd truly earned it.
After several more rounds of congratulations, the five of us walked out through the double doors on the east side of the building, onto the main sidewalk. We closed our eyes briefly as fresh air hit us in the face.
And then something else hit us in the face.
It came without warning, a cascade of foul-smelling water. I barely had enough time to close my eyes before it hit me, soaking my hair, face, and shirt.
After using my hands to wipe away the foulness, I lifted my eyelids to see Rhianna, smiling evilly as she dropped two extra-large convenience-store cups onto the ground. And she wasn't alone: Alexis was there, of course, as was Lacey and the rest of the Coven. Even Drew was there. All of them were laughing their butts off.
I looked at my friends, who were also trying to compose themselves. Marissa and Michelle only caught a few drops, but Sophie and I had been hit full-on. Sophie looked as angry as I'd ever seen her. I wondered if she was going to start a fight with Rhianna, but instead, she just glared at her.
Sophie's Different (James Madison Series Book 3) Page 22
