Disclaimer: I do not own South of Nowhere or the characters…but you're killing my dreams, man!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER EDIT: January 11, 2014
The day lagged on painfully slow until finally the moment of truth was only five minutes away. I had bitten off my fingertips in anticipation. Chelsea and Xander at least had the decency to stick around and witness the impending disaster that is going to be me, trying to act and possibly run lines with people I've never met before. I can't act. At least, I don't think I can. My only fear is that I'll forget my lines and most likely blow chunks on the miserable audience below. Securing my role as the most moronic and talent less lesbian at King High. Unfortunately, I think Xander is only here for comedic reasons than anything while Chelsea is partly here for moral support, but I have a feeling she also finds my current situation amusing, and sadly, who could blame her. She had always been more compassionate when it came to my humiliation and I'll take it however I'll get it.
The three of us sat in the back of the theatre. My nerves were shot to hell and I had done just about everything to soothe them. None of it amounted to much once shewalked on stage. She was truly hypnotizing, to me anyways, and my eyes were drawn to her with the simplest of ease. Ashley Davies was beautiful. Period. No room for explanations why or a thorough psychological profile to understand why. If you had eyes that's all you really needed. Even from all the way in the back row of the nose bleed seats in the auditorium it was obvious.
I watched intently as my crush glided on stage in a small red and white striped polo shirt. I say small because it seemed to only cover what was necessary. It was small enough that I would say; maybe two or three inches of toned tummy flesh were exposed. I was practically salivating. It didn't help either, that she was wearing her light blue skinny jeans. The ones that sat perfectly, almost sinfully, low on her hipbones.
I think I need a bib.
"You're drooling, dude." Xander pointed out. Without hesitation, I elbowed my male bff in the ribs, effectively producing a very loud, unmanly, shriek of pain from him. I never knew his voice could get that high. I smirked evilly and glanced at Chelsea, who just shrunk in her seat a little. I chuckled regardless.
Facing forward to the stage, I was met with Ashley's curious gaze. She was looking right at us and I couldn't feel my heart anymore, it had leapt so far away from my chest. In fact, everyone was now staring in our direction.
"Nice going, Squeaker toy. Now we have an audience." I hissed at Xander. He was clutching his side and wincing a lot. I hope I left a bruise.
"It's not my fault you can't keep your fluids in check." He gasped. Everyone began whispering all at once until the whole auditorium was filled with loud murmurings. Various people were pointing in our direction, but in my paranoid mind, they were only pointing at me. There were a couple looks that seemed friendlier than others but most seemed either annoyed or bored and hopeful for some unscheduled entertainment. As if they were expecting us to spontaneously combust and magically reappear somewhere else. I just found it weird that some thought we would be interesting to look at. Not likely. We were the trio of outcasts. Most teenagers who were blindly concerned with popularity or attending the latest party didn't associate themselves with us. Xander was more social than Chelsea and I both and he did get invited to more hormonal gatherings than us, however, he never treated either of us like he was better. Thank God. I would have kicked his ass if he dared.
The loud and scratchy sound of someone clearing their throat snaps everyone to attention, including me. A tall woman rose from her seat in the audience, a black microphone held close to her lips. Silence. I couldn't make out her face very well from where I was sitting but she looked young, maybe a few years older than us with short razor-cut brown hair. She had curves too, the good kind. The kind that just kept you staring and made you smile in a dirty way. Being the horny teenager that I am, I examined her butt. More specifically, her black skinny jeans. The way they hugged and balanced out her outfit, which consisted of a white band tee and a black leather jacket. She was definitely hot from the back. Now if she would only turn a little so I could see her face…
"Groovy. Now that everyone's shut up and is facing forward, looking at me," She points to herself and grins. "We can start auditions. Kyla? Will you start us off, pretty please?" The woman offers sweetly, extending the microphone to an occupied seat in the front row. I smile at the sight of a smiling Kyla Woods. It was good to see a friendly face. Ky was in an art class with Chelsea and me. We all got along like three peas in a pod and we've actually hung out a few times. Just knowing she would be here through this nerve wracking endeavor made me breathe a little easier. Kyla accepted the mic eagerly and giggled into it before composing herself and speaking.
"Hey guys. I'm Kyla Woods and I'm going to be the director for the upcoming play. Along with our co-director slash consultant, the lovely and talented Andi Wyler," Kyla gestures to the hot lady, who smiles and feigns a curtsey before sitting down. She's in high school? "Sadly, Mrs. Parmello will not be with us for a while due to personal reasons and had to leave suddenly. Lucky for us though, Ms Wyler has agreed to fill in as a supervisor and I think she's also substituting while Mrs. P is gone, right?" Ms Wyler nods.
"Only until she gets back." She replies.
"Great. I'm so happy to have so many people turn up for auditions. We're going to be doing things a lot differently this year as far as the play selection goes. Mrs. P didn't decide on a play prior to leaving so we were told to thoughtfully pick one out. With the help of Andi—I mean, Ms Wyler, we decided on doing something pertaining to Shakespeare since there were rumors that we were going to be doing Romeo & Juliet for this play." Kyla pauses and rummages through some papers in a folder. When she found what she was looking for she cleared her throat and continued.
"We decided on…" I zoned out after that. My friends suck. I feel like I'm wasting away here. I could be home right now drawing in my sketch book, reading, or doing something productive instead of sitting in the back of the high school auditorium, listening to Kyla babble on about something I'm totally not interested in. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends, but right now I have half a mind to punch both of them in the eye.
"…so I'll be calling you all by alphabetical order and if I say your name wrong…my bad." All of a sudden the house lights go out and the spot light casts a dramatic glow on the stage. My heart began to race. This was it. My doom was only moments, maybe minutes away. Seriously this time.
"Kendra Ashby?" a mousy blonde girl walks on stage, her hair fashioned in piggy-tails like a regular Pippy Longstockings. She said she was going to reenact a scene from Saw. Oookay? She looked too innocent to have even set foot in the theatre to see such a movie, I almost laughed. 'Awww', I thought…that feeling was destroyed as soon as she opened her mouth. Kendra sits on the floor and pretends to…saw off her foot.
"No! Oh, my God! What are you doing? Lawrence, what are you doing? What are you... Oh, my God! Lawrence, don't! No! Lawrence, please! I'm begging you! Lawrence, it's not me who did this to you. - You have to die. - No, I want to live! - I'm sorry... - I want to live! - My family..."
Kendra then pretends to shoot someone who isn't there.
"I've done it, now show them to me!" She bellows, her breathing ragged and her eyes wild.
Everyone is silent. Everyone… It wasn't too bad, in my opinion. Confusing.. disturbing.. but good. After a good few moments of just silence I watch as Kendra's cheeks redden and she gets up slowly, clearly embarrassed.
Then I start clapping randomly, louder and louder like a nut. This girl wasn't getting any praise and at least she had balls to go up there. Unlike me. I'm positively terrified. A couple people stare but I remain stubborn and crazy and keep on clapping. Eventually, others join in until most of the room is filled with applause. I hear Chelsea and Xander giggling next to me. Kendra is now a deep shade of red, pride in her eyes. She bows and walks off stage. Kyla calls a few more people until I finally hear doom calling my name.
"Spencer Carlin?" Oh fuck. Xander shoves my back to get up but I remain right where I'm sitting. Uh oh.
"Get up there ya pussy." Xander shoves again. Mommy.
"Someone check my pulse. I think I'm having a heart attack." I panic. Chelsea reaches over and squeezes my hand.
"Spence, it's going to be alright. You'll do amazing, girl. Just do something that's familiar. Like a favorite movie or something. Go!" Chelsea pulls me up off my ass and gently pushes me down the aisle until I finally flail her off and nervously climb the stairs and walk on stage for the first time.
"Hey Spencer." Kyla says cheerfully when she sees me.
"Hey." I reply with little to no enthusiasm, waving awkwardly in her direction.
"What are going to be doing for us today?" Kyla asks professionally. I smile at her and breathe in deeply. What's familiar? Movies? I'm trying to think of something to give these guys. The only reason I'm up here is because my friends would have found a hundred and ten ways to drag me here kicking and/or screaming. Whether or not I was thrilled with the idea, the outcome would have been the same. And I So I might as well try and 'wow' them. If that's possible. I could do Imagine Me & You, but I think I would need some help. I definitely can't top Kendra with her self-(two-man) show. But honestly, I'd be a big fat liar if I said I wasn't excited at the thought of seeing Ashley today. Was she even here? I hadn't really seen where had gone. Did she leave? Was she watching me now?
"Would you like someone to run lines with you, Spence?" I pause for a moment as I snap back into reality. I think over what she had asked and then nod. Yep, yep I would. "Alright, no problem. Ash, will you help Spencer out?" …wait I take it back!
"Sure." Ashley says smoothly from behind me. Where'd you come from beautiful stranger?
"What'd you have in mind?" Ashley asks, and I realize a few silent moments later that shes talking to me. Me. Who is Spencer. What did I have in mind? Well right now I'm imagining me and you in my bedroom?
No Spencer. FOCUS!
"Uh…um have y-you ever seen Imagine Me & You?" It was a long shot and she probably hasn't. I doubt it. What else could we do if she hadn't? Which was a big probably.
"Yeah. It's one of my favorites. I can help you with that one." She smiles and my heart melts. It's her favorite? I think my gay heart has stopped beating all together. I tell her which scene I want to do and she nods and says it's no problem. She apparently knows every line. Oh be still my heart.
We stand side by side, how bodies angling slightly near the other as we pretend to have had an interesting conversation before hadn't that we were only in the middle of. I take a deep breath and just go for it. If I completely sucked at least I can say I made her smile at least once, right?
Here goes nothing…
Ashley starts, her smile gorgeous in the shine of the spotlight "Alright. Well... umm... tell me about the lily."
I shake my head, my voice lilting up into something unrecognizable from my own. My British accent was rusty but whatever. "You don't want to know about the lily."
Ashley's expression is surprised but only for a nano second before she pulls back her features and grins, her eyes pleading for something my character doesn't what to hand over easily. "It's my favorite." She too adopts a British accent, her voice changing into something different from her own as well.
"Ask me about the azalea."
Ashley chortles softly as she looks at me."Oh, alright. What about the azalea?"
"The azalea means 'may you achieve financial security. See?"
Ashley laughs. "Lovely. Now, tell me about the lily."
I look away then, my cheeks going red at the appropriate time but more so because I know what I have to say to this beautiful girl right in front of me. "The lily means... the lily means 'I dare you to love me'." Our eyes connect and I swear that there is this electricity flowing between us. It was palpable. You could carve it up and serve it for Thanksgiving dinner if you wanted to. Did she feel it too? We have yet to look away from each other and I'm perfectly fine with that and she doesn't seem to care either. But the loud obnoxious applause rips us away from our 'moment'. Forcing us to embrace reality.
Stupid reality.
"That was fantastic you guys! Great job!" Really? But it was so short. I guess it's a good thing I know that movie by heart.
"I agree. Nice work…Luce." Ashley squeezes my hand and walks off stage, but not before winking at me.
My jaw nearly unhinges, but mostly because I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself.
CLEAN UP ON SET! Spencer Carlin has melted in a puddle of goo.
I will gladly never wash this hand again.