CHAPTER 19
"Maria! Wait up!" cried Alex later that afternoon as he lugged his bass and amp down the hall from the band room. She paused, waiting for him to catch up. "Thanks," he panted.
"No problem."
"So, you decided to show up on time today, huh?" he teased.
Maria responded in kind. "Well, seeing as no one tried to push me down any stairs, I figured the least I could do was show up." She almost skipped down the hallway. "It's going to be a good rehearsal today, Alex. I can feel it!"
"Well, since you're busy anticipating good things, I'll give you something else to look forward to. Talk to me afterwards. I've got some news that you'll really like."
"What? Tell me now!" she begged, her eyes dancing with curiosity.
"Uh-uh. We're here. I've got to set up," he replied. "Get the door, will you?"
Maria planted herself squarely in front of the doors to the auditorium. "Not until you tell me what's going on. Don't hold out on me!"
Alex chided her. "Well, I was going to tell you at lunch, but you were a no-show."
"I was in the library doing research for my term paper. You can't penalize me for doing my homework; it isn't fair. C'mon, Alex, give!"
"Patience, patience, DeLuca."
Maria made a mental note to get Alex back for his teasing at the earliest possible opportunity, and then gave in gracefully, knowing that she would have the whole afternoon to plot her revenge. Swinging one of the doors open, she moved aside and held it for Alex and his equipment to pass through, her mind working busily. She frowned a little. Something was niggling at the back of her brain. Had she forgotten something? She double-checked her bag for her script and a pencil; it wasn't that. Was she supposed to have done something? She shook her head. Maybe if she didn't think about it, it would come to her. But she couldn't escape the nagging feeling that kept plucking at her attention...
"Thanks, Maria," said Melanie as she and Pamela walked through the door that Maria was still holding open. Pamela shot her a superior look, as if to suggest that doorman was a job Maria was particularly suited to. Sighing, Maria followed them into the auditorium, determined to keep her spirits up. Yesterday's rehearsal had been rewarding--even if it wore her out--and she was hoping today's would be just as good.
She hadn't made it three feet into the auditorium when she realized what that nagging little feeling actually was. Oh god. So much for a good rehearsal. Could her life get any worse?
Carefully focusing on Alex, who was setting up his amp in front of the stage, she headed directly towards him without looking around. Catching him by the sleeve, she pulled him a few steps away from the rest of the combo and hissed, "Tell me it's not true. That what I think is happening is not happening." A hint of desperation colored her voice. "Because I don't think I can handle it."
"It's okay," said Alex. "You can deal with this. You can handle it--you're the strongest person I know."
Maria groaned and asked rhetorically, "Why is it that my life has to suck this badly?" Alex gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"Just suck it up and get through the afternoon. We'll talk then and I'll tell you the good news, remember?"
"It had better be more than good. It better be mind-bogglingly fantastic," she warned before turning resignedly to face the empty seats in front of her. Yep. There they were, standing in the side aisle by the twelfth row, deep in discussion. Ms. Bedinger and Michael Guerin. Maria watched as the teacher pointed out something in a sheaf of papers she'd handed Michael, talking in a low voice. Michael studied the papers for a moment and then nodded. Maria couldn't make out what they were saying, but she knew it couldn't be good. At least not for her peace of mind.
"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" called the drama teacher, heading towards the stage. "Some of you may have heard that we've had a problem with the theater company that was renting us the Audrey II plants; they've reneged on our agreement. Obviously, Little Shop of Horrors is impossible to perform without the plant puppets. For the past few days, I've been scrambling to find a solution. Today I am happy to announce that I have one, and that the show will go on as scheduled. I'd like you all to give a round of applause to Michael Guerin who, with only three weeks to go, has volunteered his time and artistic talents to build them." Maria stood, shell-shocked, as the other company members broke out in applause.
"Now since the full-size puppet will need to be worked with the most, I want to run Act II, scenes one and three, so Michael can get a good idea of what the plant will need to be able to do. Jon, since you're not on until the end of scene three, go with Megan and have a costume fitting. Be back in time for your scene. Okay, people, places."
Maria was glued to the floor. She could barely breathe, much less move. It just wasn't fair! The one thing in her life that was Czechoslovakian-free, and now the jerk had to come along and foist himself off on her again. If she weren't ignoring his existence, she could just kill him. Painfully. And slowly. With knives, and an axe, and maybe an anvil like in the old Road Runner cartoons. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie.
"Hang in there, Maria. Don't let this throw you," advised Alex quietly.
"How could he do this to me?" she seethed. "Why did he have to horn in on the one thing in my life that was going really well? I don't get it, Alex. What could have possessed him?" Throwing up her hands, she headed for the stage, missing Alex's uncomfortable look and how he averted his eyes. Okay. She'd follow Alex's advice. She wouldn't let this bother her. She would focus on what she was supposed to be doing...and by god, she'd give the performance of her life. She would show that badly groomed, selfish, unmannered ex-boyfriend of hers just what Maria DeLuca was made of!
What was in Act II scene one, anyway? She fumbled in her script for the correct page. Okay, it was 'Call Back in the Morning', and the scene with Mark and 'Suddenly Seymour', and 'Suppertime'...
Wait a minute. The 'Suddenly Seymour' scene...An evil idea began to percolate in her brain. That was the scene that ended in the big clinch. Ha! She would show Mr. 'I Love You Too Much And Goodbye' what was what. Just what he was missing. And she would wager that, no matter what he was or wasn't feeling, he missed kissing her. He was too good at it not to enjoy it, wasn't he? He was really good at it, and he had to be a natural; it's not like he'd been swimming in girlfriends to practice on before she came along. Not that she'd had all that much opportunity before Michael, but she'd had some. Nobody else could compare to him, though. Darn it! She had to get him out of her system.
"Maria? We're waiting for you." She looked guiltily up at Mark.
"Sorry, I was just trying to...trying to get into character," she said in a rush. He grinned at her and took his place at the makeshift counter for the opening of the act. She followed suit, but not before sneaking a peek into the auditorium. Michael was sitting towards the back, flipping through the script and design sketches Ms. Bedinger had given him. Did he even know what Little Shop of Horrors was about? She didn't think he'd seen the movie. Was he ever in for a surprise...Then her music cue began, and she became Audrey.
Alex glanced up from his music to watch Maria on stage. She was really good, he noted without surprise. She'd done well in rehearsal yesterday, but something today had lit a fire within her. He was pretty sure what it was, too. Glancing to his left, he caught Michael out of the corner of his eye. The alien was sitting, mesmerized, as Maria put her whole heart into the song. Focusing once again on his music, Alex mentally congratulated himself. This had been an excellent idea. Now if the whole dreamwalking thing would just work so that they could all concentrate on Maria's problem...
The duet wound to a big finish and Alex suddenly swallowed. He'd either forgotten or hadn't realized what was about to happen. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. He watched as Mark took Maria--no, as Seymour took Audrey into his arms and kissed her. Ouch. He forced himself to look back into the house, towards Michael. The alien was staring fixedly at the seat in front of him, hands gripping the papers he held tightly. Way too tightly, Alex could tell, even at a distance.
Looking back up at the stage, he noted with surprise that the pair was still in a clinch. Okay. That was enough. If that guy didn't stop mauling his friend, he was going to have to take matters into his own hands. If only to save the actor from the wrath of Michael Guerin, Power Ranger.
Alex gave a sigh of relief as Dennis Cooper finally entered the stage and gave the next line, causing the embracing couple to break apart. Thank god. Maria had told him that, unlike the movie, the stage play ended tragically, with everyone dead, so maybe he would be spared any more of watching his friend swapping spit with Mark Blumenthal. It had been weird enough the few times he'd seen her and Michael together, but at least that felt right, somehow. This was just...wrong.
Noticing that Dennis was getting ready to do his bit of stage business with the bloody dentist's uniform, Alex turned the page in his music and got ready to play the next number.
Maria peered out of the wings into the house. Since they weren't using the stage lighting yet, she could clearly see Michael. Ms. Bedinger had moved to where he sat, and was gesturing towards the stage as Mark and Brian sang 'Suppertime'. She was probably explaining all the necessary stage action. Michael would probably get the idea fairly quickly. He was very bright, even though he didn't like to show it. And she had to admit that he might very well make great plant puppets. He was good with his hands, after all. Ruthlessly she pushed her next thought back out of her head. No, she wasn't thinking of that. She just meant that he'd done a good job on the napkin holder he'd made her last year. That was all. Yeah, that was convincing, DeLuca.
Watching the pair talk, she wondered what he'd thought while she was on stage. He'd missed The Whits' performance during Liz's blind date, so he'd never really heard her sing before. And somehow she knew she'd never sung better than she had just a few minutes ago. It had seemed almost effortless.
Michael pulled a pencil stub from his jacket pocket and made a few marks on the pages in front of him before turning them towards Ms. Bedinger. Maria watched absorbedly as the teacher seemed to ask something; Michael shook his head in response and turned the page over, drawing on the back of it with firm strokes. After a moment, he handed it to Ms. Bedinger, who studied it and then smiled warmly at him, nodding as she spoke. Huh. It looked like Michael was making a hit with the teacher, improving on her plant designs. She had known that he'd be good at this.
A feeling of pride welled up inside her until she caught herself smiling. Tearing her eyes away from her ex-boyfriend, she looked rather wildly around the room, hoping no one had caught her staring. Unfortunately, someone had. At least it was only Alex, although that didn't keep her from reddening under his amused gaze. Fantastic. She stepped further back into the wings, out of sight, and leaned against the wall. She could get through this rehearsal. No problem. Only two more hours to go.
"Don't feed the plants!" sang the Little Shop cast in harmony, finishing the show's last scene for the third time that afternoon. Holding their positions on the stage, they looked expectantly at Ms. Bedinger.
"Good work," she said. "We need to spend a little more time polishing Audrey and Seymour's death scenes, and I'd like to re-block the end of the show, but that will all wait until we have the plant to work with. Other than that, we're in pretty good shape on these sections of the show. So go home and look over your lines for Act II Scene 2; we'll start there tomorrow." Turning to the dark figure hunched in a seat near the back of the auditorium, she continued, "Michael? A word with you, please."
The adrenaline that had carried Maria through the rehearsal drained away without warning, leaving her feeling quite shaky. She sank down onto the edge of the stage, her feet dangling into the orchestra pit, and watched Alex unplug his bass from the amp. To think that she'd felt tired after yesterday's rehearsal. That had been a day at Disneyland compared to today. A broken ankle was starting to look pretty good. Would Max be willing to un-heal?
"Pretty great of Guerin to step in," Mark said from behind her. "Does he actually know anything about theater?"
Maria let out a sarcastic little snort. "I very much doubt it."
"Interesting that he should suddenly volunteer. Did you talk him into it?"
She turned her head in astonishment. Where had he gotten that idea? "No way! I didn't even know there was a problem in the first place. Did you?"
"Yeah, Melanie and Pamela were talking about it yesterday. The theatrical company double-booked the plants or something." He looked out at Michael, who was conferring with Ms. Bedinger. "Look, we need the plant puppets as soon as possible so we can get used to using them, and I know making them is a huge project. So tell Guerin to let me know if he needs any help. I'll round some guys up."
"What? I am not his social secretary," Maria said harshly. "Tell him yourself."
Mark looked at her in surprise. "I would, but he's kind of busy right now," he pointed out, gesturing at the pair deep in discussion. "And he's your weird friend, remember?" He gave her a sly grin. "Besides, something tells me he's not too pleased with me right now."
"What? I...he...What do you mean?" she sputtered.
"Just give him the message, okay?" He leaned down to ruffle her hair and walked away.
Somehow Maria found the strength to rise to her feet and shout indignantly at Mark's retreating back. "You can do it yourself, you lazy bum!" His amused laugh floated back to her ears, but he continued on his way.
Maria looked around to find a number of interested--and two suspicious--eyes focused on her. The suspicious pair flickered away as she met them, leaving her feeling suddenly very cold. In an attempt to hide her uneasiness, she turned to Alex, who had finished packing up, and gifted him with a particularly brilliant smile. "All ready?" she asked a trifle too cheerfully.
Alex nodded and picked up his equipment. "I've just got to drop the amp off in the band room. Mr. Lewis said I could leave it there overnight."
Together, they headed up the aisle, Maria chattering madly about nothing in particular. Unfortunately, her careful plan to escape the auditorium without having to acknowledge Michael was put on hold. "Maria?" Ms. Bedinger said. "One moment, please." The girl turned and looked inquisitively at the director, very aware of Michael towering over the woman, unfortunately well within the scope of Maria's peripheral vision.
"I'll go stash this stuff and meet you in the hallway," offered Alex as he continued towards the doors.
"I've got a drama major from UNM coming in next week to do the hair and makeup design for the show. I'll want her to work with you; we want to achieve a real period look here, and she'll need to see what she's got to work with."
Maria nodded, saying, "Sure." Dismissed, she carefully avoided looking over the teacher's shoulder and turned to follow Alex's path to the back of the house. As she went, she could hear Ms. Bedinger resume her discussion with Michael, who responded in a low, halting voice.
In the hallway, she waited tiredly for Alex to reappear from the band room, and together they walked out to the parking lot. Climbing into the Jetta, they sat staring out the windshield at the empty lot around them. Finally Alex spoke.
"You did good in there, 'Ria." He shifted in his seat, turning towards her. "I'm sorry it was so hard on you."
Maria replied softly, "Yeah. It was."
In an effort to cheer her, he went on, "Maybe you need this kind of pressure more often." She raised angry eyes to his, and he continued, "I just mean that it provoked one hell of a performance. You were great."
Maria's expression lightened and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "Thanks."
"Although I could do without the tournament-length kissing scene," Alex mused.
"That was not my fault!" Maria protested. Catching his knowing eye, she continued, "Well, not entirely. I mean, Dennis really was late for his cue. I didn't mean for it to go on that long."
"If it makes you feel any better, I think it had the desired effect."
Maria tried to play dumb for a moment, but her knew her too well to fall for it. Exasperated, she burst out, "Okay, so I wanted to show him up. I admit it."
"And do you feel any better about it?"
"No. I just feel...well, kind of slimy actually," she groaned. Alex patted her shoulder in sympathy.
"Don't worry about it. It's in the past. And we do have something else to discuss."
She attempted to look enthused. "Oh yeah. The way my day is going, you're probably going to tell me I only have three weeks to live. Which might not seem so bad, when you think about it."
Alex eyed her carefully, then asked, "What do you want most right this minute?"
"You mean besides twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep? And a giant Acme anvil?"
"Yep."
"Well, duh, for Michael to be his old, complicated, annoying self again." She paused, then snorted, "As opposed to his new, complicated, annoying self."
Alex grinned triumphantly. "Well, I think we may be on the right track."
She sat upright. "What do you mean?"
"He agreed to let you and Isabel dreamwalk him."
"Stop kidding around," she crabbed.
"I'm not kidding. I asked; he said yes."
"He did? When? How? What did you do to him?" she burbled, an expression of hope mixed with joy and uncertainty blooming across her face. The questions came faster than Alex could answer them. Finally he was able to break in.
"I just reasoned with him, that's all."
"You reasoned with Michael?" she laughed happily. "I didn't know he was capable of that. No, it has to be some sort of spell. Or hypnosis. Can aliens be hypnotized?"
"Calm down. I talked to the others, and we're set for Saturday night, if that works for you."
"Of course it works for me. Even if it didn't, I'd make it work," she exclaimed. "I'm on a double shift at the Crashdown, but we wouldn't be able to start until he's asleep, anyway. What's the plan--another slumber party?"
"Yes, but this time I won't have to sneak through the window. Mr. & Mrs. Evans are going to be in Phoenix for the weekend, and Max and Isabel each have permission to have a few friends over. As long as we don't trash the place."
"Oh my god, Alex, I can't believe it!" she cried, practically chortling with joy. "I never thought he'd agree. It's so unlike him." She tensed suddenly. "It is unlike him, isn't it? It's not true. It's all a plot to drive me insane, and you're in on it."
Alex rolled his eyes, Isabel-style. "It's not a plot. If you don't believe me, then ask the source." He gestured to the school, where Michael was emerging from the building. She sat frozen for a minute. "Go ahead," he prodded.
After one moment of hesitation, the car door was flung open and a blond pixie was tearing back across the parking lot. With a happy laugh, Maria flung her arms around the unprepared alien, who dropped the papers and script he was holding and tried to maintain his balance.
"Michael!" she cried. "I can't believe you said it was okay! That's wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tightening her arms around him, she held on for dear life.
She was still clinging to him a moment later when she noticed that he wasn't clinging back. Indeed, he was standing stiffly, looking upwards with a resigned expression on his face.
Pulling back slightly, she asked, "Michael? When we dreamwalk you we'll be able to get you fixed up. Aren't you happy? Isn't that what you wanted?"
Michael continued to gaze upward, saying coldly, "If I had wanted you dreamwalking me, I would've agreed to it the first time."
She began to protest. "But--"
"Don't worry, I'll do it. I told Alex I would, and I will. But until then, I've got a lot of work to do. So why don't you let me do it, all right?"
Startled, she dropped her arms and took a step backward. He didn't look at her, instead crouching to gather the fallen papers. For a moment she thought he would just walk away, but finally he looked down at the things in his hands and opened his mouth to speak. She held her breath, half in fear and half in anticipation.
"Look," he said roughly, as if his vocal chords were unused to working, "for what it's worth, you're really good. In the play." Maria's mouth fell open and she struggled to stammer out a coherent response.
"Th..thanks."
Michael's mouth worked as if he were about to speak again. Instead, he pressed his lips together firmly and looked off into the distance. Finally, without looking at her, he said brusquely, "See ya," and took off down the sidewalk. Maria stood in confusion, watching him go.
This had been a very bizarre afternoon. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But deep inside her was a growing warm, comforting sensation, as if her soul was at peace. A smile of genuine happiness spread across her lips. Everything was going to be all right. She could feel it.
TBC...