Chapter Eight: Playtime
Author's Note: Yay, the mysterious play will now make an appearance. I've granted a few wishes. To Mandy- this is NOT Romeo and Juliet. However, I can't give a better reason why she would want to stay with Mike other than to preserve her popularity. Believe me, it's realistic- it happens at my school. To Tracey Winston- you'll get an inside look on Tina this chapter. To Duchess- the name of the play will NOT be Spectacular Spectacular. I wouldn't have liked that either. Hugs to all my reviewers.
* * *
Nina caught him in the hallway. "Can I talk to you?"
He tried to shake her off. "No."
"Please." Her dark eyes were imploring.
"Fine. Make it fast."
She paused, staring at the floor. "I'm sorry about what I tried to do, you know, to you and Tina. I hope it worked out."
His face hardened. "It didn't."
Her eyes welled up with tears. "My God... I'm so sorry, Chris. I didn't mean to really hurt you. I was just..."
"Just what?" he growled.
"Jealous." She stared up at him, one hand on his arm. For some reason, he didn't shake it off. She seemed so sincere... "I was jealous of Tina for getting you." Her eyes lowered again. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but ever since you came here, I've been noticing you. I... I think I like you." She swallowed, meeting his eyes again. "Can you forgive me?"
There was a long pause. "Sure."
A soft smile graced her face. "Thank you so much." Abruptly, she hugged him, then stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "If you ever need anything, Chris, just call." He nodded, unable to help but smile back at her. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. As he walked away, Nina chuckled to herself. "What an idiot."
She had him hook, line, and sinker. Now that Tina was out of the way, she would be able to move in. No one would be able to say that Nina Aire couldn't get a decent guy. And he would do... for now.
* * *
After school Tuesday, Chris reluctantly made his way down to the Student's Lounge for tryouts. He had failed in convincing Henry to try out with him. "I'm too thort and no one will underthand me," he would retort whenever Chris brought up the subject. So he gave up.
He opened the Lounge door and stepped inside. The first thing he saw was Tina, talking with the foreign exchange student from Argentina. No one was able to correctly pronounce his name, so they had taken to simply calling him 'the Argentinean.'
When Chris entered, she glanced up. Their eyes met for a moment before both looked away. Chris found a seat in the corner of the room.
Moment after he sat down, a senior with almost Gothic paleness stood. Chris recognized him as Audrey, a kid he was almost positive was gay. In a thin, whiny voice he addressed the group. "The teaching staff here at Montmartre High has appointed me as being in charge of this year's Drama Production. That means you all will have to answer to me. We will be..."
From the back of the room came a paper airplane, which hit Audrey in the arm. He frowned severely at his giggling audience. "As I was saying, we will be performing a play, one I've written myself." He smoothed his sweatervest importantly. "It is called The Big Secret and it takes place in Switzerland!" He smiled, obviously pleased with himself.
His pride was rudely interrupted by another airplane. This one hit him right in the forehead, accompanied by a shout of "Fag!"
Audrey turned bright red. He stood stock still for several minutes. The room fell silent, each watching to see what he would do. "I quit," he muttered. "I quit." Slowly, he walked to the door, opened it, and glared at all of them before leaving. "This was to be my greatest production. It is your loss, not mine. Goodbye!" he screamed before slamming the door.
Chaos broke out in the room. Paper wads were thrown, gossip was shared, and people started asking what they were going to do now. Chris looked around the room. His gaze fell on Tina once again. Her smile had vanished and tears glistened in her pretty eyes. This had been her chance, he knew. It would have been her chance to prove that she was more than just a failed cheerleader, more than just a pretty face. And now that chance was slipping away.
Well, then. He would have to get it back for her. Abruptly he stood and went to the front of the room. He cleared his throat, trying to get the attention of the students. He failed miserably. "Excuse me... excuse me... um..." No one was paying any attention to him, except for Tina.
She climbed on top of her chair and used her best cheerleader voice to shout, "Hey Montmartre High!" A few people stopped talking, but not many. "Shut up!" she yelled, finally achieving her goal. The room fell silent, all eyes on her. "Thank you," she breathed. "Now, if you don't mind terribly much, my friend Chris would like to talk to you."
She stepped down, offering the chair to Chris. He gave her a soft smile as he stepped up. "Thank you. Like Tina said, my name is Chris. I was hoping to be trying out for a play right now, but it seems several of you have ruined that chance not only for me, but for all of us." He paused. "But I don't want that to happen. I say we go on with this Big Secret thing."
"Yeah right!" interrupted a boy. "Like Audrey's really going to let us use the script now." There were murmurs of agreement.
Chris held up his hand to quiet them. "I'll write it!" He jumped down from the chair, more sure of himself. "Yeah, I'll write it." With a sparkle of enthusiasm in his eyes, he began to pace the room, thinking.
"What's the story about?"
He stopped and looked at the girl who had asked the question. "It's about love!" he exclaimed, then turned to fix his eyes on Tina. "It's about love... overcoming all obstacles." Glancing around, he motioned over a good-looking junior, Matt, who Henry had told him could act. "It's about a greedy king who ruled over a vast land. He was handsome but foolish. He could not see that his wife," he gestured to Tina, who rushed over to stand by Matt, "didn't love him. Though she hated him, she stayed married to him for fear of losing the wealth, power, and respect that came with her position."
At these words, Tina jerked almost imperceptibly. He was talking about her. Though the characters were turned around, it was still the same old story. She glanced at him briefly. Did he still care? After the things she had said, what she had done, did he still want to be with her? The real question was, did she still want to be with him? She knew the answer, but she was simply afraid of what that truth would mean.
Meanwhile, Chris was still talking. "One day, a poor unknown court singer comes to town..." he was about to point to himself, but paused, calling over the Argentinean. "I mean, comes to the kingdom. He and the queen fall in love, but she tries to deny their love because she doesn't want to risk losing all that she has, just for love. And it just goes on from there."
"But in the end, will someone die?"
He shook his head vigorously. "Not unless it's the king. I don't like ill-fated romances. They're too depressing." He smiled to himself, happy with the results of his idea. Things were under control and the participants were starting to get excited about the play. "Now, I'll have part one written tomorrow. We can break for now and we'll decide the rest of the parts tomorrow, same time."
Slowly, the students began to trickle out of the Lounge.
* * *
Tina rushed to the bathroom after rehearsal, tears welling up in her eyes. God, what was she going to do? He was going to base this whole play off of their lives, and it was breaking her heart. She thought she had made up her mind about him. She had been so wrong.
Every time he looked at her, she could see the truth in his beautiful eyes. He loved her, no matter what. He was her poor court singer, and she was the haughty queen who would rather have money over love.
But it wasn't what she wanted... what she wanted was to be free. Free to do whatever she wanted. She didn't want anyone holding her back.
She gasped as the realization hit her that no one WAS holding her back, except herself. She was always the one who was forcing herself to hide her feelings, to blend in, to be popular. No one else. A tear slipped down her face. God, what had she done? She had frozen her own heart, just to be popular and feel like she was wanted. But Chris wanted her for who she was, not who she tried to be. Why hadn't she realized it sooner?
Well. Maybe this queen's heart could be melted after all. She only hoped it wasn't too late.
* * *
Chris didn't work at the Rhythm that night. He was far too busy. He spent the entire night hunched over his keyboard, filling pages with dialogue and stage instructions, trying to put down in words what he saw in his mind. As he concentrated, he tried not to think about Tina or the upcoming Senior Prom. He would give anything to take Tina, but... it would never happen. She wouldn't go with him. He might as well forget it.
There was a little over a month left before Prom would be here. He needed a date, and he knew he wouldn't get Tina. There was only one other possibility. After a moment's hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed. A familiar voice answered. "Hello?"
"Hi..." He took a moment to assure himself that this was the right thing to do. It was. After all, he couldn't become a monk just because Tina wouldn't go out with him. "Nina?"
END CHAPTER EIGHT
Author's Note: Yay, the mysterious play will now make an appearance. I've granted a few wishes. To Mandy- this is NOT Romeo and Juliet. However, I can't give a better reason why she would want to stay with Mike other than to preserve her popularity. Believe me, it's realistic- it happens at my school. To Tracey Winston- you'll get an inside look on Tina this chapter. To Duchess- the name of the play will NOT be Spectacular Spectacular. I wouldn't have liked that either. Hugs to all my reviewers.
* * *
Nina caught him in the hallway. "Can I talk to you?"
He tried to shake her off. "No."
"Please." Her dark eyes were imploring.
"Fine. Make it fast."
She paused, staring at the floor. "I'm sorry about what I tried to do, you know, to you and Tina. I hope it worked out."
His face hardened. "It didn't."
Her eyes welled up with tears. "My God... I'm so sorry, Chris. I didn't mean to really hurt you. I was just..."
"Just what?" he growled.
"Jealous." She stared up at him, one hand on his arm. For some reason, he didn't shake it off. She seemed so sincere... "I was jealous of Tina for getting you." Her eyes lowered again. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but ever since you came here, I've been noticing you. I... I think I like you." She swallowed, meeting his eyes again. "Can you forgive me?"
There was a long pause. "Sure."
A soft smile graced her face. "Thank you so much." Abruptly, she hugged him, then stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "If you ever need anything, Chris, just call." He nodded, unable to help but smile back at her. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. As he walked away, Nina chuckled to herself. "What an idiot."
She had him hook, line, and sinker. Now that Tina was out of the way, she would be able to move in. No one would be able to say that Nina Aire couldn't get a decent guy. And he would do... for now.
* * *
After school Tuesday, Chris reluctantly made his way down to the Student's Lounge for tryouts. He had failed in convincing Henry to try out with him. "I'm too thort and no one will underthand me," he would retort whenever Chris brought up the subject. So he gave up.
He opened the Lounge door and stepped inside. The first thing he saw was Tina, talking with the foreign exchange student from Argentina. No one was able to correctly pronounce his name, so they had taken to simply calling him 'the Argentinean.'
When Chris entered, she glanced up. Their eyes met for a moment before both looked away. Chris found a seat in the corner of the room.
Moment after he sat down, a senior with almost Gothic paleness stood. Chris recognized him as Audrey, a kid he was almost positive was gay. In a thin, whiny voice he addressed the group. "The teaching staff here at Montmartre High has appointed me as being in charge of this year's Drama Production. That means you all will have to answer to me. We will be..."
From the back of the room came a paper airplane, which hit Audrey in the arm. He frowned severely at his giggling audience. "As I was saying, we will be performing a play, one I've written myself." He smoothed his sweatervest importantly. "It is called The Big Secret and it takes place in Switzerland!" He smiled, obviously pleased with himself.
His pride was rudely interrupted by another airplane. This one hit him right in the forehead, accompanied by a shout of "Fag!"
Audrey turned bright red. He stood stock still for several minutes. The room fell silent, each watching to see what he would do. "I quit," he muttered. "I quit." Slowly, he walked to the door, opened it, and glared at all of them before leaving. "This was to be my greatest production. It is your loss, not mine. Goodbye!" he screamed before slamming the door.
Chaos broke out in the room. Paper wads were thrown, gossip was shared, and people started asking what they were going to do now. Chris looked around the room. His gaze fell on Tina once again. Her smile had vanished and tears glistened in her pretty eyes. This had been her chance, he knew. It would have been her chance to prove that she was more than just a failed cheerleader, more than just a pretty face. And now that chance was slipping away.
Well, then. He would have to get it back for her. Abruptly he stood and went to the front of the room. He cleared his throat, trying to get the attention of the students. He failed miserably. "Excuse me... excuse me... um..." No one was paying any attention to him, except for Tina.
She climbed on top of her chair and used her best cheerleader voice to shout, "Hey Montmartre High!" A few people stopped talking, but not many. "Shut up!" she yelled, finally achieving her goal. The room fell silent, all eyes on her. "Thank you," she breathed. "Now, if you don't mind terribly much, my friend Chris would like to talk to you."
She stepped down, offering the chair to Chris. He gave her a soft smile as he stepped up. "Thank you. Like Tina said, my name is Chris. I was hoping to be trying out for a play right now, but it seems several of you have ruined that chance not only for me, but for all of us." He paused. "But I don't want that to happen. I say we go on with this Big Secret thing."
"Yeah right!" interrupted a boy. "Like Audrey's really going to let us use the script now." There were murmurs of agreement.
Chris held up his hand to quiet them. "I'll write it!" He jumped down from the chair, more sure of himself. "Yeah, I'll write it." With a sparkle of enthusiasm in his eyes, he began to pace the room, thinking.
"What's the story about?"
He stopped and looked at the girl who had asked the question. "It's about love!" he exclaimed, then turned to fix his eyes on Tina. "It's about love... overcoming all obstacles." Glancing around, he motioned over a good-looking junior, Matt, who Henry had told him could act. "It's about a greedy king who ruled over a vast land. He was handsome but foolish. He could not see that his wife," he gestured to Tina, who rushed over to stand by Matt, "didn't love him. Though she hated him, she stayed married to him for fear of losing the wealth, power, and respect that came with her position."
At these words, Tina jerked almost imperceptibly. He was talking about her. Though the characters were turned around, it was still the same old story. She glanced at him briefly. Did he still care? After the things she had said, what she had done, did he still want to be with her? The real question was, did she still want to be with him? She knew the answer, but she was simply afraid of what that truth would mean.
Meanwhile, Chris was still talking. "One day, a poor unknown court singer comes to town..." he was about to point to himself, but paused, calling over the Argentinean. "I mean, comes to the kingdom. He and the queen fall in love, but she tries to deny their love because she doesn't want to risk losing all that she has, just for love. And it just goes on from there."
"But in the end, will someone die?"
He shook his head vigorously. "Not unless it's the king. I don't like ill-fated romances. They're too depressing." He smiled to himself, happy with the results of his idea. Things were under control and the participants were starting to get excited about the play. "Now, I'll have part one written tomorrow. We can break for now and we'll decide the rest of the parts tomorrow, same time."
Slowly, the students began to trickle out of the Lounge.
* * *
Tina rushed to the bathroom after rehearsal, tears welling up in her eyes. God, what was she going to do? He was going to base this whole play off of their lives, and it was breaking her heart. She thought she had made up her mind about him. She had been so wrong.
Every time he looked at her, she could see the truth in his beautiful eyes. He loved her, no matter what. He was her poor court singer, and she was the haughty queen who would rather have money over love.
But it wasn't what she wanted... what she wanted was to be free. Free to do whatever she wanted. She didn't want anyone holding her back.
She gasped as the realization hit her that no one WAS holding her back, except herself. She was always the one who was forcing herself to hide her feelings, to blend in, to be popular. No one else. A tear slipped down her face. God, what had she done? She had frozen her own heart, just to be popular and feel like she was wanted. But Chris wanted her for who she was, not who she tried to be. Why hadn't she realized it sooner?
Well. Maybe this queen's heart could be melted after all. She only hoped it wasn't too late.
* * *
Chris didn't work at the Rhythm that night. He was far too busy. He spent the entire night hunched over his keyboard, filling pages with dialogue and stage instructions, trying to put down in words what he saw in his mind. As he concentrated, he tried not to think about Tina or the upcoming Senior Prom. He would give anything to take Tina, but... it would never happen. She wouldn't go with him. He might as well forget it.
There was a little over a month left before Prom would be here. He needed a date, and he knew he wouldn't get Tina. There was only one other possibility. After a moment's hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed. A familiar voice answered. "Hello?"
"Hi..." He took a moment to assure himself that this was the right thing to do. It was. After all, he couldn't become a monk just because Tina wouldn't go out with him. "Nina?"
END CHAPTER EIGHT
