10
Mary Jane reapplied her lipstick. The director was running through a dance with Tamara, the 'talent' of the show. Tamara was stuck-up and evil. It was an early rehearsal as the show was drawing nearer and nearer. Everybody was tired and grouchy, especially their director.
"NO NO NO! Plié, plié, jump! Is that so hard?" Mary Jane giggled softly so that he couldn't hear.
"Thank god for matte powder!" Mary Jane looked at where the voice had come from. Bo, a really nice girl in the chorus was touching up her nose. "I really don't think I could live without it. Just look at my skin today!"
"It looks fine, Bo. I'm just thankful for Ruby Rouge lipstick!" Bo laughed.
"We sound just like an advert! But, seriously MJ, that lipstick really does suit you."
"Thank you Bo." Bo had started to apply a powder blue eye shadow. "No, no. Bo, you need pink." MJ handed her a small compact from her make-up bag. Bo nodded and applied a little with her index finger.
"MJ, this looks great! You could be a good make-up artist!" MJ blushed. A distinct crack and an ear splitting scream made them both turn round in fright. Tamara had collapsed and was crying and swearing loudly. Her leg was at an awkward angle and the director called over his assistant.
"Someone call 911!" was heard. The director got out his cell.
"I'm sorry, Mr Harley, but Tamara's broken her leg." Bo and MJ left their seats and rushed over to Tamara, who was gathering a small crowd. They were all told to back away. There were mumbles of, 'It's going to be cancelled,' 'How can we do it now?' but the most heard was, 'Who is Tamara's understudy?'
"Tamara's understudy is Nicole," said Bo, looking at the cast list. Nicole and Mary Jane had been at High School together. They were pretty close.
"But where is she?" said MJ. "I haven't seen her today. She's never late either."
*****
"HELP ME! HELP ME SOMEONE, GOD, PLEASE! I'M GONNA BE LATE!" Nicole Von Rapp screamed as she stood in the street, five men cornering her. She could be raped. She could be murdered. They could even steal her credit card! She screamed again.
"Now now, little girl, shh! Don't want Spidey-Man to come down, do ya?" said the biggest of them. He licked her cheek.
"I don't think that's a wise idea." The five thugs spun round. It was 'Spidey-Man.'
"Crap! Why do you always have to show up?" A thwoosh came out of nowhere and another figure in red and purple landed by the side of Spider-Man.
"Want a little variety?" It was the voice of a woman. She punched one of the thugs, knocking him out cold.
"Spider-Woman?" said one of the thugs.
"Yep! And you guys doing it this early in the morning? Wow, you are really unsatisfied." Spider-Man helped out Spider-Woman by knocking one of the others out, a pattern evolving until all five were unconscious. Spider-Man turned to face Spider-Woman. Nicole looked from one to the other.
"Thanks!" she managed to muffle and then ran off. Spider-Woman circled Spider-Man.
"Well, well, Spider-Man. I saw you on that TV wrestling special a year ago. What was it called? Losers V. Men in Tights I think." Peter tried to keep his cool under the mask.
"You killed Harry Osborn." He said through gritted teeth. "You're not fit to be a heroine." Spider-Woman laughed.
"HEROINE?" She slapped his cheek as if a baby's. "So naïve. The reason I punched those thugs is because Nicole Von Rapp, the woman WE saved, has some unfinished business with me and I need to finish it alone with her." She shot a web at a skyscraper. "Oh, and hurry up, Spider-Man! You'll be late for school if you don't hurry!" She disappeared. Peter punched the wall. He couldn't go after her. He wasn't ready. Plus, he had a meeting with Jonah. He swore, realising that Spider-Woman was right about one thing. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry.
*****
"NICOLE!" Mary Jane shouted across the theatre. Nicole looked dishevelled and worried. "Nic, you okay?" Nicole shook her head.
"You guys are not gonna believe this……" All of them sat down in front of her, intrigued by her tale of Spider-Man. "I'm gonna have to drop out."
"WHAT?!" said Mr Harvey. "Tamara has broken her leg! She needs her understudy!"
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little traumatised." A couple of people sighed at her dramatic dropout. Mary Jane held her hand. "Why don't you get Mary Jane to be the understudy?" Mary Jane opened her mouth to protest when Mr Harvey interrupted.
"Hmm. Mary Jane, you are the best dancer and actress apart from Tamara and Nicole……" Mary Jane was hurt. "……Okay. But you'd better catch up fast!" Mary Jane nodded her head, hugged Nicole and Bo, received congratulations and called Peter.
"Hello?"
"Hi Tiger! Did I wake you up?" Peter yawned.
"No. Just busy at the moment if you know what I mean. I've just had a meeting with Jonah. I'm going back into work tomorrow. Anyway, what's up?"
"I got the lead!"
"Oh! MJ! 'Grats! I knew you would!"
"Well, I'm kind of the understudy's understudy! Pete, I appreciate what you did for Nicole." She lowered her voice. "Just a few minutes ago."
"No problem, hey, it's a hobby." They laughed. "I gotta go."
"Wait! Dinner at my place tonight, okay?"
"No. Come to MY place. I'm going grocery shopping."
"I'll do it."
"MJ, you are a superstar! Love you."
"Love you." She hung up. It was going to be a great dinner.
Mary Jane reapplied her lipstick. The director was running through a dance with Tamara, the 'talent' of the show. Tamara was stuck-up and evil. It was an early rehearsal as the show was drawing nearer and nearer. Everybody was tired and grouchy, especially their director.
"NO NO NO! Plié, plié, jump! Is that so hard?" Mary Jane giggled softly so that he couldn't hear.
"Thank god for matte powder!" Mary Jane looked at where the voice had come from. Bo, a really nice girl in the chorus was touching up her nose. "I really don't think I could live without it. Just look at my skin today!"
"It looks fine, Bo. I'm just thankful for Ruby Rouge lipstick!" Bo laughed.
"We sound just like an advert! But, seriously MJ, that lipstick really does suit you."
"Thank you Bo." Bo had started to apply a powder blue eye shadow. "No, no. Bo, you need pink." MJ handed her a small compact from her make-up bag. Bo nodded and applied a little with her index finger.
"MJ, this looks great! You could be a good make-up artist!" MJ blushed. A distinct crack and an ear splitting scream made them both turn round in fright. Tamara had collapsed and was crying and swearing loudly. Her leg was at an awkward angle and the director called over his assistant.
"Someone call 911!" was heard. The director got out his cell.
"I'm sorry, Mr Harley, but Tamara's broken her leg." Bo and MJ left their seats and rushed over to Tamara, who was gathering a small crowd. They were all told to back away. There were mumbles of, 'It's going to be cancelled,' 'How can we do it now?' but the most heard was, 'Who is Tamara's understudy?'
"Tamara's understudy is Nicole," said Bo, looking at the cast list. Nicole and Mary Jane had been at High School together. They were pretty close.
"But where is she?" said MJ. "I haven't seen her today. She's never late either."
*****
"HELP ME! HELP ME SOMEONE, GOD, PLEASE! I'M GONNA BE LATE!" Nicole Von Rapp screamed as she stood in the street, five men cornering her. She could be raped. She could be murdered. They could even steal her credit card! She screamed again.
"Now now, little girl, shh! Don't want Spidey-Man to come down, do ya?" said the biggest of them. He licked her cheek.
"I don't think that's a wise idea." The five thugs spun round. It was 'Spidey-Man.'
"Crap! Why do you always have to show up?" A thwoosh came out of nowhere and another figure in red and purple landed by the side of Spider-Man.
"Want a little variety?" It was the voice of a woman. She punched one of the thugs, knocking him out cold.
"Spider-Woman?" said one of the thugs.
"Yep! And you guys doing it this early in the morning? Wow, you are really unsatisfied." Spider-Man helped out Spider-Woman by knocking one of the others out, a pattern evolving until all five were unconscious. Spider-Man turned to face Spider-Woman. Nicole looked from one to the other.
"Thanks!" she managed to muffle and then ran off. Spider-Woman circled Spider-Man.
"Well, well, Spider-Man. I saw you on that TV wrestling special a year ago. What was it called? Losers V. Men in Tights I think." Peter tried to keep his cool under the mask.
"You killed Harry Osborn." He said through gritted teeth. "You're not fit to be a heroine." Spider-Woman laughed.
"HEROINE?" She slapped his cheek as if a baby's. "So naïve. The reason I punched those thugs is because Nicole Von Rapp, the woman WE saved, has some unfinished business with me and I need to finish it alone with her." She shot a web at a skyscraper. "Oh, and hurry up, Spider-Man! You'll be late for school if you don't hurry!" She disappeared. Peter punched the wall. He couldn't go after her. He wasn't ready. Plus, he had a meeting with Jonah. He swore, realising that Spider-Woman was right about one thing. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry.
*****
"NICOLE!" Mary Jane shouted across the theatre. Nicole looked dishevelled and worried. "Nic, you okay?" Nicole shook her head.
"You guys are not gonna believe this……" All of them sat down in front of her, intrigued by her tale of Spider-Man. "I'm gonna have to drop out."
"WHAT?!" said Mr Harvey. "Tamara has broken her leg! She needs her understudy!"
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little traumatised." A couple of people sighed at her dramatic dropout. Mary Jane held her hand. "Why don't you get Mary Jane to be the understudy?" Mary Jane opened her mouth to protest when Mr Harvey interrupted.
"Hmm. Mary Jane, you are the best dancer and actress apart from Tamara and Nicole……" Mary Jane was hurt. "……Okay. But you'd better catch up fast!" Mary Jane nodded her head, hugged Nicole and Bo, received congratulations and called Peter.
"Hello?"
"Hi Tiger! Did I wake you up?" Peter yawned.
"No. Just busy at the moment if you know what I mean. I've just had a meeting with Jonah. I'm going back into work tomorrow. Anyway, what's up?"
"I got the lead!"
"Oh! MJ! 'Grats! I knew you would!"
"Well, I'm kind of the understudy's understudy! Pete, I appreciate what you did for Nicole." She lowered her voice. "Just a few minutes ago."
"No problem, hey, it's a hobby." They laughed. "I gotta go."
"Wait! Dinner at my place tonight, okay?"
"No. Come to MY place. I'm going grocery shopping."
"I'll do it."
"MJ, you are a superstar! Love you."
"Love you." She hung up. It was going to be a great dinner.
