OK stuff's gonna start to click now...Have fun and Pleeease Review. I like
when you review. It fuel's my writer's ego and then a good story pops out
of my brain for you to be rewarded with. ;)
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As Reeny made her way through the large crowd to the backstage area inside the Athenaeum theatre she could have sworn she could hear the thumping in her chest grow louder and louder. 'Oh My God,' she thought. 'This is worse than school. I don't know anyone here.' Panic took over all her senses. What if they can't find my music, or what if I forget my whole dance.
Once backstage, Reeny noticed a short stocky middle-aged woman with curly gray hair and glasses giving out numbers to each act. "Name, dear?" The woman, who was called Mrs. Johnson, had approached her, but in her state of alarm she hadn't noticed. "Oh umm..Reeny...Reeny Flynn."
She looked at her list. "Ah, Reeny Flynn. I see your doing a jazz routine to "In the Mood", is that correct?" asked Mrs. Johnson. Reeny quickly nodded. "OK Miss Reeny, you'll be number 23." She quickly jotted down Reeny's first name on a piece of paper, along with her number and pinned it to her costume, and with that she moved on to the next girl.
As she went to set down her dancing bag in a corner of the massive backstage dressing room, two girls brushed past her making certain that they knocked her off balance a little, in doing so. When she looked up she saw that they were Sally and Mary from school--two girls that thought it was a privilege for the world to be in their presence. Since Reeny was always quiet in school, she had never really hit it off with them, but just lately, torturing the living daylights out of her had become their favorite pastime. She surely couldn't understand it. She had never done anything to offend them. In fact, she often kept to herself. It couldn't have had anything to do with Sally's crush Bobby, constantly tugging at her skirt, could it? Well if jealousy was there motive for causing Reeny misery, they needn't bother pestering her about it. She vehemently detested the little pig and was quite up front on the fact with him.
"I see they let just about anybody into these things nowadays, huh Sally?" said Mary just loud enough so that Reeny could hear. Sally laughed and looked the little blonde up in down with disgust. "Obviously." She replied. Reeny turned a deep shade of red but remained quiet. The two girls slithered off to another recess of the dressing room where they joined what seemed like a larger group of conceited upstarts.
'Why didn't I say anything, DAMNIT?! I'm always too afraid.' She felt like breaking down right there in the middle of the floor.
'No Reeny, you're better than them... in all respects. Don't let 'em get to ya.' She thought. With the warrior's blood of her mother coursing through her veins she came to the conclusion that if they said anything else, next time she would not take the high road, and they would not be so lucky.
Still, that little slight with the girls did nothing to boost her ego or her comfort level. She stood there like a Corinthian column, hazy- eyed, watching everyone else prepare for their acts without feverishness. She began to sweat.
"What's a matter, kid? You look like some one just read you, ya last rights."
Reeny spun around to see a dark-haired girl about her age, though almost a head taller than her. Her eyes were dark with sarcasm but her doll-like lips curled into a smile that could have outshone the noon day sun. Something about her whole persona felt familiar to Reeny.
"Excuse me?" answered Reeny. "No offense blondie, but you look like you're about to wet yourself."
"I'm just fine, thank you very much." Replied Reeny. "Stage fright, eh?" quipped the brunette seeming to ignore the other girl's response to her first comment.
"Well to be honest, a little I guess." Reeny admitted. "Its ok don't feel bad. Actually I saw you practicing earlier in the parking lot. You know you're really pretty good." Said the young bobbysoxer.
Reeny smiled. "Thank you. I'm Reeny," she said holding out her hand. "Well nice to meet you, Reeny. I'm Catrina, but you can call my Cat, or Cathy- Fly. My mom likes to call me that." Said Catrina grabbing Reeny's hand. 'This is amazing, I always wanted a friend.' Thought Catrina. 'She doesn't hate me and she isn't afraid of me. Maybe this could work out.'
All at once the announcer started up. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 1941 Miss Teen Queen Chicago Talent Competition..." Mrs. Johnson came running into the dressing room. "We need #1. Right now, Lydia, darling you're on!" A tall blonde in point shoes with a luminous white sequined ensemble made of feathers seemed to materialize out of nowhere and stepped out from behind Reeny and Catrina to meet Mrs. Johnson at the stage door. Both girls looked down at their somewhat raggedy costumes in discontent. Everywhere they looked they saw sequins and beads dangling and nylons with runs. They knew that they came from flat broke households and couldn't afford anything better, but both felt uncomfortably irritated just the same.
The announcer went on... "And now out first little starlet, Miss Lydia!" Reeny swallowed hard. "Ah, its no big deal. If it'll make you feel any better Reeny, I'll show you my number." Reeny's liquid blue eyes lit up. "You would?" she asked. "Sure! I'm singing and dancing to 'Can't Help Loving that Man.' My mom taught me that one." Catrina reveled. "Wow Cat, that's really swell." Said Reeny.
All the while Catrina showed-off for her new friend, a pair of clandestine eyes watched in eerie amusement from across the room.
"Fish gotta swim, Birds gotta fly-" Catrina sang while dancing and skipping in the most crackerjack, up-to-the-beat manner Reeny had ever seen from some one her own age. She couldn't take her eyes off her for a second. "Cat, you're like a professional!" Croaked Reeny mouth agape in awe. "I know." Said Catrina, a look of overweening pride on her face. "But thank you anyway. And like I said Reeny, you're not bad yourself." Reeny began to giggle, and Catrina followed whole-heartedly.
"Oh Catrina, I just remembered I'm still wearing my saddle shoes. I'll go change into my jazzies and be right back." "Ok Reen, I'll be here. Hurry up." Said Catrina sitting herself down in the nearest chair.
As Reeny took off to grab her jazz shoes, a rather intimidating group of girls sauntered towards Catrina from the opposite side of the room.
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Please review..More coming very very soon!
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As Reeny made her way through the large crowd to the backstage area inside the Athenaeum theatre she could have sworn she could hear the thumping in her chest grow louder and louder. 'Oh My God,' she thought. 'This is worse than school. I don't know anyone here.' Panic took over all her senses. What if they can't find my music, or what if I forget my whole dance.
Once backstage, Reeny noticed a short stocky middle-aged woman with curly gray hair and glasses giving out numbers to each act. "Name, dear?" The woman, who was called Mrs. Johnson, had approached her, but in her state of alarm she hadn't noticed. "Oh umm..Reeny...Reeny Flynn."
She looked at her list. "Ah, Reeny Flynn. I see your doing a jazz routine to "In the Mood", is that correct?" asked Mrs. Johnson. Reeny quickly nodded. "OK Miss Reeny, you'll be number 23." She quickly jotted down Reeny's first name on a piece of paper, along with her number and pinned it to her costume, and with that she moved on to the next girl.
As she went to set down her dancing bag in a corner of the massive backstage dressing room, two girls brushed past her making certain that they knocked her off balance a little, in doing so. When she looked up she saw that they were Sally and Mary from school--two girls that thought it was a privilege for the world to be in their presence. Since Reeny was always quiet in school, she had never really hit it off with them, but just lately, torturing the living daylights out of her had become their favorite pastime. She surely couldn't understand it. She had never done anything to offend them. In fact, she often kept to herself. It couldn't have had anything to do with Sally's crush Bobby, constantly tugging at her skirt, could it? Well if jealousy was there motive for causing Reeny misery, they needn't bother pestering her about it. She vehemently detested the little pig and was quite up front on the fact with him.
"I see they let just about anybody into these things nowadays, huh Sally?" said Mary just loud enough so that Reeny could hear. Sally laughed and looked the little blonde up in down with disgust. "Obviously." She replied. Reeny turned a deep shade of red but remained quiet. The two girls slithered off to another recess of the dressing room where they joined what seemed like a larger group of conceited upstarts.
'Why didn't I say anything, DAMNIT?! I'm always too afraid.' She felt like breaking down right there in the middle of the floor.
'No Reeny, you're better than them... in all respects. Don't let 'em get to ya.' She thought. With the warrior's blood of her mother coursing through her veins she came to the conclusion that if they said anything else, next time she would not take the high road, and they would not be so lucky.
Still, that little slight with the girls did nothing to boost her ego or her comfort level. She stood there like a Corinthian column, hazy- eyed, watching everyone else prepare for their acts without feverishness. She began to sweat.
"What's a matter, kid? You look like some one just read you, ya last rights."
Reeny spun around to see a dark-haired girl about her age, though almost a head taller than her. Her eyes were dark with sarcasm but her doll-like lips curled into a smile that could have outshone the noon day sun. Something about her whole persona felt familiar to Reeny.
"Excuse me?" answered Reeny. "No offense blondie, but you look like you're about to wet yourself."
"I'm just fine, thank you very much." Replied Reeny. "Stage fright, eh?" quipped the brunette seeming to ignore the other girl's response to her first comment.
"Well to be honest, a little I guess." Reeny admitted. "Its ok don't feel bad. Actually I saw you practicing earlier in the parking lot. You know you're really pretty good." Said the young bobbysoxer.
Reeny smiled. "Thank you. I'm Reeny," she said holding out her hand. "Well nice to meet you, Reeny. I'm Catrina, but you can call my Cat, or Cathy- Fly. My mom likes to call me that." Said Catrina grabbing Reeny's hand. 'This is amazing, I always wanted a friend.' Thought Catrina. 'She doesn't hate me and she isn't afraid of me. Maybe this could work out.'
All at once the announcer started up. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 1941 Miss Teen Queen Chicago Talent Competition..." Mrs. Johnson came running into the dressing room. "We need #1. Right now, Lydia, darling you're on!" A tall blonde in point shoes with a luminous white sequined ensemble made of feathers seemed to materialize out of nowhere and stepped out from behind Reeny and Catrina to meet Mrs. Johnson at the stage door. Both girls looked down at their somewhat raggedy costumes in discontent. Everywhere they looked they saw sequins and beads dangling and nylons with runs. They knew that they came from flat broke households and couldn't afford anything better, but both felt uncomfortably irritated just the same.
The announcer went on... "And now out first little starlet, Miss Lydia!" Reeny swallowed hard. "Ah, its no big deal. If it'll make you feel any better Reeny, I'll show you my number." Reeny's liquid blue eyes lit up. "You would?" she asked. "Sure! I'm singing and dancing to 'Can't Help Loving that Man.' My mom taught me that one." Catrina reveled. "Wow Cat, that's really swell." Said Reeny.
All the while Catrina showed-off for her new friend, a pair of clandestine eyes watched in eerie amusement from across the room.
"Fish gotta swim, Birds gotta fly-" Catrina sang while dancing and skipping in the most crackerjack, up-to-the-beat manner Reeny had ever seen from some one her own age. She couldn't take her eyes off her for a second. "Cat, you're like a professional!" Croaked Reeny mouth agape in awe. "I know." Said Catrina, a look of overweening pride on her face. "But thank you anyway. And like I said Reeny, you're not bad yourself." Reeny began to giggle, and Catrina followed whole-heartedly.
"Oh Catrina, I just remembered I'm still wearing my saddle shoes. I'll go change into my jazzies and be right back." "Ok Reen, I'll be here. Hurry up." Said Catrina sitting herself down in the nearest chair.
As Reeny took off to grab her jazz shoes, a rather intimidating group of girls sauntered towards Catrina from the opposite side of the room.
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Please review..More coming very very soon!