Mark's cell phone rang. He answered it quickly, afraid that the noise had
disturbed the others at the restaurant.
"Yes? This is he... Danielle? Really? Then who'll play...? Are you serious? I'll tell her... No, she didn't eat with me today... One of her friends threw her a party... I'll tell her at the stage door... She'll be thrilled! Thanks... Oh, I'm positive she can... no, she's been watching Danielle... most likely... Thanks so much! Thank you... bye."
He pocketed the phone.
Mark and Nina had eaten dinner together after every noon show since the day Diana had broken her arm. Today, however, one of Nina's crazy childhood friends had seen her as Fantine for the first time and was throwing her a party. Because the party was in her honor, Nina had reluctantly decided to attend instead of joining Mark at the café.
Mark paid his bill and left the restaurant. When he arrived at the stage door, he sat on the curb and waited for Nina. Pulling the cell phone back out of his pocket, he changed the ring tone from "I Dreamed A Dream" to "On My Own."
As he was waiting, Mark became aware of two girls standing on the corner with their back to him. He could not help but laugh when he saw their outfits. One had a red shirt with a picture of Lea Salonga as Eponine on the back, and underneath, the words "Her name was Eponine. Her life was cold and dark, yet she was unafraid." The other wore a blue shirt with Philip Quast as Javert. "Stars, in your multitudes, scarce to be counted, filling the darkness with order and light!" was printed below. And if these homemade shirts weren't enough, they had red, white, and blue rosettes (also clearly handmade) and red ribbons in their hair. They wore a number of red and black bracelets, and, to complete the ensemble, each had a red, white, and blue sash tied around her waist.
The girls – one with long, straight hair and the other with curls – clutched playbills in their hands and seemed to be looking for someone. Mark cleared his throat. "Can I help you?"
They both spun around, and the color drained from the longhaired one's face just as quickly as it rushed to the curly haired girl's.
"Oh... my... gosh! You're Enjolras! Wow! It's Enjy, Em!"
The curly haired girl remained silent, her eyes wide.
"We're waiting for my uncle... I think his car got towed. Can we have your autograph?" the straight-haired girl bubbled, holding out her playbill.
Mark smiled and took the program and the pen the other girl was holding out for him. He noticed that nearly everyone else in the cast had signed the cover. "Uh... how long have you girls been out here?"
Again the longhaired one spoke. "We saw the afternoon show."
"And you've been out here ever since?"
Both nodded.
"Wow. That's gotta be... two hours."
"Two hours, twenty-three minutes, and fourteen... fifteen... sixteen... seventeen... eighteen-"
"Quit, Erin!" the curly-haired girl finally spoke.
"But who's counting?" Erin laughed.
Mark smiled as he signed the other playbill. He looked over the other autographs. "Were you waiting for somebody in particular?"
"Well," Erin sighed. "Eponine left right after the show, and we didn't get her autograph."
"Danielle?"
"Yeah."
"Let me tell you something, girls. I just heard that Danielle quit. She's gone back to Miss Saigon."
"What?" the girl called Em asked.
"Oh! We're gonna see that next month!" Erin exclaimed.
Em frowned. "But who'll be Eponine?"
"I will!"
Mark laughed. "Sorry, it's already been given to a good friend of mine – Nina... she played Fantine."
"Oh, that'll be awesome! She was better than... I dunno, but I think I can actually say she was better than Ruthie Henshall was! And Ruthie's the best Fantine ever!"
"Erin!" Em sighed, rolling her eyes. "She couldn't be /better/ than the best Fantine ever."
"Okay then, she WAS the best Fantine ever... Oh... that's hard for me to say. Ruthie's been my favorite Fantine for years..."
Mark was a little confused. "So..."
"So your friend Nina is... she's my new favorite Fantine. Sorry Ruthie! You're still second!" Erin shouted into the air.
"Erin... you're acting stupid."
"Am I?"
"Well... you're acting like yourself."
"Gee, thanks."
A white van pulled up as she spoke.
"Oh, good!" Erin sighed. "They got it back. Thank you, sir! Can you tell Fantine that she's awesome? We didn't see her either."
"Sure," Mark smiled. He waved to them as they drove away.
So Nina was better than the best Fantine ever. It was clear that she identified more with Eponine – loving a man who didn't love her back. He couldn't wait to see what she'd do with the role.
Mark sighed. He was something of an Eponine himself, come to think of it. He and Nina were great friends now, but he knew that that was all they were. Nina's gaze still flicked to Scott when he walked into the room.
He went over the lyrics to "On My Own" in his head, thinking about how they fit his life. "Well," Mark said aloud, "when they make the gender-reversed Les Misérables I'll try out for Eponine. And Nina can be Marius..."
Mark leaned back against the theater wall, waiting for the rest of the cast – mostly for Nina. It was getting dark.
A/N- Ooh... darkness... is it an ominous warning? Is it a sign of bad things to come? Is it the sun revolving around the earth? (Pick that one!) Yeah... Oh, by the way, those girls were me and Emma. I woulda used her whole name, but I already did in my blackmail chapter (which didn't work). Emma... I would say something to you, but I don't believe in cursing. Basically... review my fics it! Yes, I swear by the stars.
I just tried out for musical theatre class! I doubt I made it, but I wasn't TOO bad. My dancing was HORRIBLE, and my scene was okay. My a cappella solo was good. YAY GOOD! Even worse, my stalkee (Squishy my love!) was there with a camera, taping the whole thing. Anyway...
Forseti- Ah yes... So many issues in one story. The sequel and threquel are even worse.
TaRe-ChiBi- One would think, yet Mark is so much cuter...
eponine-meliara- It is, isn't it? Yes, insanity abounds in my little trilogy.
Elyse3- Nope. Good shot. It is a distorted version, but it'll be really obvious what I'm doing in... ah... two chapters.
Andi;;- Yeah, Scott reminds me of Marius... I wonder why. Oh, I think I just broke my space bar... not good.
Mlle. Verity le Virago- That's what I said. Scott is a loser. But he's a very hot loser... so...
RoseMisre- Just feel sorry for them all. That's what I do.
La Pamplemousse- She acts like it, doesn't she? I must say, that's the end of her in this story. In THIS story, not the sequel or threquel...although she isn't MUCH in the sequel, she's very important to the threquel. I should shut up now.
SORRY none of these were very long. I broke the space bar and it's getting very difficult to press. Slowing... me... down...
"Yes? This is he... Danielle? Really? Then who'll play...? Are you serious? I'll tell her... No, she didn't eat with me today... One of her friends threw her a party... I'll tell her at the stage door... She'll be thrilled! Thanks... Oh, I'm positive she can... no, she's been watching Danielle... most likely... Thanks so much! Thank you... bye."
He pocketed the phone.
Mark and Nina had eaten dinner together after every noon show since the day Diana had broken her arm. Today, however, one of Nina's crazy childhood friends had seen her as Fantine for the first time and was throwing her a party. Because the party was in her honor, Nina had reluctantly decided to attend instead of joining Mark at the café.
Mark paid his bill and left the restaurant. When he arrived at the stage door, he sat on the curb and waited for Nina. Pulling the cell phone back out of his pocket, he changed the ring tone from "I Dreamed A Dream" to "On My Own."
As he was waiting, Mark became aware of two girls standing on the corner with their back to him. He could not help but laugh when he saw their outfits. One had a red shirt with a picture of Lea Salonga as Eponine on the back, and underneath, the words "Her name was Eponine. Her life was cold and dark, yet she was unafraid." The other wore a blue shirt with Philip Quast as Javert. "Stars, in your multitudes, scarce to be counted, filling the darkness with order and light!" was printed below. And if these homemade shirts weren't enough, they had red, white, and blue rosettes (also clearly handmade) and red ribbons in their hair. They wore a number of red and black bracelets, and, to complete the ensemble, each had a red, white, and blue sash tied around her waist.
The girls – one with long, straight hair and the other with curls – clutched playbills in their hands and seemed to be looking for someone. Mark cleared his throat. "Can I help you?"
They both spun around, and the color drained from the longhaired one's face just as quickly as it rushed to the curly haired girl's.
"Oh... my... gosh! You're Enjolras! Wow! It's Enjy, Em!"
The curly haired girl remained silent, her eyes wide.
"We're waiting for my uncle... I think his car got towed. Can we have your autograph?" the straight-haired girl bubbled, holding out her playbill.
Mark smiled and took the program and the pen the other girl was holding out for him. He noticed that nearly everyone else in the cast had signed the cover. "Uh... how long have you girls been out here?"
Again the longhaired one spoke. "We saw the afternoon show."
"And you've been out here ever since?"
Both nodded.
"Wow. That's gotta be... two hours."
"Two hours, twenty-three minutes, and fourteen... fifteen... sixteen... seventeen... eighteen-"
"Quit, Erin!" the curly-haired girl finally spoke.
"But who's counting?" Erin laughed.
Mark smiled as he signed the other playbill. He looked over the other autographs. "Were you waiting for somebody in particular?"
"Well," Erin sighed. "Eponine left right after the show, and we didn't get her autograph."
"Danielle?"
"Yeah."
"Let me tell you something, girls. I just heard that Danielle quit. She's gone back to Miss Saigon."
"What?" the girl called Em asked.
"Oh! We're gonna see that next month!" Erin exclaimed.
Em frowned. "But who'll be Eponine?"
"I will!"
Mark laughed. "Sorry, it's already been given to a good friend of mine – Nina... she played Fantine."
"Oh, that'll be awesome! She was better than... I dunno, but I think I can actually say she was better than Ruthie Henshall was! And Ruthie's the best Fantine ever!"
"Erin!" Em sighed, rolling her eyes. "She couldn't be /better/ than the best Fantine ever."
"Okay then, she WAS the best Fantine ever... Oh... that's hard for me to say. Ruthie's been my favorite Fantine for years..."
Mark was a little confused. "So..."
"So your friend Nina is... she's my new favorite Fantine. Sorry Ruthie! You're still second!" Erin shouted into the air.
"Erin... you're acting stupid."
"Am I?"
"Well... you're acting like yourself."
"Gee, thanks."
A white van pulled up as she spoke.
"Oh, good!" Erin sighed. "They got it back. Thank you, sir! Can you tell Fantine that she's awesome? We didn't see her either."
"Sure," Mark smiled. He waved to them as they drove away.
So Nina was better than the best Fantine ever. It was clear that she identified more with Eponine – loving a man who didn't love her back. He couldn't wait to see what she'd do with the role.
Mark sighed. He was something of an Eponine himself, come to think of it. He and Nina were great friends now, but he knew that that was all they were. Nina's gaze still flicked to Scott when he walked into the room.
He went over the lyrics to "On My Own" in his head, thinking about how they fit his life. "Well," Mark said aloud, "when they make the gender-reversed Les Misérables I'll try out for Eponine. And Nina can be Marius..."
Mark leaned back against the theater wall, waiting for the rest of the cast – mostly for Nina. It was getting dark.
A/N- Ooh... darkness... is it an ominous warning? Is it a sign of bad things to come? Is it the sun revolving around the earth? (Pick that one!) Yeah... Oh, by the way, those girls were me and Emma. I woulda used her whole name, but I already did in my blackmail chapter (which didn't work). Emma... I would say something to you, but I don't believe in cursing. Basically... review my fics it! Yes, I swear by the stars.
I just tried out for musical theatre class! I doubt I made it, but I wasn't TOO bad. My dancing was HORRIBLE, and my scene was okay. My a cappella solo was good. YAY GOOD! Even worse, my stalkee (Squishy my love!) was there with a camera, taping the whole thing. Anyway...
Forseti- Ah yes... So many issues in one story. The sequel and threquel are even worse.
TaRe-ChiBi- One would think, yet Mark is so much cuter...
eponine-meliara- It is, isn't it? Yes, insanity abounds in my little trilogy.
Elyse3- Nope. Good shot. It is a distorted version, but it'll be really obvious what I'm doing in... ah... two chapters.
Andi;;- Yeah, Scott reminds me of Marius... I wonder why. Oh, I think I just broke my space bar... not good.
Mlle. Verity le Virago- That's what I said. Scott is a loser. But he's a very hot loser... so...
RoseMisre- Just feel sorry for them all. That's what I do.
La Pamplemousse- She acts like it, doesn't she? I must say, that's the end of her in this story. In THIS story, not the sequel or threquel...although she isn't MUCH in the sequel, she's very important to the threquel. I should shut up now.
SORRY none of these were very long. I broke the space bar and it's getting very difficult to press. Slowing... me... down...