Chapter 16: When The Going Gets Tough
"That's it, your going to doctor and I'm calling J.T. there's no way you can be in DD." Craig said while pulling the thermometer out of Ashley's mouth.
"I'm fine it's probably just a cold it will be over in a few days." Ashley said in a hoarse voice.
"Ash, your voice sounds deeper then mine."
"Haha." Ash feigned laughter before coughing. "I'm fine, it will go away just make sure you answer the door when..." Ashley tried to clear her throat and talk but nothing came out.
"Ash, what did you say?"
Ashley tried to talk but nothing came out.
"Ash, this isn't funny." Craig gave Ashley a frustrated look. "OK I know I was being mean with the whole you sound like me thing but you don't have to mock me by not talking at all."
Ashley tapped Craig on his shoulder and started to mime the best way she could since she didn't have a voice or very little of it.
"Oh no, this can't be." Craig looked at Ashley who was waving her hands hysterically. "OK can you not say anything at all." Ashley tried but only a few little sounds came out before she shook her head to say no. "OK this is find we only have one more week until opening night this is great I'm fine were fine. Maybe it's just the flu.
Ashley grabbed a pen and a note pad and started writing. "I think it's more then that. I think I might have laryngitis."
Craig looked at Ashley's note. "Don't be serious it will all blow over."
Ash started to shake her head before writing on her note pad again. "I am being serious. Craig, I don't think I can do DD." Ash wrote before putting her head on her pillow.
"That's what I was afraid of." Craig then picked up the phone. "I guess I have no choice we have to drop out of the play.
"What!" J.T. exclaimed over the phone. "You can't do this we only have a few days until opening night omitting your part just wouldn't' go with the flow of DD at all it's almost impossible! Not to mention besides Jimmy your the best electric guitar player around. Your needed for most of the background music as well if you haven't forgotten!"
"How about I put it all on midi file." Craig answered.
"It will sound too eerie not to mention fake. I need live music the directors want live music not badly computer generated sounds!"
"Sorry, J.T. what do you want me to do?" Craig said while holding the ear piece of the phone away from his ear. He didn't think J.T. would be such a screamer when he gets angry.
"Well for starters you could maybe stay in DD it's Ashley whose sick not you."
"Whose on the phone?" Liberty asked as she walked into J.T.'s living room.
J.T. put his hand over the receiver of the phone. "It's Craig and it's not good news." Liberty made a sour expression before J.T. got back on the phone. "Look Craig, I'm sure you can talk with Ashley she won't mind if we got a replacement for her part."
Craig got up from Ashley's bed and started walking out of her room. "I don't think that's a good idea." Craig whispered.
"Why not, it's not like Ashley wouldn't understand she knew this might happen that's why we have standbys although Heather Sinclair sounds awful singing the songs Ashley picked not to mention a few others we have no choice."
"It's not that, you know me and Ashley kiss after our duet. I don't think she'll like it if I kissed Heather or anyone else for that matter."
"Fine how about if me and Liberty omit that part and change a couple of things, would that be better. Just think about it and then call me back with your final answer. J.T. said before putting the phone down.
"Well I guess were out of an actor and actress." Liberty said.
"Not likely." J.T. said before getting up to and grabbing the script. "I'm going to make some changes."
"What were you thinking." Mr Isaacs said to Toby as he walked into the police station commissioner office and saw Toby sitting in a chair by the officer.
"I told you I thought I heard whining noises in the car." Toby said while looking down at the lime green linoleum floor.
"Hello I'm Commissioner George your Mr Isaacs I presume." The Commissioner got up and shook Mr. Isaacs hands.
"Yes, I'm Mr. Isaacs and this is my fiancé Kate. What has my son done?"
"Please have a seat." Mr Isaacs and Kate sat down before the commissioner took his seat. "Your son claims that he went inside a parking lot to rescue a dog he assumed was locked inside a car."
"It was but I think it ran away because it wasn't there." Toby replied.
The officer started to open up a brown folder and read from it. "Officer Tinily, my employee who apprehended Tobias stated that he was doing his daily rounds of watching the lot while Lee Ali James, that's the security officer who works for the private parking lot, went out for his daily break. When he showed up he saw your son on the drivers side of the vehicle tinkering with wires and calling out some name, Jay. The officer looked up at Mr Isaacs and Kate. "Your son states that was the name he gave to the dog but I think it was an accomplice because the passenger side was also broken into. Do you know anyone by the name of Jay?"
"No, the only one of his friends that I know with a name that sounds like Jay is his friend James or J.T. as he calls him." Mr Issac said before looking at his fiancé. "Kate?"
"I don't know anyone with that name." Kate answered before turning to the officer. "Surely it can't be J.T. he's a good boy just like Toby is, Commissioner George this has to be some mistake."
"Sorry ma'am my officers are pretty sure when it comes to these matters. Your son might be a good boy but what he did today wasn't very nice." The Commissioner opened the folder again. "In fact he's looking to spending six months to a year in juvenile facility even though this looks like it is his first time offense.
"Commissioner George." A young female officer came into the commissioner's office. "There's a phone call for you on line three."
"Can't you see I'm busy, have Doris take a message."
"It seems to be urgent."
"Fine." The commissioner picked up the phone and apologized to Mr Isaacs before pushing the transfer button. "Hello. Umm yes. I see. Are you sure? OK, then. Thank you, bye." The commissioner put the phone back into it's cradle. "It seems the owner of the vehicle decided not to press any charges and that nothing seems to be missing from his vehicle. The loose wires he claim were just a couple of wires that the mechanics were planning on fixing later on this week."
"So I'm free to go?" Toby asked in a eager voice.
"Yes, young man looks like you are. The commissioner smiled before getting up to shake Mr Isaacs hand again.
"Thank you commissioner." Mr Isaacs replied before leaving with Kate and Toby holding his son closely by him.
"No computer or tv for you young man for a week." Mr Isaacs said to Toby before getting out of the car. You should be happy we're not sending you to Military school for this little stunt."
"Emma." Kate said as she saw Emma walking up to their house.
"Hi, I was here to see Toby." Emma said with a smile.
"Now's not the best time." Toby said through gritted teeth.
"I know." Emma replied. " Mr. Isaacs, Mrs. Kerwin is it ok if I had a word with Toby. I swear it won't take that long."
"OK, but make it quick this might be the last time you speak to Toby in this house for a while now." Mr Isaacs said before he and Kate went inside.
"It was Jay wasn't it?" Emma asked Toby who seem to be staring at a nearby bush. "Well aren't you going to say anything?"
"What do you want me to say?" Toby looked at Emma. "You were right and I was wrong for once. I already knew there wasn't any guarantee that we wouldn't get caught. It's just weird that the owner didn't press charges. He knows that we broke into his car. I just can't believe that wuss Jay ran off leaving me with the blame."
" I and a few other people could have told you Jay wouldn't stick around if something went wrong. You could have ruin your life. Why did you do it Toby?"
"I don't know. Maybe because I felt like it, you know the same reason you felt like hooking up with Jay. I wanted to do something reckless. I was getting tired as being known as Toby the geek, Toby the brain or Toby the loser or Toby the friend of a psycho."
"That's not true, your none of those things"
"Then tell me the reason why everyone has been ignoring me?" Toby looked Emma dead in her eyes before she looked away. "Exactly."
Toby walked away before Emma grabbed him by the arm."Toby, wait!"
"Let, go of me!" Toby released his arm from Emma's grip before he felt his hand slapping Emma's face."Oh, no I'm, Emma I didn't mean to."
"I have to go." Emma replied while holding her hand over her face and walking as fast as she could to her house.