A/N: THANK YOU THANK YOU for the positive reviews everyone! the-fraulein, Mimi Chica, ChelseaEvans, and Morbid Muse get cookies! (::) I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the first two. Merry Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/Winter Solstice! I'm posting this chapter before I go to SEE RENT as my Christmas present! I leave on Monday, it's going to rock! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!
Snapshots
Chapter 3: Another Show (Maureen)
I'm applying my eyeshadow when Stan, the director, pops his head backstage.
"Guys, people are already starting to come in. Be prepared for another full house, people."
"Stan, we kind of know that this show is going to be packed. It is Halloween, after all. You don't have to keep drilling it into our heads," I answer.
"But Maureen, this is the most packed night, some of you are bound to be nervous, it's our biggest show of the year..." Stan said, looking more nervous by the minute.
"Stan, listen to me. I've been performing in this show with you directing me for a long time, and I know for a fact that on Halloween night, you get more nervous than any of us performing up there. You right now are more nervous than I was the first night I was Janet, and I was a wreck that night. You remember, you were there."
"Of course I remember, Maureen. I almost had to have Kristy- she was the understudy at that time- take over for you at the last minute because you refused to come out of the bathroom, you were so nervous."
"Yes, yes. I don't really want to remember any more of that night, so don't say anything else about it, ok Stan? And please, calm down. We are going to do great, like we always do."
"I know that Maureen, but I always get nervous on the Halloween show, and you know that. What time is it?" he said to himself, looking at his watch. "Oh God, we're behind schedule already, this is not good..." he mumbled, going off into another direction backstage.
Yup, that's Stan all right. He's been my director ever since I started performing in the local cast of The Rocky Horror Show. When I first started off in the cast, which was a long time ago, I was an usherette, but slowly made my way up to playing Janet all the time. It's really, really fun, and ever since I saw the movie I wanted to star in it. Now I'm getting my chance every weekend at midnight. Even though it's great and everything, I sometimes wish that I could just leave this small town and go somewhere. I can't play Janet forever. I've always wanted to go to New York City. I went there once, when I was eleven years old. I went with my grandma, who took me to see a show on Broadway. I honestly don't remember much of it, because I couldn't see the stage for most of the show. I was very short for my age, and wasn't able to see for most of the first act because a very tall person was seated right in front of me. Then- and I remember this very clearly- this very rich, obviously socialite woman who was seated next to us took off her large fur coat and put it on my seat as I was about to sit down. When I sat down on her coat, I could see everything.
"Now you can see Broadway," she said in a very posh voice.
And to this day I can remember that whole day in New York in vivid detail, and when I left on the train to go back to Connecticut, where my grandmother lived, I knew that I would go back there someday.
And here I am. It's so many years since that day and I still haven't made it back yet. And now I'm stuck here, in a small-town theater, performing in The Rocky Horror Show, and it's not like I can suddenly quit, because they need me here. Everyone knows that I'm one of the best ones in the cast. The other females in the cast either are already playing a major role or can't sing whatsoever. Barb, my current understudy, sucks the most. One time I had laryngitis and they put Barb on for me. I heard that Barb was so horrible that night that people were begging for me to come back. And I've been with Stan a long time, and he wouldn't want me to leave. And Stan knows that everyone in the cast is good- but me, I could be great. That's why he's kept me this whole time. Normally he'd let someone else take over, in fact, he was planning on letting Barb do it but after she went on that one time he knew that he would have to stick with me.
"Maureen! Come here, the people are starting to come into the theater! Let's look!" Kristy, who was my best friend and now playing Columbia full-time exclaimed. Kristy had been with Stan and the cast longer than any of us. She and Stan also have had an off-again, on-again relationship over the years. They've gotten pretty heated up together while drunk at the cast parties that Stan routinely throws. The thing is, Kristy is basically the psychotic energy of the cast, and no one wants her to leave, even though she keeps on hinting that she will soon.
"Coming Kristy!" I shouted as we gathered near the only window backstage, where we could see people beginning to line up for the show already.
"God, it's packed. Look at all those people. It's gotten bigger every year I've been here- and I've been here a long time!" Kristy announced. As I was looking at the people in line, my eyes got drawn to two people in particular. They were standing in line together. One of them looked kind of annoying with long blonde hair, but the other one was the one that I was focusing my attention on. He was shorter than the other guy, and was wearing glasses and a striped scarf. I am instantly attracted to him, even though Rick and I just started going steady a couple weeks ago. But this guy is so much hotter than Rick, who was starting to annoy me.
"That one, right there, looks really hot," I said, pointing to him.
"Ooh, Maureen has a crush!" Kristy teased. "But aren't you already with Rick?"
"Who cares about Rick? This one is better."
"That's exactly what you said when you dumped Freddy for Rick, Maureen. But this new one is certainly attractive."
"What? Don't tell me you like him too!"
"It's hard not to, Maureen. But I'll let you have him, if you want, just this once, ok? I hope Rick isn't too disappointed. Stan'll have a fit if he catches me with someone other than him, besides."
"Is he still attracted to you?"
"Of course he is, I'm the one that's not. The only reason I got into this show in the first place was because of him."
"Kristy, that's not true. You can sing better than I can."
"Ha! You know that's not true, Maureen. You're lying through your teeth. You're better than all the rest of us, me included. Stan won't let you leave because Barb sounds like crap and Sue gets nervous every time she sets foot on the stage! If we hadn't been together before, he would've found a replacement for me ages ago."
"Kristy, if we both didn't have to go onstage soon, I would feel free to debate you on that point, but we all know how freaked out Stan can get about the Halloween show. Let's go." As I walked away from the window, I collided with Marty, who would be playing Brad tonight. He's such a klutz, onstage and off.
"Gosh Maureen, sorry. I really didn't mean to run into you like that, I was just...sorry." Marty's a sweet kid. He's a lot younger than I am, but is really talented, actually. I think he actually has a small crush on me, which works really well when we're onstage, but I definitely wouldn't want to pursue anything with him offstage at all.
"Five minutes, that's right, five minutes till showtime folks. Get ready, get ready. Everyone, places. Carol, please come here and stop spraying that hairspray on. Your hair is absolutely fine, I promise you. Vivian, get down there where you need to be for the first song.
Yup, another weekend, another midnight, and yet another show. Same as always, except it's Halloween, and we have a bigger crowd than ever. Carol goes overboard with her Magenta hair. Vivian is nervous, as this is her first Halloween show. It's perfectly normal and yet the energy around the cast is different because it's Halloween. And now all I have on my mind is that guy I saw. I want to meet him after the show, if I can. He doesn't look like the type of guy who has a girlfriend, but you never know. And even if he is single, I'll probably never see him after this night. Figures.
"One minute, people, one minute, do you hear me, I everyone in their places now!"
As I hear the opening bars for "Science Fiction Double Feature" I begin to mouth the words along with the audience.
"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, God said 'Let there be lips', and there were. And they were good."
And then I hear Vivian began to sing the music. Another weekend, another show.
As soon as I make my first entrance, I see my "crush" sitting in the front row. How he got front row seats, I'll never know. Those things are hard to get. I usually try to stare at someone when I sing my songs-it helps me to focus- and all through "Toucha Toucha Toucha Touch Me" I was looking at him. I really wanted to see him again, maybe after the show, but Rick was planning to meet me to, if he wasn't out partying again. Rick usually tries to see me in the shows, but he usually never remembers because he's drunk off his ass. He knows how much being in the show means to me, though, so he tries to make it when he can. Knowing him, he'll probably show up today and find me before I have a chance to talk to my crush. Figures.
After the show, Kristy runs up to me, hyper as usual.
"Did you see him?" I asked her.
"Who?"
"You know, that hot guy I saw before the show with you!"
"The one you were staring at in the front row?"
"Was it that noticeable?"
"Um, yeah. Everyone could see it. You should see if you could meet him after the show."
"No. For one thing, Rick is supposed to meet me after the show-"
"He never does, Maureen. You know that."
"Well, he's probably got a girlfriend, besides."
"Which you won't know unless you talk to him. Come on, let's go."
After we finished getting out of our costumes and makeup, Kristy and I set off to find the guy. I was hoping that we wouldn't find him, but we caught him just as he was about to step out of the theater. Kristy practically had to push me into him to get me to talk to him.
"Um, hi. I'm Maureen, I played Janet in the show." Why was I so nervous? Normally I'm not nervous around guys at all, but as I was talking to this guy, I swear my heart was beating out of my chest.
"I'm Mark. You did a good job." Mark. Now I have a name to my mysterious crush. Nice name.
"Do you...live around here?" I asked. I must sound like such a dork. I shouldn't have even tried.
"No, actually. Me and Roger here were going down to visit my parents. I live in a loft in New York City, and Roger's my roommate," Mark said, gesturing towards Roger, who muttered a hello to me.
Great. He doesn't even live around here. Kristy was right, I'll never see him again.
"So, boys, me and Maureen were thinking of stopping for a little after-midnight snack after the show. You want to go with us?" Kristy asked. I hadn't even realized that she was still here, but she sure got me out of an awkward situation.
"Sure. You know any places here that are open at this hour?" Mark asked.
"I know of some," I replied.
And as I looked into Mark's eyes, and he looked into mine, I realized that tonight was not just another show.
