Remember the Thespians
Summary: Alexandria, Virginia, 1971. When the schools integrate, the football team must come together despite racial tensions. Just like the rest of the school. The drama club at TC fusses, fights, protests and puts on a show. Love clubs, fist fights, and insane twists on Shakespeare will have you remembering the thespians!
Disclaimer: TC and the Titans along with any other piece of information you may recognize, I do not own. Any new material not mentioned in the film is most likely mine.
Chapter One, Busing
The school was a mess. And it was only the first day. The angry mob of parents out front screamed their slogans and opinions at anyone who would listen, including the policemen who had been summoned to control them. Students of both races milled about on the grounds and sidewalk, chattering about the day's excitement and glaring at their peers of a different skin tone.
In the crowd, Siddalee Chasseur stood on or as close to the front steps as she could manage in the riot that was forming on the school grounds. This was a mess. She shook her head as if to clear it, her dark curls bouncing around her pale face. This day was already too long and it had barely started. And where was everyone? Everyone of value anyway.
"Hey-a Sidda-bug! Having a marvelous first day of school?" She knew that drawl. Obi.
"As good as can be expected." She turned to face her friend. Obadiah Masterson was a tall lanky boy, dressed much like the rest of the male population on the school grounds in a polo shirt and tan slacks. His reddish hair was unusually long, covering his ears and hanging in his cheerful green eyes.
"And what did you expect, Siddy m'dear?" He asked.
"To be quite honest, I'm not sure," She admitted, shrugging. Obi laughed.
"It does help when one has no expectations to begin with. Now, shall we join our peers in the ever popular discussion of the current rioting in front of our beloved school?" He asked, surveying the chaotic mass of students, parents and policemen around them.
"Why not?" Sidda laughed too.
"Excellent! So, tell. Are your dear parents down there with picket signs?" Obi asked.
"You think they'd care? Nah, Daddy's in Richmond on business and Mama's having a bad day. Why'd you ask? Is your mama down there?" She nodded.
"What? My mother? Mom really could care less. But I did see Mrs. Ellington driving in with a few banners this morning," Sidda laughed again.
"Really?"
"Yup," Obi nodded, suddenly grim, "Poor Chris. The humiliation he must be enduring. Plan on adding to it?" He was smiling again.
"Of course! What type of friends would we be if we didn't harass him for the rather hysterical antics of his mother?" Sidda agreed.
"No type of friend at all! We'd just be acquaintances!" Obi nodded seriously. "And now, to business!"
"Business?"
"Indeed. What do you think is the likelihood of the school board extending our summer vacation and sending us back to Hammond?" Obi asked. He wasn't smiling anymore.
"With this mess, I'd say it's about a 60-40 shot," Sidda's own smile had vanished too.
"Explain,"
"Well, with the rioting, they'll want to send us back, but then they'll look like fools to the rest of the state and cause more rioting among the families of the black students," Sidda explained. Obi nodded at her reasoning.
"You actually took the time to work that out didn't you?" He teased, grinning and pinching at one of her cheeks.
"What's wrong with that?" She protested.
"Nothing whatsoever, but it's rather amusing that you'd actually take the time to work out statistics on the probability of a school cancellation,"
"It wasn't a statistic, it was an estimate," Sidda whined.
"No matter," Obi waved her off, "You're taking show choir this year?"
"What kind of a question is that? Of course I'm taking choir,"
"And drama?"
"Don't be stupid,"
"Good. Make sure to remind Mrs. Kindely to schedule a proper club meeting. There's bound to be a few kids from GW that'll join. We could do with a few new members," Obi said cheerfully. Sidda's smile faltered, not enough to be noticed, but faltered never the less. Obi was right of course, there were bound to be a few students from GW that would want to join the new drama club at TC. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. While Obi may have grown up in New York where no one really cared about skin tone, Sidda hadn't. In Alexandria, there was no race mixing. Ever. Even with the drama club.
There we go. Chapter one. Not the best of chapter, I know, but defiantly better than my prologue. I would like to thank my reviewers who are so supportive of my plot line though! Thank you! You guys are awesome! I'll do my best to come up with something interesting for chapter two. Ta!
-Tam