CHAPTER 9: Logan

Dear Lewis,

Hey, buddy! How are you? Oh, we got that letter from your dad. You know, the one about your basketball game last week. I just wish I could've been there to see you make the winning basket. I guess this means that your team's on their way to the championship, huh?

Oh, did I tell you that my school's doing Carnival? It's based on this old movie called Lili, but it only has one song in it. I'm in it, and so is Dawn. Do you want to hear about what happened at rehearsal yesterday? Well, when Stacey and Charlie were rehearsing this song called "Humming", three of our castmates were offstage in the wings, doing just that. They reminded me of those three frogs from The Muppets Take Manhattan. Remember when we watched that? Kerry and I were staying with you, and our parents were at the hospital when Hunter was being born.

Anyway, you wouldn't believe what Stacey did. She threw down her script, used some pretty questionable language, as Mom would say, and ran out of the auditorium in tears. I just knew that Mr. Cheney was going to have it in for us...

All through the rest of rehearsal, I not only felt bad for Stacey, but I also couldn't believe what I'd just witnessed. An outburst like that was something I would've expected from Kristy, not Stacey. The one thing that really stuck out in my mind was that she actually swore, not only in front of the little kids, but also Mr. Cheney. And you know, the looks on everyone's faces is one that I don't think any of us will ever forget. I was just glad that rehearsal continued without further incident, but we were all still a little wary. And as for how Mr. Cheney was dealing with it, there was no doubt in my mind that he was pretty upset.

I thought about seeing if Stacey was okay, but after what just happened, I decided it would be best if I stayed out of her way.

The next day at lunch, Jason, Pete, and I were sitting together, and talking about the previous day's rehearsal. Ever since Jason first moved to Stoneybrook, we'd become good friends with each other. Also, I hope he doesn't mind me saying this, but until I met him, I thought I had a thick accent.

"I don't know about you guys, but I never in a million years would've imagined Stacey losing it like that," I said as I took a bite of a chicken ring. The cooks think I'm a hoot, because I call them chicken donuts instead of chicken rings.

"Oh, yeah," Pete agreed, taking a sip of his Yoo-Hoo. "Kristy, sure; Abby, maybe; but never Stacey."

"You know, I wasn't really that surprised, to tell you the truth," Jason said, taking a bite of his apple. He's one of the few people at SMS who's smart enough to pack their lunch. "What surprises me is that Mr. Cheney didn't hear those guys. If he had, he would've been the one to lose it."

Pete and I nodded in agreement. "And just between us, I'm glad I'm not the one in trouble this time," I said.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, taking a sip of tea from his thermos.

"Logan and Alan were sword-fighting backstage during a Peter Pan rehearsal," Pete explained. "When Logan yelled 'Mutiny!', let me tell you, Mr. Cheney was PISSED. He actually kicked Logan out of the play."

"Briefly," I reminded him. To this day, that's one of several things I don't think I'll ever live down. If it were possible to permanently erase a memory from your mind, that would be one of them. Another would be the time I lost track of Johnny Hobart at the health fair, and King, of all people, happened to be the one to find him, then rub my nose in it.

"Wow," Jason said. "Do you think someone will get the boot again?"

"I hope not," I said worriedly. "To be honest with you, though, if Mr. Cheney does decide to kick someone out, it should be Jimmy, Jackie, and David Michael. But don't tell Kristy I said that, because she'll kick my ass."

And knowing her, she would, too.

That afternoon at rehearsal, as soon as everyone had arrived, Mr. Cheney stood up and faced the cast. I think he was wishing he had a beer, a cigarette, or both.

"Okay, kids," he began, very obviously struggling to control his temper. Remember the scene in A Christmas Story when the teacher is lecturing the class after that one kid stuck his tongue to the flagpole? Well, this was sort of like that, only a million times worse. "It's been brought to my attention that some people were acting up during rehearsal yesterday. I'm not going to say who's at fault, because you know who you are. What I will say, however, is this: what you did was absolutely uncalled for. Not only was it distracting to Mr. Drubek, Ms. Halliday, the actors rehearsing onstage, and myself, but it also set a bad example for your fellow actors, as well as any newcomers to this theater. In short, the next person who decides to disrupt rehearsal—well, don't let the door hit you on the way out."

After hearing Mr. Cheney say that, there was no way I was going to step out of line at all this time!

Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but at least the show will go on. And just between you and me, if I were Mr. Cheney, as soon as this play's over, I'd catch the first available flight to Bermuda, because that man is in desperate need of a vacation. I think we all are.

Well, I should go now. Say hi to everybody in Louisville for me, okay?

Your cousin,

Logan

P.S. Dawn says hi.