Idina strolled into the rehearsal area where Stephan was just beginning to sit down at the piano. She walked over to the far side of the mahogany piano and started talking.
"So, what are we going to be working on today?"
He paused before answering, arranging the sloppy sheet music on the stand. "I wanted to work on the song where the two witches meet…" He trailed off.
"That's a good song to start out with. It's not the opening, so you don't have to work out how to get the audience's attention, but it's not too inconsequential either," she figured. "I like how you think. Now, the real question is how to portray the feelings of the two witches."
Kristin glided in and threw her bag on the floor. Speaking of witches…thought Idina. Kristin unconsciously fixed her hair as she strode towards them. She placed her hands on the dark brown piano top and looked around the room. Idina stared at her. She may be a brat, but she's not ugly. I mean, look at those eyes. Kristin's head whipped around as if she could read Idina's mind.
"Hi." Kristin said, probably wondering why Idina had been staring at her. Make up a lie, make up a lie…Idina hurriedly thought.
"Hi," she replied back, "I was just admiring your earrings. Where did you get them?"
"Uh- I don't remember. Some little boutique on Sixth Avenue…"
"Oh, that's interesting. I'll have to go there sometime. Maybe you could show me where it is!" She smiled at her. Kristin smiled back. Beautiful…
"Sure, maybe."
Stephan cut into the conversation, "Okay, so today we're going to try to finish the song where the two witches meet. Can both of you sing me some scales so I can get a feel for you vocal ranges?"
Kristin started singing almost at once. Holy crap! Idina thought. Can she sing any higher? Stephan looked at Idina and raised his eyebrows. Idina lifted her hand to her ear, hoping to reduce some of the sound. Kristin took one last breath and belted out a high C. She panted, raising her arms out to her side in that way that most Broadway singers signified that they were done and that the audience could clap now, thank you very much.
Idina gave her a weak smile and looked at Stephan.
"Okay, now it's your turn," he said.
She commenced singing the scales, hoping that she sounded okay. She didn't want to get fired on the first day of the job. Kristin looked over at her. She saw her facial expression change from gloating to one of wonder.
Does she actually like it? I hope so. She didn't understand why, but she knew she wanted this woman's approval. She wanted to make her smile.
Idina stopped singing. It wasn't as tremendous of a finale as Kristin's, she kind of just let her voice fade away. She looked to Kristin, hoping to see that glint of approval in her eyes. Kristin turned away. Idina's face fell.
Stephan relieved the awkward moment by saying, "I think I can guess now what range the song needs to be in. Does anybody have any suggestions for the title? Remember: it's about when the two witches first meet. They hate each other. I was thinking something like Loathing or The first encounter or something like that…"
No one said anything. "Anyone?" he inquired again.
Suddenly, Kristin said, "How about What is this feeling?" She looked at Idina as she said that.
Idina and Stephan exchanged glances.
"That's actually really good," Idina admitted. Kristin smiled, placing one hand on top of the other, looking down to hide the obvious pleasure this comment gave her. Idina beamed.
"So let's get to it!" Stephan exclaimed. They spent the rest of the afternoon singing and laughing while Stephan played the chords.
The lights flickered on as Kristin walked in to her living room. She smiled as she set down her bag and sheet music, remembering the events of the afternoon. She hummed a tune as she ambled into her bedroom to change.
"I guess Elphaba-I mean Idina, God I've got to stop doing that-isn't that bad," she said aloud. "She's definitely rude, and late, and has no respect for personal space, but other than that, she seems okay, I guess."
She laid her fuzzy pink pajama shirt on her bed and started getting undressed. She pulled of her shirt and tossed it into the hamper. All of the sudden, her phone buzzed. She dropped to the floor covering her breasts like they do in the army when crawling under barbed-wire. She had one of those new-fangled camera phones and she was a little bit paranoid that someone might hack into her phone and record her getting undressed. She crawled on her elbows over to her bed and carefully reached up to grab her shirt. Finally, she forced the shirt onto her body, after much wrestling and rolling around on the floor trying to get the shirt over her chest. She jumped up and grabbed her phone.
NEW MESSAGE FROM IDINA:
Oh, that's right; I gave her my number before we left.
Hey do you want to go out to dinner with Taye and me? Nothing formal, we're just going to a little Italian restaurant
"Oh, no thanks, I can't come. I have to sit here and do nothing," she said sarcastically. She didn't type that, though. Instead, she texted:
So sorry, can't come I'm going to dinner with my parents. Thanks anyway.
A few hours later she sprawled out on her couch watching TV when her phone buzzed again. She reached over to the coffee table to pick it up. It was a picture from Idina. She and Taye posed outside of a tiny restaurant, embracing each other in their warm sweaters. The message accompanying it said:
Hope you had fun with your parents! Missed you!
She glanced at the picture again. They looked happy. Kristin felt a twinge in her stomach as she looked at Idina's arms wrapped around this man. There's that feeling again…
She tossed her phone on the ground and went back to watching TV.