the second act
Disclaimer: I do not own the movie 'Sing' or it's characters.
Chapter 7,
Ash insisted on taking a bus to the theater, against Moon's warnings, but she had to get away from him. She could handle her feelings pretty well when she only saw him at work, but she nearly died when she saw him asleep on het couch.
It almost felt like last night was all a dream. Buster carrying her with his strong arms and being so careful and protective when he put her to bed.
She enjoyed the sounds of the bus. The chatter of the people around her, the quiet buzz of the engine, and the sound of the radio station the bus driver put on. Ash even loved the feeling of the road. Placing her feet firmly on the ground so she could feel every nook, cranny, and bump, and it simply made her smile. When she got to the theater, she was surprised to see that everyone was waiting for Buster to show up. She would have bet a million dollars that he would have beaten her here.
"Oh, hi Johnny." Ash said when she saw him walking up to her.
"Hey, Ash. Mrs. Crawley really wants me to do a duet, a romantic one. And I thought maybe you could do the duet with me and play your guitar." Johnny said and Ash looked down and to the left.
"But aren't you worried about those rumors?" Ash asked looking at him and he looked a little nervous.
"Well a little, but Mrs. Crawley thought that if we indulge the... Uh... Reporters, then we may get more ratings for the theater." Johnny said and Ash blushed.
"Wait are you asking me to pretend to date you?" Ash asked and Johnny's eyes widened.
"No, of course not. But I would like to do the song with you. Surely we can find something to balance the sound of a piano and a guitar." Johnny said and Ash laughed.
"Ok, well, what is the song she wanta to do?" Ash asked and Johnny rolled his eyes.
"Well she is pretty stuck on 'Don't go breaking my heart.' and '(I've had) the time of my life'. Honestly I would rather play 'Don't stop believing' because it seem like the perfect way to describe our attitudes."Johnny said and Ash nodded.
"You're right, but when does she expect you to perform this song?" Ash asked and Johnny shrugged.
"I think she said the end of the month." Johnny said and Ash chuckled.
"Well, I'm just going to say maybe, because I am not singing 'The time of my life.' on stage." Ash said and Johnny gave her a thumbs up and walked away. Ash walked into her rehearsal space and closed the door behind her.
She wondered what happened to Moon. Surely her stalker hadn't come back and done something to him. But what if the stalker did? Would the stalker be afraid of Moon? Would he hurt Buster, or worse kill him? Poor Moon.
All he wanted to do was help Ash, and make her feel better. If she hadn't called him then he would hehere now, probably scolding her for not giving the audience an encore last friday. Of course she would rather be scolded then panacking about his safety. She was starting to understand why Moon insisted on staying the night with her. Because he felt as worried as she felt right now. Granted it probably wasn't the same.
Ash really cared about Moon, and even though they were friends, her worry came from a more emotional role. A role in which she truely believed that Moon would never play. When Moon looked at her, he only saw a friend and a performer. How on earth would he see a girl craving his attention? She decided to go ahead and call Moon, but after three rings, the phone went to voice mail and Ash's heart really began to race.
What if he got into a car accident on the way here? What if he got carjacked? This city has been full of crime, especially since Johnny's dad got arrested. It seems as if everyone was trying to take his place as king of crime, or whatever. Maybe Moon had to go see his girlfriend. But if he had a girlfriend why would he need me to set him up? Maybe she is a secret no one can know about because she wants to stay out of the spotlight. Of course, if you date a guy in the spotlight, you should prepare to at least be in the glow. But maybe Moon likes the fact that she wants to stay out of the light. That means that she really likes him for him and not his fame.
Ash called Buster again; three rings, voicemail, and Ash groaned. Or maybe he hates her. Only spending time with her in order to keep her in the show. If he only cared about her for her voice the she may just break down and cry.
Ever since her audition with Lance, Moon had this way of surprising het. He only wanted Ash in his performance,he admitted to not understanding something,and he called her a natural when she was being sarcastic and a tad rude. Ash smiled briefly when she remembered Moon dancing. He chose to use the most predictable moves and asked her to try and dance. She really expected him to get mad and say something like 'you're doing it wrong' 'stop being sarcastic' 'take this seriously' or something with a bit more crudeness.
Instead he complemented her, which surprises her till this day. Although it makes more sense if he was kind in order to keep her in the show. No, that can't be true. Moon was the firstperson in her life to make her feel wanted. Sure she dated Lance, but she was far from surprised when she started cheating on her.
Lance always carried himself that way. As if he could disappear tomorrow,not be back for a week, show hp one morning and expect a meal fresh and waiting for him. Ash use to think that was mysterious and a bit rock-and-roll,but after a yearof dealing with him, she really got hurt by this behavior. Always staying home, keeping the fort clean, and money in the bank. Maybe that's whyshe thought Lance would be faithful to her.
Ash shook her head to erase her thoughts and decided that she would call Moon one last time before going to the others to sound that alarm. After all, if something did happen to him, then they reallt needed to find him. The phone rang three times, and this time someone answered.
"Hello, Buster Moon's phone. How can I help you?" A woman using a very proper tone said and Ash's heart dropped. Buster was with another women. Probably a nice and gentle koala who won't let Buster go.
"Oh, uh, well, my name is Ash and-"
"Buster, do you know someone with the name 'Ash'?" the woman asked and Ash tried to hear Buster's response, but it was hard to hear.
"Yes, she... Theater... Guitar... Her."
"Goodness. Well she is on the phone."
"... Ask... Wanted..."
"No, but I'm not some silly secretary." The woman said and Ash glared at her phone. She couldn't believe that Moon wanted to date such a grouchy character.
"Why are you calling?" The woman asked distastefully.
"I was just wondering where Moon was and if he was ok." Ash said and she mentally slapped herself for revealing too much information.
"My dear, I can answer that without even asking him."
"What... Doing?"
"First, he went to a dirty police department, and- oh, yes it was dirty, wake up and smell the crumpets. Anyways, he went down there to update or check on some file and he came and picked me up. Said something about wanting my help to write a new play." The woman said and Ash blinked.
"A play?" Ash asked and she heard a snobish laughter.
"Yes, a little play about Buster's father, and of course who would be better to help then his own mother?" She said.
"You're his mother?" Ash asked with a smile.
"Of course, who did you think I was?"