A/N: The busy season has officially started at work, which will be from now until the end of the year. My output may shrink down to once a week. I am actually writing the last handful of chapters simultaneously because I want them to be the best they can possibly be. I'm super excited to begin the new story for you guys. I've done a crazy amount of research and reparation. Just need to revisit the story structure and consider HOW I want to tell the narrative.
"He stopped, he stopped, he stopped!" exclaimed Neil.
Chase slammed on the brakes, causing him and his fellow passengers to heave forward despite all of them being buckled in. Lauren was clutching both headrests from the backseat, eyes wide.
"H-h-how ww-w-was t-that?" the boy stammered.
His uncle breathed sharply and turned from the passenger side.
"You're my nephew and I love you, but boy you NEED to relax!"
Chase looked down and noticed his fingers gripping the steering wheel like he was going to tear it in half with his bare hands. The teen exhaled and softened his grasp. When the light turned green and the car ahead of him crawled into drive, he gently released his foot from the brake. The car began to coast forward.
"Good," Neil sighed. "Now, let's judge what's in front of us. We've got a good distance from the other vehicle and looking to the next intersection, the light just turned green, so lightly tap on the gas. We want to increase our speed from a crawl, not floor it."
"Got it," Chase nodded and followed accordingly. The car went from a conservative 5 to a sensible 15 mph.
Neil was acting as Chase's second pair of eyes as he drove. This part of town, a jaywalking pedestrian could just come out of nowhere. He had been teaching him some of the basics and with only a learner's permit, he couldn't do any driving without him present anyway. Some days were better than others, especially when Chase chilled out and didn't panic. They've been practicing mostly in empty parking lots with a few scant occasions actually taking it out on the road.
(Will I let him go on the freeway? HELL NO!)
Since today was the first time Lauren and the rest of the cast and crew were to report to the "new" location, in a moment of soft lucidity Neil thought why not drive while Lauren gave directions.
(I mean, he is her boyfriend. Must be used to listening to instructions, right?)
"IT'S HERE!" Lauren pointed excitedly to the old-looking building with many familiar faces crowded in the front.
This time, Chase slowed down to a stop much to everyone else's relief.
"Good job, babe!" she smiled with a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks," he blushed.
"Why don't you go ahead?" suggested Neil. "We'll figure out the parking situation."
Lauren thanked them and got out to join the others.
Neil looked around and could only see parallel parking from his view. There was a parking structure, but the entrance was closed.
"Okay, switch!"
Chase nodded and unbuckled his seat belt so him and Neil could change places. Parallel parking is still the white whale of many new drivers. The man settled into parking mode as naturally as a kid jumping back on a bike after weeks of not riding. The teenager was stunned at how effortless Neil executed this task, the repetitious pulling forward and backing up, the subtle turns of the wheel, until he was nestled between a car and a truck with plenty of room to get out.
"How do you do that?"
His uncle shrugged.
"Say, um, would you mind driving the way back? I'd like to sit in the back with Lauren if that's alright?"
Neil gave a knowing glare and smiled.
"You just don't want to drive."
"I think my anxiety had it's fill for today," Chase admitted.
He patted the teen's shoulder.
"If we're being honest, mine too." Neil then took out his phone. "Which reminds me..." he then started texting Lauren's mother that she made it to place, and they will bring her back when she's done.
[LOUISE]: I appreciate that. Just couldn't get out of this darn appointment.
[NEIL]: No problem.
[LOUISE]: You're driving back, right?
[NEIL]: Yes.
[LOUISE]: Bless you.
Chase noticed his uncle smirk.
"What's up?"
"Oh, nothing!"
The dress rehearsal was days away and Lauren could just explode. She was a nervous wreck in the beginning but now she had been getting incrementally excited for the big night. It was only dress rehearsal, but it might as well be the world premiere. This was going to be the very first time they would perform the entire show, from beginning to end, for an audience who hadn't seen a scrap of their acting or singing in context of the musical. The only interruption in the entire production, naturally would be an intermission between the two acts.
Now, she more fully understood Jenna's enthusiasm from last fall's play.
(Don't know if I got the acting bug, but I could see myself doing this again.)
Everyone was gathered before this huge building that looked like it was at least a century old. It looked more dilapidated the closer Lauren got to it.
"HOLA, LAUREN!" waved Luisa.
The two thespians hugged, and Matt was close behind.
"Can you believe this is the place?" he asked. "I like a fixer upper, but this place is a dump!"
Luisa whispered to Lauren, "You don't think it'll collapse on us, do you?"
Lauren stiffened.
"I do now!"
Xander Tundra suddenly emerged and swiftly closed the large wooden doors behind him. They shut with a thunderous sound.
"Salutations, my lovely crew and who could forget this amazing cast!"
With his off kilter dark attire and the crowd of people standing on the steps leading to this rundown building, Tundra looked like a carnival barker hyping up his sideshow. Lauren was prepared to hear about conjoined twins or an elephant man.
"I know what you're all thinking!" he grinned. "Why did I call all of you to this old building?"
There were nods and murmurs of agreement.
"Well...you're only half right!" Tundra pointed. "It... was a dump. BEHOLD!"
With a flourish, he threw open the massive doors and ushered everyone inside. Their jaws dropped to the floor, seeing a refurbished lobby with green carpeting and red wallpaper. The whole area was lit with light fixtures near the ceiling. Tables where one would purchase programs was also lit. The place was adequately illuminated that you could see your way around, but it wasn't blinding like a shopping mall. The furnishings and overall decor were very old-fashioned, possibly turn of the century. If these designs weren't authentic, they did an amazing job giving this place a classy look. It bore more resemblance to a movie theater lobby the more Lauren focused on it.
"Do you see it now, my friends?" Xander asked. "Why I asked you to come to this magnificent structure?"
He leaned on the table.
"This is The Oneiros, one of many old movie palaces lost to time. This building showed old silents from some of the greats: Keaton, Chaplin, Gish. Sadly, when the talking picture came along, not every movie house was willing to invest in converting to this new technology. It limped along into the late 1930's, mainly as a repertory theater, showing mostly older films. There was a restoration in the late 1960's but alas, she had to close once more."
Tundra sighed and tapped the wooden surface with his fist. His face was one of grave reflection like he was mourning an old friend.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking... for years I've been busting by butt to make my bones over in Broadway. It may pain a lot of you to hear this but it's more of a big club than you think. I had the pleasure of meeting Alan Menken once and I had so many questions about the great Howard Ashman. He said that finding financing and just a space was next to impossible, even a piece of garbage building was hard to come by! They had to pool their resources to make a hit like Little Shop of Horrors."
Some of the youths expressed their affinity toward that play, and the movie.
"It drove me crazy how the system was not in favor of funding those whose last name wasn't Lloyd Webber," that got a few chuckles from the crowd. "This musical is more than just the latest thing for me. It's a new beginning for all of us! Yes, we have Hollywood but where is our domain for musical theater?" Xander folded his arms. "You know, not all of us wish to move to New York to be a part of the big white wave. I say, let's make a theater district of our very own."
Lauren and Matt exchanged glances as the man rushed toward swinging doors.
Tundra scoffed, "But don't we have a space, you think? Oh what? The Pantages on Hollywood Boulevard? Heh! Way to throw us theater nerds a bone, L.A. Don't we deserve more? Feast your eyes, children!"
The air was sucked out of the actors and crew when they entered the auditorium with a gorgeous dome with painted fresco hovering above them. The magnificent ceiling presided over row after row of dark red seats. They faced a decent-sized stage with matching red curtains, unfurled to reveal the white canvas of an old movie screen.
"Here, on Broadway appropriately enough, The Oneiros lives once more!"
Workmen were on scaffolds painting the walls while others were reupholstering the seats.
"This theater seats about 1400 people and while we did wire for sound for the microphones, the acoustics are pretty sweet if I do say so myself. I've invested two years and my own money into restoring this old girl. Construction-wise she was relatively stable; just had to make some upgrades to the electricity and of course, the most expensive thing - mold removal!"
The producer shuddered at the thought.
"All I was missing was the right project to christen this restored temple of artistic wonder! And that's where all of you come in!"
His voice echoed as he spoke to drive that point home and even the excited commentary from the newcomers reverberated off the walls and back to them.
She could feel her hairs standing up, the chills running through her veins. Lauren had to rub her arms, believing this was more than just the draftiness of the theater. This wasn't just a show but the dawning of a new era for performing arts in this town. Lauren breathed slow and steady, allowing the importance of this show to wash over her.
"Like I said, the dress rehearsal is at the end of the week, and the show will take place... right here. Welcome to your new home!"
The actors talked amongst themselves, impressed by the size of this place. This didn't feel like community theater anymore; this place gave the look of a true off-Broadway production.
"This is gonna be unreal!" Matt whispered to Luisa and Lauren.
Xander climbed the stage as the crowd gathered into the orchestra pit. Back in the old days, silent films were never silent. There was live music, sometimes a full orchestra. And this is where the musicians would play while the action was on screen, or in their case, when they sang on stage.
"I want a packed house," Xander told everybody. "Please, please, please invite your family, your friends. Heck, bring some enemies! Show them that after years of doubting that you'd make it onto these boards and be a star, they can suck it!"
Quiet eyes just looked up at the man.
"Or, you know..." he chuckled. "That's probably just me."
Xander Tundra proceeded to say a few words about how proud he was of everyone's progress and had confidence in the show. There were still some touch-ups to the decor, so unfortunately rehearsals would have to continue elsewhere like before. But the Oneiros would be ready the day before the dress rehearsal, so we can get acclimated to the space.
"Hey, you alright?" Luisa asked Lauren.
"Oh, um..." the girl froze.
"You're going to be great!" she smiled.
Matt got into the middle and put his arms around them both.
"We're ALL going to crush it!"
Lauren smiled and leaned into her fellow actors.
"How do we feel, ladies?"
The Dragons looked up at Jenna, looking pretty tense.
"The games start tomorrow," began Tambry with a sigh. "No telling what will happen..."
"Is this her idea of a pep talk?" Georgina whispered to Alyssa.
The olive-skinned girl cleared her throat like she could sense the doubt in the air.
"I was feeling pretty low myself. Nobody here felt like a loser longer than me. That was then. I look at all of you and those other girls had better watch the fuck out!"
Alyssa raised her hand with a smirk.
"Point of order, but shouldn't all of us be present for any inspiring speeches?"
The four girls looked around and it dawned on them.
"Hey, you're right," nodded Jenna. "Where the hell are Jackie and Britt?"
"Didn't they say the were getting more water?" asked Georgina.
Tambry squinted.
"Any how long ago was that?"
Georgina thought about it and shrugged.
Jenna clapped her hands together.
"Okie-dokie, time for a search party!"
The girls wandered toward the parking lot and there, under the shade of a huge tree, was Britt's car: a maroon '26 Chevy Cobalt
"I'm...confused," Alyssa noted.
"I'm I seeing things, or do those windows look fogged to you?"
Everyone was in agreement to Georgina's observation. It was very odd.
The sudden opening of the passenger side door gave them pause and they hid behind a short brick barrier. Familiar voices came from the direction of the car, Britt and Jackie arguing about losing track of time.
"It's been too long!"
"Will. You. Relax?"
"They're gonna be suspicious."
"No, they won't!"
The shorter one was fixing her shorts while her taller counterpart was realizing her tank was backwards. They stopped walking and fussing about when Georgina made a very over-the-top clearing of the throat.
"Well, how about that water?" she asked, hand on her hip. Meanwhile the rest of her squad was posed behind her, suppressing the giggles.
Jackie looked like a deer caught in the headlights while Britt turned beet red. They looked sweaty and flushed like they had just finished running, which is weird because they clearly got out of a car. And their appearance would hasten a guess they were in the backseat.
Jenna folded her arms, biting her lip, before saying "You girls have anything you wish to share with the rest of the class?"
Those two had some banter out on the court during practice. It was thought to be some friendly ribbing, but apparently there was more going on there. Despite the playful bickering, with the benefit of hindsight, they really should have seen this coming.
"Now I see why you two were always leaving together," Tambry grinned.
"Hey!" protested Britt. "I was only giving her ride!"
"Sure you don't want to rephrase that?" snorted Georgina.
Britt covered her face in embarrassment.
Tambry sighed and stepped forward.
"Look, guys, we're sorry. Please don't get the wrong impression. We were just...surprised."
In all honestly, they were 80% sure about Britt but that wasn't important right now.
"We're happy for you, really" nodded Alyssa with a sincere smile. "Don't think you have to hide from us. We're still your friends."
"We are sorry for making fun," Tambry iterated.
"That's right," added Jenna.
Jackie inhaled and let it go. She looked down at the blonde and took her hand into her own.
"Fuck it. Britt is my girlfriend."
The shorter girl looked back up at her with adoration.
At the end of the school year, when Jackie was considering joining the Dragons, Britt was at her wit's end. She was crushing on the towering girl for months and despite being a small fry, she joined the basketball team to spend more time with her. When Jackie was looking for someone to practice one on one with on weekends, Britt volunteered. She wasn't very good but over time Britt improved. Jackie was impressed how the little one gave her a run for her money. During the summer, they trained more and more and became better friends, having their little back and forth on the court.
Everything changed when they were walking away from practice one day and Britt tripped over an uneven pavement. Jackie caught her before she could fall, their eyes meeting. Now, in her arms Britt forgot everything else and kissed her. Jackie was taken aback, not expecting the gesture. Britt apologized before Jackie kissed her again. She asked Jackie why she did it and the taller one shrugged that she wanted to be sure if she liked it. Britt got the answer when Jackie suggest they get some coffee. And the rest is history.
"Really?" asked Britt.
She then remembered the team watching them and put her best mean face back on and faced them head on.
"I mean...that's right, what of it?"
The others held up their hands and backed off.
Truth was nobody on this team was anywhere near homophobic. They were just giving their mates some shit because they were sneaking around...badly. But now that was out of the way, they would have Jackie and Britt's backs.
Dragons fly together.
A/N: I liked throwing that bit of the old show by having Chase not be the best driver in the world (like Tori). Hopefully, he doesn't finish school before getting his license. I remember being nervous like him behind the wheel. And yes, like many cities Los Angeles does have its own Broadway.
I always envisioned Britt being closeted and I thought her having a thing with one of her teammates was interesting. Makes you think about that scene from earlier where Jackie told Britt "we will discuss this later..."
