Mr. Acton told us today that the production was flat, that’s there’s no life, no energy. And it’s because of me! I can’t make it come together. Do I worry about the choreography, or my technique, or my acting, or whether or not I stay in character? I know for sure I can’t do it all, so what do I worry about most?”
“Whoa,” says Cam.
“Did Mr. Acton say you had to worry about all that?” asks Jeremy.
“Well, I have to get all those things right, so I guess I have to worry about them all, don’t I?”
“What do you do the worst?” asks Cam.
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,” I retort.
“Hey, man, you said it, not me. What’s hardest?”
“Everything.”
The three of us sit there. I don’t think they knew how bad it really is.
“Can we help?” asks Jeremy finally.
“Why would you? Apparently, I’m the guy to hate.”
“Only because you were being so obnoxious,” Jeremy says. “It was kind of a shock that any student got picked. You didn’t give us any time to adjust to the news, to understand why they picked you and not us. We would have figured it out. But no, right away it was ‘Let me teach you poor slobs all the wonderful things I know because I’m in the company and you’re not.’ ”
Cam cracks up at Jeremy’s singsong voice.
“I thought…” I sigh. “Whatever. Was I really that bad?”
Cam grins. “Oh yeah!”
“Make a guy feel better, why don’t you?” I groan. “I didn’t mean to. But I was so excited, and nobody else was. All of a sudden I was the enemy. It’s harsh, losing all your friends at once.”
“Aw, we weren’t lost,” says Cam. “On tour, maybe.”
Jeremy snorts.
“Charis says we can’t ever really be friends because we have to compete against each other.”
“That’s stupid,” says Jer.
“It’s just her barbed wire,” adds Cam.
Jer and I stare at him. “Her what?”
“Her barbed wire. Odette’s always giving her a hard time, because Charis is the next-best dancer. So Charis has to protect herself, build a shield against Odette, you know? But whenever she’s feeling bad, she uses the barbed wire to protect herself from everybody.”
My jaw drops. So does Jeremy’s. “Thank you, Dr. Cam, for your psychoanalysis,” says Jer as he shakes his head. “You know, you are one weird dude.”
Cam grins.
There is silence in the change room. I keep pacing. Finally, Cam and Jer look at each other.
“You know what we’ve got to do, don’t you, Jer?” asks Cam.
“No choice,” replies Jeremy gravely.
“What?” I ask. “What have you got to do?”
But neither of them answer me. Instead, they leap up from the bench, dump my bag and grab a pair of tights from it, and before I know what’s hit me, they’ve tied me to the pole that’s holding up the ceiling of the change room. With my own tights.
“What the heck!” I shout.
“It’s time,” says Cam.
“For what?” I scream.
Jeremy smiles. “We need to stage an…”
“Intervention!” Cam and Jer high-five each other and run out of the change room, leaving me tied to the pole.
Eleven
I can’t believe they’ve left me like this. I mean, it’s ridiculous. I’m busy trying to stretch the tights enough to slide my hands through the knots when the change-room door opens. Great .
Mavis giggles. “They weren’t kidding!” She laughs again. “They really did tie him up!”
Johanna follows Mavis into the dressing room. “This place is disgusting!” she says, wrinkling her nose. “I’m amazed you don’t asphyxiate yourselves with your own BO .”
“I don’t know what you’re doing here, but make yourselves useful and untie me!”
“Hmmm,” says Mavis thoughtfully. “No can do. We’re under orders.”
“What orders?”
“We’re not sure yet. But we’re not supposed to untie you,” replies Johanna. “We’re supposed to wait.”
“For what?”
The girls shrug their shoulders. Then we sit. I’m still working on the knots
“Whoa,” says Cam.
“Did Mr. Acton say you had to worry about all that?” asks Jeremy.
“Well, I have to get all those things right, so I guess I have to worry about them all, don’t I?”
“What do you do the worst?” asks Cam.
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,” I retort.
“Hey, man, you said it, not me. What’s hardest?”
“Everything.”
The three of us sit there. I don’t think they knew how bad it really is.
“Can we help?” asks Jeremy finally.
“Why would you? Apparently, I’m the guy to hate.”
“Only because you were being so obnoxious,” Jeremy says. “It was kind of a shock that any student got picked. You didn’t give us any time to adjust to the news, to understand why they picked you and not us. We would have figured it out. But no, right away it was ‘Let me teach you poor slobs all the wonderful things I know because I’m in the company and you’re not.’ ”
Cam cracks up at Jeremy’s singsong voice.
“I thought…” I sigh. “Whatever. Was I really that bad?”
Cam grins. “Oh yeah!”
“Make a guy feel better, why don’t you?” I groan. “I didn’t mean to. But I was so excited, and nobody else was. All of a sudden I was the enemy. It’s harsh, losing all your friends at once.”
“Aw, we weren’t lost,” says Cam. “On tour, maybe.”
Jeremy snorts.
“Charis says we can’t ever really be friends because we have to compete against each other.”
“That’s stupid,” says Jer.
“It’s just her barbed wire,” adds Cam.
Jer and I stare at him. “Her what?”
“Her barbed wire. Odette’s always giving her a hard time, because Charis is the next-best dancer. So Charis has to protect herself, build a shield against Odette, you know? But whenever she’s feeling bad, she uses the barbed wire to protect herself from everybody.”
My jaw drops. So does Jeremy’s. “Thank you, Dr. Cam, for your psychoanalysis,” says Jer as he shakes his head. “You know, you are one weird dude.”
Cam grins.
There is silence in the change room. I keep pacing. Finally, Cam and Jer look at each other.
“You know what we’ve got to do, don’t you, Jer?” asks Cam.
“No choice,” replies Jeremy gravely.
“What?” I ask. “What have you got to do?”
But neither of them answer me. Instead, they leap up from the bench, dump my bag and grab a pair of tights from it, and before I know what’s hit me, they’ve tied me to the pole that’s holding up the ceiling of the change room. With my own tights.
“What the heck!” I shout.
“It’s time,” says Cam.
“For what?” I scream.
Jeremy smiles. “We need to stage an…”
“Intervention!” Cam and Jer high-five each other and run out of the change room, leaving me tied to the pole.
Eleven
I can’t believe they’ve left me like this. I mean, it’s ridiculous. I’m busy trying to stretch the tights enough to slide my hands through the knots when the change-room door opens. Great .
Mavis giggles. “They weren’t kidding!” She laughs again. “They really did tie him up!”
Johanna follows Mavis into the dressing room. “This place is disgusting!” she says, wrinkling her nose. “I’m amazed you don’t asphyxiate yourselves with your own BO .”
“I don’t know what you’re doing here, but make yourselves useful and untie me!”
“Hmmm,” says Mavis thoughtfully. “No can do. We’re under orders.”
“What orders?”
“We’re not sure yet. But we’re not supposed to untie you,” replies Johanna. “We’re supposed to wait.”
“For what?”
The girls shrug their shoulders. Then we sit. I’m still working on the knots
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