when Charis comes in, frowning when she sees me.
“I almost didn’t come,” she says, “but I’m not like Odette, though you seem to think so.”
“Charis, come on,” I say. “I didn’t mean it. We’re friends, remember?”
“I don’t know if we’re even still pals ,” she retorts as she plunks herself down on the bench.
Next is Sybille. She sees me and bites her lip.
I can’t help myself. “Happy now?” I ask.
“I was mad at you. So sue me. You bring out the worst in people, you know, Rob.”
“So you being mad at me is all my fault?”
Sybille grins. “Yeah. But I’m over it now.”
I shake my head. Pretty soon I’m going to need my own barbed wire to protect myself against female logic.
After that we wait, although for what, I have no idea. I’m still working at the knots. Finally there’s a grunt, then a clatter, and Cam and Jeremy drag Odette, literally kicking and screaming, into the change room.
“Get your hands off me! And let me out of here! He is so not my problem!”
Jeremy doesn’t let her go. He pushes her onto the bench and holds her down.
Who’s not her problem? This is not sounding good to me at all.
Cam jumps up onto the bench. “Ladies, we have gathered here today,” he intones like an old-time preacher, “to save the Premier Dance Company.” Mavis giggles again. “Apparently, Robin here is going to completely ruin the upcoming production. The travesty about to occur is completely and entirely his fault.”
“Big surprise,” mutters Odette, who is still being held down by Jeremy.
“Gee, thanks, man,” I say.
“These tragic words were spoken by the man himself.” Cam bows to me with a sweeping arm. “Not for him, but on behalf of the company, we must intervene and save the day.”
“Give me a break. And untie me!”
All the girls except for Odette are laughing now.
Cam grabs my copy of the play from the mess of stuff he dumped from my bag. “Only the play can release you.” Then he leaps across the room to the other bench. Flipping to the end, he reads from the last act, “ If we shadows have offended… ”
He points at me. “Has he offended?”
“Oh yeah!”
Cam goes back to the book. “ If we have unearnèd luck… Does he?”
“Oh yeah!”
“What is this, a revival meeting?” I mutter.
“ Give me your hands if we be friends, / And Robin shall restore amends. Okay, folks, we need to give him a hand!”
There aren’t so many “Oh yeahs” after that line.
“Okay, enough,” says Jeremy as Cam finally unties me. “This is actually serious. Rob’s so frustrated he’s about to blow a gasket. Or quit. Whichever comes first. The company’s got him all confused, so we have to sort him out. So spill, big guy. Where are you at, and what do you need?”
So I spill.
“I pretty much know the steps now…” I start.
“Well, good for you,” says Odette sarcastically. “I mean, you open day after tomorrow.”
I ignore her. “The thing is, Rick could really get into character. You really believed he was a fairy. He was light on his feet, and jumpy and playful. And I’ve tried to copy him, but I can’t pull it off. So I’ve been studying this other Puck off a DVD , and he’s more solid—athletic, you know? That works better for me, but I’m not consistent with it.”
Johanna says, “Your problem is that you can’t channel Puck?”
“Yeah, exactly.” I sigh with relief. They get it.
Everybody in the change room bursts out laughing. “He can’t channel Puck!” hoots Charis.
“What’s funny?”
Jeremy is trying to rearrange his face to look serious, but he’s having a hard time. “Here’s the thing, Rob. You don’t have to channel Puck. You are Puck. That’s why they picked you.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Think about it. If they’d needed an understudy for Oberon, the King, who would they have picked? Of the three of us, I mean.”
Cam answers right away. “You, Jer. You’re definitely King
“I almost didn’t come,” she says, “but I’m not like Odette, though you seem to think so.”
“Charis, come on,” I say. “I didn’t mean it. We’re friends, remember?”
“I don’t know if we’re even still pals ,” she retorts as she plunks herself down on the bench.
Next is Sybille. She sees me and bites her lip.
I can’t help myself. “Happy now?” I ask.
“I was mad at you. So sue me. You bring out the worst in people, you know, Rob.”
“So you being mad at me is all my fault?”
Sybille grins. “Yeah. But I’m over it now.”
I shake my head. Pretty soon I’m going to need my own barbed wire to protect myself against female logic.
After that we wait, although for what, I have no idea. I’m still working at the knots. Finally there’s a grunt, then a clatter, and Cam and Jeremy drag Odette, literally kicking and screaming, into the change room.
“Get your hands off me! And let me out of here! He is so not my problem!”
Jeremy doesn’t let her go. He pushes her onto the bench and holds her down.
Who’s not her problem? This is not sounding good to me at all.
Cam jumps up onto the bench. “Ladies, we have gathered here today,” he intones like an old-time preacher, “to save the Premier Dance Company.” Mavis giggles again. “Apparently, Robin here is going to completely ruin the upcoming production. The travesty about to occur is completely and entirely his fault.”
“Big surprise,” mutters Odette, who is still being held down by Jeremy.
“Gee, thanks, man,” I say.
“These tragic words were spoken by the man himself.” Cam bows to me with a sweeping arm. “Not for him, but on behalf of the company, we must intervene and save the day.”
“Give me a break. And untie me!”
All the girls except for Odette are laughing now.
Cam grabs my copy of the play from the mess of stuff he dumped from my bag. “Only the play can release you.” Then he leaps across the room to the other bench. Flipping to the end, he reads from the last act, “ If we shadows have offended… ”
He points at me. “Has he offended?”
“Oh yeah!”
Cam goes back to the book. “ If we have unearnèd luck… Does he?”
“Oh yeah!”
“What is this, a revival meeting?” I mutter.
“ Give me your hands if we be friends, / And Robin shall restore amends. Okay, folks, we need to give him a hand!”
There aren’t so many “Oh yeahs” after that line.
“Okay, enough,” says Jeremy as Cam finally unties me. “This is actually serious. Rob’s so frustrated he’s about to blow a gasket. Or quit. Whichever comes first. The company’s got him all confused, so we have to sort him out. So spill, big guy. Where are you at, and what do you need?”
So I spill.
“I pretty much know the steps now…” I start.
“Well, good for you,” says Odette sarcastically. “I mean, you open day after tomorrow.”
I ignore her. “The thing is, Rick could really get into character. You really believed he was a fairy. He was light on his feet, and jumpy and playful. And I’ve tried to copy him, but I can’t pull it off. So I’ve been studying this other Puck off a DVD , and he’s more solid—athletic, you know? That works better for me, but I’m not consistent with it.”
Johanna says, “Your problem is that you can’t channel Puck?”
“Yeah, exactly.” I sigh with relief. They get it.
Everybody in the change room bursts out laughing. “He can’t channel Puck!” hoots Charis.
“What’s funny?”
Jeremy is trying to rearrange his face to look serious, but he’s having a hard time. “Here’s the thing, Rob. You don’t have to channel Puck. You are Puck. That’s why they picked you.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Think about it. If they’d needed an understudy for Oberon, the King, who would they have picked? Of the three of us, I mean.”
Cam answers right away. “You, Jer. You’re definitely King
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