think so. Even though she called me sailor, I thought I caught a glimpse of the old Alex somewhere in there.
Forget about concentrating. The morning was over and I barely remembered it. Lunch was a blur. And my Something-Black-from-Alex’s-Closet audition-shirt that I’d ripped off from Alex’s closet seemed to mock me every time I opened my locker. I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt about Alex. It wasn’t just the shirt. I was partly responsible for the fact that she’d picked a song that was going to make the drama coach go Gag me with a spoon.
At the end of the day, Olivia came up behind me as I slammed my locker shut. “Are you OK?” she asked. “You look a little green.”
“I think I’m going to throw up. Why didn’t you talk me out of this? Tell me I’m nuts. I can’t act. What was I thinking? Acting gives me hives! Do I have hives? Be honest. Are there ugly red hivey splotches all over my face? There are, aren’t there?”
Olivia leaned in and inspected my face up close. “OK, Stevie. You are officially and completely splotch-free. No red marks, except for maybe a touch of strawberry sticky stuff from that Fruit Roll-Up you had at lunch.” She pressed her thumb to my cheek and rubbed.
“Ouch!” I exaggerated massaging my face.
“OK, you have got to chill. Take a deep breath.”
“I wish everybody would quit telling me to breathe when I can’t breathe.”
“Relax,” Olivia said. “Nobody else has a voice like yours, so just be you.”
Just be you. Just be you, I repeated to myself.
“Remember that song we used to sing in first grade with Miss Tamuchi? ‘This Little Light of Mine?’”
“‘I’m gonna let it shine,’” I sang.
“Exactly.”
ONCE UPON AN AUDITION
Starring Alex (but really Stevie)
Me : (Sitting in the audience with Scott and other Drama Club kids, waiting for my name to be called.) Are you nervous?
Scott : Are you?
Me : (Giggling.) No fair. I asked you first. But, yes, I’m nervous.
Scott : Look, my hands are sweating. (Touches hand to mine!)
Me : Yeah, but you’ll be great. You always get up there and nobody can tell. Except for when you keep wiping those sweaty hands down the sides of your pants.
Scott : I do not!
Me : (Smiling.) Just kidding. I wish you were trying out for the prince, though. (So we’d finally get to kiss!)
Scott : Prince Dauntless? No way. He’s a total geek.
Me : I know, but . . . (But then we’d be together, in all the same scenes.) you wouldn’t have to play him that way.
Scott : Yah-huh. That’s his character. Even Mr. Cannon said he’s like a bumbling idiot.
Me : (Say you don’t care. Say that’s the part you want. Say it’ll be fun.) You never know — it might be fun to play a bumbling idiot for a change. You know, kind of slapstick.
Scott : No way. I’d much rather be Sir Harry. You should try out for Lady Larken. Then we’d be in all the same scenes.
Me : ( Heart leaps — he wants to be in all the same scenes!)
Scott : So we could practice together and everything, I mean.
Me : Oh. (So that’s all he meant.) Shh! Here she comes.
Scott : Here who comes?
Me : My sister! I told you she was trying out.
Scott : ( Leans forward in his seat.) Oh, yeah. The one who cooks, and bugs you, and is always getting in your stuff? She was good that time in Beauty and the Beast . (Glances over at me and sees my frowning face.) I mean, she was OK, I guess.
Me : ( Whispering.) She’s never done a cold reading before. She looks scared, like the microphone might bite her.
Scott : Everybody’s nervous at first.
Me : (Sliding down in seat.) Mr. C said to act like a spoiled princess. She sounds like a squeak toy — you know, for dogs.
Scott : Ouch. (Watches Stevie flail around onstage.)
Me : (Half-covering eyes.) What was that?
Scott : She’s pretending to slip on a banana peel.
Me : Oh. I thought she was an octopus caught in a snowstorm, with all those arms flying everywhere.
Scott :
Forget about concentrating. The morning was over and I barely remembered it. Lunch was a blur. And my Something-Black-from-Alex’s-Closet audition-shirt that I’d ripped off from Alex’s closet seemed to mock me every time I opened my locker. I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt about Alex. It wasn’t just the shirt. I was partly responsible for the fact that she’d picked a song that was going to make the drama coach go Gag me with a spoon.
At the end of the day, Olivia came up behind me as I slammed my locker shut. “Are you OK?” she asked. “You look a little green.”
“I think I’m going to throw up. Why didn’t you talk me out of this? Tell me I’m nuts. I can’t act. What was I thinking? Acting gives me hives! Do I have hives? Be honest. Are there ugly red hivey splotches all over my face? There are, aren’t there?”
Olivia leaned in and inspected my face up close. “OK, Stevie. You are officially and completely splotch-free. No red marks, except for maybe a touch of strawberry sticky stuff from that Fruit Roll-Up you had at lunch.” She pressed her thumb to my cheek and rubbed.
“Ouch!” I exaggerated massaging my face.
“OK, you have got to chill. Take a deep breath.”
“I wish everybody would quit telling me to breathe when I can’t breathe.”
“Relax,” Olivia said. “Nobody else has a voice like yours, so just be you.”
Just be you. Just be you, I repeated to myself.
“Remember that song we used to sing in first grade with Miss Tamuchi? ‘This Little Light of Mine?’”
“‘I’m gonna let it shine,’” I sang.
“Exactly.”
ONCE UPON AN AUDITION
Starring Alex (but really Stevie)
Me : (Sitting in the audience with Scott and other Drama Club kids, waiting for my name to be called.) Are you nervous?
Scott : Are you?
Me : (Giggling.) No fair. I asked you first. But, yes, I’m nervous.
Scott : Look, my hands are sweating. (Touches hand to mine!)
Me : Yeah, but you’ll be great. You always get up there and nobody can tell. Except for when you keep wiping those sweaty hands down the sides of your pants.
Scott : I do not!
Me : (Smiling.) Just kidding. I wish you were trying out for the prince, though. (So we’d finally get to kiss!)
Scott : Prince Dauntless? No way. He’s a total geek.
Me : I know, but . . . (But then we’d be together, in all the same scenes.) you wouldn’t have to play him that way.
Scott : Yah-huh. That’s his character. Even Mr. Cannon said he’s like a bumbling idiot.
Me : (Say you don’t care. Say that’s the part you want. Say it’ll be fun.) You never know — it might be fun to play a bumbling idiot for a change. You know, kind of slapstick.
Scott : No way. I’d much rather be Sir Harry. You should try out for Lady Larken. Then we’d be in all the same scenes.
Me : ( Heart leaps — he wants to be in all the same scenes!)
Scott : So we could practice together and everything, I mean.
Me : Oh. (So that’s all he meant.) Shh! Here she comes.
Scott : Here who comes?
Me : My sister! I told you she was trying out.
Scott : ( Leans forward in his seat.) Oh, yeah. The one who cooks, and bugs you, and is always getting in your stuff? She was good that time in Beauty and the Beast . (Glances over at me and sees my frowning face.) I mean, she was OK, I guess.
Me : ( Whispering.) She’s never done a cold reading before. She looks scared, like the microphone might bite her.
Scott : Everybody’s nervous at first.
Me : (Sliding down in seat.) Mr. C said to act like a spoiled princess. She sounds like a squeak toy — you know, for dogs.
Scott : Ouch. (Watches Stevie flail around onstage.)
Me : (Half-covering eyes.) What was that?
Scott : She’s pretending to slip on a banana peel.
Me : Oh. I thought she was an octopus caught in a snowstorm, with all those arms flying everywhere.
Scott :
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