The Proud and the Prejudiced (3 page)

CHAPTER 3

The summer before my junior year of high school,
I went through a tremendous metamorphosis. My face cleared up, I had my hair
cut and styled, and I lost all the weight. With a surge of confidence, I knew
this year would be different.

Although our high school was also all-girls, we
were close to an all-boys school and served as their sister school. We cheered
for their sports and had co-ed clubs. That year, one of the first things I did
was join the drama club and audition for Godspell. Even though I only got a
part as an understudy, I had never been so thrilled in my life. I might not be
performing, but I had been chosen over so many other girls. And for the first
time, I had friends – lots of them – and the cast and crew spent all their time
together when we weren’t in school.

I worked hard on Godspell. Not only did I have
to do all of the duties of an actress, in learning lines and blocking, but I
also worked on the tech crew. But with the excitement and fulfillment of
working on the production, the work didn’t bother me at all. Plus I was the
envy of my classmates because I worked with Sean Hooker, the heartthrob of high
school. I hated to admit it, but even I had a bit of a crush on him. Besides
being the most gorgeous senior on the boys’ campus, he was a professional
actor, working on plays outside of school and even commercials, which made him
completely irresistible.

I understudied for Lisa, and she frequently
missed rehearsals, so I had to work closely with Sean in several scenes. I
couldn’t help feeling shy around him. I tried to treat him like all the other
actors, but he would look me right in the eyes and I would melt.

After opening night, I hugged the others in the
cast, but to Sean I only offered my hand. I refused to let him believe I was
another co-ed in love with him. It had gotten to the point where one day at
tech, Sean was forced into seclusion by ninth-grade girls who found out he
would be there that day. To my surprise, Sean rejected my hand and pulled me
into a bear hug. I, being a consummate actress, hid my state of shock well,
even as my heart raced, and said, “Congratulations! I’m so glad it went well!”
He silently released me and walked away.

After the next performance, I took the
offensive and placed my hand on his shoulder and said, “Congratulations,” just
as a woman from the audience came up and started commending his performance.

I removed my hand, but Sean stuck his out to
me, and I had no choice but to take it. He held my hand tightly and then took
it between both of his and rubbed it, never taking his eyes off the lady. I was
totally bedazzled. But then something caught his attention. He dropped my hand
and walked away, leaving me to talk to the woman. I came to the conclusion
that, since I didn’t throw myself at him like all the other girls, he was being
kind of a tease. That killed the crush.

A lizard lived outside my bedroom window. Every
morning when the alarm woke me, I would see his silhouette on my shade as the rising
sun shined in. On this particular morning, my lizard did not appear.

That day a Marine came to our door. Tad was
missing in action.

*****

“Nobody ever died
from a trifling little cold.”

“She’s burning up!”
Alice gawked up at Mrs. Jellyby, her hand on the forehead of the near-delirious
Giselle, slouched beside her on the sofa of the set for the living room. “And,
by the way, people
do
die of colds every day, if they are allowed to
develop complications.”

“But the
rehearsal!” cried Mrs. Jellyby. “The scene is not that long.”

“I…I can do it,”
Giselle said, but wooziness pulled her back against the couch even when she
tried to sit up.

“Forget about it,”
Alice said. “It’s Friday. Rest this weekend and get well. The rehearsal can
wait until Monday.”

“
Monday!
”
Mrs. Jellyby shrieked the word as though a rodent of unusual size had just run
across the set. “We can’t begin with delays. What will
he
think?”

“Who?”

Mrs. Jellyby
glanced around before tilting her head and speaking low to the sofa. “Peter
Walsingham.”

Alice crinkled her
forehead and curled her top lip. “Who gives a shit? Giselle is sick!”

“I just don’t want
him to get the wrong first impression.”

“Oh, believe me: he
already formulated his first impression.”

Then,
the voice
from the movie screen boomed from behind them. “What’s this about first
impressions?” Peter sauntered toward the set with his hands in his pockets and
Winnie and Jack two paces behind him.

Mrs. Jellyby wrung
her hands together and sputtered over her words. “I-I am so sorry, Mr. Walsingham,
but we may have to postpone today’s rehearsal.”

Alice rolled her
eyes.
Why the hell is
she
apologizing? She’s
his
boss!
“Giselle
is burning up with fever and needs to go home and rest.”

“Oh, no!” Jack ran
around Peter to the sofa and sat on the other side of Giselle, taking her hand.

“What does this do
to the production schedule?” Peter asked and pulled his hands from his pockets
as he stepped onto the stage, standing at the corner of the sofa.

Alice had to twist
her neck to look up at him. “We still film on Monday. You’ll just have to
rehearse earlier that day.” Heat rose in her cheeks when their eyes met and he
wouldn’t release the hold. “Probably only one once-through before filming.”

“Isn’t that enough?
I know my lines.”

She turned around
to face him. If they were going to do this staring contest bit again, she
didn’t want to get a crick in her neck. “It’s more about blocking, camera
angles, and pace. Today’s rehearsal was more for
your
benefit. Giselle
could do this in her sleep, but you’ve never done a soa- a daytime drama
before.” If he took offense, as she halfway hoped, he did not let it show.

“I am dreadfully
sorry for the inconvenience.” Although Mrs. Jellyby’s whimpering nauseated
Alice, at least it drew Peter’s attention away from her.

Peter flaunted his
hand in Giselle’s direction. “The girl is clearly ill,” he said, annoyance
raising his volume, his voice echoing off the fake walls. “If this rehearsal is
intended to assist
me
, can’t someone stand in for her? I’m sure this
isn’t the first time something like this has occurred. That’s why they invented
understudies.”

“I…I…”
Mrs.
Jellyby – finally at a loss for words!

“She’s in no
condition to drive,” Jack said. “I’m going to take her home.” He and Alice
stood and helped Giselle to her feet.

“No,” Giselle said,
“you don’t need – ”

“It’s no problem.”
Supporting her and with an arm around her waist, Jack escorted her off the
stage.

“Winnie,” Peter
said. “You should go with them.”

Winnie, who had
been standing back watching this scene with crossed arms and a bored frown,
said nothing, but her gaping eyes and mouth spoke the defiance she would not
voice.

“She may need a
woman’s assistance.” Peter noticed Winnie’s eyes flash to Alice. “Alice can’t
go. She’s working. You’re not doing anything. Go help Jack.”

With a huff, she
stomped after Giselle and Jack as they hobbled out of the soundstage.

“Now, let’s get on
with it,” Peter said far more like a director than a movie star. “Where is Mr.
Peacock?”

Peacock had been
sitting away from the stage, perusing the script and eating a sub waiting for
this particular drama to conclude, so he had his mouth full when his name
caught his attention.

“In the
conservatory with the candlestick?”

Even though Peter
spoke in so authoritative a tone as marked his self-importance, Alice turned
her back to him and jumped off the stage before he could see her grin that
threatened to break into laughter.

“M white ear.” Mr.
Peacock garbled his words through the sandwich in his mouth as he arrived at
the set.

Alice opened her
script to the scene and put it into the hands of a
clueless
technician.
“Here, Jeff. Go stand in for Sienna.”

Jeff popped another
Funyun in his mouth, without having swallowed the one he had been chewing,
wiped his hand on his jeans, and nodded as his eyes scanned the page. As he
walked to the set, Alice took her seat behind the cameramen where she could see
the monitors mounted from the ceiling.

“All right,
everyone.” Peacock stood in the center of the set and clapped his hands,
assuming control as Mrs. Jellyby wandered off in defeat. “Places! Now
Tristan
,”
he said to Peter, provoking an eye-roll. “You will start at this spot.” He
pointed down at a marker. “Then when Sienna turns around, she’ll start walking,
you’ll follow her and stop on that marker. Got it?”

“Why would she turn
and walk away from me during this emotional conversation?”

“That’s…that’s how
we’re going to try it. It’s just a rehearsal, so we can see how it works.
Sienna
,”
Peacock said, turning to the trim young man in jeans and a t-shirt, still wearing
his headset. “You will stand on this marker.” Then he pointed to places on the
script in Jeff’s hand. “You will turn around here…then you will walk to your
next marker starting here. Got it?”

Jeff nodded. “Yup.”
With all the time he had spent watching the production, he probably knew the
setup better than Peacock.

“OK, then.” Mr.
Peacock scampered off the set and sat in his chair beside Alice, eyes on the
monitors. “Action!”

Jeff (in complete monotone) – It has been a long time
Tristan since you went away.

Tristan – I know.
Too
long.

Jeff (in complete monotone) – I began to be afraid you
would never come back again people did say you were lost at sea but I hoped I
hoped it wasn’t true

Tristan – They were right, Sienna. It’s true, I have
been lost, lost in my own head. I had to find myself before I could come back
to you. But now I am back.

Jeff (turns around; in complete monotone) – A lot has
happened in Valley View Bay since you went away you know Lucas is married now
do you remember Damien he was in a terrible accident

Tristan – A lot has happened to me as well. I want to
show you that I have changed –

Jeff (walks away; in complete monotone) – Yes I hardly
recognized you.

Tristan – But I want to show you that I have changed
on the
inside
. Being at sea, traveling the world…

Jeff (stops on his mark; in complete monotone) – No
one has to run off and join the merchant marines to change people themselv—

“Cut!” Peacock
hopped off his seat and over to the stage. “Tristan, what’re you doing? You are
supposed to follow Sienna when she walks away.”

“Why would Tristan
go after her?” Peter asked, his tone tight. “Clearly
she
is not
receptive to him yet. He’s a merchant marine, for Christ’s sake. He would wait
until her wall begins to crack before making a physical move toward her. Why
does he have to follow her now?”

“Because if you
don’t, you’re not in the shot. We need you both on camera.” Peter had no
argument to counter that logic, so Peacock walked back to his seat, where Alice
had her forehead down in her hand to hide her suppressed laughter. “Now let’s
take it from ‘It has been a long time Tristan since you went away.’ And
action.”

Jeff (in complete monotone) – It has been a long time
Tristan since you went away.

Tristan – I know.
Too
long.

Jeff (in complete monotone) – I began to be afraid you
would never come back again people did say you were lost at sea but I hoped I
hoped it wasn’t true

Tristan – They were right, Sienna. It’s true, I have
been lost, lost in my own head. I had to find myself before I could come back
to you. But now I am back.

Jeff (turns around; in complete monotone) – A lot has
happened in Valley View Bay since you went away you know Lucas is married now
do you remember Damien he was in a terrible accident

Tristan (walks toward Sienna) – A lot has happened to
me as well. I want to show you that –

“CUT!” Alice
couldn’t recall Mr. Peacock ever expelling such a long exhalation of
frustration as he marched back on set. Peter walked around Jeff to meet him.
“What was that? Sienna hadn’t started walking away yet. You need to stay on
your marker.”

“If I have to
follow her, I think it’s more natural to follow her when he says he wants to
show her.”

“It doesn’t matter
what you think! You’re not the director!”