Pulled (5 page)

I clasp my hand to my mouth in shock. “You’re perfect.” Not, “the
subject
is perfect,” or “
she’s
perfect,” but “
you’re
perfect.” A wide smile spreads across my “uneven” lips.

Just then my cell phone rings in my pocket causing me to jump, scattering the pages all over the floor. It's Seth’s ring tone so I scramble to retrieve the call before the second ring.

“
What took you so long to answer?” Seth’s voice booms in my ear.

“
I was trying to unlock my door,” I lie. “And it only rang twice,” I add, as though that will make any difference.

“
Pick it up faster next time,” he says with no trace of humor.

“
You're back from class already?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

“
Yeah, I’m at the bookstore now. I got slammed in Psychology and English Lit. Good thing the folks are bankrolling this,” he snorts.

I feel a slight tinge of jealousy. Not for his money-- my trust fund covers my education--but for the simple fact that he still has parents who care about him and I don’t.

“
Meet me for dinner in a half an hour,” he says. “I’ll be the handsome guy in the back.”

My stomach grumbles on cue. I guess the fruit bar for lunch wasn’t such a good idea.

“
I'll be there.”

“
And then after dinner, we can go back to your place,” he says.

“
I can’t tonight,” I say.

“
Why not?” he asks, sounding pissed.

“
Because I just found out that there are auditions tonight at 6:00.” Up until this moment, I hadn't even thought about auditioning.

In the background I can hear some girl laughing.

“
Well, I guess that’s why you came to this stupid school.” More laughter. “Look, I shouldn’t be here too much longer,” he says. “I’ve just got one more thing I want to grab.” I might have been imagining it, but I swear I can hear his hand smack skin before a girl laughs again.

Chapter 3

Etash

“
What we need from Romeo and Juliet, above anything else, is chemistry,” Elizabeth
tells me in her office later that afternoon.

“
Even more important than their dance ability?” I ask, raising my eyebrows. She's been going on about 'chemistry' now for the last twenty minutes.

“
Absolutely!” She stands up quickly in an attempt to stress her point. I must not look convinced because she storms over to me, leans against her desk and crosses her arms, clearly disappointed that I'm not in total agreement with her.

“
If we can find two actors who click, then teaching them how to move is a walk in the park. But if they fizzle?” She starts to pace within the confines of her small office. “I don’t care how well they can dance; if there is no spark, the audience will never root for them! They'll never mourn for our lovers at their untimely death.” She stops pacing suddenly, then lifts her hand to her forehead and proceeds to 'die' onto her sofa.

“
So, who do you have in mind?” I say, smirking, not the least bit impressed by her performance.

Elizabeth
pulls a pillow over her eyes in defeat. “I have no idea.” Sighing, she sits up and starts rubbing her temples. “Daphne
might
be able to pull it off, but I’m not sure if she can move. Possibly Alexia or Jade?”

I shoot her a look.

“
Wait, Jade is back in rehab isn’t she?”

“
Yup.”

“
Well, it’s not Juliet I’m worried about,” she says coyly, smoothing down some of her wild gray curls. “I’m sure there will be enough women to sift through; there always are.” She gets up slowly then slides into the chair beside me. “I’m more concerned about who will be my Romeo.”
Real subtle, Elizabeth.

“
I already told you no,” I say, and she pouts. “I’m not doing it. Period. I’m your Assistant Director, take it or leave it.”

“
Fine,” she huffs, “but you and I both know you’d be perfect.” Grumpy, she pushes off from the chair, and goes back to her desk.

I shake my head and hold back a grin, pulling out my Assistant Director binder, flipping pages absently until she starts asking me about possible crew options.

There, I can help her. I've got a long list of possible people for the crew, talented and reliable people, sans the diva attitudes of most actors.

We narrow our crew options down to the best of the best, all of whom I will call tonight, then we decide to hit the dance studio to try out a few basic movements. Elizabeth
can use these later at tonight's audition to assess the actors' ability to move and take direction.

Around 5:30
we start to hear the chatter of people downstairs mingling in the hallways. Early birds. I start to pick up my stuff when Elizabeth
taps me on the shoulder and flashes me a five-dollar bill.

“
Tea?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“
I promise, once I get a Stage Manager, I’ll make them get tea for both of us.” She crosses her heart with her fingertip.

Flashing her a smile, I head over to the campus coffee shop to pick up her Earl Grey tea with light cream, and my decaf chai. I’m actually grateful for a chance to get out of the building for a bit. Fresh air is just what I need after being cramped inside for so long.

There's a longer line than usual once I get there, so by the time I make it back, the stage is already filled with actors and dancers stretching. Half of them are clearly dance majors and the other half are desperately trying to look like they are. Elizabeth
is about to head on stage when she sees me, and rushes over.

“
My tea! You are a god! Thank you!” She pulls the cover off her tea, inhales deeply, then takes a long sip. “Perfection.” She puts the lid back on and hands me back her cup. “Now let’s see what the cat dragged in, shall we?”

I take my seat at the director's table and take out my binder again, this time ready to take notes.

Elizabeth
turns her attention back to the stretching bodies on stage then claps her hands a few times until the crowd quiets down.

“
Thank you all for coming out tonight. You might be wondering why I’ve asked you all to come ready to move for an audition for
Romeo & Juliet
.”

Several heads start to nod in agreement as Elizabeth
chuckles knowingly.

“
The reason movement is going to be so important for this play is because we’re going to be doing it
without
words.”

The outburst of quiet conversations that follow is downright comical. They don’t get it either.

“
I know, I know,” she says, a tinge of defensiveness in her tone, “How do you perform a play, a play written by Shakespeare, of all people, without words?” She climbs the stairs and enters the light dramatically. “You do it, with music and movement.” She raises her arms over her head and strikes a Martha Graham-ish pose. You’ve got to hand it to her; she does know how to make an entrance.

Although Elizabeth
is twice the age of all of the students around her, she still has a dancer's body. Despite her long, frizzy hair and the excessive amount of necklaces looped around her neck, she still manages to evoke the image of grace and professionalism. As though to show off her ability, she expertly glides over to her laptop on the floor.

“
I’m going to play some music now, and I just want you to move however you feel comfortable.” She rests her hands on her hips delicately. “I want to stress something here. I’m
not
looking for dancers who can act. I’m looking for people who can convey emotion through their bodies,” she says to a sea of blank faces. “Just move however the music makes you feel.” She bends over and hits play and bounces back into the darkness, sliding into the seat beside me.

“
Here we go,” she whispers, rubbing her hands together.

The track playing is one I hand-picked. It’s that same Celtic singer that I heard the first time dancing with Elizabeth. The singer's voice is so beautiful that it would be close to impossible for anyone without a soul
not
to be moved by it. I’m fighting the urge to jump up on stage with them myself.

As the group begins tentatively to move their bodies around, Elizabeth
starts grumbling a little. No one is jumping out at her. No one has impressed me, either. But we’ve just started. They just need to relax a little.

“
Any suggestions?” she asks me .

“
They’re just nervous. They have no idea what they’re supposed to do. You may need to give them some direction,” I offer.

“
Direction from a Director…that’s cute, kid.” She smirks at me, then pushes out of her chair to give more detailed instructions. Unfortunately, there is little improvement. Part of the problem is that they're all crammed up there like sardines. We can't even see some of the dancers in the back. Before I can mention this small detail to Elizabeth, she starts asking a few of the obviously weaker dancers to sit for a moment, and the crowd eventually starts to thin, although there are still a few in the back that seem to be hiding.

Next she starts to physically pair up the women with the dozen men who have shown up, but there's a problem; there just aren't enough males. She turns and peers at me from the darkness and I already know what’s coming.

“
Be a darling and come up and dance, won’t you Etash?” she pleads. “Just for this one part, please?”

I let out a heavy sigh, but I relent. After all, I will have to get up there and teach this cast how to move eventually. I might as well start now.

“
Etash is my Assistant Director,” she announces to the dancers when I stand up and kick off my shoes. Bare feet is the only way I dance. “Since we’re so short on men, I’ll have him work with some of you for this part of the audition.”

Naya

As the light hits him, my breath catches in my throat.
He’s here?
So it wasn't nerves I was feeling earlier...it was him.

Still hiding behind the row of dancers in front of me, I watch as he unbuttons his shirt, crumples it into a ball and tosses it off stage. He's left standing next to Elizabeth in just a white tank that clings to his modest chest and loose fitting, tattered jeans that hang just over his bare feet. Amazing.

“
You can close your mouth now,” Kari whispers in my ear beside me.

“
Shut up,” I hiss, hiding my face in my hands, causing Kari to chuckle softly.

I do my best to focus on the director who is currently talking to Etash, watching in awe as he smiles at her. Such a small thing, a smile, but seeing the corners of his eyes turned up in laughter, causes me to well up with tears. His expression is always pained whenever he looks at me.

“
OK,” Professor Campbell says, “I want to try the women on stage first. Men, I’ll call you in a little bit, so be ready,” she says. Etash and the other men disappear into the wings, and I calmly freak out. I have about ten seconds either to run out of the theatre or face the fact that I'm going to have to go through this audition with him. My brain is telling me to bolt, and I almost do. But it's the music that keeps me put. The song that has come on is so...mesmerizing. I can't pull myself away from it.
I close my eyes and allow my body to move along with the rhythm, slowly losing myself to the music.

“
Alright ladies,” Elizabeth calls out, “you’ve just seen Romeo at the ball. Picture his face. You got it?”