Waiting in the Wings (8 page)

out from Alexis’s auburn hair. I stepped into my first costume, a very

stylish collegiate-looking skirt and top.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your five minute call. Five

minutes to places please.”

Okay, now the adrenaline was kicking in. I had been warming up my voice intermittently, but decided to run a few more scales to loosen up my vocal chords as I walked to the stage. On the way I received high fives, squeezes to my shoulder, and even a few light kisses to my cheek.

The few moments I spent in the wings prior to the show seemed incredibly chaotic. My mind was racing with all the things I was scared I’d forget to do. It seemed like the cast and crew around me were moving in fast motion, and my relaxation techniques no longer seemed to be working. There were roughly two thousand people in that audience who’d paid a lot of money to see this show, and I could hear every one of them through the curtain. The run in Chicago was sold out, scalpers were selling seats at double their face value, and I could single-handedly screw this whole thing up. I had never been one to experience panic attacks, but this was quite possibly my first. As I was ready to about-face and walk back to the dressing room, I caught sight of Adrienne laughing with Craig at the stage manager’s table. At that moment, she turned. The lighting in the wings was dim, but I could make out her features fairly easily. When her eyes landed on mine, she smiled slightly and offered me one reassuring nod. That was all I needed, as the world once again slowed to a normal pace. I held my gaze with Adrienne and felt my mind cease its racing. I nodded back to her, a silent thank-you, and

turned my attention fully to the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, places please. Places for Act One.”

Adrienne walked onstage and took her opening position for the top of the show. Moments later, Craig called the first cue in his book, the orchestra began the opening number, and the curtain rose.

Everything from that point forward seemed like a blur. My first scene and number in the show with Adrienne was probably the most gratifying I’ve ever experienced. Hearing the audience laughing and reacting to the lines was such a rush. You didn’t get that in rehearsal.

It made me want to give them more, but I reminded myself to stick to the direction I’d been given and not get carried away.

For the rest of the show, I allowed myself to get lost. I threw myself full force into each emotion Alexis would feel, even if I didn’t always agree with her actions. It seemed to work, as the audience gasped at all the right shocking moments and cheered when Evan triumphed over Alexis in the end.

Before I knew it, the show was over and it was time for the cast to take their bows during curtain call. The ensemble bowed in groups of six, with featured actors coming out in pairs. The only singular bows went to the actress playing Evan’s doctor, me, Ben, and of course, Adrienne, who had the final bow of the night. Having witnessed the curtain call many times, I knew that a performance was deemed successful if the audience stood for Adrienne when she took the stage.

I waited in the wings as the ensemble and feature players took their turns bowing. As the actress who played Evan’s doctor entered, the audience erupted into cheering. I made sure not to allow too much time to pass between her bow and mine, as instructed by Craig, and began my high energy run to the downstage portion of the set. I was caught off guard by the number of people beginning to stand as I approached. I took my bow and smiled as the ovation cascaded down to the front row. It was a great moment, but one I knew I couldn’t dwell on and quickly jumped to the side for Ben’s entrance. After his bow, the orchestra struck up the melody to Evan’s comeback number in the show just in time for Adrienne to appear. The cheering in the Cadillac Theater turned to rock star status as Adrienne bowed before the audience. It was as if they couldn’t get enough of her. I applauded along with them. As the company joined together and we took our final bow of the evening, I knew I would never forget this day.

The curtain went down and my eyes were moist with tears. They were tears of excitement, tears of exhaustion, and tears of relief. I returned to the dressing room and began the transformation back into myself. The girls were excited for me but quickly fell back into their usual routine. They’d done this show many times and this

was just another in the series for them. They did remark on the crazy audience reaction to the show, however, and hoped for more of that from Chicago.

The only thing that could make this experience more complete would be sharing it with Adrienne. It felt like we were in it together on that stage. I’d looked around for her after curtain call, but she’d disappeared to her dressing room fairly quickly. I looked at the flowers she’d sent and thought how much they reminded me of her. Beautiful, unique, and elegant all at the same time.

Kyle came by our dressing room to let us know the name of the restaurant where everyone was meeting. I realized I was starving. I hadn’t eaten dinner and had only an apple for lunch. I told the rest of the group to go on ahead, as I needed a moment to decompress. I sat at my dressing table and opened one card after another from the company. I heard the door behind me open and glanced in the mirror. Adrienne was leaning against the doorjamb, looking thoughtful. Her long hair fell around her face in slightly curled tendrils after being pinned back from the wig she’d worn for the show. I loved how it looked when she’d just taken it down. I studied her in the mirror. “I hope that face isn’t a reflection of my performance tonight.”

She laughed, but only briefly. “No, of course not. You were wonderful tonight. I’m in awe. You blew me away and it was only your first performance.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I was beyond nervous, but hearing the applause, the laughter, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”

“I hope you don’t, Jenna. I would never want to see you lose your love of performing, your innocence about this business. It’s rare, and it’s contagious, and I have to say, wonderful. So many of these actors clock in and out each day and forget why they started in the first place. Remember this feeling tonight and pull it out again whenever you need it.”

I turned and stood, facing her fully. “I will remember it. Thank you.”

We studied each other for a moment before she took her

forefinger and ran it gently across my bottom lip. She lifted her

gaze to my eyes and tilted her head, slowly leaning in and capturing my mouth with hers. I’d thought about kissing Adrienne again a hundred times since the night on the street, and I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. She kissed me softly at first, but I couldn’t help myself and deepened the kiss. I felt her hands slowly move into my hair, and I suppressed a gasp as her tongue found its way into my mouth and began to explore. My hands were on her waist, and I pulled her tighter into me as I felt every part of my body begin to respond to her.

Somewhere in the back of my mind it registered that there were footsteps in the hallway, footsteps that were rapidly approaching my dressing room. Adrienne must have heard them too because we pulled away from each other at exactly the same moment and looked to the open door. Stewart knocked twice before poking his head into the room.

“Aha. There you are.”

“What’s up, Stew?” I said, doing my best to seem casual and control my breathing.
No making out here.

“There’s still quite a few people waiting at the stage door. We were wondering whether you were still planning to sign for them or if we should tell them you’ve already gone.”

I looked to Adrienne for an answer. They were her fans, after all. They were waiting for her.

“They’re still out there? Wow. Um, no, tell them we’ll be right out, Stewart, thanks.”

Stewart nodded once and headed back down the hall. I turned back to Adrienne and sighed. It had been quite a day.

She smiled at me sympathetically and pulled me into an embrace, kissing my neck once in the process. I loved the smell of her shampoo. I just wanted to inhale her. Instead, I reluctantly let her go. “Okay, you, there are some very dedicated fans waiting outside who might turn violent at any moment. Let’s get you out there.”

She gathered the bag she’d left at the door. “Sounds like a plan.” “Are you coming to my dinner afterward?” I asked. Once the words were out, I wanted to take them back. I didn’t want her to feel

obligated. “Don’t worry about it if you’re too tired, it’s not—”

She silenced me with a kiss before answering. “Shut up with that. Of course I’m coming.” She flashed me one last dazzling smile and headed off down the hall. Could today get any better?

When I stepped out the stage door, I was surprised to see at least thirty people waiting. Chicago was enthusiastic. Adrienne was going down the line signing playbills and taking photos. I decided to wait a few yards away until she was finished, but I didn’t make it much further than a few steps before a Sharpie was thrust under my nose.

“Jenna, will you sign my T-shirt?” a hopeful teenage girl asked. I was dumbfounded by the fact she knew my name.

“Sure I will,” I said and wrote my name across the
Clean Slate

baby doll tee from the souvenir stand.

“We loved the show tonight. You were awesome!”

“Aww, thank you. I’m happy you had a good time,” I said.

I continued signing as more people approached me. I kept track of Adrienne out of the corner of my eye. I noticed how she took a moment to talk with each person and seemed so appreciative of each compliment. Some of the fans even asked her to sign memorabilia from her
Highland High
days
,
which I knew she was hoping to break free of. Nonetheless, she obliged and even stopped to talk about her time on the show. She caught me watching her and shot me a quick wink before turning back to a young man with a camera. I could learn a lot from her, I realized, and decided to make an effort to pay attention in the future. As if I needed an excuse.

Ten minutes later when the final playbill was signed, Adrienne

waved good-bye to everyone and joined me.

“So now who’s the superstar?” Adrienne said as she approached. “That was the craziest feeling, to have people want my signature

on something.” I shook my head. “I’m nobody.”

“No, you’re definitely somebody.” She wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked. “And you better get used to it. This is just the beginning.”

“I can’t imagine this being my everyday life, but I’ll take it.”

It was nearing midnight and I was beyond hungry. We walked together, following the directions Kyle had given me to the restaurant.

It was a few blocks away, giving us a chance to enjoy a few minutes alone before joining the others for dinner. As we walked in silence, I took in the night air and the newness of what was going on between us. I held her hand loosely, but as we approached the restaurant, she made a point of letting go.

“I think it might be a good idea to keep things between us. Is that okay?”

“That’s okay with me. Whatever you need.”

She blinked and smiled. “You’re kind of great, you know that?”

“I didn’t, but a fifteen-year-old girl back there said I was, so it

must be true.”

She laughed and nudged my shoulder with hers playfully. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

We walked into the restaurant and found our group. In the middle of the dining room were two long tables decorated with sombreros and confetti. Pitchers of margaritas lined the tables and the company applauded when they saw us approach. Adrienne made a big presentational gesture toward me as I followed her into the room. “And here’s our second guest of honor,” Ben called out. “Ladies

and gentleman, joining our cast tonight, the lovely Jenna McGovern. Congratulations on a great show, kid! We’ve decided to keep you.”

I laughed and gave him a big bear hug, before being ushered to my pre-assigned seat in the middle of the group next to Lanie. I kissed her cheek as I sat and noticed Adrienne sit across the table and a few seats down.

Lanie and I hadn’t had a chance to talk after the show, but I could tell she was in great spirits. She picked up her glass and handed me mine. Holding hers high in the air, she offered a private toast. “To a million more shows like that one, and to my new friend.”

“And to mine.” I clinked my glass to hers.

After I was able to get a few bites of food down, I felt energy start to return to my body. I made a mental note to always eat at least a little bit before a show.

I scanned the table and was happy to see everyone was having a good time, laughing, and telling jokes. The margaritas certainly

helped. Adrienne was sipping a Diet Coke and in the midst of a playful argument with Craig and Sienna, laughing quite a bit. It was childish and unwarranted, but seeing Adrienne laugh with Sienna that way brought on a twinge of jealousy. I didn’t like that it had. But it had. I vowed then and there not to be that person. But then again, I’d also vowed to put Adrienne out of my mind and then spent the earlier part of the evening making out with her. Okay, so my track record could have been better.

Dinner was over, it neared two a.m., and I decided it was time to call it a night. I stood and thanked everyone for the celebration and after a few hugs, Lanie and I started for the door. I hesitated, unsure whether to wait for Adrienne or not. What was the protocol here? She seemed comfortable where she was, so I waved casually to at least say good-bye. She nodded silently. She smiled and I returned it. We had all the time in the world to get to know each other better, I reminded myself.

❖

Wednesday morning rolled around and I had a hard time getting out of bed. The excitement from the day before had definitely had an effect on my body. Luckily, I didn’t have to be anywhere until my call time that night before the show. I had hoped to explore some of Chicago, maybe hit the Museum of Natural History or Navy Pier. I finished blow-drying my hair, deciding to let it hang loose today, and pulled out the set of brochures I’d picked up in the hotel lobby. I sat at the desk and started to look through them when I heard a faint knock on the door. As I pulled it open, I was intrigued by the sight in front of me, an outstretched arm without an owner offering up a piping hot coffee-to-go. I laughed, accepting the coffee, and peered around the doorframe to find Adrienne smiling back at me, looking very proud of herself.