short story
***ACT ONE***
The best shows are always on closing night. Opening night there are too many nerves, then during the middle shows the cast members get cocky, begin to lose energy and there is always at least one major screw-up; the band misses its cue or the lead forgets an entire soliloquy. But, on closing night, the energy is back up. The cast wants to atone for that major screw-up from the day before, emotions are high because people are sad to see the play coming to an end, and it’s the last chance for everyone to finally act on all of the backstage infatuations that have inevitably developed over the course of production.
High-school plays are a breeding ground for sexual tension. While parents in the audience watch the show and brag about which kid is theirs, backstage is a whole other scene. Teenagers, hormonally charged at the best of times, are grouped together in the dark. It’s always hot back there, and communication is restricted to whispers and touches. There is never enough room, so sweaty bodies are often pressed against one another. Everyone is nervous and excited. It’s like an orgy but without the sex. The sex usually happens at the cast party afterwards.
Caleb has tried to avoid that aspect of it since his first play. It was Romeo and Juliet, in Grade 9. He’d developed a massive crush on a girl named Gigi who was playing Juliet. She had long blonde hair and a leather jacket and a laugh that sounded like a Beatles song. Caleb thought she was the kind of girl that could really understand him. He fantasized about running away with her, jumping on the next Greyhound and getting out of this town for good. He fantasized about doing a lot of other things with her, too.
Of course, Gigi never really noticed Caleb and always got his name wrong. And one day he’d walked in on her on her knees in the dressing room, getting a little closer to Romeo. So that was pretty much the end of that. He hadn’t let himself get too worked up about any of the girls in drama club after that, but it was still hard not to allow the occasional thrill to pulse through his body when he was backstage, especially earlier tonight as Jenny had squeezed up against him to make room for the other actors, rapidly undoing half the buttons on her high-necked Puritan costume in order to cool off until her next scene. How that was supposed to cool anyone off, Caleb had no idea.
He had only joined drama club so he could spend less time at home. With his parents in the middle of a divorce but both still living in the same house, he had needed to get out of there as much as possible. So it was either drama or football. He picked drama because he’d get to talk to girls and wouldn’t have to wear those embarrassing shiny pants that are tight enough to display your junk. After his parents’ divorce and the Gigi fiasco, Caleb thought about quitting, but the fact was he had discovered something that he really loved to do. He liked being able to become a completely different person for three hours a night. He liked being able to spend a little time in a fictitious world where the good guys always won and the bad guys always lost and the truth always, always, came out in the end. So, he stuck with it, and here he was three years later, still in costume.
***INTERMISSION***
That night’s show was The Crucible. It was intermission, which meant the actors had fifteen precious minutes to themselves. Caleb sat in the dressing room going over his lines for the billionth time and quietly observing the rest of the cast. Liam, the stage manager, ran around like a tornado, angrily hissing at the actors to help him strike the set. A couple of them obliged, but most deemed themselves too busy with more important things.
Skye, who played the part of Goody Proctor, smiled sweetly as the group of boys who always followed her around laughed uproariously at something she just said. Somebody had wedged the door open to let air in and three of the guys stood just outside, passing around a joint in plain view so that everyone could see how badass they were. Two girls, Trish and Cassidy, giggled loudly as they changed into their next costumes in front of everybody, even though there were plenty of curtains and screens to step behind for privacy. Caleb noticed that Trish wore a red and black satin corset under her costume. She took her time preening in front of a mirror, making damn sure that all the boys noticed it, especially Elijah, who she had been fawning all over for weeks. Elijah, meanwhile, was more preoccupied with planning one of his famous keggers. He approached Caleb and amiably punched him on the arm the way popular guys do.
“Caleb, buddy! Cast party at my house tonight. My parents are in Aruba again. I got two kegs. You in?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Caleb couldn’t help but laugh to himself. What a sorry bunch of Puritans we are.
His attention turned to Jenny now. She was fully clothed this time, thank god, and talking to someone on her cellphone. Caleb wondered if it was her boyfriend on the other end. If she had a boyfriend. That was probably something he should know by now. He had gotten to know Jenny pretty well since rehearsals started and she’d never mentioned a boyfriend, but he couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t as if he could just ask whether she had one or not. Then she would know that he cared. Which I don’t, he reminded himself.
“Okay, three minutes! Places, people!” Liam’s voice shook Caleb from his reverie.
“Where’s Skye? Come on, you guys, I am not supposed to be your babysitter.”
“Calm down, Liam, she’s right over – “Caleb looked over to where he saw Skye last and sighed when he realized she wasn’t there anymore. Liam glared at him.
“I’ll go find her.”
“Thanks, Caleb.”
While everyone else ran back to the stage to get ready for lights up, Caleb just stood in the empty dressing room for a moment. He loved being in there when it was this silent. He drank it in for a second, then walked down the skinny corridor towards the girls’ bathroom to look for Skye. He turned a corner and saw her standing at the end of the hallway, popping something small, white and round into her mouth. She jumped a little when she saw him and stuffed the clear plastic bag she held into the front of her dress. She looked ashamed for a second, then smiled and spoke.
“Well, it’s not like it’s a secret that I’m on the pill, right?”
“Um, no…no, of course not. Sorry. It’s almost lights up.” Caleb stammered.
“Okay, let’s get back out there then!” She flashed him a winning smile and bounced down the hallway in front of him, her golden hair spilling in flawless ringlets down her slender back. Caleb wasn’t stupid. He knew what birth control looked like, and it sure as hell didn’t come in a Ziploc baggie. It figured. Skye was gorgeous, got good grades, had the lead role in every play, and was adored by students and teachers alike. She was too perfect not to have at least one bad habit.
He followed her down the hallway to continue the show.
***CAST PARTY***
Caleb pulled into Elijah’s driveway and took the key out of his ignition. He wouldn’t normally attend a party at Elijah’s. They weren’t enemies or anything, they just hadn’t ever been friends before either. But, cast after-parties usually ended up being fun, plus it was either this or stay home, and Paul was coming over tonight. Caleb was glad that his mother had found a nice enough guy who made her happy, but every time Paul saw Caleb he wanted to hang out, just the two of them, so they could bond or something. The other day Paul actually suggested taking Caleb and his dad to a hockey game. Like they were all one big happy family. Not gonna happen, Paul.
The door to the huge house was wide open and a group of guys stood on the porch, smoking and laughing. The perfectly manicured lawn was already littered with empty bottles and red plastic cups. Caleb walked across the yard and into the house, exchanging greetings in the form of fist bumps with the porch guys on his way in.
He surveyed his surroundings. Liam was sitting on the floor fiddling with a camera, trying to hook it up to a flat-screen T.V. that spanned the far wall. Jenny, Cassidy, and Skye sat around a table with a large group of good-looking boys. One of them was playing “Mr. Tambourine Man” on acoustic guitar. Jenny was singing along with the boy and smiling at him, a little too widely for Caleb’s liking. A few people in the corner were laughing and high-fiving because one of them had apparently broken the stereo, and nothing could be funnier. Elijah and Trish were already making out on the couch, his hands on her back, snaking up underneath her shirt.
“Caleb, you made it!” Liam had finished with the camera. He handed Caleb a beer.
“Yeah. Thanks, man.”
“Check it out, Elijah’s sister took a video of the play tonight.”
Caleb looked at the T.V. Sure enough, it was playing the performance from earlier that evening. Liam was the only one paying any attention to the video. Nobody else had moved from their original positions, except for Elijah and Trish who were horizontal now. Caleb noticed Skye’s group talking animatedly as they migrated towards one of the other rooms. He was surprised to hear one of them mention something about lines. Everyone else seemed to have forgotten about the play already.
Jenny had strayed from her group and was standing in the corner alone looking bored out of her mind. She wore jeans with rips in all the right places and a skin-tight green halter top. Her dark hair, which was usually swept up in a messy bun, cascaded down past her shoulders in loose curls. Liam’s eyes followed Caleb’s.
“Now’s your chance. Go talk to her.”
“I’m talking to you right now, Liam.”
“No you’re not. You’re standing near me and ogling her. I’ll catch you later.” He pushed Caleb in Jenny’s direction. Caleb stumbled stupidly a little and then approached her.
“Hey Jenny, how’s it going?”
“Not bad.”
“Do you, uh, need a drink?”
“Nah, I’m packing.” She produced a small metal flask from inside her purse and took a swig. “Want some?” Caleb took the flask from her outstretched hand and thanked her. He didn’t normally drink hard liquor, but the thought of refusing anything that Jenny offered him seemed ridiculous. Especially when it was something that had touched her mouth. He sipped it tentatively and stifled a cough. Whiskey.
“So, Jenny, how’s your night going?”
“Gettin’ better by the second.” She smiled at him and took another swig. “I’m kind of sad the play’s over, though. I’m going to miss…well, all of it.”
Caleb felt a rush of delight at the thought of Jenny missing spending time with him. He was about to reply when Cassidy suddenly came rushing in from the other room and grabbed Jenny by the wrist. She looked agitated. “It’s Skye. She started sweating like crazy and then she passed out, and she’s still out and I dunno if …anyway, we need to get her to Emergency. Where’s Dan? He’s not drinking.”
Jenny looked around and beckoned to a guy with longish blonde hair who stood at the other end of the room, watching two guys trying to make a beer bong out of a funnel and some bendy straws and shaking his head. He walked over.
“Dan, we need you to get Skye to the hospital. Can you do that?”
“Of course, Jen. Is she okay?”
“We don’t know. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Cassidy pulled Dan towards the next room. “C’mon, she’s in here. Let’s go.” They left and Caleb stood there feeling completely useless. Jenny looked really upset now. He hesitantly touched her shoulder.
“Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure it’s nothing. She just had a little too much to drink. And it’s been a long night for her. She’s probably just tired and drunk and dehydrated.”
Jenny nodded. “Yeah, I just hope…no, you’re right. She’s been drinking since we got here, and on an empty stomach too. Probably just needs to sleep it off. Cass always makes a big deal out of nothing. Come on, let’s sit down.” She led him over to the couch that wasn’t occupied by the writhing mass that was Trish and Elijah. Jenny looked over at them and shook her head.
“’Bout time they sucked face. I hope Trish doesn’t ditch Elijah tomorrow. He’s the first decent guy she’s gone for in awhile.”
“Why would she ditch him? She’s been after him for weeks.”
“That’s kind of Trish’s pattern. She goes after guys that show no interest in her and then as soon as they start to like her back, she moves on to the next uninterested one. It’s a girl thing.”
Caleb raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think that’s a girl thing. More like an insecurity thing.”
“There’s a difference?” Jenny smiled wryly and downed what was left in her flask.
Caleb liked the way she always said exactly what she meant, but passed it off as a joke. She was suddenly sitting a lot closer to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb saw something fall on the floor. It was Elijah’s shirt. Jenny moved closer again.
“I’m really glad you came tonight, Caleb.” She grabbed his hand and held it, lacing her fingers between his. His heart beat quickened. He squeezed her hand and then let go of it. She was too drunk right now. Jenny’s smile disappeared and her face turned bright red.
“Oh…I’m sorry.” She started to stand up and Caleb started to mentally kick himself. Idiot idiot idiot.
“No, Jenny, I didn’t mean…I just didn’t want to take ad-“
The sound of Jenny’s phone ringing cut him off. It was Cassidy. Jenny answered and spoke in a hushed voice for a minute, then dropped the phone. She was crying. Everyone looked up from what they were doing, even Trish and Elijah. Caleb spoke first.
“What happened? Is it Skye?”
Jenny nodded. “She O.D.’d”
Caleb’s heart sank. “On what?”
“They don’t know for sure…it sounds like she mixed a bunch of stuff. She’s still unconscious. They don’t…they don’t know if she’s gonna make it.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, leaving black trails of mascara in their wake.
Everyone in the room was completely silent now. The only sound was the audio of the video being played. The play was coming to an end right now and the audience clapped exuberantly as the curtain closed. Liam ran to the T.V. and shut it off. Trish was at Jenny’s side, squeezing her arm and muttering that it would be okay. Elijah sat on the couch, his shirt still off and his head in his hands.
All Caleb could think about was how weird it was to see everybody out of costume.