Read Online Beyond Clueless by Linas Alsenas - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Linas Alsenas
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monologues you can read that I’ve put in a pile right here. Callback lists will be e-mailed out tonight or tomorrow morning, and callback auditions will take place on Monday—same time, same place.”
I signed my name and e-mail address on the list, and our group settled in a far corner of the theater, near where Xiangand I had sat before. But I couldn’t actually sit down in my buzz-y condition; I just sort of hovered above the group. I noted that Sister Mary Alice and Mrs. Murray, the musical director, had set themselves up in the second row, smack in the center, with their clipboards at the ready.
Kirby held out his hand to Xiang. “Hi, I’m Kirby.”
“Oh, right!” I gasped. “I totally forgot. I’m sorry. Boys, this is Xiang. Xiang, this is Kirby, Oliver, Derek, and Jimmy.”
Xiang wiggled her hand in a quick wave, then said to Kirby in her high, babyish voice (not again!), “I didn’t see you sign up with the others. Aren’t you auditioning, too?”
At that moment, I literally smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. I turned to Kirby. “Ohmigod, you’re actually here! I didn’t even think about it—you’re totally auditioning! We convinced you!” (To be fair, I wasn’t noticing much of anything, as I was focusing on trying to respond to the earth’s gravitational pull.)
Kirby smiled and shook his head. “Naw, I’m just here to provide immoral support.”
“Boooooooo,” I countered with an exaggerated frown and a double thumbs-down. “It’s not too late!”
“Oh, leave him alone. That’s exactly why I’m here, too,” squeaked Xiang. “So, are you all freshmen?”
“Jimmy and Derek are,” Oliver replied, “but Kirby and me are both sophomores. Kirby drove us here, actually.”
For a moment, I felt the buzz dim a bit. They were
sophomores
? Kirby could
drive
? I had simply assumed that they were our age. Huh.
More people streamed into the theater, and I was back to vibrating—with a vengeance. I hated being this nervous. Each time someone walked in, my inner self kicked an inner wall.
Crap. More competition
. The separate groups in the audience were starting to coagulate into one big crowd.
And then
he
walked in.
My mental kick froze, and I registered his appearance: OH. MY. GOD.
My right arm flailed out instinctively, hitting Xiang.
“Ow!” she yelped, recoiling from my blow.
“
That’s the guy!
” I hissed. “
That’s the guy from the mall!”
“What guy?” she asked, rubbing her left arm and glaring at me.
“You know!
The guy with the stinky grandmother!”
She turned and peered thoughtfully at him but then shrugged. “If you say so.”
Mall Guy made a brief scan of the crowd, then bent over Jenny McCafferty’s list. For once, McCafferty seemed a bit subdued as she watched him sign his name. I thought I could sense a slight hush over the theater as he walked from the sign-up sheet to the other side of the stage, and it seemed as though heads throughout the audience tracked him like flowers following the sun.
Then I heard Kirby whistle softly behind me; he, too, was gawking at the guy. But who could blame him? Mall Guy had a lanky, tall build and shiny black hair that swept past eyes that were dark and soulful, even from fifty feet away. Jimmy grabbed my hand and squeezed it, raising hiseyebrows toward the newcomer. I responded by fanning my face with my other hand.
Mall Guy had come in with a friend, a barrel-chested guy with painfully spiked hair who chewed gum in an exaggerated, rolling motion. They settled on seats just at the edge of the stage, along the aisle.
I turned and saw Oliver reach out and wipe Kirby’s chin with his hand.
“Looks like you’ve got some drool there, buddy.”
After a few more people meandered in, Jenny stood and let out a piercing whistle.
“OK, people! Shush! We’re gonna get started now!” I somehow managed to lower myself into my seat. Jenny made a big show of checking the sign-up sheet. “The first
I signed my name and e-mail address on the list, and our group settled in a far corner of the theater, near where Xiangand I had sat before. But I couldn’t actually sit down in my buzz-y condition; I just sort of hovered above the group. I noted that Sister Mary Alice and Mrs. Murray, the musical director, had set themselves up in the second row, smack in the center, with their clipboards at the ready.
Kirby held out his hand to Xiang. “Hi, I’m Kirby.”
“Oh, right!” I gasped. “I totally forgot. I’m sorry. Boys, this is Xiang. Xiang, this is Kirby, Oliver, Derek, and Jimmy.”
Xiang wiggled her hand in a quick wave, then said to Kirby in her high, babyish voice (not again!), “I didn’t see you sign up with the others. Aren’t you auditioning, too?”
At that moment, I literally smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. I turned to Kirby. “Ohmigod, you’re actually here! I didn’t even think about it—you’re totally auditioning! We convinced you!” (To be fair, I wasn’t noticing much of anything, as I was focusing on trying to respond to the earth’s gravitational pull.)
Kirby smiled and shook his head. “Naw, I’m just here to provide immoral support.”
“Boooooooo,” I countered with an exaggerated frown and a double thumbs-down. “It’s not too late!”
“Oh, leave him alone. That’s exactly why I’m here, too,” squeaked Xiang. “So, are you all freshmen?”
“Jimmy and Derek are,” Oliver replied, “but Kirby and me are both sophomores. Kirby drove us here, actually.”
For a moment, I felt the buzz dim a bit. They were
sophomores
? Kirby could
drive
? I had simply assumed that they were our age. Huh.
More people streamed into the theater, and I was back to vibrating—with a vengeance. I hated being this nervous. Each time someone walked in, my inner self kicked an inner wall.
Crap. More competition
. The separate groups in the audience were starting to coagulate into one big crowd.
And then
he
walked in.
My mental kick froze, and I registered his appearance: OH. MY. GOD.
My right arm flailed out instinctively, hitting Xiang.
“Ow!” she yelped, recoiling from my blow.
“
That’s the guy!
” I hissed. “
That’s the guy from the mall!”
“What guy?” she asked, rubbing her left arm and glaring at me.
“You know!
The guy with the stinky grandmother!”
She turned and peered thoughtfully at him but then shrugged. “If you say so.”
Mall Guy made a brief scan of the crowd, then bent over Jenny McCafferty’s list. For once, McCafferty seemed a bit subdued as she watched him sign his name. I thought I could sense a slight hush over the theater as he walked from the sign-up sheet to the other side of the stage, and it seemed as though heads throughout the audience tracked him like flowers following the sun.
Then I heard Kirby whistle softly behind me; he, too, was gawking at the guy. But who could blame him? Mall Guy had a lanky, tall build and shiny black hair that swept past eyes that were dark and soulful, even from fifty feet away. Jimmy grabbed my hand and squeezed it, raising hiseyebrows toward the newcomer. I responded by fanning my face with my other hand.
Mall Guy had come in with a friend, a barrel-chested guy with painfully spiked hair who chewed gum in an exaggerated, rolling motion. They settled on seats just at the edge of the stage, along the aisle.
I turned and saw Oliver reach out and wipe Kirby’s chin with his hand.
“Looks like you’ve got some drool there, buddy.”
After a few more people meandered in, Jenny stood and let out a piercing whistle.
“OK, people! Shush! We’re gonna get started now!” I somehow managed to lower myself into my seat. Jenny made a big show of checking the sign-up sheet. “The first
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