Just a Little Note

Bryan Lovett sits on the edge of the stage, his back to the empty high school auditorium yawning behind him. He’s a sophomore at Lakeside High and already knows he wants to major in Theatre when he gets to college. For now, he takes whatever roles he can—the Drama Club’s faculty advisor is his English teacher, so he sees her after school during rehearsals as well as during fifth period every weekday. The school’s fall production is an odd choice—a musical, which means lots of practice. Most of the students can’t carry a tune in a bucket, if Bryan’s being honest. Why do television shows like Glee and High School Musical pretend the average high school teenager can actually sing and dance? If they could, they’d be in a boy band or something, or on The X-Factor or American Idol, not stuck here in Lakeside High trying to hit the right notes on “Pinball Wizard.” Bryan’s surprised the school council okayed The Who’s Tommy for a student production in the first place. Right now, though, he’s glad they did. It’s almost five o’clock on a Wednesday evening, and there’s no place he’d rather be than right here, on the edge of the stage, watching rehearsal. Correction—watching Jesse. If there’s anyone in their school who was born for the spotlight, it’s Jesse Carter. Bryan hasn’t known Jesse very long. They went to different middle schools and live too far away to have been friends as children. But Bryan still remembers freshman year when he walked into his Earth Science class and saw Jesse’s sunshine grin flash his way. The seat next to Jesse’s was empty. Bryan slid into it in a daze, focused only on Jesse’s dark eyes and careless hair. They became quick friends after that, and a shared love of theatre ensured they spent most of their after-school hours together at rehearsals or hanging out with the older students in the Drama Club. When open auditions were held for a silly little production called The Five-Minute Hamlet, Bryan encouraged Jesse to go for the lead role. The boy was a natural. Bryan didn’t make the cast, but he worked backstage and stood in the wings every night, watching Jesse. More than a year later, he’s still just watching. On the far side of the stage, Mrs. Beckingham uses her arms as conductor’s batons, trying to direct the girl who plays Tommy’s mother through her scales. Two little boys run around the actors, their rubber soled-shoes squealing on the freshly polished wood of the stage. They’re Mrs. Beckingham’s boys, both of whom are in the play, and they’re pure little terrors whenever their mother isn’t paying attention to them. Jesse has a starring role, of course. He isn’t Tommy—that part went to a senior, naturally, not a lowly sophomore, though both Jesse and Bryan tried out for it. Jesse plays Tommy’s father, Captain Walker. He has more stage-time than Bryan, who landed a role dubbed only as The Lover in the script. Watching Jesse hit his marks, Bryan sighs. He wishes. * * * * Bryan’s oldest friend is school goofball Zach Simmons. They grew up two houses down from each other and have been in every class together since kindergarten. Zach’s a joker and a flirt, one of those guys everyone knows and likes. Even the teachers think he’s funny—he gets away with things most other students wouldn’t. He told Bryan he landed a part in the play because Mrs. Beckingham liked the way he winked at her during rehearsal. Bryan doesn’t have the heart to point out that everyone who auditioned and didn’t get a named role ended up in the Ensemble, everyone, including Zach. That’s show biz. Though his speaking role isn’t much more than a glorified chorus position, Zach makes the most of it. He stands behind Jesse and copies the sophomore’s every move, mugging for Bryan and Emily Harris, a pretty young junior who sits beside Bryan on the stage. Here, during rehearsal, Bryan can watch Jesse shamelessly without anyone thinking anything of it. Next to Bryan, Emily giggles. Raising her voice, she calls out, “Zach, stop it.” Bryan smiles when she leans against him, laughing. “He’s so bad.” “He always has to be the center of attention.” Bryan watches Zach trip himself and stumble into Jesse, which sets the two guys laughing. They sober up with a stern look from Mrs. Beckingham. Bryan isn’t in the scene Jesse’s practicing, but then again, neither is Zach. He wishes he could be so carefree, as uninhibited as his friend. Then it’d be him stumbling into Jesse, his hand on Jesse’s back, his antics putting the grin on his friend’s face. Emily sighs. It’s such a girlish sound that Bryan laughs at her. “He’s grown up a lot,” she says. “Zach?” Bryan’s only half-listening as he watches Jesse. Who has no idea how I feel, he muses. That makes him sad. He watches Jesse deviate from the script’s choreographed moves to start in on a hip-hop break-dance routine that sets Zach snickering. Yeah, like that’s in the play. Jesse glances over to make sure everyone else is looking. When he sees Bryan, he smiles. God, that smile. “No, silly.” Emily slaps Bryan’s arm playfully. Though he hasn’t known her for long, Bryan likes her. She has a funny sense of humor and, more important, she likes to talk to him. “Good,” he jokes. “Because I’ve known Zach for years and honey, he hasn’t changed a bit since the first grade.” With a laugh, Emily stretches her long legs out in front of her, crosses her ankles, and leans back. Bryan glances at her. She’s staring at the guys and, though it hurts to hear it, he isn’t the least bit surprised when she says, “I mean Jesse. We go way back.” Bryan frowns at the faraway look in her eyes. There’s a name for that look—smitten. He knows it well. It stares back at him from the mirror every day. He lets his gaze linger over the swell of her small breasts, her tapered waist, her curved hips. Of course she’d have the hots for Jesse. Of course. He hears Jesse’s laugh, bubbly and infectious. He tries to hate her but can’t. He knows all too well just how easy it is to fall for that boy.