No Rules To Love

Chapter One -Part Two

“Did you know we’re going to have a guest speaker in acting class tomorrow?” Ashley’s voice took me out of my daydream and back into the real world. Once my eyes refocused and I returned to the present, I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Really?” I asked, haunches rising at once. Ashley sensed my incoming annoyance and I saw her prepare for my incoming tirade. “Is there any point? I mean, we’re leaving in, like, two weeks. We don’t have time for a guest speaker. I’d much rather continue with rehearsals. We still have loads of work to do.”

Ashley chuckled at my cynicism before responding. “The show is going to be fine, and you know it. It can’t hurt to take a morning off.” She waited for my reply. When I didn’t give her anything, she continued. “Well, he’s American, but he’s an ex-student. He graduated last year, and he’s back in England after doing about six months on Broadway! So, because we’re leaving soon, he’s come to talk to us about life after Mountview.” She said the last part with wonder and incredible enthusiasm, using her hands for emphasis. I let out a chuckle at her antics.

“How did you even get all this information?” I asked, completely bewildered and — I wouldn’t lie — a little awed. I never assumed so much information could spread around in such a small amount of time. And, of course, Ashley was the person to get it.

“I have my resources.” Ashley shrugged, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She never did tell me how she got her gossip. I doubted she remembered, to be honest. Her eyes widened and became excited. “I also heard he was totally hot!”

I rolled my eyes and groaned. This sentence was something familiar to my ears. “You know, Ash, there’s more to life than being hot.”

Ashley would forever remain my best friend, and I would never be mean to or about her, but she could be a little shallow at times. Not in the sense that nothing other than boys crossed her mind, but she held them in higher esteem than I did. In stark contrast to her, I never looked at boys in ways other than as acting partners or friends. Or famous Musical Theatre actors whom I admired. I did see some guys and took in their good looks — emotions and hormones didn’t completely leave my body. But they were usually celebrities and people with whom I had no chance. It was never something that I prioritised.

Ashley did have a boyfriend; he attended the school and was also in his final year. They had been together for over two years, and they remained in blissful happiness. I wouldn’t lie. He was a good-looking guy, but I would never admit that to Ashley. She would start setting me up with anyone who resembled Michael in the vaguest terms.

A boyfriend was the last thing I wanted.

She didn’t let her committed relationship stop her from expressing her feelings. Especially when she finds someone attractive. She usually said it to me, as I assumed her boyfriend, Michael, would not appreciate it. Though it wasn’t wrong to have these thoughts, as long as she didn’t act on them. Which I guarantee she wouldn’t. I sometimes thought that she said things like this twice as much to make up for my not commenting on men. I was more than happy to let her do that for both of us.

“Okay, I suppose it counts if someone has a pleasant personality.” She conceded, if only to appease me. But she then thought for a moment and shrugged. “It does help if they’re hot, though.”

She would never change. Nor did I want her to.

It felt like all I did was roll my eyes when I spoke to Ashley. Especially when it comes to the topic of men. At times like this, I questioned why I remained friends with her. As soon as I thought about that, I dashed it away. We were both polar opposites of each other, but we got on like a house on fire, and she made me laugh so much. The old phrase was accurate: opposites attract.

No way would I have made it through these three years if it hadn’t been for her.

I laughed at her and threw my head in my hands, peering up at her through my fingers. “What am I going to do with you?” I asked, my voice playful and muffled by my palms, adding a touch of humour to our already ridiculous conversation.

“Love me?” she asked, blinking her eyes rapidly at me.

I only let myself rest for an hour or so. And during that rest, I grabbed something to eat (a healthy meal, of course) and took a quick shower. I washed the grime from rehearsals away and let the steam clear my sinuses.

The rest of the night was spent rehearsing. Ashley and I, driven by our passion, dedicated most of our spare time at home to our rehearsals. We meticulously ran through the lines, ensuring I had them all memorised. We practised our dance routines, determined to master the combinations. And we sang our hearts out, knowing our neighbours might not appreciate it. But after three years, they should be used to it by now.

When we realised it was too late to continue with the noise, we set down to annotate our scripts. The grade for our scripts, combined with our performance marking, would give us a final grade. Therefore, it was important.

By the time we had run through everything, the sun had long set, leaving a black velvet sky with a few stars scattered across it. Both Ashley and I were exhausted, our legs barely able to support us as we made our way to our rooms. It was surprising that I had found the energy to rehearse even more, given that I was already drained from my day at university.

We were extremely fortunate to have an apartment with en-suite bathrooms in each of our two rooms. I would make use of that facility now. At a snail’s pace, I walked to my en-suite bathroom, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. I then looked at myself in the mirror.

Every night, I would give myself a pep talk. I would run through my three rules in my head — to certify that I remembered them — and plan out what I would do the next day. I was very organised like that.

After my pep talk, I then, somehow, dragged myself to my bedroom. Like a slug, I changed into my pyjamas before sliding into my excellent, comfortable bed. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I wondered what would happen in the morning and the next day, as I was one to do when I lay in bed. Although I remained slightly dubious about why we had to sit through this guest speaker, the thought of his speech excited me. My future and time away from Mountview excited me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my time at school. I did something I loved every day, and few people could say that. However, I was ready to see what challenges the world had in store for me. I wanted to turn my passion into a career. The guest speaker — whoever he turned out to be — would probably make me even more enthusiastic about my life as an actor. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but I felt that tomorrow would change my life forever.

I didn’t know how right I was.