The Understudies [3]

(Malory)

“Where’s Davidson?” Mrs Bev, asks, anxiously. “He’s forty-five minutes late. Mr Richards, take note. This is serious.”

My heart skips a beat. I’m pretty sure that any note-taking involving a lack of participation from either Kyle or myself would affect our records. The nerve of this moron!

It’s Friday, and rehearsals are in progress, and Kyle is absent.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t show up at all,” I say to Olivia.

“I would.”

I swear something has possessed my best friend.

“Why?” I ask, taken aback.

She shrugs. “He’s never late for anything.”

“He’d be late to his own funeral,” I tell her. “The boy’s got lagging reflexes. I would know. I’ve punched him. Multiple times. There are times when he doesn’t feel it until like... two minutes after I’ve thrown the punch.”

There’s a student taking the spotlight. Her name is Morgan. Since the male lead was –and is still- nowhere to be found, the teachers decided to go right ahead assigning roles, going through lines with people who had already been assigned roles, and fulfilling other fundamental theatre duties. Thankfully, they've decided the show must go on –or at least rehearsals should for today.

“Continue, Morgan,” Mrs Cole says, “Show more expression. Remember, you’re supposed to detest the thought of giving up such a life of luxury. You’re the best friend of a girl who’s now talking something you believe is utter nonsense. Show it! Show your opposition!”

Morgan shifts on her feet before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in. She opens her eyes, inhabiting the body and soul of the character, Beth. She stares down at her script as she begins to speak. “Preposterous! Valerie,” she looks up at the audience, whom she’s pretending is ‘Valerie’, “have you gone completely mad? Who in their right mind would desire to stay here? Where... where the cattle and fowl leave endless... unpleasant odours and the air is stagnant, save for a passing wind when the weather is down. The plants, their seeds struggle to sprout in their own supposedly desirable season... how could you have such hope for such a place as this?”

Mrs Cole nods at her in delight. “Better... Better. Where is our Valerie?”

I wave from my front row seat beside Olivia. “I’m over here!”

Mrs Cole turns from me to Olivia, who is patiently going through her script line by line. “Miss Prescott?” She calls out.

Olivia looks up. “Yes, Mrs Cole?”

“What’s your position in the play?”

“Her position hasn’t been decided yet,” Mrs Bev pitches in.

Mrs Cole thinks for a moment. “Madam, she’d make an excellent understudy to Malory for the leading role.”

Internally I do a back flip at the words.

Yes.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Mrs Beverly considers it, too. She turns to Olivia, whose expression has become more positive and hopeful. “She has performed before... indeed... Olivia, would you do it?”

We look at each other. I nod at her, a broad smile crawling onto my face.

She lets out a light-hearted laugh. “I guess so.”

Mrs Cole is taken aback. “You guess so? You’re doing it, Prescott. You’re an excellent one -especially in my class.”

Damn right, she is.

“And how convenient...” Mrs Bev says, “She’s already friends with Malory.”

“That’s right,” Mrs Cole says, smugly.

“Where is that Davidson?” Bev asks. “It’s the first rehearsal and he’s already not taking this seriously.”

From a row at the centre of the auditorium, Ron speaks up. “Um... Mrs Beverly... I’ve just spoken with him over the phone. He won’t be coming, today.”

Bev scoffs and turns to Mrs Cole. “We’ll need an understudy for him as well, don’t you think?”

Mrs Cole nods towards Ron. “He can do it.”

Olivia and I turn to him.

“Wait, what?” He asks, baffled.

“Another excellent student in my class,” Mrs Cole praises him. “I think both you and Olivia are capable of taking the jobs.”

“I... guess?” He replies.

“It’s a yes or no responsibility, Hoffman,” Mrs Cole assures him.

“... Yea, ma’am.” He replies, more firmly. He turns to Olivia who stares right back at him and they both laugh.

Mrs Bev and Mrs Cole go off on the topic of the benefits of having Olivia and Ron as the understudies –especially to Kyle and me- and about how great it is that we’re already friends with them.

Blah, blah, blah.

I watch my best friend send gestures to her new understudy buddy, thinking to myself, Well...

That went rather smoothly.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, Kyle Davidson, but for once something you hadn’t done was helpful.

“Valerie?” Mrs Bev calls, turning to me and snapping me out of my trail of thought. “Beth has said her line, where are you?”

“Oh right...” I refocus on the task, turning to Morgan and skimming through the script’s page in my hand to find the next line.