Page 21 of Paths Crossing, Episode Four: Ash & Audrey
But I was already approaching them, and she sat back down. "Whoa, thank you for this, sister, it looks delicious."
"You're getting double eggs today because Cal's scrambleds are popping off lately," I said.
"You're welcome, everybody!" Cal called in a deep voice from the other room, making us all laugh.
"Lu loves Cal's scrambled eggs," I said.
"Where is Miss Lu today?" Cal asked, hearing me.
"She's spending Christmas with her grandparents. Her Nana's sister lives up in Polson, so they took her up there with them for a few days."
"Oh, I know she's going to have fun," Cal said.
"Yeah, she has cousins up there and everything. She was excited about it." I crossed back to the kitchen since I had to get back to my food.
"So, are we going tonight?" Josie asked. "Are you going to feel up to it after your rehearsal?"
I nodded and glanced at her. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Chapter 7
Chicago rehearsals were like nothing I had ever experienced. It was more than just learning lines. I was getting to know eighty new people. There was choreography, staging scenes, blocking, and notes. There were costumes, set pieces, and other things I had to help with that weren't part of my character's role. Every time we got together to rehearse, it was like I went through a small tornado of overwhelming movement and information, and then got spit out on the other side feeling exhausted but slightly more prepared for the show to happen.
For the most part, everyone was great to be around. There were a few people who I was pretty sure talked about me behind my back, but really, there wasn't much of that, considering that it was perceived by some to be a competitive environment.
I was too busy and in over my head to let other people affect me. That was another good thing about my decision to put Luna and ultimately God before me in life. I gave less and less thought to the actions and reactions of those around me. I was able to be myself, and mostly everyone at the theater was kind and welcoming to me even though I was literally the only person in the cast who had never done a show.
Rehearsals were somewhat open. There had been different people in and out in the past weeks, watching us and talking to the crew. I ran it past Collin to see if my sister and Alex could come by since they weren't sure if they would make it back totown for the show. Collin and I got along great, and he easily agreed to them coming, just like I knew he would.
Josie and Alex had sat through the whole thing. We were rehearsing in the gymnasium of that same high school, and they sat in the bleachers the whole time. I was happy that we got to rehearse the scene I was in. It didn't always happen that way, and I was thankful that Collin had it on the schedule for the day.
Josie and Alex drove their rental car because they weren't sure if they would stay the whole time. I met up with them in the lobby, and we talked about eating dinner somewhere before we went home. Collin overheard us and invited himself. He was a cool guy and a great director, so I felt honored by his self-invitation, and I eagerly agreed that he should join us.
We went to a brick oven pizza restaurant. I tried not to bother him with talking too much about the play, but we ended up talking about it quite a bit at dinner. My sister and Alex were both impressed by the rehearsal, and they had their fair share of questions for him as well. Collin was an interesting guy, and he and Alex got along famously.
We ended up talking about seeing Ash's band at Pub Station, and Collin came with us. Ash had left my name at the door along with Alex and Josie's. But Collin knew a couple of people who worked there, and he made one phone call from the pizza place and got his name added to the list.
We went back to my house for a little while before heading to the venue. Collin came with us for all of it. He was fun and easy to be around, and he was a talented actor, so he and Alex had a lot to talk about. From the outside, the whole thing looked a bit like a double date, but it wasn't like that. Alex and Josie were on a single date, and Collin and I were just two humans who happened to be hanging out with them.
We arrived at the venue at eight-thirty because the show started at nine. But there was an opening band, and Ash's bandwouldn't go on until ten. I had been up since five in the morning, and I had been working hard all day and doing things that required my thought and attention. It was a full, exhausting day, and I was a bit delirious that evening. I drank a cup of coffee when we got to the venue at eight-thirty and learned there would be an opener.
I was feeling more awake by the time they were halfway through their set. There weren't a whole lot of people when we arrived, but by nine-thirty the place was packed. It was standing room only on the dance floor, but there were rows of tables against each wall, and the four of us were sitting at one of them. I had been able to see the stage just fine from our spot at first, but now there were hundreds of people between us and the stage, and suddenly my view was obstructed.
I wished I was on the first row. If I was going to take the time to be there, at least I wanted to have a good view of the stage and Ash. I was a front row type of girl, and it was hard to sit back at the table when I knew I could be standing so much closer. But at the same time, I was exhausted from the day and I felt comfortable looking out at the room with my back to a wall.
"I'm going to use the restroom," I said while the opening band was wrapping up their set. Josie said she was going to come with me, and the two of us made our way across the room. It was crowded, and I realized they had all come to see Ash. Some were there for the opening band, but the majority of the crowd had come to see Ash's band. I tried not to have feelings about that or feelings for Ash in general, but it was difficult. I was an art lover from way back. The main reason I had tried out for Chicago was that I loved and respected the art of performance so much. Ash was basically my kryptonite—gorgeous and musically talented. Maybe that was every girl's kryptonite. Judging from the crowd, I wasn't alone. There wereplenty of females in the crowd who had on t-shirts with the name of Ash's band.
I was delirious from my day, and crossing the crowd with all those facts and all the emotions was surreal.
My sister was waiting for me near the sinks when I got finished in the bathroom stall. She was standing against the wall, scrolling on her phone.
"Alex said to check your phone," she said to me. The words were simple and in plain English, and I still blinked and stuttered and didn't comprehend. "Wh-what? Me?"
"Yeah, Alex texted me, and it says, 'tell Audrey to check her phone'."
I quickly finished washing and drying my hands and pulled my phone out of my purse, all the while wearing a slightly worried expression, wondering what could possibly be the matter. Obviously, I thought of Luna.
I opened my phone to see that I had four texts, and three of them were from the same person. Ash.
