I keep my expression even. “You don’t want to recite your lines in front of a blue screen?”
“Ugh, no thanks.” Haley makes a face, then catches herself. “Well, I mean, they have their place…”
“In the garbage can?” I say quietly, muffled by my beer as I take another sip.
Haley falls into her characteristic nervous giggle. “You shouldn’t say that,” she whispers.
“People can see the difference, though. Maybe they don’t all care. But they can tell. And even if they couldn’t… isn’t half the fun of acting getting tobethe character? Not just someone dressed up as the character in a blue room, acting against nothing… I don’t know how y’all do it. It’s so much harder to make a fight look good when you’re in some weird box. But rolling around in the dirt, working with your surroundings,thinking like your character really would… I dunno. It’s different.”
Haley smiles softly. “You sound like Tee.”
A bitter scoff is out of my mouth before I can stop it.
Haley’s eyes widen and she laughs, elbowing me. “What was that about? No wonder she thinks you hate her.”
“She told you that?”
“Mhm.” Haley takes another drink. “She asked if we were getting along. Seems like she thought you and her weren’t.” She raises a brow, lips thinning in a sly smile. “So what’s that about?”
“Well…” Fuck, what do I evensay?
My rescue comes in the form of Gabriel beckoning us over to where the crew sits in a circle. “C’mon! We’re playing Never Have I Ever.”
“Ooh, my favorite!” Haley springs to her feet, pulling me with her. The crew has clustered portable lanterns into something resembling a fire, and we join the circle.
Gabriel elbows Andy. “Your turn.”
Andy swirls his beer as he thinks. “Never have I ever…” His eyes settle on me, and he perks. “…ridden a horse!”
I give a mocking gasp. “Now, that wastargeted.”
Andy shrugs. “Deal with it.”
I take a drink of my beer, along with most of the circle.
Next up is Sharon, and mischief twinkles in her eyes as she also homes in on me. “Never have I ever… kissed Christine Evansworth.”
Cheers and whoops sweep through the crew.
My face feels like it’s a million degrees, and my heart twists.
I glance over at Haley, who’s blushing just as brightly. She covers her mouth, and a nervous giggle escapes.
The absurdity of everything catches up to me in a sudden rush, and soon we’re both laughing so hard we can’t breathe.
Our laughter is contagious, and the whole group chuckles as Haley and I cheers and take our drinks.
Then it’s on to a PA, who looks proud of themselves and also like they’re about to jump off a cliff. “Never have I ever… seen the first Electra film.”
This gets an even bigger reaction than the last one, with dramatic gasps followed by teasing elbows, especially when the rest of the crew takes a drink—save for one other trying to be inconspicuous, who soon becomes the target of another round of good-natured ribbing.
Even I take a drink; I might’ve caught the movie on TV and hate-watched it.
Gabriel goes next. “Never have I ever been to New York City.”
The jeers from across the circle hint that Gabriel’s provoking an ongoing rivalry, and I chuckle.
Haley takes a drink, then shoots me a look. “Wait, you’ve never been to New York?!”
