LOUIS
The black box theater stage has two tables set up. So it makes this big table. There’s a few folding chair set up, and more are in the wings if we need them. The stage is lit. We’re ready for the first meeting for the spring musical set design committee thing.
Except no one is here.
Well, except me, Erica, and Aaron. But Aaron looks like he needs the bathroom again. He’s already gone four times.
So we sit down. Erica takes one side of the square table, I take a corner by her, and Aaron sits down as fucking close to Erica as he can.
“Isn’t someone like Mr. Willard supposed to be here?” I ask.
Erica shrugs, and Aaron begins sinking into his chair. “Do you think he knows how proceedings like this goes?”
“You’re basically the mafia. You know everything.”
“No I don’t.” Erica throws her backpack on the table. “Okay, let’s start this shit,” she says, and pulls out three binders for us. They have the scripts in them, except these scripts have enough space on the sides for making notes. “I think we should do a scene-by-scene breakdown of the musical, to determine what we need for a set design and props.”
I purse my lips. “I was right.”
“Shush.”
At that moment, Will walks in. He ducks in the door to let his mohawk pass through. His leather boots make this weird stomping sound, even on the carpet floor. “Hey, sorry I’m late,” he says. He throws his backpack on one of the chairs in the front rows and adds, “I didn’t know where we were meeting.”
I unintentionally eye Aaron, but I don’t know why. “No worries, man,” I say, standing up. “We basically just started.”
He cracks this crooked smile. “Sweet.” He sits down next to Aaron and holds out his hand. “I’m Will.”
Aaron looks away for a second before holding out his hand. They shake. “I’m being blackmailed.”
Will laughs. “Wow, what an intro.”
“He’s Aaron,” Erica says. She pulls another binder from her backpack and hands it to him. “Is anyone else coming?”
“I didn’t think you’d be able to do this,” I throw in. “I thought you were dying to play Barnaby.”
Will sneers at me. “My mom thinks I should try to do more behind-the-scenes stuff this year.” He shrugs. “I don’t want to, but she also threatened to withhold food from me. So I’m pretty much obligated to do it.”
Erica nods, and opens the script. “Okay, enough talking. Scene 1.” We open the scripts, and she begins reading aloud. “Curtain rises on STREET SCENE, NEW YORK CITY IN THE 1890’s. TOWNSPEOPLE are chanting…and then the first song.” She side-eyes someone, and I look.
Aaron’s on his phone. He’s got this seriously determined look on his face and he’s scrolling through something on his phone so fast, like his life depended on it.
Erica smiles. “I’m calling Aaron our historian.”
“Okay, so New York was in the throws of some serious tenement issues,” he mutters. He isn’t talking to anyone specifically. “Popular styles, from what I’m seeing, is…Richardson Romanesque, Gothic, Beaux-Arts, some Classical Revival… what’s that one in the background?” Aaron squints his eyes, as if that can help him figure it out. And he does – “Oh, it’s just Second Empire. Wait, is it?” He brings the phone closer to his face. “Renaissance Revival…?” He looks up to Erica but sees everyone looking at him. And he shrinks.
She points to the shrunken Aaron and says, “That’s why he’s our historian. He cares about this shit.” Erica looks back to the script and goes back to reading aloud. “So the Townspeople sing about Dolly Levi, we’re introduced – ”
“How did you know all that?” I ask, leaning forward over the script.
Aaron looks at me. “What?”
“You just listed off, like, five architecture styles from a picture. That was friggin’ awesome. How do you do that?”
Aaron makes this face, like he needs to shit, and looks at Will and Erica before saying, “I…like that architecture.” No more explaining.
“Why?” I ask. I don’t even realize I say it.
“It…” He licks his lips. “I think, it’s more attractive than what’s around today. They were build for…five millennia instead of five decades, and I really like that.” He exhales and begins fanning himself. “Yeah. Take it in. I’m the nerd of the group.”
“You are, but it’s useful,” Erica throws in. Aaron jabs her in the side, and she smirks.
“No, like…that’s really neat,” Will says.
“Yeah. Like, I think that stuff’s cool, too, but I couldn’t do that to save my life. That’s a talent right there,” I add.
Aaron fake laughs. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you guys were humoring me.”
Oh my God. “We’re not.” I drop my head a little. But my eyes are still looking at Aaron. “Name one other person here who can do that.” Aaron’s jaw clenches. “No one can do that. And that’s fucking cool.”
The message must’ve gotten through his head, because he smiles hesitantly at me and Will. But I feel weirdly uncomfortable at that. Like I know it’s something he wouldn’t do.
Erica plays some songs from a Broadway version of the show as we read the script. We get to the end of Act 1 before calling it a day. She packs up her stuff, and waits for Aaron while he’s in the bathroom.
“I saw that.”
Will’s already left, and I look at her. “Will already gone. I don’t think he heard you.”
“Nope, not that,” she says.
“What?”
Erica looks at me. She’s still standing on the stage. “You don’t want to tell me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I’m looking at her. Because I know if I look away, she’ll suspect something that isn’t really there. I don’t know what she’s thinking, either. And I don’t want to take the risk.
“You, like, cringed when Aaron smiled at Will.”
I blink. “Well…yeah.”
“Why?” She steps off the stage and gets closer to me.
“You’re his best friend. Have you not met Aaron?” I ask. “He doesn’t seem like someone who hangs out with people like Will. Flashy people.” I push air away and say, “He seems like the person who wants to fade into the background.”
Erica tries not to crack a smile, but I know she knows I’m right. “Well…” she says, but doesn’t say anything else. I smirk because she’s defeated in her claim.
“Look, I just met the dude. I don’t really know him, or know him good enough for…anything, really.” I pause, and think for a second. “He is smart, though. I’ll give him that.”
“Oh, good.” I turn and Aaron’s walking down the theater aisle towards the stage. He has this unamused look on his face. “And here I was, thinking my clever ploy had worked to convince you I liked shit like that.” He goes for his backpack, which is still lying on the stage.
“You’d really invest effort to lie to people?”
He shrugs. “It depends on the situation.” Aaron gets his bag. “So my ploy didn’t work?”
“I thought it was really cool.” I begin using my hands. “You have this, this knowledge, that no one else has.” I grin and look at him. “That’s really awesome.”
Aaron tries to hide a smile, and Erica totally sees it.
But he sighs and looks at me with his brown eyes. And they seem really warm. He says, “Thanks, Louis.”
I can’t stop grinning.
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