“All right, I’ll let her know. Have fun. Bye.” Dashelle hung up and looked at Ashleigh who had a placid look on her face.
“Don’t worry, hon. J.T.’s gonna find out for you.”
Ashleigh looked at her watch. “I’m not supposed to meet him for a couple of more hours, but I kinda want to see how he is in action. Kelso said he had to be fitted for costumes tonight.”
“You just want to see him with his shirt off,” Dashelle teased.
“Yeah, so. Wanna come with me?”
“You bet.”
Dashelle grabbed her jacket and they giggled all the way to the theater.
***
Kelso and J.T. looked over their script for the next scene they were about to rehearse. Kelso looked at J.T. for a second and noticed a scowl on his face.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Huh?” J.T. asked. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs out of his mind.
“You look like you’re thinking about something important.”
“Oh, I got a call from Heidi today. Remember our friend the dean? Well, she let me off the hook, but she told Heidi she had to do some community service.”
“Sounds like discrimination to me,” Kelso remarked.
“You, too. At least I know somebody’s on my side. Heidi said she didn’t think it was since she was the one that came into my room—“
“Whoa. Don’t need to hear the details, man. Pretty sure I know what happened next.”
“Kelso, I’m not like that and neither is Heidi.”
“So, what does that say about me? Am I too much of a bad boy for you?”
“There’s nothing wrong with how you live your life.”
“Good. Cuz I’m sure not going to change just because you think I’m a bad seed.”
“Man, what’s going on with you? You don’t seem yourself tonight.”
“Sorry. I’m just a little sidetracked. I mean I went through what I was going to say to Ashleigh and I said it the other night, but she didn’t hear a word I said. So, I have to do it all over again tonight. Once is hard enough.”
“Oh. That’s what she’s bugging about. I got a call from her best friend today and she said that Ashleigh was strung out about what was going on tonight with you two.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Didn’t say a word. Not my business. I told her I’d talk to you, but since it’s about that, I think I’ll let you handle it. She doesn’t need to hear those things from me.”
Kelso turned his head to sneeze and saw Dashelle and Ashleigh walk in and sit in the back row of the theater. “Speak of the devil. She’s early and she brought a friend.”
J.T. looked in the direction of his friends. “Oh, that’s Dashelle, Ashleigh’s best friend.”
“If you two are finished reading over the next scene, let’s get it blocked,” Greg announced.
“All right,” Kelso said.
The two men hoisted themselves up from the stage and went to their positions.
Dashelle and Ashleigh sat whispering so they wouldn’t disturb what was going on onstage.
“Does Kelso look normal to you?” Ashleigh asked.
“Yeah. I mean there’s no antennae poking out of his head or tail wagging behind him,” Dashelle remarked.
Ashleigh gave her friend a playful push on the shoulder. “I know that. He looks like there’s no color in his face.”
“Probably just the lighting or make up. They do make men wear make up during rehearsals, don’t they.”
“I guess. Let’s just watch.”
J.T. and Kelso finished the scene and J.T. went off stage. Kelso had to rehearse with the girl who played Mimi. Ashleigh scrunched up her nose.
“I could do so much better than her,” Ashleigh sneered.
“You’re just jealous.”
“No, seriously. She doesn’t know the lines. She doesn’t know the play. She doesn’t have the heart of Mimi.”
“You mean, she doesn’t have the sex kitten attitude that you could portray.”
“Dashelle, you’re mean.”
“No, I’m not. Why don’t you go up there and see if she needs an understudy.”
Ashleigh shook her head furiously. “There’s no way that will ever happen.”
“Do you want me to ask for you? I will, ya know.”
Dashelle started to rise from her chair and Ashleigh pulled her back down. “Don’t make a fool of yourself,” Ashleigh remarked.
“Why can’t you stand up for yourself, Ash? If you want something, go after it. You have everyone else doing your dirty work. J.T. got you Kelso’s number, you asked me to find out what was going on with Kelso. Why can’t you stand up for yourself and do things on your own. Are you scared?”
“No, I’m not. Some friend you are, knocking me down again after I get back up.”
“Ashleigh, you have got to learn to take care of yourself. We aren’t always going to be around. I mean, after we graduate, the guys are gonna go in all different directions.”
“You don’t know that,” Ashleigh stated.
“Yes, I do. Why do you think J.T. has his resume and headshot all over the place in New York and Hollywood? Heidi’s trying the same thing. I mean, she’s all ready had guest spots on some major shows. We are in Julliard for a reason—so, we can get out and make some money. Why are you here? Just tagging along with the rest of us?”
Ashleigh rose from her seat and started yelling. “I have plenty of reasons to be here. I’m a dancer and a darn good one, too. I’m going to be a star, too, ya know. I’ve had lots of bands and movie choreographers call me up. I’m not tagging along; I’m working, just like everybody else around here.”
J.T. heard the voices from backstage and peeked around the curtain. He didn’t dare walk onstage and say he knew the two that were arguing. Kelso shaded his eyes and saw Ashleigh standing. He had not heard her be that loud before.
Dashelle stood up. She wasn’t about to be scolded like a child. “Listen, Ashleigh, I’m not going to take this. If you want some support, don’t come looking for me anymore. Find your way home by yourself.” Dashelle grabbed her stuff and stormed out of the theater. Ashleigh looked around the theater. The actors stood onstage staring at her. She plopped down in her seat and slumped down into it, so no one could see her.
“Well, I’m sure that was a nice little break we had, people. We’ve just finished the last scene for tonight, so stick around so you can get measured for costumes. See you all in the morning. Good night.” Greg slipped out of the theater and expected the rest of the cast to stay to get poked and prodded for costumes.
Kelso trotted to the back of the theater and slid into the seat next to Ashleigh. He looked at her tear stained cheeks and put his arm around her.
“Why the frown, sweetie?” Kelso asked.
“I’m not having a good day,” Ashleigh remarked. She wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“I heard,” Kelso said.
“Sorry. I just don’t like it when people tell me that I’m a leach. I’m still trying to find out what I want to do and I’ve had some really bad auditions lately. I’m more nervous than usual and I miss steps and cues. It’s driving me crazy.”
“You? Miss a cue or a step? That’s impossible.” Kelso pulled Ashleigh up out of the seat and drew her near to him. “Show me what you have to do.”
Ashleigh looked befuddled. “I just dance.”
“You just dance? C’mon, Ashleigh. I haven’t known you for very long, but you don’t just dance. You feel dance, you make dance, you work dance,” Kelso said as he rubbed up against her.
Ashleigh’s face formed into a small grin. “What are you doing? You’ve got it all wrong. Have any music around here?”
Kelso grabbed Ashleigh’s hand and took her backstage. He found an old stereo and turned it on. The song playing was a fast dancing song. The beat pounded and Ashle
igh began to dance. Kelso leaned on a stool and watched.
“Don’t just stand there, Kelso. Dance with me.” Ashleigh grabbed Kelso’s arm and spun him around. The choreographer came backstage to pick up her things to go home, but she stopped and watched the two dance. When the song was over, Ashleigh and Kelso were laughing at each other.
“Excuse me, Kelso, who’s your friend?”
Kelso gained his composure and cleared his throat. “Oh, this is Ashleigh. We were just having a little fun waiting around for costumes.”
“Mm hmm.” She shoved a card in Ashleigh’s hand. “You’re good. Give me a call. See you later, Kelso.” The choreographer put on her backpack and left the theater.
“KELSO STARK!” a voice that could peel wallpaper exclaimed. “Come get measured.”
“Be right there,” Kelso said. “You gonna be okay back here or do you want to go onstage with me?”
“I’ll just wait back here.” Ashleigh was twirling the business card in her hand.
“Okay.” Kelso gave Ashleigh a quick hug and ran onstage.
J.T. snuck up behind Ashleigh and tapped her shoulder. She jumped.
“J.T.! Don’t do that!”
“Sorry. I just didn’t want to break your concentration.”
“Oh, that. I was just thinking about what I should do about this?” She showed the business card to J.T.
“Go for it. If she thinks you’re good, then you’re good. Kayla doesn’t just pass those cards out to everybody.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“No, I’m not. You should have seen the crew that came in here for open auditions. She rejected about two-thirds of them and the other third she narrowed down, too. If she wants you to work for her, don’t back down. Assert yourself, woman.”
“Great. You’re going to yell at me, too, aren’t you?” Ashleigh asked.
“Uh, no. What went on with you and Dashelle anyway?”
“Differences of opinion, that’s all. Don’t think we’ll be agreeing anytime soon.”
“You better. I don’t think the rest of us can take you and Dashelle not talking.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“Whatever.” J.T. peeked at his watch. “I gotta go. I told Heidi I’d meet her after rehearsal.” J.T. turned on his heels and took a few steps. Ashleigh went after him.
“Hey, wait a minute. Did you find out anything about what Kelso wants to tell me?”
“Just listen to him. He means no harm. See you later.” He left Ashleigh confused and on the verge of tears—again.
CHAPTER 12
“Help me, J.T.,” Heidi whined to her boyfriend over the phone.
J.T. was walking towards her dorm. “What now?”
“The petition isn’t going as well as I thought. Dean Harlow let me compare my petition to the student list and I have a lot of double and triple signatures. Some kids thought it would be funny to sign names like Sylvester Stallone and J-Lo.”
J.T. chuckled.
“This is serious. Quit laughing.”
J.T. knocked on the door of Heidi’s dorm room with his ear to the phone. “I’m not laughing. I’m chuckling. Big difference.”
Heidi opened the door with her ear still to the phone. “What are you doing here?” she asked into the phone. J.T. took her phone and hung it up.
“I’m taking you out. Got a problem with that?”
“I need to get this done. I’ve got a deadline and I’ve got homework to finish up.”
“Take a break, Heidi. C’mon. We haven’t spent that much time alone together since we started dating. I just want you and me to go out by ourselves.”
“But, J.T., you’re not listening. I have—“
“A deadline, I know. I have a deadline, too. If we don’t get out of this place in less than five minutes, I’m going to have to take some drastic measures.”
Heidi walked toward J.T. and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Oh, and what would those be?” She smiled.
J.T. pressed his forehead against Heidi’s and looked into her eyes. “You don’t want to find out.” He kissed Heidi’s nose.
“Fine. We can go out for a few minutes—“
“Hours.”
“Hour, and then you can help me figure out this problem I have right here.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
***
Brady tapped on Freedom’s door.
“Come in,” Freedom sang.
Brady pushed open the door. “I could be a serial killer for all you know.”
Freedom glared at Brady. “Don’t think a serial killer would knock.”
“So, I was looking for your friend, Gretchen’s phone number and I seemed to have lost it.”
“Hmm. Isn’t that a pity,” Freedom sighed. “She’s not your type.”
“The pretty, leggy, blond isn’t my type? Where have you been?”
“Seriously, Brady, you could do better.”
“You mean, I could do you.”
Freedom looked at the floor.
“Wait, I didn’t mean that like it came out of my mouth. You know that,” Brady apologized.
“I was hoping you were going to put your foot in your mouth after you said that,” Freedom said smiling. “Really, Brady, Gretchen isn’t your type. She has no idea what she would have gotten into if you actually had her number. She’s rude and she’s manipulative.”
“Sheesh. Don’t you girls have any friends that aren’t witches,” Brady remarked.
“What?”
“Court went out with the girl that was in Heidi’s room on the night of the fire and she had the same problem. It was all about her and Court walked out on her.”
“Oh, the dean’s niece. Didn’t Heidi warn him about her?”
“Guess he didn’t take her advice.” Brady walked closer over to Freedom who was sitting on the floor doing dance stretches. “Listen, I don’t have anything to do tonight and it looks like you don’t have anything to do tonight, so why don’t we get out of this place.”
“Are you asking me out on a date, Brady Parker?” Freedom teased.
Brady waved his hand in front of her. “No, no, we can invite the others with us. I just thought I’d come over here first, since your room was the closest.”
Freedom playfully punched him in the arm. “You lazy bum.”
Brady shrugged.
“C’mon, let’s go get Dashelle and Ashleigh. Heidi told me she was busy tonight, so she’s probably out with J.T.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
***
Ashleigh and Kelso walked hand in hand to a little diner that wasn’t far from the theater. Kelso opened the door for Ashleigh and she slipped in front of him. They sat down and Kelso handed Ashleigh a menu.
“The hoagies are really good here,” Kelso remarked.
“That’s great. I’m not really much of a meat eater,” Ashleigh confessed.
“Oh. You’re a vegan?”
“No, not really. I just have to be in a mood to eat meat and today I’m not.”
“Mm hmm. Already did some back biting today and you can’t take anymore.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Ashleigh whined.
“Nothing.” Kelso put his menu up to his face to hide the smile he had pasted on his face.
Ashleigh got up and moved the menu out of the way. “Don’t do that. I’m sorry I made a spectacle of myself during your rehearsal.”
“There’s no need to apologize to me, Ashleigh. I enjoyed the break from work.”
The waitress came up chomping on her bubble gum and asked for their order. The two politely gave their choices and the waitress stomped away.
“Hope I’m never like that,” Ashleigh said a little too loud.
“Shh!” Kelso put his finger to his lips and looked at Ashleigh with eyes bulging out of his head.
“What?”
“That’s my
sister,” Kelso answered.
“Are you serious?”
“No.”
“Kelso, don’t do that to me. You’re awfully feisty tonight.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m just trying to get the nerve up to tell you what I need to tell you.”
The waitress came by and slammed their glasses on the table. Ashleigh’s sloshed over the rim of her glass. The waitress threw down some napkins so Ashleigh could clean it up herself.
“This place has got to get better help,” Ashleigh yelled after their waitress.
“I’m sorry we’re not getting better service, but, I needed to tell you what I’m going to tell you in a quiet little place and this is the best I could do.”
Ashleigh took a sip of her drink. “So, what’s up?”
“I’m not feeling too well these days.”
“So, take a break from rehearsals. A couple of days and you’ll feel brand new.”
“I wish I could, but it’s not that easy.” Kelso took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know how to tell you this, Ashleigh.” He took a chug of his drink.
“Just tell me, Kelso. I’m listening. I’m not going to turn my back on you no matter what you say. If you just want to be friends, I understand. If you never want to see me again, that’s fine, too. Just spit it out.”
The waitress came back with their plates and shoved them in front of the correct person. Then, she threw the check on the table and walked away.
Kelso reached across the table and covered Ashleigh’s hands with his. “Look at me, Ashleigh.”
Ashleigh tilted her head and looked into Kelso’s eyes. Her eyes twinkled and Kelso’s looked hurt and afraid.
“What’s wrong?” Ashleigh questioned.
“The character I’m playing in RENT is more like a life story for me. My girlfriend died a year ago of AIDS and I found out about six months ago that I’m HIV positive. That’s what I tried to tell you the other night.”
“Oh,” Ashleigh whispered. Her hands fell out of Kelso’s grip. She looked down at her plate and pushed it away.
“If you want to leave, go ahead. I just needed to tell you that before anything got serious,” Kelso said.
Ashleigh stared at Kelso. “You think I’m that shallow? You think I’m just going to walk out on you because you’re HIV positive. What kind of person do you think I am?”
“I think you’re an amazing person and I’d like to know you better if you’ll let me. I just don’t want to hurt you,” Kelso said.
Ashleigh bit her lip. “Will you excuse me a minute,” Ashleigh said. She pushed her chair out and quickly walked to the bathroom she had spotted earlier. When she got inside, she backed up against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the sticky bathroom floor. There, she let the tears flow.