The leg of the table was wobbly, uneven. Sister Katrina had found it, up in Rose’s attics, but it was ancient, and one of the legs was shorter than the other. Meg found a block of wood and shoved it under the shorter leg, but it wouldn’t stay, and would probably cause the table to topple over before the first act was over.
It seemed like a stupid thing to worry about when she had other, more pressing concerns. She slaved for days on her Charles Dickens term paper, after throwing Johanne’s in the trash, but she was still terrified she’d be called into Sister Deirdre’ office, and be told to pack up her locker. Cheating was a very serious offense at Rose. Cheating on a term paper was an expellable offense.
“Hey.”
She sat up and bumped her head on the table.
She rubbed her head and stood up.
“Sorry,” Ian said, wincing.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see the play. I bought a ticket,” he said, holding it out. “Lucy invited me. We’re all here. Zach. Flynn.”
“Hope you won’t be disappointed.”
“Never. Lucy promised us a great show.”
“You and Lucy are still together? You probably shouldn’t talk to me, then. She hates me.”
“Nonsense. Lucy doesn’t hate anyone. She’s a three musketeer’s bar, don’t you remember? She’s chock full of nougaty goodness.”
“How do you manage to see each other? Hasn’t her father locked her away in a tower?”
“Pffft…towers. I’ve tackled worse than towers when rescuing fair maidens.”
“Ian!” Flynn called from the aisle. “We can’t be in here, man. There are nuns everywhere.”
Ian spun on his heel.
“Nuns? Oh goody, I’ve always wanted to unsettle a nun.”
Meg returned to trying to fix the table. The wood block was going to slide. There was nothing she could do to stop it.
“Here.” A roll of shiny silver duct tape appeared in front of her face.
She looked up at Flynn.
“Do you always carry this around with you?”
“Of course. It has a light side, a dark side and binds…never mind; it’s a stupid Star Wars joke. Try taping the block to the leg.”
She tore off a piece and secured the block.
“It won’t be able to support much weight, but it will probably get you through the first act.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. I should get back. You haven’t had a chance to watch the movie yet, have you? The one I gave you.”
“No, I did,” she said. “A few weeks ago.”
“You did? And?”
She shrugged. She should probably make up some comparison, compare Flynn to some auteur, compliment his camera angles, but if she was going to be truthful, she had to be truthful always, even if the truth hurt.
“It was nothing I hadn’t seen before.” She cringed through the first five minutes of the footage, and then she’d jumped off the couch and started scrubbing the kitchen floor. She didn’t want to watch clips of gang fights, or attacks in the halls. It brought everything back.
“Ok. So you watched it. Then you know the truth.” He was stumbling all over his words. “About Jefferson?”
“Of course. I lived it, didn’t I?’
“Ok then.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I should go. Break a leg, Meg.”
“I’m not acting,” she called after him. “You can say good luck.”
The table set, she went back to the pink room, where all the actresses were putting on their costumes, and giving their lines one last read through. Lucy was sitting with them, checking off items on her clipboard.
“There you are Meg,” Sister Katrina said when she saw her. “I’m afraid Eleanor has laryngitis. You’ll have to go on in her place.”
Meg looked at Eleanor. The pale girl visible reddened. She clutched her throated and nodded.
“I can’t…” Meg stammered, looking around at the other girls. Their faces were hard.
“You will,” Loretta said. “This is my senior play. Don’t ruin my senior play, Meg.”
“Isn’t there anyone else?” Meg asked. She went to Eleanor and grasped her by the shoulders. “Can’t you drink some tea or something?” Eleanor shook her head. Meg saw her shoot a quick, panicked look to the corner of the room. The corner where Lucy was sitting.
“Liar,” she hissed to Eleanor. Lucy jumped up from the couch and grabbed her arm.
“You don’t have much time,” she said. “I’ll help you get ready.”
She grabbed Eleanor’s costume and shoved Meg in the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
“You did this,” Meg said. “Eleanor’s faking.”
“Yep.”
“Why? Isn’t it bad enough that you’re getting me expelled? You need to humiliate me too.”
“You know the lines. You’re not going to humiliate yourself,” she said, taking the plastic off the costume. “And you won’t be expelled.”
“Please. Deirdre has been foaming at the mouth to expel me for months. Once she finds out about the paper…”
“I’m not going to tell her about the stupid term paper, Ok? Just get dressed, will you?”
“Why not? It’s the perfect way to get rid of me. Me and Johanne.”
“I wouldn’t do that to Johanne,” she said, crossing her arms. “I wouldn’t do that to you either. Sending you back to Jefferson, after what happened to you there? I’m not that sadistic.”
“You’re a little sadistic. This is how you’re punishing me, isn’t it? I have to make a fool out of myself, in front of everyone.”
“It could have been worse. Look, Meg, two things will happen. You’ll be a complete fucking failure, and I’ll watch backstage and laugh my ass off. Or, you could be great.”
“And then what?”
Lucy shrugged and glanced at her watch. “You have three minutes.”
Meg looked at herself in the tiny, rectangle mirror hanging over the sink. The sink was broken, and the constant dripping felt like a jackhammer against her temple. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair a mess. With trembling fingers, she unbuttoned her shirt.
THE END