Chapter SevenA Chapter by Molly “Nervous?” I look up
to find Levi smiling down at me. I am currently sitting outside of the door
that leads into the theatre, waiting to be called in for my audition. For the
past fifteen minutes I have been reciting my monologue aloud in order to make
sure that I have my lines memorized. I know it back and forth, but I still
can’t help but drill myself. I shrug and
return Levi’s smile as he takes a seat next to me. “A little.
I’ve been doing this for years so I guess I really shouldn’t be.” Levi nods
and looks down at his hands. I can tell that he’s feeling a little uneasy
considering this is his first audition. “What about
you?” He laughs
and looks over at me. “Yeah, I’m
actually really nervous. If I hadn’t ran into you just now then I would have
probably just chickened out and left.” Based on
the tone in his voice and the expression he wears, I can tell that he isn’t
kidding. I pat his leg a few times, feeling a bit awkward as my hand comes into
contact with his jeans. “Just relax.
I’m sure you’re going to do great. You can do your monologue for me if you
want.” I can see
Levi swallow hard before he searches my eyes for a moment. His eyes are a very
pretty light blue and I can’t help but admire them. “Yeah…”
Levi finally says, a little uncertain. “That would actually be great.” I watch as
Levi slips his bag off of his shoulder and stands up in front of me. He
shuffles his feet a couple of times and stares at the wall above me as he takes
a few deep breaths. He really is nervous. He then
closes his eyes and after a few seconds he opens them and surprises me when he
meets my eyes and his voice comes out smooth and confident. I feel my eyes
widen as I continue to watch the way his body moves as if he suddenly becomes a
whole new person and listen to how strong his voice now sounds. He’s good. Really good. As I
continue to watch Levi, I almost forget that he’s performing and I feel as if
he’s words, emotions, actions are all real. I’ve never witnessed anything like
it and I know that Levi definitely has something special. Finally,
Levi ends his monologue and I see him close his eyes and relax his shoulders.
When he opens his eyes, he gives me a nervous smile and runs a hand through his
blonde hair. “So…what
did you think?” I let a
wide smile spread across my face and stand up from my spot against the wall. “What do I
think? That was amazing! I can’t believe you’ve been hiding away talent like
that all these years! How selfish of you.” I continue to smile at him, letting
him know that I am joking. Levi laughs
and shakes his head slowly. “You really
think it was good?” I
immediately nod. “Absolutely.” I laugh
lightly as he lets out a big sigh and smiles at me. He quickly grabs his bag
from off of the ground and slips it over his shoulder. I can’t help but stop
and stare at his strong shoulders for a moment. Levi is lean and definitely
handsome, which makes me question why I have never noticed him before. Harrison
holds the title as the hottest guy at Wilson, which he rightfully deserves, but
Levi is easy on the eyes as well. I’m surprised I haven’t heard girls talk
about him before Harrison came to Wilson. Snapping
out of my thoughts, I shift my eyes to meet Levi’s once and give him an awkward
smile. He hasn’t seem to have notice my staring though. “I really
hope I get in. I know it’s just a high school production, but it still means
something, you know?” Oh, Levi. I know exactly what you mean. That’s what
I’ve been trying to tell everyone my whole entire life. It all matters. I beam at
him and nod. “Yes, I do.” He smiles
back at me, looking a bit relieved by my answer. “I really
hope you’re going for Picasso,” I state. “I was worried that we would get stuck
with Ethan or Simon. Picasso is hard to pull off, but I think that you would be
perfect.” Levi seems
to perk up even more and I can’t help but feel amused by his reaction. “You really
think so?” “Yes. It’s
in the bag.” We both let
out a short laugh and I can hear the door to the theatre open behind me. “Ava?” I turn
around to see Caitlyn Summers, a girl who enjoys being a part of the Wilson
theatre department as long as she doesn’t have to perform, smiling at me. “You’re
up!” She states in a chipper tone and waves me toward the door. “Awesome.”
I smile back at her and turn back to Levi for a moment. “Wish me
luck.” Levi gives
me a wide grin and shakes his head. “I’m sure you don’t need it, but good
luck.” I give him
a thankful smile and turn around, walking through the door of the theatre and
out onto the stage. After my
audition is over, I walk out of the theatre and pull my phone out of my pocket. Harrison:
Your audition is today, right?” Harrison:
Text me when you’re done. I can’t
help but smile down at his messages as I type back a reply. My audition was
close to perfect and I can’t help but be in a good mood. Me: Hey.
Just got done. Harrison:
I’m sitting out front of activities office. I take this
as my invitation to join him and I slip my phone into my bag as I walk down the
hallway. As I round a corner, I spot Harrison sitting on the floor with his
back against the wall, looking the other direction. I slide down to the spot
next to him, causing him to look over at me. “Hey there, stranger.” I give him a
large smile, which he immediately returns. “Hey. I’m
guessing that it went well?” He lifts a brow and laughs a little. “Yup!” I
nod, feeling excitement run through me. “I honestly think I nailed it!” Harrison
taps my knee and winks at me. “I knew
that you would.” I don’t say
anything to him because I’m too busy smiling like an idiot. It’s nice to be
able to share my news with someone and have them actually interested. I learned
a long time ago not to share the outcome of my auditions with my friends or
parents. “So when do
you find out whether you got the part or not?” “Probably
Monday or Tuesday. Normally there would be callbacks, but since not a lot of
people try out it’s easier for Daniels to make a decision.” Harrison
nods and gives me a weak smile. I lean my head back on the wall and stare
forward as I think about my audition once again, mentally patting myself on the
back. “Oh! I
wonder how Levi’s audition went. Darn, if only I had his number.” I furrow my
brow and dig my phone out of my bag, making a mental note to ask him for it
next time I see him. There’s no doubt in my mind that he landed the role of
Picasso. “Why would
you want his number?” Harrison’s cold tone makes me immediately turn my
attention toward him. It’s the same tone he had Monday when he found me talking
to Levi and I can’t help but suddenly feel confused and slightly uneasy. “Er…because
I want to text him and find out how his audition went…” Based on the expression
Harrison wears I can tell that he is not happy with my answer. What is his problem? “Couldn’t
you just ask Daniels?” I furrow my
brow and search his eyes, wondering why he is being so hostile. “Or I could
directly ask Levi like a normal human being.” Harrison
rolls his eyes and turns away from me, leaving me even more confused and
annoyed. “What’s
with you?” My question suddenly falls out of my mouth and Harrison snaps his
eyes back toward me. “What?” His
tone is still cold and I can’t help but feel like he’s mad at me. “Why do you
always get so unreceptive every time Levi comes into the picture? It’s like
you’re a whole other person.” I see
Harrison’s jaw clench and he begins to glare at me. “I don’t
know what you’re talking about.” I let out
an annoyed sigh and shake my head at him. “Yes you
do. Why can’t you just answer my question. You’re acting all…jealous.” Harrison’s
eyes suddenly turn darker and I feel my heart begin to race from the intensity
behind his eyes. If looks could kill. “For the
last time, Grim. I am not f*****g jealous of Levi.” I look down
at my lap in order to escape his harsh stare and the power behind his words. I
suddenly feel like a small child who has just been yelled at by her parent. How
has he managed to get this kind of reaction out of me? I hear
Harrison sigh, but I continue to keep my eyes focused on my lap. I don’t know
if I can handle meeting his striking eyes again. “I’m sorry,
Grim.” I’m taken
back by the sincerity in his voice, but I can’t bring myself to raise my head.
Instead, I just clear my throat and shrug my shoulders a little. “It’s
fine.” “I can tell
that it’s not,” he states flatly and I can feel his eyes on me. He’s right.
He has managed to make me feel so small due to his powerful eyes and the wave
of confusion that he has just brought over me. If he’s not jealous of Levi,
than why else would he shut down and become so guarded whenever I mentioned him
or was seen with him? It just didn’t make sense. Was there something that I was
missing? “I just
don’t understand why you won’t give me a straight answer,” I shrug again,
keeping my voice low. I feel his
fingers on my chin as he lifts my head so that I am now staring into his eyes.
His intimidating expression is now gone, but his features are still serious as
he presses his lips together. “I just
don’t think that either of us will like or understand my answer.” I furrow my
brow at his words, trying to think of something to say, but I am completely
thrown off. What does that even mean? Harrison
searches my eyes for a few more seconds before he pulls his hand away from my
chin and turns to look the other way again. I
immediately turn my eyes to my lap as I let my jumbled thoughts bounce around
in my head. I already don’t understand his answer to my question, so how much
worse could it possibly get? I move my
shoulders a little in order to try to relax, but it only releases a little
tension. What could Harrison be thinking right now?
Why was he acting so weird? I open my
mouth to say something, but I immediately close it when I hear multiple voices
and pairs of feet coming down the hallway. I sneak a glance over at Harrison to
see his eyes fixed on the three girls who are currently walking toward us,
suddenly wearing a small smile. Alright, captain mood swing. “Hey, how’s
it going?” The girls stop talking and glance
down at us, their eyes fixed only on Harrison. Their eyes grow wide and their
cheeks turn red as they slowly realize who has just spoken to them. Then their
eyes slide to me and together their expressions turn cold. They all flash
Harrison a smile and one last death stare my way before they continue walking
down the hallway, each more giddy than they were only moments ago. “Man, they did not like you,”
Harrison laughs and smiles over at me. What is he doing? How can he smile
and joke with me now when we just shared such an intense moment only a few moments
ago? “You know what, Harrison? I’m
trying really hard to be your friend and understand you, but it’s really hard
when you’re constantly all over the place.” I see Harrison’s smile fall a
little when he realizes that I am not in the mood for his games, but he still
just shrugs and laughs at me. “I’m hard to understand.” “That’s for sure,” I state with a
cold tone as I roll my eyes at him. “You’re one to talk,” Harrison
snaps, causing me to bring my eyes to meet his. “What is that supposed to mean?” “I’m not the only one who’s hard to
read here, Grim. You’re so damn hard to understand.” I scowl at him, trying to figure
out what to say. “I’m not the one giving out mixed
signals, Harrison.” “The hell you’re not!” He slightly
raises his voice at me, which causes my
heart to leap in surprise. “What are you talking about? You’re
the one who flirts with me, then claims that you only want to be my friend, or
rather, best friend. I may have never had a best friend before, but I don’t think
the way you touch me or some of the things you say are classified as just
friends. However, then you turn right around and talk about sleeping with a
girl or you cheat on Claire. Then you’re getting strangely defensive when I
talk to or just mention Levi. What are you doing? What are we doing? Why are we sitting here? I’m tired of you just turning me
around and around all the time.” I don’t know where all of this is
coming from, but rather than feeling relieved from finally admitting all of
this, I feel annoyed with myself. Confessing all of my real thoughts is
something that I rarely do and I can’t help but feel angry that he has managed
to get this kind of reaction from me. I would have liked to keep to myself, but
instead he has brought me to spill all of these thoughts that I’m still not
certain about. “We’re just friends, Ava.” Harrison
states, causing me to snap out of my thoughts. Hearing him say my first name
makes me feel uneasy. “Then why do I feel like you’re not
coming to terms with that.” Harrison furrows his brow and
shakes his head at me. “What do you want from me? What is
it that you want me to say?” I frown slightly and look down at
my lap, feeling small once again. “I don’t know,” I whisper. “Don’t tell me that you’re in love
with me or something.” His words make my eyes instantly
grow wide and force me to look up at him. His expression is smooth and I feel
my mouth fall open a little. He has to be kidding. Love is the
last thing I feel for him, especially right now, and I have never thought of
Harrison in that way, nor will I ever. He has no appeal to me other than as a
friend, which I’m not even one hundred percent sure of anymore. “What?” I ask breathlessly. “You’re
kidding, right?” Harrison stares at me and shrugs. “No, Harrison. I’m not in love with
you. I don’t know how you got that ridiculous thought in your head, but you
better get it out right now.” I suddenly feel incredibly
irritated and I don’t want to be anywhere near Harrison. This whole time I
haven’t given him any reason to think I have any feelings for him, especially
love, yet he still jumps to such an absurd conclusion? How dare he. How dare he
think that I’m just another member of his fan club and I spend my free time
drawing his name in hearts. Harrison laughs and I feel him bump
into me slightly. “Lighten up, Grim.” His sudden mood swing sends me over
the edge and I can’t help but instantly snap at him. “No, Harrison. I will not ‘lighten
up.’ I’m pissed at you. You’re cocky and I wouldn’t be surprised if you tested
positive as bipolar.” I stop for a moment, trying to
relax, but it’s no use. I’m too angry at him. “Just get this through your head. I
am not in love with you. I will never be in love with you. I will never even
have any romantic interest in you, so you can get that idea out of the arrogant
head of yours. I get it, okay? You don’t like me like that and you’re not
trying to sleep with me, so just trust me when I say I feel the exact same
way.” I quickly get up and grab my bag
off the ground, stopping to stare at him for a moment as he looks up at me. He
looks as if he wants to say something, but instead he just drops his head and
lets out a small sigh as he runs a hand through his hair. That’s
what I thought. “See you in physics,” I mutter as I
turn and walk down the hallway towards the doors. I don’t
know what will happen between Harrison and me after this and frankly I don’t
care. He’s the most irritating and impossible person that I have ever met and I
don’t know if I want to associate myself with someone like him anymore. As I
continue walking I don’t hear Harrison get up to follow me or call my name.
Instead, we both continue to be stubborn and I can’t help but wonder if this is
officially the end of my friendship with Harrison Lunn. © 2013 Molly |
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Added on June 19, 2013 Last Updated on June 28, 2013 Tags: love, teen, young adult, high school, nonfiction, dream, dance, sing, act, book AuthorMollyAboutI just completed my freshman year of college and I am a Elementary Education major. I have always had a strong passion for writing and reading, so I'm always writing short stories, poems, rambles, etc.. more..Writing
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