The Secret Love Story

Jennavieve had always loved theatre; since her mother had taken her to a kid's concert, she had been hooked. Not only did she watch plays, but she acted in them too. She loved being on stage. She did school plays and community theatre, and she also went to drama camps.

That was why this year - her senior year of high school - she was looking forward to having a decent role in the school play. She didn't need to be the lead role, but she was hopeful that she wouldn't be in the ensemble.

So, on the Monday morning after auditions, Jennavieve raced to the bulletin board by the drama room. Quickly scanning the posted list, she saw that she was... in the ensemble. Her heart dropped. She refused to cry though. She was going to do her best, even though it was not the role she had hoped for. This was the last show before college and she wasn't going to waste it.

She worked hard, learning the dances and all the melodies, and her hard work was rewarded in small ways. She was put near the front and given a part in the play's group of main characters. Even though it wasn't what Jennavieve wanted her last high school play to be, she was still having enough fun not to drop out.

But that all changed at a dance workshop weekend when she took a rough fall. She hadn't hurt herself too badly, but the dance teacher was livid. She lectured Jennavieve about not knowing the dance. Jennavieve wanted to point out that this dance was chaotic -she had fallen because someone else was in the wrong spot. But rather than mentioning that fact, Jennavieve simply asked to go get an ice pack and ran off the stage.

She found ice backstage and sat down to compose herself.

"Jenny?"

She looked up and saw Tomas. They were friends…or at least theatre friends. They had actually acted as each other's love interest in a play once before. Tomas' dad ran the community theatre, so Tomas was always involved in shows. He was a good actor; she was surprised he was also in the ensemble.

"I'm fine, Tommy, just needed a second." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

Tomas smiled and sat down next to her. "She shouldn't have yelled at you. The director called her on it. And we took a break and are going to redo that dance number to something a little less...uh, extra?" he finished with a laugh.

"Good." She laughed too. "I agree the song is better suited for a bit less."

“I brought your water bottle."' He handed it to her; she smiled and took it. "So, in the new dance,” he continued, “She wants everyone to pair up, and I was thinking because we've danced together in the past we could pair up…and maybe, because we know how to act subtly we could create our own story in the story? We are both in the main actors' crews so…could be fun?"

Jennavieve smiled. "As long as we don't get in trouble it sounds fun!"

So that's what the two did. They gave their no-name characters a backstory. It was easy enough to do as their crews were always on stage together.

Jennavieve would wave at Tomas the first time they saw each other on stage. He would wink. Tomas would sneak her a note in the next scene -and he'd actually write her a note every practice. She had to admit he was smooth. Whenever the leads were talking and their crews had to do background acting, Jennavieve and Tomas would find a way to help each other.

Then later in the play when the groups were at a bonfire, Tomas would find a way to sit next to her and put his arm around her. During one practice, Jennavieve forgot her sweater and got cold during the scene, and Tomas gave her his sweater without thinking. The directors loved it because it showed how close the two groups were becoming, and they told the two of them to keep it up.

Later in the play when the main characters fought, Jennavieve gave Tomas his sweater back and he watched as she left with the rest of the girl's group. Then just before the big dance scene, the two made a point of awkwardly avoiding each other until they saw the main characters dance together. Then they intentionally found each other and danced together.

The directors complimented them on their subtle story. Jennavieve was grateful for Tomas' idea; it made the show more fun. She knew to be wary of feelings formed during a stage play, but she was really going to miss spending time with him when the play was done.

Then two days before their first show, the two leads got sick - like, super sick. It seemed they had caught it from each other. Both lost their voices and couldn't perform. At practice, the director looked at Tomas and Jennavieve and stated, "You two will have to take their roles, you are the only two who can.”

Tomas and Jennavieve shared a panicked expression. Then Tomas took her hand and said, "We'll do it."

The costumes had to be tailored, and last-minute changes were made to the dances. Thankfully, they didn't really have to work to learn the lines, because they were so familiar from practice. But there was one thing….their positions on stage.

“Tommy, what are we going to do? We haven't been watching their blocking! What if we mess up during the show!?" Jennavieve exclaimed as they walked backstage to change after a rushed dress rehearsal.

"We don't need to know their blocking. We can make these characters our own. The directors liked our subtle story. We can use elements of it in our new roles. We can do this!" he squeezed her hand before slipping behind the curtain that was one of two makeshift change rooms backstage.

"You're right! We can do this." Jennavieve slipped behind the other curtain.

They had six shows over three days. The first show was rough, but thankfully it was for the elementary school kids, who didn’t seem to notice. By the last show, no one would have believed that the two hadn't always been the planned leads. Jennavieve still waved to start their interactions, and Tomas still winked. He found a way to slip her his note. During the duet at the bone fire, he gave her his sweater, and during their fight, she gave it back to him. When she turned to leave, he grabbed her hand and begged her not to leave. She pulled her hand away, brought it close to her heart, and then left without saying a word. Their rehearsed awkwardness worked great for the big dance. Once they did finally speak, Jennavieve made a point of taking his hand. And when the time came for the big kiss, they skipped it; instead, Tomas dipped her to end the dance. The crowd loved it every time.

When the curtain dropped on closing night, the two shared a smile.

"Thank you, Tomas." Jennavieve smiled.

"I didn’t do anything," Tomas said with a shrug.

"But you did." She gave him a hug and he returned it with a laugh.

"If you say so." After she let go, he caught her hand. "Say, now that the play is done…wanna go out for dinner next weekend?"

She blushed. "I would love to."

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