Take Aim and Reload

Chapter 2

"Okay people who's ready to make some magic!" Dan shouted, entering from the back of the house. He could see his friends lined up at the front of the stage, being led in pre-rehearsal stretches by Tyler.
"I'm always ready to make magic," he heard Tyler remark, turning around "But with you? Sorry Dan, you're just not my type." The cast erupted into laughter. Dan raised a hand.
"Not what I meant Ty. But thanks a lot."
Tyler winked as Dan leapt gracefully on stage, clipboard in hand.
"You're taking this role as Unofficial Director very seriously," he heard Chris say. Dan nodded.
"Someone around here has to take their job seriously," he told them as they groaned and rolled their eyes.
"Yeah that's why PJ's here," Troye said, gesturing to stage left. Dan chuckled.
"Alright, alright. Guess I'll go check up on him then. In the meantime, all stretched?"
"Well if you don't recall," Tyler started. "We were rudely interrupted."
"Fine, fine," Dan replied, making his way into the wing. "Continue, don't let me be a bother." Tyler shook his head in mock disappointment but continued nonetheless. Dan grinned to himself as he found PJ backstage, measuring wood planks with which to build the set.
"Daniel," PJ said, without even looking up.
"Hey Peej. How's this going?"
"Fine."
Several moments of awkward silence passed, as Dan stood and watched PJ, unsure of what to do next. Luckily, PJ solved that problem.
"The tech guy will be here soon," he said, nonchalantly. Dan bit his lip while running a hand through his hair.
"Look, Peej. I appreciate you trying to do this for me...but if you just recruited him so you could play matchmaker then-"
"Dan," PJ interrupted. "I recruited him so he could help with sound and lighting."
Dan looked at him in confusion.
"But," PJ continued, "Just...try to keep
an open mind, okay?"
"I-"
"Please?" PJ asked, interrupting again. Dan sighed.
"Alright, sure. He sounds like a cool guy, I guess." PJ smiled, before returning to measure more planks. "But can I ask you one thing?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you even have any straight friends?" PJ laughed.
"I thought you were, remember?" Dan winked.
"Sorry?"
"Yeah, whatever. Get out of here, Howell, you traitor." Now it was Dan's turn to laugh as he ducked out from the wing to whip his cast into shape.

"Dan?" It was Chris, calling him onto the stage from where he was working at the sound booth.
"Yeah?" Dan said, leaping onstage. Chris stood with the rest of the actors, Connor, Hannah, and Joey. PJ continued working on the set, Louise and Cat were unboxing new make-up sets, and Tyler was teaching Troye and Carrie the steps to one of their numbers.
"We need your help, we're not sure how to act out this scene," Chris said, pointing it out on the script.
"I wrote this one!" Dan exclaimed. "It's powerful, one of the turning points in the show. Where the main character's friends all learn that the main character's suspicious behavior may be hiding something, something big. It leads into a musical number and-"
"Wait," Hannah said. "Who's playing the main character?"
"Well Dan is," Connor said. "But he's not in the scene." Dan nodded. Hannah appeared to be thoughtful, but otherwise said nothing.
"Anyways," Dan continued, glancing at the line. "Chris, your character stands up and says: 'haven't you guys had any suspicions about Jarred? Like, at all?'" He does this all, acting out the scene like it were real, flawlessly, effortlessly.
"Play along," Dan encouraged, and the group, minus Chris who stood, watching, lounged at his feet like they would in the scene. Then, Hannah stood up as her character.
"I mean, Tommy, I guess it's a bit weird...his sneaking out. Guilty glances..." She trails off. Dan points at her, in character.
"Exactly! I'm onto him, Kate!"
"You have a point," Connor's character stated, standing as well. "Jarred's back-alley behavior has been at an all-time high."
"I feel like I know what's going on here," Joey's character said quietly, taking time to stand.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Kev?" Dan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That maybe..." Joey trailed off, moving to stand closer to Dan's character.
"Just maybe..." Dan continued. "Jarred's hiding..."
His character bended down now, signaling the others to do the same and put their heads together.
"A secret lover!" Dan exclaimed, straightening back up to his full height suddenly, and throwing his hands in the air. He turned to Chris.
"Cue music there. And scene."
Then, applause. A single person, applauding from the back of the house, his stature hidden by shadow.
"Well," PJ said suddenly, appearing on stage. "Tech boy's here. And he's right back there."

"Phil," PJ said, motioning him to come to the stage.
'So that's his name,' Dan thought. Phil.
The figure walked forward, moving out of the shadows, and as soon as his face was revealed and close enough, Dan took notice.
The black hair, cut like Dan's, against his pale skin.
The small permanent smirk.
His tall stature, just like Dan.
The plaid hoodie, black jeans, hands awkwardly in pockets.
The eyes. Bright, blue, piercing.
Dan couldn't look away.
"Hi," the guy said softly. "Uh...I'm Phil." PJ motioned for him to come up on stage. The rest of the cast remained silent. Phil climbed onstage and PJ pushed him in Dan's direction.
"This is Dan. Our director. Main playwright. Lead role." Phil's absolutely captivating eyes widened.
"Impressive. Almost as impressive as your acting...Dan." He blushed, looking away.
"Did you see the entire thing?" Dan asked. Phil nodded. "Well thank you. Very much, Phil."
They stood in silence, looking at each other, and totally checking each other out.
"Ahem," Tyler coughed suddenly.
"Oh yes," Phil mumbled, snapping out of it. "I'm here to work on lights. Lights and sound."
"Not much to do today," PJ said. "It's our first rehearsal."
"I should just be able to map everything out," Phil told him. "Get a feel for the layout of things, you know?"
"Absolutely," Dan said. "Look around, all you want."
"I will," Phil replied. "But first...what is this play about?"
"It's about a guy...who leads a double life," Dan started. "There's some romance...though it's incredibly gay, I'm just warning you." Phil smiled.
"Sounds like my cup of tea...if you know what I mean." Dan glanced at PJ, who shook his head, signaling that Dan should not tell Phil that he happened to know this already. Dan shrugged.
"Same with me actually. We're all gay here, except for PJ of course, Carrie, Cat, and Louise," he pointed them out.
"Uh, and me!" Hannah called. "Lesbian. Female, ya know?"
"Um," Chris interrupted. "Bisexual? We exist too?" He shook his head. Dan laughed.
"Okay, okay," he continued. "The point is, we're all queer here. You'll fit right in." Phil chuckled.
"Hey, before I forget, what's your last name?"
"Howell, and yours?"
"Lester."
They shook hands, smiling.
"Right, well then," PJ said suddenly. "Phil, I'll show you to the sound booth." He passed by Dan, stopping to mutter something.
"You two can stare at each other some more AFTER rehearsal."
Dan nodded, not bothering to defend himself, while Phil looked sympathetically at him as PJ led Phil to the back of the auditorium. For now, rehearsal would have to commence.