Strange Love

Chapter 14~ Raise the Curtain

     Eleanor walked to the ladder and looked up to the platform. Legoshi leaned over the railing to look down at the girl. Eleanor grabbed onto the cold metal and climbed up. "Hey, Eleanor," Legoshi said once Eleanor reached the ledge. She pulled herself up with a small grunt and looked at the wolf with a smile. She missed the glance Legoshi gave to her wound. The mongoose peeked out from behind the wolf who had blocked him from view.

     "Hey, Legoshi," Eleanor looked into his eyes then over to the club member next to him.

     "Oh, this is Kai. He does lighting with me," Legoshi said.

     "Which is totally unfair considering Louis kicked me off the actor's team," Kai sulked. Legosh partially rolled his eyes.

     "So you officially joined the club," Legoshi guided the subject away from the negative attitude Kai had for the moment.

     "Yep, I'm very excited to be able to help. Hopefully I'll be able to create some new costumes some day. I love making clothes," Legoshi nodded at Eleanor.

     "Hey, I think this light needs to be adjusted," Kai said to Legoshi and the wolf looked past the shorter girl and over to the stage light the mongoose was talking about. Legoshi almost sighed before he walked past the girl and to the light, reaching up and messing with it. "So, Eleanor," Kai began and Eleanor turned her head from the wolf down to the shorter student. "Why did you join the drama club?"

     "Well, um, Sheila actually brought up the drama club one day and I thought it would be really cool to join the costume department."

     "Not interested in acting?" Kai asked. Of course Legoshi had zoned in on their conversation, only now pretending to do something with the light.

     "Not really. I don't think I would be that great," Eleanor replied and Kai nodded like he approved of her answer.

     "You weren't scouted to join this club either?" Kai asked and Eleanor shook her head.

     "What does being scouted have to do with joining the club?" Legoshi officially joined the conversation when walking up to them.

     "You mean you don't know?" Kai asked and Legoshi shook his head. "In order to join the club you have to be scouted. Everyone here has something unique about them. That's why they were able to join." Kai explained. "Everyone has some sort of secret I guess," Kai said. The three of them stood in silence for a moment but that's when Sheila yelled out to the club that it was time to pack up and head out, which was what everyone did.

     As the sun set that night, Legoshi could have been found looking out to the few ahead. Glancing at people as they walked past on the ground a few stories below. He was long in his mind that happened to be filled with a certain human girl. The accident between the two was what took up the most space. He felt guilty, who would. Eleanor didn't even know it was him that attacked her. Almost killed her. The two have been talking like he doesn't know what happened either. He sighed as he rested his elbow in the ledge and his head in his palm. Their interactions popped into his head. Besides the first, he found that he enjoyed talking to her. His ears flickered as a breeze pushed past him and he turned his head to the side. His swishing tail caught his eye. He felt content in that moment.

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     "I can't believe opening night is already here," Sheila spoke to her roommates. "Do you think you guys can make it to the first showing?" The two other felines nodded.

     "Of course we will. I would miss the first showing for anything," Kyoko stated but the three other girls knew it wasn't lonely to show support for Sheila but to see Louis. She even thought about seeing the play twice just to stare at the deer whenever he would be on stage. The girls were all walking from breakfast to school, about to go their separate ways.

     "I'll see you guys later," Sheila said. "Eleanor dont forget to grab the costumes right after school and meet everyone in the auditorium," Eleanor gave a thumbs up.

     "No problem." She smiled and everyone went to their classes. As Eleanor's classes went on she became more and more nervous about that night. Although she only was helping with costumes she still felt worried she might do something wrong in the process. Lunch rolled around and the girls ate with each other but Sheila and Eleanor mostly talked about the play that was about to take place in only a few hours. Even other drama club members talked to them about the same topic. From the other members' reactions, along with conversations Eleanor overheard in some of her classes, that night was a big deal to a lot of people.

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     It was time. The pressure of many people's words were getting to Eleanor. She had never been a part of something so big and she felt the jitters come along. Her job was backstage the whole night yet she still felt nervous. Eleanor couldn't believe what others might have been feeling considering now much longer and harder they've been working up to this night. She spotted Sheila and her dance group dressed up in their costumes ready to perform. She peeked through the curtain and looked to the audience for her other two roommates. They were near the front, per Kyoto's request Eleanor was sure of. Everyone looked excited. She then looked up. Legoshi was on the catwalk adjusting his last light. Somehow he seemed to catch her gaze before she looked away. Eleanor waved and Legoshi waved back. "Places everyone," a club member announced and the actors in the first scene went on stage. Minutes later everyone was in their places and a moment of silence passed before Eleanor could see a thumbs up from across the stage and then the curtains began to rise.