Behind The Scenes

3. The Monologue

I pushed the drama room door open and stepped inside, my heart doing this weird excited-flutter thing. Drama was my safe haven, and today, it felt even more special.

"Hey, Ruby!" Jack greeted me with a grin, looking like he'd been waiting for ages.

"Hey, Jack," I replied, trying to sound cool and not like my heart was doing somersaults.

Mrs. Lakely, in her usual dramatic fashion, announced, "Alright, folks! Let's get started."

Everyone hustled into position. Jack and I found a corner backstage, away from the main action. He handed me a script, and flashed me a smile. 

"Thanks for doing this, Ruby."

I shrugged, trying to keep it casual, "No problem!"

Jack turned to a page in his script and said, "Page 38. My monologue."

I glanced at the page, and it was all about how much Robert loved Julia. If that's what he wanted to work on, I was all in.

"Sure," I replied, trying to sound cool.

We settled on stools backstage, and he began, taking a deep breath.

"You're... amazing. Your eyes, they sparkle like leaves after the rain, and your hair, it's so soft, like the ocean's waves after a storm. Your voice is like a beautiful songbird's melody, and it leaves a lovely ringing in my ears. Every day, I wish I could hear it again."

His words sounded so heartfelt, and I couldn't help but get lost in them. For a moment, I imagined he was saying all of this to me. But then, reality hit when he continued.

"Julia, please. Don't leave me now."

He cleared his throat when he finished and asked with a hopeful smile, "Was that... good?"

My heart was racing, and I managed to say, "Jack, that was amazing. Seriously, you nailed it."

He grinned from ear to ear, his excitement contagious. "I felt it Ruby, I really did. Thanks for helping me out." 

Just as Jack and I were basking in the glow of his monologue, the drama room door flew open. It was Elsie, and she was a whirlwind of energy, flinging her arms around Jack like they were in some sort of dramatic movie.

"Jacky-poo! How's my Romeo today?" she gushed, practically squeezing the life out of him.

Jack looked a bit uncomfortable, which wasn't surprising because Elsie was acting all kinds of crazy. She had this wild look in her eyes as she babbled on about running lines together.

"We should totally rehearse together, Jacky. You and me, Romeo and Juliet, method acting at its finest," Elsie declared.

Then, out of nowhere, she leaned in like she was going to kiss him. I mean, seriously? In the drama room, in front of everyone? She explained that it was for the chemistry on stage, but it seemed like she was taking this method acting thing to a whole new level.

Jack pulled away and looked relieved to see me. Elsie noticed and raised an eyebrow. "Who's this, Jacky? You didn't tell me you had a new friend."

Jack quickly explained, "This is Ruby. She's helping me with my lines."

I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I mumbled something about having to go and practically sprinted over to Mrs. Lakely. Anything to distract myself from the craziness that was unfolding in the drama room.

Mrs. Lakely turned to me and said, "Romania, could you do me a favor? We need some props from the storage room. Here's a list." She handed me a crumpled piece of paper with a list of props scribbled on it.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Lakely," I replied, taking the list, trying to escape what just happened. 

I headed out to the storage room, my mind still spinning from the encounter with Elsie. When I walked in, speak of the devil, there she was, like a drama queen in her natural habitat.

"Hey there, Ruby," Elsie greeted me with a sly smile.

I raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of her sudden friendliness. "Elsie, right?"

Even though I knew her name. 

She nodded, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. "That's me. Listen, Ruby, I've been around this drama thing for a while, and there's something you should know."

I leaned in, curious despite myself. "What's that?"

Elsie lowered her voice, like she was sharing some deep secret. "Cast and crew, we don't mix. It's like this unspoken rule. You do your tech stuff, we do our acting stuff. Got it?"

I frowned, not entirely sure where she was going with this. "Yeah, I guess."

Elsie leaned closer and explained, "See, I really want to be with Jack. It's not just because he's the lead; it's because we need that stage chemistry. So, Ruby, it would be best for everyone if you stayed away."

I blinked, trying to process what she was saying. Elsie wanted to be with Jack for the sake of the play, and she was practically warning me to keep my distance.

I grabbed the props and headed back to the drama room, my head swirling with thoughts. 

As the drama club members started packing up and Mrs. Lakely concluded the class, Magnolia approached me with a skeptical look on her face.

"Hey, Rubes," she began, "I couldn't help but notice you were hanging out with Jack quite a bit today. What's up with that?"

I knew Magnolia's stance on cast and crew not mixing, so I had to be careful with my response. I gave her a cautious smile. "Oh, you know, we were just working on his lines together. He needed some help, that's all."

Magnolia raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Uh-huh, just lines, huh? You know we have our rules about this stuff, Rubes. Cast and crew don't usually mix."

I bit my lip, not wanting to give too much away. "Yeah, I know, Maggie, but it was just this one time. We needed to get it right for the play."

She continued to eye me, clearly not satisfied with my answer. "Alright, but just remember, we've got rules for a reason."

I nodded, relieved that she didn't press further. Little did she know, there was more to the story than I could ever explain.