Nobody | Danny Walter

Heavy Lifting

The New Year always comes with new promise and opportunities. The school play has been announced and will be auditioning next week. I was right on the money with Much Ado About Nothing and I feel ready for it. I'm still deciding which monologue to go with but I feel confident in my abilities to get the lead this time. It was fun practicing with Erin back in the fall and that gave me the confidence I need to go for the role of Benedick.

The other reason I am so full of hope right now is that Julliard have opened their summer program applications and I feel like this is my chance to get out of Colorado and experience real theatre. I want to see if I have what it takes to do this as a living and not just a fun hobby on the side.

Everyone is buzzing around the halls at school, moving between classes like an excited swarm of bees, all chattering to each other as they go. Moving with the flow of traffic, I'm startled when someone slams their hands down on my shoulders.

"Jesus, Craig, you scared me."

The sandy-haired blond just shrugged in response, smirk prominent on his features.

"Forgive him," Danielle responds, "he's just hyped about the bonfire tonight."

"Yay, another ritual party that's just an excuse for people to get drunk and hook up," I deliver sarcastically.

"Like you don't enjoy the bonfire," Danielle fires back, looking at me out the corner of her eye as she sidesteps a person stepping back from their locker. "It's like the ultimate people-watching experience for you."

"Just hang with us at the beer pong table and enjoy the 'best sport' drinking ever created." Craig's hand slaps me on the shoulder again but doesn't catch me off guard this time.

Slipping his hand from my shoulder, I roll my eyes at him. We all stop suddenly as some freshmen cut in front of our path to get to the other side of the hallway.

"Watch it," Danielle calls out, her tone warning but light enough that they're not quaking in their tiny shoes.

"It will be nice to just hang out with the people in our grade and not have to think about being "responsible students and role models for the underclassmen"," Craig finishes, parroting the principal of the school from their welcome back to second-semester speech for the upperclassmen.

"I'm just keen to get some fresh air and spend some time away from the bulk of my family. Should be only Cole and I there."

Craig and Danielle share a look but don't say anything as the bell rings before they care to elaborate.

"See you tonight, Danny!" Craig calls out as he pulls Danielle to their next class.

———

"Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind."

I repeat those words so many times I start questioning whether I'm even saying them right anymore as it all starts to sound like a foreign language after a while. Moving positions around the room helps clear my mind but I still can't find the right inflection for the message I want to impart through this monologue.

"Hey!" Jackie comes rushing in. "Hey, sorry. Sorry, I'm late." She drops her bag and

"Thank you for helping me with this Julliard application. I would really love to get into their summer program."

"No, I want to help. There's so many things I didn't know how to do when I moved here. Like how to muck out a stall or make up excuses for why I can't muck out a stall. This is something that I can help you with, so let me put my fancy school skills to use, ok?"