The Punk and the Ballerina

Lovers with the Enemy

Ari's point of view. August 2005.

Who the hell does Sebastian Gray think he is? He swore off theatre forever and now suddenly he was auditioning for my play? This play was supposed to be a pivotal moment for me, I didn't need him screwing it up. I doubt he could act, he would never get a part, not in a million years.

There were only two male characters in the play and I bet we could get Nathaniel to play both parts, he's done it before. Nathaniel was the only male actor we had, but I was hoping with the new freshmen, some would be willing to audition. I wasn't going to panic yet, maybe Sebastian wasn't going to audition, maybe he was saying all that just to be an asshole like he always was.

"Sebastian Gray is gonna audition for your play?" Mali laughed. "What time? I gotta see this."

"I doubt he'll show up," I said. We were talking on the phone. I had to vent to my girls, maybe get a good giggle out of them.

"Maybe he has to do it for community service or something," Olivia said.

I sighed. "Maybe. He said he liked my script, but maybe he was just messing with me."

"Well you dance in it, right? He might think of it sexually, boys are so horny at this age," Mali said with disgust. Ew, never. Puberty hit boys like a tidal wave, making them taller and sexually charged animals. It must be awkward to be in between boy and man.

The next day were the auditions. Of course I was the lead role, Star. I got to help Mr. Stiltz with casting. The usual theatre kids showed up. And so did Sebastian.

He actually showed up. Now I knew for sure he was just doing all of this to be a dick. Like hell he was going to be in my play. But Mr. Stiltz allowed him to audition anyway. I rolled my eyes. Let's get this joke over with.

Sebastian was auditioning to play Star's boyfriend, Chris. He was supportive of Star, the only character that truly understands her and her struggles. I had never dated before, I didn't really know what I wanted in a boy, so I wrote Chris purely from my fantasies. The idea of Sebastian playing my boyfriend made me want to barf.

"Whenever you're ready, Sebastian," Mr. Stiltz said.

To my surprise, Sebastian put the script behind his back. He memorized his lines? Maybe he was taking this seriously.

"Star, I wish you could see how I see you. You're beautiful, talented, and can rule the world. But you already carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. I wish you would let me help you lift the world off your shoulders. I love you, let's face this world together."

Sebastian was...amazing. For that moment, he reminded me of the male characters I crushed on Degrassi. Maybe he had some soul after all.

"Very good, Sebastian," Mr. Stiltz said. "How about reading with Ari? Do that scene again."

I made my way on stage. Sebastian gave me a small smile. He smelled like Old Spice cologne. I flipped through my script to the scene.

"How can you love me? I'm a stressed out mess, a pressure cooker of failure. I can't please anybody. I'm too thin, too fat, dancing too much, not dancing enough, too smart, not smart enough, too pretty, not pretty enough. It's like I have to carry the world on my back and I'm about to drop it." Even though my play was fictional, these were the words I'd been dying to say.

"Star, I wish you could see how I see you. You're beautiful, talented, and can rule the world. But you already carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. I wish you would let me help you lift the world off your shoulders. I love you, let's face this world together."

I found myself looking into Sebastian's eyes as he said his lines. His eyes were dark green, reminding me of jade. I never noticed what color they were before. They were kind of calming, like a serene forest.

"Wonderful! You two have great chemistry," Mr. Stiltz was on his feet clapping.

Sebastian and I exchanged the same bewildered look. We had chemistry? We hated each others' guts and he thought we could play lovers? Was that even scientifically possible? I saw everyone else's expressions and they matched our shared confusion. It was no secret that Sebastian and I didn't get along, he was one of the last people I wanted to be around. But I couldn't deny he was the best actor to play Chris. Could we tolerate each other to make this work? I could be professional when I needed to be, but I wasn't so sure about Sebastian.

I sat back down with Mr. Stiltz as the others continued to audition. But I couldn't concentrate on any of them, my mind was stuck on Sebastian. In all my years of knowing him, I had no idea he could act. I always knew him as a slacker that played guitar. If he could act that one scene so well, I was intrigued and a little excited to see him act out the rest of the play.

After the auditions ended, everyone was leaving. I watched Sebastian make his way down the aisles of the seats, something in me needed to talk to him.

"Hey," I jumped in front of him. "You did really well."

He stared me down before he finally spoke. "Thanks."

We awkwardly stood there for several long seconds before he finally walked around me. I walked over to the table Mr. Stiltz was sitting at. It was time to figure out the casting.

***

Sebastian's point of view.

Doing that scene with Ari was...strange. Not awful as I thought it would be, just odd. I saw her as a person, not the stuck up snob I knew all these years. I saw vulnerability in her brown eyes. Either she was a gifted actor or maybe there was more beyond her flashy exterior.

I skateboarded down a few ramps. It was golden hour and I had the skate park to myself. I liked the solitude, gave me space to think. My stomach rumbled. I boarded home. Mom was working that night, I had to fend for myself as she would joke when it came to dinner. I didn't feel like cooking, so I poured water into a cup of Ramen and put it in the microwave.

I ate my Ramen while I looked for something to watch on TV. I settled on watching Cribs. Did anybody really need three cars? Why would anybody want an indoor pool and an outdoor pool? One day I would spoil my parents, and invite my friends to my pool party.

The next day at school, the cast list for the play was posted. My name was there. I was going to play Chris.

I was going to have to play lovers with the enemy.