Sandcastles

Chapter Twenty

Going back to school after Christmas break is tough for anyone, but it was especially tough for me after returning from New York. As expected, the rest of the trip after that night was amazing. We had to leave the next day, but it was still everything I expected and more. Seeing the play kind of gave a sense of relief I guess. Don't people say that they're relieved after receiving a high school diploma? Well, it's almost as if seeing the Broadway play gave me that relief. Maybe it's weird and kind of confusing, but it did. Seeing it let me know that what I plan to do after graduation is possible and can be done. Maybe I'm not going to become some big Broadway star like I want to be, but at least I know it's not just a hopeless dream anymore.

I've also realized that in order to achieve that dream, I really need to start practicing and working on my acting and singing. Anyone can guess where that led me. That's right; Room 112, Mrs. Samuels.

Maybe Collins Creek is a small town and maybe the school doesn't have the best academic ratings, but Mrs. Samuels is a great drama teacher. Since we returned a week ago, she's had everyone in the class working nonstop. We've had to do everything from acting workshops to improv to script writing. Apparently the district drama competition is coming up soon and she has to send people from the class for each category. I'm hoping to land our school's entry for muscical, but there's a lot of candidates for that. So while we wait on her decisions, we've been reading scripts.

Today as I walk in the classroom, carrying only my notebook and the script of "To Kill A Mockingbird" from the day before, I already see everyone sitting at their desks with a random script open in front of them. I set the script in the return basket and pick up the leftover one in the other basket. I take an empty seat beside Alexander, which is saved for me every single day.

"Which one did you get?" Alexander whispers as I sit beside him. I plop the thin booklet on the table, reading the bold letters on the cover.

"'Steel Magnolias'. Whatever that is." I mumble. He smiles at me and folds over the page of the script he is reading. He flashes the cover to me. "Hamlet". I read that one a few days before.

Basically the point of this whole script reading thing is for us to get a diverse knowledge of all types of theater. I've read an entire script each day. So far my favorite is "To Kill A Mockingbird".

I thumb through the pages of the script, seeing that some of the lines are highlighted from the previous script owners. The entire room is silent except for the humdrum ticking of the clock. Mrs. Samuels sits rapidly writing stuff in her notebook.

I huff out air before flipping to the first page of the script. When I get to the fifth page, I snap my head up when I hear the door close. Troy walks in with his books at his side, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

I watch him as he grabs the leftover script of "To Kill A Mockinbird". Mrs. Samuels looks up to glare at him for only a split second before going back to her writing. Troy takes his usual desk, spreads out his notebooks, and begins reading the script.

And then I'm consumed in silence again. I've never actually realized how annoying a clock sounds until now. Just the constant ticking of the hand moving across the face of the clock over and over. There's a few yawns from a random person in the class every now and then, but that's the only noise.

I read about halfway through my script and become almost ecstatic when the bell rings. I take my notebook and script and rush out of the classroom away from the dreadful silence. It's almost relieving to be caught in the cluttered, noisy hallway.

I usually walk to our break with Alexander but all I'm focused on right now is getting as far away from that classroom as possible. I throw my stuff in my locker before slamming it. When I turn to walk to the courtyard, I walk straight into the body of a boy.