Say Hello to the Stars

Chapter Five: Rehearsal

Rehearsals - it's much harder then you would've expected.

The minute I walk in, I almost trip over my own two feet. My hands are sweating so badly; I have to constantly wipe them on my pants so that I don't drown anyone.

Just keep walking. Come on, you can do this. This is a stupid play, not the end of the world.

The air is buzzing with excitement and the smell of new paint fills the air. It's loud and noisy and I love it; it gives me a sense of relief, like all the attention isn't on me and I hide in the shadows if I needed to.

I reach up and grab my necklace. Last night, Johnathan stopped by and gave it to me. He says he's been saving it for years, waiting until it was the right time to give it to me. "It's for good luck," he said, flashing a huge grin at me. I couldn't help being anything but happy.

The necklace is truly breathtaking; it's a gold, heart shaped locket, with my initials engraved into it. When you open it up, it has a few pictures from my childhood. One of them is a family photo that includes both my mom and dad. The other is of Johnathan, Andy and I when we were all kids. We're all covered in mud and we look like the three happiest kids in the world.

When I touch it, I feel like I have them all here with me. I can hear them cheering me on, telling me I can do it. That's more then I could ask for and it makes me feel complete. It makes me feel normal again.

The drama teacher, Mrs. Hyler, steps up on stage. I sit in the middle row of the audience and listen.

Mrs. Hyler, starts us off with a smile. "Welcome everyone! I'm so glad we have so many new faces around here, eager to join us in our lovely theatrical production!"

She then starts going over rules and safety tips, what to wear and what not to wear, scripts, props, etc. There's more to it than getting up on stage and preforming. I realised that. You have to work really hard to earn a spot and, you can't fool around at all.

After Mrs. Hyler handed out a script to everyone and the first rehearsal was over, she called me aside. The worried look on her face told me that I wasn't going to win a free trip to Universal.

"Now, Annabel, I was reading over your files and.... I saw that you have some psychological issues, and knowing that, will you be okay for the play?"

Great. "It's not that big of a deal, really, I'm a lot better now. The only time my anxiety was really bad was about two years ago, when my parents passed away."

Mrs. Hyler stares at me, completely dumbfounded. "Ah well, I'm very sorry for your loss."

"It was two years ago, so I've put it behind me. But really, I think I'll be fine. I might have a few freak-outs here and there, but it'll be okay afterwards. Just takes some getting used to is all." I fake a grin and give her a big thumbs up.

She sighs as relief washes over her. "Alright, well if you need any help or need someone to talk to, I'm here for you alright?"

You'd probably send me to the guidance counselor.

I smile, and for real this time. "Thanks, I'll be here next rehearsal and, again, thank you."

Right when I'm about to leave, is when I bump into Jules. Not literally run into but, I catch a glimpse of her talking to the other popular's. She has her legs propped up on one of the huge hats we're using for this year and she's painting her nails bright blue. She seriously needs a reality check.

I stop by Annabel's Hill and start running over the script. It's Alice in Wonderland. It was one of my favorite childhood books when I was 6. My mom would read it to me every night, over and over, to the point where I practically memorized the novel word-for-word. I want to try out for the role of Alice but, I'm still slightly insecure on how I would react to being on stage. In front of hundreds of people.

Don't worry about that now. First, worry about getting a role.

I stay high up in the tree for hours, studying the script, reading and re-reading, at least until the sun sets. I start to memorize the lines and try to speak them fluently. I work on the body movements and motions until I have an almost flawless performance.

I keep this up for about a week, all up until the next rehearsal. Then the process starts all over again. I even stopped at the store to get a cheap dress that resembles Alice's. By now, I practically have the part down like the bottom of my shoe.

I am so ready for this.