hobbledehoy

The Theater Department

"Can we just agree to never speak of it again?" I ask Merlynn irritably, early the next morning.

"Oh don't be such a sour puss!" She laughs at me, "At least you woke up and finished your tryout!"

"I fainted in front of a bunch of grown men!" I bury my face in my hands, the embarrassment was too much, "And it took me seventeen tries to get it into that one bloody hole!"

 "It took that Roy guy more."

"Yeah, well he didn't faint in front of Wes Hamiliton."

I still couldn't get over it. I knew that they wouldn't be posting the results of the tryouts until next week, but I'm pretty sure I won't be on that list.

Unfortunately, I made a deal with Merlynn. I have to watch her audition for some play the theatre department is putting on. It's not that I didn't want to watch her, I'm just not a theatre guy. In fact, I've never been in or seen a school play in my life. I find them boring. Besides, all the good ones are turned into movies eventually.

But I follow my friend down the hallway of preforming arts anyway, and into Randall Hall, where all the magic happens.

We weave through the rows and rows of red seats, slowly making our way to the bottom, where the stage was.

"Don't mess with me, Randy, I'm warning you." Two men were standing in the center of the stage. And the small one was threatening the tall beefy one—Randy—I guess.

"You can't just make yourself the lead of every play, Ro!" Randy growls.

"I can do whatever the hell I please!" The small man shouts, "I'm the director! And now I'm telling you to get off my stage, hide your family, and look the other way, because I will cut you."

I had to give it to the guy, his sass level is high, even though he only comes up to Randy's chest.

Randy spit at the little angry man's feet, then marches off with a scowl on his face.

"Roland!" Merlynn calls out, and runs up the side stairs.

"Merlynn, you made it!" He smiles widely and gathers Merlynn up into a friendly hug.

"Roland, this is Hyrum," Merlynn introduces me, "Hyrum, this is Roland. The Director."

"The first Hawaiian Director here at Pine Parks," Roland grins from ear to ear, "And the youngest, not to brag."

There was something about this guy that just makes you smile, like there was just happiness and amusement oozing from him. He has this hipster kind of look about him, like the large fake glasses, curly Mohawk, cool sneakers and clothing.

Roland just barely came up to my shoulder, but I didn't think that really bothered him. He has a really dominate presence, I guess because he's an actor... He knows how to draw in everyones attention.

"So are you trying out for the play as well, Hyrum?" Roland asks me, his deep brown eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Oh, no, I don't act." I laugh out loud—thinking that it was hilarious—but Merlynn and Roland were very serious.

"It matters not if you have the ability to act," Roland reaches up and claps me on the shoulder, "It should only matter that you want to. Just believe in yourself, Hyrum."

I shake my head and laugh, they couldn't be serious. People would laugh at me... Wes and his friends, they'd call me names, say I'm gay or something.

But Neil Patrick Harris said, or sung, the theatre isn't just for the gays anymore... Man, I love that guy.

Focus Hyrum, they're waiting for an answer.