Penny Takes the Stage

Chapter 2: Sturm und Drang

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There was a loud, horrendous squealing sound as Frederick shoved his chair back. "You're out of your fucking minds if you think I'm going to sit here to meet the pretty boy you replaced me with," he thundered. He looked around the table.

"Come on, Penelope, let's go." He rose and looked at Penny expectantly.

She stared back at him, green eyes huge.

"She can't go with you," Carey finally said, pointing out the obvious. "She's already signed her contract."

Now Frederick was staring at her. "Are you kidding? Are you actually going to go through with this? This play's going to be a joke! Once I'm no longer associated with it, once word gets out how they fucked me over and replaced me with a fucking model with no experience, who do you think is going to want to review it, let alone come and see it?" He looked from Carey to Bruce, then back at Penny, who hadn't moved. "Get real, Penelope. Your career can't take a hit like this. You can't afford to do this."

"Frederick, be reasonable." Penny spoke for the first time. "I can't afford not to do this."  She gestured toward Carey and Bruce. "Like they said, I've already signed, I have nothing else lined up into the foreseeable future--I mean, I've gotten good reviews, I'm Broadway's darling right now, but I'm not established like you, I have to take what's coming up."

Bruce covered Penny's hand with his own. "At least one of you's talking sense."

He turned toward where Frederick was standing. "Come on, Frederick, sit down. At least meet the guy. He's great, really talented, you'll like him."

As he spoke, Frederick ticked the points off on his fingers. "He has no experience. You flew him in for the audition. You offered him the part on the spot. He's a fucking model. He's not even from New York, he's from fucking Europe. I bet he doesn't even have any theatrical training," he sneered. "He's everything I hate about Broadway today. He's what's ruining theatre, frankly, and I'd rather poke my eyeballs out with toothpicks than hang around here and meet him." He picked up his coat from the back of his chair. "Good day."

He turned to Penny. "Penelope, I don't know if I'll be talking to you again after this, so  good day to you as well." And he turned and stalked out without another word.

The three people remaining in the room looked at each other.

"Did he just break up with me?" Penny asked, blinking.

"I don't know, to be honest," Bruce said.

"I guess I'll find out later," Penny concluded.

She took a deep breath, looking around. "And don't think, just because I'm still here, that I'm totally cool with this. I can't believe that you hired someone I've never read with, someone I've never even met." She threw her hands up in the air. "You know how intense this play is! What are we going to do if there's no chemistry? Or if we just don't get along?"

"Now, Penny, I'm telling you, that won't happen, just wait until you meet him, this guy's just that good," Carey assured her.

"You mean this guy's just that good looking," Penny corrected dourly. "He's totally hot, and that's what you're counting on. What did you guys do, write in some shirtless scenes? Some make out scenes?"

And she could see from the way Carey and Bruce looked at each other that she was at least partially right.

"Oh, say it ain't so! How could you be so shallow? Why not just write some songs and turn the play into a fucking musical? We could just call it 'Evil, the Sequel to Wicked,' what do you think?" She looked from Carey to Bruce to see the effect of her words.