Starlight

VIII: Only For You

I'll be waiting in the wing
Wound up tighter than a spring
As the house begins to dim
And I'll practice every line
Hoping desperately to shine
Shining only for him

- 'Only For You', Love Never Dies

~~~~~

A young woman stepped down from the stage, to rapturous applause. She had absolutely killed her set, leaving Robbie feeling equally awe-inspired and nervous.

"Wasn't that a wonderful set? Give it up one last time for Anna, and keep the applause going for our final comedian of the night, Robbie!"

Nora gestured to Robbie to come up onto the platform.

Okay, this is it. She took a deep breath, her hands already trembling, her stomach doing loops. You've got this.

The crowd were nicely warmed up now. Whilst her first set had been greeted by a couple of claps, this time Robbie walked onstage to the sound of cheering, whooping: drunken enthusiasm. Finn grinned, giving her two thumbs up. The Professor nodded in encouragement.

She took her place center-stage. She thought about how she looked. Her casual black dress, tights and boots. Thick dark hair. Grey eyes lined with only the most precise of cat-eye flicks, the corners highlighted with silver. Standing in at 5 foot tall - or maybe a couple inches more, she could never quite remember her exact height.

What kind of character did the audience expect her to be? Would she live up to that expectation, or would she surprise them?

Would she surprise the Professor?

Robbie turned to the mic, furrowing her brow as she noticed it was about a foot taller than she needed it to be.

"Wow. I knew that going on last tonight would be a tall order, but this is ridiculous!" The crowd giggled as she shortened its stand.

"Hi everyone! As Nora just told you, my name is Robbie Franks. Can you tell that my parents really wanted to have a boy?

Like, I can understand their disappointment. They were hoping for a strapping boy, and instead they got me, an anxious little goblin thing. Maybe they thought that calling me Robbie would make me more tough, in reality it just meant that I was bullied as a child... And as an adult."

Her audience seemed to warm to her through her self-deprecation, and she launched into her routine: wordplay, puns, jokes about her home town, funny stories about what it's like to be an older student. Whilst not every joke landed a solid laugh, the audience seemed to enjoy her material more often than not.

She tried her best not to look toward Finn and the Professor to see if they were laughing after each punchline, but whenever she could hear them giggling she would let her gaze trail over to them. It made her heart full to have such supportive friends.

"My time is almost up, but before I go, let me tell you one last story..." She noticed Finn wiggle in his seat with excitement, clapping his hands together. He knew what was coming. He leaned over to Hidgens, whispering something in his ear. The professor began to laugh.

Good. That means that he should take this well.

"So, give me some noise if you like musicals!" A chorus of cheers came up from the crowd. "Trust me, I know. Everyone in Hatchetfield seems obsessed with them."

The crowd continued cheering; the yearly musical at the Starlight was a big part of the cultural calendar, after all.

"Don't get me wrong, I love them too. Honestly, what better way is there to escape from your own problems than to pay hundreds of dollars to go see someone sing about theirs?"