SHIFT

Chapter 13

"Don't look him in the eyes, don't breathe too deeply, don't freak out, and most importantly, don't mess up," said Jade as we walked through the door to the theater room. For whatever reason Jade was extremely anxious and extremely dressed down. She wore sweats, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she only had foundation on her face. The bare necessities to getting by. She saw my stare and rolled her eyes at me.

"Don't ask," she said exasperatingly. I threw my hands up in mock defeat when Tessa showed up. "Don't ask wha.. wow Jade, did someone die?" She asked looking at Jade's workout outfit. "Ha-ha very funny. I'm doing my laundry today and I didn't have any other clothes," she stated crossing her arms over her chest. "Whatever, I'm getting sick of all this girl talk, let's go in already," suggested Nathan opening the theater door.

"What he means is he feels inferior to us when we start girl-talking," said Jade over her shoulder as she followed Nat inside. "I think Nat just gets frustrated when we girl-talk because he wants to join in so badly but doesn't want to give up his man card," stated Tessa to Jades back as she followed her.

I was the last to go in. I took a deep breath to try to calm my nerves before I went in. "Hurry up Cassie, your missing the drama," called Jade loudly. I smiled shaking my head in exasperation. My friends are crazy. "God please help me not mess up," I prayed silently before I walked inside.

"The women of the hour has finally decided to grace us with her presence! Let us clap for this large monumentus event!"Announced Nathan. He started clapping his hands very slowly, increasing the speed with each clap. Not surprisingly Tessa and Jade were the only ones who joined him.

"Hardy-har thanks guys for helping me blend in," I said sarcastically as I took a seat next to Tessa. The chairs were all pushed against the corners of the room making a weird kind of circle. "You're welcome!" Said Jade clapping my back from behind Tessa. I looked around finally realizing that other than Matthias' group, we were alone.

"Where's the director?" Asked Tessa just before the theater door opened with a smack to the wall. "It's me! I know you have all been waiting for me but please no applause! My face will glow brighter than a camelian standing on a stop sign," he said laying the back of his left hand dramatically on his head.

We all gave him blank stares. He sighed. "We will have a long road ahead of us if you couldn't find the simplicity of the statement that I would blush if you applauded," he said taking his hand off his head and strolling to an empty seat next to one of the twins.

"No of course we understood you sir, we were just honoring your words by not clapping. We were also afraid to show any other emotions for fear of your rejection," said the twin not sitting next to the director. "Oh what a chivalrous boy, thank you." I looked at the man who was our director. He looked oddly familiar.

He had speckled hair of brown and white and clear intense blue eyes that seemed to never dull. He was tall and was wearing a Calvin Klein white v-neck under a light grey sweater and fitted khaki pants with a brown belt. He sat straight up but as I pictured him slouching a bell started ringing in my head.

"You're the janitor!" I exclaimed pointing my finger at him. "What?" Said Jade and Tessa unanimously. The director just laughed. "I knew you'd figure it out! Raymond Jameson at your service, but please call me Ray." He said reaching out to grab her still outstretched hand and force it into a handshake that was limp on her part. "But how..?"

"Makeup, a sound tape, a day where I hadn't slept a wink had ten things of coffee and was bored out of my mind but tell me how did you recognize me?" He asked placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "How could I not, you are the same person," I said plainly not really knowing how I had figured it out.