Parker fails a class and is forced to take a summer Shakespeare workshop. He's assigned Lexi, a fiery redhead, to get him up to speed on all things Shakespeare.
Between co-directing, her part-time job, and staying in shape for the track team, Lexi...
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I'd learned at a very early age that there was always going to be someone who wanted to tear me down. Sometimes it was another guy trying to prove they were bigger. Other times it was someone who wanted to prove they were smarter or better.
None of this had prepared me for theater perfectionist Lorne Ryder. The moment I walked into his theater he'd treated me like a foreign and hostile invader. I'd done absolutely nothing, but he was determined to point out everything that I was possibly doing wrong from my mispronouncing old English to how I was standing.
Lexi gave me a slightly smaller part in the rehearsal readthrough. The Boatswain only had a few lines so I could focus more on the other actors and their performances.
While all the actors were good there was something about Lexi reading as Prospero that was mesmerizing. She became the oppressed wizard and seemed to go from wrathful schemer to caring parent in the blink of an eye and it didn't seem out of character or forced.
Lexi and Emma Kate seemed to throw themselves into their roles. Kayleigh read each line like a diva. Her boyfriend Jude liked to correct his fellow actors, but he always complimented Kayleigh.
When we finished Lorne walked over and crossed his arms. "You have to feel the rhythm of the words. Learn how to act Christian or find some other class to torture."
"It's Christian-Porter," I said. "And I'm trying my hardest. You should give me a chance."
"I looked into you," Lorne said. "Your daddy might be a big hotshot engineer but that doesn't give you the right to invade. This is my theater. This is my senior Shakespeare show and that means that we can't have someone like you stinking up the place."
Crossing my arms, I looked straight into Lorne's eyes. I had maybe fifty pounds on him and while he was toned, I had muscle mass. It didn't matter what his problem was with me though because I would never throw a punch.
There were a thousand other ways to win battles. My mother reminded me of that over and over as a child. Working smarter and harder was the only way to prove my worth.
"I know you decided that the moment I walked in here that I was a threat," I said. "But I haven't done anything to you. I promise I'm working on a great monologue, and I'll rock the auditions tomorrow."
"You don't belong here," Lorne said. "And I'd figure that out before someone else does Christian. If you know what's best for you, you'll stay out of the way of real stars."
With that, he walked over to his friends. Jude nudged his friend and frowned as he gathered up his things.
"What was that about?" Jude asked.
"How can we possibly proceed when so much apathy radiates off him?" Lorne scoffed. "First they put Emma Kate and Lexi in charge of this infantile production and expect it to be amazing and now this."
