Acting Out [Student/Teacher, GxG]

Pity Party

"Well, we're running out of time so that should be all for today." Miss Lane announced. "Tomorrow we'll be going a bit more in-depth into Uta Hagen's technique. I'd like you all to get started on 'Respect for Acting' so that the material won't be completely new because we'll be moving through this unit pretty quickly." She paused for a moment. "Any questions?"

A boy in the row in front of me raised his hand and Miss Lane nodded, signalling for him to go ahead. "How old are you?" He asked, and from his tone I could just imagine the lecherous smile on his face. Ugh. Google it, pig.

Miss Lane rolled her eyes and I smirked. "No questions? Great." She grabbed her notebook and bag and turned to the door before waving her hand dismissively. "5:00 tomorrow. Don't be late."

Well that was... unconventional. I guess we were free to go? The clock said we still had ten minutes left in class but without a teacher I couldn't imagine why we'd need to stick around. I, for one, wasn't waiting around to find out.

Grabbing my things, I made my way down the stairs and out of the lecture hall.

I was the first one out, and when I turned the corner I came face to face with Miss Lane. She immediately looked up and for a second I swear I saw something haunted in her expression before her easy smile returned. I quickly carried on without a passing glance — if she couldn't handle one entitled douchebag trying to get into her pants she certainly wasn't going to last long at this school.

At some point in my life I'd adopted a policy of ignoring the things that made me uncomfortable. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest way of coping but I didn't really have the luxury of considering other options.

•••

My last two classes of the day seemed to pass at a snail's pace. I came down from the Dex halfway through Scene Study and spent the remaining three hours feeling like I'd been run over by a bus.

As I flung open the door to my apartment and dropped my purse to the ground it was like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I was ahead in most of my courses and had no intention of doing the readings for Miss Lane's class which meant I had nothing preventing me from curling up in bed like I'd fantasized about all day.

Flopping down on my bed, I took out my phone and was greeted with three missed call notifications from my mother. I could feel a migraine coming on. 

I took a shaking breath and grabbed the bottle of T3 I'd stolen from my father before I left for college from the drawer in my bedside table. Regular pain pills didn't work on me — at least they didn't work well enough. Plus, the codeine tended to calm me down which was a plus. 

I dry-swallowed two, cringing at the chalky taste, before calling my mother. 

"Rowan?" Her shrill voice rang through the phone. "Why didn't you answer my calls? I don't know why we pay for that stupid phone when you never answer it."

"Hello Mother." I spoke, trying to keep my tone even. "I was in class when you called. My phone was on silent... I wasn't —"

"Don't you talk back to me, Rowan Alisanne." She hissed, using my middle name, and I hated the way she was still able to intimidate me. 

"I'm sorry, Mother." I replied soberly.

"Yes, well, don't let it happen again. Your father and I are very busy with work right now, however we're expected to make an appearance at the Toronto premiere of one of our recent movies. Obviously we've exhausted all other options." She sighed as if it pained her to continue and I braced myself, knowing I wasn't going to like what came next. "Since you're already in the city, we'll need you to attend as a representative for the company."

"But Mother —" I started. I'd tried so hard to distance myself from their legacy in this city, and being their representative at a big-budget premiere would put me right back into their shadow in the one place where I felt like my own person.

"It wasn't a question. Friday night at the Winter Garden Theatre. Be there at seven and please don't embarrass us — buy a new dress if you need to. Go with black; it's... slimming. Dodge any questions about future projects but keep them interested."

I sighed, defeated. Time to accept my fate. "Yes, Mother."

"Don't disappoint me, Rowan." The line went dead and I felt my heart sink. What had I expected? A goodbye? An 'I love you'? Get ahold of yourself.

Dropping the phone next to me, I felt myself sink into my bed. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this run-down both physically and emotionally. No matter how much I resented them, I couldn't disappoint my parents.