BACKSTAGE

one

"You can't keep killing people, Oliver!"
Her expression of frustration and pure anger sent chills down my spine. Her deep brown eyes were glossy with lingering tears. A whimper slipped from her frail lips, breaking the silence between us. Her breaths had become uneven and shaky as she let her salty tears escape, streaming down her face like a river.
"Bailee, i'm sorry," I whispered, my voice cracking in fear of her response.
"No! No, you're not! You killed him!"
Another wave of silence had fallen over us, drowning me in my own thoughts. Her lips parted and I expected the tone of her voice to ring through my ears, but she closed them, leaving me in silence once again.
"Andddd we're done! Nice job today, Noah. You really got into your character, keep up the good work!" Our director shouted from the audience, his face hidden from the blinding stage lights ahead. I gave him a thumbs up in response and turned back to Ava.
"Was it obvious that i missed a line?" She asked, her eyes filled with worry.
"You did just fine. I personally think it made the scene feel more real, you know?"
A small chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head, "I can't believe we open next Friday. That's actually insane."
I let out a heavy breath, realizing how much we needed to work on the show. "Yeah. We haven't even blocked that last scene yet," I muttered under my breath.
"We'll figure it out. We always do," she gave me a small smile before her ringtone startled her, "Sorry, I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" She turned around as she answered the phone, her voice echoing across the stage, leaving me alone with our director.
"Hey, do you have any notes for me? I wanna know how I can improve more before we open," I asked, secretly hoping he didn't have any. I want to improve my character, but I also hate criticism.
"Actually, yeah," his voice boomed across the auditorium. I walked to the edge of the stage in order to see him in the midst of the darkness that sat in front of me. "Your emotions and facial expressions are amazing, but they're a little much." My face turned beet red at his comment, ashamed of my acting skills. "Usually this would be a good thing to have... But you have to remember that you're playing a serial killer. They don't feel things like we do. Sure, your character might have some emotions, but he wouldn't be as empathic as you're acting. Does that make sense?"
I paused before responding, thinking about his given notes, "Yes, sir. Thank you." I waved goodbye before grabbing my things and walking outside.
The cold, crisp wind of New York hit my face with no hesitation. I held myself a little tighter as I awaited my uber. I pulled out my phone and checked the app.
Your driver will arrive in 3 minutes in a Hyundai Elantra.
What the fuck is a Hyundai Elantra?
I figured I could get away with waiting inside a little longer, so I turned back to open the heavy doors of the auditorium. They wouldn't budge. I tried again, as it pained me to know they had locked behind me. I looked down at my phone once more, checking how close my uber was.
4 minutes?!
My fingers soon became numb to the cold, and my phone became harder to grip onto. Above me, a water drop fell from the sky and onto my screen. Great. Rain started pouring, soaking my thin, blue sweater. A grey car pulled up on the side of the road and I ran up to it with hope.
"Noah?" The voice from the car questioned.
"Oh thank god," I mumbled to myself.
"Crazy weather we're having, right?" The driver asked, obviously just trying to make small talk that I didn't want any part of.
This was going to be a long ride home.