hobbledehoy

Rehearsal

"Try not to stand so stiffly, Hyrum," Roland instructs me from his spot in the front of the audience, "East is tired in this scene, pretty laid back."

I've been having trouble with my posture when it comes to this particular play.

I always stand up straight, I'm not a loose person. And when I try to slump over and act cool, I look ridiculous.

"You're getting better, don't worry." Merlynn whispers to me.

"OW, what the fricking mother of all fu--"

I turn a little and see that while Roland was walking up the staircase, one of the old steps had broken and caved in and he had gotten stuck.

"Curse this crappy old school!" Roland continued to swear under his breath as he yanked his foot out of the hole.

Merlynn and I laugh softly in the corner, because Roland was like a tiny angry old man.

"I'm going to help Robert and Colton, because they're doing more making out than actually acting..." Roland grumbles, "You two, go over lines or something. Or better yet, practice kissing."

Now I'm regretting those jalapeño nachos Ali convinced me to eat earlier...

Merlynn was pretending to read her script, and I was busy standing there awkwardly—searching for something intelligent to say.

"Uh..."

Great start, Hyrum, nailed it.

"How about we just work on lines tonight?"

Merlynn nods quickly and smiles playfully.

Our scene, Her Heart, is set in the front yard of East's farmhouse. A tent, Glory's (Merlynn) is pitched outside.

Merlynn grabs her prop, a heavy-ish brown bag that she clutches and holds close to her chest.

I start at one side of the stage, where the farm house set will be, when it's built by the stage crew.

Merlynn sits outside the tent. She was pretending to look up at a dark sky, where the northern lights would be.

Dark waves of her hair hang down past her shoulder. A green beanie sat on her small oval shaped head, and her lightly tanned skin seemed to shine in the bright spotlight.

Man, she really is beautiful. I should tell her that sometime, in a casual, friendly manner. So things don't become awkward.

I pretend to switch on a porch light, then I stroll over to her—with my hands stuffed in my pockets, my shoulders slumped over, and a tired expression on my face.

"Hello." I fake a shiver, because it's supposed to be cold.

She looks up at me, smiling shyly. "Hello."

And then, because I my brain shuts down every time she smiles...

I forget my next line.

                                        ♨♨♨♨♨

Being the gentleman that I am, I walk Merlynn all the way back to her dorm room after rehearsals. Not so much to be kind, and more just because it was an easy excuse to hang around her longer.

She did a lot of skipping, and throwing rocks, and changing the subject in the middle of a sentence—I think she may be a bit ADHD.

She told me about the teachers she liked and disliked, the boy the drools on the book they have to share, and the 30-year-old woman who sometimes hits on her. Merlynn's mouth and mind are like a fast rolling river, nothing stops it from moving. She doesn't keep anything to herself, she loves to share and I love to listen.

"So I have this idea..." Merlynn tells me. We were standing outside her room, and she was playing with the doorknob.

"Merlynn Park, with an idea? Impossible, you're pulling my leg!" I reply sarcastically.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." She laughs dryly and rolls her eyes, "Just listen, alright?"

"I'm always listening."

"You're weird. But I like you." Her laugh was real this time, "And I think we should go on a date."

"A d-date?" I stammer, just about choking on my now dry tongue.

"Not a real date!" She says quickly, and she was now blushing, much to my surprise, "A fake one. Like a... practice date?"

"Alright... Yeah, no, I'm confused," I look down at her with a puzzled expression on my face, "Why would we ever need to go on a fake date?"

"Because, Hyrum. In two months, we're going to be on stage, and we're going have to make out in front of 300 people!" She stares down at her feet, "And we can't even do it in front of Roland."

I exhale sharply and scratch the back of my neck, "It's not because I don't want to kiss you--"

"I know. Same here... We're just not comfortable interacting that way with one another," Merlynn cuts in, "But maybe if we did a couple things that people in a relationship do, it'll be easier for us to act like it on stage."

That honestly wasn't the craziest thing I'd ever heard.

"You know... That might just work."

"Of course it will, I'm a legal genius."

"Um... Mer? You're not, actually."

"Genius, legal genius, whatever. I'm smart, cunning, and my breath smells like a burrito."

"That was random... But thanks for sharing."

"Tomorrow night then?"

"Yep," I reply, "My place. You provide a healthy snack, and I'll provide a movie."

She smiles once more and wraps her arms around my waist, forcing me into one of her warm hugs.

"You're an awesome friend, you know that?" Merlynn then opens her door and walks in, but she doesn't close it right away.

"I've been told once or twice."

"Goodnight, Hyrum!"

"G'night, Merlynn."