My Professor's Secret

38|

thirty-eight

"Wonderful effort to all of you. I'm very impressed with everyone's dedication to not only the characters but to the entire script as a whole," Professor Thornton concludes after the last scene has been performed.

Before the beginning of class and the hours I'd endured listening to Wyatt encourage me to immerse myself further into the role of Hester Prynn, I was no longer ignorant of the talent disseminated across the hall. While I wouldn't undermine my and Wyatt's performance, there was no denying we weren't the only complex acts to follow. Professor Thornton continues his lecture, explaining his choice of leaving the decision of casting to our peers instead of him. He elucidates it as a way to snuff out any compunctions of biases. Biases I'd guarantee no one other than Wyatt held as his gaze singed the side of my face. Who could blame him after witnessing that hug between Professor and me? Especially with the reservations he already held about the professor and his suspected interest in his female students. Since then, Wyatt's face rarely parted from his direction.

Even more so, when it was our turn to perform in front of the class, Professor interjected our performance to correct Wyatt on a line he recited incorrectly. Wyatt hadn't been the only one who made a mistake while performing. He hadn't even been the only one to be corrected, but the apparent tension between them made it unbearable to sit through the thickness of his distaste.

Out of everyone who performed the assigned scenes and roles, Professor narrowed the selection down to two teams before bringing each pair before the hall to be voted upon. After announcing the lesser roles, he eventually calls up the leading cast members to the front, including Wyatt, me, Chessie Campbell, and Gavin Withers. They'd been just as good as us apart from the subtle mistake Chessie made when speaking as Hester. Had I'd judged her the way Wyatt had done me rehearsing in the library all that time, I might've given her the same advice. More emotion.

Professor Thornton directs the four of us to the center of the class. Trembling and all, my heart violently thumps against my chest every step forward. There's no doubting the excitement of being one of the finalists to be cast as a lead, but it didn't negate the fact that I did have my intentions set on a lesser part. I'd have thrown the entire script if it hadn't been for Wyatt's exhumed dedication. But somewhere along the way, I'd realized that maybe the extra effort hadn't just been for him. While it may have taken me a bit longer to learn, delving into someone else's life—channeling all the emotions churning inside me kept my mind distracted long enough to make it thus far. I reckon the catastrophe in my own life was instrumental in that. Being Hester Prynn left no time for me to fabricate a narrative about what might've been happening in Minnesota. At least this gave me the outlet I genuinely longed for.

"And now for the leading cast," Professor begins, addressing the four of us instead of the class as a whole. "Whichever pair is not selected as a lead will take the lesser of the main cast and will be understudies if need be."

He doesn't wait for either of us to answer, though I give him a subtle nod and turn my face towards the sea of students before us. The class appeared much different, looking up from down here. It was more intimidating on this end of things—as it had been performing. The mere thought of doing it in front of the entire campus rumbled my belly. The saliva in my mouth ceased to exist, even as I tried sucking a drop of moisture from my tongue. Nerves. I tell myself. Nothing but fleeting nerves that dared to devour me had I given in. Wyatt gives me a subtle smile, flashing a grin of pearly whites—which gains him one from me.

There wasn't enough praise I could give Wyatt if I wanted to. Truthfully, I couldn't even recall the moment his presence was enough to calm the displeasure in me, but it didn't matter. I wouldn't have been able to do this if it weren't for him and all the encouragement he gave me.