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Dreams by Starlight By Staci Stallings Oblivious to the curious stares they received from their fellow students, Jaylon and Camille spent every free second together Thursday. At lunch she waved to him and invited him to their table, and although Nick had yet to give up his animosity, he at least had become cordial toward Jaylon. During drama on Thursday, they sat together, a trio of friends, and remarkably the tensions had cooled. When they broke up into groups to work on set design concepts, Camille invited Stephanie over, not to save herself from certain disaster, but because she genuinely enjoyed spending time with the younger girl. The script itself presented a particularly vexing problem. How to design sets that could serve diverse purposes simultaneously? How could a school hallway for instance be turned into a home dining room without the benefit of a curtain close? And how could a school dance be turned into outside without an eternity of resetting pieces? Laughing and wholly unhesitant to make suggestions they worked together and finally came up with a plan that resembled something that might actually work. They had taken the first three acts and literally split the stage in half so that one part of it was taken up by the school hallway, and the other half was used by either the park or the home dining room or Lauren's bedroom. Recalling the use of lighting at 'True North,' Jaylon suggested darkening half to visibly force the audiences' attention to one side or the other, and then building on that concept, Nick came up with a way to minimize the prop pieces so that a redesign could be accomplished with only one or two stagehands at most. Stephanie and Camille took over the discussion when it shifted from set design to costume design, and with Stephanie firmly in charge, they mapped out a workable plan that would minimize the need for costume changes while maximizing the illusion that the audience was viewing a character on a different day. By Friday when they all met in the third row, they each had their section of the plan in hand, and every member of their team had a piece of themselves represented in that plan. It was a combined work to be immensely proud of. "Please pass your group projects to the front," Mrs. Allen said. "I will be going over your suggestions this weekend, and on Monday the stage manager's team can begin working on the set, props, and costumes." After passing the reports to the front, they all sat back fully expecting the remainder of the period to be stress-free. Once the reports were handed up to Mrs. Allen, she lifted them in the air. "This it?" Nods moved across the auditorium like a wave. "Great." Mrs. Allen laid the projects to the side and collected her clipboard. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for." Visibly Nick shifted at Camille's elbow, and she leaned over to him. "It's going to be good news, I promise." He looked at her and smiled gratefully.
A mild celebration erupted at the base of the stage even as one-by-one Mrs. Allen continued to work her way up the list. "As Lauren's friend, Nicole...Stephanie Chamberlain." "Yes," Nick said next to Camille as he reached over and gave an astonished Stephanie a quick hug. "Congrats, Steph." Camille leaned over to wink at Stephanie. "Good job." As each minor female part was given away, Camille's lungs increased their capacity until the part of Mrs. Waterford was doled out to Cathy. Sweet air flowed into Camille's lungs for the first time since August. All the minor parts were taken. She was off the hook-saved from the prospect of humiliating herself in front of an actual audience. "And now the moment we've all been waiting for," Mrs. Allen said as though a drum roll might actually follow her words. "In the part of Ethan Drake-Nick McGee." Instantly Camille turned to him excitedly. "Yes! Way to go, Nick!" "Oh, my gosh. I don't believe it," he said as his eyes grew wide. "Cool." Jaylon reached over to slap Nick's hand over Camille's head. "Good job, Nick." "In the role of Dominique Waterford...Ariana Vandivere." A screech that Camille wasn't quite sure was excitement sounded from the front row as students collapsed on the freshly named nominee with their congratulations. "Oh, great," Nick said, the announcement not totally extinguishing the excited smile on his face, but still making it dim slightly. "Don't worry." Camille leaned over to him. "She doesn't bite." "Hawk Fletcher...Jaylon Quinn." In half-a-heartbeat Camille spun around to Jaylon with breathless excitement. "Yeah! Congratulations, J!" "Thanks," he said happily accepting her hug. "Good job," Nick said, and Camille could've sworn there was real admiration in his tone. "Congrats." "You, too," Jaylon said with a nod and a quick handshake. "And finally, in the role of Lauren Waterford...Camille Wright." A gasp swept the audience
even as every muscle in Camille's body screeched to a halt. Happy,
excited waves of others' adulation crashed over her as she struggled
to comprehend what had just occurred. "Way to go, girl," Nick said with a quick hug of her shoulders. Stephanie swatted her on the knee, and when Camille looked over to her friend, Steph gave her a thumbs up and a happy wink. Camille tried to smile, but even that was asking too much. "Well, that's it for today," Mrs. Allen said. "We'll start fresh Monday. After school practices will begin the first of the year-Tuesdays and Thursdays, so clear your schedules. Congratulations to everyone. You all put in a lot of effort, and I know if everyone will continue to put in that much work, our spring production will be the best one we've ever had." She stopped for a moment and then smiled. "The rest of the day is yours." Immediately Camille was showered with congratulations and happy faces. Awkwardly she stood as what seemed like the whole class came to offer their best wishes. Knowing she would never be able to stand on her own, she held onto Jaylon's waist with a vise grip clutch. Her only defense against the unbelievable news overtaking her was to focus her attention on everyone else. "You'll be a great stage manager," she said as Kara shook her hand. She turned as someone tapped her arm with another congratulations. "Congrats yourself, Mark, or should I say Dad?" The others who stopped by all looked surprised and pleased with the recognition she bestowed on them as though in the last five seconds what she thought of them suddenly mattered immensely. Next to her, Jaylon was holding his own court of admirers. "Hey, best friend," he said to Tony who had snagged the role of Matt. The two of them shook hands presumably for the first time ever. "It'll be fun to work together." "Yeah," Tony said, seemingly awestruck. "I can't believe I even got a part." "What? After the audition you did with Steph, I'm surprised you didn't get Hawk." Tony's face lit up. "It was all Stephanie. She was great." He looked down the row at Stephanie who smiled shyly, her cheeks turning crimson. "Yes, she is," Jaylon said with a sincere nod, which caused Stephanie to blush even deeper. The bell jangled, surprising Camille who couldn't have stopped herself from smiling even if she had tried. Quickly she bent down to gather her books just as Tessa and a very angry Ariana pranced by. "Dominique! I mean can you believe it?" Ariana asked with a dramatic sigh. "I've never been a supporting anything." "Were truer words ever spoken?" Stephanie asked harshly, and Nick laughed. However, Camille couldn't bring herself to straighten up. Ariana's tone of disgust was just too heavy, dragging her shoulders right into the ground. "You mark my words, she'll never make it to the spring production." And then the voice traveled on. "Come on," Jaylon said, trying to sound excited and happy, but not quite making it that far. "Let's go to Sal's to celebrate." With great effort Camille stood, swinging her braid and her backpack up as she did. "I've got homework." "I know," Jaylon said with a smirk as he took her hand. "You always have homework." He pulled her out into the center aisle as Nick and Stephanie followed, uncertain as to what to say to Camille. "No, I really have homework," she said seriously. "And Daria's going to be home soon." "So, we go home and get her," Jaylon said, unwilling to be deterred. "What do you guys say?" "I say it sounds like fun," Nick said, and then he looked at Stephanie. "We'll go get Lexie and meet you guys there." In the hallway, Camille tried once again to break away from him. "I've really got things to do." "Yes, you do-like go out and have some fun for a change." His eyes gleamed at her wickedly. "And I'm not taking no for an answer." That much was obvious. So with a heave of resignation, she let him put his hands on the wheels of her life and take her wherever he wanted.
"This place is a zoo," she said, holding onto Jaylon's hand on one side and Daria's on the other. Daria's for fear the child would get lost, Jaylon's for fear she would. Sal's was wall-to-wall people, and the second they crossed into it, Camille felt every gaze turn toward them. Self-consciousness enveloped her, and she reached up and pushed her glasses up with her shoulder as she ducked behind Jaylon who pulled them through the crowd. "Hey, guys," he said, stopping suddenly at a table, which caused Camille to bump right into him. "Hi," Nick said, and Camille was thankful for the effort to sound happy he managed to put into his tone. "Camille," Lexie said as though the sight of her best friend was wholly unexpected. With her gaze practically glued to the floor, Camille slid into the chair Jaylon held out for her, and then she helped Daria into hers. "Hi, Dar," Lexie said with a smile. "Hi," the little girl said, and the overwhelmed pitch of the syllable said it all. "What do you say, cheese fries and drinks all around?" Jaylon asked after he had seated himself and laid a casual arm across the back of Camille's chair. "Sounds great," Nick said. "Let's go put in our order." Without fanfare, the two guys stood and ambled through the crowd over to the counter. The second they were out of earshot, Lexie and Stephanie simultaneously leaned in to the table. "Oh, my gosh," Lexie gushed. "Nick told me, Camille! You must be so excited." "Yeah," Stephanie chimed in. "The lead, opposite Jaylon. Oh, I would die!" Camille thought that was actually close to what she thought too. She shrugged. "It's not that big a deal." "Not that big a deal?" Lexie positively shrieked. "Romantic scenes with Jaylon Quinn," Stephanie said dreamily. "I'd say that was a very big deal." Camille's gaze traveled across the restaurant to the black leather jacket draped smoothly over the counter, and despite her best efforts, her heart swelled in her chest. "Besides that," Lexie said with a smirk, "if I didn't know better, I'd say the stage isn't the only place you're becoming his leading lady." Instantly, Camille felt the hot flush rise into her cheeks. "We're just friends." "Uh-huh," Stephanie said, falling in line with Lexie easily. "I've seen the way he looks at you when we're practicing." With annoyance Camille shrugged. "He's a good actor." "I don't think he's acting," Stephanie said as her attention snagged on the returning food scouts. "You watch," she told Lexie with a nudge. "You'll see what I mean." Something told Camille that Lexie didn't need the prompting. In the cafeteria Camille would catch Lexie gazing at Jaylon and then at her, and she knew her friend well enough to know that every one of those looks meant she had her own suspicions about how deep this friendship ran. "Who's hungry?" Jaylon asked, setting three giant bowls of cheese fries into the center of the table. "Me," Stephanie said, accepting the plate he handed her. Camille didn't bother to look up, she had a good idea what her face looked like every time she caught a glimpse of Jaylon, and after the conversation seconds ago, she didn't want her friends to know how much she wanted them to be right. Nick sat a drink in front of her, but she barely even acknowledged the gesture with a nod. In a heartbeat Jaylon was again sitting by her, and this time she knew for a fact that all gazes were on them. She hated the limelight. She much preferred the anonymity of darkness. "I think this calls for a toast," Jaylon said, lifting his glass. Instantly every other person at the table grabbed for theirs. Reluctantly Camille reached for hers only after she realized there was no getting out of it. "To Nick and Stephanie for great auditions and winning the parts that they did, and to Camille for getting Lauren. Here's to a fabulous Spring Production." "Here, here," rang out around the table. After only the smallest of sips Camille set her glass back on the table. She felt his arm on the back of her chair although it never so much as touched her. Sitting on the edge of her chair, she just managed to stay out of its electricity field. If she kept a low-profile, maybe she could get out of this without too much collateral damage to herself. However, after 45 minutes her back was killing her, and she wasn't sure if the queasiness in her stomach was from the fries or from the act she was fighting to put on. "You know," she said when the fries were gone, and she looked at her watch for emphasis. "I really have to get home." "Yeah," Stephanie said, looking at her own watch. "So do I." "Well," Nick said as he stood and helped Lexie get her coat on. "We'll have to do this again sometime." "Yeah, we will," Jaylon said. He quickly shook Nick's hand and then barely managed to help Camille get into her coat before she pulled it on by herself. The less he helped her, the better, she thought. Maybe then her heart wouldn't start depending on him to be there. "It was fun," she said as a general statement to the assembled. "Be careful getting home." With a small push she guided Daria in front of her and out of the restaurant. But even being outside didn't make her feel less conspicuous. The gazes followed them everywhere. Only when she'd gotten into his car and closed the door did the curious stares fall away from her. Jaylon climbed in on the other side and looked at her. "Home?" Her gaze still downcast, she nodded. He was here, but it wouldn't last. And somehow she had to protect her heart from the inevitable. Sooner or later, he too would leave-just like all the rest of them had. Sooner or later this magic show would end, and she would be left with nothing. Sooner or later.
Sure, she had accepted the congratulations of the others, but she always managed to deflect the adulation back on them. At Sal's, even with her friends, the people who had been her friends before Mrs. Allen's announcement, surrounding her, even then she didn't look happy. Scared and edgy was more like it. He guided the car to a stop at her curb but didn't make it around to help her out before she already had Daria halfway out of the car. "Thanks for the ride," she said without ever so much as looking at him. "You're welcome." He followed her up the walk. "So what are you doing tonight?" "Studying." She tossed her braid over her shoulder as she unlocked her door and let Daria in. Slipping in behind her, he sneaked into the apartment before she could slam the door in his face, which by the looks of things was exactly what she had planned. "Go put your stuff in your room," she told Daria even as she slung her backpack to the table. "I'm going to start supper." In the kitchen, leaning against the cabinet he watched her, simply trying to divine what was going through her mind. "I think Nick and Steph were excited." "Yeah," she said as she fired up the oven. He crossed his arms in front of him. "We've got a good cast to work with anyway." "Yeah." She pulled a pizza out of the freezer and ripped the box opened. "I hope Mrs. Allen likes our set design. I think that could really be awesome." "Yeah." With a clatter she pulled the pizza pan out of the drawer and dropped the frozen bread onto it. Then making as much noise as she could, she shoved it into the oven and slammed the door. Every move she made pulled his head further to the side in concern until his ear was practically resting on his shoulder. "Mind telling me why you're so upset?" She looked at him with genuine surprise. "I'm not upset." Then her gaze slid to the table and her books. "I've just got a lot to do." In the split second before she stepped passed him, his hand caught her arm. "Is it Ariana?" Her flight stopped instantly even as her gaze dropped to their shoe tops. "No, I expected as much." "She's wrong, you know." He tried to lean down enough to look into her eyes, but he had the sense that would require digging a hole in the floor. "But it's not all Ariana. Is it?" Her gaze snapped to his and then fled to the cabinet edge. "You want to tell me about it?" "About what?" she asked, her anger jumping to the surface. "About the fact that everyone knows I'm going to screw it all up? Or about the fact that I know I will?" Calm washed through him as he looked at her. "You're not going to screw anything up." Her jaw set in anger, but she said nothing. "Do you know how I know that?" Slowly she shook her head. "Because I know you, and I know you don't do anything halfway. You will do everything in your power to make sure that play is the best one that's ever been performed. Besides you were by far the best Lauren that even got up there." "Eight lines-wow," she said self-deprecatingly. "Lauren's got like 250 lines all together. I'll never be able to memorize that much." "Sure you will. I'll help you." She shrugged out of his grip and stalked over to the table. "I don't have time for this. I've got schoolwork, and college applications to fill out, and scholarship applications to get out. I don't have time to waste on some dumb play. It's all such a waste of time anyway." He wanted to say something to contradict that, but her statement had hit him right in the soft spot his father's comments always did. Slowly he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms to deflect the arrow that had already pierced right through his heart. With her words still echoing between them, she looked over at him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." "Why not? It's what you believe, and for all we know it's probably true." Her feet carried her over to the cabinet so that she was standing toe-to-toe with him. Gently she laid both hands on his crossed arms. "It's true for me. Okay? But I didn't mean it's a waste of time for everybody. I know it is important to you, and that's great. But...for me..." His gaze caught hers then, and his heart started talking before his head could stop it. "I'm not asking for forever. Maybe you'll hate the whole thing, and you'll still want to quit, but can you at least give this a try? Just don't bow out now. Okay? I swear I'll help you as much as I can." A snap at the door jerked both gazes to it, and instinctively he straightened as she stepped away from him. Then in the next second her mother was standing there, stunned into silence. "Mom," Camille said, digging her hands into her pockets nervously. "Hi," Brenda said, looking back and forth between them. "I didn't know we were going to have company." "Oh, yeah," Camille said. "Jaylon just brought us home. We went over to Sal's to celebrate." "Celebrate? What?" It became clear in the next heartbeat that Camille wasn't going to make anything more than a few intelligible sounds, so Jaylon jumped in. "They gave out the parts for the school play today, and Camille and I both got one." "Oh, really?" Brenda's face turned to an incredulous smile. "That's wonderful." "We were just working out our practice schedule," Jaylon continued quickly, lest Camille's mother put too many blocks together. "Well, don't mind me. I'm just going to go get comfortable. I guess supper's almost ready?" Camille looked at the stove. "Five minutes." "I'll just be three." And she disappeared down the hallway. "So?" Jaylon asked when a door closed down the hall. "So, what?" "Are you going to at least give this a try?" His gaze followed her over to the cabinet where she pulled some plates down. "Just don't say no. Okay?" With a sigh she looked at him in studied annoyance. "And you'll help me?" "Every step of the way." She stood for one more
moment. "Fine. Then I won't say no." "Today and tomorrow we're going to do a simple read through for the cast," Mrs. Allen said on Monday afternoon. "As soon as the cast gets going, I want to meet with the crew over on this side. I'd like the cast to come up here, and take a seat on stage. Oh, and be sure to bring your script." Together the four of them tromped up the stage steps and dropped to various places on the stage floor. Camille, ever conscious of each glance she and Jaylon got when they were together, made sure to put a full two feet between them. Getting too close while she read these lines out loud to a room full of people was dangerous enough, but with one sidelong glance at Ariana, she knew her best bet was to just stay as far away from him as possible. "Okay, Mark, you're first," Mrs. Allen said. "My, my, Elaine, what are we celebrating?" Mark asked his stage wife. "You've got enough food here to feed half the country." "Ned," Cathy, as Elaine, said slowly. "I think you'd better sit down. Dominique and Hawk have something to tell you." "Oh, they do? Do they?" "Daddy," Ariana said. "Hawk and I...are going steady." A hush fell over the stage. "Steady? That's not like...engaged. Is it?" "Oh, Ned," Cathy said indignantly. "It's going steady. You remember that. He gave her his school ring." "Well, of course he did," Mark said. "Well, let's see it." He took a moment to inspect the non-existent ring. "Well, Hawk, my boy, I always suspected we'd end up with you in the family. It looks like you're one step closer." "Yes, Sir," Jaylon said, and Camille's heart jumped in her chest. "Isn't it wonderful?" Cathy exclaimed. "I tell you it's fate. These two were meant to be from play school on. It's just so wonderful." "Hrumph," Mark said impatiently. "You said that already." "I know," Cathy said, and dreaminess took over her tone. "But it's just so true. The fates certainly knew what they were doing when they put these two together." "Well," Mark said. "I suppose this is the kind of news that calls for a toast." He picked up a non-existent glass and held it aloft. Slowly Cathy, Ariana, and Jaylon followed suit. Then they all stopped and all four looked at Camille who in the script sat at the end of the table reading and totally oblivious to the previous discussion. "Uh-hmm. Lauren." "Hmm?" she asked, still reading and not really paying attention. "Would you like to join us?" Camille looked up. "Oh, sorry." In the script she reached for her own glass, knocking it over and spilling it all over the table. Ariana shrieked as if she'd just been drenched by real water, which of course, eventually she would be. "You stupid, clumsy little..." "Dominique!" Mark and Cathy said simultaneously. "You're always ruining everything! What did I do to be cursed with you?" Although it was lines in a script she had read before, Camille cowered away from the furious barrage of insults Ariana continued to hurl at her. "I'm sorry," she said more than once. "I didn't mean to." "Lauren, you're excused," Mark said quickly cutting into Ariana's continued assault. In her head, Camille saw herself slink around the dining table and run for her off-stage room even as Mark and Cathy tried to assuage their oldest daughter's tirade. "Dominique, dear," Cathy said as her voice strained to remain calm. "Remember, we have guests." "She should remember that," Ariana said bitterly. "I'm sure this was an accident," Jaylon said, coming to a meager defense. "She's an accident," Ariana said. "Come on, dear," Cathy said. "Let's go get you cleaned up." They didn't really leave, but Mark waited anyway. "So, you're going steady then?" "Yes, Sir." "Well, son, I wish you luck. You're going to need it." A pause. "Very nice," Mrs. Allen said. "Very nice. You all continue with scene two. I'm just going to go down here and work with the stage crew." Protectively Camille brought her leg up to her chest. She would need all the protection she could get from the next barrage and every one after that.
"We'll start there tomorrow," Mrs. Allen called over the departing students. Oh, joy, Camille thought as she slinked up the aisle and grabbed her books. Three months of this, and she might as well go crawl in a hole. "You did good," Nick said with a nod as Camille yanked her books up from her seat. "Yeah, I'm a regular Audrey Hepburn," Camille growled back, and both Nick and Jaylon arched eyebrows at each other. "Hey, it could be worse," Nick said with a laugh. "She could've meant all that stuff." "She didn't?" Camille asked furiously, and then she stepped out into the aisle without looking first. Instantly she was met by a five-ton wrecking ball striding up the aisle, and in a heartbeat she was on her knees with her books sprawled across the floor. "You really should watch where you're going," Ariana said spitefully without ever so much as slowing down. "Look who's talking," Jaylon shot back even as he bent down to help Camille. "You all right?" Camille grabbed for her books. "Depends what you mean by all right." "Ignore her," Jaylon said as he handed her a book. "Yeah, that should be real easy to do." Stiffly she stood. "I guess I'll see you all tomorrow for torture session day number two." And with that she turned on her heel and stomped out. Fully expecting someone to follow her or call out to her, she tuned everything else out and simply walked as fast as she could. She didn't bother to stop at her locker or even to slow down before she hit the outside door. Who's stupid idea was this anyway? How had she let herself get talked into this? She should've just been smart and told them no-no, she wouldn't be in drama, she'd rather take her chances with the college application committee. No, she wouldn't be in the play. Get someone else. Leave me alone. That's what she should've said. Jaylon was nice, sure, but he could find someone else to make doe eyes at him. That shouldn't be anything even resembling a problem. With quickening steps, she jumped on the bus and took her seat. What she needed was to get as far away from this mess as possible. Just get on the bus and keep riding. Who would miss her? Ariana certainly wouldn't. Camille's ears burned with the thought of the brunette Attila the Hun. Ariana knew where Camille's place was, and it wasn't on stage. Now, if she could just convince Mrs. Allen of that, maybe Mrs. Allen would let her off the hook. Reasonably she couldn't expect that, but still in the back of her mind, she held onto that sliver of hope. Anything to keep from believing that she would actually have to live through this.
Jaylon and Nick did everything they could to shield her from unnecessary taunts and insults, but on stage there was nothing they could do-except listen, and continue to assure her after it was over that nothing Ariana said was true. It was all a script. She'd heard those words so many times, she wanted to scream. If it was just a script, then why did it feel so real? She wondered even as she stood on stage as Lauren if it was she who was Lauren, or Lauren who was she. A bumbling, mistake maker who nobody really wanted to be around and who Jaylon as Hawk only hooked up with to get back at her sister. It all rang too true in Camille's heart. So much so that by the time finals rolled around and Christmas break was fast approaching, she was completely ready to give up. Studying every waking moment and most sleeping moments as well wasn't helping anything. Sleep deprivation generally doesn't help the stability of one's mind and emotions, and Camille was no different. The day that school was to let out for the semester, she was so far behind, the prospect of the coming break was hardly a glimmer in the distance. She was a paper behind in English and faced two more tests that she had barely studied for. In an exhausted heap she fell into her seat at the cafeteria table, and without even looking at her food, she laid her head on the table. "You look terrible," Lexie said with concern. "Really?" Camille asked pathetically. "I look that good. Huh?" Lexie laid her fork down. "Want to talk about it?" For a moment Camille considered that proposition, and then she shook her head. "It won't do any good." "Hallelujah!" Nick said, walking up and sliding his tray onto the table. "English is finished." "How nice for you," Camille said, leveling a disgusted glance on him. Nick's eyes narrowed as he sat down. "What's your problem?" "Like you have to ask. Where've you been? Huh? Hiding under a rock the last two weeks?" "Ari?" Nick asked with sympathy. "She's a witch, Camille. Deal with it, and get on with your life." "Deal with it? Deal with it he says," Camille said in increasing hysteria. "That's easy for you to say, Mr. I've got women fawning all over me Ethan Drake. You don't have to hear her yelling at you for a solid hour every day." Nick opened his mouth, but just before the words came out, Camille added, "And yes, she means it." "You're making too much of this," he said with a shake of his head. "It's acting. You knew it was acting when you signed up for the class." "You mean when I was signed up for the class," she said in annoyance. "Maybe I'll just quit." "You can't quit," Nick said with instant concern. "Come on, Camille. Look how far you've come," Lexie said just as her attention was yanked upward. "J." Suddenly appearing at the end of the table, Jaylon stood there, looking like he might break into Nick's Hallelujah Chorus at any moment. "Umm, Camille, can I talk to you?" he asked, shifting from foot-to-foot. As she looked up from her cafeteria-table-pillow, her forehead wrinkled with concern. "Sure. What's up?" "Not here," he said, and his voice barely contained his excitement. "Not here?" she asked uncomprehendingly. "Where?" In an instant he had her hand in his and he was pulling her away from the tables in a very un-Jaylon-like fashion. He didn't stop until they were out in the little courtyard, standing in foot-deep snow. "Do you mind telling me what this is about?" Camille asked, her patience growing razor thin. "This." He held up a piece of folded cream paper. "What's that?" She took it from him and unfolded it carefully. Her gaze slid down the text of the letter. 'Please call to make an appointment to audition for the artistic review portion of your application which consists of presenting two contrasting monologues.' Her own problems escaped her memory. "NYU? Oh, Jaylon!" She jumped into his arms as his excitement poured into her. "Congratulations!" "Mrs. Allen just gave it to me. I couldn't believe it. She wants me to make the appointment for over Christmas break so she can go with me." Camille slid back to the snow with a crunch. "And so now what? This means you're in?" "Well, no, not totally. But I'm one step closer." His eyes gleamed. "I just want to scream!" She couldn't have wiped the smile off her face if she had wanted to. "I'm so proud of you." Then the unthinkable crossed her mind. "What's your dad going to say?" His excitement dimmed a full megawatt. "Probably that I can't go." His gaze caught hers. "But I'm going anyway. I don't care what he says. This is what I want, and I'm not taking no for an answer." Hope rose in her heart as she hugged him once more. He deserved the chance to follow his dream, and standing there in the snow, it was possible to believe that he had more than just a chance. When they finally came back down to earth, he looked at her and laughed. "I'm sorry. I bet you're starving." "This was worth missing a little dried meatloaf." He smiled, and the gleam had returned to his eyes. "My final paper for English," she said, looking up with annoyance. "Hudson wants it as soon as school's out, and it's giving me fits. Poetic sounding prose is not my forte." "Mind if I take a look?" he asked as Nick entered the other end of the row. "It's not very good." "I'll be the judge of that." He took the notebook from her, immediately recognizing the immaculate handwriting. She did everything to perfection. 'All that I can do is all that I must. For my dreams have been inscribed on my heart so deeply that they and me are now inseparable. As the stars are interwoven into the night sky, inextricably entwined, so my dreams are a part of me-no, they are me. I could no more set aside my dreams and walk away than a rose could set aside its scent and bloom without it. They and me are one. 'In the night before the light of my birth, my dreams were emblazoned into the fabric of that which would become my life. However, now, standing at the dawn of reaching for those dreams, unseen forces threaten to hurl them into the darkness of oblivion. For what? A few pennies? A few coins, which in the face of everything should mean nothing. 'Yet those few coins are beginning to mean everything to me. Everything. For like a gentle hand that at any moment could turn hostile and crush them before they are given their chance to shine, they hold the fragile porcelain of my dreams. 'In the absence of these precious pieces of metal, my dreams are as worthless as the dirt at my feet. Without them, the stars adorning the night sky could be nothing more than unattainable hallucinations in a mind that has held on too long to the belief that they are real and that they are reachable. If only.. All that I can do is all that I must.' "Camille," he breathed as he felt himself pulled into her world with a jerk. "I know-awful," she said with a shake of her head. "Completely awful." "All right, ladies and gentlemen," Mrs. Allen said from the stage, yanking his attention forward. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for. Please, spread out so we can get started." In a daze Jaylon's hand returned her notebook, but he never really saw it go. The words were still there, in front of him-emblazoned on his heart. He smiled at the reference as the memory of standing on a brush covered embankment with her hand resting softly on his heart rushed over him. No, he thought with a smile. She never did anything halfway. Just before he bent his head to start work on the final, he looked across to where she now sat four seats down from him. Beauty didn't come close to describing her.
"I'm supposed to turn it in as soon as school's over," she said, and then she looked at her watch. "Right now really. But what I really want to do is trash it." "Listen, I know this is going to sound kind of strange," he said, thinking as fast as his feet were moving. "But do you think I could have a copy of it?" Her steps slowed as she looked at him incredulously. "Of my paper?" "Yeah, If you don't mind." "I don't mind, but what in the world would you want it for? To line your birdcage?" She stopped at her locker, and although the bell had just rung releasing them for a full two weeks, when she finally got finished pulling books out, only two notebooks and her drama book were left in her locker. He gazed at the stack of books incredulously. "I know," she said with an annoyed smirk. He held up both hands. "Hey, I wasn't going to say anything." "Sure you weren't." She nodded skeptically and then held up the notebook. "So, how are you going to get this copied in the next two seconds?" "Ever heard of Xerox?" he asked, and quickly he steered her into the school office.
Summoning his courage, Jaylon decided the time had come. "I'm going to New York on Friday." Instantly all motion around the table stopped. "Oh, really?" his father asked. "What for?" "I have an audition with NYU," Jaylon said, pulling Camille's presence to him for strength. The butter knife lifted from his father's roll. "An audition for what?" "For drama school," Jaylon said. "They hold auditions to decide who they are going to accept." "Do we have to do this now?" Marianne asked in instant despair. Jaylon looked at her as calm decisiveness poured through him. It wasn't the time or the place, and yet he knew that if he went one more minute holding onto this secret, he would burst wide opened. Calmly he looked back at his father. "I'm not asking for your blessing, but I'm going just the same." "By yourself?" his father asked. "No, Mrs. Allen is going with me. We'll drive in on Friday, the audition's at 3. I've booked two hotel rooms for Friday night, and we'll be back sometime Saturday." "And you think you can just up and leave like that without telling anybody?" his father asked. "I'm telling you now." An uneasy silence settled over the table. "Just like that?" his father finally asked. Slowly Jaylon nodded. "Just like that."
"Hello," she said, anticipating the sound of his voice. "Hey," he said softly. "You up for a little drive?" A smile spread through her heart. "If you don't mind having some company."
"So have you worked on the script much?" she asked, and he looked over at her as though there were words perched on his tongue that might jump off at any moment. Then just as quickly, he reverted his gaze back out the window. "No, you?" "I thought I'd give it a few days rest. I'm kind of getting burnt out on it." "Good plan," he said as his hands guided the car onto the snow-covered path. Only the tops of the yellow weeds formed little wisps of color in the blindingly white landscape. When the car was off, he sat for a minute just looking out at the lonely tree beyond. "I need to ask you something." She didn't like the sound in his voice, and her gaze left the whiteness beyond to settle on him. His eyes fell closed, and in the next heartbeat he turned to her and took both of her hands in his. "It's about your paper." "My paper?" she asked, stumbling through his eyes. "What about my paper?" His gaze fell from hers for a moment, and she watched his shoulders rise as the courage gathered in his face. When he looked back up, his steel-blue eyes pierced right through her. "I want to use it for one of my monologues." "For one of your monologues?" "For NYU." The words crashed around her as she fought to make sense of them. "Why?" "Because it's so beautiful. Because I want something of you with me when I try out, and because it's the way I feel too." Slowly she shook her head. "I don't understand." His hands tightened on hers. "NYU is my dream-it has been for a long time. Getting up on that stage is my dream, but if I have to pay for it on my own..." "If your dad doesn't come around." He nodded, and in a breath his gaze caught hers. "Please." Even if she had wanted to say no, fixed by the pleading in his eyes, yes was the only word her heart could find. "Of course you can use it." A smile spread across his face even as she contemplated the question that would wipe it right back off again. "Have you told your dad?" Jaylon's face fell. "Yeah." "And?" "If there was a way he could stop me, he would. But I'm not 14 anymore. I can make my own decisions now." "And he'll support you?" "Probably not, but I can't worry about that right now. If I wait, I might miss my chance." "So, you're really going through with this then?" The smile seeped back into his eyes. "Yeah. Will you help me?" She looked at him not sure what that meant. "Help you? How can I help you?" "Just listen to me read. Give me your opinion. Help me memorize." Her courage left for a fraction of a second, but when she looked into his eyes, it filled every inch of her being. "Yes, I'll help you."
"All that I can do is all that I must," he whispered to the stars looking down on them. Gently he leaned down and kissed the top of her hair. "Thank you, Camille. This is the best Christmas gift ever." The tightening of her arms around him, made any return comment unnecessary.
"Mr. Quinn," a stout, silver-haired lady said at the door. "They're ready for you." On wobbly legs he stood, wondering exactly how he had arrived at this point. Mrs. Allen smiled at him as she stood, making a final check of his appearance. "Take a deep breath. Think good thoughts. You'll do fine." Good thoughts. Good thoughts. The phrase resonated through him. Camille. She was the best thought he could ever have. On the little stage with the spotlight on him, he took one more deep breath. "All that I can do is all that I must."
"I don't know. Sometime in March or early April." She heard his sigh. "One step, J. One step at a time. That's all God asks you to do." "I wish I was there with you." "So do I," she said softly. "But tomorrow night. Okay?" "You'll be all right with the kids tomorrow?" he asked. The one and only major snag in the whole plan besides being without her was missing a day at the center. "You know me. I'll make it work somehow." "I know you will." The line between them hummed. "I miss you." "Just think tomorrow night, and it'll be here before you know it." "Meet me under the stars?" "It's a date."
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