assumed this would be straightforward, so what was the problem?
I was getting frustrated and antsy. I’d been in the lab too long. As much as I hated to admit it, sometimes I needed to step out of my own head.
When Cass texted and asked if I wanted to help her run her Hamelin! lines, it was a welcome distraction.
Event: Running Lines
Date: Oct. 4 (Wed.)
Cass’s house was a tribute to sleek, modern lines. The walls were white, the floor was tile, and there was a lot of glass. It was the opposite of the farm in every way; Cass’s house looked like the future, while mine was firmly rooted in the past.
“Your house has history,” Cass once said. “Think of all the generations of your family that have lived there. You’re sleeping in the same place as your great-great-grandparents.”
“Yes, and the plumbing hasn’t been updated since the house was built, and there’s water damage and peeling paint, and no matter how much you clean, the rooms always feel cramped and dusty,” I’d replied.
There was too much history at my house. It was overbearing. I wanted to start fresh. Make my own history.
I walked up to the glass front door and rang the bell, knowing that inside Cass was pulling out her phone and looking at the video feed connected to the camera above me. Her house was equipped with the most modern alarm system innovations. My parents didn’t even lock the front door most nights.
A moment later, the door swung open and Cass gestured me inside.
“I like your…pajamas,” I said, raising my eyebrows at her baggy, purple unicorn costume.
“It’s a Kigu,” she replied. “Most comfortable outfit ever. You should totally get one.”
“Yeah, I definitely see that happening.”
Cass snorted and led me to the basement, her domain, a swirl of color and texture that contrasted sharply with the stark, spartan upstairs.
“We’re working on the third act,” Cass said.
“We?” I asked.
I entered the basement and stopped.
Owen sat on one of the couches.
“Oh. Hi,” I said, feeling the strange fluttering in my chest that always happened when I saw Owen. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
He smiled. “I’ve hardly seen you lately. I told Cass she should invite you.”
Despite the fact that Owen and I were…doing something that resembled dating, and I was happy to spend time with him, I felt like I’d been tricked. And it felt strange that they were hanging out without me. They were separate areas of my life. Yes, they were in theater together, and I knew their roles in Hamelin! intersected, but it still made me uncomfortable.
What if they talked about me? What if Owen shared all the arguments we’d had lately and Cass gave him unique insight into my personality that no one else had?
Owen walked over and kissed me lightly on the cheek. I tried not to flinch.
It was only a peck. Cass knew we’d done more than kiss on the cheek. But we’d spent so much time keeping our relationship private that it was bizarre to suddenly show affection in front of another person.
I moved to the couch and sat down. Owen sat next to me and Cass plopped into the opposite armchair.
“How’s life on the farm?” she asked.
“The usual.”
“The usual meaning normal or the usual meaning alien attacks?”
“Both?”
“What do you guys have planned next?” Cass asked.
Owen laughed. “Like Gideon would share his secrets.”
The room fell silent for a moment, and I must have made a strange expression, because Owen glanced from me to Cass, as if realizing I did share my secrets with her. A wounded look came into his eyes.
He was being unfair. Of course I talked to Cass about things I wouldn’t discuss with him. Cass had been my best friend since childhood and Owen was a fairly recent addition to my life.
“How’s the play going?” I asked.
Owen didn’t take the bait, but Cass sized up the situation and assisted my topic change.
“It would be infinitely better if I was the lead.”
Owen tossed a pillow at her. “Don’t be jealous. I personally support a male getting the male lead for a change.”
“And I totally respect you as an actor,” Cass said. “I just wish the female lead had some substance.”
“Maybe you should add your own,” I suggested.
“I’ve considered giving her some kind of awesome possum backstory,” Cass admitted.
Owen handed me his script. “You can read along. Cass and I mostly have our lines memorized.”
I flipped through the pages and took in the highlighted lines, the notes Owen had written in the margins.