Unscripted - Nicole Kronzer Page 0,65
into the tree. This was not like fighting with my brother. Ben could really hurt me. I glanced at the team. They all stared at the floor. No help there. Snappy comeback Zelda was not going to score any points here. In fact, she just seemed to set off Ben.
“May I get a pen?” I asked quietly, not meeting his gaze.
“Yes,” he hissed. Then he barked, “From the top!”
I nearly opened my mouth to ask for a read-through of everyone in their parts before we tried to put it on its feet, but I clamped it shut. Ben had made it very clear what my role was. I sat.
An hour later, I had notes scribbled all over the pages of my script. The fight with Ben dissolved as I became an invisible scribe, and he commandeered the players on stage.
“Take five, everyone.” He handed me a list of notes. “Ellie, go and revise and be back in an hour.”
I grabbed my bag and skittered out of the rehearsal room before he had a chance to pull me aside. I ran out the door, not even stopping to fill up my water bottle. I had to get out of there and disappear so he couldn’t find me.
Before I decided in my head, my feet were running toward the Boy Scout lunch hiking path. I’d write on the rock. Maybe I’d still be there as Jesse and Ricky and Murph passed on their way up or back. But even if they weren’t, being there felt safe. And in order to focus on my revisions, I needed to not be afraid of Ben finding me.
My sprint had slowed to a jog before I realized how much better my toes felt. Lungs, too. I knew it took months to fully acclimate, but even being at altitude for nearly a week felt like I was walking around in a different body.
Before long, I arrived at the rock. I was negotiating with my bag to climb on top when a male voice called out my name. I froze. Then I heard it again.
“Zelda? Why are you hiding behind the—”
“Jesse!” The relief threatened to pour out of me as tears, but I willed them back. I hopped off the rock and returned Jesse’s welcomed hug.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, still hugging me. I sighed and let myself be held, holding on to him, too. The tears I had willed away from their ducts were clogging my throat instead.
Jesse pulled back to look at my face, and that’s when I spotted an ax on the trail by his feet.
“Uh . . .” I began.
He followed my gaze and chuckled. “My turn to clean up a felled tree across the path a bit up ahead.” He shrugged. “What. You don’t carry axes around at improv camp?”
I smirked and stepped back, crossing my arms around my torso. “Maybe I should start.”
He met my eyes. “What happened the other day? Your foot’s okay? That guy . . . he’s your . . .”
“Coach—just coach,” I supplied before he had a chance to guess something more embarrassing. I shook my head. “I’m fine. It’s fine.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay . . . I thought about coming to check on you yesterday, but . . .” he shrugged. “He seemed . . . angry.”
I rubbed my eyebrow and shook my head again, not trusting my voice.
“. . . Okay,” he said. Suddenly, the air felt awkward.
Be in the moment. I looked around. “Hey—where are Murph and Ricky?”
“We don’t go everywhere together.” He smiled.
The awkward air slunk away. It was easy again. “You should,” I said. “You make a great team.”
“I’m okay being alone sometimes,” he said, looking somewhere in the vicinity of my elbow. “Murph is constantly talking about missing his girlfriend, and Ricky . . .”
“I like Ricky.” I smiled.
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I’ve never met anyone who loves rocks the way that guy does.”
Jesse laughed half-heartedly. “Yeah. Rocks.”
We were quiet for a moment.
Make active choices. “You want to go for a walk tonight?” I blurted. “Murph and Ricky, too? If they want?”
He met my eyes. “A walk?” He smiled.
“Or . . . whatever? You guys know this place better than I do.”
“A walk sounds great. I’ll ask them if they’re not busy . . . They might be busy.”
I nodded. “But you’re not busy?”
“I’m not busy.” He was still smiling.
“Good.” Warmth spread from my stomach.
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I’ll meet you by our gate? After dinner? Say, seven o’clock?”
He paused, then reached down for