Page 55 of My Life with the Walter Boys
“Is it your favorite or something?”
“No, but our drama teacher told us that one of his friends is coming here to watch it. She’s a talent scout.”
“Maybe you just need someone to read lines with,” I said, trying to look casual. This was by far the longest conversation I’d had with Danny since moving in with the Walters, and I wanted to see how far I could take it. “I can help if you want.”
Danny looked unsure, as if he thought I would rather give myself a paper cut. “You’d do that?” he asked.
“Well,RomeoandJulietisn’t my favorite Shakespeare play,” I said, giving him a hard time. “But I suppose I could spare some time.”
It took Danny some time to warm up to me. At first, when he spoke, his lines were clumsy. But after one run-through of the famous balcony scene, he forgot I was standing there with him. He transformed into Romeo and I was Juliet.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period, and Danny shook his head as if waking from a daydream. I could see why he was the president of the drama club. Danny didn’t just act out a role; he submerged himself in it until he believed he was the character.
“That went well, don’t you think?” I asked, hopping off the stage.
Danny followed me down and walked me to the auditorium door. “It did. You’re pretty good. Ever considered acting?”
“Heck no,” I laughed. “I get way too nervous in front of crowds. I don’t understand how you do it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know…” I said, unsure of how to verbalize what I was thinking. “You’re just so—”
“Shy?” he said bluntly.
“Yeah, that.”
“Most people think I’m unfriendly,” Danny explained, shoving his hands in his jean pockets, “but I just have a hard time talking to people I don’t know.”
“Me too,” I told him.
Danny gave me a look. “That’s not true. You talk to everyone.”
“It’s not like I have much of a choice. I don’t know anyone here,” I said. There was a distinct note of grief in my voice, so I quickly changed the subject back to Danny. “If you have such a hard time talking to people, how do you stand up there in front of so many of them?”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“For starters, I don’t have to interact with them,” he told me. “But also, there’s something about playing a character, slipping into a different skin, that gives me this rush of confidence. It’s like I know that the crowd can’t judge who I am because I’m just performing. The person I’m pretending to be isn’t really me.”
“That makes sense,” I said, “but why do you care what people think?” He made it sound like everyone would hate him if they got to know the real him.
Danny raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”
“Me?” I asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Yes, I liked to make sure I looked presentable and I was a little uptight about my grades, but those were both key ingredients in becoming a successful person. It wasn’t like I avoided talking to people.
For a moment, Danny held my gaze, staring at me as if he was trying to figure something out. “Nothing,” he finally said and looked away. He pushed the auditorium door open a crack, and a beam of light poured into the dark room like molten gold. “Anyway, thanks for helping me out today. It was super cool, but I should probably get to class.”
“Right,” I said, confused. Why was he suddenly clamping down?
“See you at home,” Danny said. He slipped out into the hall, the door swinging shut behind him, and then I was alone.
Chapter 10
It was Saturday morning, and I was finally starting to feel the effects of my punishment.
