Status: Finished! FoREVer
Picture Perfect
...a piece of the real me
Jimmy’s POV
Annaliese drove to a theatre house a little north of L.A. It was pretty small and dimly lit. There were tables and chairs on the floor in front of the stage and stadium seating in the “balcony” section. A crowded concession-like stand stood on the bottom floor in the very back. There were only a few people seated.
“Come on,” she said with a large smile on her face as she grabbed my hand and drug me over to one of the tables near the stage.
I tried my hardest to ignore the electricity that shot through my arm when she grabbed my hand. “What is this?” I asked, tugging my hand out of her firm grip.
She turned to face me once she was seated. “What does it look like? We’re going to see the play! Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat? The grilled chicken here is killer, but you have to eat it with your hands since there isn’t any silverware.”
“Anna, calm down, okay?” I laughed at her excitement. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Because I can totally-”
I grabbed her hands, again I ignored the tingling sensation they gave me, and forced her to look at me. “Anna, I’m positive that I’m fine.”
She nodded her head and looked at our joined hands. I quickly retracted my hands and placed them in front of me. I began to twiddle my thumbs as I looked around the building. Several more people had joined, all dressed nicer than me, but no one looked too interesting.
“Oh my god! If it’s not Annaliese Nicole DiMarco!” A feminine voice shouted followed quickly by the slaps of feet hitting the ground.
“Hannah!” Anna shouted as she shot up and practically mauled the other girl. The two embraced in a violent hug which looked as if both of them were trying to squeeze the air out of the other.
“It’s so good to see you again!” [url]Hannah[/url] squealed. She quickly looked over at me and her eyes widened. “Please tell me that you finally dumped The Tool and found someone decent!” she practically yelled while pointing to me. In a slightly quieted voice she added, “He’s a cutie. I approve.”
Anna followed her gaze to me. “What? Oh no! He’s just my partner of an English project,” Anna said while leading her friend over to us.
I quickly stood up to be polite and quieted the nagging sense in my brain that became disappointed when I was introduced just as an “English partner.”
“Hannah, this is Jimmy. Jimmy, this is Hannah. She’s the stage manager for this production.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I quoted from my extensive movie knowledge and how “proper people” act when they are meeting each other as I extended my hand to her.
Anna gave me a funny look but didn’t say anything.
“Yea, are you sure that you’re not dating him? Like, absolutely sure?” Hannah bluntly asked her friend as she hiked a thumb at me. I just stood there awkwardly with my hands in my pockets, not really knowing what to do.
“Hannah, I’m absolutely positive that I’m still with Chris. Sorry to disappoint you,” Anna laughed.
“Fine then, can I have him?” she asked, jerking her thumb to me in emphasis as she wagged her eyebrows.
“Hannah!” Anna shouted before sending me an apologetic look.
I shrugged it off. I was used to girls like Hannah.
Hannah rolled her eyes before slightly back-slapping Anna. “Oh, thank your dad for me.”
Anna raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “For…?”
“You don’t know?! How could you not know?! I only told everyone in So-Cal!”
“I guess I didn’t get the memo.”
“Dude! I got into ASC! I’m going to tour around the world as Ophelia!”
Anna took a few steps back. “Really?! That’s great! You’re certainly crazy enough for the role,” Anna laughed at what I assumed was an inside joke.
“Hannah, the house is closed,” and elderly woman that seemed to pop out of nowhere said.
“Thanks, Trish.” Hannah told the woman before looking back at us. “Well, have fun and enjoy the show.” She jabbed Anna in the shoulder. “And you better still be here after it’s over.”
Anna laughed at her. “Don’t worry, we will be. Break a leg,” she said to the other girl after giving her an encouraging push to what I assumed was where she was supposed to be. Still smiling, Anna gestured for me to sit at the table. “I’m sorry about that. She’s a great girl and all-”
I held up my hand to silence her. “Don’t worry about. I’m used to crazy girls like her.”
Anna furrowed her eyebrows a little. “Oh.”
The lights dimmed a little and we both snapped our attention to the stage where a man and a woman now stood. The play had begun.
Throughout the entire performance, I watched Anna’s expressions intently. She was completely into the play and recited the lines as the actors spoke them. Even though she knew what was going to happen, she would always gasp in surprise or react as appropriate.
Anna stood up and clapped loudly as the actors took their places and bowed. I quickly joined her and let out a shrill whistle to indicate my adoration over the actors’ performance. Without thinking, my hand went around Anna.
She stood on her tip toes so that it would be easier for her to talk to me. “How’d you like it?”
I leaned down because I saw that she was having a little difficulty balancing. “I liked it, but I still don’t understand everything that happened.”
She nodded her head. “That’s okay. You at least got something out of it, right?”
I nodded my head. “Yea,” I replied as I looked back to see that the cast was dispersing through the crowd. “So, this is it?”
“This is what?” she asked between congratulating the cast.
“The real you?”
She bit her lip and looked away.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s my choice.” She quickly glanced down at her watch. “We gotta go,” she said as she grabbed my wrist, the all too familiar electric feeling raced up my arm. “Where do you want me to drop you off?” she asked once we reached her car.
I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. I hadn’t thought about that and I really don’t want her to see where I live. It’s a far-cry from the ritz and the glamour she’s used to. “Just drop me off at the library.”
“You sure?” she asked as she inserted her key into the ignition. “I don’t mind taking you home.”
“The library is fine.”
“Okay.”
Annaliese drove to a theatre house a little north of L.A. It was pretty small and dimly lit. There were tables and chairs on the floor in front of the stage and stadium seating in the “balcony” section. A crowded concession-like stand stood on the bottom floor in the very back. There were only a few people seated.
“Come on,” she said with a large smile on her face as she grabbed my hand and drug me over to one of the tables near the stage.
I tried my hardest to ignore the electricity that shot through my arm when she grabbed my hand. “What is this?” I asked, tugging my hand out of her firm grip.
She turned to face me once she was seated. “What does it look like? We’re going to see the play! Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat? The grilled chicken here is killer, but you have to eat it with your hands since there isn’t any silverware.”
“Anna, calm down, okay?” I laughed at her excitement. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Because I can totally-”
I grabbed her hands, again I ignored the tingling sensation they gave me, and forced her to look at me. “Anna, I’m positive that I’m fine.”
She nodded her head and looked at our joined hands. I quickly retracted my hands and placed them in front of me. I began to twiddle my thumbs as I looked around the building. Several more people had joined, all dressed nicer than me, but no one looked too interesting.
“Oh my god! If it’s not Annaliese Nicole DiMarco!” A feminine voice shouted followed quickly by the slaps of feet hitting the ground.
“Hannah!” Anna shouted as she shot up and practically mauled the other girl. The two embraced in a violent hug which looked as if both of them were trying to squeeze the air out of the other.
“It’s so good to see you again!” [url]Hannah[/url] squealed. She quickly looked over at me and her eyes widened. “Please tell me that you finally dumped The Tool and found someone decent!” she practically yelled while pointing to me. In a slightly quieted voice she added, “He’s a cutie. I approve.”
Anna followed her gaze to me. “What? Oh no! He’s just my partner of an English project,” Anna said while leading her friend over to us.
I quickly stood up to be polite and quieted the nagging sense in my brain that became disappointed when I was introduced just as an “English partner.”
“Hannah, this is Jimmy. Jimmy, this is Hannah. She’s the stage manager for this production.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I quoted from my extensive movie knowledge and how “proper people” act when they are meeting each other as I extended my hand to her.
Anna gave me a funny look but didn’t say anything.
“Yea, are you sure that you’re not dating him? Like, absolutely sure?” Hannah bluntly asked her friend as she hiked a thumb at me. I just stood there awkwardly with my hands in my pockets, not really knowing what to do.
“Hannah, I’m absolutely positive that I’m still with Chris. Sorry to disappoint you,” Anna laughed.
“Fine then, can I have him?” she asked, jerking her thumb to me in emphasis as she wagged her eyebrows.
“Hannah!” Anna shouted before sending me an apologetic look.
I shrugged it off. I was used to girls like Hannah.
Hannah rolled her eyes before slightly back-slapping Anna. “Oh, thank your dad for me.”
Anna raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “For…?”
“You don’t know?! How could you not know?! I only told everyone in So-Cal!”
“I guess I didn’t get the memo.”
“Dude! I got into ASC! I’m going to tour around the world as Ophelia!”
Anna took a few steps back. “Really?! That’s great! You’re certainly crazy enough for the role,” Anna laughed at what I assumed was an inside joke.
“Hannah, the house is closed,” and elderly woman that seemed to pop out of nowhere said.
“Thanks, Trish.” Hannah told the woman before looking back at us. “Well, have fun and enjoy the show.” She jabbed Anna in the shoulder. “And you better still be here after it’s over.”
Anna laughed at her. “Don’t worry, we will be. Break a leg,” she said to the other girl after giving her an encouraging push to what I assumed was where she was supposed to be. Still smiling, Anna gestured for me to sit at the table. “I’m sorry about that. She’s a great girl and all-”
I held up my hand to silence her. “Don’t worry about. I’m used to crazy girls like her.”
Anna furrowed her eyebrows a little. “Oh.”
The lights dimmed a little and we both snapped our attention to the stage where a man and a woman now stood. The play had begun.
Throughout the entire performance, I watched Anna’s expressions intently. She was completely into the play and recited the lines as the actors spoke them. Even though she knew what was going to happen, she would always gasp in surprise or react as appropriate.
Anna stood up and clapped loudly as the actors took their places and bowed. I quickly joined her and let out a shrill whistle to indicate my adoration over the actors’ performance. Without thinking, my hand went around Anna.
She stood on her tip toes so that it would be easier for her to talk to me. “How’d you like it?”
I leaned down because I saw that she was having a little difficulty balancing. “I liked it, but I still don’t understand everything that happened.”
She nodded her head. “That’s okay. You at least got something out of it, right?”
I nodded my head. “Yea,” I replied as I looked back to see that the cast was dispersing through the crowd. “So, this is it?”
“This is what?” she asked between congratulating the cast.
“The real you?”
She bit her lip and looked away.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s my choice.” She quickly glanced down at her watch. “We gotta go,” she said as she grabbed my wrist, the all too familiar electric feeling raced up my arm. “Where do you want me to drop you off?” she asked once we reached her car.
I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. I hadn’t thought about that and I really don’t want her to see where I live. It’s a far-cry from the ritz and the glamour she’s used to. “Just drop me off at the library.”
“You sure?” she asked as she inserted her key into the ignition. “I don’t mind taking you home.”
“The library is fine.”
“Okay.”
