Before It Rains

I had no clue what to expect at the hill. Like, a hill is a hill, right? Not to these guys.

Asia dragged me through the rain towards the hill’s location. I spotted the guys under a tree, and when we reached them, looking down I could tell we were indeed at the top of a big grassy hill. Will was holding a paper bag, which looked soggy, if not soaked. I gave it a questioning glance.

“Oh, we picked these up at the store on the school property… we should probably eat them now if we don’t want them to be gross.” He pulled out a handful of individually wrapped cupcakes.

I snatched two before anyone else could and handed one to Asia. “Ladies first.” We all ate the cupcakes, and they were gone in less than five minutes. I looked around. “So, what’s so special about this hill?”

“Exactly,” said Kai. “There’s nothing special about it, so no one comes here.”

“So you come here for five minutes and leave?”

“Well, no…” Austin started, staring down the hill.

“What? You guys don’t seriously roll down it, do you?” They all looked back at me, and Max shrugged.

“Why not?”

“But it’s raining and muddy!” I whined. Probably to prove a point, Will got a running start, jumping and curling into a ball at the same time, propelling himself down the hill. At the bottom he staggered and stood. The entire left side of his face was coated in mud.

“Ta da!” he shouted. “Your turn, Sam!” I stuck my tongue out at him at the same time Shane shoved me and I went rolling, screaming all the way.

We all went hill rolling, except Asia, who no one dared to push down the hill. I had to admit it had been pretty amusing. I had forgotten about the play, forgotten about rehearsal, until Max pointed out that rehearsal was at one, and we two hours to get back and shower before that. It was then I realized how selfish I’d been.

“Ohhhh my gosh, Max! I didn’t even ask you about it? You got a part too!” I yelled, hugging him. He smiled.

“Just a cowboy.”

“Still! Okay, though, one more run each and we can go inside.” It was still pouring and I was, of course, completely drenched.

After my last time rolling, I lay at the bottom of the hill, squinting up at the sky, which was gray. So obviously I didn’t see the body spinning towards me until it was too late, and Will was on top of me. If I hadn’t been so caught up in the moment, I probably would have related it to that scene in Winnie the Pooh where Tigger pounces on Pooh. But that wasn’t exactly my first thought.

“Boo!” he said. I rolled my eyes and he stayed where he was. The water from his hair was dripping into my eyes. I didn’t care.

“Can I help you?” I asked sarcastically.

“Admit it, you like it,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said dismissively, pushing him off, only because I could sense this moment ending in an extremely embarrassing way. I glanced up the hill, where everyone else was waiting. “Piggy back!” I yelled, climbing onto his back. And sure enough he carried me the entire way back up. He was football player. It was good training.

**********

Two hours later, changed and showered, Max and I walked over to the auditorium. It was huge, and if this wasn’t a bonus of going to a boarding school, then I didn’t know what was. Or maybe I did, but really, that was kind of beside the point.

It was dim in the auditorium, and I couldn’t really see who was sitting around us. I guessed I would find out soon enough. And right I was. Mr. Samuels walked in right on time.

“Hey kids, let’s gather in a circle on the stage!” Max and I climbed the wooden stairs and joined the other actors and actresses. I didn’t recognize many, but then again, I didn’t really know a lot of people from the school anyway.

Our circle turned out more like a random polygonal shape, but Mr. Samuels didn’t seem to care that much. “Today… well, let’s just say, you’ll be here for a while. If you haven’t done this before, which most of you have, we’re doing an entire read-through today. All the ensemble can go with Mrs. Smith, our musical director,” he stated, gesturing. “Unless you are Cowboy 1, 2, or 3, or Girl 1, 2, 3, or 4. The rest of y’all stay here.” Quite the speech, Mr. Samuels.

I nudged Max. “What are you?”

“Cowboy 2.”

“Dang, your good!” I said, slapping him five as the rest of the ensemble left.

“Now I’m going to call the character name, and you will sit where I tell you too. Trust me, it will make this all a lot easier.” I frowned and looked at Max, who shrugged. I had a feeling we would not be sitting together.

“Curly over here. Yes. And Laurey next to him… okay…” he continued through the list. When he said, “Ado Annie” I whispered goodbye to Max, who waved, and sat next to the person who had come before me, Aunt Eller.

She introduced herself. “Hey, I’m Sophie. I’m a senior. I did this last year.” She seemed nice enough.

“Sam. Nice to meet you. I’m new this year.”

“I’m Jeremy. I know both of you, but I felt left out.” I whipped my head around to my left, and sure enough, it was soccer ball kid. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Hey,” said Sophie. “How do you know him?”

“He just happened to almost give me a concussion last week with a soccer ball.”

“Oh, yeah? You play?” she asked.

“Nope, I was an innocent bystander. It hit me and I fell.”

“Yeah, I’ve got all the girls falling for me,” Jeremy announced.

I just raised my eyebrows at him. “So what roll are you?” I asked.

“Will Parker and prooooud of it!”

I laughed and then realized what he’d said. I was going to have to rehearse with him, practice dancing with him, and kiss him. Damn.