"Wes, I really don't know what you're stressing about, you look fine in this!"
"Tina, I look stupid, it's itchy, and it's not making the heat of the stupid theater lights any better. I hate this outfit."
"Well, you're going to have to deal with it. You promised you would come in and be an Alter Boy after Jameson left. We only have... what day is it?"
"The fifteenth, I believe."
"Oh yeah, now I remember, today was test day in Physics, I had to help you cram for it last night."
I've got a confession to make, I really did not want to join our production of Sister Act. But, Cristina told me all about how Jameson had left about two weeks ago, and that they needed a replacement because almost every other guy on the production wouldn't have enough time between scenes to change into all those different costumes. She managed to convince me to come in and take the role. Turns out I actually don't sound like a dying pig. I was able to catch onto the lines fairly quickly, and the people have all been really accommodating and nice about this being my first time and, naturally, a bit shitty. Still, it is kind of a pain in my side to have to stay hours after school, stuck in this stupid costume. Always thinking to myself how stupid I look when I look at the mirror they set up outside of the dressing room. Maybe it's just me, because everyone else shuffling around behind me on the mirror whenever I look (they're usually nuns, so I guess most people here fit in naturally?) usually seem to not look that weird or off, but I still feel way out of my comfort zone with all of this. Adding schoolwork and somehow having to arrange with my coach balancing being holy for theater with being a track star, and what do you have? No time for yourself, that's for sure.
But, if nothing else, it's making Tina happy, and Tina's always been there for me, so I do owe her. If she weren't here, then I'd probably have a way harder time studying for Physics. I swear, the sciences are boring as shit.
The only time I've liked the sciences are in the comics and movies. My dad has to go to this lab everyday, which is a pretty neat job. I just have never been able to get into it in pretty much any of its areas aside from that one time we had a unit on fields of engineering. I got to talk about robots which was pretty neat. Aside from that, I only ever find myself not being bored into half-sleeping through lectures when Cristina is the one giving me them. She's practically my tutor for Physics at this point, because to this day, she's been the only person that's been able to show me what we're learning in a way that actually appeals to me, I just generally find Physics and, the sciences in general dry. I don't mean to offend my teachers and make them feel like I'm disrespecting them by not being the most engaged guy, I just find their lectures kind of dry, and that combined with the little sleep I get means that naptime from Kindergarten is back.
"Anyway yeah, we have until the nineteenth, Friday. That's the first show. Thankfully, you've been doing really well with this role so far."
"Oh, really?" I'll admit, as much fun as I've been having singing, and as much surprise that I've found with me not sounding god awful, I still don't really know how well I've been doing with it. The stupid costume and the weird choreo I have to do for this still don't help me not feel like I look like a dork.
"You sure I don't look stupid?" I asked. "Oh, everyone here looks stupid. Just be glad that you at least stand out from the slew of nuns, and that you aren't any of the blatantly demeaning roles, like 'hooker'." She answered. She is right, the smaller amount of male roles does kind of act as a safety net from the stupider ones, defaulting me to ensemble with all of the named ones being taken. I still don't understand how a high school production is allowed to have hookers, drunkies, as many instances of the word 'sex', and the slew of... potentially controversial lines in Sister Act (look it up, I only just found out about it existing with our schools production and it is a show that pushes a lot of boundaries).
"Alright, nuns, Curtis, Pablo, TJ, Joey, and alter boys, you're needed, chop chop!" That's our director, Jessica. Apparently she's done everything to keep students from having to stay until after eight. I guess I can appreciate that.
"Welp, that's our cue to go on, we have to rehearse that stupid chase scene again." Fortunately, I only had to be there for an hour to rehearse this scene. I still don't understand how we have to do this one so many times.
"I am so done with this chase scene. Plus, they're trying to choreograph the little dance we do after Pablo gets knocked out. It looks funnier if we're all doing our own thing!" Tina vented to me.
"Yeah, I get that." Apparently, it's the student director who ordered this change, not any of the adult directors. Funny thing is, I only have one class with the student director, Lennon, and even then, I would have never got the slightest impression that bro was into theater at all. "Anyways, we better get out there, we've been standing here for like, a minute now when I think we were supposed to get on."
"Yup, time to wear a long black hooded dress and run under several hot lights... again. Praise the lord, it's good to be a nun!"