「ザキさん、こんなクソ寒い夜中になんの用ですか」 空気も凍るような寒さの夜、理由も告げずに俺を稽古場へ呼び出した小劇団の先輩、崎山に不満を隠さず声を掛けた。そこは、稽古場というより廃倉庫といったほうがしっくりくるボロ屋で、風が吹かないだけ外よりマシという状況だった。貧乏劇団ゆえ暖房器具など置いてすらない。 「おう、すまねぇな、森田。ちょっと見せたいもんがあってな」 「金貸してくれってのは無しですよ」 「そんなんじゃねぇよ。芝居の話だ、芝居の」 崎山はもう四十も半ば、芽の出ない役者だ。売れない理由は、今時となっては珍しい「飲む」「打つ」「買う」と三拍子を見事に揃えた素行の悪さが、業界中に知れ渡っているせいだった。どこぞの脚本家の奥さんに横恋慕して旦那に殺されかけただの、賭場で負けて裸で電車に乗って留置所に入れられ...
My name is Kaitlynne, but everyone calls me Katie. I grew up in a small farm community about one hour north of Columbus. I was pretty much a wall flower most of my life. I had thick glasses that I wore until the summer after I graduated from high school. And to make it even worse, I wore a size 32-A bra until my senior year. Flat and bespectacled was no way...
XIII -- But We Need To Talk "What do you mean he took off," Kaylee heard Ryan whisper to Jeff, angrily but softly, as she opened the bathroom door. "Dude," Jeff whispered back in his deep voice, unaware their conversation was no longer private, "I don't know. I mean, I gave him his phone; he had a voicemail so he called it, and whoever left that message re...
IV – Alpha Territorial Kaylee skipped cheerleading practice later that day. She told Audrey to tell the coach she wasn't feeling good. Technically, it was the truth; she felt sick to her stomach, but it wasn't exactly because of the flu. It was more self-induced. Kaylee darted inside the library, but Luke wasn't there. She tried calling him on her cell ph...
XII -- A Matter of Trust It was a mental struggle for Luke to push the pedal down harder, but because he was running behind he forced himself to accelerate just a few miles per hour over the speed limit on the three-lane highway. He didn't really like breaking the speed limit but the last thing he was going to do was show up late for Kaylee's opening night...
IX -- Twas the Night Before Christmas "Oh, thank you Lord," Kaylee whispered quietly as she spotted Luke walking along the street far off in the distance. She wasn't sure how long she had been driving around the back roads in a desperate attempt to find Luke, but it felt like hours. Kaylee pulled her Beamer up alongside Luke, making sure she was slow and c...
VI -- Inside Changes, Outside Changes "My sister is going to be so jealous," he said, looking outside the passenger window. Turning to the driver, he told her, "My sister is crazy about you, you know. She thinks you're just about the prettiest thing since God made the sunset." Kaylee blushed, "Well, maybe after we get you caught up to the present day and t...
VIII -- Discoveries "Pick up, pick up," Kaylee growled, sitting in the coffee shop by herself with one leg crossed over the other, bouncing up and down nervously. Luke either didn't have his cell phone, or he didn't want to answer it. It took everything she had to resist chucking her caramel latte across the room. Or better yet, at the nerdy kid with the...
My "Diary" series is something of a sequel to Operation: Final Fantasy, featuring a new cast, although many familiar faces will return. However, as a result I did have to take some liberties with the timeline in this story. It is written in three very distinct "Books", if you will; each one is drastically different from the next but will feature the same pro...
III -- Sea of Faces "A little late, aren't we buddy," Ryan asked his son from underneath the hood of his vintage midnight-black Challenger, without looking up. He adjusted the position of the lamp and leaned over the engine, trying to shine the light in one of those hard-to-reach places. "No wheels, dad. Besides, I had more tutoring to do." Luke sounded...