Leo: Stage Fright Read online

  LEO

  stage fright

  JAHNNA N. MALCOLM

  LEO (July 23 to August 23)

  Dramatic. Loves the spotlight and adored by one and all. Has to be the centre of attention. Ambitious and self-confident. Flamboyant dresser. Over-the-top Leo brags too much, is a show-off who thinks everything should revolve around her. Leo's outrageous exterior hides a noble, generous nature.

  Lydia is the star of the Dallas Youth Theatre. She's the best and she knows it. But there is someone who seeks success even more than Lydia. Someone who is prepared to kill for it.

  Chapter one

  The lights went down for the final time, and the crowd burst into applause.

  Exiting to the wings of the Dallas Youth Theatre, Lydia Crenshaw knew her horoscope had been wrong. That morning she'd grabbed the newspaper from her brother Jake to see what the closing night of My One and Only held in store.

  LEO (July 23 -August 23) You, who love the spotlight so much, should stay away from it today. You could get burned. Think about events taking place in your life. Something isn't quite right, but don't jump to conclusions. Think, Leo, before you roar!

  Stay away from the spotlight! Lydia chuckled as she listened to the outpouring of support and adulation from her audience. Never!

  The closing night of any show was always bittersweet for Lydia. Bitter because something magical was ending. Something that a few weeks earlier seemed like it would never come together. Sweet because there was nothing better than an auditorium full of people watching her every gesture.

  Rehearsing and performing a musical was like riding a speeding roller coaster. A lot of high thrills and slow lows and, in between, some very dangerous and scary curves.

  This production had been particularly demanding since Lydia was playing the lead role of Edith. And rehearsal time with her leading man and former boyfriend, Keenan, had been limited because he'd started doing TV commercials, which swelled his already big head.

  "Places for the curtain call," Lydia heard her friend Anna Jo Gender whisper into a headset.

  Anna Jo – known as A.J. to one and all – was the production's stage manager. It was her job to make sure everyone offstage was where they should be and that everything on stage happened exactly on cue. A tough job, but A.J., already a veteran of many productions, made it look easy – even if she ate too much junk food in the process.

  Lydia moved to A.J. and patted her on the back. "Thanks for a great run," she whispered. "I hate it when a play ends. Especially when it's one I've loved as much as this."

  "A few more minutes and it'll all be over," A.J. said in her matter-of-fact Southern drawl. "Then it'll be time to start rehearsals for the next show."

  Lydia couldn't help but chuckle. A.J. was so even-keeled. Lydia was the complete opposite. The queen of emotions. That's what made them such good friends. They balanced each other out.

  "OK, everybody, places for the curtain call," A.J. said into the headset. "Places!"

  Lydia waited, along with the other leads, while the chorus members and bit players took their place on stage.

  Being the star, she would come on last, take Keenan's hand, and, if past nights were any indication, receive her own standing ovation when she took her bow.

  To some people, what Lydia had achieved by her mid-teens was an amazing success story – but not to Lydia. She'd loved to perform for as long as she could remember. If you believed her mother, Lydia's very first sentence was, "Mommy, watch me!"

  As a pre-schooler there were dance lessons. In first grade she began taking ballet at the Dallas Academy. The next year she started studying piano and voice. By the fourth grade, tap-dancing and acting were added to the weekly list of places to be after school. It seemed that Lydia's mother was always dropping her off somewhere, then rushing home to sew a new costume.

  Not that Lydia minded. She loved to perform. When her parents entertained – before her parents divorced one year before – Lydia was always called upon to dance and sing.

  "It's your destiny to be a great star," her mother had said, "because you're a Leo."

  Maybe it's true, Lydia thought as she waited for her curtain call. A lot of famous actors are Leos. Lucille Ball of the classic I Love Lucy TV series. Whitney Houston, Madonna, Patrick Swayze and Christian Slater – all Leos! In fact, Lydia heard that more actors were Leo than any other sign, so Lydia was in very good company.

  "Lydia, stand by," A.J. whispered to her.

  The curtain and stage lights went up, and the applause increased as the supporting cast took its bow. Lydia stepped in between the darkened folds of curtains.

  Keenan Taylor, who played Billy Chandler, the leading man in the show, was directly across from her in the opposite wing.

  She met his eyes and felt as if a dark cloud suddenly passed over her.

  "If it hadn't been for you," she murmured, staring directly at the tall blond teen, "everything would have been perfect."

  Theirs had been an intense relationship from the moment they'd met. It was during auditions for The Music Man two years before.

  They started dating and were instantly serious. Lydia had strongly considered going to the same college drama programme with Keenan.

  Then Keenan got a talent agent and his good looks and success in local television commercials went directly to his head. He started cheating on Lydia and that was it. They split, shaking the high school theatre community. The break-up wasn't easy. There were big shouting matches, lots of door-slamming. And tears. Lydia's tears.

  Staring at the tall blond boy, so handsome in his dapper Twenties suit, it was easy to see how someone would fall for him. But once she got to know him and discovered he was a walking ego ready to sell his soul for a television commercial, Lydia couldn't figure out why she'd stayed with him.

  "A big waste of time," she said, forcing a smile in his direction. He'd caught her staring and had waved.

  I guess I should let bygones be bygones. She waved back. After all, the show is a hit and in just a moment it will be over.

  But it was hard for Lydia to forget the hours they'd spent fighting in rehearsal. Time and time again Bill Glover, their director, would take Keenan's side. Of course that was understandable. Bill had wanted his daughter, Elizabeth, to play the female lead in My One and Only. Elizabeth, who couldn't sing or dance but was the apple of her father's eye. Lucky for Lydia, the producer of the Dallas Youth Theatre squashed that idea. Unfortunately, Bill never completely got over it.

  But that was history now. Lydia, Keenan and Bill put their differences aside, the cast pulled together, and the show was an obvious hit.

  "I wish we could go on doing this show for ever," Lydia whispered to A.J., who had taken off her headset and come to stand beside Lydia in the wings.

  "Speak for yourself," A.J. said, watching the supporting cast finish its bows. "You're not the one who has to make tea and those little cakes every night. You're not responsible for seeing that the props are returned to the right prop table. That the costumes are clean and ready. That the stagehands don't forget to re-set the stage during intermission. That Keenan has his favourite brand of bottled water so he doesn't throw a fit. One thing I will miss, though, is seeing you play Edith."

  "It's my favourite role ever," Lydia replied.

  "Until Evita" A.J. said with a grin.

  Evita was the next scheduled show. And the lead role was one of the plums in musical theatre.

  "A lot of people will be trying out," Lydia reminded A.J.

  "Oh, you know you'll get it!" A.J. said, not buying Lydia's false modesty. "You're the best actress in this whole company. There's no one who can touch you."

  In the dark, Lydia smiled. She wo
uldn't say so out loud but she agreed. Why shouldn't she get the part of Evita? She was the best, and show after show she proved it. Besides, her whole life was dedicated to the theatre. The place she felt most alive was on the stage.

  "OK, Lydia," A.J. said, pointing to Keenan who was now taking his bow. "It's your turn."

  The young women embraced. "See you at the party," Lydia said, not moving.

  "Lydia?" A.J. said, gesturing towards Keenan who was now standing with one hand pointing towards the wings.

  "Always make 'em wait," Lydia told her friend. Then with an upward tilt of her chin she strode on to the stage. The audience instantly leapt to their feet.

  "Bravo! Bravo!"

  Lydia flashed her winning smile.

  Yes. This is where I belong!

  Chapter two

  "Miss Lydia, you were absolutely fab-ulous!" Robin McCready called out from the wings the moment the curtain closed for the last time. The tall, lanky redhead ran on and, lifting Lydia off her feet, twirled her round. "Please, take me to Hollywood with you!"

  "Did you really like it, Rob?" Lydia asked, laughing at her friend's exuberance.

  "Speaking only as this show's designer," Robin said, setting her down and looking straight into her eyes, "as well as your biggest fan and most honest friend, I am telling you now that tonight you were brilliant!" He turned to the other cast members, still milling around on the stage exchanging hugs. "She was brilliant!"

  "Robin, Lydia, settle down," a male voice boomed from the wings.

  "Oh, no!" Rob whispered in mock horror. "We're in trouble with the great and powerful Garrett Hughes."

  Lydia nodded, rolling her eyes. Although he was their classmate, Garrett acted more like a boring middle-aged man than a seventeen-year-old. As the Youth Theatre's technical director, he took his job very seriously.

  "My crew is waiting to strike the set," Garrett continued. "And unless you two vacate the stage, we'll be here working all night."

  Robin and Lydia looked at each other and back at Garrett. "Well, ex-cuse me!" they shouted in unison.

  "What are you wearing to the party?" Robin asked as he ushered Lydia from the stage towards the dressing rooms "Something scandalous, I hope. Maybe that daring swimsuit costume from the show, with a pair of red spiky heels?"

  "I just threw something together," she replied, trying to sound casual. "I hope you like it."

  She'd only spent two weeks scouring the department stores to find just the right outfit for the party. With practically zero budget, it's tough.

  "Well, don't hang out in front of your mirror too long," he said, moving off. "I'm going on ahead to make sure the CDs will make people get up and dance!"

  Lydia retired to the girls' dressing room to remove her stage make-up and hang up her costume for the wardrobe people to collect. When she finally reached for her party clothes Lydia saw that her hands were shaking. She shook them hard. Will you relax? It's only a party.

  But the party was important. Lydia knew that what she wore and how people treated her was almost as important as the play. If you want to stay a leading lady, you have to act like one.

  While the other girls hurried out of the dressing room anxious to join the party, Lydia took a deep, calming breath and got dressed.

  First, the ultra-short leather skirt she'd found at a sale at Neiman-Marcus. Next the high heels – tough to walk in but they made her legs look terrific. Then the sheer silk blouse, which had cost a fortune but was worth it.

  "Lydia? You coming?" A.J. shouted through the dressing room door. "The party's started."

  "In a minute." Lydia took her place in front of her mirror and oh, so carefully applied her lipstick. Make 'em wait. Always.

  She'd had to wear her short, auburn hair flat like a Twenties flapper for the play. Now she sprayed it with a style set and spiked it dramatically. The long red chiffon scarf was the finishing touch to add just the right flair.

  Lydia studied her reflection and then carefully blotted her lips in a perfect kiss on her mirror. Right. Here goes!

  She took the shortest way to the green room, which was the backstage lounge where the actors waited their turn to go on stage. Usually it was a dingy mess, but tonight it had been transformed with crepe paper streamers and strobe lights into the party room.

  Lydia walked directly across the stage, being careful to avoid the trap door in the centre of the floor. It was used once during the show. The rest of the time it was kept locked. Still, Lydia never trusted it and always, always, walked round it.

  The noise of pounding hammers and whirring power screwdrivers was deafening as Garrett's crew dismantled the set. Lydia stopped for a moment, and covered her ears. Seeing the stage being returned to its usual bareness, Lydia sadly realized this show was really over.

  "What are you doing?" Garrett asked, coming up behind her.

  "Just looking," Lydia said. "Is that a problem?"

  "You turn your costumes back to wardrobe?" he asked, not answering her question.

  "They're in my dressing room," she told him. "I thought wardrobe would collect them."

  "We're not your slaves, Miss Lydia," he snapped. "After we're done here, go back to the dressing room and carry your costumes to wardrobe."

  "Yes sir!" Lydia clicked her heels together. "If it'll make you happy, I can go get them right now." She turned back towards the dressing room but Garrett grabbed her arm with just enough force to stop her.

  "I said, after we're done," he said. "Now get out of here before you get hurt."

  What a jerk! Lydia crossed into the far wing, towards the green room where, from the sounds of it, the party was in full swing. Just as she reached the door, she sensed some movement in the dark hall to her right.

  "Keenan, that tickles my neck," a voice giggled from the darkness.

  "It's meant to," Keenan responded, making little kissing sounds.

  Lydia was instantly repulsed. She put one hand on her hip and said, "Cars have back seats for that sort of thing. Why don't you two go find one your size?"

  Keenan broke away from the girl he was kissing and stepped into the light. "Lydia? I didn't see you there."

  "Would it have mattered?" she asked in her steeliest voice.

  He matched her tone. "No, I guess it really wouldn't." Then he pulled a petite blonde into the light, circling her waist with his arm. "Have you met Jill?"

  "We've only worked together every day for the past month," Lydia said, sarcastically. The girl had played one of the lead dancers in the musical. Only a sophomore at school, Jill had done a good job (though Lydia wasn't about to admit that now).

  Lydia forced an icy grin at the young girl. "Way to score, Jill."

  "Ah, thanks," Jill replied, not really sure what Lydia was referring to.

  "Ciao!" Lydia turned, hoping they didn't notice her reddened cheeks. It was bad enough knowing Keenan had got a new girlfriend. But to catch them in the act... Major humiliation.

  The party was in full swing when Lydia flung open the door. She hesitated for just the right amount of time in the doorway, throwing her long red scarf dramatically across her shoulder.

  As she'd hoped, the party activity came to a sudden halt. Applause exploded round the room.

  Robin McCready, long acquainted with Lydia's methods, crooned, "There she is, Miss Youth Theatre. There she is, our big star!" He sidled up to her like an MC at a beauty pageant. "With her long red scarf, her beautiful legs, and her enormous ego..." This last part cracked everyone up.

  Lydia pretended to strangle him with the scarf, to gales of approving laughter.

  "Help! A.J., save me!" Robin dropped to his knees, grabbing A.J. by the back of her black tuxedo jacket. The stage manager was standing at the hors d'oeuvre table, clutching a plate piled high with chips, a sandwich and a thick slice of chocolate cake.

  "Here." A.J. stuffed a chocolate-chip cookie in Robin's mouth. "Eat this. It'll make you feel better."


  Lydia shook her head. A.J. was a typical techie. She'd go for two days without food, then gorge herself with junk. No wonder she struggled with her weight.

  Lydia scanned the room while Robin hurried to change the music. Keenan and Jill had also entered the party and were now wrapped in each other's arms in the corner. How cosy.

  Trish McClelland, who'd played Mickey, her sidekick in the show, and a stagehand named Roger Travis were huddled on the old faded pink couch in the corner.

  Another couple. Wonderful.

  Lydia was starting to feel more than a little left out when she spotted an extremely good-looking boy standing by himself, leaning against the far wall. As his eyes met hers, one corner of his mouth curved up in a tantalizing hint of a smile.

  It took Lydia a moment to place him as she hadn't seen him at the theatre before. Then she realized that he was the same handsome boy she'd seen in the halls at her high school, the John Connally High School for the Performing Arts. Without thinking, her lips formed his name. "Eric."

  Before she could say a word to this handsome boy, the affected accent of her director pierced the air.

  "Lydia, darling, you gave the performance of your life!" Bill Glover crossed the dance floor towards her, with arms wide open. "I was simply thrilled and amazed at what you did tonight."

  "You were?" Lydia hoped he was being sincere. As good as she felt about the audience's response, it was nice to know that her director thought she'd done well. Particularly since he was to direct the next show, too.

  "But of course!" he said, folding her into his arms. "Everything you've done on this stage before was trite and amateurish compared to your portrayal of Edith tonight."