Grim Reaper 01 - Embrace the Grim Reaper

of Eric, Leila studied Casey with narrowed eyes. Casey smiled at her, but the girl didn’t return the compliment, turning away with a huff.
    They all waited, listening partly to Holly voicing that it was so disrespectful of their time for Lonnie to be late, and partly to the disjointed half-conversation Becca was having.
    Becca hung up. “He’s in Columbus.”
    “ Columbus ?” Thomas’ face went red. “What’s he doing there?”
    “Um…shopping?”
    “ Shopping !”
    Eric burst out laughing, and Casey was tempted to join him, except for her worry that Thomas was about to bust a vein.
    “I told you he wasn’t dependable,” Holly said. “That he’d have other priorities.”
    Thomas’ voice was even and measured. “Does he plan on honoring us with his presence tomorrow evening, Becca?”
    “Yes. He said he’ll be back in plenty of time for tomorrow’s rehearsal.”
    “Oh, well good. I’m so glad he’s thinking of us.” He straightened the papers on his lap. “Eric, if you would be so good as to read Lonnie’s parts this evening.”
    Eric stood quietly beside Casey.
    “Well, do it!” Thomas waved a hand.
    They read through the scene, Casey enjoying the interplay with Eric, and the cast continued on, Leila performing the part of Maria, and Eric filling in where necessary, in-between his scenes as Feste the Fool. Soon it was time for Holly’s first scene, and Eric caught Casey’s eye. She watched with anticipation as Holly made her way to the stage.
    Eric began the scene, Feste engaging Olivia in conversation. Moving smoothly through his speech, he ended with the greeting, “God bless thee, lady!”
    Instead of answering with the simple, Take the fool away , the script called for, Holly paused, took a deep breath, threw out her chest, and pointed off-stage, her face averted. “Take. The Fool. Away!” She punctuated this by swinging her arm back to her body and snapping open a fan, hiding half of her face.
    “Do you not hear, fellows?” Eric answered, as Feste. “Take away the lady.”
    Casey bent over double in her seat, her hands over her face as she held in the guffaw threatening to explode from her mouth.
    “Go. To,” Holly said. “You’re a DRY fool. I’ll NO MORE of you. Besides. You grow. DIShonest.”
    Eric cleared his throat. “Two faults, Madonna, that drink and counsel will amend.”
    Casey snorted through her fingers, then made a show of pulling a tissue from her bag and blowing her nose. For the next few pages she kept her face in her script, desperately searching for her next scene, to renew her acquaintance with it. Unfortunately, her next appearance was in the latter part of that very section, and she would have to read with Holly.
    Casey glanced around, thinking that for sure Death would get a kick out of her predicament. But the theater’s seats remained empty.
    Her lines approaching, Casey went to the side of the stage. If she read from her seat, she was a lost cause. Her only hope of avoiding an embarrassing and potentially violent scene was to lose herself in blocking. She waited for her cue line, took a deep breath, admonished herself to be as professional as possible under the circumstances, and stepped onto the stage.
    “ The honorable lady of the house,” she said. “Which is she?”
    How she made it through the line—and the rest of the scene—was a small miracle, but before she knew it she was back in the seats, watching Aaron and Jack plot their characters’ wicked schemes.
    Eric stayed away from her for the rest of the read-through, which was definitely for the best, because Casey wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold it together if he so much as looked at her. It was also good because Casey was afraid Leila would break into a snarl and bite her if she went anywhere close to Eric. She’d have to ask him what Leila’s deal was, although it seemed obvious the poor girl had a hot and heavy crush on him.
    Somehow they stumbled through the rest of the play, stopping only once to get Holly a painkiller from the theater’s first aid kit— Oh, the stress! My head is bursting! —until they reached the end and Becca sent them on a short break. Casey fled outside, where she paced the sidewalk, taking deep breaths and gritting her teeth. She didn’t know if she would be able to go through with it.
    If only Reuben were there.
    And I, most jocund, apt, and willingly,
    To do you rest, a thousand deaths would die.
    She stopped, staring blankly at the