Love Means Courage - Andrew Grey

Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
    Love Means… Courage
Copyright © 2009 by Andrew Grey
Cover Design by Mara McKennen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
    photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034
    http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
ISBN: 978-1-61581-059-8
Printed in the United States of America First Edition
October, 2009
eBook edition available
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-060-4

    Andrew Grey
“MR. PARKER, are you ready with the lights?”
    “Yes, Mr. Stevens, I’m ready when you are.” I’ve been ready for the last half hour. He turned on the spotlight and pointed it front and center, waiting for the start of the dress rehearsal.
    “Danny, Sandy, shall we begin?” The drama teacher insisted on calling everyone by their character names during rehearsals; he thought it helped people get into character. Personally, from where Len had been sitting on the lighting platform for multiple rehearsals, he thought it only confused the actors, but who was he to say anything?
    A chorus of “Yes, Mr. Stevens” echoed from behind the curtains, and the rehearsal began. Len’s job was to man one of the two spotlights. So he and his best friend Ruby were high on the platform, watching and following the lighting cues as the rehearsal progressed.
    They’d been friends since the fifth grade, but Len thought that 1
Love Means Courage
    Ruby might have a crush on him, though he did his very best not to encourage her. She was his best friend, and he didn’t want to mess that up with anything romantic. Besides, if he were honest with himself, she really wasn’t his type—really, really wasn’t his type, but he didn’t allow himself to think about that much.
    She leaned close, touching his arm. “I don’t know why you volunteered to do this. I mean, it’s cool that you did, but it doesn’t seem like the type of thing you usually do.” That was very true; it wasn’t his usual thing, but the drama teacher, who also happened to be his English teacher, had promised extra credit to any of his students who helped with the school play.
    He turned his head to Ruby for just a second. “I need anything I can get in English.” Then he quickly turned his attention back to the stage, not wanting to miss any of his cues. “Besides,” he whispered really softly as he positioned the spot on Sandy, “It’s turning out to be fun.”
    It really was, but he most certainly couldn’t tell Ruby exactly why. He widened the beam of light to encompass both Sandy and Danny and had to stop himself from sighing. Jesus, you’re turning into a girl. He shook the thought out of his head before he could run with it and forced his attention back to what was happening on the stage.
    Cliff Laughton was playing Danny Zuko, and all through rehearsals, Len had been thinking of him a lot. Particularly late at night when he was alone in his bed. Cliff Laughton had fueled so many fantasies over the past few weeks—mostly about what he looked like under the black leather jacket, the white T-shirt, and beneath those jeans that definitely looked a size too small.
    Len pulled himself back out of his fantasy just in time to make the changes for the “Summer Lovin’” number. He quickly changed out the filters and widened the beam to include the entire stage, and 2
    Andrew Grey
the number began.
    Len was enthralled. The dance movements were really seductive, particularly for the small town of Scottville, Michigan, but Len didn’t know that. All he knew was that Cliff was moving his hips and shaking that tight little behind.

    “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?”

    Shit! Ruby had noticed how enthralled he’d become. He nodded his head and breathed a sigh of relief. She thought he was entranced with Sheila Gowell, the girl playing Sandy, and that was fine with Len. “Yes,