Sing for Their Supper - 43

 

"I finally got all the way through without one mistake," Sam said elatedly.

 

"With Act One. Now on to Act Two again," Ricky said.

 

"Slave driver."

 

Ricky grinned. "And me without my whip."

 

"As if you ever had one."

 

"There is that." Ricky leaned back against the wall behind his bed, flipping the pages of the script to the first time where Fagin appeared in Act Two. He read the lines that came just before Fagin's, then waited for Sam to speak. When he didn't, Ricky looked up at him. He was puzzled by the expression on Sam's face. "What's wrong?"

 

"I was…umm…trying to figure out Fagin's motivation," Sam replied, not quite looking a Ricky.

 

"You know for an actor, you're not a very good liar."

 

"I'm not a very good actor, either."

 

"You're getting there. But," —Ricky held up a finger— "that is not what's bothering you, is it?"

 

Sam waggled his hand. "It's part of it."

 

"Want to talk?"

 

"You might not like it."

 

"Try me." Ricky set the script aside then patted the bed.

 

"That would not be a good idea."

 

"Ah. I see. For you?" When Sam remained silent, Ricky said, "Or for me?"

 

"For our friendship?"

 

"Damn, Sam. I can't think of anything that will change that."

 

Sam sat gingerly on the edge of Ricky's bed. "Even the fact I'm attracted to you?"

 

Ricky immediate reaction to that was physical as his cock began to harden. He willed it to behave while laying the script in his lap to hide it. As calmly as he could, he replied, "Well. That just upped the ante, as they say. Still, how could it do anything except make our friendship…more?"

 

"What I said doesn't bother you?"

 

Ricky put one hand on Sam's leg. "Not when I feel the same." He could have proved it, but he'd managed to tame his erection—at least for the moment. Beside which, now was not the time and he knew it.

 

"You mean that?" Sam said with obvious disbelief.

 

Ricky's lips turned up in a slow smile. "Ab-so-lute-ly."

 

Sam blew out a long breath. "I… I figured… We've only known each other for a short time and… I'm not good at showing my feelings, so…"

 

"No kidding." Ricky leaned in to give him a hug. "We're not going to jump into things. Not until we're sure, right?"

 

"Definitely. It could just be the situation."

 

"It could be," Ricky agreed. The situation that he's here, I'm here, in the same room. Stop thinking like that, he admonished himself. "Or it could be more." He frowned. There was a question he needed to ask, not certain he wanted an answer but he needed to know. "Have you felt this way about anyone else?"

 

Sam shook his head, then smiled ruefully. "I don't know anyone else. Well, not who's gay. At least, not that I know of. It's not really something you let the world know if you're in our situation. That's asking for trouble."

 

"Big time." Ricky wanted to hold Sam, but he was afraid if he did he wouldn't be able to stop at just that. Hell, even kissing him isn't in the picture yet, not until he's sure what he's feeling is real. If it isn't? Then I'm in big trouble. Better leave things the way they are for now. "Do you want to get back to learning our lines?"

 

"We probably should." Sam started to get up, stopped, and hugged Ricky hard. "Thanks for not calling me crazy or something."

 

Giving him a hug back, Ricky replied, "Well, if you are, so am I. Now get your script and let's get through Act Two before we fall on our faces from exhaustion." Or I try to jump your bones because now I know you might let me.

Sing for Their Supper - 42

 

 

The afternoon read-through went better than Tuck expected. Some of the kids had already begun memorizing their lines. They were far from perfect in remembering them, but they were trying hard, which was what counted, as far as he was concerned.

 

After sending them off for supper, he met with Norm, who had come up with preliminary sketches for the sets. Or set-pieces, as he pointed out.

 

"There will be two backdrops—one of Victorian London, for the scenes involving Brownlow, and one of the slums. They'll roll up and down at the back of the stage. We'll need to have a bridge for the one scene with Sikes. When it's turned around, it will be part of Brownlow's house. The top level will be the second floor bedroom, where Oliver watches the flower-sellers out of his window and sings his song. That's the biggest movable piece. Other than that, we'll use furniture and large props to let the audience know where each scene is taking place."

 

He laid out sketches for Tuck to look at.

 

"With the exception of the furniture, can everything be built in-house?" Tuck asked.

 

"We should be able to handle that. The two major jobs will be painting the backdrops and building the bridge. My men are good, so, barring catastrophes, everything will be ready well before tech rehearsals. Speaking of which, Brent asked me to look for someone to do the lighting. I called a guy I went to school with and he gave me the name of a man who he thought might work. I called him, and he's not only willing, he's probably already packed and on the road by now, he's that eager to help out. He should be here in the morning."

 

"Tell him he's welcome to bunk in the guys' cabin until he finds a place to stay."

 

Norm grinned. "Already did. As it turns out, it won't be necessary. He said he'd rather stay at a motel, so I gave him the names of a couple of them not too far from here.

 

*****

 

"Try again," Ricky said, checking his script.

 

Sam closed his eyes then repeated the lines. This time he got them word-perfect, according to Ricky.

 

A few yards down the lake shore, Mace and DJ were doing the same thing. DJ was pacing, a scowl on his face. "I'm going to get it right if it kills me."

 

"It better not. We don't have anyone else to play Oliver."

 

"This isn't funny," DJ muttered.

 

"DJ! Calm down," Evie said. She'd been watching them run lines while waiting for Roma, so they could do the same thing,

 

"You calm down," DJ retorted. He took a deep breath when he saw the hurt look on her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking it out on you or Mace. It's just… Remembering song lyrics is easy. This?" He waved the script.

 

Roma appeared, sitting next to Evie on the log she was using as a bench. "DJ, do you get why Oliver's saying what he's saying? Are you, as corny as it sounds, feeling what he's feeling?"

 

"Well…" He shook his head.

 

"I thought so. You're trying to remember the words, but not the reason behind them. I said something to Tuck about the problems I was having and—."

 

"That was my fault," Tuck said, joining them. "It didn't really occur to me that this is the first time doing this for most of you. I mean, I know that, but it didn't sink in until talking with Roma. What she told you, DJ, is one way to help you remember. Another trick is to write out the parts you're having problems with. You mind connects with the words you're writing. I do that when I'm having trouble with a speech. When it's only a few lines, listen to the other character, or characters, involved in the scene. That's why we're doing the read-throughs. So you know what comes before your lines and you can react to it. Later, when all of you have a better feeling for the flow, we'll move on to actions and reactions to what's being said."

 

DJ took a deep breath. "So I'd better start figuring out if he's pissed, or scared, or happy when he's talking."

 

"It'll help. Yes." He looked at the others who were standing there, listening. "It doesn't matter if you have two lines or a thousand, they're all important or the playwright wouldn't have written them. Remember that."

 

"There are no small parts, only small actors, as they say," Vin said.

 

"Exactly. And on that note, I bid you good night." Tuck gave a sweeping bow before heading up to his car.

 

"Are you ready, Evie?" Roma asked. When Evie nodded, they went to the cabin, as it was getting too dark outside to see their scripts. They ended up on the porch. DJ and Mace took over the living room in the guys' cabin. Dena and Jolie, who had many less lines to learn, decided to call it a night, while Sam and Ricky ended up in the room they were sharing.

Sing for Their Supper - 41

 

 

"Hands on your hips, please," Peg told Mace. When he complied, she measured from the back of his neck to his wrist, writing down the result on her size chart for him. "Now, spread your legs, please."

 

He did, and then turned red when she knelt down to take his inseam measurement. She looked up at him and grinned. "This is the fun part for me, when it comes to the guys" she said, then noticed his obvious embarrassment. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

 

Jolie piped up. "Except when it comes to your boyfriend, I bet. He probably gets measured every night."

 

"Nope. No boyfriend. And I know my girlfriend's measurements by heart. All of them." She winked at Jolie.

 

"Oh. Wow. I never…"

 

"Met a lesbian? Well, now you have. Although I bet you've run into some and just didn't know it. The butch stereotype is only that, a stereotype, just like the idea that all gay men are flaming queens. Look at Tuck and his husband. Would you know they were gay if they hadn't said so?"

 

"Well…no," Jolie admitted.

 

"Although the fact they're married to each other was sort of a giveaway," Evie said with a grin.

 

Peg got up, telling Mace she was finished with him, and beckoned to Sam. "And you are?"

 

"Gay?"

 

She laughed. "No. Your name."

 

"Oh. Sam. And I am."

 

"Green Eggs and Ham." When he seemed puzzled, Peg said, "Do not tell me you don't know your Doctor Seuss."

 

"Does The Cat in the Hat count?"

 

"Barely," Peg muttered, as she measured his chest and wrote down the result.

 

"Horton Hatches an Egg," Jolie called out, followed by Evie's "If I Ran the Zoo. I loved that one."

 

"I wonder if anyone's turned one of them into a musical," Sam said.

 

"The Grinch, silly boy," Peg replied.

 

"I thought that was just a cartoon movie."

 

"Nope. It's been a live action movie, a TV one, too, and I believe also a play, although I might be wrong."

 

Evie looked at Tuck. "If it is, we could do it for our Christmas show."

 

"We could. But first—"

 

"We have to do Oliver! and be such a big hit everyone will want us to do other shows," Evie said.

 

"Exactly." Tuck grinned. "And that is going to happen."

 

"You bet it is!"

 

When Peg had finished taking measurements and Tuck had told the kids to get lunch, she asked him if he'd walk with her to her car. When they got there, she opened the trunk.

 

"Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds," she said. "But I thought… I figured the kids probably came out here with only the clothes on their backs and what they had in their backpacks. The college had a clothing drive for one of the homeless shelters and when I told the people running it what you were doing, they said I could have some of what they'd collected. So I filled three trash bags and—"

 

"You are a wonder," Tuck told her. "Thank you! I see them in the same few outfits every day and, I'm sorry to say, it never occurred to me that's because it's all they own."

 

Peg chuckled. "Because you're a man. Where should we put these?" She handed him two of the three bags.

 

Instead of replying, Tuck whistled loudly. The cabin doors opened and he gestured for everyone to join them.

 

"Peg came bearing gifts," he said when they did. "Clothes."

 

"I'm not guaranteeing they'll all fit," Peg told them, once the rejoicing died down.

 

"We'll figure it out," Tuck said, handing one of the bags to Mace, since he was closest. "Take them into the lobby to go through them. But first—"

 

"Thank you!" Jolie said enthusiastically. Everyone else thanked Peg, too, before Sam and Ricky took the other bags and they hurried into the lobby.

 

"You've made their day—and probably their month," Tuck said, giving Peg a hug.

 

"My pleasure." She closed the trunk and opened the car door. "Now, I'd better get out of here. I have class in an hour. I'll let you know when I have some sketches ready for you to look at."

 

"I'm looking forward to seeing them."

 

She smiled, pulled out of the lot, and headed back to the city.

 

 

Sing for Their Supper - 40

 

When Tuck drove up to the theater the next morning, he saw a woman he didn't recognize pacing by the front entrance. She looked like she was in her late twenties, with blonde hair pulled into a bun at the back of her neck. He had the feeling she must be their choreographer. He and Brent had been trying—unsuccessfully, until yesterday—to find one who would be willing to work with untrained dancers. 

 

Last night, when Tuck got home, Brent had told him, "I talked with a man this afternoon from one of the high school theaters. He told me about the woman he used for a couple of their musicals. She works for a dance studio, so I called her then went interview her. Her name is Gloria." 

 

"And?" Tuck asked. 

 

"She's interested, as long as it doesn't interfere with her schedule at the studio. I asked her to come by the theater in the morning to talk with you."

 

Now, Tuck walked up to the woman, holding out his hand. "I'm Tuck Williams. I hope you're Gloria." 

 

She smiled—sort of—shaking his hand. "I am. When can I meet your cast? I have to be back by one."

 

"I'll take you inside so you can see the stage, then I'll round them up. Have you ever done Oliver!?"

 

"No. But I'm going to watch the movie tonight, to get a feel for it."

 

He nodded, escorted her inside, and then went to get everyone. On his way back to the theater, he saw two more cars in the lot. One he recognized as Norm's. He hoped the other one belonged to Peg, the costumer. She'd called to tell him she was going to come by today to see the costume shop and take the cast's measurements.

 

When he walked into the auditorium, he saw Gloria and Peg deep in conversation, with Norm watching from a distance. He heard Gloria say, "They have to be able to move easily in their costumes."

 

"I'm aware of that," Peg replied, looking annoyed. "This isn't the first time I've costumed a musical."

 

"But you said you're a student."

 

"I'm working on my MFA in costuming," Peg told her. She saw Tuck and waved. "Ms Ford and I were discussing dance and costuming," she said when he joined them.

 

Tuck almost said "discussing or arguing" but thought better of it. "The kids will be here momentarily. I'll introduce you to them. Then—"

 

"I'll want to see how they move," Gloria told him. "I need to get a feel for them so I can create dances they can handle."

 

Tuck was tempted to salute. Instead he said, "That will be fine," just as his cast came into the auditorium, some silently, others chatting excitedly, with Vin bringing up the rear. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll take your seats, please." He gestured to the chairs on the stage.

 

They did, looking at the two women. Vin sat in one of the auditorium seats, eyeing them as well.

 

"This is Peg. She's our costumer," Tuck told them. "As soon as Ms Ford is finished with you, Peg will be taking your measurements. Do you want to do that here or in the shop?" he asked her.

 

"In the shop."

 

"All right. Norm, would you mind showing her where it is?"

 

As soon as they were gone, Gloria said, "I'll need music."

 

Vin came up on stage when Tuck nodded at him. "What kind?" he asked, sitting at the piano.

 

"Something they can dance to. You," she pointed to Sam when Vin began playing. "Dance. Or at least move to the music."

 

Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting. If she's not careful, she's going to alienate everyone before she leaves today. Tuck turned a chair around, straddled it with his arms across the back, and watched.

 

Gloria didn't alienate anyone, to Tuck's surprise. She observed and managed to give at least some praise to each of them—even Mace, who obviously didn't have a dancing bone in his body. She was ecstatic when Ricky took center stage to show off his considerable talent.

 

"That should do it for now," she said, looking at the notes she'd taken. Turning to Tuck, she asked, "When do you want me back again?"

 

"I'll call you. We've barely started, and I'm nowhere near blocking out the scenes with them yet. Once I have, then you and I can get together and go from there."

 

"All right." She smiled at the cast. "We're going to make this one hell of a show, between you all, me, and Tuck—and Vin, of course." With that, she thanked everyone, told Tuck she'd wait for his call, and left.

 

"She doesn't seem bad," Roma said. "But I've got the feeling she can be a real martinet when she puts her mind to it."

 

"A what?" Dena asked.

 

"A martinet. Someone who expects you to do exactly what they say and to do it right, or else."

 

"Like my mother," Dena muttered.

 

Everyone laughed, Tuck included. Although from the look on her face, Tuck thought Dena's mother might be the reason she'd run away.

 

"Okay, guys," Tuck said when the laughter died down. "Let's invade the costume shop so Peg can measure you. Then, since the morning's half gone already, we'll wait to do another read-through until after lunch.

Sing for Their Supper - 39

 

"How you doing?" Sam asked Ricky that evening after supper.

 

"Me? Fine? Why?"

 

Sam shrugged. "I just wondered."

 

"How are you doing? You're one of the stars."

 

"Don't remind me," Sam said, shaking his head. "I'm going to be dreaming of Fagin and how to play him. Well, once Tuck tells how I'm supposed to be Fagin."

 

"Crafty but caring," Ricky replied. "At least that's what he sounds like."

 

"I know. He loves the kids in his own way, but he still uses them."

 

"Like the guy who helped me when I first hit the streets. Took me under his wing, showed me the ropes, then told me I could make money to live on if I helped him out by selling weed."

 

As he thought about that, Sam had an idea that didn't sit to well with him. He wanted to ask Ricky if there was more to it than just the guy getting him into dealing. So he started to say, "Did you…" then shook his head.

 

There must have been something in his expression that gave him away because Ricky said, "Did I have sex with him in exchange for his helping me? No. He never even suggested that—or that I sell myself instead of weed. He was dead against it."

 

All Sam said in reply was "good". He was extremely relieved by Ricky's answer and he knew why, although he'd never admit it to Ricky. In the short time that they'd known each other, he was… Not falling for him. But…interested? He hoped that wasn't because they were the only two gay guys in the troop. I'm not that shallow, am I?

 

"Where are you at?" Ricky asked. "Worrying about Fagin, still? You're going to be great."

 

"Thanks."

 

"We all are. Right?"

 

"Damned straight. Then we'll head to Broadway. Win a Tony."

 

"And off to Hollywood and the Oscars." Ricky grinned. "Or TV and an Emmy."

 

"We'll be huge stars and no one will believe we started out singing for our suppers on the street."

 

"Buy huge mansions. Lots of people begging for autographs." Ricky laughed, giving Sam a hug. "You and me on top of the world."

 

"It could happen," Sam replied, hugging him back. "But not if we don't start memorizing our lines. It's hard to be famous actors if we can't even do that."

 

"Then let's get on it." Ricky jumped to his feet then dashed into the cabin. He returned moments later with his script. Sam went to get his and they spent the rest of the evening working on their parts.

 

Sing for Their Supper - 38

 

"You know I'm going to go crazy," Jolie said as she made herself a sandwich.

 

"Go?" Evie ducked when Jolie took a swipe at her. "Why?"

 

"Playing three different characters. I mean, okay, it's not like I've got a lot of lines to learn but one minute I'm a boy, then next a girl, then a boy again."

 

"With costume changes out the wazoo," Dena chimed in, since she was in the same position.

 

"You'll do just fine," Roma told them. "It's all up here." She tapped her temple. "Think like the character and you'll be her, or him. I'm sure whoever's doing the costumes will make the changes as easy as possible for you."

 

Jolie crossed her fingers before taking her sandwich out to the porch to eat.

 

"You look worried," Mace said, coming over from the guys' cabin to join her

 

"Scared is more like it. What if I blow it, playing all those parts?"

 

"You won't." He scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Me? This is going to be real hard, Jolie, playing someone like Sikes. The doctor isn't so bad."

 

"Roma said it's all up here," Jolie told him, tapping his forehead.

 

"That's the problem. It is up there. The memories."

 

Vin must have overheard because he came out to lean on the railing. "Something in your life that's too close to the guy you're playing?"

 

Mace nodded. "Way too close. I watched my father beat up on my mom every time he got pissed at something that happened at work, like it was her fault somehow."

 

"Damn, Mace." Jolie gave him a hug.

 

"Do you want me to have a talk with Tuck?" Vin asked him. "Maybe he can have one of the other guys play Sikes and you can take their role."

 

Mace stared down at the ground for a long time before shaking his head. "First off, I'm too big to be Dodger or Oliver. And Sam's going to make a great Fagin. Beside which, it would look like I'm wimping out."

 

"It's not wimping out if playing Sikes brings back the bad time in your life," Vin replied. "Is that why you left home?"

 

"Yeah. I couldn't help her. She loved him, damn it, in spite of what he did to her."

 

"The way Nancy loves Sikes," Vin said.

 

"I…suppose so."

 

"If you're going to do Sikes, use that. Use what your dad did. Be him. As hard as it will be, channel him, I think it's called." Vin chuckled softly. "Listen to me, giving acting advice."

 

"Maybe you're right, though," Mace told him. "Not being him, but using my anger at him to feed how I play Sikes, if that makes sense."

 

"It does to me."

 

"Thank you for the advice."

 

"No problem," Vin replied.

 

*****

 

By the time the afternoon read-through was over, the kids were drained, especially Mace. Roma knew why he was, because Vin had told her what Mace had revealed about his life. She wasn't feeling much better, but she was old enough to deal with the memories, as much as they hurt. She knew that, in time, playing Nancy would help her come to terms with what she'd gone through. After all, the more times I do remember, the less it will affect me. I hope. Maybe this will be the catharsis I need—rather than burying it inside, the way I have been all these years.

 

Sing for Their Supper - 37

 

The first thing Tuck did when he arrived at the theater Monday morning was drop groceries off at both cabins and remind everyone they were due in the auditorium at ten sharp.

 

At nine-thirty, Andy and Fran Rogers appeared. Tuck greeted them and was about to take them inside when a truck pulled up in front of the theater. Two burly men got out. One of them came over, asking, "Is one of you Mr. Williams?" When Tuck said he was, the man said, "We've got a piano for you. Where do you want it?"

 

Tuck showed them, then they pulled the truck around to the side entrance and man-handled the piano into place at the right side of the stage. It would stay there until Tuck and Norm decided whether to make it an integral part of the set, or move it down to the auditorium floor. There was also a piano bench. Before he let one of the men take it in, Tuck got the sheet music for the show from his car, lifted the bench top and set it inside.

 

That reminded him of something else. I've got to get with Norm and Peg, to see what they've come up with as far as set and costume designs. He called them both to set up a meeting for that evening.

 

"This is great," Andy said when Tuck finally was able to show them around. "Intimate."

 

Tuck smiled wryly. "At least this way, if we don't get much of an audience, it won't be so obvious."

 

"Hell, Tuck, think positive. You'll be turning people away after we open."

 

"Your words to God's ear."

 

"Or whoever's listening," Fran said, giving him a hug.

 

"That, too."

 

"Where's your better half?" she asked.

 

"At work. I've quit the theater, but he's staying on until they can find someone to replace him."

 

"Then you're moving up here?"

 

"Umm…no? We can't afford to build a house at this point."

 

Fran rolled her eyes. "For what you'll be spending on gas, it would be cheaper in the long run to build."

 

"Probably," Tuck admitted, "but that's a discussion for another time. I think we're about to be invaded."

 

He was right. The kids arrived, looking both excited and wary, with Roma and Vin bringing up the rear. The moment Vin saw the piano, he went up the stairs at one side of the stage to check it out. After running the scales, he looked at Tuck. "Where's the sheet music?"

 

"In the bench."

 

Vin took one piece out, studied it for a moment, then began playing.

 

"That's my song," Roma said. "Well, Nancy's."

 

"Same difference," Tuck told her before asking everyone to come up on stage. He realized they needed chairs, and sent the boys into the lobby to get the ones that had been delivered a couple of days ago.

 

As soon as everyone was seated, he introduced Fran and Andy to the rest of the cast. Then he said, "We'll start easy. Just read your parts. Don't worry about inflections or trying to 'act' them. I want you to get a feel for what comes when and where. If it's a song, and the show opens with 'Food, Glorious Food'… Okay, hang on. Jolie, Dena, Evie, you've just been promoted to workhouse boys for this scene. So you three, and DJ, say the words in unison. Get the picture?"

 

They all nodded and the read-through began. Tuck stopped it when needed, to give them a break so they could regroup. They made it through Act One just before noon, so Tuck told them to get some lunch. He got no arguments.

Sing for Their Supper - 36

 

Sam took his job seriously. "This is the living room," he told Vin when they were inside. "And the kitchen."

 

Vin nodded. "I think I could have figured that out."

 

"And your room," Sam said, opening one of the doors.

 

"Four rooms, five guys counting me. Who did I put out?"

 

"Ricky. He's sharing with me," Sam replied. "But he doesn't mind."

 

"Nope," Ricky said as he and others trooped into the cabin. "It's not like I'm sharing a bed, just a room."

 

Something in the tone of Ricky's reply made Vin wonder if he wished it was otherwise, but he refrained from commenting. Not my place to, even if I'm right.

 

"Why don't I unpack," Vin told them, "then we can get to know each other."

 

He went into what was now his room. It felt strange, having a real bed and a place to store his things. It's been a long time since I've had somewhere to call my own, even if it is only a bedroom.

 

After he'd put things away, Vin went back to the living room. It was empty, but he heard voices, so he stepped outside.

 

"We're going down to the lake," Sam said. "Do you want to come with us?"

 

"At this hour?"

 

Roma laughed. "This from the man who never appeared until dusk. Yeah, at this hour. Come on."

 

Vin did, staying close to Roma. The kids seemed nice… But there're so many of them.

 

Everyone was settled on the shore, before one of the girls, Jolie—if Vin remembered right—asked, "How long have you been homeless?"

 

"Longer than you've been alive, young lady," Vin replied.

 

"Why?"

 

"Why am I homeless?" Vin sighed. "When I wasn't much older than you are now, I started drinking and, pretty soon, I was an alcoholic. Don't worry. I've beaten it. Well, I'll always be one—that's just how it is—but I haven't had a drink in over ten years. By the time I began getting my life together again, I had no life to go back to. I was used to the streets, so…" He spread his hands.

 

"Did you always play the piano?" DJ asked.

 

"I did. I was in a band, back in my youth. A pretty damned good one. But, we partied a lot." He paused, then grinned. "That's how the demon rum got hold of me."

 

"The what?"

 

Vin chuckled. "One name for liquor, especially when you get hooked on it. It's also a song by George and Ira Gershwin."

 

"Who?" Mace asked.

 

"Oh my God. Children, you have a lot to learn about real music. I bet you're all into, what do they call it? Hip-hop? Rap?"

 

"Nope," Sam replied, "Blues."

 

"Show tunes," Evie said with a hard nod of her head. "And I know who the Gershwins were, so there."

 

"Good girl. You sing? Well, of course you do or you wouldn't be here. Let's hear you."

 

Evie glanced at DJ. "I will, if he does."

 

"You're on," DJ replied. "How about… Yeah. 'You're the One That I Want'." He stood, pretended to slick his hair back, and started singing.

 

Evie was up seconds later, vamping as she sang Sandy's part. When they moved on to "We Go Together", the other teens joined in exuberantly.

 

"Not bad," Vin said to Roma.

 

She grinned. "Told you."

 

The group stayed by the lake for a while longer, listening to Vin tell stories about people he'd known on the streets—some amusing, some sad. Then he said, with a smile, "As the senior member here, I think it's up to me to tell you it's late and we should all be getting to bed."

 

"Damn," Dena stage-whispered to Jolie, "He's going all father on us."

 

Vin heard her, as she'd obviously meant him to. "I'm old enough, for sure. But I'd be a lousy one. Just think of me as a much older and hopefully wiser brother, who knows sleep is necessary. I suspect, from what Roma told me, you're going to be very busy starting tomorrow."

 

"Yeah. We're doing a read-through, whatever that is," Dena replied.

 

"Reading our parts together, to get a feel for the whole thing, I think," Evie said.

 

"Has everyone read their script?" Sam asked.

 

"Three times, for me," Mace replied. "I hope I can remember my lines when the time comes."

 

"I've got the feeling Tuck's going to make certain we go over and over them until they're imprinted in our minds forever," Ricky said.

 

"Why would you need to know my lines?" Mace asked with a straight face.

 

"Smartass," Ricky muttered.

 

Mace smiled. "Once a week, whether I need to be or not." He got up. "I'm going to read it—well, my parts—one more time then crash."

 

"I'm just going to crash," Evie said. She took DJ's hand when he offered it, letting him pull her to her feet, and they wandered up toward the cabins.

 

The rest of the kids dispersed, Ricky talking animatedly to Sam as they left the lakeshore.

 

"Nice bunch," Vin said to Roma.

 

"They are. I'm praying this all works out the way everyone hopes."

 

"It will, Roma. It has to…for all of us."