AUTHOR'S NOTES:For detailed notes and disclaimers, see part one.
TWO WEEKS LATER
THE CAFETERIA
"Cassidy is driving me up the wall!" Reggie gave vent to her frustration after one particularly gruelling rehearsal. "What does he want?"
"Perfection," Nicole told her.
"Tell me about it," grumbled Reggie.
"C'mon Reg, he's pushin' everyone hard," Ian tried to console his girlfriend. "And he's being harder on me and Nicole than he is on anyone else."
"I'm not getting it easy either!" Jesse protested. "I thought John was a good part - I never expected Cassidy to be so demanding."
"I never expected that I'd have to learn to dance," Ian grumbled.
The gang broke up laughing at that. "It's hardly dancing Ian," Jillian told him. "Not compared to what Miss Grant is putting the rest of us through."
"It's bad enough!" Ian was whining now.
"Ian, it's a waltz." Nicole said flatly. "You can waltz right?"
Reggie laughed at that one. "I was his date at the prom last year Nicole," she said. "Take it from me, he can't!"
"OK, so we'll have to practice. Mind if I borrow your husband Reggie?" Nicole joked. Reggie was playing Ellen, Ian's character's wife in the play.
"Keep him!"
"And what if I prove that I have two left feet?"
Nicole shrugged. "Then I'll lead!"
"Speaking of leads and dancing, guess who I got a letter off last week?" Jesse suddenly spoke up. A line of blank stares met his question, correctly presuming that he didn't really want them to guess at all, but just let him tell his news with a grand flourish. They really did know him too well. "Leroy!"
"Really?" asked Dusty.
"How is he?" put in Reggie.
"Is he still touring with that show?" came from Maxie.
All the above were asked at once, and Jesse smiled, pleased at the effect his news was having on them. "One at a time, one at a time," he laughed. "He's fine. He's finished touring with the show - it finished last week. And he's coming back to New York, sometime this week, I think. He's got a part in some new show off-Broadway somewhere, he thinks it could be his big shot. He sounded really enthusiastic about it."
"That's great," Jillian said.
"It doesn't open for a while, but rehearsals start the week after next." Jesse continued.
"Has he got a place to stay?" Ian asked.
"He said the people from the play were finding him somewhere."
"Gee, it'll be good to see him again," Dusty said, words which were greeted by nods of agreement all around the table.
THE NEXT DAY
Dusty, Jillian and Reggie were gathered around Reggie's locker, waiting to go to rehearsal. "Is it my imagination," Reggie began. "Or is Nicole coming out of her shell since we started this play?"
"Definitely" "Absolutely" The two girls spoke in unison.
"Did you see her at rehearsal today - and lunch yesterday?" Dusty asked. "She was laughing and joking - almost like her old self."
"Cassidy told me that Shorofsky talked her into trying out. He said that he thought it might do her good."
"The old guy's right," Reggie noted. "She's definitely coming back."
"I wonder what happened to her?" Jillian wondered.
"Yeah," Dusty said. "What could make her close up like that?"
Reggie finally found what she was looking for and slammed her locker shut. "I hope we never find out," she said. "Whatever it was, it must've been pretty bad."
Nodding, the girls headed off to rehearsal.
Near to the end of rehearsal, Miss Grant came in with Nicole and Ian. "If I may interrupt Mr Shorofsky?" she asked. When Mr Shorofsky nodded his assent, she called for everyone's attention. "Now, you all know that Nicole and Ian were missing from this rehearsal...." A predictable number of catcalls and whistles came from the gang.
"Should I be jealous?" Reggie's voice stood out in the crowd.
"Not the way these two were dancing." Miss Grant's reply was immediate, and led to more laughs from the kids. "But we think we have the choreography pretty under control now, so we're going to go through the number...."
"Are we now?" Ian cut across her.
Miss Grant acted as if he hadn't spoken. "..To see what it looks like. So you two-" she swatted her two leads towards the stage, "-get up there, everyone else, get where you can see, and we'll take it from the top. Ian, you go to stage right, Nicole, stage left, face each other..."
Ian began to sing. "In a place that won't let us feel, In a life where nothing seems real, I have found you...I have found you"
Nicole responded, standing in place, facing him. "In a world that's moving too fast, In a world where nothing can last, I will hold you...I will hold you"
Ian took up the song, reminding "Kim" "Our lives will change, when tomorrow comes..", while Nicole continued with, "Tonight our hearts drown the distant drums.."
They began to slowly come across the stage, towards one another as Ian sang, arms outstretched, "And we have music all right, tearing the night, a song, played on a solo saxophone, a crazy sound.."
Nicole mimicked his posture, arms outstretched, as she stopped just short of him. "A lonely sound..."
Standing close to each other, close enough to touch, but not quite, their voices mingled for the first time. "A cry that tells us love goes on and on....Played on a solo saxophone, it's telling me to hold you tight and dance like it's the last night of the world."
Head down, as if she were afraid of what she was feeling, and saying, Nicole turned her back to Ian and moved away. He followed her, singing, "On the other side of the earth, There's a place where life still has worth...I will take you.."
Now Nicole turned towards him, a smile on her face. "I'll go with you."
Taking her hands for the first time, staring into her eyes, Ian smiled too. "You won't believe all the things you'll see - I know 'cause you'll see them all with me.."
Holding hands, arms outstretched, both sang "If we're together that's when we'll hear it again.." As the piano swelled, both could imagine how the orchestra would sound, and Ian smoothly spun her under his arm, and held her from behind, so that her back was pressing against his chest. Nicole shot him a look, which showed how impressed she was, but their voices never wavered. "A song played on a solo saxophone, a crazy sound, a lonely sound, a cry that tells us love goes on and on,played on a solo saxophone it's telling me, to hold you tight, and dance like it's the last night of the world.."
Nicole turned to face him. "Dreams were all I ever knew"
Ian gently cupped her face with his hands. "Dreams you won't need when I'm through..."
Softly, they sang together again, now setting into a traditional waltz hold, barely moving as they swayed to the music and stared into each other's eyes. "Anywhere we may be, I will sing with you ....Our song, played on a solo saxophone...so stay with me and hold me tight and dance like it's the last night of the world"
As the last notes sounded, they held their position, just as Miss Grant had instructed them. The rest of the cast weren't as composed - they broke into applause. Even Miss Grant looked happy. "If you can keep doing that, I think we'll have a hit on our hands," she told them.
"I know you will." A strange, yet familiar voice spoke from the back of the auditorium. Heads turned to see a familiar figure coming up the aisle.
Miss Grant was the first to recover. "Leroy!" she all but screamed, and greeted him with a huge hug. She was followed by some of the other students who knew Leroy who had been sitting in the audience. Those who were on the stage stayed there, waiting for Leroy to make his way up.
"What are you doing here baby?" Miss Grant asked.
"Well, I just got back in town, I didn't have any plans, so I figured I'd see what was shakin' back here" Leroy told her. "That was great. Really great," he amended, looking up at the stage.
"Except for my dancin' right?" Ian asked, determined that everyone should know how much he hated that part of the number.
"You weren't that bad," Leroy guessed what he was trying to do. "And when did you get back from sunny Florida, Miss Chapman?"
Nicole smiled. "About a month ago."
Leroy nodded, and looked around him again. Miss Grant noticed the look. "Did you miss us Leroy?" she asked.
"About as much as you missed me."
"Gee, that much huh?" Jesse deadpanned.
"OK, I can see not much rehearsal is gonna get done from now on. Let's call it a day," Miss Grant was the voice of reason, and her reason garnered a cheer from the cast. "OK, OK, I get the message, hit the showers!"
The gang hit the showers, and afterwards, they hit Lous, where Leroy got a rousing reception. "Drinks on Leroy!" Jesse called out.
"Now I come back after almost a year away, and you all make me buy you drinks? Where's my welcome?"
"You're the big shot actor, earning money," Jesse told him. "You're buyin'."
"The house is buyin'," Lou cut in, ending the argument. "Welcome home Leroy."
"Thanks Lou" the gang chorused, as Leroy looked around with a smile on his face. "Man I missed this place."
"This place?" Jillian asked.
"Not specifically....just the school, the people, you know...it was a part of my life for a long time."
"So tell us about your tour?"
Leroy told them all about it, and kept on until late that night. One by one, the other cast members all drifted away until only Leroy, Ian, Reggie, Jesse, Maxie, Dusty and Jillian were left.
"From what I saw, the play looked pretty good," Leroy told them, when eventually the conversation worked its way around to that. "Miss Saigon's not an easy play."
"Tell me about it," Ian grumbled. "They didn't tell me I'd have to dance."
Leroy chuckled, but most of the others just rolled their eyes. "You know Ian," Maxie said drily, "If you just shut up and concentrated on learning the dance, you'd have it down by now."
"And it's only a waltz," Jillian told him. "You don't have to do any real fancy stuff."
"Don't worry Ian, it's fine, really." Leroy reassured him, as much as it was possible to reassure him. Leroy correctly sensed that Ian was going to harp on about this as much as possible, no matter what anyone else said.
"And the sets are going to be excellent," Dusty, who was in charge of those matters, said brightly.
"And the songs are great," Reggie said.
"Fabulous," Maxie agreed.
"Especially Nicole's," Jillian added. "I've never heard her sound so good."
Leroy frowned slightly. "Where is Nicole? I thought she'd come here with us."
He didn't miss the looks that went around the table. "She said she had to study. She's behind in English," Reggie said carefully.
Maxie wasn't as careful. "What's new?" she asked sarcastically.
Leroy's frown got more pronounced, especially when he saw the positively murderous looks that were being directed at Maxie. "That don't sound like Nicole."
"It's the Nicole I know," Maxie wasn't giving up.
"Miaow," Ian muttered quietly.
Not so quietly that Maxie didn't hear him. "Come on, she's been like this as long as I've known her."
"Which is nowhere near as long as the rest of us," Reggie told her sharply. Reggie and Maxie had always had a love-hate relationship, and while Reggie usually tried to bite her tongue to keep the peace, she was getting sick and tired of Maxie's constant sniping at Nicole. "So why don't you give her a break?"
"She does have a point Reggie," Dusty said gently. Almost wilting under the look Reggie gave her, she protested. "Look, I love Nicole, she's my friend too. But she's different now."
"She hasn't been herself since she came back," Jesse spoke to Leroy. "She's quiet, she's distant...."
"She's never at Lous," Jillian added. "She's been here maybe three times since she came back."
"She did come out for pizza with us after rehearsals last week," Ian pointed out.
"She's a lot better since we started the play," Reggie was still defending Nicole. "I know I'm not imagining that."
"You're not," Dusty conceded the point. "But compared to what she was...."
"What happened to her? Anyone know?" Leroy asked, and was met by blank stares.
"We've all asked ourselves that," Jillian admitted. "But no-one's asked Nicole."
"We've no proof that anything did happen to her," Reggie pointed out. "But something must have, otherwise why is she so different?"
Leroy nodded, but said nothing.
"Hey Nicole, you missed a great night at Lou's last night!" Reggie told her a couple of days later as they were waiting for Mrs Lewindowski to arrive for math class.
"I know Reggie. I'm just so behind...." Nicole was already rifling through her folder as she spoke. "Oh no!"
"What?"
Nicole looked up. "Guess who left her math homework in her locker and took her drama notebook instead?"
"How'd you manage that?"
"I haven't been sleeping well lately...." Nicole's voice trailed off, lost in thought. "Do I have time to get it?"
"With Mrs Lewindowski?" Reggie arched an eyebrow. "You probably have time to re-do it!"
Smiling, Nicole took off for her locker. She got there in record time and pulled it open. She located her math homework quickly enough, but it was the scrap of notepaper lying on top of the neat pile of books which caught her attention. Curious, she read it, and the smile faded from her face. By the time she made it back to the classroom, she was frowning and pensive.
"You just made it!" Reggie whispered as Mrs Lewindowski closed the door right behind Nicole. Noticing the look on her friend's face, and knowing how Mrs Lewindowski hated talking in class, she passed over a note. "Are you ok?" Nicole glanced over at her and just gave her a half smile in response.
It didn't make Reggie feel any better.
THAT NIGHT
Nicole walked up the stairs of the appartment building that it had taken her almost a half hour to walk to. She wasn't sure why she was here, she was already tired from rehearsal, and this was the last thing she wanted to be doing. She had phoned her mother and told her that she might be late, that she was going out with friends. Her mother's voice had brightened considerably when she spun her that line - she was constantly telling Nicole that she ought to go out more and spend more time with her friends. She knew that if her mother had found out she'd walked here rather than take a cab, she'd be furious, but Nicole hadn't really cared. She'd needed the walk to get her head together, to figure out what she was going to say.
This wasn't going to be an easy night.
Reaching appartment B5 she paused a moment before she knocked on the door. When she finally did, it was answered almost immediately. She forced a smile onto her face.
"Hi Leroy."
The smile on Leroy's face, in marked contrast to hers, was genuine. "I wasn't sure you'd come," he said frankly as he stood aside to let her in.
"Neither was I." She answered him just as frankly as she sat down. "But you gave such good directions..." She waved the note that she'd found in her locker that morning. "And how could I refuse the chance to see your new place?"
"A little nicer than my old one huh?" Leroy asked as he looked around the room. The front door opened out into a spacious living room, which had a large window from floor to ceiling, leading out on to a balcony. To the left, there was a kitchen unit, and to the right were the bathroom and two bedrooms. He had been lucky to find it, he knew, and he was already looking forward to Tina coming out to visit.
Nicole looked around, taking it all in, a small smile on her face. "You haven't done bad Leroy," she said lightly. "Jesse said rehearsals start next week?"
"That's right." Leroy walked over to the kitchen. "Coffee?"
"Milk. No sugar."
"Sweet enough already?" The words were out of his mouth before Leroy even thought about it. Nicole let the comment slide and waited for him to hand her the coffee.
"Is Tina coming out to see you?"
Leroy laughed. "She's got me to reserve her a front row seat for opening night."
Nicole laughed too. "That's Tina"
"When the show came to Detroit, she got me to do the same thing for her. Then every other night, she sweet-talked security into letting her backstage. I don't know how she does it."
"She's something else alright."
Leroy put his cup down on the table and sat down beside her. "What about you Nicole?"
"What about me?" Nicole spoke lightly, but Leroy could see her guard go up instantly after he asked the question.
"How did things go for you in Florida? Your acting gig?"
"Not so bad."
"Big role?"
"Supporting part."
"And for that you left the school?"
Nicole stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the view. "It was a good part...a good opportunity to learn the ropes."
"You had that at the School of the Arts. Why walk away from it? You tried that once and you came back, remember?"
"I remember" Nicole's voice was so quiet that Leroy could barely hear her.
"So why did you go?"
"Because..." Nicole wheeled around to face him, frustration stamped all over her face. "Because I wanted a change...I wanted to see if I could make it on my own...if I could meet the challenge...." Her voice faded as she turned to look out the window again.
Now it was Leroy's voice that became quiet as he asked a question that had plagued him for over a year, ever since he heard that Nicole was leaving the school. "Did it have anything to do with New Year's Eve?" That scored a direct hit. Even with her back to him, he could tell that the question had affected her. When the silence threatened to become oppressive, he pressed her again. "Did it Nicole?"
She half turned to look at him. "What happened on New Year's Eve that was so special?" she asked him.
Leroy was genuinely surprised by the question, more by the tone of voice than anything else. "You know as well as I do Nicole."
Nicole turned back to the window. "My parents were away, you and Tina came over, she fell asleep after the ball dropped..." She was speaking dismissively, but Leroy wasn't going to let her get away with that.
"So we put her to bed in your guest room..." he continued.
"And we drank a little too much wine, got a little carried away...let's not make more of it than it was." She was still staring out the window, her voice flat and lifeless.
"Excuse me?" Leroy was standing up and halfway across the room as he spoke. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what it means." Nicole wasn't giving him an inch.
Leroy grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. For an instant the thought crossed his mind maybe he was being a little rough with her, but that thought vanished when he saw her eyes. There was something hard and unreadable there, something that had never been in Nicole's eyes before. "Maybe you'd better explain it to me," was all he said.
Nicole shrugged out of his grasp and put a little distance between them. "It was just sex Leroy. Nothing more."
"I beg your pardon?" Leroy was having a hard time reconciling this with his memories of the night in question. "That's not true and you know it."
"Do I?"
"Damn straight! I was there, I know what happened. There's a difference between having sex and making love Nicole. I know what went on in that room that night baby, and there's no way it was just sex." His voice was dripping venom, but it had no effect at all on Nicole.
She shook her head. "You're wrong Leroy, that's all it was. It should never have happened, you know that as well as I do. I seem to recall that we agreed on that the next morning."
"That's not what I agreed. I agreed that even though it shouldn't have happened, I wasn't sorry that it did." Closing the distance between them, he reached out and gently turned her to face him. "That I'd wanted it to happen for a long time. And that even if it only happened once, that was better than it never happening it all." As he spoke, he saw something of the old Nicole surface, the Nicole that he'd held in his arms that New Years Eve as he prayed that New Years Day would never come, that just like in the song, that this would be the last night of the world. Looking down at her now, as then, the desire to kiss her was overwhelming, but he instinctively sensed that that would cause even more problems.
"Don't Leroy," she whispered, her eyes filled with tears.
Reacting more to the tears than the words, he released his hold on her and stepped back. "You know how I feel Nicole. How I've always felt. And if you need to talk.....or when you feel you can talk about what's wrong....I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."
Nicole shook her head wordlessly, sorrow and confusion intermingled on her face. She stood there for what seemed like forever, and when she finally spoke, her words were an anticlimax. "I should go," she whispered. She took up her coat and her bag and walked out. She never looked back.
Leroy didn't do a thing to stop her.