Free Play Dirty #2 by Jessie K

vibrated through them. People were whispering animatedly and holding hands. Matthew stood in the center of everyone and spun slowly, his hands back over his heart.
    “This is an exceptionally proud moment for me.” His voiced quieted the entire cast and crew. “You have all exceeded my expectations more than I could have ever envisioned. Your passion and dedication to this craft and this legendary production has been nothing shy of epic. The thirst I feel in this crowd is very real.”
    Some scattered laughter made him roll his eyes. “Yes, yes. My euphemisms are hilarious. Before these curtains rise, I want everyone to take a moment to appreciate everything you’ve done here.
    “You built sets out of scrapped wood. You brought to life two-dimensional characters that are over four-hundred years old. You made our principal cry during a dress rehearsal. You’ve learned to fence, you’ve learned to sing in Italian. You’ve learned to shatter that fourth wall and demand the attention of every single person in the audience. I have never been more proud in my life to be a part of a production, and this includes my time Off-Broadway.”
    Lynn dabbed away the tears welling in her eyes, and she noticed several others doing the same. Her feelings, the amazing sex, all of that aside—Matthew breathed life into her little high school theater company and made them feel legit. They weren’t just putting on a high school play, they were actors in a theater. He did that to them.
    “If we have flubs, we have flubs. Every production has hiccups on opening night, no matter how many times we rehearse. Don’t let these stop you from the delivering the performance of your lives. You, here, now, are professionals. Professionals never quit—”
    “Goonies never say die!” Someone piped up from the back. Everyone laughed. During a ‘bonding experience,’ he had them all watch The Goonies together, appalled that most of them had never seen it. It turned into a great inside joke.
    “Exactly.” Matthew pointed towards the voice. “Exactly. Everyone, kick ass tonight. You have it in you, and more than that, I know you want to. Am I right?”
    Cheers erupted around them. He laughed and used his hands to gesture them to quiet down.
    “Bring it in, guys. I want the biggest group hug you can give me.”
    They all huddled together, nervous bodies pressed together. In that moment, Lynn didn’t even mind putting an arm around Aria. This was theater, this was her life, this was everything they worked for.
    “Okay, guys. Places!”
    The crowd of black and embellished costumes scattered as everyone prepared for the show. Aria caught Lynn’s hand, causing her to jump slightly.
    “I just wanted to say…” Aria paused to chew on her lip and took a deep breath. “Look, our rivalry goes back for years, and whatever. We will never be BFFs, and that’s fine. But… break a leg tonight.”
    Lynn smiled, and before she could change her mind, hugged her. “You, too, Levens. You’re a great Nurse.”
    “Yeah, well.” Aria pulled away awkwardly, but smiled. “It’s takes someone with divine talent to make a full body cast of fabric look this goddamn sexy.”
    Lynn nodded. “I’ll see you out there.”
    Aria smiled back, a little tight, but it still wasn’t the usual hate she usually spewed, which was a huge step forward. Lynn took a deep breath and leaned against a wall, running through her lines in her head. She imagined the audience was empty save for one person, sitting dead center in the front row, with a giant smile on his face.
    The whole experience became pure magic. Everyone was on point: every joke was perfectly executed, every fight was immaculate, and the audience responded exactly as they planned. As soon as Lynn took the stage, the theater erupted in applause, like everyone did when she saw Wicked and Ephalba finally graced the stage.
    She felt like the real deal, like a legitimate, professional actress who had arrived. Once