Note: All characters are 18 year olds in their last year of high school.
---
"Our next unit will be on musical theater," Miss Reese exclaimed in an encouraging voice from the front of the school auditorium.
A collective groan rose up from most of the drama students spread out among the first five rows of seats. A few enthusiastic faces shared their feelings on the subject, but they were few and far between.
"Your grade for this section will be based on a scene presented to the class. With so many musicals to choose from I am excited to see what you come up with," Miss Reese continued.
A tight ball formed in Tom's stomach as he thought about singing in front of the class. He involuntarily sunk down into his seat. He began to form visions of himself alone on the stage, trying to get through a song while the class tittered in laughter. How would he possibly get through this?
"You can pair off in groups of two, three, or four people if you like. Plan to present three weeks from now. You'll have time to practice in class, but I encourage you to put in the time after school to make your act memorable. This is really your chance to shine," Miss Reese directed them.
Tom's eyes scanned his classmates frantically, hoping to avoid the mortification of a solo song. At least in a group I'll not be the only one making an ass of myself, he thought.
His eyes caught those of his friend Erin who was sitting with Robert and Ashley one row in front of his. She smiled and nodded her affirmation to a question he hadn't even asked.
"Ok, why don't you go ahead and take a few minutes to decide who you want to work with and what song you want to perform," Miss Reese continued.
Tom grabbed up his bag and clambered over the seat in front of his to join Erin and the others. They had worked together in the past. Some days Tom sat next to them, but he had never found the right clique despite now being in his senior year. Nevertheless there was always something special when he talked to Erin, a little spark inside him that was fed by the twinkle in her eyes and her smile.
"Hey man," Robert said, slapping hands in greeting.
"Hey Tom," Ashley added, pushing her long, brown hair back behind her ears.
Erin smiled, displaying some of her wry wit, "So, it's A Chorus Line or Singing in the Rain, right?"
Tom and the rest of the group smirked in response. They definitely tended towards the edgier, darker material in class. It was hard to imagine banging out a traditional routine with leg kicks and jazz hands.
"I hate musicals," Tom remarked, receiving nods of agreement. "I have no idea."
"What about 'Hair'?" Erin queried.
"Ooh, that could be fun," Ashley said, with a hint of naughtiness in her voice.
"I'm not getting naked in front of the class," Robert declared.
"That's just the one song," Erin shot back.
Naked? What is he talking about? Tom thought. "What's Hair?" he asked the group.
"You've never heard of Hair? It's like the musical about the 60s," Erin said, a note of surprise in her voice.
"Well, that could be ok," Tom said hesitantly, not wanting to go against the group.
"Let's meet up at the public library after school to see what we can find," declared Erin, settling the matter.
She was a slight girl with chin length, wavy strawberry blond locks. They were matched by a button nose covered with a sprinkle of freckles. But she filled up any room with the force of her personality and fearless confidence.
The bell rang and each of them was off to their next class.
---
Entering the library building, Tom soon saw his classmates clustered around one of the computer terminals and made his way over. Robert and Ashley nodded their hellos, and Erin put her hand on his forearm in greeting. Tom felt a few hairs stand up on the back of his neck in response to the warm touch.
"We think this song catalog should cover what we need," Erin explained as she turned back to the screen, writing down the appropriate call number on a piece of paper.
The foursome made their way up into the heart of the library, eventually retrieving the tome in question. They moved to a nearby study table, spreading out the book and circling around.
The list of song titles flowed past, making Tom's mind churn. Colored Spade, White Boys, Black Boys, Hashish, Manchester England, Hare-Krishna, what kind of musical is this he wondered.
Erin flipped through the pages as they scanned the musical scores and read the lyrics. It appeared that Ashley and Robert were at least somewhat familiar with the show, but the words brought out a share of collective giggles as they dug into the show.
"Well, there is no way they are going to let us do this one," Robert remarked as they moved down the page for a song entitled Sodomy.
"Yeah, I think this is the best one really. I remember hearing it one time when my parents were playing the radio in the car," Erin proposed.
The page offered up the opening song for the musical, Aquarius. The lyrics, borrowing heavily from astrology, promised a new age of love and understanding.
"'Golden living dreams of visions,' what does that even mean?" Tom asked skeptically.
"It means letting go of your logical brain and just going with what moves you," Erin replied. "Something you should do a little more."
Tom felt his cheeks get hot and wondered if the others could see him blushing. But a closer examination of Erin's face revealed a soft smile, suggesting her words were ones of encouragement -- not ridicule.
"This is pretty wild," Ashley agreed. "I wonder how we are going to put together a dance routine for this."
"Oh, I'm sure we can come up with some fun stuff to do," Robert commented, his hand flipping forward in the songbook.
Robert's eyes connected with Tom's and the nonverbal message was clear, don't mess this up by not being into it.
"Ok, I trust you guys," said Tom, trying to cover the hesitation in his voice.
"Good, let's make some copies and we can meet tomorrow to start working on the choreography," Erin said enthusiastically. Her hand was back on Tom's arm, causing a tingly glow to spread across that side of his body.
---
The morning had broken and light was spilling into the room from under the pulled shades on Tom's bedroom window. He was lingering in the space between sleeping and awake, refusing to jump up and start the day. His mind flitted back through the snapshots of his last dream. Erin, Ashley, Robert, and him were garbed in the peasant attire he had seen in so many histories about the 1960s. They had all moved in a flowing dance, twirling and swaying as they came together and then spread apart. Each had begun shedding their clothes until a naked Erin approached him. Her trim figure was punctuated by tight, round breasts and wisp of reddish pubic hair that framed her skinny hips and legs. Her lips moved towards his, but right as they were to touch he awoke.
