…And Then…I Kissed Her
By:  Jamie Sommers

Email:  jamiesommers23@hotmail.com

Rated: P/G13 for language

Synopsis:  Landon Carter needs help with his lines and Jamie Sullivan has agreed to give him a hand on one condition…he has to promise not to fall in love with her.



Chapter 8:  Opening Night



It was Friday.  Tonight was opening night.  We all had to get to the theater early because Miss. Garber wanted to go through a complete dress rehearsal, but I had to make a stop first.

“I came to say I’m sorry.”  I had stopped off at the rehab center to visit Clay and to ask for his forgiveness. To beg if necessary.

“You know I actually thought I wanted to be your friend, but now I have no idea why…no idea.”  

‘Seems this has been happening a lot to you lately Carter.’  

I tried talking to Clay for a little while, hoping that I could smooth things over between us, and when I left I felt pretty good at how we left it off.  “So I’ll see you at school?”

‘Well Landon, this is a good sign.  If you can get Clay Gephardt to smile at you, and you put him in the hospital, then you should be able to wear Jamie down…eventually…I hope…someday…yeah…right.’  

When I got to the auditorium everyone was already there except for Jamie.  It turns out she had some kind of appointment she couldn’t get out of this afternoon so Miss. Garber was gonna have to read her lines.  We went through the dress rehearsal without a hitch.  There were still a few things missing though, like Jamie and her song, but I guess we’d all have to wait until the actual performance to hear it.  She had played it a few times on the piano here at school and I heard her rehearsing it a couple of times when I went to her house to run lines, but I never really bothered to listen to it.  I was sure it would be great though; Jamie really did have a nice voice.

“All right everyone!  Places!”  Miss. Garber was running around, clapping her hands together and telling everyone to get ready.  

I still hadn’t seen Jamie so I finally worked up the nerve to ask, “Uh, Miss. Garber?  Where’s Jamie?”

“Oh, she’s here.  She’s doing her hair and makeup.”

“Oh…yeah…right.”  

I could here the audience talking amongst themselves and the sound of paper rustling as people flipped through their programs.  The lights dimmed and a hush came over the crowd.  I walked to the center of the stage and took my place and when the curtains opened.   'Don't screw this up Carter.'   The lights came up and something miraculous happened, I was no longer Landon Carter - rebel teen.  I was Tom Thorton - rebel gangster.  ‘No wonder Miss. Garber wanted you in this role.’  

Sally and I exchanged our lines the way we had rehearsed them as scene after scene went off the way Miss. Garber had intended it to.  Then Jamie walked on stage wearing this black cloak.  She was coming in from the rain and we were to have a few scenes with her still wearing it.  Her identity was supposed to be ‘mysterious’ until our last scene together.  It was a little weird talking back and forth with her, not being able to make out her face, but we did it and eventually we got to the end of the play.  

The nightclub was empty now and it was just Tom and Alicia…Jamie and me.

“Look, I ain’t blaming ya.  I’m not asking for forgiveness either.” That was Jamie’s cue to finally take off her cape. “Just did what I had to do.”  I turned to her as she draped her cloak over the chair and I couldn’t believe it.  “When you walked…outta the rain and into my club…that wasn’t just a coincidence was it?”  I couldn’t breathe.  She was…wow.  Her hair that always smelled of flowers, cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in flowing waves.

“Nothing’s coincidence.”  

“Your face.  You look so familiar…like this dame I knew once only it wasn’t real. It was a dream.”

“Tell me about this dream girl.”  

I began getting flashbacks of Jamie sitting on her porch swing just a few weeks ago saying that line to me and when I looked at her sitting across the table from me I was lost.  “Well I don’t remember…” for the life of me I couldn’t seem to remember what my next line was.  She had asked me about my dream girl and all I could think was, ‘you’re the only girl that’s been invading my dreams lately.’  I looked off stage, hoping that someone could help me out, but there was nothing anyone could do. It was up to me.  I looked at Jamie then and said with every ounce of emotion I could muster up, what I had been dying to say to her for weeks now--I just didn't know it.  “All I know…is that...you’re beautiful.”  ‘I mean it Jamie.  From the bottom of my heart.’

The look on Jamie’s face when I said that brought me out of my fog.  I still couldn’t remember my lines, 'Wait a minute...isn't Jamie supposed to say something here?'  I had to get us out of this situation.  Once again I looked off stage and saw Miss. Garber.  She was mouthing, ‘the song.  The song.’  

“The dream.  Help me to remember.  Will you sing for me?”

The music started instantly and her voice chimed in immediately after that.

“There’s a song that’s inside of my soul
It’s the one that I’ve tried to write over and over again
I’m awake in the infinite cold
But you sing to me over and over and over again”

I was surprised at how crystal clear her voice was.  It was like nothing I had ever heard before.  It was flawless.  She had lost all vestiges of nervousness and was back in character now, at least I think she was, but me?  I was completely lost in Jamie’s voice. I could easily spend the rest of my life just listening to her sing.

“So I lay my head back down
And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
I know now, you’re my only hope”

I had to snap out of this reverie I was in.  I was being ridiculous.  This wasn’t the type of girl I was meant to spend the rest of my life with.  Or was it?  I was just so confused.  I kept thinking about how good she made me feel, how much laughter we shared together.   She was special...different.  'No Landon, you don't deserve someone like Jamie.'  Oh, but I wished…

“Sing to me the song of the stars
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again
When it seems like my dreams are so far
Sing to me of the plans that you hide from me over again”

She sat down and began singing right to me again.  I kept telling myself to get back into character, but I knew that pretending to be Tom Thorton was the furthest thing from my mind.  I looked at her while she sang, watched as her soft, pink lips moved and began memorizing every curve of her face.  The way her hair brushed her cheek.  I needed to keep the memory of this night with me always.  

“So I lay my head back down
And I lift hands and pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
I know now, you’re my only hope”

A million thoughts raced through my mind.  ‘Jamie, I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to hurt you.  Jamie, I miss spending time with you.  Jamie, please forgive me.  Jamie, I need you.  I need you.’  I began thinking about our conversations together, ‘My father doesn’t hate you Landon…hate is a strong word…please don’t swear around me…are you going to visit Clay Gephardt…they moved him to that rehab center…you’ve got to promise you won’t fall in love with me…you won’t fall in love with me…fall in love with me…’  

“I give you my destiny
I’m giving you all of me
I want your everything
Singing with all that I am
At the top of my lungs
I’m giving it back”

As I listened to her sing, I was overwhelmed with the amount of emotions that were coursing through my system. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up and I got this feeling throughout my entire body. Never in my whole life did I think that something like this would happen to me and I wondered over and over again, 'When the hell did this happen?  How did this happen?  No...there's no way...it couldn't be...I mean...Holy shit!!!'  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was in love with Jamie Sullivan and it scared the hell out of me.

“So I lay my head back down
And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
I know now you’re my only hope.”

I watched her make her way back to her chair and I could feel this pulling force.  I kept telling myself, ‘don’t do it Landon.  Don’t do it.  But if you don’t do it, you’ll never know if this is real or not.’  

“Mmmmm.  
Hmmmmmn
Hmmmm
Hmmmm hmmnnnn
Oooooh oooh oooh
Oooooh oooh oooh
Oooooooooooooooh”

I lifted myself off of my seat and leaned over the table…and then…I kissed her.