Almost in Love by Kylie Gilmore

all. He wore a black T-shirt with black pants. Then, because he couldn’t be a dashing pirate without it, he tied on the black bandana and the belt with the sword.
    He arrived early to find a few of the cast hanging out, sitting on the edge of the stage. The director wasn’t there yet.
    “Ahoy, me hearties,” he boomed before sitting next to them.
    “Who are you?” a smooth voice asked. It was the guy next to him.
    “I’m the Pirate King.”
    “I’m Frederic,” the guy cooed.
    “Then we will cross swords,” Barry replied. Frederic and the Pirate King had several scenes and a sword fight together.
    The guy raised his brows. “I hope so.” He held out a hand. “Zac.”
    “Barrett.” What the hell, he could be anyone he wanted to be when it came to theater. He was tired of being shlubby old Barry. “You can call me Bare.” He loved it when Amber called him that.
    “Barrett! I love it!” This from an overly excited Zac.
    Barry wasn’t sure what Zac was so excited about.
    Another guy leaned over to say, “My last name is Barrett. Kevin Barrett.”
    “Oh. Okay, nice to meet you.”
    “I’m your understudy. I’m Samuel, the Pirate King’s lieutenant.”
    Barry saluted. “Aye aye, lieutenant.”
    “Ooh!” Zac squealed.
    “Hi, Bare,” a group of women sitting nearby sang.
    He waved and walked over. “And who are ye lovely ladies?”
    “I’m Zoe,” a pretty woman with curly black hair said. “I play Mabel, one of the Major-General’s daughters, in love with the dashing Frederic.” She batted her eyes at Zac, who blew her a kiss.
    “Pleasure be mine,” Barry said.
    The women smiled dreamily. It was the pirate effect. He met Lauren and Meg, who also played the Major-General’s daughters, and then he spotted Amber walking down the aisle of the auditorium with another woman, and he forgot about everyone else. Amber wore another halter top, white with pink polka dots, with a black skirt that ended just above her adorable bare knees. He exited the stage and met Amber halfway.
    “Ahoy, wench,” he said, “welcome to the great ship Eastman High School.”
    Amber laughed. “Hey, Bare. This is my friend Steph. She’s one of the Major-General’s daughters.”
    “Nice to meet you,” Steph said. “You were amazing at the audition.”
    “That’s because I am the Pirate King!” he boomed with a fist in the air. He smiled and winked. “Thank ye by the way.”
    Steph laughed. The three of them headed to the stage. Toby, the director, arrived, along with a few other people Barry didn’t know yet.
    “Okay, people,” Toby called, scripts in hand. “Gather ’round. We’ve got six weeks to pull this together. That means rehearsal every night except Sunday for two shows Friday and Saturday night. If you miss more than two rehearsals in a row, you’re out. Anyone that can’t handle that, door’s right there.” He gestured to the exit.
    Nobody moved.
    “Good. Let’s get started. I’m Toby Whalen, your director, as many of you know. I’ve been doing this a hell of a long time, so you’re in good hands. I’ll let the rest of the staff introduce themselves.” He nodded to the young woman in a leotard and shorts on his right.
    “Hi, I’m Jasmine Davis. I recognize a lot of you.” She smiled. “I’m the choreographer.”
    “That’s my sister!” Zoe hollered.
    “And I’m Zoe’s older sister,” Jasmine said with a smile.
    A petite older woman sitting next to Toby stood up and waved. “Hello, everyone, I’m Edith, Toby’s mother.” She smiled. “And also the stage manager.”
    “She’ll keep everything running smoothly,” Toby said. He pointed toward the piano. “Will Levi on piano.”
    Will stood and waved. “Hey.”
    Toby turned to them. “Will’s dad, Brian, will not be joining us this year because he’s on a booze cruise to celebrate his retirement followed by a month at the beach. What a bum! All right, let’s get started. Edith will pass out the scripts; then