The sun hung zily in the sky, casting a golden glow over the slightly wet sand that stretched seemingly endlessly before us. The waves pped gently at the shore, creating a soothing rhythm that was a world away from the chaos of film sets and bustling cities. I took a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air, a a wave of te wash over me. The sunshine erfee. Too bad my [Harry Potter] tract forbade me from sunbathing while the films were in produ. This was heaven.

  I 't believe I almost said no to this. Dad and Mum had spent quite some cash on this trip of ours, having booked a private isnd just for us. Then again, when you have this much money, why won't you spend it?

  “Whoever said the beach isn't for bookworms clearly never had this," Emma broke the silence, holding up a battered copy of [Pride and Prejudice]. "Sand, sea, and a cssiovel. What more could a girl ask for?”

  “Are y to sound deep?” Jamie quipped with a grin on his face. “Because you’re failing badly at that.”

  “Hey!” Evan shoved Jamie lightly. “Don’t talk to Emma like that.”

  Jamie and I shared a knowing grin before he said, “Sure I won’t, lover boy.”

  Evan spluttered inprehensibly, trying to e up with something clever, but failed miserably.

  “Ignore him, Evan,” Emma rolled her eyes maturely. “He’s just sad that the only girl ied in him would be Dame Maggie Smith.”

  “Oooh! Burn!” I egged them on.

  “Shut up, Troy,” Jamie said grumpily before turning to Emma. “Maggie is cool.”

  The three of us not named Jamie ughed at that. When we began shooting for the first part, Jamie was in awe of Maggie Smith, and it was funny seeing him make a fool of himself. As the days passed, some of that awe had dissipated while being in the presenost of our adult co-stars, but Jamie would still behave abnormally in front of Maggie Smith.

  “Let’s nue,” Evan cut in before Jamie and Emma could say more. “Why don’t we py volleyball instead?” He picked up the ball we had brought along with us and tossed it at me, which I caught effortlessly. “e on, guys, we are on a vacation!”

  Jamie stood up and rolled his bare shoulders exaggeratedly, “I wouldn’t mind a few rounds. Unless it is too manly of a job for our cute little Emma.” All his prior embarrassment was fotten in the moment.

  Emma closed her book with a dramatic huff. “Just watch me wipe the floor with you, Bell. Evan, you’re on my team." She dragged the said boy to their side of the makeshift court.

  Jamie and I couldn’t help but chuckle at a red-faced Evan. It was eoo cute to see the effect Emma had on Evan. Emma was oblivious to the whole thing, while Evan refused to admit how he felt.

  “Prepare to lose, Troy,” Evan announced fidently after taking his position. I was surprised by this because the Evan I knew was always the shy little boy, too afraid to be frontational or even moeo was refreshing seeing the easy grin on his face.

  "We'll see about that," I replied, feeling the familiar thrill of petition. "Jamie, don’t you dare embarrass me now.”

  The game began, and ughter filled the air as we dove and scrambled for the ball. Within moments, we had even fotten that this was supposed to be a petition of sorts. Emma proved to be surprisingly agile for her age and was the MVP as she went after every hit. Jamie, because of his height, owerhouse, sending the ball flying with impressive force. Evan and I were the worst pyers, but no one called us out on it.

  We pyed for hours in front of the setting sun, only for Mum to call us out and bring us back to reality, “Kids! It's time to pack. We have to go baorrow. If you leave something here, you won’t get it back.”

  Now I seriously regret taking up [Billy Elliot: The Musical]. I would have loved to spend more time on the isnd, away from the chaos of a film or theater set, or crowding by fans.

  (Break)

  Evan Spader was having the time of his life with his best friend Troy. He was not in favor of the idea of his parents going to Boston for a whole month because he didn’t want to move with them. He used to like his older cousin Jimmy when they were little, but as they grew older, Jimmy and he drifted apart a lot. The older boy would talk only about girls, and Evan didn’t uand why.

  So when Steve Kloves offered Evan to e for a brief holiday with their family, Evan leaped at the opportunity. He even asked Steve to extend his stay with them for a whole month, so he wouldn’t have to live with Jimmy, and surprisingly, Steve agreed. It was a little disheartening to know that after their vacation, Troy would go back to work, but still, it was better than any other alternative. He would have to miss school for a week or two, but Steve had assured his parents that he would get Evan good tutors for the days missed.

  ing to London was the biggest shock for Evan. Earlier, Evan’s family used to live in a bigger house than Troy’s, but now, the situation is the opposite. Troy’s pce was han a mansion with how big everything was. Eveeriors were vishly designed. Wheered the house, he had a slight apprehension that Troy would have ged now after earning so much money, but that first hug told him everything he o know. The en days they spent on the isnd were phenomenal. Just like Troy, Emma and Jamie were also good people, and the four became fast friends.

  Unfortunately, all their good time came to an end when they had to return to London, back t, mundane life. It wouldn’t be so bad if Troy didn’t have to spend most of his day practig at the studio. Eva along with him sometimes, just to see how things work in a theater setting, and he was in awe of Troy. How he could do so many plicated dance moves or sing suplex notes oer another without breaking a sweat was beyond Evan’s prehension. Then again, the show’s opening was very close, so it made sehat Troy would be perf at his peak at the moment.

  The strange part was that four kids were preparing for the lead role of Billy Elliot, including Troy. When Evan asked about it, the answer he received wasn’t what he was expeg.

  "They are my uudies," Troy expined. "Which means that if I’m unavaible to perform, or if I get injured while dang, one of them would take my pce. Usually, there’s only one uudy, but sinone of them have cleared school like me, they work only limited hours a week. When the produ begins, they will eaderstudy for me two days a week. Then when I go to New York, they will take over as co-leads of the show here. So it serves a dual purpose.”

  For some reason, Evan was hesitant to say this out loud to Troy, but the more time he spent behind the ses, the more entig everything looked to him. When his parents had asked him a few years ago if he wao be an actor like Troy, he had said no vehemently, aill hadn’t ged his stance, but seeing so many people w t a story alive was inspiring for him. He even saw a man painting some vases for the background, something Evan excelled in. Maybe he take up a job like that when he grows up?

  Days passed by quickly before anyone k. In a way, it was good that Evan was in London, or he would have missed the opening of Troy’s first performa was only a preview at the moment, and the real show would begin only after a month or so, but still, Evan was more than a little excited because he didn’t know the differeweewo shows. Exactly opposite to how Troy was feeling at the moment.

  “I think I’m going to puke,” Troy said with a rapidly paling face. “No oold me that the show would be fully booked!”

  “Calm down, dude,” Evan tried pacifying him backstage. “It will be alright. Didn’t you say just yesterday that this is just a preview?”

  Troy looked over at Evan with a knowing grin, all his nervousness fotten, and asked, “Do you even know what a preview is?”

  “Of course,” Evan lied smoothly. “It means a show where you perform only a few songs, so the audienows what to expe the full show. Like the trailer of a movie!” Evan was feeling very fident about that answer right until Troy started ughing uproariously.

  “Oh my God! That was good,” Troy wheezed out between ughter. “Never ge, Evan.”

  Seeing the irritated look Evan was giving him, Troy ceased his ughter and expined, “A preview is a full performance of the show, which we are doing to see the audience's rea. Based on that, we make some ges in the dialogues or songs. We’ll also get to know which points in the py we o pause to let the audience ugh, and things like that. Critics are not invited during this time, and the regur audience is charged only half of a regur performance because they know that we won’t be perfect. So it is unusual that the audience is fully stacked at the moment because they shouldn’t be! Oh my God!” And just like that, Troy was ba his panic mode.

  Evan sighed out loud, “I don’t uand you sometimes. You were so fident this st week. You have prepared so much, and like you said, the audienows to expect errors from you. So just take a deep breath, and everything will be alright.”

  Troy followed Evan’s advid took a deep breath.

  “Troy,” a man wearing headphones walked into the green room and interrupted their talk. “We are starting the show. You have to e out in five minutes.”

  Getting the hint for what it was, Evan got up from his seat opposite his best friend and said, “You get ready. I know you’ll do great.”

  “You should say break a leg,” the other man pointed out. “It’s sidered bad luck to say things like ‘good luck’ or 'you'll do great'.”

  Troy visibly rolled his eyes at that remark, but Evan heeded the man’s advice before exiting the room. “Break a leg,” he said.

  He walked back to the baly where they had reserved a special VIP box for Troy’s family and friends. There, he took a seat between Emma and Jamie and waited silently for the show to begin. Everyone else had already gone and greeted Troy, but only Evan had stayed behind to calm his friend down.

  “Is he feelier now?” Emma asked him. “He was very fidgety.”

  Evan shook his head. “Let’s see how this show goes.”

  Suddenly, the loudspeakers came to life, and an annou was made.

  “Ladies alemen, wele to the Dominiore’s produ of [Billy Elliot: The Musical] by Lee Hall. At this time, please turn off or sileny cell phones or eleic devices and refrain from texting, and please keep in mind that rec the performance or taking photographs is not permitted. There will be one fifteen-miermission. In case of an emergency, please exit through the door through which you entered, or through the curtain to your left. Thank you, and enjoy the show!”

  Evan couldn’t find the words to describe what he was feeling. He had goosebumps running down his arms as the opening music of the show pyed out. The show began by giving out some background of the iners, who were on strike during 1984-85. Troy, who pyed Billy, was sitting in a er in a chair as everyohusiastically annouhe strike and how they were fighting for their rights.

  Troy, meanwhile, was sitting quietly, and his face looked flicted as if he didn’t know if this should be done or not.

  “Billy?” Billy’s friend Michael asked in his distinctly northern at when everyone else had left. “Do you know why they’re on strike, like?”

  “It’s to do with Maggie Thatcher, innit?” Troy asked in his own northern at.

  “Maggie Thatcher? Why? What’s she done, like?”

  “Fucked if I know,” Troy cursed, making Evan and the rest of the audie in ughter at his colorful nguage.

  “See you at boxing then?”

  “Yeah, see you, Michael,” Troy bent forward and looked down at his feet. By this moment, he was in his element, and all insecurities were seemingly gone. Evan was surprised to see that transformation in his best friend as he began singing.

  (Shine-Billy Elliot)

  “~Take me up and hold me gently,

  Raise me up and hold me high,

  Through the nights under darkness,

  Will e a day when we will fly!~”

  In the se, Billy is curled up, sleeping in his bed in his pajamas. Evan was surprised to see that because Troy didn’t have more than half a miweewo ses. So he ged his clothes during that time? That was amazing.

  As the show went on, somewhere Evan fot that he was seeing his best friend. It was Billy he was seeing. Troy was not Troy. He was Billy Elliot, truly and pletely immersing himself in the role. Whatever worries he may have had before the show were all gone now despite more than a thousand people seeing his performance. Every dance move and every musiote was doh siy and perfe.

  Havihe inal film already, Evan was amazed that he was still entranced by the plot of the py. Billy’s vilge is a mining vilge thus severely affected by the strikes. Billy lives with his father, brother, and grandmother, having lost his mother some time ago. He is forced by his father to attend boxing csses but he hates it. One day he stays behind to give keys to Mrs. Wilkinson, the ballet teacher who teaches the girls in the area. Entranced by the whole thing, Billy started taking ballet lessons with the girls. When his father found out about it, he made a se in the middle of the css, right after Billy’s big danumber.

  Mrs. Wilkinson vinces Billy to tihe lessons i. After months of practice, when finally it's time for Billy to audition for the Royal Ballet School, the polie into the vilge and injure Billy’s brother Tony, who rotesting at the time. Because of this family drama, he is te for his audition, f Mrs. Wilkinson to e to get him, where his family gets to know what is happening for months. They are visibly upset and have a verbal spat with the teacher, who leaves after telling him that she ’t do anything.

  As everyone leaves him alone, Billy shouts at the top of his lungs and falls down to his knees before starting an angry dance routine. With each step, the audience was cheering him along. The energy of the audience washed over him like a tidal wave, their appuse and cheers fueling his performance as he danced with a passion and iy he had never shown before during practice. Every leap, every turn, every moment of vulnerability onstage was met with an outp of emotion from the crowd, their enthusiasm serving as a stant reminder of the magifolding before their eyes.

  When the song is finally at its end, Billy shouts o time to the heavens and the down on the ground, face first. His chest heaved up and down from that extremely eice routine, while the crowd went wild at that great closing to the first act as the curtains were drawn and an annou was made for the intermission.

  Evan couldn’t help but feel overe with emotion seeing the perfe on stage. The love the audience showed for Troy was iious, and Evan joihem in appuding his best friend.

  ____________________________

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