Chapter Text
I scratch at my wig one last time before I step on stage. In the corner of my eye, the house lights go down for the final time. I let my eyes adjust to the dim blue lights on the backdrop of the set before the overture begins. As I let out a final calming breath, I step onto the stage and become the strong, witty, manly, Jack Kelly. I walk slowly through the dark, up the creaking wooden stairs, and lock eyes with Archer. Crutchie. I lower myself to the ground across from him and soak in the last few breaths before the overture quiets into my song. The first song would be the easiest in the show if I wasn't focused on making sure the audience doesn’t find out the imposter I am. It was always the start of the show that made me question if I was worthy and if all this trouble was for nothing. If Elliot should have talked me out of it.
“Please, you said you’d be okay with it, don’t change your mind now, I need this role!” I begged. I folded my legs under myself and sat on my knees in front of Elliot's bed.
He rubbed his forehead, “Well, as much as I want to trust you Allison, I still don’t know how much I trust you to BE me.”
I groaned, “Ugh come on Elliot, none of them even know you!” I insisted. “I promise I wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin your reputation or whatever. I just really REALLY want this role.”
I stared at him to see any sort of twitch or change in expression, but he held a still, stone cold expression. “But how are you supposed to look like me?”
“I’ll uh- wear your clothes and bind my chest! Like Mulan!”
Elliot groaned, “Wearing boy clothes doesn’t mean you’ll look like a boy.”
I analyse his face, just because we’re twins doesn’t mean we look alike, “I’ll stop plucking my eyebrows, and I’ll wear a wig, and I- I’ll um… I’ll contour my face and like put on fake sideburns or something!”
“What if you don’t get the role? This is every tenor boy's dream role.”
“If I don’t get it, you can brag and say you told me so. But I swear I was made for this role!”
Elliot slouched, “Fine, but I don’t want to have anything to do with this.”
But from the stage on opening night, I see him in the very back row with a hoodie on, as if to disguise himself. Even after quitting theatre, Elliot couldn’t help but see a show every now and then. He has always been my biggest fan, and he never doubted for a second I could play Jack Kelly, he just didn’t understand why I needed to dress up like a guy to do so. Nonetheless he agreed to help me with my plan, as long as I told the directors before opening night that I’m a girl. Even the day of the audition, he made sure to check on my outfit before I walked out the door.
I looked at myself in the mirror, a scary melting pot of my brother and I appeared staring back at me. “Do I look too feminine?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, the makeup looks pretty natural. I would say you just look kind of young. You’re just not very uh… sculpted.”
“Neither are you!”
“Got me there.”
I rolled my eyes at him and looked back at my reflection. A blue button down and black baggy slacks that make me look just flat enough that I don’t have a butt. My shoulder length hair was tied up underneath the wig I wore for my halloween costume two years prior. It was a little shaggy in the early Justin Bieber way, but I couldn’t commit to cutting my hair for a three week theatre bootcamp.
“Be super reserved and professional, a bunch of these kids know each other so they’ll be goofing around. But don’t be as peppy as you would be going in for a girl role,” he rambled.
“I know I know.”
“You’re gonna get it.”