Drama: A Graphic Novel

At school, Callie presents Liz with a gift: a tomato-shaped pin cushion that she picked up at a store at the mall named Yoshi’s J-Mart. Liz gratefully and enthusiastically accepts it, but Matt snidely comments that he hasn’t been to Yoshi’s J-Mart in years—“Their stuff’s way too cutesy for me” (62), he says. He then walks away, leaving Callie to wonder what his issue is.

At lunch, Justin invites Callie to eat with him, as Jesse is off tutoring. Callie, remembering Matt’s behavior, decides to forgo her usual lunch with Matt and Liz. She agrees to join Justin. They find a grassy spot where Callie used to eat lunch with Liz and Matt. There, Callie opens up about her feelings regarding Greg. She tells Justin that Greg has acted like he likes her in private, but spurns her when there are other people around. “I’ve known Greg since second grade. He’s always been thickheaded, even if he’s cute,” Justin responds (64). He then openly tells Callie that he’s gay. Callie has a cautious response at first, saying that she’s never known anyone who is gay. She asks if Jesse knows, and Justin tells her that he is the first person Justin ever told about his identity. Callie ascertains that Jesse is straight, with a smitten look on her face. She then wraps Justin in a hug and tells him, “Your secret’s safe with me” (67). At that moment Liz and Matt walk up. They went looking for Callie when she didn’t show up at their regular cafeteria lunch spot. Callie then introduces Justin to Matt and Liz, and Justin quickly departs. After he’s gone, Matt tells Callie not to get too close to the stage performers, giving the excuse that friendships with the actors will distract her from her work. He then leaves.

Liz reads too much into the hug between Callie and Justin that she witnessed, implying that the two are dating. Callie assures her that they are not. And when Liz says that she isn’t surprised that Callie and Justin get along since Justin is so talented, Callie mentions that Jesse is also talented. Liz also mentions that her aunt has gifted her with a hand-me-down sewing machine, which she is very excited about using to construct the play’s costumes.

Later, auditions are held. Justin auditions for the role of Bailey Johnston—the play’s leading man. He sings beautifully during his audition. West Redding, a tall, blonde-haired and blue-eyed student, also puts forth an excellent audition for the part, while Bonnie stuns with her beautiful voice during her surprise audition. There are many auditioning students showcasing varying skill levels. Callie, trying to encourage Jesse to audition, even steps up and gives a tuneless ditty—just for fun. But Jesse still does not audition.

Later, the audition results are posted. West Redding gets the role of Bailey Johnston, with Bonnie opposite him as Maybelline. Jesse is cast as the comic-relief character Colonel Scrimshaw. He is devastated that he hasn’t nabbed the lead role. Jesse and Callie try to console him, but he walks away upset.

Meanwhile, Bonnie snobbishly tells a nearby friend, “Could you even believe some of the other girls who tried out?” (85), in obvious reference to Callie’s hammy audition. Callie immediately hits back, asserting that her audition was just for fun, and that she is perfectly happy and secure in her place as a stage crew member: “I was just having fun. This is supposed to be fun, remember?” (86). Jesse also stands up for Callie, telling Bonnie not to be rude. When he tells Bonnie that he is also on the stage crew, Bonnie says, “Oh. That makes sense, for a brainiac like you” (87).

Later, at home, Callie tells Richard about the miniature stage set she has begun constructing. He asks her if she remembers the time that their mother took them to see “Les Misérables.” The book’s images depict Callie’s childhood visit to the theater, during which she was completely awed and transfixed. It was this trip to the theater that ignited her love for the stage. She quickly discovered that she had no musical talent, but she did not let that deter her from learning everything she could about musical theater. And when a flyer advertising stage crew caught her eye on the first day of sixth grade, she found her calling.

Later, at school, the students busy themselves with costume, makeup, and prop preparation. Callie leads the construction of the cannon. Justin also comes in order to assist, and becomes smitten with Loren, the stage manager.

Jesse and Callie go on a snack run. While in the vending machine corridor, Jesse sings a few lines beautifully—confirming his theory that the corridor has excellent acoustics. Callie asks him if he truly wants to sing on stage, and Jesse confesses that he doesn’t quite know what he truly wants. He intimates that he and Justin have shared activities, classes, and friend groups their entire lives: “When you’re a twin, people just assume you’re the same person. It’s not fair really. I guess I just want to give [Justin] a chance to shine” (101). Callie assures him that Justin wants the same for him. When they return to the theater, Matt complains that they’ve taken too long. To Callie’s delight, she exchanges good night texts with Jesse that night.

A few days later, at the theater, Jesse and Callie continue working while constructing a set piece. He tells her that he’s never gone to a school dance before. Callie tells him that he should attend his eighth-grade formal, and that she’s sure he’d enjoy it. She then demonstrates how to slow dance, placing her hands on his neck and his around her waist. The two are spotted by Loren and Justin, who become both squeamish and entertained at the sight.

Liz then asks Callie to accompany her to the costume vault again. West, Justin, Matt, Jesse, and Bonnie spontaneously join them. Bonnie only joins the group after chiding West for not fulfilling his promise to walk her home. He maintains that he will do that—after going down into the vault. This persuades Bonnie to come along with them. West and Bonnie immediately break off from the group once they open the vault, and the others later discover the two smooching in a dark corner. Liz, in the meantime, secures enough scrap fabric that she will use to construct new costumes. Before all the students scatter, Jesse reminds Bonnie that they have a tutoring session during lunchtime tomorrow. He tells her that if she fails science, she won’t graduate from eighth grade. But she still can’t be bothered to care about the subject.