Drama: A Graphic Novel

The school play’s flyer is ready, and Callie isn’t happy with it. The flyer depicts a kissing couple, and she was hoping for the cannon to make an appearance on it instead. “Think of the people who might have come if they knew there was a cannon involved” (114), she reasons. But Matt and Loren have already printed the flyers (behind schedule), and the flyers need to go up on campus.

Justin volunteers to help Callie flyer the school bulletin boards. As they do so, a student named Theo Mitsubishi walks by. Justin tells Callie that he thinks Theo is very cute. “I thought you had a crush on Loren!” (114), Callie says. Justin responds that he does—but he thinks Loren may be straight.

By afternoon, Callie is hanging out with Liz, helping her make costumes. Callie asks for Liz’s advice about Jesse: She wonders aloud if Jesse has any romantic feelings for her. “Or maybe he’s…”—Callie begins a sentence—and Liz finishes it with, “What? Gay?” (117). The thought that he could be makes Callie nervous, but Liz assures her that she thinks he’s just shy—and that it’s Justin who she’d put her money on as gay. Callie remains quiet and keeps Justin’s secret. Then, Liz tells her to ask Jesse to the upcoming eighth grade formal. Callie blanches, saying that a seventh-grader can’t ask an eighth-grader to the eighth-grade formal. Later that night, though, Callie does send a text message to Jesse—asking him if he’d like to go with her to the bookstore again sometime. She’s crestfallen when he doesn’t reply.

The next day, however, Jesse is waiting for Callie at her locker. He apologizes for not responding to her text—and tops her offer by inviting her to go with him to a specialty bookstore in town that focuses on theater books. They excitedly make plans to meet after school, where his dad, whom he says has been “dying to meet” Callie, will meet them to drive them to the store (123).

After school, Callie, Justin, and Jesse pile into the backseat of Mr. Mendocino’s old van, which the twins have dubbed “the bananamobile” (124). As he drives the children, Mr. Mendocino probes them to see if Callie is either Justin or Jesse’s girlfriend, which makes both Jesse and Callie flustered. Callie quickly changes the subject.

When they arrive at the bookstore, Callie is a bit surprised and disappointed that Justin will be joining the outing—she conceptualized the time with Jesse as more of a date. But she quickly becomes absorbed in all of the treasures the bookstore has to offer, including displays of old costumes, archival playbills, and vintage oversized theater books. In the end, she leaves the store with only a bookmark—and a list of 65 books she’d like to receive as presents.

While the children are waiting for Mr. Mendocino to pick them up, they discuss the eighth-grade formal. Justin says that his dad would get upset if he were to go to the formal with another boy—and that he doesn’t know if he himself is ready to do that. But he thinks that asking a girl to accompany him as a friend could be just as fun as attending the dance with a date. Callie encourages him to ask Liz, while elbowing Jesse. She even turns to him with dreamy eyes, inquiring about whether he has a date to the dance yet or not. But Jesse doesn’t take the bait to either discuss the dance or to ask Callie to it.

The next day at school, Callie is busily painting a tree set piece. She’s displaced from the theater when it has to be emptied for a light installation. As she sits in the audience rows waiting for the work to be finished, she is unexpectedly joined by Greg, who has come looking for Matt. They idly discuss the formal. Greg says that he thought he’d take Bonnie, but that won’t be happening now that she’s dating West. He then says, “Hey, are you going with anyone?” (137). She responds, “Uh...I dunno. Only if someone asks me” (137). Then, Matt walks up and he and Greg leave.

When Callie returns to her painting task, she reflects on how her heart jumped into her throat when Greg mentioned the formal. And she tells herself that Jesse better ask her to it.