Exit Point by Angela Hurrell
23 January 2023 { General Fiction }
Three girls are huddled in the corner chatting. The floor of the large high-ceilinged space is marked up in squares. A lad is in one of the squares next to the opposite wall. Studying his phone intently, he wears a face mask. More young people arrive, the space amplifying their greetings. They hug and fist bump.
A woman enters the room with a laptop and starts to set it up. She leans into the laptop
'Hi… Hello...'
Then she turns to the class.
'Can anyone help me I don't seem to be able to get my audio on. '
The lad with the mask looks up and, as everyone else seems to be ignoring Miss, he goes over to help. He changes the settings for her.
'Thanks Billy. '
She turns back to the room.
'Class keep it down please. '
Then turning back to the laptop.
‘Hi guys, sorry about that. Jack, can you chase Kai and ask him to join. Elle can you do the same with Mel please. All of you, cameras on please! Brig, can you see the front of the room on your screen? '
'Yes Miss'.
'Good let’s get started. '
She turns back to the room.
'Class, find a space and start to warm up'.
'Billy you can remove your face mask now.' The lad next to the wall looks incongruous amongst all the bare faces but he shakes his head.
Right guys I want you all to jog on the spot. Raise your shoulders to your ears, back and down. Keep breathing and continue. Now reverse it. '
The teacher leads them through their movement class.
'Good job. Now you're warm I want you to do three sets of exercises with a break between each set. The quicker you get them done the longer your break. Ten of each. Mountain Climbers, Push-ups and burpees. Go! '
She goes over to the laptop to check on the remote students. A few are giving it a go, a few are barely trying.
'Come on Jack! Elle did you get Mel?
'Yes Miss. She said she feels sick Miss.'
' Strange she is always sick on a Wednesday! Kai are you ok? '
'Yes Miss. Just had to clear Mum and kids out of the room before I could start Miss.'
The students all finish their three sets and stand out of breath.
'Now, let’s stretch. You know the sequence. Right arm, stretch up and now left arm gently push your elbow. Now other side. Listen carefully as you do it. Part of your assessment is to put together a twenty minute movement session. Each of you will lead a session. Right arm across your chest and left arm push. You will be marked on your planning and delivery. Any questions? Yes Bex?'
'I'm not sure what we are supposed to do Miss'
'The assessment will be in the Teams folder as usual. Take a look and message me if you are still confused. Anyone else?
Billy?'
'When is the deadline, Miss?'
'Submission of your plan is end of next week. The sessions will be the following week. I'll put a spreadsheet of time slots up and you can add your initials next to your preferred slot. Right, you better skiddadle to your next class.'
Everyone in the room leaves.
'Anyone on-line got any questions? No? Ok you guys have 5 mins before your next lesson to get a drink! '
Mel, Bex and Vicky are best mates. They are full of confidence mixed with trepidation. Mel is going to be a singer, Bex a dancer and Vicky an actor.
'I fancy Nick. What about you Vicky?
'None of them do anything for me, Mel. I want someone like Aidan Turner, long hair, great body, talented!'
'What about Billy? He has long curly hair ' Bex says.
The other two laugh.
'What a dork. Why is he wearing a mask? No one else is. I mean it's only flu. It only kills off old ill people who would have died anyway.'
'Did you hear Neil messaged him to say he fancied him? Apparently he never replied.'
'I've got an idea, I'm going to practice my acting skills on him. I'll make him think I've fallen for him and then I'll dump him.'
'Oh Vicky. Don't be an idiot, that's awful.'
Billy was sat in the corridor with his back against the wall, engrossed in his phone. A wry smile crosses his face as he watches a funny video. He feels someone plonk themselves down next to him. The girl is one of his classmates but he can't recall her name. She has blonde hair in a high ponytail. She struggles to learn her lines and he has prompted her a few times. He has no problem learning the scripts and knows the lines before and after his own. He has even stepped in and read the female role when classmates have been off sick. He doesn't have a problem with it. After all it's acting and he likes putting on accents and different voices.
'Hi Billy.'
'Hi'
She is uncomfortably close to him and unconsciously he adjusts his position so they are not touching.
'Can you help me with my lines Billy. I’m really struggling to remember them and need some practice.'
'Sure'
They run through the lines of the latest scene in the dystopian play 1994 that is this terms project. Billy has read the book and isn't much impressed with the adaption. Orwell is fantastic. He has read some of his other stuff too. There are loads of free versions of books on the internet. Debate has been interesting in class, although he thinks Sir finds him slightly annoying as he thinks it's rubbish.
Vicky doesn't seem to have learnt her lines, but she also doesn't really seem to have got the play either.
'Are you going on the cinema trip? Vicky asks.
'Yes'
'Perhaps we could sit together?
Billy looks at her surprised.
'Sure, but aren't your friends going?'
'Yea, but I'd like to sit with you. '
'Ok, anyway we'd better get going to our next class.'
Over the next few weeks Billy increasingly helps Vicky with her course work and lines. They are seen together between classes sitting head-to-head or back-to-back reciting lines. One day after Vicky had found some improvisation particularly difficult Billy quietly takes her hand to comfort her. Mel and Bex still spend a lot of time with Vicky, but they have totally forgotten Vicky’s plan. Billy and Vicky seem so good together. Billy seems to have grown in confidence and many of the class interact with him now and find him to be calm and encouraging and to have a dry sense of humour. Vicky's edges have softened.
As they approach the end of term there is a mixture of worry about completing their logbooks and project and excitement about the end of year performance. Everyone has to audition for the parts they want to play. Multiple people will be chosen for the characters as they will be put in groups and will have to write their own stage directions and act, direct and film their performance. Billy helps Vicky prepare. Both of them get the roles they wanted
Vicky and Billy aren't in the same group and there is a lot of pressure. Billy tries to link up with Vicky, but she always seems to be rushing off somewhere. Their tutors encourage them to do their best to aim for merits or distinctions rather than just a pass. This could be essential next year when they are graduating and applying for drama school or university. Billy tells their tutor he isn’t interested and is content to just pass. His tutor tries to convince him that he has a lot of potential and could easily achieve a distinction and make it to university even if he doesn’t want to continue with acting. Billy laughs but later he starts to wonder if he could work towards a degree.
It's the end of the day when Billy catches Vicky as she comes out of rehearsal.
'Can we go for a quick coffee?
'Ok'
'I wanted to talk to you about college Vicky. I wondered, well I hoped we could decide on a college together. So that we could be together.'
Billy doesn't understand the look on Vicky's face as she turns to him.
'You don't think...' she turns and looks away.
Billy puts his hand on hers.
'Go on'.
'You didn't think any of this was real, did you? You don't think someone like me would want to be with someone like you? It was just a game!
Vicky pushed his hand away and walked off.
The sky is that inky grey blue that is not night and not yet day. The earth seems to be holding its breath. Only a few lights are on in windows, most of the houses are in darkness. Some outside lights spring to life as he passes. As if a giant is awakening, a gust of wind fills the air and moves the trees to his left and then it all stills again. And then further on another roar rises and bends the trees on the right of him.
He suddenly notices the street lamps. As he does one flickers off and, as he advances, he sees others going off down the road until only one remains. And then that is extinguished too. The sky is lightening but now it looks duller and feels colder. Only a few minutes ago it was like a warm blanket had cosied the neighbourhood up.
He walks on through the streets. No cars have passed him yet and no dog walkers.
He reaches the main road and crosses into the opposite estate without breaking his stride. Down the street, to the right and he is in the cut through. He climbs the steep staircase until he is atop the small metal bridge crossing the railway. The floor is littered with glass, on the way up, along and down the other side. He pauses on the top and looks down the green corridor made by the railway cutting. Swathes of white and purple blooms line the embankments.
The driver of the 5:47 briefly notices someone on the railway bridge as he approaches. It's rare to see anyone this early in the morning. As the train goes under the bridge, he hears a thud. It's unmistakeable. It isn't like a branch hitting. He applies the brakes and as if by remote control he radios in.
‘I've had a strike boss. I think it’s a jumper.’
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