Heat Wave: Plattsburgh

By Thomas Grant Bruso

College sophomore Jace O’Dell is looking for fun and adventure during his summer hiatus after a long, demanding semester and cumulative finals, so he auditions for SUNY Plattsburgh’s summer production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Jace is in luck. When he earns a role in the play, he finds more than an adventure waiting for him behind-the-scenes. Black, muscular, intelligent, and charming football jock Germain Bridger captures Jace’s eye.

As a record heat wave assaults the city of Plattsburgh, Jace and Germain find refuge from the threatening temperatures, escaping to the refreshing waters of Lake Champlain, the local movie theater, and a car ride to one of Jace’s favorite summer getaways.

A promising friendship develops into an intimate exploration between the two as emotions are shared and tested, and true feelings revealed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Aug 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781611528305

Thomas Grant Bruso

Thomas Grant Bruso graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2004 with a Bachelor’s in theatre performance and English writing. He knew at an early age he wanted to be a writer. He has been a voracious reader of genre fiction since he was a kid. His literary inspirations are Dean Koontz, Karin Fossum, Jeffery Deaver, Joyce Carol Oates, and John Connolly. He loves animals, book-reading, writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku to crossword puzzles. He writes book reviews for his hometown newspaper, The Press Republican. He lives in Plattsburgh with his husband, Paul, and their miniature pincher diva, Riley. For more information, please visit facebook.com/thomasgrantbruso.

Book preview

Heat Wave: Plattsburgh

By Thomas Grant Bruso

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2015 Thomas Grant Bruso

ISBN 9781611528305

* * * *

Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

* * * *

For Paul.

* * * *

Heat Wave: Plattsburgh

By Thomas Grant Bruso

The SUNY Plattsburgh Theater Department presents:

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Fri., July 24, 8:00 P.M.

Hartman Theater

Myers Fine Arts Building

$14 General; $12 Faculty/Staff/Seniors

$2 SUNY Plattsburgh Students

Auditions held during the week of May 17–22

In Hartman Theater, 7:30 P.M.

Jace O’Dell stood in the lobby of the Myers Fine Arts Building. He’d finished his hour-long final exam for art history class and now stared curiously at the flyer taped to the glass entrance doors.

Excited, he dug around inside his backpack for a pen and notebook to jot down the audition dates. As he scribbled the date and time amid his haphazard art history notes, he thought, It’ll be fun. Maybe I’ll even meet some interesting people.

Jace had never performed in front of a live audience. Now seemed like a good time to take a chance and try something new. The spring semester was over and he did not want to pass up this new opportunity.

As he headed out of the building, Jace picked up a copy of Cardinal Points, the college newspaper, to read a more in-depth editorial about the show’s production. On his way to the bike rack, he smiled at the ridiculous idea of being in a play. There is a first time for everything, he thought, straddling his bicycle and pedaling towards home, turning his face up to the heat of the bright afternoon sun.

* * * *

The Following Week

Jace O’Dell!

The booming voice of the theater director, Connie Dixon, caused Jace to stiffen in his seat in the dark theater. His jaw tightened. He scrubbed a fist over his goatee. Then he blotted his damp palms on his pants and stood, his heart striking hard behind his ribcage. His leg jiggled as if he was learning how to dance.

He swallowed and descended the stairs towards the main stage.

The director said, On your way up to the stage, grab one of the sheets of paper on the table to your left. I want you to read the part of Puck.

As Jace walked past the table he picked up one of the loose-leaf pamphlets as instructed and padded up the stairs to the center of the stage.

Stepping into a pool of warm stage lights, Jace stared out into a semi-dark theater, his legs shaky beneath him and his breathing shallow. The edges of the paper trembled in his hands.

Once he was in place, the director said, Whenever you’re ready, read from the dialogue highlighted at the top of the page.

When Jace looked up at the director’s voice, he saw the shadowy outlines of student faces staring back at him. Jace looked at the page and skimmed the dialogue in front of him.

He swallowed, cleared his throat, and started to read the first line, If we shadows have offended think but this, and all is mended—

The director yelled, Louder!

Jace clenched the sheet of paper, leaving sweaty fingerprints in the margins. Heat prickled the nape of his neck. He brushed perspiration from his brow. I, um—

Connie Dixon said, Project your voice, Mr. O’Dell. So the people in the back of the theater can hear you.

A few ghostly chuckles from the student body echoed off the walls of the theater.

I’m sorry. I, um…I’m a little nervous.

Silence. Then the director asked him in her full-bodied voice, Is this your first time auditioning, Mr. O’Dell?

More giggles. Female heckling, somewhere to his right, hidden in the shadows.

Nervously tapping