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Description
That night, Eric sat in bed and wondered: Why did this girl--this wonderful, confusing, kind girl--consider him her friend? Why did she feel comfortable enough around him to cry and laugh? And why was he able to comfort her when his presence left others with nothing but a sense of disquiet?
But she had sought out his presence, more than once. She had found comfort in him, despite the fact that he wore a mask, and had threatened another student on the first day of class. Briefly, he wondered if there was something wrong with her.
"No, there is nothing wrong with Christina", he thought. "She is perfect...or as perfect as any human can be."
But what if he tainted her perfection? What if he became the reason for her unhappiness? What if others began to ostracize her because her association with him? Questions such as these poured from his mind, and kept him from sleep.
"I can’t get my hopes up", he thought. "Despite her kindness, I have no right to be around her, not with my temper and my appearance...I can't hurt her. I have to keep Christina safe from myself."
He knew he needed to find a way to keep his distance from Christina without loosing the one friend he had. Finally, and idea dawned on him: He simply wouldn’t touch her. As ridiculous as that sounded, he felt that was a logical way he could keep some sort of distance between them, without losing her friendship. Eric wasn't comfortable with human contact in the first place, so it couldn't possibly be difficult to refrain from touching Christina.
However, that night he dreamed that he held Christina in his arms while she cried.

Christina was mentally berating herself over the events of the day.
"Why in the world did I expose myself like that? Eric must think I’m an idiot for crying so hysterically...and I had no right to burden him with my problems", she thought to herself.
Yet Christina knew that no one had ever been able to comfort her like that before. Eric had broken down the walls she had put up around herself after her father's death. He had asked her if she was alright, as many had done before. But he had seemed to mean his words in earnest. While she was touched by his words, the sound of his voice was the only thing that had truly broken her resolve. He sang for her benefit, for her comfort. Not even Ryan had been able to comfort Christine as Eric had, and he was her closest friend, and the only family she had left.
But Eric had broken through. Somehow, he had been able to. What did that mean?
As she got ready for bed, a cacophony of feelings whirled around her heart and mind, ranging from embarrassment to thankfulness. Confusion, however, reigned supreme among them.
Christina fell asleep, wondering above all else why she couldn’t stop thinking about her masked friend.

Over the next few weeks, the students in the musical theater group worked on vocal production, acting, and of course, what pieces they were going to be singing. Instead of doing one complete musical, Nadir and the group decided to do select songs from a variety of musicals. The selection included songs from Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, and Camelot. Nadir had also decided to throw in a few pieces from The Phantom of the Opera, despite Eric’s objections.
Eric and Christina grew closer, and Ryan, slowly but surely, became more comfortable around the masked boy. He simply accepted that Eric wore a mask, and let it be. Ryan figured there wasn’t much he could do about what the odd boy wore. Other students, including Christina and Ryan’s mutual friend Margaret, also became comfortable around Eric. However, Eric never quite warmed up to anyone except Christina.
Despite their friendship, Christina noticed that Eric had avoided physical contact with her since the the incident backstage. She figured it was another one of Erik’s eccentricities, possibly brought on by her emotional outburst a few weeks ago. This realization bothered her at first, but since Eric still sought her company, she let it go so as not to spoil their friendship.
One day, Mr. Khan came to class without Eric. Christina, a naturally anxious person, was immediately worried.
“Margaret, what do you think is wrong? What if he did something foolish, like run away, or maybe someone teased him, or he’s sick...?” she ask with a nervous expression.
“Hey, look, calm down. People skip class all the time, Christina. He might have a cold or something, but that’s nothing worry about. He’ll be back soon enough”, Margaret replied with a laid back attitude.
However, Eric didn’t show up the next day, or the next. Christina didn’t question Mrs. Giry or Mr. Khan, for fear of appearing nosy; but after two days of Eric’s absence, she decided she would ask Mr. Khan the next morning if her friend was alright.
Mr. Khan never showed. Instead, Mrs. Giry took control of the vocal warm up and rehearsal for that day. A few students asked where Mr. Khan was, but Mrs. Giry sternly told them it was none of their business. When the stately older woman told someone something, most everyone listened. While a kind woman at heart, she was quite formidable when she chose to be.
At the end of rehearsal, Christina rushed over to Mrs. Giry.
“Mrs. Giry, I’m sorry to bother you, but what happened to Eric and Mr. Khan? Is something terribly wrong? I’m don’t want to pry, but I’m really worried about Eric. I know he has a habit of disappearing suddenly, but he’s always come to rehearsals, and I was worried that he’d done something foolish, or was sick, and...”
Mrs. Giry interrupted. “My dear”, she said stern but kind manner. “I understand you and Eric are quite close, so I will be frank. Mr. Khan is at home with Eric. Eric caught a rather unpleasant chest cold, and it developed into a mild case of pneumonia.” Christina gasped. “Now, now, it’s only a mild case, and certainly not bad enough to warrant a visit to the hospital. But Mr. Khan didn’t feel comfortable leaving Eric alone for the next few days at least.”
“I have to go see him”, Christina said, half to herself. “Mrs. Giry, can you please tell me where they live? I really feel like I should go see if Eric is okay, and see if Mr. Khan needs any help taking care of him.”
Mrs. Giry smiled worriedly. “I’m not sure if you should go there right now, my dear. Eric probably won’t want any visitors.”
“But maybe I can help! He’s my friend, and I should be there for him.”
Mrs. Giry looked at Christine and sighed. “All right. But don’t be a bother to either Mr. Khan or Eric, you hear?” she replied sternly. “They live within long walking distance, or a short driving distance of the theater. If you walk out the front doors of the theater and turn left, walk a few blocks down and turn left again down Scribe St., they are the tenth house on the right. I can give you a ride if you wish. It’s getting late, and I don’t want you to get lost.”
“Okay. Let me tell Ryan what’s going on, so he won’t worry. Thank you so much Mrs. Giry, I really appreciate this!” Christina half yelled as she ran off to find Ryan.
"Why didn’t I ask about him sooner?" thought Christina. "I might have been able to help, or at least kept the pneumonia at bay...pneumonia! Poor Eric!"
Christina found Ryan waiting for her in the front hall of the theater building. He stood up as she ran towards him. “Hey! Were you asking Mrs. Giry about Eric? I know you’ve been worried about him the past few days. Did you find out anything?” he asked.
“Yes”, Christina panted. “Ryan...he has pneumonia. It was originally just a chest cold, but Mr. Khan’s with him because it developed into pneumonia.”
“Shit. That’s bad”, Ryan said quietly. “Let me guess, you’re going to go see him?”
“Ryan, I have to. I’m really worried about him. I would do the same for you and you know it. Mrs. Giry has offered me a ride over there. Their house is only a short drive from here.”
“It’s okay, I understand. Go...just...be safe, okay? I’ll let dad know where you are, and make sure to call me if you need a ride home, or if your plans change.” Ryan said.
Christina gave a halfhearted laugh at her cousin’s stern attitude. “I will. Thanks Ry”, she said as she gave him a quick hug. She then ran back to the auditorium.
Mrs. Giry and Margaret, her daughter, were waiting when she got back. “Ready to go?” Margaret asked.
“Yes. Let’s go.”

Description
That night, Eric sat in bed and wondered: Why did this girl--this wonderful, confusing, kind girl--consider him her friend? Why did she feel comfortable enough around him to cry and laugh? And why was he able to comfort her when his presence left others with nothing but a sense of disquiet?
But she had sought out his presence, more than once. She had found comfort in him, despite the fact that he wore a mask, and had threatened another student on the first day of class. Briefly, he wondered if there was something wrong with her.
"No, there is nothing wrong with Christina", he thought. "She is perfect...or as perfect as any human can be."
But what if he tainted her perfection? What if he became the reason for her unhappiness? What if others began to ostracize her because her association with him? Questions such as these poured from his mind, and kept him from sleep.
"I can’t get my hopes up", he thought. "Despite her kindness, I have no right to be around her, not with my temper and my appearance...I can't hurt her. I have to keep Christina safe from myself."
He knew he needed to find a way to keep his distance from Christina without loosing the one friend he had. Finally, and idea dawned on him: He simply wouldn’t touch her. As ridiculous as that sounded, he felt that was a logical way he could keep some sort of distance between them, without losing her friendship. Eric wasn't comfortable with human contact in the first place, so it couldn't possibly be difficult to refrain from touching Christina.
However, that night he dreamed that he held Christina in his arms while she cried.

Christina was mentally berating herself over the events of the day.
"Why in the world did I expose myself like that? Eric must think I’m an idiot for crying so hysterically...and I had no right to burden him with my problems", she thought to herself.
Yet Christina knew that no one had ever been able to comfort her like that before. Eric had broken down the walls she had put up around herself after her father's death. He had asked her if she was alright, as many had done before. But he had seemed to mean his words in earnest. While she was touched by his words, the sound of his voice was the only thing that had truly broken her resolve. He sang for her benefit, for her comfort. Not even Ryan had been able to comfort Christine as Eric had, and he was her closest friend, and the only family she had left.
But Eric had broken through. Somehow, he had been able to. What did that mean?
As she got ready for bed, a cacophony of feelings whirled around her heart and mind, ranging from embarrassment to thankfulness. Confusion, however, reigned supreme among them.
Christina fell asleep, wondering above all else why she couldn’t stop thinking about her masked friend.

Over the next few weeks, the students in the musical theater group worked on vocal production, acting, and of course, what pieces they were going to be singing. Instead of doing one complete musical, Nadir and the group decided to do select songs from a variety of musicals. The selection included songs from Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, and Camelot. Nadir had also decided to throw in a few pieces from The Phantom of the Opera, despite Eric’s objections.
Eric and Christina grew closer, and Ryan, slowly but surely, became more comfortable around the masked boy. He simply accepted that Eric wore a mask, and let it be. Ryan figured there wasn’t much he could do about what the odd boy wore. Other students, including Christina and Ryan’s mutual friend Margaret, also became comfortable around Eric. However, Eric never quite warmed up to anyone except Christina.
Despite their friendship, Christina noticed that Eric had avoided physical contact with her since the the incident backstage. She figured it was another one of Erik’s eccentricities, possibly brought on by her emotional outburst a few weeks ago. This realization bothered her at first, but since Eric still sought her company, she let it go so as not to spoil their friendship.
One day, Mr. Khan came to class without Eric. Christina, a naturally anxious person, was immediately worried.
“Margaret, what do you think is wrong? What if he did something foolish, like run away, or maybe someone teased him, or he’s sick...?” she ask with a nervous expression.
“Hey, look, calm down. People skip class all the time, Christina. He might have a cold or something, but that’s nothing worry about. He’ll be back soon enough”, Margaret replied with a laid back attitude.
However, Eric didn’t show up the next day, or the next. Christina didn’t question Mrs. Giry or Mr. Khan, for fear of appearing nosy; but after two days of Eric’s absence, she decided she would ask Mr. Khan the next morning if her friend was alright.
Mr. Khan never showed. Instead, Mrs. Giry took control of the vocal warm up and rehearsal for that day. A few students asked where Mr. Khan was, but Mrs. Giry sternly told them it was none of their business. When the stately older woman told someone something, most everyone listened. While a kind woman at heart, she was quite formidable when she chose to be.
At the end of rehearsal, Christina rushed over to Mrs. Giry.
“Mrs. Giry, I’m sorry to bother you, but what happened to Eric and Mr. Khan? Is something terribly wrong? I’m don’t want to pry, but I’m really worried about Eric. I know he has a habit of disappearing suddenly, but he’s always come to rehearsals, and I was worried that he’d done something foolish, or was sick, and...”
Mrs. Giry interrupted. “My dear”, she said stern but kind manner. “I understand you and Eric are quite close, so I will be frank. Mr. Khan is at home with Eric. Eric caught a rather unpleasant chest cold, and it developed into a mild case of pneumonia.” Christina gasped. “Now, now, it’s only a mild case, and certainly not bad enough to warrant a visit to the hospital. But Mr. Khan didn’t feel comfortable leaving Eric alone for the next few days at least.”
“I have to go see him”, Christina said, half to herself. “Mrs. Giry, can you please tell me where they live? I really feel like I should go see if Eric is okay, and see if Mr. Khan needs any help taking care of him.”
Mrs. Giry smiled worriedly. “I’m not sure if you should go there right now, my dear. Eric probably won’t want any visitors.”
“But maybe I can help! He’s my friend, and I should be there for him.”
Mrs. Giry looked at Christine and sighed. “All right. But don’t be a bother to either Mr. Khan or Eric, you hear?” she replied sternly. “They live within long walking distance, or a short driving distance of the theater. If you walk out the front doors of the theater and turn left, walk a few blocks down and turn left again down Scribe St., they are the tenth house on the right. I can give you a ride if you wish. It’s getting late, and I don’t want you to get lost.”
“Okay. Let me tell Ryan what’s going on, so he won’t worry. Thank you so much Mrs. Giry, I really appreciate this!” Christina half yelled as she ran off to find Ryan.
"Why didn’t I ask about him sooner?" thought Christina. "I might have been able to help, or at least kept the pneumonia at bay...pneumonia! Poor Eric!"
Christina found Ryan waiting for her in the front hall of the theater building. He stood up as she ran towards him. “Hey! Were you asking Mrs. Giry about Eric? I know you’ve been worried about him the past few days. Did you find out anything?” he asked.
“Yes”, Christina panted. “Ryan...he has pneumonia. It was originally just a chest cold, but Mr. Khan’s with him because it developed into pneumonia.”
“Shit. That’s bad”, Ryan said quietly. “Let me guess, you’re going to go see him?”
“Ryan, I have to. I’m really worried about him. I would do the same for you and you know it. Mrs. Giry has offered me a ride over there. Their house is only a short drive from here.”
“It’s okay, I understand. Go...just...be safe, okay? I’ll let dad know where you are, and make sure to call me if you need a ride home, or if your plans change.” Ryan said.
Christina gave a halfhearted laugh at her cousin’s stern attitude. “I will. Thanks Ry”, she said as she gave him a quick hug. She then ran back to the auditorium.
Mrs. Giry and Margaret, her daughter, were waiting when she got back. “Ready to go?” Margaret asked.
“Yes. Let’s go.”