Page 67 of Kiss Me at Christmas
“Um, Grace, I think you need to understand that Isabel isn’t a trained actor; we’re all very much learning on the job, and you can be a little intimidating.” Harriet tried to sound placating. “I think if we can show one another a little kindness…”
“Ah, the snowflake generation strikes again!” Grace sounded triumphant.
“It’s not about being a snowflake, it’s about being reasonable,” Harriet countered.
“I’d rather be a snowflake than a fascist,” Billy added.
Ye gads!
“You can’t go around calling people fascists, Billy,” said James.
“Oh, come off it!” Billy shouted.
“James is right,” said Harriet. “Grace, you’re out of line too.”
“Me!” Grace exploded.
“That’s it, take his side!” Billy snapped.
“Not everything is about taking sides,” said Harriet wearily.
“I think we all need to take a step back and give one another some room,” said James.
“You take a step back!” Billy shouted.
“Not helping, Billy,” Harriet warned.
“And this is what we’re left with, a generation with egos so delicate they can’t take constructive criticism.” Grace refolded her arms, self-satisfied.
“Sometimes your constructive criticism sounds like bullying,” said Prescilla.
“Nonsense! And as for their disrespectfulness, well, I blame the parents!” Grace announced, sucking her cheeks in triumphantly.
Oh, bum-swizzles! Now she’s done it.She waited for the explosion.Three, two, one…
“Fuck you!” Billy roared, turning away and storming back down the aisle, Isabel trailing after him.
“Come back here!” James shouted, making to follow.
“Don’t shout at him!” Harriet grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Leave him be.”
A howl ripped through the air as Leo jumped to his feet and began kicking everything he could see—abucket, his rucksack, the bag of brushes; he grabbed a can of open paint and threw it over the backcloth he’d been painstakingly working on.
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” he screamed, pulling at his hair before dashing off the stage.
“Oh, well, that’s just bloody marvelous!” Harriet exploded.
“You see,” Grace said, satisfied. “Snowflakes.”
Harriet rounded on her.
“No! Not snowflakes. Billy doesn’t have parents, he’s spent most of his life in care, so forgive him if he’s a bit sensitive when someone uses something stupid like ‘I blame the parents’ as a stick to beat him with. And Leo, for reasons that are none of your business, becomes stressed by aggressive altercations. You know nothing about these children, or what they’ve been through. Now, if you’re done issuing judgments about people you don’t know, I’m going to go after my students.”
Harriet walked away quickly before she said something she’d really regret.
“How was I to know?” she heard Grace say sulkily.
She found Leo in an empty dressing room, carving his name into the desktop that ran below the long mirror with a pencil. He stopped, looking guilty, when she walked in and sat down next to him.
