The Pretty One(32)

“Barbershop quartet? Those guys who sing a cappella?” Dad asks.

“Bingo,” I say.

“So you think he’s weird?” Lucy asks, annoyed. “Is that why you keep avoiding him?”

“I’m not avoiding him.”

“He said he could swear that you run away from him when you see him.”

A piece of pasta lodges in my throat and I choke it down with a gulp of water. “That’s ridiculous.”

“He’s really cute,” Lucy tells my parents. “All the girls have a crush on him.”

“If he’s so great, maybe you should go out with him,” I say to Lucy.

She puts her fork down and raises an eyebrow, flashing me the evil eye. “If you don’t like him, maybe you should tell him to leave you alone.”

“I don’t even know him,” I say, backing down a little.

“Well, all I’m saying is that it’s going to be hard to get to know him when you’re constantly running away.”

I look at the piece of rigatoni loaded with sauce that I just stabbed and I’m suddenly filled with an overwhelming urge to fling it in my sister’s face. “Can I be excused?” I say instead.

“We haven’t even had dessert yet,” Mom says. “I picked up some cannolis.”

“Mmmm,” Dad says, looking at me. “Your favorite!”

I put down my fork. For the first time in my life I am turning down a cannoli. I flash my sister a dirty look as I push back my chair. “I’ve lost my appetite,” I say to her.

“What?” Lucy says innocently, looking at me. “What did I say?”





ten

melodrama (noun): a dramatic form that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization.

I’m sitting outside the classroom where Drew’s holding auditions. My head is pounding, my hands are shaking, and I’m pretty certain I’m going to throw up. Why in God’s name am I doing this? After all, Lucy’s right, they usually give the parts to the seniors. So why even bother? Why torture myself? Am I that much of a masochist?

I’m about to run screaming for the hills when Mrs. Habersham comes out to get me. I follow her into the classroom where Drew is waiting. He’s sitting in the front of the room, reading his script. I can feel my knees start to shake as if they’re trying to keep my shaky hands company. I really do not want to barf up the ham sandwich I had for lunch onto Drew’s combat boots.

“Hey,” he says with a smile, standing to greet me. “We’re going to start on page four.” He flips my script to the right page for me and points two-thirds of the way down the page. “With the line that begins with ‘I remember.’ Okay?”

I look at Mrs. Habersham. What is she doing here, anyway? I thought I would just be auditioning in front of Drew. I didn’t think I would be auditioning in front of the head of the drama department. “Okay,” I say.

I have to focus. I can do this. I understand this character. We have a lot in common. I’m a girl in love with a guy. And though I’m not as kooky as she is, I might just be as desperate. Besides, I’ve had the script for a week and I’ve read it so many times I’ve practically memorized it.

“Begin when you’re ready,” Drew tells me.

I take a deep breath and begin to read my first line: “I remember the first time we got together. You told me that I was special…that you had never felt like this about anyone before. That you loved me. Remember?”

“I remember,” Drew says, reading the part of Guy.

“Was it a lie?” So far, so good. I take another breath.

“Of course not.”

“When you first broke up with me I was so devastated, I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat…I couldn’t do anything. And then I thought…I’ll be okay as long as he doesn’t date anyone else. As long as I know his heart still belongs to me.” I glance up at Drew. He’s leaning against the desk, looking at me intently. I shiver as I say my next line. “When I heard that you and Wendy were hanging out, I told myself that you guys were just friends. And last night, when you saw me talking to that guy, I could see the pain in your eyes and I knew you were jealous. I knew you still cared about me. And then you touched my arm. Remember? ‘I miss you,’ you said.”

Drew looks away from me, just like the script instructs. Even though the script calls for me to caress his arm, I’m so caught up in the moment that I grab it instead, yanking him back toward me. “You still love me,” I say.

“But that doesn’t change how I feel about us,” Drew says, locking eyes with me. I feel a sudden tingle. It’s no longer Guy who’s talking. It’s Drew.

“I can’t…I don’t want a relationship right now,” he continues.

My lips are inches away from his. I’m thinking about the first time I saw him, the day I got lost on my way to the production studio. I knew right there and then that I wanted his attention more than I ever wanted anything in my life. I wanted him to notice me. Well finally, finally, he’s noticing me. “So we won’t call it a relationship,” I say with conviction. I’m a girl obsessed, a girl possessed. “It’s just about what feels good. And this…this feels good.”