“It’s implied.”
“Are implications going to keep me protected?”
Protected, pray tell, from what? In accordance with the fact it is about to get illegal to mock her, I hold back a laugh. “Let’s say I contact you and want to do something unrelated to the play. Due to other specifications of this arrangement, it can neither be something that would defame or harass. Would it be so bad to be paid to get ice cream?”
“Ice cream?” The touch of a smirk stretches a smile across her lips. “I thought you said paying people to be your friends was sad, Lex.”
My heart skips a beat, and I don’t know why. “I never said I was above it.”
“It was implied.”
No hesitation. It’s almost like she intentionally guided the conversation right to the moment when she could throw my own words right back at me.
Every moment I spend talking to her makes me want to know more.
“It’s your call,” I say.
She tucks the end of her braid between her nose and her mouth, making it look like she has a very interesting mustache throughout the full duration her lips are pinched and thoughts are racing in her eyes. At long last, the braid falls, and she meets my gaze. “Okay. If we both make it through auditions, I’ll do it. Ifyou don’t get Kenneth, I’m dropping out.”
I scoff.
Calypso rolls her eyes. “Oh please. It could happen.”
“It won’t.”
She sighs; it is the tiniest release of breath. “I’m making no promises about seeing this through to when it goes public. Just the idea of consistently pulling a stunt like what happened Monday is making me sick. There’s no way I’m going to manage doing it in front of thousands of people.”
“It’s already outlined that dropping out for the live shows is acceptable.”
A sputtering laugh leaves her, and she tosses her braid over her shoulder as she reaches for her faded backpack. “This is insane.”
“Not really.”
“That says a lot about you. And a lot about me since I’m still agreeing to it.” Standing, Calypso looks down at me. “Are you ready to get this over with?”
I am more than ready to get things started. “Yep.”
Calypso
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We take his car—his exceptionallyfancycar—to the bank, which is only a five minute walk from the school entrance. Seeing the needlessly lavish interior of his silver sports coupe is almost enough to intimidate me away from this decision.
It feels like I’m selling my soul to a prince.
When the document is signed, and copied, and tucked away in each of our theater class folders, we begin our ride back like nothing is amiss at all.
Except the unsettling grin flirting with Lex’s lips and the humor glimmering in his eyes while he single-handles the wheel.
“Did you see that lady’s face when she scanned over the document?”
I roll my eyes to look out the window and watch all the shops swarm by. “I did. I thought ‘oh, so that’s what a sane person’s reaction is’.”
Lex laughs, like the world is just one big joke constructed to amuse him.
Resting my chin in my hand and leaning against the door armrest, I scan this man’s side profile. Does he ever stop smiling when he isn’t playing a role? I’ve seen him pull together some pretty fearsome characters during practices, but outside of them, it’s all rainbows and sunshine. “Why is your reputation so bad?” I ask, before I know it. Obviously it’s because he’s arrogant and proud and thinks he can just throw money at things to get his way.
Though, to be fair, he seems as innocent as a child with a new toy right now.
