Rue, Mabel, and Carlton all turn to look at me. Meredith pays me no attention, already starting out the classroom door without a word. Rue squeezes my hand. “Break a leg,” she says with a nervous grin. She gets up, and so does Mabel, to follow behind Meredith.
But Carlton remains next to me, seated on the floor. I open my mouth to say something, but he speaks first. “Have fun,” he says flatly. “I know I won’t.”
He stands up and leaves. “Wait, Carlton,” I say, but he doesn’t turn back around. The cold fury in the set of his shoulders is impossible to miss as he makes his way to the next classroom over with the rest of our friends.
“Looks like it’s just us,” a deep voice says. I glance up and see Zayne standing next to me. This close, I catch a whiff of his scent. He smells like coffee, and possibly cake, too. His dreads are in a neat bun, and he smiles warily, a closed-lipped, lopsided grin.
I want to punch him.
If it weren’t for his need to cheat his way to the top of the play, poor Carlton wouldn’t have had his chances at getting into Underwood jeopardized. And he wouldn’t be mad at me, either.
“Yes, unfortunately, itisjust us,” I mutter.
Zayne’s brows draw together. “Uh, okay.”
Mr. Saltzman approaches us. “You two start reading over the first scene of Act One,” he says. “I’ll be next door and you can ask any questions you have when I get back.” He looks at me through his square spectacles. “But from your auditions, I doubt you’ll need much help at all,” he says. “You two had great chemistry.”
Chemistry?What is this? A joke?
When he leaves, I grit my teeth. “Great. Now I’m stuck with you,” I tell Zayne.
He holds up his hands. “Okay, I’m sorry, but what is going on? Why are you acting like I personally insulted you or something?”
I look at Zayne, at his genuinely baffled expression, at the script in his hands, and I see red. It’s like every bad moment I’ve spent with Carlton since my audition has weighed too heavily on me and now that I’m standing in front of the reason for all of it, I’m ready to explode.
“You have!” I yell at him. “You insulted Carlton, and now he’ll barely even speak to me!”
Zayne tilts his head to the side. “Carlton?”
“Yes! Carlton!” I swat his arm with my script.
Zayne’s mouth twitches. I swear, if he’s about to smile, I hold no responsibility for what I will do next. “How did I insult Carlton, Dot?”
I narrow my eyes at him. Doing what he did is one thing, but now he has the gall to pretend he doesn’t know what I’m talking about?
“You sabotaged Carlton’s script, so he’d fumble during his audition. All so you could get the lead role. And you succeeded. Now he’s the angriest I’ve ever seen him.”
Zayne stares at me like I’ve grown two heads. “Wait a minute. He said what?” Then his expression changes. His lips form a straight line, and the set of his shoulders stiffens. “Of course he would say that.”
“Don’t even try to deny it. I know exactly what kind of person you are.”
He pinpoints me with his glare, his taut body towering over me. “And what kind of person might that be?”
“A liar and a cheat, according to Carlton. And if that’s what he says, then I believe him.” I cross my arms.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
I laugh humorlessly. “What’s that supposed to mean?” It’s not like anything he says will sway my opinion. Especially if it’s his word against Carlton’s.
Zayne throws up his hands. “You know what? Never mind. You’re going to believe what you want and it’s not my job to stop you.”
I briefly consider his words before shaking them off. I have every reason to be mad at Zayne for messing with Carlton. And part of me is also a little mad at Carlton for taking it out on me. But most of all, I’m mad at myself. If I’d never joined the stupid drama club to begin with, I wouldn’t be stuck in this situation. “This was a terrible idea,” I say.
Zayne raises his eyebrows. “What was? Auditioning? Because if you’re having second thoughts, please just drop out now. The last thing I need is a flake ruining my chances of getting into Underwood.”
The mention of that stupid school right now makes my blood boil. “Ugh. Not you, too.”
He glares at me. “I mean it. This isn’t a joke. In fact, if you’re serious about staying in the play, we really should start running lines together today.”
