So, I say the words that we both know are true, that I was too blind to realize from the start when it’s been right in front of me all along. “Carlton is the one who sabotaged your audition, not the other way around.”
“Just leave it alone, Dot. I had it memorized anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
“No. It does matter. It’s…it’s the principle of the situation. I can’t believe this.” How could I have been so stupid? Of course, Carlton would be the one to try to cheat his way into the lead role. With all the pressure he’s under from his parents, with his desperation to get into Underwood, and knowing Zayne is the better actor between the two of them.
“Why didn’t you tell Mr. Saltzman right then and there?”
Zayne frowns. “And given Carlton the satisfaction? No way.”
I can’t believe how similar his reasoning is to Carlton’s when I asked him the same thing.
“Well…why didn’t you tellmesooner?” My voice is heavy with accusation. Anger. At Zayne, for not telling me. At Carlton, for making me believe the lie in the first place.
Zayne’s mouth opens and then closes, like he’s searching for the right thing to say. After a long moment, he asks, “Would you have believed me?”
And I’m silent. Because there’s no way I would have believed Zayne’s word over Carlton’s, until now.
I shake my head, not in an answer to Zayne’s question, but in disbelief to this entire situation. I just stand there, feeling like a complete idiot for believing his lie. For altering so much of my life, my mind around him.
And it’s at that moment that Carlton chooses to arrive. Zayne and I are still stuck in our face-off when he waltzes up to us, his backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder. “Sorry I’m late. What’d I miss?”
I turn to face him. My mind is still in the moment I’m having with Zayne, so I’m caught completely off guard when Carlton places a very sloppy, very unnecessary kiss on my lips.
Um…what?
I peek over at Zayne, but he’s frowning at the grass. I untangle myself from Carlton, cheeks set aflame, and open my mouth to say something. What I plan to say, I’m not sure. I could interrogate him on where he’s been all this time. I could ask him why he just kissed me right in front of Zayne when I haven’t been able to get him to utter anything more than a few short and reluctant sentences to me the past few days.
But most of all, I want to ask him if it’s true. If he really lied to me about what happened at his audition with Zayne. If he was the one who tried to sabotage Zayne’s audition so he could get the lead role. Why he would even feel the need to do such a thing in the first place. Carlton knows that lying is a sore spot for me. He knows I was wrecked when Mom lied to me before she went to live with Aunt Lucille.
But I don’t say anything to him or ask any questions because I’m too tongue-tied. The opportunity passes when Carlton says, “Are we gonna do this or not?”
Zayne gives me a stern look that says,don’t bring it up yet,and I know he’s probably right. It’s not the time.
Zayne picks up his script and he and Carlton start reading a scene together. I’m left open-mouthed, watching dumbly as they rehearse. Watching as Carlton reads his lines, very well, to Zayne. And watching as Zayne reads back, even better.
As I watch them act out the scene, I realize that even after Carlton crossed out as many lines as he could on Zayne’s audition script, changed as many phrases as he did, gave his absolute best efforts to sabotage Zayne, it didn’t matter. Dyslexia or not, Zayne didn’t let Carlton get the best of him. He still gotthe lead role. And it’s very clear why. He’s still more talented than his rival.
And perhaps the most jarring revelation of all is not that Carlton isn’t the person I thought he was, but that Zayne isn’t either.
Chapter Eleven
At school, Carlton acts like everything is back to normal. He’s speaking to me again. More than speaking, actually. It’s like whatever happened at the park with Zayne has somehow reset everything between us back to normal. Which was exactly what I wanted all along—to go back to how we were at the start of the school year, with everything between us from the summer left untouched. Unchanged. It’s been a month since the audition, and now it feels that way, like nothing has changed. Except one thing.
Me.
I can’t unsee what I saw at the park. I can’t unlearn what I know now.
Carlton is nothing but a really good liar. I don’t know how to confront him, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’m afraid of what he'll say. I’m afraid he’ll admit it’s all true, or even worse, that he'll just lie to me again.
“What do you think?” Carlton asks. His arm is around me as we walk through the corridor after fourth period, and he squeezes my shoulder to bring my attention back to him.
“About what?”
“The movies.” He grins like I’m being cute. “We could go tonight. I’m not busy or anything.”
It takes me a moment to answer. “Um, yeah. I wish I could, but I have to study for tomorrow’s chemistry test.” It’s a decent excuse. Chemistry is my worst subject.
“Oh.” His smile fades. “Alright. Rain check?”
