wanted to kill her. She kept leaning against him. Teasing him.
“They’re going to go on with our film, right?” she asked me. “Did your dad say—”
I sighed again. “Dad says the lawyers want to stop production. Lana’s going to have a major lawsuit, and—”
“But our parents are counting on this film,” Jake interrupted. “They need this movie to keep the studio going. They really want to start up again as soon as the police finish in the old house.”
A wave of sadness rolled over me. “I’ve waited so long for this break. Years! I really hope we can keep filming.”
Shawn stepped away from the foosball game and sat down in the chair across from Annalee. He was staring at her legs. “In the hospital, did you see Lana’s arm?” he asked her.
“It’s all wrapped up. It has like a cast over it.”
“It looks like a stump?” Shawn asked.
“Don’t be gross,” I said. “What do you think it looks like?”
Shawn shrugged. “Just asking.”
“Let’s try to change the subject,” Annalee said. “Tell us about your birthday party, Claire. Why are you making such a big deal over seventeen?”
I really didn’t want to discuss my party with her. But maybe it would help get us out of this deep muck of sadness.
“Because I couldn’t have a Sweet Sixteen,” I said. “No one was around last year.” I shook my head. “That’s why having your birthday in the summer is the worst . Everyone’s always away.”
“You were away, too,” Annalee said. “Your family was in France, remember? Remember how I begged you to take me along?”
“Anyway, that’s why they promised me I could have a huge Sweet Seventeen,” I said. “They said I can have the whole studio … anyone I want to invite … bands … lights … food trucks…”
“Wow. I’m ready to party!” Annalee said. She flashed Jake a smile and rubbed her hand on his arm. She was definitely coming on to him—right in front of me, even though she knew how I felt about Jake.
I decided to ignore it. “They said I could have anything I could dream up,” I continued. “So I’m calling it A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We all read the play last year, right? It’s going to be like that, with fairies and lights in the trees and all kinds of magic and music all night.”
“Awesome,” Shawn said. “Did they have Coors in Shakespeare’s time?”
“For sure,” Jake said. “But no coolers. So they had to drink it warm.”
Annalee laughed as if Jake had made the funniest joke in history and pressed her forehead against his shoulder.
Dad walked into the room. He had a serious look on his face. He had just come from the studio. He was still dressed in khakis, a blue dress shirt and tie, and his navy blazer.
“We got the go-ahead from the lawyers,” he announced.
“You mean … you’re going ahead with the picture?” I said.
He nodded.
I wanted to jump up and cheer. I saw Delia’s eyes flash with excitement.
“Maybe some of you would like to quit,” Dad said, his eyes stopping on each one of us. “That would be okay. You just have to tell me now. If you believe like Claire that there’s a curse on the film—”
“Wait a minute,” I cried, jumping to my feet. “ Jake is the one who thinks there’s a curse. And now that the same thing happened to Lana that happened to that girl back in 1960—”
Dad raised a hand to cut me off. “I know. Do you think we haven’t discussed the whole thing for days? It was a terrible, terrible accident. And I know your take on it, Claire. I know you think there’s some kind of evil supernatural curse on the house and—”
I scowled at him. “You’re making fun of me. It’s like a joke to you?”
“Believe me, it’s no joke,” Dad said. He turned to Jake. “Your parents agree with me, Jake. We’re all in agreement. We have come through a terrible tragedy. But if we want our studio to survive, we need the film to go on.”
Jake shrugged in reply. “I’m just
“They’re going to go on with our film, right?” she asked me. “Did your dad say—”
I sighed again. “Dad says the lawyers want to stop production. Lana’s going to have a major lawsuit, and—”
“But our parents are counting on this film,” Jake interrupted. “They need this movie to keep the studio going. They really want to start up again as soon as the police finish in the old house.”
A wave of sadness rolled over me. “I’ve waited so long for this break. Years! I really hope we can keep filming.”
Shawn stepped away from the foosball game and sat down in the chair across from Annalee. He was staring at her legs. “In the hospital, did you see Lana’s arm?” he asked her.
“It’s all wrapped up. It has like a cast over it.”
“It looks like a stump?” Shawn asked.
“Don’t be gross,” I said. “What do you think it looks like?”
Shawn shrugged. “Just asking.”
“Let’s try to change the subject,” Annalee said. “Tell us about your birthday party, Claire. Why are you making such a big deal over seventeen?”
I really didn’t want to discuss my party with her. But maybe it would help get us out of this deep muck of sadness.
“Because I couldn’t have a Sweet Sixteen,” I said. “No one was around last year.” I shook my head. “That’s why having your birthday in the summer is the worst . Everyone’s always away.”
“You were away, too,” Annalee said. “Your family was in France, remember? Remember how I begged you to take me along?”
“Anyway, that’s why they promised me I could have a huge Sweet Seventeen,” I said. “They said I can have the whole studio … anyone I want to invite … bands … lights … food trucks…”
“Wow. I’m ready to party!” Annalee said. She flashed Jake a smile and rubbed her hand on his arm. She was definitely coming on to him—right in front of me, even though she knew how I felt about Jake.
I decided to ignore it. “They said I could have anything I could dream up,” I continued. “So I’m calling it A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We all read the play last year, right? It’s going to be like that, with fairies and lights in the trees and all kinds of magic and music all night.”
“Awesome,” Shawn said. “Did they have Coors in Shakespeare’s time?”
“For sure,” Jake said. “But no coolers. So they had to drink it warm.”
Annalee laughed as if Jake had made the funniest joke in history and pressed her forehead against his shoulder.
Dad walked into the room. He had a serious look on his face. He had just come from the studio. He was still dressed in khakis, a blue dress shirt and tie, and his navy blazer.
“We got the go-ahead from the lawyers,” he announced.
“You mean … you’re going ahead with the picture?” I said.
He nodded.
I wanted to jump up and cheer. I saw Delia’s eyes flash with excitement.
“Maybe some of you would like to quit,” Dad said, his eyes stopping on each one of us. “That would be okay. You just have to tell me now. If you believe like Claire that there’s a curse on the film—”
“Wait a minute,” I cried, jumping to my feet. “ Jake is the one who thinks there’s a curse. And now that the same thing happened to Lana that happened to that girl back in 1960—”
Dad raised a hand to cut me off. “I know. Do you think we haven’t discussed the whole thing for days? It was a terrible, terrible accident. And I know your take on it, Claire. I know you think there’s some kind of evil supernatural curse on the house and—”
I scowled at him. “You’re making fun of me. It’s like a joke to you?”
“Believe me, it’s no joke,” Dad said. He turned to Jake. “Your parents agree with me, Jake. We’re all in agreement. We have come through a terrible tragedy. But if we want our studio to survive, we need the film to go on.”
Jake shrugged in reply. “I’m just
Similar Books
