ex.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I’ve heard that the tide is turning for him,” Jimmy said.
“Really? He’s got a crush?” I asked.
“Yup, that’s what Derek says. But Oliver swore Derek to absolute secrecy, so don’t you
dare
breathe a word of this to anyone. Derek would kill me if he knew I was spilling the beans—or at least the one tiny bean that he spilled to me. I mean, he would kill me if Oliver didn’t kill him first for telling me. And he isn’t telling Kirby, because Kirby would totally blab about it.”
“OK, now you’re making my head hurt,” I said. “Honestly, who am I gonna tell? And there’s no way I even know this person.”
“Well, don’t mention anything about a crush to
Oliver
, for starters,” Jimmy said, yawning. “Or Derek. Or anyone. But anyway, it’s time to hang up. I seriously need to do this chemistry shit.”
“Yeah, OK,” I murmured gloomily.
“Yeah, OK?’ You sound kind of down. Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I said, sitting up. “I’m just tired. Sorry. Go, go. Learn some science! We’ll talk later. Are you guys coming to the first rehearsal on Thursday?”
“I don’t think Mistress McCafferty will let us miss
any
of the full-cast rehearsals, so don’t worry—you’ll be seeing an awful lot of me and Oliver.”
“Aww, you guys are the best. You know I love you, right?”
“Love you, too, babe. G’night, cucumber cutie.”
“G’night, my pretty potato.”
T he next morning at school I received an unexpected gift from Jenny McCafferty.
She had created a Facebook group for
Into the Woods
(“SIGN UP FOR IMPORTANT LAST-MINUTE EMERGENCY UPDATES!!!”), so I was given the
perfect
excuse to friend Felix in order to conduct some deep research on him. So I sent off my friend request to him (and everyone else, too, to not appear too stalkerish) and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Honestly, I was getting sick of checking my various devices, especially since I had spent all of
yesterday
checking my inbox for the cast list.
By the end of the day, everyone else had signed up to the group and answered my friend requests. And I mean everyone. Ferchrissake,
Mrs. Murray
signed up, and now we were online BFFs.
Don’t they have computers at St. Paul’s? Or phones?
At least Felix didn’t join the Facebook group and ignore my invitation—could you just imagine if
that
had happened?
“It is very uncool of him,” Xiang agreed as we walked toward the parking lot, where my mom was waiting in the car.But Xiang’s distant, moony expression made me think she wasn’t even really listening; she and Parker had been officially notified that they were both in the show’s orchestra, so there were definitely going to be some hot times in the orchestra pit this fall. Eww. Meanwhile, I was
supposed
to be all psyched and giddy over getting the Little Red Riding Hood part.
A crap day.
The next morning was Thursday, the first rehearsal day, and it was the first time since coming to Our Lady that I really spent time examining myself in the mirror and gussying up before heading off to school. I mean, I would be interacting with boys, and now that Felix had said I was beautiful, I had a reputation to uphold! And if his lack of online activity meant that he wasn’t that into me, maybe he’d think twice?
I managed to get to Jerry Hall a bit early. When I walked into Room A, one of three rehearsal spaces tucked away behind the auditorium, I quickly learned that I didn’t have anything to worry about: Felix was instantly at my side, breathing into my ear.
“Hiya.”
Suddenly the world went from an angry, dirty magenta to a cool, sparkly white.
I turned, smiling. “Hi, there.”
His perfect row of upper teeth was absolutely hypnotic.
“I’ve been thinking about you.”
Ohhh, meltiness . . .
“Really?” I exhaled.
Then I suddenly remembered I was mad at him. “Well, you know there are these newfangled things called
“Well, as a matter of fact, I’ve heard that the tide is turning for him,” Jimmy said.
“Really? He’s got a crush?” I asked.
“Yup, that’s what Derek says. But Oliver swore Derek to absolute secrecy, so don’t you
dare
breathe a word of this to anyone. Derek would kill me if he knew I was spilling the beans—or at least the one tiny bean that he spilled to me. I mean, he would kill me if Oliver didn’t kill him first for telling me. And he isn’t telling Kirby, because Kirby would totally blab about it.”
“OK, now you’re making my head hurt,” I said. “Honestly, who am I gonna tell? And there’s no way I even know this person.”
“Well, don’t mention anything about a crush to
Oliver
, for starters,” Jimmy said, yawning. “Or Derek. Or anyone. But anyway, it’s time to hang up. I seriously need to do this chemistry shit.”
“Yeah, OK,” I murmured gloomily.
“Yeah, OK?’ You sound kind of down. Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I said, sitting up. “I’m just tired. Sorry. Go, go. Learn some science! We’ll talk later. Are you guys coming to the first rehearsal on Thursday?”
“I don’t think Mistress McCafferty will let us miss
any
of the full-cast rehearsals, so don’t worry—you’ll be seeing an awful lot of me and Oliver.”
“Aww, you guys are the best. You know I love you, right?”
“Love you, too, babe. G’night, cucumber cutie.”
“G’night, my pretty potato.”
T he next morning at school I received an unexpected gift from Jenny McCafferty.
She had created a Facebook group for
Into the Woods
(“SIGN UP FOR IMPORTANT LAST-MINUTE EMERGENCY UPDATES!!!”), so I was given the
perfect
excuse to friend Felix in order to conduct some deep research on him. So I sent off my friend request to him (and everyone else, too, to not appear too stalkerish) and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Honestly, I was getting sick of checking my various devices, especially since I had spent all of
yesterday
checking my inbox for the cast list.
By the end of the day, everyone else had signed up to the group and answered my friend requests. And I mean everyone. Ferchrissake,
Mrs. Murray
signed up, and now we were online BFFs.
Don’t they have computers at St. Paul’s? Or phones?
At least Felix didn’t join the Facebook group and ignore my invitation—could you just imagine if
that
had happened?
“It is very uncool of him,” Xiang agreed as we walked toward the parking lot, where my mom was waiting in the car.But Xiang’s distant, moony expression made me think she wasn’t even really listening; she and Parker had been officially notified that they were both in the show’s orchestra, so there were definitely going to be some hot times in the orchestra pit this fall. Eww. Meanwhile, I was
supposed
to be all psyched and giddy over getting the Little Red Riding Hood part.
A crap day.
The next morning was Thursday, the first rehearsal day, and it was the first time since coming to Our Lady that I really spent time examining myself in the mirror and gussying up before heading off to school. I mean, I would be interacting with boys, and now that Felix had said I was beautiful, I had a reputation to uphold! And if his lack of online activity meant that he wasn’t that into me, maybe he’d think twice?
I managed to get to Jerry Hall a bit early. When I walked into Room A, one of three rehearsal spaces tucked away behind the auditorium, I quickly learned that I didn’t have anything to worry about: Felix was instantly at my side, breathing into my ear.
“Hiya.”
Suddenly the world went from an angry, dirty magenta to a cool, sparkly white.
I turned, smiling. “Hi, there.”
His perfect row of upper teeth was absolutely hypnotic.
“I’ve been thinking about you.”
Ohhh, meltiness . . .
“Really?” I exhaled.
Then I suddenly remembered I was mad at him. “Well, you know there are these newfangled things called
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