really couldn’t wait to read her book. I wanted to know more about this fairy godparent business.
I walked down the aisle and hopped onto the stage.
“Hey,” I said to Gregory.
“Hoo hoo,” said Gregory, in a more casual tone than usual. “Did you work on your song this weekend?”
“Some,” I said. “But I really just wanted to thank you.”
“For the part? Don’t thank me, just rehearse! If you suck, it’ll make me look bad.”
“No,” I said. “For … you know. Granting my wish.”
“I didn’t grant any wishes yet,” he said. “I’ve gotten you off to a good start, but these things take time. And you still owe me a favor with a guy to be named later.”
“Doesn’t look like it’ll be a problem,” I said.
“Is this how fairy magic works?” asked Eileen.
“It’s like this, baby,” said Gregory to Eileen. “As soon as one of us decides to grant someone a couple of wishes, it creates this vacuum of energy in the world that can only be filled by having the wisher do us a little favor. Nothing much. I wish we could do away with that whole angle, but I don’t make the rules.”
He looked over at me and said, “Remember that. I don’t make ’em. I just follow ’em.”
“Sure,” I said.
“Now go backstage and talk to whoever’s in charge of costumes.”
“Actually,” I said, “I was going to ask if you could give the part back to Cathy. She wants it a lot more than I do.”
“The play’s the thing, kiddo,” he said. “My job here is to make this show the best it can be, and you’ve got the right look for the mayor’s wife, minus the Grimace hair, which we’ll cover up. Cathy’s all wrong for it. Mrs. Alison must have been drinking from an extra-large water bottle the day she did the casting!”
“Can’t you fix her with makeup?”
“Look, I have a meeting with her right after class. Just let the two of us work all this out, and keep your nose on your own face, where it belongs, okay?”
“Sure.”
I thought I’d ask again later, and wandered around to find Marty, the guy who was in charge of costumes.
I wasn’t in any of the scenes that were being rehearsed that day, so I sat back and watched as Cathy and the rest of the chorus worked on the blocking for the “Iowa Stubborn”number. Gregory directed like a tyrant, shoving people around and yelling if they took a step with the wrong foot.
Under normal circumstances, I would have thought he was being a real dick.
But in my haze of stupidity, I thought he was simply being a really passionate director.
Right before my last class of the day, I stepped into the hall and saw Cathy yelling at Fred.
“I hate you!” she shouted. “I never want to talk to you again! Get away from me!”
Fred looked shocked.
Cathy threw a textbook at him. Being a vampire, he had no trouble getting out of the way. It landed on the floor and slid down the hall toward me.
When it got to my feet, Cathy gave me a look I couldn’t quite place and said, “Why don’t
you
go out with him instead?”
A crowd gathered around the two of them.
“What are you all looking at?” Cathy shouted. “Mind your own business!”
“Can’t we just talk?” asked Fred.
Cathy screamed out a swear word.
Mrs. Smollet appeared out of nowhere, took Cathy by the arm, and led her away.
Fred stood there in the hall, staring and looking aghast. He didn’t even move when the bell rang.
I asked around a bit but couldn’t quite get the story out of anyone. No one seemed to have seen the whole thing.
But by the end of the day, the pieces had been put together.
All through fifth period, Cathy had been telling Fred she wanted to break up and that he should go date some other girl. He had sort of resisted, until she blew up in the hall.
Word had it that it all started when he told her he didn’t want to convert her after all, but no one was sure.
All we knew was that she’d be spending the rest of the week in in-school suspension.
“What
I walked down the aisle and hopped onto the stage.
“Hey,” I said to Gregory.
“Hoo hoo,” said Gregory, in a more casual tone than usual. “Did you work on your song this weekend?”
“Some,” I said. “But I really just wanted to thank you.”
“For the part? Don’t thank me, just rehearse! If you suck, it’ll make me look bad.”
“No,” I said. “For … you know. Granting my wish.”
“I didn’t grant any wishes yet,” he said. “I’ve gotten you off to a good start, but these things take time. And you still owe me a favor with a guy to be named later.”
“Doesn’t look like it’ll be a problem,” I said.
“Is this how fairy magic works?” asked Eileen.
“It’s like this, baby,” said Gregory to Eileen. “As soon as one of us decides to grant someone a couple of wishes, it creates this vacuum of energy in the world that can only be filled by having the wisher do us a little favor. Nothing much. I wish we could do away with that whole angle, but I don’t make the rules.”
He looked over at me and said, “Remember that. I don’t make ’em. I just follow ’em.”
“Sure,” I said.
“Now go backstage and talk to whoever’s in charge of costumes.”
“Actually,” I said, “I was going to ask if you could give the part back to Cathy. She wants it a lot more than I do.”
“The play’s the thing, kiddo,” he said. “My job here is to make this show the best it can be, and you’ve got the right look for the mayor’s wife, minus the Grimace hair, which we’ll cover up. Cathy’s all wrong for it. Mrs. Alison must have been drinking from an extra-large water bottle the day she did the casting!”
“Can’t you fix her with makeup?”
“Look, I have a meeting with her right after class. Just let the two of us work all this out, and keep your nose on your own face, where it belongs, okay?”
“Sure.”
I thought I’d ask again later, and wandered around to find Marty, the guy who was in charge of costumes.
I wasn’t in any of the scenes that were being rehearsed that day, so I sat back and watched as Cathy and the rest of the chorus worked on the blocking for the “Iowa Stubborn”number. Gregory directed like a tyrant, shoving people around and yelling if they took a step with the wrong foot.
Under normal circumstances, I would have thought he was being a real dick.
But in my haze of stupidity, I thought he was simply being a really passionate director.
Right before my last class of the day, I stepped into the hall and saw Cathy yelling at Fred.
“I hate you!” she shouted. “I never want to talk to you again! Get away from me!”
Fred looked shocked.
Cathy threw a textbook at him. Being a vampire, he had no trouble getting out of the way. It landed on the floor and slid down the hall toward me.
When it got to my feet, Cathy gave me a look I couldn’t quite place and said, “Why don’t
you
go out with him instead?”
A crowd gathered around the two of them.
“What are you all looking at?” Cathy shouted. “Mind your own business!”
“Can’t we just talk?” asked Fred.
Cathy screamed out a swear word.
Mrs. Smollet appeared out of nowhere, took Cathy by the arm, and led her away.
Fred stood there in the hall, staring and looking aghast. He didn’t even move when the bell rang.
I asked around a bit but couldn’t quite get the story out of anyone. No one seemed to have seen the whole thing.
But by the end of the day, the pieces had been put together.
All through fifth period, Cathy had been telling Fred she wanted to break up and that he should go date some other girl. He had sort of resisted, until she blew up in the hall.
Word had it that it all started when he told her he didn’t want to convert her after all, but no one was sure.
All we knew was that she’d be spending the rest of the week in in-school suspension.
“What
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