The teacher gave an enthusiastic affirmative, followed by instructions for finding the call-board.
‘Thank you,’ said the voice.
There was silence. Then I panicked. The voice would soon be at the call-board. I shivered harshly. Something in my gut told me to get out of there before it was too late.
But just as I reached up to scratch off my name, I caught a whiff of perfume. No, not perfume. It wasn’t like the overpowering department store stuff that Emma wore, or even the fresh, fruity concoctions Katie slathered on every morning at her locker. Not that those weren’t nice. But this was more like a scent; exotic, like flowers and spices from some strange place I could never afford to visit. My fingers froze over the ‘4:00’ time slot. Then, another hand hovered over mine, gracefully wielding a pink pen. It wrote a name with a gentle flourish.
Josephine Romany
I couldn’t remember how to breathe.
The voice drifted across my ear. ‘Are you auditioning?’
‘No,’ I managed. ‘No, I’m not.’
There was a delicate intake of breath behind me. My cheeks burned, and my feet felt bolted to the floor. I couldn’t move, much less turn around.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a great play,’ said the voice: Josephine Romany’s voice. ‘I’m sure they’ll need plenty of guys.’
‘Well, I don’t know about that. I mean, yeah, it’s a great play…I just meant…I mean, I’m not sure yet…about auditioning. I haven’t thought much about it.’
What was I saying?
‘Well, you really should.’ Her voice was liquid sunshine. ‘Everyone should give live performance a chance.’
‘Okay,’ I said, trying desperately to remember why I’d been so intent on scratching my name off in the first place. ‘I’ll do it.’
‘Good.’ There was the click of a pen and the pull of a backpack zipper. ‘Well, I’ve got to stop by the registrar’s office. I’ll see you later…’
She trailed off purposely. My name, I realized with a start. She wanted my name! It took me a second to figure out what it was. ‘Sebastian.’
I smelled that sweet, exotic scent again. It made me dizzy – but a good kind of dizzy – a swirling bliss that I didn’t want to end. I put a hand on the call-board to keep from pitching forward.
‘I’ll see you later…Sebastian.’
The way my name sounded in her voice sent a current of electricity pulsing down my neck. It surged along my skin, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I turned just in time to catch a glimpse of green shirt passing through the doors. I wiped my hand across my eyes, trying to sort out the craziness in my head.
I felt sick, almost queasy, but also elated, as though I was floating miles above that cloud nine place people talk about. How could such bizarre emotions exist at the same time? And why did they revolve around Josephine Romany; a girl I hadn’t even had the nerve to turn around and meet properly? My gaze drifted to the sign-up sheet. Fate, it seemed, had decided to give me another chance. There, right above my name, was hers.
We were auditioning in the same time slot.
‘You’re auditioning for the play?’ James looked at me incredulously.
‘It’s against my will, believe me.’
I’d barely walked through the door of the shop before he’d started yelling for some fresh paper towels. No one else was around, so I plucked a roll from under the counter. A young woman was his latest victim. She leaned over the back of his leather office chair as the burly man finished up an elaborate rose and butterfly combination on her back. She was quite the bleeder, and James kept dabbing his cloth, mopping up the red droplets seeping through the design.
‘Nice work,’ I commented.
‘Thanks,’ James muttered, concentrating on the last bit of shading. The needle stopped and he grunted in satisfaction. ‘Check it out and see what you think.’
The customer scrutinized her fresh ink using the long wall mirror. ‘It’s great, James,’ she cooed. ‘Thanks a lot.’
The woman left and James followed me into the waiting room. He deposited money into the register. ‘So, why the school play, Sebastian?’ he asked. ‘I didn’t think you were the acting type.’ Before I could answer, he snapped his fingers. ‘Oh, I got it! It’s a girl, isn’t it?’ He rocked back on his heels triumphantly, daring me to disagree.
‘Mitchell signed me up.’ I wasn’t about to mention my encounter at the call-board. The guys gave me a hard enough time about my dating life as it was. ‘As a dare.’
‘School play?’ my brother asked causally as he emerged from his room.
How did Hugo do that? Even fifteen feet down the hall, behind a closed door, and with a tattoo pen buzzing, he’d still managed to hear my news.
‘Yeah,’ I admitted. ‘Auditions are tomorrow.’
‘O-kay.’ He drew the word out sarcastically. I shuffled towards the couch. ‘Hey, don’t sit down yet,’ he said. ‘I need you to pick up some Chinese takeout. We’ve got a busy evening.’
I sighed and held out my hands, waiting for Hugo to fork over the money. ‘I don’t get paid enough for this.’
He grinned back at me. ‘Yeah, you do.’
I ran the errand, and within minutes, we were all sitting around the coffee table, piling up plates of Mongolian Beef. I didn’t have the healthiest of diets, I realized, as I topped mine off with a helping of crab Rangoon.
‘So what do you have to do for this big audition tomorrow, Sebastian?’ Vincent asked around a mouthful of noodles.
‘Read from the script, I guess.’ I wiped my hands against my jeans before snatching up the last box of rice. ‘I’m scheduled for 4 o’clock.’
Vincent chuckled. ‘You look freaked out.’
‘More like petrified,’ agreed Kris.
I pressed my fork into the carton, smashing the rice until it resembled mashed potatoes. ‘Well, it’s just…there’s this new girl in school…’
‘I knew it!’ James declared. ‘You’ve got a thing for her!’
Ugh. It was like having a pack of annoying big brothers.
‘No, I don’t, James.’ I raised my fork and stared at the chunk of disfigured rice clinging to it. ‘I figured I’d be up on stage with Katie, or even Mitchell. But this girl’s the only one in my time slot. I’m just a little nervous, I guess.’
Kris whistled. ‘Must be one intimidating chick.’
‘That’s just it. I don’t even know her.’ I took a bite and chewed thoughtfully before continuing. ‘But, you know, the strange thing is, when I heard her name yesterday, I got this really weird feeling that I should. I can’t explain it.’
Hugo shoved his plate aside. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘Well, because it’s not possible. She’s new at school – as in – she literally just registered for class. Katie says she’s part of that carnival that came into town yesterday. It’s called the Circe de…’
‘We know the one,’ Hugo said curtly.
Everyone paused.
Then Kris cleared his throat. ‘Well, I think you’ll ace it, Sebastian.’
Vincent jumped in. ‘Still can’t figure out why you’d