Read Online Almost Starring Skinnybones by Barbara Park - Free Book Online Page A

she did. You should have seen her. She started strutting around the stage like she was Jane Fonda or somebody.
    Meanwhile, I just sat there with my knees caved in, shaking my head in disbelief. I felt angry and disappointed all at the same time. I had been so sure, so sure I’d get the part, I even memorized most of Scrooge’s lines!
    What had gone wrong? Hadn’t Mr. Tilton seen me flow? Hadn’t he noticed how natural I made Scrooge seem? Geez! If he’d wanted me to use my crank-call voice, he should have said so.
    The more I thought about it, the sicker I got. After all, people were
counting
on me. Take the kids at the lunch table, for instance. They’d just started believing I was somebody special.
    I covered my face with my hands. It wasn’t fair. I’d probably be eating my lunch sideways for the rest of my life.
    After a few minutes Annabelle Posey spotted me sitting alone in the back of the auditorium. She couldn’t get there fast enough. Before I knew it, she was hovering over my seat, waiting for me to look up so she could laugh in my face.
    I didn’t do it though. I just kept my head bowedand pretended not to notice her. That didn’t stop old Annabelle, of course. She laughed right at the top of my head.
    “Ha ha, Alex,” she taunted. “I bet you thought you were going to get the lead, but you didn’t. Too bad. What a shame. Guess you’re just too skinny to be anyone but Teeny Tim.”
    That’s how stupid she was. She called Tiny “Teeny.”
    I let her get away with it too. For the first time in my life, I didn’t even feel like defending myself. Not even to Annabelle Posey.
    Just then Mr. Tilton started speaking from the stage.
    “Your attention again, please.…
    “First I must thank everyone who tried out for the play. You were all wonderful, and the choices were very difficult to make. If you didn’t get the part you wanted, I apologize. It doesn’t mean you weren’t good enough. It simply means there weren’t enough good parts to go around.
    “Also, if you didn’t get a part and would like to work on scenery, on makeup, or on lighting, please see me and I’ll sign you up. Believe me, working behind the scenes can be just as exciting as being on stage.
    “The rest of the cast is dismissed. I’ll see all of youright here at three o’clock on Monday afternoon.”
    The room continued to buzz with excitement as cast members congratulated themselves all the way out the door. A few kids who hadn’t gotten parts stayed and signed up for other committees. I guess I should have felt grateful that I’d gotten any part at all, but I didn’t. Mostly I just felt pale and weak and sick.
    Also I felt tired. Not sleepy tired though. More like my brain was tired or something. Tired of trying to believe in myself. Tired of letting myself down.
    Finally I stood up, lowered my head in despair, and began shuffling slowly down the aisle. I felt like I weighed a million pounds. I know this sounds dramatic, but that’s how I felt.
    Mr. Tilton heard me shuffling. He looked up and waved.
    “Ah, our Tiny Tim. You’re going to be wonderful. I knew it as soon as I saw you on stage. A perfect Tiny Tim!”
    I winced. That was me. That was who I was now. Tiny Tim Frankovitch. Weak, pale, skinny Tiny Tim Frankovitch.
    I looked up and gave Mr. Tilton the feeblest of smiles.
    “Godblessyousir,” I mumbled pathetically. Then I plodded through the door.

    My parents wouldn’t let me quit the play. I begged all weekend, but they wouldn’t even listen.
    At first my father tried to shame me into it. He took me firmly by the shoulders, looked me in the eye, and said, “You’re no quitter, are you, son?”
    I nodded eagerly. “Yes, I am, Dad. I’m a quitter. Accept it.”
    He let go of my shoulders. “You finish what you start, Alex,” he said sternly. “It’s as simple as that.”
    My mother nodded in agreement. “You’re going to see the job through to the end, Alex.”
    Geez, they were making me sound