song. I'm completely captivated, staring at them, breathing heavily, and I have no idea what's happening to me or why. I don't snap out of it until the song ends and the two of them disappear out of sight off stage.
I shake my head and reach down to pick up my backpack. This is too weird. I clearly can't handle it and it's doing screwy things to my brain.
It's better if I stick with my original gut instinct and get the heck out of town now.
"Hey."
The voice comes out of nowhere and it's so close to my ear that I have to fight the urge to reach back and swat the source of the noise like it's an annoying fly buzzing too close to my head.
I spin around in my seat, then frown.
Russ is kneeling down behind me, arms draped over the back of the chair, grinning widely at me.
His hair is sweatier up close.
"Where'd you come from? I don't recognize you without your princely attire."
Last I saw him, he was making his way backstage. I'm not sure how he noticed me sitting back here and got to me all in about thirty seconds.
He grins. "Good to see you again, too, Emma."
I plaster a big, phony smile across my face and muster the friendliest voice I can manage. "Hi, Russ. How was your day? Did you get your homework done yet? Math quiz go okay?" I immediately raise an eyebrow and return to my normal voice. "Is that better for you?"
"Perfect," he says with an even bigger smile. "Thanks, Mom."
"What do you want?"
"Me? Shouldn't I be asking you?"
"I don't want anything."
"Then why'd you come back?"
I glare at him. "I wasn't in the mood to go home early. Not that it's any of your business."
"Oh, of course not," he says, pushing himself to his feet and folding his arms across his chest. "I'm just the lead in the play here, no big deal."
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "The play that no one in the whole school even knows about. Great job. Really impressive."
He sucks in his bottom lip and I notice his knuckles whiten as he curls the fingers of his left hand into a fist.
"Yeah, that's about what I'd expect from you."
The happy-go-lucky, good-natured charm that's usually in his voice has totally disappeared.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He shakes his head and shrugs. "You don't even get it. I don't know if that makes worse or if it just makes me feel bad for you."
I smirk. I can't help it. What Russ is saying is too funny right now, like he knows me or something. Like his life at Ashland has been so much better than mine.
Yeah, right.
"You? Feel bad for me? Please."
Russ spreads his arms as wide as they'll go. "I have everything I need right here," he says. "I'm not the one who's lost."
I open my mouth to respond, then close it and open it again.
What?
I mean, what?
How does he know how I'm feeling, anyway?
And how dare he say something like this to me? Who does he think he is to judge?
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I stare at him, refusing to give an inch or to show any cracks even if I feel like my insides are starting to chip and fall away. "Everything's perfect. Just like it always has been."
He raises his eyebrows. "Okay," he says simply, his voice starting to return to normal, and I wonder what side of Russ I've just met and where he came from. "Great." He smiles as if he's really about to enjoy saying whatever's coming next. "Then you've got nothing to lose, right?"
"Um...sure. Right. Yeah."
His smile grows. "Then get up there and try out."
My eyebrows shoot up and I let out a laugh and immediately slap my hand over my mouth and glance around. I'm not trying to attract any attention here, even if it's only Russ I've been hoping to avoid from the beginning.
"Is it really that ridiculous?" he asks.
I nod and reach down for my backpack. "Yeah," I tell him. "It is. I already told you, I'm no actress."
"So what you're really saying is, you're scared."
I glare at him, suddenly wishing my superpower let me shoot
I shake my head and reach down to pick up my backpack. This is too weird. I clearly can't handle it and it's doing screwy things to my brain.
It's better if I stick with my original gut instinct and get the heck out of town now.
"Hey."
The voice comes out of nowhere and it's so close to my ear that I have to fight the urge to reach back and swat the source of the noise like it's an annoying fly buzzing too close to my head.
I spin around in my seat, then frown.
Russ is kneeling down behind me, arms draped over the back of the chair, grinning widely at me.
His hair is sweatier up close.
"Where'd you come from? I don't recognize you without your princely attire."
Last I saw him, he was making his way backstage. I'm not sure how he noticed me sitting back here and got to me all in about thirty seconds.
He grins. "Good to see you again, too, Emma."
I plaster a big, phony smile across my face and muster the friendliest voice I can manage. "Hi, Russ. How was your day? Did you get your homework done yet? Math quiz go okay?" I immediately raise an eyebrow and return to my normal voice. "Is that better for you?"
"Perfect," he says with an even bigger smile. "Thanks, Mom."
"What do you want?"
"Me? Shouldn't I be asking you?"
"I don't want anything."
"Then why'd you come back?"
I glare at him. "I wasn't in the mood to go home early. Not that it's any of your business."
"Oh, of course not," he says, pushing himself to his feet and folding his arms across his chest. "I'm just the lead in the play here, no big deal."
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "The play that no one in the whole school even knows about. Great job. Really impressive."
He sucks in his bottom lip and I notice his knuckles whiten as he curls the fingers of his left hand into a fist.
"Yeah, that's about what I'd expect from you."
The happy-go-lucky, good-natured charm that's usually in his voice has totally disappeared.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He shakes his head and shrugs. "You don't even get it. I don't know if that makes worse or if it just makes me feel bad for you."
I smirk. I can't help it. What Russ is saying is too funny right now, like he knows me or something. Like his life at Ashland has been so much better than mine.
Yeah, right.
"You? Feel bad for me? Please."
Russ spreads his arms as wide as they'll go. "I have everything I need right here," he says. "I'm not the one who's lost."
I open my mouth to respond, then close it and open it again.
What?
I mean, what?
How does he know how I'm feeling, anyway?
And how dare he say something like this to me? Who does he think he is to judge?
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I stare at him, refusing to give an inch or to show any cracks even if I feel like my insides are starting to chip and fall away. "Everything's perfect. Just like it always has been."
He raises his eyebrows. "Okay," he says simply, his voice starting to return to normal, and I wonder what side of Russ I've just met and where he came from. "Great." He smiles as if he's really about to enjoy saying whatever's coming next. "Then you've got nothing to lose, right?"
"Um...sure. Right. Yeah."
His smile grows. "Then get up there and try out."
My eyebrows shoot up and I let out a laugh and immediately slap my hand over my mouth and glance around. I'm not trying to attract any attention here, even if it's only Russ I've been hoping to avoid from the beginning.
"Is it really that ridiculous?" he asks.
I nod and reach down for my backpack. "Yeah," I tell him. "It is. I already told you, I'm no actress."
"So what you're really saying is, you're scared."
I glare at him, suddenly wishing my superpower let me shoot
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