Read Online The Right and the Real by Joelle Anthony - Free Book Online
Authors: Joelle Anthony
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bought me for my sixteenth birthday. That was one good thing, at least. I’d stacked a bunch of boxes in the driveway while I searched and was loading them back in when I saw the one labeled
Theater Stuff
.
I ran my hand over the cardboard, caressing it. This had to be all my scripts, plus my theater memorabilia. It probably had all the books I’d bought on that trip to New York City with the drama group, photocopies of scripts for plays we’d done at school, and the photo album from performing arts camp in it too.
It had only been six days since the wedding, but it already felt like I’d been in limbo for weeks. I had such a longing for my old life, I vowed right then I wouldn’t open this box until I was in New York at drama school. Or at least until I had my dad back and my life was on track again.
“Hey,” Krista said, startling me so I hit my head on the doorjamb, “when are you going to get rid of these boxes? You can’t be that lazy.”
“Ummm…” I should tell her right now. She could help me figure out what to do. “I—”
A horn beeped twice as a blue minivan pulled into the driveway behind us.
“Mom!” Krista said.
Margie climbed out. “My meetings ended early.” While they hugged, I quickly shoved the last of the boxes back inside and slammed the door.
“Hi, Margie,” I said, walking toward her, smiling my brightest smile.
Later, I took Krista to the mall to meet her stepmother, Lisa. “Don’t forget about your phone,” Krista said to me before they drove away.
“I won’t. I’m going there now.”
For some reason, I wasn’t getting any service. I made my way to the end of the mall to my cell provider. I paced around the tiny phone center, looking at headsets, cases, and hands-free adapters for almostan hour, waiting for my turn to talk to one of the two gum-chewing, multitasking salesgirls. Finally, I was up, but this big guy with a beer gut and a toddler wrapped around his leg tried to cut in front of me.
“Ummm…excuse me,” I said. “I’m next.”
“I just need to buy this battery,” he told me.
“Yeah, well, I’ve been waiting for, like, an hour.”
The girl took it from him. “I’ll ring him up real fast.”
My nerves were wound so tight, it took every ounce of self-control not to totally lose it, but I managed to hold it in. Fifteen minutes and two phone calls later, she finally said, “Okay. What can I do for you?”
I took a deep breath to keep from screaming, gave her my name, and told her the problem. “There’s something wrong with my cell. It charges, but it’s not getting any service.”
While she looked up my account, she took a call on her own phone, and I had to fight back the urge to rip the earpiece out of her ear. I knew part of my problem was general anxiety, but honestly, she was pushing every button I had by taking a personal call. Her fourth one since I’d walked through the doors.
“No, I can’t,” she said into her headset. “I’ve got to close tonight and then I’m meeting Spencer.” She typed a few more things into the computer. “What’s your name again?” she asked me.
“Jamie Lexington-Cross,” I spit out. “But the account’s in my dad’s name. Richard Cross.”
“Hmmm.…” She chomped on her gum. “He never said that.”
“What?” I asked.
She shook her head at me and mouthed the words, “I’m on the phone.”
“Yeah, I got that,” I muttered, and she gave me a wide-eyed look like,
What’s your problem?
“Okay…here it is,” she said. “Your service has been canceled.”
I seriously thought she was still talking to whoever she had on the phone.
“Your service was canceled,” she said again, when I didn’t respond.
“Me?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, earlier today. Must’ve gone over your limit one too many times and pissed your dad off.” She laughed. “Happens all the time. He’ll get over it, but it will cost him fifty bucks to reinstate it. Good luck.”
I couldn’t
Theater Stuff
.
I ran my hand over the cardboard, caressing it. This had to be all my scripts, plus my theater memorabilia. It probably had all the books I’d bought on that trip to New York City with the drama group, photocopies of scripts for plays we’d done at school, and the photo album from performing arts camp in it too.
It had only been six days since the wedding, but it already felt like I’d been in limbo for weeks. I had such a longing for my old life, I vowed right then I wouldn’t open this box until I was in New York at drama school. Or at least until I had my dad back and my life was on track again.
“Hey,” Krista said, startling me so I hit my head on the doorjamb, “when are you going to get rid of these boxes? You can’t be that lazy.”
“Ummm…” I should tell her right now. She could help me figure out what to do. “I—”
A horn beeped twice as a blue minivan pulled into the driveway behind us.
“Mom!” Krista said.
Margie climbed out. “My meetings ended early.” While they hugged, I quickly shoved the last of the boxes back inside and slammed the door.
“Hi, Margie,” I said, walking toward her, smiling my brightest smile.
Later, I took Krista to the mall to meet her stepmother, Lisa. “Don’t forget about your phone,” Krista said to me before they drove away.
“I won’t. I’m going there now.”
For some reason, I wasn’t getting any service. I made my way to the end of the mall to my cell provider. I paced around the tiny phone center, looking at headsets, cases, and hands-free adapters for almostan hour, waiting for my turn to talk to one of the two gum-chewing, multitasking salesgirls. Finally, I was up, but this big guy with a beer gut and a toddler wrapped around his leg tried to cut in front of me.
“Ummm…excuse me,” I said. “I’m next.”
“I just need to buy this battery,” he told me.
“Yeah, well, I’ve been waiting for, like, an hour.”
The girl took it from him. “I’ll ring him up real fast.”
My nerves were wound so tight, it took every ounce of self-control not to totally lose it, but I managed to hold it in. Fifteen minutes and two phone calls later, she finally said, “Okay. What can I do for you?”
I took a deep breath to keep from screaming, gave her my name, and told her the problem. “There’s something wrong with my cell. It charges, but it’s not getting any service.”
While she looked up my account, she took a call on her own phone, and I had to fight back the urge to rip the earpiece out of her ear. I knew part of my problem was general anxiety, but honestly, she was pushing every button I had by taking a personal call. Her fourth one since I’d walked through the doors.
“No, I can’t,” she said into her headset. “I’ve got to close tonight and then I’m meeting Spencer.” She typed a few more things into the computer. “What’s your name again?” she asked me.
“Jamie Lexington-Cross,” I spit out. “But the account’s in my dad’s name. Richard Cross.”
“Hmmm.…” She chomped on her gum. “He never said that.”
“What?” I asked.
She shook her head at me and mouthed the words, “I’m on the phone.”
“Yeah, I got that,” I muttered, and she gave me a wide-eyed look like,
What’s your problem?
“Okay…here it is,” she said. “Your service has been canceled.”
I seriously thought she was still talking to whoever she had on the phone.
“Your service was canceled,” she said again, when I didn’t respond.
“Me?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, earlier today. Must’ve gone over your limit one too many times and pissed your dad off.” She laughed. “Happens all the time. He’ll get over it, but it will cost him fifty bucks to reinstate it. Good luck.”
I couldn’t
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