"Could I? Will your dad be there?"
"No. Marissa is pregnant again."
"Awww!"
"Yeah. It's a boy this time. She wants to name him Rain."
"Well, his sister is named Stormy. I guess that would fit."
"He'll get his ass kicked on the playground with a name like that. Why can't they name him Lightning or Thunderbolt or something tough?"
"Speaking of names. My sisters got a dog like Buoy. They named her Kiki."
He laughs out loud.
I miss making him laugh. I miss him.
"My dad told me about that. All I have to say is Kiki must be one patient dog. I heard the girls painted her with pink and purple paint, then poured glitter all over her. When Tommy got pissed, Ivery took him aside and told him that Kiki was sad because she didn't have pretty tutus or glitter shoes and they wanted to her feel pretty. They're so funny. Everyone says they are going to have to call you Buoy when you come home." He stops laughing and is quiet for a minute. "I miss you, Keats. Everyone misses you."
"I miss everyone too. Garrett doesn't think I'll ever be able to go home. But I'm doing okay, Damian. I'm starting over."
"That's bullshit. If this goes on much longer, screw Garrett, you and me will figure out something together."
"Like old times, huh? You helping me write the scripts of my life?"
"Exactly. So, hey, we have a morning radio interview in a few hours and I haven't even been to bed yet."
I hear a girl's voice in the background say, Baby, hurry up.
"Who's that? Damian! Do you have a girlfriend?"
He laughs loudly and then whispers to me. "More like groupies. Touring is awesome."
"Then I better let you get back to that."
"Actually, I was just getting ready to leave. I really do need to get a few hours of sleep. Are you sure you're doing okay, like, really?"
"I think so."
"Any guys giving you shit?"
"I love you."
"You're avoiding that topic. Does that mean one already is?"
"No. It's more like the opposite."
"A guy is treating you too well?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"Maybe you should marry him," he laughs. "No, wait, you can't. We're already married."
"It will be easy to annul. We married under false pretenses. You told me you were a prince."
"Only because you wrote the script and made me wear that girly crown."
"True, but I also cast you as a frog because hopping around like a maniac and singing songs was something you were actually good at."
"Are you saying I wasn't a believable Prince? You've just dashed my dreams of winning an Oscar."
"I'm saying you played a much better frog." I hear the girl whine again in the background. "Case in point," I say and hang up.
Your arm candy.
6:45pm
After dinner, Jake walks by us, puckers his lips at me, and makes a loud kissing noise. "Come on, sweets, let's go."
Dawson flips him off, wraps his arms around me, and kisses my neck. "How ’bout you skip tryouts and come to my room? I guarantee it will be more fun."
"Why don't you come watch me?"
"I really don't want to watch you kiss a bunch of guys on stage."
"You know Jake is exaggerating that part just to piss you off. I kiss Jake three times in the play. And they have to be perfect fairytale kisses. They aren't hot kisses."
"Like this?" He lays his lips gently on mine in a chaste fairytale-style kiss, but then grabs the back of my hair and shoves his tongue in my mouth.
"Are you sure you don't want to try out? Those are the kind of kisses I would like to practice over and over again."
"So Jake's not going to kiss you like this?"
"Um, not even close."
"But if you do the play, we won't have much time for our kind of practicing," he pouts as he slides his hands down my back and squeezes my ass.
"We'll have plenty of time for that. I promise," I tell him as we head out of the café.
What I don’t tell him is that this is something I really want to do. And that for the first time in my life, I can try out for a role and not worry about being an embarrassment to my mom.
I can just be me.
I practically skip to the auditorium. I'm so excited.
I see Jake and Peyton ahead of me. They appear to be having a heated discussion. He walks through the auditorium doors and leaves Peyton outside.
She looks upset. "Are you okay?"
She takes a deep breath. "Yeah. Jake isn't going to say anything, but I'm pretty sure he already told Bryce. Whitney cannot find out."
"Congrats on Court. I meant to tell you earlier, but you were reveling in the freedom of throwing away your shoes.”
She brightens. “That felt really good. And you too. I’m so happy for you."
"What's the deal with wearing a formal dress on a football field? That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard."
"Really? It seems normal to me. So I saw Maggie and Katie earlier. They said you all are going to New York to shop this weekend. Do you think I could come with you? Is that bad? My totally inviting myself."
"We'd love it! I would’ve asked you. I just figured you already had a dress."
"Whitney has had her dress for months. She's been planning for the perfect dress since she started dating Dawson."
"Do you have one?"
"I do, but she helped me pick it out." She scowls. "I don't love it."
I give her a grin. "You're going to win, so you need to be in a dress that you love."
She bounces a little. "Wouldn't that be amazing?"
I glance at my watch. "Hey, I gotta get in there."
"Break a leg.” She looks at me sincerely and says, "Thanks for letting me come with you."
"You're welcome. Um, do you want to invite Whitney? I felt bad when she left me out, I don't want to make her feel that way."
"Hell, no," she says and marches off.
"Keatyn Monroe," the drama coach says, calling my name off a list in his hand.
It’s time! I was a little nervous while I was standing here waiting for my turn, but as I walk across the stage, it’s gone.
I’m ready.
I have my lines memorized.
The accent down.
I know how I want to portray the character physically.
I've even dressed the part in a sweet but flirty skirt and cowboy boots.
I recite my lines and forget about everything else.
After my tryout, I step slowly off the stage. I know I have to let the next person audition, but I'm not ready to leave. I could stay up here all night.
Dance. Talk. Pretend to be someone else.
I don't want to leave.
I send Dawson a quick text, telling him I'll meet him later, and work my way through the seats to the darkened back of the auditorium.
I'm surprised to find Aiden sitting right where I was headed. "Are you trying out?" I whisper as I take a seat next to him.
"No, I watched Logan and Nick try out earlier. They had to get to the JV game. I decided to stay and watch for a while."
"Shouldn't you be there too?”
"Cole was the starting receiver and he got hurt, so I’m filling in for him and will only be playing Varsity for a while.”
"That's exciting. Congrats."
He cocks his head at me. "So just who was that up there?"
"What do you mean?" My heart sinks. "Oh my gosh, did I suck?"
He smiles gently and shakes his head. "No, you didn't suck. It was like watching a different person. The accent. The way you flipped your hair."
He knows how I flip my hair?
He continues. "And you put your hand on your hip when she was being sassy. You only do that in real life when you're mad. You even held your jaw differently. Like, not as tight as usual and your face looked softer. Sweeter, maybe."
I break out in a grin. "That's because she's not a bitch like I am."
"You're not a bitch."
"No? But I can play one." I straighten my back. Tilt my chin and look down on him. Roll my shoulders slightly forward in a model pose. Get a defiant look in my eye.
"Damn, you haven't even said anything yet, and I'm already scared," he says with an adorable laugh. He studies my face for a minute. "You know, you have a very expressive face."