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Wait A about?

Suddenly, I’ve seemed to set loose a whole lepidopterarium of butterflies in my stomach I have just annihilated the rest of my appetite, anxious now over what I should say or ask or do Why does Vann excite erous person, and I’ with fire here …?

The bell catches runts without looking at me He takes his tray “See you later at rehearsal, Toby” With that—and while I’ for a reply of any kind—he rises from the table and leaves

“S-See ya,” I finally one

All the questions I could’ve asked or topics I could’ve chatted about die quick deaths on the vacated lunch table I stare at my half-eaten pasta and breadstick, which I took exactly one bite out of, with tu is happening here between ure out what the hell that is

Wait a sec Did he say rehearsal?

09 | VANN

So Toby wants me to notice the better parts of this town

Good luck with that

After a boring seventh period study hall, Icrowded halls to the theater, I notice girls slowing to let their gazes linger on ainst her chest Another one runs a hand through her hair, batting her eyes Two of thele as soon as I pass by them, their faces cherry red I wonder if these are the finer parts of Spruce I’irl in this school is apparently incorrigibly horny

The auditoriuy when I co the seats, most of them aren’t in the cast, I come to learn They’re just here to listen to the first day read-through, for which a table has been erected on the stage I go up the steps to the stage and take a seat at the table where three other cast reets me chirpily and hands me a script I dropon the copyright page of the script, waiting for sohter,” says another cast member whose name I think is Frankie, “if you need one for all your lines” I give the highlighter one look, grunt, “No thanks,” then carry on with ain

Then the auditoriu open, and in rushes Toby He finds , then assumes a sort of stoic, all-business face as he ascends the steps of the stage and takes a seat next to reets me, then politely accepts a script from Tamika “Thanks”

“Hey,” I greet hi

A minute later, Toby’s friend Kelsey pops up and drops into the seat next to hily to him, and I don’t think she ruff and carries “Where were you during yearbook?” Toby asks back, red-faced “Ms Reyes sent me on an errand to take photos of band class Don’t worry, Toby, I keptlunch Me and the Theatre peeps totally weren’t talking about you and Dolare fro what the hell “Domino” is

When the director Ms Joy arrives, we are i the script out loud a the table She insists we only pay attention to the story and not “sweat over acting it out or being too dramatic”, since we have well over six weeks of rehearsal to worry about that The whole ti note of how freaked out he looks, his eyes full of fear throughout every scene we read Tae directions, and when it comes time that our love-bird characters kiss in scene four—which Tamika reads in a dutiful and serious voice—the table is full of giggles, eyes looking up froet in return ischeeks

After the table read, which ends an hour and fortytedium later, Ms Joy dismisses us for a short break, after which we return for a round of character questions, discussions, and a few other things that have me bored out ofmyself, yet everyone at the table seems to revere it like it’s already won a Pulitzer