All the Way by Megan Stine

department for the musical! It looked like the last part of my senior year wasn’t going to suck after all.

Chapter 9
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    It’s not like all my problems suddenly went away when I got the job on the musical. I was subjected to a few lecherous laughs in the hall outside of English class, another sticky on my locker with another phone number (only this one was a fake, because no real phone number has that many sixty-nines in it), and Ryan Marciolla (Joey’s best friend) following me around between every class, begging me to go out with him.
    But the good news was that I just didn’t care that much. I wasn’t going to let them get to me. All I wanted to do was make it through the day and show up for the first musical rehearsal after school—because that’s where my life would be really happening from now on.
    When I finally walked into the auditorium, Emily Pendleton was waiting for me off in a corner, all excited.
    â€œLook what I found!” she said. She held up an old Salvation Army-style drum. “Won’t this be great for Sergeant Sarah Brown? I spent the whole weekend prowling through junk shops in Akron.”
    â€œCool.” I nodded approvingly. I loved how excited she was. Her whole face lit up when she talked about things that interested her.
    â€œI hope you don’t mind, I got this hat, too,” she said meekly. “I know costumes are your thing, but I couldn’t resist it.”
    She thrust a bright blue satin pillbox hat at me. It had a veil, and the most amazing pale blue silk flower on one side.
    â€œI love it,” I said.
    â€œSorry if I’m stepping on your toes or anything.” She was so apologetic.
    â€œDon’t be silly,” I said. “It’s fabulous! You did the right thing.”
    I swear to God, I think this girl would apologize to plants. Most of the cast members had straggled in and were milling around, talking, waiting for Mr. Richards to get things rolling. He clapped his hands to quiet everyone down.
    â€œChorus girls onstage,” he called. “Everyone else, work on your lines.”
    â€œLet’s go sit in the back,” I whispered, motioning to Emily. “I want to watch the rehearsal, scope out some ideas.”
    â€œOkay,” she said, slightly reluctantly. From the look on her face, I could tell she was calculating whether or not she would be invisible enough in the back row.
    I could feel her relaxing as soon as we slouched down in the seats. The auditorium was dark, and we could whisper about everyone without being heard.
    Onstage, Mr. Richards was having Stella Macaffrey work out some choreography for the Hot Box girls. Off to the side, Tyler and Natalie were working on their first scene.
    â€œShe’s pretty,” Emily said, watching Natalie with envy. “I can see why Mr. Richards picked her.”
    â€œYeah,” I agreed halfheartedly.
    â€œOh, wait!” Emily was all flustered. “Did you want that part? I mean, I thought you went out for Miss Adelaide. I mean, I wasn’t saying she was prettier than you or anything.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” I said. “It’s not so much that I wanted her part. I wanted what she’s got.”
    â€œYou mean her voice?”
    â€œI mean her leading man,” I admitted. I felt safe telling Emily things. She wasn’t the gossipy type.
    â€œOhhhh. Yeah. He’s definitely cute.”
    â€œHe’s way hot,” I muttered, letting my real feelings show. “And funny. He’s hilarious in Mrs. Raymer’s class.”
    Wow, I thought. I suddenly realized something: Emily wasn’t treating me like she thought I was a slut. Was that because she hadn’t read Joey’s blog? Was she just too out of the loop to have heard the rumors?
    Or was she taking me at face value, without assuming all the gossip was true?
    â€œYou should go after him,” she said, still watching