-Jayleigh
)Six
My dream ended abruptly when Fawn busted through my door. I was sprawled on my bed, still clothed. My shades were not drawn and the darkness illuminated from outside. I glanced at my clock while my sister began ranting. It was eleven o’clock.
“He stayed and talked to me for a while. That was a shocker to me. Why did you invite him over, Fay?”
I sat up to look at my sister. “I didn’t. He just showed up. I didn’t ask him to stay.”
“You didn’t ask him to leave, either,” she pointed out.
Fawn was right about that. I had been too preoccupied with his motives that I had dismissed the thought to actually make him leave my home. Maybe I secretly didn’t want him to leave. If that was the case, I wouldn’t be admitting it to anyone, especially Fawn.
“Face it,” Fawn started. “He is just playing with us. Who wouldn’t want to go around telling all the guys that he got with twins? I knew this would happen some day.”
I grimaced. “That’s disgusting.”
Fawn started pacing around my bedroom with her hands on her hips. She was wearing a denim mini-skirt and boots. Her blouse was tight around her flat belly and small arms. It was unbuttoned at the top to show off her cleavage. Any classic Fawn outfit would be lost without her cleavage popping out to say ‘hello’.
“You know what I think?” she asked.
I watched her as she paced.
“I think I should make him a little jealous. I should show him how it feels to be the one getting dumped on.”
“Fawn, that’s really not a good idea. You know that never really works.”
She threw her hands in the air. “It worked for me, didn’t it?”
I shrugged. “Well, what did you guys talk about? Maybe he had an ulterior motive for coming over.”
She fell into my desk chair and swiveled it around. “I don’t know, Fay. We talked about me mostly. That guy never wants to tell me anything about himself. You know, I don’t even know where he is from.”
I rolled my eyes. “How would you even make him jealous, anyway?”
She smiled, glad that I was giving into her scheming. “Well, Foster is a total hottie and we hit it off pretty well at the party. If it weren’t for Warren distracting me, Foster and I might have hooked up.”
My eyes widened. “Fawn!”
She shook her head. “You are too innocent for your own good. Seriously, you need a life.” I opened my mouth to defend myself, but she stopped me. “Besides the drama club.”
“Whatever,” I muttered.
She stood and walked over to my bed, sitting next to me. “You don’t mind if I steal Foster for a little while, do you?”
“Steal?” As if he was ever mine.
She nodded. “Well, he did give you a ride home and I saw the way you watched him when he auditioned. You like him.”
I was shaking my head before she could even finish. “No, I don’t like him.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You don’t need to lie to me. I’m your sister, after all.” She placed a hand over mine. I jerked my hand away instantly.
“I don’t like him. Okay? Do whatever you want with him.”
She stood up, clearly mad with the attitude I had.
“At least I asked first. God, Fay, you can be such a jerk sometimes.”
I stared after her with my mouth hung open as she walked out of my bedroom and slammed my door closed.
*
The next day was a Saturday. I stayed in my room as long as I could; trying to avoid any thrashings Fawn had left over. However, I failed that attempt when my mother called up to me from the bottom of the stairs telling me I had a phone call.
“Hello?”
There was a pause, then, “Fayette!” It was Marcia and I could hear that her mouth was full with food. “I’m glad I could reach you. I’m having a small rehearsal today in the auditorium at about three. Just a few people that will need extra help because of how many songs they have to learn. Will you be able to make it?”
“I guess so.”
“Good! Okay, I’ll need you to bring Fawn as well. We should work on her part too…” Marcia continued to talk of what she had planned for the play, but I droned her out and began to walk back to my bedroom.
I stopped in front of Fawn’s room, however. I said good-bye to Marcia and knocked on her door.
“You may enter,” she said, then giggled.
I pushed open the door. Fawn was sitting at her desk, hands on her keyboard. “What is it?” she asked, her tone no longer light. She didn’t glance at me as she spoke.
“Marcia just called. She said that there is a rehearsal at three in the auditorium. She wants us to be there.”
Fawn scoffed. “I can’t go!”
“Why?”
It was a stupid question to ask, but I did anyway. I already knew the answer. She was still plotting her scheme. She had not figured out a way to get back at Warren by using Foster yet. Showing up to a rehearsal where they would both be present when she is not ready could have turned into a disaster.
“Besides the obvious?” she said, again not turning to look at me.
“What’s the obvious?”
Again, it was another stupid question. The obvious was that it wasn’t really her who auditioned. It wasn’t really her who had gotten the part. Having her show up at a rehearsal where she cannot sing the lyrics that would be given to her would also turn into a disaster.
“Just go,” I said before she could answer my question. “Tell her yourself that you can’t perform. Tell her that you have other things on your plate or whatever.”
Fawn’s shoulders dropped and she sighed. “I guess. What time did you say we had to be there?”
“Three,” I said flatly.
*
Fawn was silent the entire car ride to the school. She was even quiet when we walked into the auditorium and sat in the front row of the seats. Foster was sitting up on the stage, letting his feet dangle. He was wearing a dark hoodie and jeans. His hair was perfectly in place as it always was.
Marcia was talking to Warren by the baby grand piano off to the side in the orchestra pit. He was wearing his usual button up shirt and clean jeans. Unlike the day before, he looked like he put time into what he was going to be wearing.
Beside me, Fawn sighed and crossed her legs, annoyed. She seemed to not want to be there just as much as I didn’t want her to be there. For once, we were on the same page.
“Okay,” Marcia said as she walked closer to us. “We are still waiting for our Carlotta. She is doing a real good job becoming her character. Fashionably late like the diva she is playing.” Marcia laughed. “Let’s get started without her. Fawn, you first.”
Marcia put a small boom-box on the stage and placed her finger over the play button. They looked at each other, Marcia waiting and Fawn nervous.
“Here’s the thing. I don’t want to leave you high and dry or anything, but I can’t sing.”
Marcia threw her hands up in the air with a scoff. “How modest of you, Fawn. But seriously, let’s go. We are pressed for time.”
Fawn stood, but didn’t make any movement for the stage. “I’m not kidding, Marcia. I really can’t sing. That wasn’t me singing during rehearsals. That wasn’t my voice.”
Marcia had contorted her face into a stoned expression, suppressing her anger. “Then who was it?”
Fawn rocked back on her heels, hesitating.
“Well!” Marcia snapped.
Fawn jumped at the loud boom that escaped Marcia. Her voice echoed off the walls of the auditorium and came back to us with a loud clap.
“It was Fayette! You don’t have to yell at me.”
Marcia glanced at me, but I only saw it out of the corner of my eye. I had averted my gaze to the floor. “Fayette,” she said, her tone quieter. “Why didn’t you tell us it was you who was singing?”
I shrugged.
“Fay!” The same deafening tone hit me hard. My whole body began to shake with embarrassment. I could feel my cheeks beginning to warm as the blood rushed to my face. I pulled at my fingers nervously.
Someone walked towards me, I couldn’t force myself to even look up to see who it was, but they took my hand. I let the person lead me up the aisle and out of the school. It was when we broke out into the crisp fall air did I look at the person. It was Foster.
I let my hand fall to my side and I looked up at the sky, letting the cool air calm my nerves.
“You look green,” he said, humor behind his voice. “What’s wrong?”
I shrugged and closed my eyes, wanting only silence.
“Ah. Well, I’ll leave you alone then.” He turned to leave, his shoes scratching against the pavement as he turned on his heel twice. He kept taking in breaths as if he were to say something, but never did.
His movements stopped and I could no longer hear his breath. It wasn’t until I heard the front entrance door close that I realized he wasn’t with me.
I fell to the pavement and sat crossed legged on the sidewalk. What was I going to do? Marcia would definitely want me to play Christine. There was no doubt about that. But could I do it? Could I really perform, sing, in front of a hundred people?
I shook my head. No, definitely not.
