"This is all your fault, director's pet. This is a play. I'm not falling in love with you, and I would never ever go out with you, Jack Garrison."
Jack and Shayna can't get through a rehearsal without fighting.
Cheerleader Shayna loathes perfect Ja...
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I'd planned on spending the whole evening with my parents, but I got a text in the middle of gumbo from Hugh calling an emergency meeting of the Crestview Drama Society. He picked me up at ten, and we headed to Carson's house.
When Hugh and I pulled up to his massive place, we found the garage open. Carson was inside riffing on his guitar while a girl with honey-colored hair streaked with pink packed an electric keyboard into a big hard case. A guy with long dark hair loaded drum cases into an orange van.
"Hey guys," Carson set his guitar on a stand. "Sorry about the mess. Band practice just ended, and we're still finalizing our set for the bonfire."
"No big deal," Hugh said. "Is Jules here? I thought I saw their car on the way in."
"Novah and Jules went up to the media room," Carson said. "I believe you know the way?"
Hugh nodded. The girl with honey and pink hair pouted her electric blue lips. Carson wrapped his arm around her.
"Rissa, you remember Hugh," he said. "And this is Rita. They're in the drama society with me."
"Hi," Rissa held out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Marissa Lopez, but most people call me Rissa. I'm Carson's girlfriend."
Her grip was hard, but her smile was genuine. "Nice to meet you."
The guy finished loading drum cases and lumbered over to grab the keyboard. Rissa gave him a nasty look.
"Ba careful Foster," she snapped.
"Why don't you help him, sweetie," Carson said. "I have my drama society meeting."
Rissa looked at her long acrylic nails. "Why can't Jack help? Isn't he in your drama club? I feel like I haven't seen him in forever."
Carson glanced out of the garage over the fence to the big white house next door. I could see Garrison painted on the mailbox at the driveway's edge. A few windows on the upper floor were lit, but it was quiet.
"Jack is busy," Carson said. "Besides, you'll see him at the bonfire."
"That's like a whole week away, and we'll be performing," Rissa sighed when Foster's arms drooped under the weight of the piano case. "Foster, careful."
She ran off after him. Carson sighed and adjusted his headphones around his neck. He pointed Hugh in the direction of the media room in the house.
"I'll join you once I get them on the road," Carson said. "Ten minutes tops."
Hugh led me through the garage, around a workbench, and into the house. We passed through a massive chrome-plated kitchen and a full dining room. Then we went through a vast formal living room with an eighty-inch television mounted on the wall and leather couches. At the far end, we found the staircase that led upstairs to the media room.
