The Last Year of Innocence

Chapter Eleven

Kara:

With the passing of Thanksgiving and the arrival of December, everyone had their attention on the winter production. All of the students in the creative classes were expected to participate in some way, a prospect that had everyone on edge for all kinds of reasons. Not only were grades on the line for students, but for seniors it was their first opportunity to showcase themselves for creative arts colleges. For freshman, it was the first time they’d be performing in front of their friends and families. All of this on top of having to do well in regular classes made it easy for Kara to understand why some people were going crazy.

            Irina was one of those who seemed to be cracking under the pressure. She practiced so much Kara and Shirelle hardly ever saw her. Fearful her friend was going to have a nervous breakdown or something, Kara was determined to find a way to help her relax.

            “I think we should do something for Irina,” Kara said.

            “Like what?” Shirelle asked. “I don’t know anything about ballet, do you?”

            It was time for their vocal enrichment class, but instead of being on their way to the classroom, they were heading for the auditorium. In preparation for the winter production, Miss Ambrose was holding all of her classes there from now on. All of the students in her classes were learning the same song and would be performing as one large group at the production. Kara hadn’t admitted it to anyone, not even Shirelle, but she found the whole thing a little irritating. Having her opera voice blending in with everyone else’s wouldn’t showcase her talent, but only seniors were allowed to do solos and not at the winter production. It was at the spring production seniors could do acts independent of what the teachers assigned, so Kara resigned herself to sounding like everyone else for the time being.

            “I didn’t mean we should help her with her dance,” Kara explained. “I was thinking more like we should do something to give her a break and get her mind off performing.”

            “Oh, okay, like what?” Shirelle asked.

            “We could go to Yosemite National Park,” Ethan said.

            As usual, Shirelle jumped at the sound of his voice from behind her. Kara shot Shirelle an I-told-you-so glance and was pleased to see Shirelle studying him with narrowed eyes.

            “How do you even know what we’re talking about?” Shirelle demanded.

            Ethan grinned at her as if he knew what she was thinking too. “I heard you talking.”

            It was Shirelle’s turn to look smug, but Kara wasn’t convinced.

            “How can we go to Yosemite?” Shirelle asked. “We’re not allowed off campus without a parent or guardian. You got one of those around?”

            “No, but we can just sneak out,” Ethan said.

            “Are you crazy?” Kara gasped. “If we get caught we could get expelled.”

            “We won’t get caught,” Ethan assured her.

            “How do you know?” Shirelle asked. “You got some kind of an in with Mr. Brewer or something?”

            “No, but Solomon sneaks out all the time. I’ll bet he’d come with us,” Ethan said.

            Interest lit up Shirelle’s eyes. “I think it sounds like a great idea.”