"You, Bitch!" someone exclaimed when I exited Charlie's class after the first bell rang, and I paused and looked that way to see Claire coming at me like an angry bull seeing red. "How could you?!"
Oh Goddess...
I blinked and blinked again while I looked at her, pressing my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word while I stared at her, not knowing what was going on and why she was pissed at me.
Bryson hesitated and pulled me over to the side so that the others could escape the classroom while we waited for her to come closer to us.
"Well?" she asked and stopped in front of me. She placed her hands on her hips and jutted out her hip while she scowled and narrowed her eyes. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
I raised an eyebrow in question and slowly blinked, unimpressed and unamused. "What do you mean?" I asked and cocked my head while I stared at her with my raised eyebrow. "What's going on? What did I do?"
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, scowling. "Don't tell me that you don't know," she said. "What do you have to say about this?" She shoved the piece of paper in my face, and I backed up a little while I wrinkled my nose and pursed my lips in annoyance.
"It's a piece of paper," I said and looked at her. "I am sure that you are talking about what's on the piece of paper, but I can't see what is on the piece of paper because you are holding it too close in front of my face."
Claire narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Have you not read it yet this morning?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "There is a meeting after school about this, you know."
I blinked and blinked again, confused. I didn't say a word and stared at her before I looked at Bryson, wondering if I was missing something that I had to do today.
Bryson shrugged and grimaced. He didn't say a word while he thought about it before realization filled his eyes and dawned on his face. "Oh," he said, biting back a small laugh while he rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat before he shifted on his feet. "It's the musical that she is talking about. Results are in, remember?"
I blinked and blinked again before I realized what he was talking about us being in the musical that was happening soon. "Oh," I said before I looked at Claire. "Then, why are you so upset?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
Claire scoffed and rolled her eyes, scowling. "Because you are Jenna," she said, and I raised my other eyebrow to match that one. She shook the paper in front of me, and I looked at it and then at her. "You are the lead role, asshole, the role that I wanted."
"Language, language," I said with a small tsk and snatched the paper from her so that I could look over it. "Where did you learn that type of language?"
"You are a f-"
"Enough," Charlie said, exiting the classroom before she could finish her sentence. He scowled and narrowed his eyes, and Claire stared at him with wide eyes that were filled with fear and nervousness. "What is with all of this yelling and cursing?" He looked at me before he looked at Claire, again.
"Apparently I am the lead role," I said and handed him the crumpled up piece of paper. "I don't know what her role is, but I got the part that she wanted."
"Hmph." Charlie looked at the results before he looked at me. "Congratulations," he said and handed it back to me. "I knew that you could do it."
I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line. "Very funny, Mr. Brickson," I said coldly. "It wasn't even something that I was trying for, but it was something that I got."
"And it was a role that I was supposed to win," Claire said and folded her arms across her chest. "Shame on you for stealing it from me."
I rolled my eyes and scowled, biting back a small snort. "For one, it wasn't a competition," I said. "Two, Ms. Grey thought I was better for that role than you."
"And it looks like you are the understudy for her, but you also had minor roles for multiple scenes so that you can be the understudy," Charlie said. He cleared his throat and stood taller. "Your name is Claire, right?" He raised an eyebrow in question.
Claire scoffed and rolled her eyes before she pursed her lips in annoyance. "Yes," she said coldly. "I am Claire. I do not want to be an understudy. I want to be in the lead role. Why is she there? She doesn't even go here."
I blinked and blinked again, amused before I looked at Bryson. "Did she just say that I didn't go here?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
Bryson bit back a small snort and nodded in confirmation. "She did," he said, amused. "I guess that means you are a ghost, Cass."
I shrugged and looked at him nonchalantly. "Eh, close enough," I said before I turned my attention to look at Charlie. "Am I a ghost?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.
Charlie shook his head, his eyes flashing with pain and sadness as if he was thinking about Cassandra at that moment. "No, you are not a ghost, Miss Lanchester," he said softly. "You are human. I can touch your arm and feel the warmth that you possess."
"Hmph." I pressed my lips into a thin line and looked at Claire, who looked annoyed. "Nice try," I said and shook my head. "I do go here. I am sure that Mrs. Packston can show you if you like."
"No," Bryson said quickly and shook his head, and we looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Aunt May will not show her anything in your file."
That piqued my interest a little. "My file?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and Bryson nodded in confirmation. "Ooh, goodie. What's in it?" I asked. "And can I see it?"
"No," Charlie said, and I scowled and pursed my lips in annoyance. "And don't go asking May. That goes for both of you." He looked at Bryson when he said that. "Is that understood?"
I held back an eye roll before I sighed and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Brickson," I said, making a mental note to see if I couldn't find it myself and see what's in there.
Maybe there would be more interesting stuff than the file Copo has on me...
"And that means don't go sneaking around and finding out, Miss Lanchester," Mr. Brickson said as if he knew what I was thinking. He scowled and narrowed his eyes while he stared at me, and I couldn't help but stare at him with wide, innocent eyes.
Shit...
"Oh, please do," Claire said, and we looked at her, "and get suspended so that you can lose this role so that I can take my spot as the lead. I will be a much better Jenna than you. You do not have anything in common with her, and I do because I am fabulous."
I chuckled coldly and shook her head with a small sneer on my face.
If only you knew...
"Oh, nice, try, Sweetheart," I said and took a threatening step toward her, and Claire hesitated and backed up a step while Bryson looked at me with narrowed eyes and scowling as if he knew that I was hiding something. "That's not going to make me give up this lead role, even if I didn't want it to begin with. Now, if you will excuse us, we are going to go to class before we are late. Bye, Charlie."
And with that, I turned and walked away from them with Bryson following close behind, the paper still in my hand.
Oh, Goddess... this was going to be a long time to prepare for this show...
And, I knew that it was going to be a mental battle, especially without my close friends by my side...