The Comeback Part 17

"Because you kept your promise," she said.

"What promise?"

She gave me a friendly sock on the arm. "Quit kidding around."

I had a feeling I was heading for trouble, so for once I decided to think before I spoke. "Oh, that."

While she continued to talk, I frantically tried to recall what she could be talking about. The promise not to regain my social status by any means necessary-like costume sabotage?

I started to sweat. If she found out what I'd done, she'd never forgive me, as a stage manager or a friend.

"We should get back to rehearsal," I reminded her.

We hurried back into the auditorium, where most of the cast were gathered.

Monet said, "C'mon, people, time to get into costume and makeup."

The drama cla.s.sroom had been converted. The desks were gone and several rows of temporary makeup chairs had been set up in their places.

One of Monet's lackeys wheeled a clothing rack filled with our costumes into the room. I changed into my dress and threw a robe over it to protect the fabric when I was in hair and makeup. My costume was the typical ingenue white, pretty but boring.

Mrs. Swenson, who volunteered for every production even after her daughter had graduated, waved me over. I liked her the best of all the volunteer moms and gladly went into her chair.

"Sophie, how are you? You'll dazzle us tonight, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Mrs. Swenson. I hope so," I replied. "How is Sh.e.l.li?"

We chatted about her daughter's college experience while Mrs. Swenson braided my hair and twisted it into a bun in the back of my head. Then she applied thick greasepaint to my face and finished the rest of my makeup.

Finally, I was ready. I thanked her and hopped out of the chair, giving up my place to Vanessa, who was playing a minor role as a widow.

Fanelli hollered, "Places, everyone!" The words gave me that familiar thrill. I'd been so focused on climbing back to the top that I'd forgotten how to enjoy the acting process.

Angie sneezed once backstage. A little flurry of spice rose from her dress. I looked around, but no one else noticed. I thought everything was going according to plan.

It was my chance. I'd have the role I'd always wanted, the role of tempestuous Katharina, the role I thought I was meant to play.

"Do you smell cayenne pepper?" she said.

Mr. Fanelli didn't even yell at her for breaking character. "Angie, are you feeling okay?"

A little panicky feeling fluttered in my chest. She didn't look well. Her eyes were all red and her face was starting to swell.

"Cayenne?" Connor said, his voice rising. "You're allergic to cayenne pepper."

"I know," she said, her speech thickening.

She was having an allergic reaction.

"Does anyone have any Benadryl?" Monet asked.

"Get her some water," Fanelli shouted.

"I think I have some Benadryl in my purse," I said. There was a sick feeling in my stomach. I didn't like Angie, but I didn't wish her any real harm.

I ran backstage and grabbed my backpack. I rummaged through it until I found the over-the-counter medicine I was looking for and returned to the stage. Angie chugged a huge bottle of water, sitting on a chair surrounded by the cast and crew. I was relieved to see that the swelling in her face was already receding.

"Here you go," I said. I handed it to Connor, and that's when I noticed the reddish-brown powder all over my hand. I looked down. There was a trail of pepper running down the skirt of my white dress. I tried to hide my hand, but it was too late.

"What's that all over your skirt?" Monet said.

Everyone was staring at me.

"It's cayenne pepper," Dev said. The disappointment in his voice nearly made me cry.

"It's not," I said. "It's...from lunch."

I tried to hand Connor the Benadryl, but he refused it. "Like I'd take anything from you," he said. "It's already taken care of. She had an EpiPen in her bag."

Monet grabbed my backpack and shook out the contents.

"Hey!" I said, but it was too late.

She dug into it until she found something. "Aha," she said. She held up a small container. "This is cayenne papper."

There were general expressions of disgust from the crowd, but I ignored them. I only cared about Monet at that point. "It was just a p-prank."

Monet gave a snort of disbelief.

"I didn't know she was allergic," I said pleadingly, but Monet was stone-faced.

"Don't ever talk to me again," she said.

Fanelli, for once, hadn't commented until then. "Monet, take over the dress rehearsal. Vanessa will stand in as Bianca. Sophie, in my office. Now."

Chapter 24.

I didn't even try the drama queen act.

Fanelli yelled at me for about twenty minutes and I sat there, taking it, without saying a word. He was right, after all.

"I honestly didn't know she was allergic," I finally said, when he ran out of steam. "I just wanted the role of Katharina so badly, I didn't think."

He sighed. "I can't tell you how disappointed I am. You're lucky she wasn't seriously hurt."

"I would never deliberately try to hurt her," I said. "I just wanted to make her sneeze so much that she'd blow the dress rehearsal and you'd give me that role."

"That was never going to happen," he said.

"I know that now," I said. "And I'm truly sorry."

It was a miracle, but Fanelli took pity on me. I would still be allowed to play Bianca, but I was banned from partic.i.p.ating in the spring musical, and I had to help with cleanup for every drama event in the near future. I got off lightly.

I went home before the dress rehearsal was over. I left my costume hanging on the empty rack. I'd managed to brush most of the pepper from it.

Mom was home and I threw myself down on the couch, crying, as I told her everything.

"Oh, honey," she said. "It's just high school. You make mistakes and you move on."

"Everyone sees me the way they want to see me," I said. "Monet wants to see me as this nice girl, Connor wanted to see me as someone to rescue, and Dev doesn't want to see me at all."

"You are a nice girl," my mom said.

"But that's not all I am. And I'm not just a drama queen, either. Why does she expect me to always be nice? Or why do other people expect me to be mean? Why can't I be some of those things some of the time?"

"You can be," she said. "But no matter what you do, try to be a better you."

It sounded like a public relations slogan, but it wasn't bad advice.

"I can try," I said. I gave her a hug. "Thanks, Mom. I'm heading to bed."

I wanted to stay there, preferably until I was thirty, but I had to get up and face the hostility. I didn't dare check my DramaDivas page to see what people were saying about me. Still, I wasn't prepared for the viciousness of the rumors when I went to school the next day. It was Friday, and that night was opening night.

"I heard she tried to kill Angie Vogel," someone said as I stood in the lunch line at the caf. There was no sign of Monet or Dev, but I knew they wouldn't talk to me even if they'd been in the cafeteria.

I couldn't face it. I grabbed an apple and some juice and decided to hole up in the library and run my lines. I couldn't blow that, too.

Finally, it was an hour before curtain time, which meant the usual complete chaos. Monet was in a state of high anxiety, and I didn't even dare look at Dev. I didn't want to push my luck. Besides, everyone was still avoiding me.

"I can't find my costume," Angie shrieked.

Monet threw a poisonous look my way and I gave her a tiny shake of my head. I'd learned my lesson.

"Oh, my G.o.d. I'm going to throw up," Angie shrieked. She sounded mere minutes from unraveling. A little part of me reveled in her breakdown.

But I didn't want it anymore, at least not like that. Even if it did mean she was distracted from being mad at me.

"You'll be fine," I said. "Take deep breaths. Everyone is nervous opening night."

Monet gave me a tiny smile when she thought I wasn't looking.

"Just pretend everyone in the audience is naked," I suggested.

Angie let out a wail. "My parents will be in the audience!"

"Then no," I said. "Pretend that there's no one there."

"Is that what you do to forget about all those people?" Angie asked. "You seem so calm."

I was calm as long as I ignored the time bomb lodged in my stomach. I didn't tell her my preshow ritual of biting my nails down to the quick. I'd already booked a manicure as soon as the show ended.

"Just look into-into Connor's eyes," I said. I was proud that I only stumbled over the words the tiniest bit. "Forget about everyone else. Just focus on how much he cares about you."

I saw a couple of the kids whispering and snickering, and I squared my chin. Let them talk. They were wrong about me, whatever they were saying.

"Thanks, Sophie," Angie said. "That's good advice."

"Two minutes to curtain," Monet said. And I felt my stomach drop to my knees. I tried to remember my own advice and forget about everything, but a lot was riding on this.

If I screwed up and ruined the opening night performance, Monet would never believe I hadn't done it deliberately. But chances were good that opening night would go smoothly. Dress rehearsal certainly hadn't, and it was a stage tradition that if you had a bad dress rehearsal, it meant a great opening night.

The curtain went up and we took our places. I could barely hear my cue over the hammering of my heart.

It all started going downhill during the first scene, when Angie stumbled over her opening line. "I-" (long pause) "I pray..." Her face went white.

"You, sir," I gave her a prompt without moving my lips.

"You, sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?" she continued.

I released a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding and got ready for my cue. I let myself be transported to another time and place, into another person, a person who was as pliable as a willow tree.

Then it was time for my exit. Angie was supposed to exit a few lines later and I held my breath, but she remembered her lines and exited when she was supposed to.

She rushed up to me. "Oh, my G.o.d. I can't believe you did that!"

Monet's head whipped around. "What did she do now?" she said in a weary tone.

"She saved my a.s.s," Angie said. "I went blank and she fed me the line."

I noticed that Dev was eavesdropping on the whole conversation, but when I glanced at him, he looked away. My scene had been going surprisingly well, but the big kiss was yet to come.

"Really?" Monet said.

"Don't sound so surprised," I said.

Monet opened her mouth, but then Guy Squires rushed up. "There's a problem with the sound board," he said, and she took off to deal with the minor emergency.

Angie stumbled a couple more times. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she said during intermission.

A couple of things sprang to mind, but I bit my tongue. Till I drew blood. At this rate, the turning-over-a-new-leaf thing was going to be even more painful than I had antic.i.p.ated.