"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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Cheerleading practice had run long, so I ran late to the theater's tech day. I'd texted Juan before rehearsal to go ahead, and I'd drive myself.
I jumped in my Prius. My hair was frizzing, so I tied it back in a knot. I'd had enough time to straighten my makeup, but I wore cheerleading sweats and a jacket with my last name printed on the back. It was frustrating that the coach insisted they print my full last name, Christian-Porter, rather than the Porter part that I preferred.
As I was driving, I used the car's hands-free feature to answer my brother's incoming call.
"Peanut," Parker said. "How are you?"
Hearing his voice was a breath of fresh air, even if he was one of the two people who still called me Peanut. The other was our father, and I hadn't spoken to him in two years. It was an embarrassing nickname since it reminded them of the time I'd thrown peanuts at the circus and gotten us kicked out.
"On my way to rehearsal," I said. "You?"
"Leaving practice," he said. "Then shooting hoops with my boys. I'm still planning on attending that theater festival you're performing at. That still on?"
"I hope so," I said. "It got a little complicated. Tasha had to quit, and they replaced her with Samantha."
"Samantha Chance?" Parker sounded confused. "You mean that girl in your grade with no filter? I remember her from last year."
Parker had been one of those seniors last year at Crestview High School who knew everyone. Samantha had the type of notoriety that made everyone at least know of her.
"Remember when she fought with the principal in the cafeteria last year?" Parker asked.
"Vividly," I said.
Samantha had argued with the principal about the quality of vegetarian options at the school in the middle of lunch. Her voice echoed in the cafeteria, and everyone had heard the conversation. Then later, she organized a protest outside the school until the administration caved.
"So, is she a good actor?" Parker asked.
I sighed. "She's not horrible. Tasha was better, but Samantha was good enough. We've had to relearn a bunch of scenes because of it."
Parker paused. "Jack Garrison still giving you a hard time?"
"He's..." I didn't want to lie to my brother, but I also didn't want to get into another argument with him about Jack.
"Don't lie, Shayna," Parker said. "I know you don't like him. When I was in high school, everybody thought he was kind."
Parker had been friends with Jack since he mentored Jack's flag football team in elementary school. He never held my beef with Jack against him, and as far as I knew, they still texted occasionally.
