The Town That Went In Flames

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"ABSOULETLY NOT!" Alex screamed at the top of his lungs.

Maddie shut her eyes tightly and put her hands over her ears. Her brain felt like it was going to explode every time he shouted like a stupid hamster. Maddie looked around the purple-lit nightclub and saw how everyone on the stage paused in place. As soon as Alex stopped shouting, Maddie rolled her eyes and bit back an insult. "Alex, I beg you to reconsider."

"I don't have to because it's still a no!" Alex stormed off towards the curtain. Maddie followed him up the stage to behind the curtain. Maddie wanted to slap him for his immaturity.

"Why not?" Maddie asked him. "Helena loves the theater!"

"And the theater doesn't love her!" Alex snapped. Alex picked up a foot, examined it, and rolled his eyes. "JERRY! I ASKED FOR A FOUR TOED FOOT, NOT A FIVE TOED ONE!"

Maddie groaned and fought back every urge to insult him. "No, you don't love her!"

"Correct!" Alex said, storming away again. He had a clipboard in his hand as he read through the script. "I despise her with everything I have in my life. I hate her more than Daniel Miller. If Daniel, Jenna, Felix, Olivia, Marjorie, and Jonathon were one person, I would still hate Vampire Barbie more than any of them. You hate her as well, so why do you want her in my show so badly?

"I do," Maddie said. "But, the theater is her weak spot. She can be the lead, and since she's the lead, she'll be so absorbed in the limelight that we can stake her. Plus...I...sort of...you know...told her that she could be the lead."

Alex dropped the clipboard and his eyes went wide in fury. His eyebrows arched downward and a vein popped out of his eyebrow. His nostrils flared and his stare threw imaginary fireballs at her. "YOU DID WHAT?"

Maddie took a step back, and she felt so guilty for going behind his back. The truth was that after Felix left, she called Helena to tell her she got the lead as a peace offering. Helena took it, but Maddie only said that because she thought Alex would be cool with it. He wasn't. "I'm sorry," Maddie apologized. "I didn't have a choice, but it's too late to cancel. Just add a tiny script change!" Maddie reached for his pen and tried to scribble in his script, but he slapped her hand away and snatched the pen out of her hands.

"We all have choices, Maddie," Alex shouted at her. "You chose the wrong one because you always have to get your way! Did you even consider what consequences could happen? The show starts in four hours, and this Prima-Donna knows nothing!"

"I know but—"

"You knew this was important to me!" Alex shouted at her with anger. "I worked my ass off to show my parents how serious I was about acting, and this show was going to prove it! I did everything—writing, directing, and acting! It already took a great deal of effort to get Ben here to star in it, and it took forever for you to choreograph your shitty dances."

Maddie felt her face get red and her eyes get hot. He did not just say that to her. "You don't mean that," Maddie said quietly.

"I meant every word!" Alex said through his teeth. "It's always about you! You are so willingly to throw personal feelings away for some dumb mission, but can't you see that sometimes it can't work like that! Not everything is about winning! I always thought that you did some awful things, but this was an all-time low! You say you're not Annabeth, but now it's clear that that's not the case."

Maddie's throat got dry. He was seriously hurt by what she did. "Alex, please."

"NO!" Alex snapped. "I'M DONE! THAT SCHNIEDER BETTER NOT RUIN THE SHOW LIKE YOU JUST DID!" Alex stormed away towards the dressing rooms and started to knock on doors.