Flightless Bird

Chapter 17

Two days later, and it was Thursday morning. Lexi and I had gotten up early so that we had enough time to get ready for breakfast and start learning lines for the play auditions later. Everyone who wanted to audition today had to do a short monologue, and then the best people got put through to the callbacks tomorrow. Lexi had just finished performing her monologue to me, and I was clapping enthusiatically from my seat on my bed.

"Bravo! Oh Lexi, you'll get the part for sure!"

"Thanks Kerri. I'm sure you'll get Lizzie too," she said kindly.

"I wouldn't speak too soon; you haven't even seen my monologue. I'm not sure you'll want to..."

"Don't be silly, go on!" she cried, pulling me to my feet before taking a seat.

"Okay..." I said dubiously. I had chosen to do an obvious monologue; one of Juliet's from Romeo and Juliet. I knew it was overused, but I really wanted to do something classic.

I started, and almost instantly forgot all of the words.

"And, um, oh, my poor cousin?" I stumbled, before giving up and plonking myself down on Lexi's bed, since she was currently occupying mine.

"Well, that was awful," I said, matter-of-factly.

"It wasn't that bad..." Lexi told me, but I just laughed shortly.

"It's okay, you can tell me it sucked. I did hear myself."

"Okay, maybe you just need to work on it a little bit more?" she suggested.

"I have four hours until the auditions at lunch, and three are lessons!" I cried.

"Okay, well we'll study them all through free period, and at break too. I'm sure by lunch it will be a whole different story," Lexi reassured me.

"Thanks Lexi, you're a good friend."

"It's what I'm here for."

"That and mooning over Jayson!" I cried, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey! At least I haven't been all over my boyfriend all week! You and Jacob are practically glued together!" she cried.

"Lexi...Jay isn't your boyfriend," I told her. She winked at me, then stood up, ed a hip and said,

"Yet."

We both burst out laughing, and Lexi came back over to me and rolled me over so she could lie next to me.

"I'm glad and Jacob are getting on well, really," she said.

"Thanks Lex. And I'm sure Jayson will get up the courage soon and ask you out."

"Well, it is my birthday next week," she announced, "maybe he'll ask then?"

"Hey, how come you never told me it was your birthday so soon?"

"I dunno, I guess I just didn't think about it," she answered.

"Well, are you having a party?" I asked her. She shot me a look as if to say 'don't be stupid'.

"Of course I am!" she cried, "and it's going to be amazing!"

"How could it not be?"

At that, we both started laughing again, and continued to do so as the bell rang and we gathered up our things and began to head down to breakfast.