Steering the Stars (16 page)

Cast List

Professor Higgins……………..Miles Sloan

Eliza Doolittle………………..Caroline McKain

Colonel Hugh Pickering…….Matt Riley
Alfred Doolittle………………..Sam Gleason

       I couldn’t even read the rest of the list. I just stared, dumbfounded at the second line. This kind of stuff just didn’t happen. No way. Maybe it did in bad Disney movies, but not to real people in real life.

     
 
“Wow,” Henry said again. So, he had followed Miles and me.

     
 
“I think I need glasses,” I said in a tiny voice.

     
 
He chuckled. “You’re not seeing things.”

     
 
“There’s just no way…”

     
 
I considered reaching up to rip the cast list off of the bulletin board. I’d tear it to shreds and we could all pretend this never happened. Or maybe I should dig out a black sharpie from my bag and scribble “are you insane?” above my name.

      
 
“This is bad,” I blurted. “Really bad.”

     
 
“Not the usual response from someone who’s just landed the lead role,” Miles joked.

     
 
My head was pounding. I cried, “What is that crazy lady thinking?”

      
 
“That crazy lady is thinking you have a lovely singing voice and an innocent air about you that tells me you’re perfect for our Eliza,” Mrs. Cobb said from behind me.

      
 
“Oh,
God,” I whispered in embarrassment.

     
 
She ignored me. “You can also handle a cockney accent.”

     
 
I turned around slowly. My face was probably as red as the scarf draped dramatically around Mrs. Cobb’s neck. “I’m sorry. This is just… it doesn’t make sense.”

     
 
“Pish, posh. Rehearsals start tomorrow after school. And, I’ll be seeing you in class, Caroline. Or should I call you…
Eliza
?”

To: Hannah<
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>

From: Caroline<
[email protected]
>

Date: September 18

Subject: The end of the world as we know it

Cast list was posted today and I’m Eliza. As in the lead role.

Apparently I have an innocent air about me and a lovely voice... Or should I say a ‘loverly’ voice????

:
/
 

I’m still holding out hope that the world will end before opening night.

____________

To: Caroline<
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>

From: Hannah<
[email protected]
>

Date: September 18

Subject: CONGRATS MISS DOOLITTLE!

That’s the spirit! When the going gets tough, hope for the apocalypse. I know that’s what I do when I’m out there on the pumpkin court.

So freaking proud of you!

Hannah

____________

To: Hannah<
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>

From: Caroline<
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>

Date: September 19

Subject: Armageddon

I need chocolate chip cookies and a PSL stat!

Btw, how is your writing class going? Have they dubbed you the next Jane Austen or J.K Rowling yet?

____________

To: Caroline<
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>

From: Hannah<
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>

Date: September 20

Subject: Re: Armageddon

Hardly. I suck.

____________

To: Hannah<
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From: Caroline<
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Date: September 21

Subject: Re: Re: Armageddon

You don’t suck.

____________

To: Caroline<
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From: Hannah<
[email protected]
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Date: September 22

Subject: You may be biased

You’re only saying that because you are my bestie and therefore required by law to love me.

____________

To: Hannah<
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>

From: Caroline<
[email protected]
>

Date: September 24

Subject: If anyone sucks, it’s me

I do love you. What I don’t love are rehearsals! I know we are only a few days into it but it’s awful. I’m awful. Miles already has all of his lines memorized. Seriously??? How is that possible
?
Told you he wasn’t nearly as stupid as you thought.

Anyway, I seriously don’t know what Mrs. Cobb was thinking. Today was especially bad. Today we started learning the choreography and I kept messing up. I swear I have two left feet. :(

I’m pretty sure I heard Meredith Krauss and Selena Chalmers giggling back in the corner. Either one of them would’ve made a much better Eliza—something I’ve heard them whispering loudly behind my back so I know they know it too.

I’m going to take Aspen out to clear my head.

____________

To: Caroline<
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>

From: Hannah<
[email protected]
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Date: September 24

Subject: XOXO

Give Aspen hugs from me!

____________

To: Owen<
[email protected]
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From: Hannah<
[email protected]
>

Date: September 26

Subject: We NEED to talk…

Please call me. You owe me at least that much.

____________

To: Cecilia<
[email protected]
>

From: Hannah<
[email protected]
>

Date: September 27

Subject: Update

Mom,

Everything is great like I knew it would be. Felicity is great. London is great. School is great.

Now, if you would, please tell Henry that I got his latest email and if he really is planning to sell the shoes I left behind on Craigslist, I will be forced to release the photo of him playing in the sprinklers (remind him it’s the one where he’s naked) on an unsuspecting public.

This is not an idle threat.

Love, Jellybean

____________

To: Caroline<
[email protected]
>

From: Hannah<
[email protected]
>

Date: September 28

Subject: What a loverly surprise!

Imagine my surprise when I opened up a box and saw that it was filled with Cheetos and FunDip and Kraft mac & cheese and Pretzel M&Ms and Reese’s and JELLYBEANS (of course LOL). YOU REALLY ARE LOVERLY!

When I get home, I am going to encourage the entire town to throw a parade in your honor.

XOXO

Hannah

Btw, random question… Have you heard anything from Owen lately?

____________

To: Owen<
[email protected]
>

From: Hannah<
[email protected]
>

Date: September 30

Subject: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Owen,

If I don’t hear from you today, I’m just going to assume that we’re through. I know that you’re mad and you’re hurt that I couldn’t tell you what you wanted to hear but just blocking me out is totally UNFAIR. You know that I had to make a go of this trip. It’s LONDON! I had an amazing opportunity and I think that if you really love someone (like you claim you do), you don’t want to keep them from following their heart. You want them to chase their dreams even if it means you don’t get to hold onto them.

I just can’t believe that after everything, we’ve come to THIS. It’s  just me hashing it out with MYSELF through emails that you refuse to answer! I usually think of this kind of behavior as stupid. After everything we’ve been through, aren’t we better than that?

Hannah

____________

I had one running theory.
    
 
Joel Sinclair had developed a very acute and specific case of amnesia and I was the only thing wiped from his memory. I knew it was far-fetched, but why else would he choose to sit in the seat behind me during class but not even bother to say hello?

    
 
Was it selective amnesia or was he doing it merely to torture me?

    
 
It had been weeks since we’d gone out after the library, and despite at least a dozen opportunities between class and afternoon practice, he hadn’t tried to speak me. Hell, forget speaking. He’d barely made eye contact.

    
 
I’d been over the night a million times, examining and reexamining it inch by inch, word for word. I thought about our easy camaraderie and the obvious chemistry between us and, of course, the kiss-that-never-was.

     
 
Had I ruined everything?

     
 
“What do you think, Hannah?”

     
 
I inhaled noisily and turned sideways in my chair to face Tillie. “I’m sorry—what?

       At the blank expression on my face, she laughed under her breath. “Where were you? Off in Never-never Land? You missed the entire last half of class and—” she pointed to the notebook on my desk “—you didn’t even start your entry.”

     
 
I looked from the blank page in front of me to the clock above Mr. Hammond’s desk and saw that Tillie was right. The bell was going to ring in about three minutes. People were already starting to put away their writing journals and, aside from my name and the date, I’d written absolutely nothing.

     
 
“I was just…” Sure that I could
feel
Joel shifting in the seat behind me, my heartbeat picked up and my breath caught in my throat. “It doesn’t matter,” I said, quickly changing direction. “Anyway, what were you saying, Tillie?”

     
 
“I was just talking about practice. I told Ruben that I was going to ask Mr. Hammond if we could work on service drills. I also could use some work on my straight drives.”

     
 
I moaned, “You’re not serious?”

     
 
But it was obvious that she was.

       From a row over, Ruben dryly said, “Tillie is trying to make the national team.”

     
 
“Quiet, you cheeky monkey,” she said on a laugh. “I just want us to all be in good form when we play Weatherstone.”

     
 
“We play them in like a month,” I pointed out.

     
 
“Exactly. Time is running out.”

     
 
I pitched my head back and groaned. “It’s Friday,” I said. “FRIDAY!”

     
 
“I’m aware of the day of the week,” she answered.

     
 
“I just don’t think we should have practice today. Friday afternoons should not be spent doing anything remotely related to school or squash. God, especially not squash.”