Teacher's Pet (15 page)

“This production will be part of our ongoing lesson about what theater is really all about. It’s not all classical productions and people dressed as cats. Historically, plays were used to express the feelings of the common man. Lessons were taught, uprisings were funded, ideas were explored, just as in artwork, except this was dynamic. Instead of looking at a two-dimensional piece of artwork to represent the feelings of a group of people, plays rallied the masses. This was their lifeblood.”

“So … we’re talking about lifeblood in guys’… you know …” More laughter.

Matthew shook his head. “Um, no, Miss Anderson. It’s not that kind of lifeblood. Come on guys, you are all almost adults. This play is absolutely saucy, but it’s also empowering and destructive. It highlights the growing divide between childhood and adulthood. This is something you should all be able to relate to.”

“I understand it, Mr. F.” Aria chimed in, shooting her trademarked nasty towards the giggling boys in the class. She was surprisingly effective. “And we’re so close to Broadway, so we need exposure to a higher realm of theater than what is traditionally taught in the high school circuit.”

“Yes!” Matthew dipped down low and put his hands over his heart. “Yes! Thank you, Miss Levens. I’m here to expand your horizons and shatter everything you know about theater. This is part of it. While I was looking through your history of department productions, I noticed a pretty sad line-up of musicals. Time to fix that. Broadway is about life and music. Life is about music. Let’s make another killer show, yeah?”

Brad and Dave whooped, his personal cheering section. Despite their inherent raunchiness, he enjoyed them in his class. Even if it was sometimes like teaching seven-year olds.

“So! For auditions, I want all of you to bring your best pieces. I want vibrato and passion in those voices.”

“Can we sing for crew sign-ups, too?” Dave asked.

“Absolutely, gentlemen. I look forward to hearing what you’re bringing.”

“I’d bring earplugs,” Lynn snorted from her seat.

Matthew kept himself in check, despite wanting to laugh. She hadn’t participated in class since they found the note. He hoped this meant she was growing increasingly more comfortable in his class, despite what was going on. The idea of losing her was painful. This class needed her. “Oh, come now, Miss Viggiani. They can’t be that bad.”

Brad nodded his head. “Yeah we can.”

Lynn held out her hands as if to say,
See?

He allowed himself to laugh along with the rest of the class. “Perhaps I will take your advice. Here are copies of the script. I want you to start reviewing them. You don’t have to audition with a scene from the musical, but it is encouraged. I’d like to see what you all can bring to this production. It’s an intense one and I’m excited to see what magic we can stir up.”

“In my …”

“And that’s enough, Mr. Smith.” Matthew checked the wall clock, conveniently located above Lynn’s chair. She wasn’t looking at him. Goddammit, this sucked. “Okay guys. Hit the scripts for the remainder of class.”

“Hit the scripts in my—”

“Enough.”

He returned to his desk and pretended to sort through more papers while they worked. Or pretended to work. Matthew began jotting down cast notes, something he had meant to start earlier, but he’d been too distracted waiting for someone to spring a scandal on him. Lynn was going to have to be a chorus member. She’d steal the show there, but it was necessary.

On the other hand, it was a good warmup for entering the theater world. He spent a lot of time climbing through the sludgy choral ranks before he started landing supporting roles. This was how he would justify this whole, terrible thing:
Spring Awakening
would be the next gamut in Lynn’s training. She would learn to be a part of a company, and make the smaller roles just as impactful. That was the benefit of this show, and, truly, part of the reason why he picked it.

He was here to teach, after all. Everyone needed to learn how to shine, regardless of their role, even if he wasn’t as invested in them as he was Lynn. And then it struck him—was this how someone found out? Did he truly play favorites that poorly? Looking out over his class, he saw the eagerness some of the other students as they browsed through the script. Was he doing a disservice to them because he was sleeping with one of their own?

Matthew needed to take a minute and reassess his priorities here. School was school. Personal life was personal life. He learned that lesson the goddamn hard way with Nadia, making him a hypocrite in his own classroom. That was pretty shitty, Flint.

So he tweaked his desired cast list, no matter how much it pained him to put Lynn near the bottom, and studied his students. McKenzi would do well in a main role. He’d heard her singing to herself during rehearsals and tech days, and she was pretty good. Aria, despite her ego or because of it, would definitely not disappoint. Brad and Dave would actually add a whole other level to the performance. April nailed the desire to rebel.

His shoulder blades twitched with the knowledge he was being watched. Very carefully, he snuck a glance towards the door. It was empty. He looked back out over the class, and there was Aria, studying him just as he studied them. When their eyes met, she winked.

Well … fuck.

S
o she wasn’t going
to land the starring role like she wanted, and her final year in the department wasn’t going to meet her expectations. Her thirst exceeded an auditorium stage and she was a fighter. If therapy had taught her anything, it was that she was able to overcome the bullshit holding her back.

Really, Lynn should have been no different than Aria: snooty, obnoxiously egocentric, lording wealth and stature over the high school peons. She didn’t because she was better than that, better than her parents, better than her upbringing. Now she would be better than the pathetic scrap of a role Matthew would throw at her. It would be a lie to deny how much it sucked, especially when she knew what she was capable of. The local newspaper wrote a glowing review of her performance in
Romeo and Juliet
. Superintendent Davies sent her a personalized letter of congratulations. Lynn had the chops and the talent.

Remembering why she was doing this—and that it was her idea to begin with—was a struggle, but she clung to it. Aria couldn’t take Juliet away from her. She couldn’t take Matthew away from her. So, let the bitch have a puny role in a high-school production. Whatever. She didn’t care.

“God, I can’t wait to see you blow her the fuck out of the water.” Dana settled into her seat in the auditorium and pulled out a sketch pad. “I live for this shit. Rest in pieces, Levens.”

“I don’t know.” Lynn scratched her arm, hating that she had to keep all of this from her best friend. It was eating her up, every last bit of it. She and Matthew had to severely limit their interactions, especially with her parents breathing down her neck about early admission possibilities and studying for the ACTs. She had no idea when to tell them none of it was going to happen because she was going straight to the City. “Aria is a really talented singer. You heard her at the talent show last year.”

“I heard cats meowing.” Dana scoffed and chewed on her pencil eraser. “Don’t be nice to her. You’re Team Us, remember. Fuck her. She sucks.”

Lynn laughed. “Right. Well, we’ll see. You know what the play is about. She’s definitely very ...
awakened
.”

“Right. By half the football team. Extracurriculars don’t mean you get the role. Duh. Now face forward, I need to work on my profiles.”

Lynn obliged and resisted the urge to chew her nails to pieces. She felt the need to cry and pee all at the same time. Tryouts never made her nervous, not here in the school that she practically dominated. But this was different and there was no sense in pretending it wasn’t. She should make it realistic—she wouldn’t get the lead, but she was also using this to prove Mr. Flint didn’t play favorites and was fair, right?

She wanted everyone in that damn school to know she deserved every fucking lead ever, in every production, but that her sexy lover of a teacher wanted to teach everyone, not just coddle the sexy superstars like herself. The constant warring about it, though, made her queasy.

Dana had a point. Aria was their enemy and letting her just walk off with the lead would make her horribly unbearable. The stakes were high, but Lynn couldn’t force herself to allow Aria to walk all over her. She wasn’t that much of a martyr.

“I hope that face means you’re getting ready to murder Aria. You know, like, musically.” Dana interrupted her thoughts. “Because I’m otherwise terrified of what is going on up there.”

Lynn squared her jaw. Aria was going to have to earn it. End of story. She had no idea the gift she was about to be given, and she better deliver. Lynn turned to smile at her best friend, best cheerleader, and tiny savior. “Oh, she’s going down.”

Dana clapped. “That’s my GIRL. Please tell me you decided to do Defying Gravity. Aria could never hit those notes in her freaking dreams.”

Lynn flashed a sharp grin and said, “I need to join the others up front.”

“Ooo, kill ‘em!” Dana called after her. “Metaphorically!”

Matthew, looking as scruffy and delicious as ever in his plain button-down and tight jeans, cast a glance backwards. “Let’s keep the violence staged, shall we?”

“I just meant musically!” Dana hollered. “A verbal onslaught, if you will!”

“Thank you, Miss Crofton.”

Matthew shook his head and shuffled through his notepads. Lynn watched him, waiting for the moment he came across the note she’d doodled on one of them before everyone else arrived and while he was in the light booth. Right on cue, the corners of his mouth tugged into a sweet smile. He tore off the sheet and folded it up. It went right into the pocket over his heart, which he loved to pat when the class did something he loved. He patted other things when
she
did something he enjoyed, but she loved that her series of hearts kissed the skin where his own beat.

Try to get that close to him, Aria. Just try.

“Welcome to the auditions for
Spring Awakening
!” Matthew said as he climbed onto the stage. “This is a great turnout today, and I’m thrilled to see what you’ve all got. I hope you all read through the script beforehand, but as a refresher for those who forgot, or lied—”

A chorus of snickers threaded through the auditorium. Lynn allowed herself to smile. He really was funny.

“—Spring Awakening is a story of rebellion, heartache, and lust. There’s art, there’s music, and there’s a whole lot of weird shit we’re going to be bringing to life.

“As a forward, I’d like everyone to know each role in this production is vital. Some of our supporting characters won’t be in every number, but still have a major impact on the story development. Every piece is here for a reason, just like
Romeo and Juliet
, but on a somewhat grander scale. There is no shame in any role. Moreover, I’d love to change up our cast and give some new faces time to shine. So hit me with your strongest auditions, guys. I want to be wowed.”

“In bed!”

“Thank you, Mr. Smith.” Matthew shook his head of beautiful curls. They were partially hidden in a beige slouchy beanie. He looked very hipster, in a hot way. “Okay! I’ll call your name, one by one, for your tryout. Please sign in now, if you haven’t already, in order to perform.”

A few people shuffled around his desk, set up in the center of the auditorium. Aria turned to her friend, Margaret, and whispered loudly, “He makes that hat look
good
.”

Lynn gritted her teeth. Oh, hell. This was going to be a long, tortuous afternoon.

Overall, Lynn was impressed by a lot of the auditions. A lot of choir members showed up, and their vocal superiority over the most of the department was pretty evident. Not that Lynn was worried.
Defying Gravity
was her secret weapon. She’d let them know she could have spent her time in choir … if she wasn’t already too busy chasing down the starlit dreams of Broadway.

When it was her turn, all the churning in her stomach ceased. This was her home, under these lights. If the bastard who was out to ruin her life was here—ahem, Aria—it didn’t faze her any longer. This was her house and nothing happened here without her permission.

And she gave herself permission to knock it out of the freaking park and remind every last one of them who the hell she was. Lynn Maria Viggiani was, and continued to be, a star.

She plugged in her phone on the small radio on stage and paced for a minute to mentally prepare herself for the audition of her lifetime. Ophelia had nothing on her Elphaba. As the music began, she channeled every lesson Matthew had ever given her, let the auditorium and school fade away, and pictured herself in a place of perfect mental clarity.

And god
damn
, did she nail it. The song was her anthem, her promise to break the shackles of high school and teenage bullshit and the petty drama everyone liked to stir, and soar into something better. Because she
was
better.

She channeled the first night she met Matthew, when they were twirling around the rooftop gardens. He had positioned her like the ballerina in the fountain, ready to break her shackles and soar off into the sky. Lynn felt like she really could, as the music swelled and dipped, rocketing her through the highs and lows of being shackled to her life.

She related so deeply to Elphie. Maybe she wasn’t an outcast, but she knew the pain of never quite fitting in, of being painted as something she wasn’t. Everyone expected her to be just like Aria, another snotty rich girl from the Island, with a golden spoon in her mouth and daddy’s wallet in her grasp. But Lynn wasn’t a part of that life, just as Elphalba wasn’t involved in the life society told her she had to have.

It was no longer a song, it was a personal anthem. She, too, would defy gravity and expectations and carve out the life she deserved, full of brilliant colors and bright lights and orgasmic sex with a man who loved her. As the song progressed, she matched its journey. She cried, she laughed, she felt the addictive rush of self-empowerment. It was incredible.

When she snuck a glance out at Matthew, she could feel his pride oozing towards her. This was her moment. This was her earth shattering promise to the world.

And then came the high C, because fuck you, Aria Levens.

The song ended, and Lynn bowed her head, soaking in the applause and cheering around her. Through her lashes, she saw the look of pride on Matthew’s face as he clapped along with everyone else. Satisfied, she curtsied and left the stage. Dana was waiting with a high five and a huge hug.

“I am so fucking proud of you!” She squealed in her ear. “Oh my god, I think Aria shit herself halfway through the song. And then that note at the end, oh my god,
that note
. You’re incredible. You’re a star.”

Lynn was so happy, nothing could take away her elation. That moment was incredible and intoxicating, and she fucking
nailed it
. It felt amazing. As if she could have ever doubted, but the hunger to tear up Broadway was further solidified in her mind. This was her dream and no one, not even Aria Levens, could take it from her.

“Very impressive, Miss Viggiani. That will be hard to beat. Let’s see what Miss Levens can do.”

Lynn snorted. Let her try.

Aria took the stage with a smirk on her face. The bitch didn’t even look ruffled. Well, Dana saw her freak during Lynn’s audition and that was all that mattered. Aria could peacock all she wanted, but it wouldn’t change the fact someone had already smelled her fear.

Aria set up her phone took center stage with none of the prep that Lynn did. She looked like she was ready to kill everyone with a single glance. It was sort of creepy, actually.

The opening notes played, and Lynn’s jaw dropped. She. Was. Not.

Last year, the theater girls had a sleepover to celebrate the end of the school year. It was tradition, where the senior girls symbolically passed on the torch to the junior girls. There were lots of wine coolers, popcorn, and dirty movies. On the list was
Nine
starring Daniel Day Lewis and Penelope Cruz, a saucy movie about an aging director. Penelope Cruz’s scene was one of the sexiest in the movie, and they spent all night crawling over one another while cooing, “I love you, Guido!”

And this bitch was already sliding around the floor, hands in her hair, and singing about how badly she wanted “Guido.” And it looked an awful lot like Lynn’s Ophelia monologue from the previous set of auditions.

That. Bitch.

Aria was pure sex on the stage, rubbing herself and moaning, which, Lynn noted, was entirely inappropriate for high school. And, she further noted, every last innuendo was aimed directly at Matthew. Every tit grab. Every ass grab. Every moan.

Lynn’s throat turned to cotton. It was impossible to separate fiction from reality because she had witnessed Aria’s flirting winks and hair twirls in class. As Aria spun around the stage, and the boys in the audience grew louder with hoots and hollers, hot jealousy poured through Lynn’s veins.

Matthew was completely captivated. His hands were clasped under his chin, his leg twitching, and he was
glued
to the stage. Did he look at her like that while she was getting ready to soar off the stage?

The sex appeal of
A Call from the Vatican
was undeniable. And, Lynn grudgingly admitted, applicable given the play they were auditioning for. But who did she think she was kidding? She blatantly ripped off Lynn’s monologue and was practically masturbating on stage.

Dana couldn’t work her jaw, either, until the music finally ended and all the boys and some of the girls leapt to their feet for thunderous applause and cat calls. Aria soaked up every second of it with her nose in the air. She sauntered off stage and flashed a shark-like smile to Lynn and Dana, and then winked at Matthew.

Lynn’s Matthew.

And that asshole,
her asshole
, actually stood and clapped as she took her seat. What. The. Actual. Fuck.

“Wow!” He said, and then whistled loudly to quiet everyone. “Thank you, Miss Levens, for that … interesting audition. Very nice vocals. You certainly met the challenge Miss Viggiani presented!”

Lynn kept her face pristinely clear, but in her head, she was using every nasty word she could think of and hurled them like arrows at the man she had previously liked to fuck. Oh, he was going to pay for this shit later. She would make sure of that.

“That was … ah.” Dana flailed her hands around in shock and finally just let them fall into her lap. “I got nothing.”

“Yeah.” Lynn nodded. She was afraid to talk because of the volcano smoking within her. “Yeah.”

“I mean, that can’t even be school-appropriate. She was like two inches away from fucking herself on stage. What the hell?”

“I … yeah.” Lynn knew, too, that Aria was dreaming of fucking Matthew in those moments where she was all hot and bothered. This wasn’t a love letter to their director, it was a slutty promise. And that shit was
not okay
.

“Okay.” Matthew cleared his throat. “Next up, this should be good, is Mr. Smith.”

Aria whooped and cheered, still looking smug as hell, tossing her hair around and grinning like an idiot to the crew around her. She clapped loudly and yelled out, “Go Brad!”