“Freak out much?” Carmen asked,
dumping her bag on her desk and then plopping onto her bed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking
about,” I said, trying to focus on my homework. Something was off in the
general ledger my teammates had sent me to review and I couldn’t figure out what.
“I mean with Johnathan earlier.
You didn’t even have another class.”
“So? I have homework.”
“Doesn’t count,” she said,
setting her favorite teddy bear in front of her and playing with the arms. “Baron
and I ate lunch with him. He’s not a student, you know. Supposedly he graduated
already and now he’s promoting this musical he wants to put on. Some ancient
thing no one’s seen in forever.”
“Sounds perfect for you. You’re
auditioning, I’m guessing.”
“Of course;” she rolled her
hazel eyes. “I’m passing up the school auditions for his. Personally, I think I
totally have the lead nailed. She’s supposed to be sweet and creative; there’s
supposed to some improv involved.”
“Of course, it’s yours. You’re
the best performer I know.” I opened a new spreadsheet on my laptop. I hadn’t
wanted to, but it looked like my only option was to start the assignment over;
I just could not find the error to make everything balance.
“Johnathan kept asking about
you, too. He wanted to know if you’d audition,” she said, doing her best to
sound disinterested. “I told him to forget it, before you jump me.”
“Thanks.”
I was hoping she was done so I
could focus on recording these transactions. It was bad enough I’d wasted two
hours searching for an error I couldn’t seem to find. I didn’t want to mess
something up and waste even more time.
“He was really interested in
knowing about you,” Carmen said, sounding more intrigued. “Like if you sang, what kind of music you liked and disliked…that sort of thing.”
“That’s nice,” I said,
distractedly, really wishing she’d shut up. I didn’t want to know Johnathan was
interested in me or anything about him. As far as I was concerned, I’d be content
never crossing paths with him again. Just thinking about the encounter gave me
chills.
“Why don’t you have lunch with
him sometime…just get to know—”
“I’m going to the library,” I
interrupted. “This is due tomorrow and I have to start over from the beginning.”
“Gisele, just give him a
chance,” she said as I packed my laptop and course materials. “You’d like him. You
really would.”
She didn’t understand that I
didn’t want to like him, or get to know him, or anything to do with him. All I
wanted was to make it through my classes and keep my scholarship. I didn’t need
a boyfriend or to perform on stage, despite what Carmen seemed to think. I was happy to be invisible. It was safer that way. Something about the way Johnathan had looked at me had made me feel very much exposed, and that was a terrifying thought.
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