Our study circle that night was
in Baron’s room at Carmen’s insistence. It didn’t bother me as he had a single
anyway, but it was weird being in the middle of a wing of boys. Despite trying
to ignore this fact, I found it distracting—especially when his friends would
peek in as if they wanted to ask something before seeing us and disappearing
again.
“So I ran into Johnathan
today,” Carmen said. “He’s convinced you should audition.”
This again? I sighed and let it
go. If I didn’t indulge her, she might stop talking about it.
“I decided I would audition,
too,” Baron said softly. My head whipped around to stare at him. This was
Baron. Baron attended Carmen’s performances and whatever else she wanted to
attend, but he never had an interest in partaking himself. It was what made him
safe. We could be supportive together but I’d never feel pressured into trying
because he wouldn’t either.
His green eyes locked on mine. “I
was talking with Johnathan and he said I’d be a pretty good singer. That, and
there isn’t much dancing unless you get a lead,” he said, shrugging and
diverting his eyes back to his textbook.
“That’s great!” Carmen squealed
excitedly, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. “I can’t
believe he was able to talk you into it. I’ve been trying for years!”
“I know.”
As they exchanged their
excitement and surprise, I packed my things into my bag. I couldn’t stay here. I
knew what was happening. Johnathan was trying to corner me into auditioning for
him. Why he was so adamant about this, I couldn’t begin to guess. But I
wouldn’t audition. Nothing he did could make me. And if he thought getting my
friends to audition would make me follow suit, he was sadly mistaken.
“Where are you going?” Carmen
asked, pulling away from Baron.
“I don’t know,” I replied,
swinging my bag onto my shoulder and leaving. An urgency swelled inside me to
escape, as though they were as dangerous as Johnathan.
“Gisele,” Baron called after me, but I waved him
off. I could not deal with this. I wouldn’t perform; no one could make me
perform.
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