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I’d leave it much longer than that if I could. It was Friday though, so it was probably time I called her, or she might show up in person. “I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, I know,” Zeke replied. “But try telling Cruella that…”

I blanched and felt a wave of guilt that Zeke was stuck playing mediator between my mother and me. He was paid pretty well as my assistant, but I wasn’t sure there was a wage in this world that could adequately cover that kind of job.

“So, do you know what she wanted?”

“Just to debrief about the party. She was really happy with your performance on Saturday night. According to her, all anyone is talking about is how perfect you are for your bad boy role inUnder the Bleachers, and it’s really hyping up the movie. It looks like the time you’re doing at Lincoln is really paying off.”

“Well, that’s just great.” I was growing really tired of the act my mother expected me to put on. I was also starting to worry that if things kept escalating it might affect my career in a negative way. What if one of the kids at my party had been injured on Saturday night? I doubted that even my mother’s PR machine could have spun that in my favor. I was sick of fostering a bad reputation. It might have landed me the part in this movie, but what happened next? Would other producers want to hire an actor who’d been photographed in the midst of a fight with school kids?

“Do you think she paid those guys to start the fight?” I asked, focusing on Zeke once more.

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t put it past her. Your mother’s crafty.”

“Which is just a nice way of saying she’s evil.”

“Pretty much,” he agreed. “How’s that English assignment of yours coming along?”

“Way to change the subject.”

“Way to ignore the question.”

I huffed out a long breath. “I haven’t done the assignment.”

“Why not?”

“Because I have no idea what Teagan’s career plans are or what her hopes for the future are.” I’d considered asking her if she would be open to trying to do the interview again, but she’d been acting strangely around me this week. I thought that things might change between us after my party last weekend, but they definitely weren’t any better. They weren’t really anything. She only spoke to me in rehearsals when she had to, and it felt like she’d prefer to have nothing to do with me at all. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“So, you haven’t done the interview?”

“Well, Iwould have, but Teagan’s impossible.”

Zeke started laughing, but I didn’t see the funny side.

“Teagan’simpossible?”

“Please, just let it go,” I grumbled.

“Okay, okay. But what will your English teacher think when you don’t hand in your assignment?”

“That perhaps Liam Black has better things to do with his time?”

Zeke shook his head at me. “I’m not sure that’s going to work.”

“Of course, it will. I’ll explain the situation to him and he will understand.”

“Ah, Liam, you have so much to learn.”

* * *

Zeke must have knownsomething I didn’t because apparently the English teacher was far from understanding.

“What do you mean you aren’t doing the assignment?” he asked in a stern voice.

I was suddenly glad I’d decided to wait until the end of the lesson to tell Mr. Randall I wasn’t going to be able to complete the biography assignment. I’d met plenty of intimidating people in the film industry, but they didn’t hold a candle to the look Mr. Randall gave you when you told him something he didn’t want to hear. My palms started growing sweaty, and my throat felt like it was constricting.

“I haven’t had a chance to do it,” I continued. “And I won’t be able to complete it before it’s due on Monday.”