Page 5

The others all checked the list again, similar looks of confusion gracing their faces.

“Do we have a new kid?” Madi asked.

“Or has Todd finally got so pretentious he’s taken a stage name?” Evan suggested.

I shook my head though. “Todd’s playing Lumière…”

“So, it must be a new kid then…”

“But he didn’t even audition.”

Evan crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I still think it could be Todd, and even if it’s not, I’m spreading that rumor,” he said, making us chuckle.

“Well, whoever it is, I guess we’ll be finding out in drama tomorrow,” Hayley said.

The bell rang, abruptly signaling the end of lunch, and our group slowly started to disperse as everyone headed to class. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at the cast list one last time though.

Who the hell was Liam Black?

2

Liam

This had to be one of the stupidest things I’d ever done. And I’d done plenty of stupid shit over the years.

“You sure about this?” Zeke asked.

We were sitting in my black Escalade staring out through the dark tinted windows at the streams of kids heading toward the school in front of us. It had been several years since Zeke finished high school, but he wasn’t all that much older than me and was one of the few people I trusted. My assistant normally kept a cool head, but right now, there was a note of concern in his voice, and his eyes seemed to mirror my own hesitation. Zeke always seemed to get me, and if he was worried, I knew I was right to be terrified.

When I didn’t respond, he kept talking. “I mean, I get that you’ve signed the contract and everything, but surely, there’s a way around this? High school sucks.”

I was going to have to take his word for it seeing as I’d never been to a regular high school before. It was probably why I’d frozen now and couldn’t bring myself to step out of the car. I was completely transfixed by the sea of students all converging on the school. There were so many of them. And they’d all know exactly who I was. This wasn’t going to be a normal school experience. It never could be.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice when it came to attending Lincoln High. The director for my next movie was somewhat unconventional, and my attendance at this school was written into the contract. If I wanted the role, I had to go through with this. To be honest, I would have done just about anything to work with Josh Winkler.

Under the Bleacherswas a dark teenage drama that focused on the mystery of a student murder in a high school. Since I’d been homeschooled most of my life, Josh thought it would be a great idea to send me to a real high school for a semester. I was supposed to pretend that I was using it as an opportunity to prepare for my role. That was a lie though. This was about PR, plain and simple.

It’s not like the school wasn’t getting a good deal out of it though. From what I understood, the studio had donated a decent amount of money to get me in. The choice of school wasn’t exactly random either. Lincoln High was handpicked after they gained a whole heap of publicity for some bachelor-type charity contest they held that went viral a month ago. I guessed the studio was hoping it would only help with the buzz.

“I don’t really have a choice. I’m committed now,” I finally said. I needed to say it aloud as much to reassure myself as to reassure Zeke. I was nervous about facing such large crowds of people alone. I’d been mobbed on more than one occasion, but it never got too bad as my security team was always there to step in. I couldn’t exactly have them join me for math class though. They’d be on the school grounds, sure, but I’d look ridiculous if they trailed me throughout the day.

“Have you at least thought about how you want to play this?” Zeke asked, before nodding out the window. “They all think you’re some drunken bad boy.”

“And?”

“And do you think that’s going to fly here?”

I shrugged. I barely ever touched alcohol, let alone got drunk. It was part of the persona we’d built for me this last year though. Apparently, it was the quickest way we could change the child-star image that had been holding me back. Girls supposedly loved a bad boy, and my growing public infamy had been a massive part of landing me the role I was preparing for. I couldn’t afford to let that image drop now. Not when I was finally getting somewhere.

“I guess we’re about to find out,” I replied.

Zeke blew out a long breath as he eyed the school. “This isn’t going to end well.”

“Maybe not,” I agreed. “But it’s the price I have to pay to star in this movie.”

Zeke slowly shook his head like he thought I was mad. He was probably right. Attending this school was crazy.

A bell rang out across the open parking lot, and it seemed to reverberate in my stomach. I couldn’t postpone this any longer. “I guess that’s me,” I said.