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Chapter Twenty-Eight

Dearest Fledglings,

My oh my! Things have taken quite a turn, indeed. With the start of a new week under our wings, the event we’ve been awaiting is this very Saturday: the winter play! How awkward it will be, indeed!

Our poor little Dot has taken to eating her lunches alone, with not a friend in sight to comfort her. Perhaps one of those Evans twins, or even Rue Sullivan would make an appearance for her if Dot herself would, well, appear anywhere other than an empty classroom. But our It Girl has been M.I. A., hiding from her friends in places only I’ve noticed.

I do wonder how Zayne Silverman feels about the tangled web of pain and despair Dot must be enduring. It will certainly be a spectacle to watch them star as lovers onstage this weekend for all to see.

This faithful flapper wouldn’t miss it if you cut off my wings.

Yours truly,

Little Birdie

There’s a part of me that wants to skip tech rehearsal to avoid seeing Zayne, but there’s simply no way I could do that this close to the production.

It’s been two days since I’ve spoken to Zayne, but I can’t hide anymore, not now that we’ll be forced to face each other. Now that his true intentions have been revealed, I just want to somehow forget him. I need to get through today’s practice without letting my emotions get in the way, but I can’t deny how much it hurts.

I get there early so I don’t have to endure the eyes of everyone watching me enter the green room. I find a seat at my usual table in the corner and rest my head in my folded arms. A full minute passes before I hear a voice above me.

“Dot?”

I glance up, squinting as my eyes adjust to the fluorescent lighting. “Mr. Saltzman?”

He cocks his head to the side. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” I rub my eyes. “Just waiting for rehearsal to start.”

He nods, but there’s a frown on his face that only deepens. He lowers himself to sit in the chair beside me. “Well, while you’re waiting, I just wanted to let you know I’ve been very impressed by how much your acting skills have improved since the start of the season.”

“Wow. Um…” The compliment warms me. “Thanks, Mr. Saltzman. To be honest, sometimes I wonder why you cast me as the lead in the first place.”

He clasps his hands together. “Now, that’s one I’ve never heard before! Usually, students who get the lead expect it. But…you and Zayne make a great team, and an even better Cathy and Heathcliff. I suppose I saw something in your audition I couldn’t ignore. ”

I want to ask him what it was he saw in me. If it was only my chemistry with Zayne, or if it was me. But he stands, motioning toward the door with his hand. The sound of chatter approaches, sending nerves soaring through my stomach. “It looks like your classmates are arriving.” He winks at me. “Break a leg.”

He leaves to stand at the front of the green room and I’m left staring at the door as everyone else arrives, including Meredith, Mable, and Rue. And Carlton. I wave at them, and Rue nods in my direction, leading the rest of them over to me. They sit at the round table with me, and I’m struck by how much this feels like old times, when I was still trying to win Carlton’s affection and fit into his group.

Now I have no idea where I belong. Once upon a time, I thought it was with Zayne.

My throat burns, so I clear it and try to smile at them. “Are you excited for tomorrow?” I ask Mabel.

Her eyes round as she smiles. “Heck yes!”

Carlton watches me, his head propped in his hands, elbows on his knees. He doesn’t say anything but studies my face like he’s not sure if I’m going to address him or not.

Spoiler alert, I want to tell him, I’m not.

Mr. Saltzman claps his hands together at the front of the room. “Welcome to the final round of rehearsals, everyone!” He smiles around the room. “We’re almost done! You all should be proud.”

The room starts to cheer, but the door flies open with a large slam, startling everyone into silence. Zayne stands in the doorway, his uniform disheveled and wrinkly. Some of his short dreads escape his usually neat bun, and when his eyes meet mine across the room, it feels like a spotlight shines right on us.

“Dot.” He pins me with his gaze, oblivious of how crazy he looks with the entire cast and crew staring at us—including Mr. Saltzman. He crosses the room until he’s an inch away from me and kneels at my side. “I need to talk to you.”

I stare at the ground, cheeks burning. “We’re at rehearsal.” The words come out in a mumble. It almost sounds like I’m embarrassed, but really, I’m not prepared for the surge of emotions seeing him again makes me feel.

Mabel moves to stand so her body is blocking me from Zayne’s view, and as if by command, Rue and even Meredith follow suit until they block me like a protective wall. Carlton stands so he’s towering over still-kneeling Zayne. He crosses his arms. “Not gonna happen, man. We all read Little Birdie. You’re a jerk.”

Zayne frowns and blinks like Carlton just spoke a foreign language. “I’m talking to Dot. Not you.”

“No, you’re not.” Carlton doesn’t budge. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t need your help, Carlton.”

Zayne stands, shifting the balance so Carlton now has to look up at him instead of the other way around. His penetrating gaze finds me over the heads of my bodyguards. “Dot…” He holds his hands out, palms up. “ Please. Talk to me.”

Mr. Saltzman removes his glasses to frown at us. “What exactly is going on?”

“Nothing,” I say.

“Good. Then if we can all focus on rehearsal, that would be great.”

Zayne sighs and sits at a table on the other side of the room.

I try not to meet his gaze as we all get fitted with our mics, but I can feel him looking at me, and I’m forced to endure the sensation through rehearsal.

The whole thing passes much too slowly, and until today, I didn’t realize just how many scenes I have with Zayne.

As soon as it’s over, I speed-walk out of the green room, but Mabel catches up to me. I’m about to run down the long staircase leading to the parking lot when her hand squeezes my shoulder. “Dot, I think you need the mall.”

Rue is right next to Mabel when I spin around. “Yeah. Let’s go. This is important.” She grabs my hand and yanks me forward.

The mall. Like that’s supposed to fix anything. But at the same time, I can’t deny it sounds nice.

I follow Mabel and Rue outside to the parking lot, where Rue’s silver sedan is parked and waiting. The cold air makes me shiver in my blazer. I rub my arms.

Rue starts her car up with the press of a button on her keys, and the three of us get in, Mabel taking shotgun.

I bite my lip. “Was that rehearsal as awkward as I think it was?”

Mabel turns to wrinkle her nose at me. “Oh, yeah. For sure. You and Zayne were really…stiff with your lines.”

“Great,” I mutter. The worst part is how guilty I feel knowing Zayne’s performance was affected by me. Zayne, who never lets his personal life bleed into his acting.

Rue sighs, shifting the car into reverse. “I’m sure everything will be fine before the show. You just need to de-stress, which is why we’re going shopppiingggg!”

It takes us much longer than it should to arrive at Prudential Center in Boston, thanks to New England traffic. We probably would have gotten here faster if we walked. But when we find a parking spot on the street and step out into the open air, dome-shaped buildings and glass-front stores surrounding us, I breathe out any lingering tension left from seeing Zayne.

I follow my friends along the brick sidewalk. Tall buildings melt into the sky as we make our way to the nearest boutique. A firetruck cuts us off and honks at us as we navigate the packed crosswalk under a glass-walled bridge.

But then we enter sanctuary.

Mabel’s mouth curves up into a smile. “Let’s look at accessories.”

She gravitates to a table full of sunglasses and headbands like a magnet, and we follow her. “Look at this!” She holds up a checkered scarf, eyes practically glowing. “Maybe I’ll buy it for Meredith for Christmas.”

I glance at Rue to gauge her reaction at the mention of Meredith. “Speaking of her, what’s going on with you two?” I can’t stop the words from slipping from my mouth.

“Uh…” Rue widens her gaze at Mabel, who just smirks.

“If you’re talking about Little Birdie’s blast about you having a crush on Carlton, it doesn’t matter to me. I always knew something was up.”

Rue looks horrified. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know.” Mabel shrugs, holding a blouse against her chest to guess its sizing. “You’re always gazing at him longingly. Being nice to him even when he’s a complete jerk. And you seemed so sad when he liked Dot.”

“I do not gaze longingly,” Rue sputters. “I do not gaze .”

“The problem is,” Mabel continues, “I think Mere likes him, too, and feels awkward around you now.” She sighs. “Apparently, I’m the only one here who isn’t obsessed with C.”

I arch a brow at Rue. “Has she let you talk to her about what Little Birdie said? It seems like things are somewhat normal between the two of you.”

“I haven’t said a word to her since she asked me to give her space.” Rue sighs. “And she hasn’t brought it up either. I have a feeling she’s never going to, either. It’s just going to be this unspoken, awkward thing between us for the rest of our lives. Carlton hasn’t said anything either. I think he’s either ignoring it or he thinks none of it is true.”

I touch her shoulder. “Just try talking to Meredith again. There are worse things than two best friends liking the same guy.”

“Fine.” Rue smirks. “I’ll talk to her if you talk to Zayne.”

I sigh, trudging forward to the boot section of the store. “And this conversation is over.”

I hear them both giggle behind me, and though I should probably be irritated, their laughter somehow makes the situation feel lighter. Easier to withstand.

I spin back around to face them. “I love you guys.”

Mabel blinks, her lips wobbling up into a smile. “Love you, too.”

“Yeah, Dot. You’re our girl.” Rue reaches over and hugs me.

I close my eyes, a smile forming on my own lips. I missed this. I missed having friends and I forgot how much I needed them until now.

If there’s one thing this whole mess with Zayne, Carlton, and Little Birdie has given me to be thankful for, I think silently, it’s them.

My friends.