Forever Checking (Checked Series Book 3)

by Jennifer Jamelli

  I look back at Mrs. Leonard for her reaction. She’s delighted.

  “Lovely, Eric. Well done. Brilliant.”

  Eric gives a little curtsy before exiting the stage, and the other students clap and cheer him on. He smiles at the clump of his admirers but then plops down in the seat right next to me.

  “Nice choreography.” I smile over at him.

  He smiles back. “Oh, I know. I’ve been told it was quite brilliant.”

  Next up is the girl from the front row, the shiny blonde. As Mrs. Leonard calls her name, she, um…Addison, leans over and kisses the quarterback-looking guy sitting next to her. Right on the lips. Then she stands up and freezes, her neck bent back and her head looking up (I guess to God or something).

  “Come on, Miss Thing. This isn’t the Tony Awards.” This comes from right beside me. Eric.

  I scrunch down a little in my seat. Just what I need...to be involved in making fun of—

  Unbelievable. She starts to laugh. So does everyone else.

  “Just practicing for when it is, Eric.” She smiles and walks up to the stage. Then she sings yet another rendition of “A Heart Full of Love.” And she’s not bad. Her voice is light, airy—pretty fitting for the young Cosette.

  Her face is blank, though. No emotion. No acting. She’s just a doll with notes and words slipping through her lips.

  I take a second to glance at the boy, the one who looks like he should be at some sort of athletic practice instead of here. He’s focused on Addison, smiling encouragingly as she finishes her song. When she sings her final notes, he joins everyone else in applauding her back down to her seat. Her applause is by far the loudest I’ve heard so far today.

  Soon, Eric stops clapping and leans over to whisper to me. “It’s best to stay on her good side.” Then he pauses and leans in even closer. “Want to know her Days of Our Lives storyline?”

  “Um...sure.”

  “We all have them, of course, but hers is pretty essential to know if you’re gonna be in the show. Plus, hers is one of the more interesting ones around here. Not more interesting than mine, of course, but mine is too racy for Days of Our Lives.” He smiles and does this thing where he licks his tongue over his top teeth.

  He then begins his storytelling, nodding his eyes to where Addison and that guy are now cuddling. “Those two are the Drama Club. Every year they try out, get called back for main roles, and then get cast as the leading romantic couple.”

  I feel my eyes widening in surprise. “Every year? What?”

  Eric nods. “I know. It’s crazy, right?”

  I nod my head slowly, still trying to process what he’s saying. “Yeah...but, really? How? Why?”

  Another girl is called up to the stage. A redhead with crazy polka-dotted knee high socks and a miniskirt.

  Eric yells, “You’ve got this, Sam,” before leaning back, smoothing his shirt down over his flat stomach, and continuing his story.

  “Well, this used to be kept a secret, but pretty much everyone knows or suspects now. Mrs. Leonard still tries to pretend that no one is aware of the whole situation, though.”

  I just nod and wait to hear the rest.

  “We’re all pretty sure that Addison’s father basically funds our show each year. We’ve all heard many times that Drama Club has very little money...so it’s kind of suspicious that we somehow manage to produce pretty huge shows year after year...and it’s never been a secret that Addison’s father is really wealthy...and somehow Addison is cast as a lead every year. It all kind of adds up.”

  I nod. Yeah, it does. But that means that I’ve already lost the chance to play Cos—

  “But most of us don’t really worry about it all that much.”

  I look at him in surprise.

  “We get to do pretty awesome shows...and, really, that’s not our only benefit.”

  “What else?” I ask in a whisper, trying to wrap my head around the fact that so many people sacrifice the chance to play the romantic leads each year.

  “Collin. The boyfriend.” He nods his head in the direction of the first row of auditorium seats. “The hot hetero.” The one who looks like a football player. What about him?

  “He only started trying out because she made him three years ago when we did Footloose. And now she makes him do it every year...well, I secretly suspect that he kind of likes doing it now, but I don’t know that he’d try out without her.” He pauses and grabs my hand. “But, Lexi, he can sing. And dance. And act.” He does that tongue on teeth thing again. “And did I mention that he’s freaking adorable?”

  “Yes—you did make that pretty clear.” I smile as much as I can manage given the fact that I’m being told I don’t even have a slight chance of playing my dream role. “Okay. But you see all of that as a benefit? Really? He’s competition.”

  “We need him,” he says simply. He then looks around the room a little. “As you can see, not many guys go out for Drama Club here. And straight ones are almost unheard of… unfortunately, so are ones that are even remotely cute.”

  He has a point. The two other called-back boys are both at least one step out of the closet. They haven’t gotten far enough into being gay to worry about their appearances, though. I think one is even wearing sweatpants.

  Eric continues. “And Leonard can get male teachers to play some parts, like Jean Valjean this year, but she can’t put teachers opposite high school girls for the romantic roles...obviously. So Collin’s what we have.” His tongue is on his teeth again. “And he sings like a young Michael Crawford. Minus the charming British accent, of course.”

  As though on cue, Mrs. Leonard calls on Collin to sing next. Addison kisses his cheek rather loudly—I can even hear the smack of her lips against his skin, and I’m rows away—and then he heads up to the microphone.

  Eric settles back into his chair to listen, closing his eyes and resting his hands on his lap.

  I lean back too. And I listen.

  And it’s amazing. He’s amazing. His somewhat husky voice paired with the agony in his eyes makes him the perfect Act II grieving Marius.

  When the students in the crowd begin their cheering at the end of his song, he smiles and runs his hand through his dark, tousled hair before going back to his seat.

  Eric and I clap with the others. Then Eric leans forward in his chair and faces me. “What a waste. That voice, that body, on a heterosexual male.” He shakes his head. “When are Sparkles #1 and Sparkles #2 gonna step it up?” He nods over to the only other two boys who are here.

  I don’t know if it’s Sparkles #1 or #2, but one of them gets up as “Justin” is called to go next.

  Eric keeps talking. “So, obviously, Collin is perfect for Marius, just like he was perfect for Tony in West Side Story last year and Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music the year before that and—”

  “Okay. So he gets a lead every year, and he deserves to every year. I get it. But—”

  “But Addison can’t act.” He just says it. Flat out. I would’ve tried to dance around the subject a little, but he just puts it right out there.

  I look him in the eye and nod. “Right.”

  He shrugs his shoulders slowly as he speaks. “So what is Leonard going to do? Put another girl in the role opposite Collin and let her dance and sing with him and—” He stops to gasp dramatically. “Kiss him right in front of Addison?”

  Oh. Got it.

  “And then Addison would probably quit and pull Collin out the door behind her, leaving us with, what, a no-name one act show and this guy as our romantic hero.” He nods up to the stage.

  I laugh. “This guy,” Justin apparently, is terrible. I think he’s only hit the correct pitch for one note so far. And I’m pretty sure that was an accident.

  Still...this is awful. Really. Awful. Cosette is slipping through my fingers. Splattering through.

  “So why even have auditions and callbacks for these parts?”

  Eric smirks. “Oh, Leonard would never break fro
m the traditional process. You have auditions, then a callback list, then callbacks, and, finally, a cast list. That’s the way she auditioned back when she was in high school. Like in 1930.”

  “But—”

  “It’s not fair. At all. I know. It’s also not fair that Addison is somehow involved in the show picking process.”

  I look up at him, surprise, I’m sure, registering on my face.

  “Right after Addison saw the Les Mis movie, she became obsessed, talking about how she was just like Amanda Seyfried.”

  “Well, she is really pretty.” And she does have straight, long blonde hair.

  “But she can’t act.” Eric sings the words to the opening of Beethoven’s 5th.

  This is unbelievable. I can’t believe that this has been going on for four years.

  Eric seems to read my mind. “Believe me, you aren’t the only one irritated by this whole setup. But no one is gonna tell Leonard that it’s unfair. And no one is gonna tell Addison that she can’t act. Why rock the boat? When else are we ever gonna get to do a show as big as Les Mis?” He pauses, shrugging again. “And besides that, we all know that we need Collin in the cast.”

  “But why couldn’t you do the romantic male lead? You had a great audition today. Brilliant, if I remember correctly.” I nudge him and smile.

  “Well, I used to think about that too. Obsess about it, really.” He smiles and raises his eyebrows toward me. “I’d even practice trying to woo the ladies every night with a mirror.”

  “You just couldn’t stomach touching a girl without heaving your lunch all over the place?”

  “Nah—I could do that. I think it’d be pretty believable too.” He laughs. “Seriously, Lexi, if gay guys couldn’t pretend to be in love with women, Broadway would probably have to block off its streets forever.”

  “True. Okay. So what’s the deal, then?”

  “I know he’s better than I am. His voice is better. So is his acting. I get that. It took me a long time to accept that, but I do get it now. And besides, if I wasn’t available for the supporting, comic-relief-providing, male roles, who the hell would play them? This guy?”

  He again nods up to the stage, where the other Sparkles is now singing “Stars.” He can sing at least. Pretty well even. But he has no expression on his face. Zero. Like he’s singing about sharpening a pencil.

  Eric leans over. “I wonder what Leonard is writing in her notes for his acting right now.” He pauses. “Perhaps, this SSSSUUUCCCKKKSS!”

  “Why did he get a callback then?”

  “Well, he’s probably gonna get a part since he can at least sing. Leonard doesn’t ever really have the luxury of being picky with guys. She has to use them all, the few that try out. So, really, all the boys get a callback each year.”

  Oh. Another tradition.

  “And why did I get one?”

  “Cause you are good. Really good.” Eric smiles. “And there are other leading parts you might get.”

  Just not Cosette. Got it...

  Mrs. Leonard puts an end to our conversation as she rings a little bell and heads up to the stage. She moves pretty fast. Maybe she’s younger than she looks. I decide to ask Eric.

  “Well, that’s tricky.” He responds in a whisper, a pensive look on his face. “She looks ancient, but she’s got a lot of spunk.” He pauses. “Maybe she just doesn’t know about hair dye. Or makeup.”

  Mrs. Leonard begins to speak from the center of the stage. “All right. Thanks for coming out today. You are all shining stars.”

  “Blech. I think I can taste the pizza I had for lunch coming back up into my mouth,” Eric whispers quickly and then closes his lips tightly as he tries not to laugh. I look away so we don’t both start giggling.

  Mrs. Leonard tells us to check the cast list tomorrow morning.

  Tomorrow morning? I lean back over to Eric. “At my old school, my teacher always posted the list online the night of auditions. Much less waiting.”

  He smiles again. “Maybe Mrs. Leonard doesn’t know about the internet either.”

  I smile back and grab my bookbag before we both walk up to get Eric’s stuff. When we get to his old seat, he introduces me to the tiny blonde who auditioned after me. Who auditioned really well.

  I guess she already knows that she won’t be getting the part of Cosette, though.

  Her name is Sarah. She’s a junior. She seems nice, and I think she’s actually interested when she asks me about my old school and then about my parents’ new law firm.

  While we are talking, the redhead with the polka-dotted socks comes up and wraps her arms around Eric from behind. He holds her hands as they rest on his stomach, and she puts her chin on his shoulder, saying, “Think I’ll get to play your wife?”

  So she already knows that she also won’t be putting on Cosette’s ringleted wig...

  “I hope so, darling,” Eric replies.

  She lets go of him and picks up her sparkly bookbag, saying, “I don’t know if I can learn all of your ‘brilliant’ moves, though...”

  “I’ll teach you.” Eric smiles. “Hey, Sam, this is Lexi. You know, the new girl.”

  Sam throws her arms right around me, squeezing rather tightly for such a small girl. “Welcome to Drama Club, Lex,” she says. “You sounded pretty awesome up there.”

  “Thanks.”

  She lets go of me, hugs Eric and, um, Sarah, and she is off.

  Sarah leaves too. Eric and I start to follow behind, and soon we pass Addison and Collin. Cosette and Marius. The guaranteed leading couple. They are now sitting in the middle of the auditorium, holding hands and talking. Or maybe they’re running their lines already. Who knows.

  As Eric does the introductions, Collin puts his Marius eyes on me. My black Mary Janes stop walking.

  “You sounded great up there today.” His slightly husky voice. Guess he doesn’t just use it for Marius.

  “Um, well, I don’t know about great. But, thanks.” I give him a small smile.

  He returns it, his deep brown eyes shining. And I have to disagree with Eric. I’m so glad that such a perfect smile belongs to a straight guy.

  “Sweetie, I’m hungry now.” She, Addison, interrupts our smiling and puts her head on Collin’s shoulder.

  “Well, okay, um,” I try (unsuccessfully) to find a graceful way to leave.

  “Hey, Lex—hop on.” Eric leans down so I can jump up on his back. I climb on, and he bolts up the aisle of the auditorium as my bookbag bounces up and down on my back.

  He puts me down when we reach the lobby outside of the auditorium, and he then spins around to face me. “If those two somehow don’t end up married with two kids...if they ever actually break up, he’s mine first. Sorry.” Eric puts his tongue back on his teeth mischievously. “I’ve got a plan to turn him to the other side. The better side.”

  “Fine with me. I won’t be interested.”

  Eric raises his eyebrows and walks ahead of me.

  “I’m not interested.” I talk to his back.

  “Sure.” He doesn’t even turn around.

  I hit him on the back of his bright purple shoulder. “I’m not.”

  He turns around so fast that I step on his shoe. He doesn’t even flinch before he puts his face right next to mine. Almost nose to nose.

  “Too bad. I’m pretty sure he’s part of your storyline.”

  “My—” Oh, right. The Days of Our Lives thing. I move my face from his and walk ahead toward the parking lot. “I don’t have a storyline.”

  “I’ve already told you that everyone has one.” He comes up beside me and grabs my hand, swinging it back and forth as we take our final steps to the parking lot. “You’ll see, Lex. You’ll be on the cover of Soap Opera Digest in no time.”

  He stops abruptly, and our hands finish swinging a second later. “This is me.”

  The shiniest (or maybe only) purple car I’ve ever seen. I smile over at him. “Of course this is you. What else would you drive when you’re wearing that
shirt?”

  He smiles too as he clicks open his doors and ditches his bookbag in the back seat. Then he looks back at me. “You’re pretty fabulous, you know.”

  “Of course I know.”

  “I almost suspect that you’ve done this hag thing before.”

  “I hate that word. Can’t you just refer to me as, I don’t know, a friend or something?”

  “Nope.” He kisses me on the cheek and opens the driver’s door. “That’s not how it works, Lex.” He smiles and gets into the car. “Meet you by the cast list tomorrow morning?”

  I shrug. “What’s the point?”

  Pointless or not, I wait anxiously for the school doors to be opened so I can see the list. Eric joins me after I’ve been waiting for only about two minutes. We stand together in nervous silence. I stare into the eyes of the little gummy bear that is pictured in the middle of his orange t-shirt.

  Soon, Sarah and Sam join us as well, and the Sparkles duo isn’t far behind them.

  Addison and Collin don’t show up until a minute before the doors are supposed to open...and Addison is crying. Collin has one arm around her, and his other arm is full of books—presumably his and hers.

  “Addie, you were fine. You didn’t miss a note.”

  “But I—” She starts to whine. And she still is whining...but I can’t hear it anymore because he has caught my eyes.

  He looks, hmm...well, gorgeous, with his dark brown, eye-matching thermal tee, but he looks more than that. Frustrated. Irritated? Maybe even a little bit embarrassed.

  I shrug and give him a tiny smile.

  He blinks his eyes softly and smiles back—for like a second—and then Addison turns up her head to look at him. His eyes leave mine in a mega-fast second, and he gives her what he must think is a reassuring look. His mouth looks reassuring. But his eyes are again a bit annoyed.

  Doesn’t matter. She buys it.

  “Thanks, honey. I’m so lucky to have such a supportive—” She begins.

  “Doors are open,” Sarah interrupts, and Addison’s gushy speech is forgotten.