by Rachel Leigh
My head shakes instantly. “No. I can’t compete with Madison. She was born a star. I’m just..I’m just stardust.”
“We’re all stardust, Willa.” He throws an arm around my shoulders and leads me back into class. Even with everyone watching, he keeps his arm around me and for a brief moment, I feel proud—acknowledged. I feel seen.
That is until I see Madison. She’s front and center. The melody begins and she taps the mic in front of her. All eyes are on her, including Lars. Without even looking at me, he whispers, “It’s your call. Do we have a deal?”
She begins her solo and it’s good. I knew it would be. She talks a big game, but she’s backing it up. Not only does she have the beauty, she also has a perfect pitch. The only thing lacking is the emotion. Her vocals are spot on, but I don’t feel the passion behind it.
The music stop and so does she. Everyone claps, including Mrs. Rhys, who thinks she deserves a standing ovation. Though, she’s the only one standing. “That was lovely, Madison,” Mrs. Rhys says, before turning her attention to the class seated behind her. “This is the last call for auditions. Is there anyone else who would like to audition before my decision is made?”
Lars steps forward and speaks up. “Scene two. You know, the one where I cue the fireplace sounds. Willa and I would like to give it a shot.”
“What? No.” Madison huffs while she stands in the middle of the stage.
I grab him from the back of his T-shirt and give it a tug. “What are you doing?”
“We had a deal. Let’s do this.” He takes my hand in his and leads me out to the stage. My hand trembles in his and it feels like this is all happening too fast. I’m not a spontaneous person. Everything I do is generally well-thought-out and planned for. I’m not ready for this. Sure, I’ve had every line and song in this play memorized since I was eight years old, but there is no way that Lars knows this off the top of his head. I’ve never even seen him with a script in his hands.
“Do you even know the lines?” I mutter under my breath.
“I do now.” He pulls out a paper from his back pocket that’s rolled up like a newspaper.
I’ll never understand why he’s doing this for me. This is a side of Lars that I haven’t seen before. I’m not sure anyone has. I still hate him for what he did to me. But right now, he’s reminding me why I once loved him in secret.
Madison comes to my side and leans forward, whispering in my ear with a clenched jaw. “You agreed you’d be Enchantress. What the hell are you doing?”
“I never agreed to anything,” I say in a hushed tone. Lars smirks as if he knew that this would upset Madison. Is that why he’s doing this? Because of their sibling rivalry?
Madison stomps away and takes a seat next to Mrs. Rhys, making her displeasure apparent with a pouty face and her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
Lars sidesteps and faces me. Puffing out his chest, he forces a stern look on his face, much like a beast, and I can’t help but laugh. “Lars, you’re supposed to be injured, not beastly,” I whisper with a cracked smile.
He straightens the papers in his hands. “Oh, right.” He begins reading over them then grabs his arm. “Uggh, my arm. It hurts,” he shouts, all too loudly.
When I just stand there, sorting through lines in my head, because the one he just said is not anywhere in the play, he turns the paper toward me. “Umm, let me see. Just hold still.” I pretend to dab at the invisible wound with an invisible washcloth.
“Ouch.” He shrieks.
“Well, if you’d hold still it wouldn’t hurt so bad.”
“You should have never run away. If you hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened.”
I look up and our eyes catch fire. I begin to choke. “You frightened me. That’s why I ran away.”
Holding my gaze, he continues without even looking at the paper. “You shouldn’t have come. You should have stayed away.” Wait. That’s not a line. My eyes widen as we both stand there frozen. He looks at the paper. “Temper,” he whispers.
“You need to learn to control your temper.”
“I’m learning. Be patient with me,” he says quietly. That’s not in the script, either. I turn to look at the crowd who is dumbfounded. Mrs. Rhys looks like she’s ready to end this entire thing.
We just stand there, totally screwing this up. Skipping a few lines that are lost in my memory right now, I continue, “Thank you for saving my life.”
The corner of his mouth pulls up into a smile. One that’s not part of the play and one that I won’t forget anytime soon. “You’re welcome.”
It’s safe to say that Lars will not be performing as Beast. It’s also safe to say that I no longer want this part without him.
“Well, that was a disaster.” Lars chuckles as he walks hurriedly off the stage. I follow behind him, but he doesn’t join the class. Instead, we go behind the curtain to the sound room.
“I hope you weren’t expecting the part because you most definitely did not get it.” There’s no point in pretending. I’m pretty sure he didn’t want it anyway. “Now tell me the truth, why’d you do it?”
His shoulder shrugs. “I wanted you to get another chance. Stay fresh in Mrs. Rhys’ mind since your original audition was yesterday.”
“And you just assumed that I’d do it if you did?” Of course, he did. He knows exactly what to do and say to get me to do what he wants.
“I had high hopes. Let’s just leave it at that. But, even though I bombed it, you still rocked it. So, you’re welcome,” he says, slyly.
“Are you sure this has nothing to do with Madison? Seems like you two have a little quarrel going on.”
“It’s no secret that I can’t stand the girl. But no. I did this for you, Willa.” His butt drops down on the leather recliner that is practically molded to fit his body. He’s always in it. Always such a slacker. I’m beginning to think he’s more than that, though. More than just a rebel—he’s got a heart—a rebel heart.
“While we have a minute to ourselves. I really think we should finish our conversation from yesterday. You said to sleep on my plans, and I did. I’m still planning on leaving Redwood.”
His eyes widen and his body shoots up. “You can’t leave.”
Tilting my head, I cock a brow. “Why not?”
“Because you’re needed here.” He says the words so casually that he expects me to just understand what they mean.
“I’m not needed anywhere. Let alone in Redwood.”
“You’d be surprised.” His fingers lock behind his head and his eyes close. “Wake me up when class is over.”
Without digging further into this, I just chalk it up to Lars being Lars. He speaks in riddles and leaves every conversation unfinished. He will talk to me and I will get that money. One small act of kindness doesn’t make up for the hell he’s put me through. I refuse to let my heart go there. I refuse to let him hurt me again.
10
“You actually got on stage and acted out a scene.” Tommy laughs, again.
“I was helping someone out while doing everything I could to stop Madison from getting the part.”
“Talon filled me in on that mess. So, your way of stopping Madison is by making sure she doesn’t get a role in a high school play. Did it work? Can we move on to the next person?” He spews sarcasm and I wanna slap him.
“Shut the hell up. No, we can’t move on. Have you heard any talk around school about her? Anything I can use against her?”
“Nope. I try not to pay attention to the rumor mill. Got my own shit to deal with.”
“I need you to keep an eye on her. Something tells me that Madison has a lot of secrets up her sleeve. We need anything we can work with.”
His chin drops to his chest with annoyance. “Seriously, man? Your plan is to just dig something up on her and threaten her?”
“Her and Zed are the main problems in my life right now. Doesn’t matter the extent of my plan, what matters is that the problem is eliminated. I could
just kill her. Does that sound easier?”
Shaking his head, he agrees with me. “Fine. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Ya know. I’ve been a puppet to both you and Talon, and now Zed, too. My time is coming and you fuckers better be ready to bend over backwards for me.”
I hold up my fist to him. “You got it, man.”
If I can get Madison away from me, that’s one less thing I have to worry about.
Her joining class and expecting us to take the lead roles together was a bit too much. I also don’t think she was expecting me to suck so badly. In her dreams, she was Belle and I was her Beast.
I didn’t want the part. Wouldn’t even accept it if it was offered. I did it partly because I did, in fact, want to stick it to Madison. She’s a royal bitch and knew damn well that Willa was in the lead for that role. She notices that Willa has been getting a fraction of my time and she’s ready to pounce. All the more reason to keep my distance from my Bible hugging baby mama.
Talon walks into the living room, stuffing his phone in his pocket. “Zed’s coming tonight.”
Tommy looks stunned. “Seriously? How the hell did you pull that off.”
“Told him that we have his back. The Rebels are reuniting whether we like it or not. He’s done some fucked-up shit, but if we want this nightmare to end, we have to pretend we’ve moved on from what he did.”
“I’m not so sure I can do that.” I state the obvious. “I’m not sure any of us can ever really move on from what the fucker did to us and I don’t know how the hell you are evening willing to pretend after what he did to Marni.”
“Look. We all know Zed is fucked-up. Shit, we’re all fucked-up. But he’s holding our future in the palm of his hand and he’s ready to squeeze. We have to try something. Maybe once he gets his revenge on whoever it is he’s after, he’ll have a fresh start.”
“Is that what you got? A fresh start?” I ask. It was only a month ago that Talon killed his dad. A man who abused, tortured, and scarred him for life. We don’t call it murder—we call it justice. He deserved everything he got.
“You have no fucking idea. Driving away from my old man’s burning vehicle, the clouds parted, the sun shined, and it was like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. You all saw how I was. I was almost as bad as Zed. Now look at me,” he points both fingers to his face, “I’m fucking smiling. Who’da thought?”
Marni joins us, wrapping both arms around Talon and resting her head on his chest. “I like to think that I have something to do with that smile.”
“It’s all you, babe. All you.” He perks up. “Speaking of, has anyone heard from Anderson again?”
Looking around from face to face, we all shake our heads. It won’t be long until Anderson is making an appearance again. He said forty-eight hours, and it’s been forty-six. “I’ll give him a call. Let him know we have this all under control,” I tell them.
I’m not really sure that we do, but we’re about to find out.
Lying on the bed with my boots still on, I realize I’ve stretched the hole in my black T-shirt to triple its size. My thoughts keep going back to today, when Willa ran into the bathroom and cried. Sure, I wanted to oust Madison and piss her off, but Willa deserves that part. Madison is like a fucking leech that refuses to go away.
Tommy pokes his head in the door. “He’s here.”
Looking down at my shirt, I notice that I practically shredded it. Tearing it off, I drop it to the floor and snag another solid black tee off the dresser.
Here we go.
With no hurry behind my steps, because I’m not anxious at all to see this shithead again, I walk down the stairs as I pull my shirt on and stretch my arms through the sleeves. Trailing my hand over the banister, I listen intently to the conversation that’s already being had.
“But what does Willa Mack have to do with any of this?” Tommy says.
I stop. Frozen in place.
Zed begins speaking, “She’s my Marni. Talon used her. I’ll use Willa.”
Talon laughs. “And you think you and Willa will just fall in love like Marni and I did? Never gonna happen.”
Like a stampede of buffalo in my chest, my heart hammers inside. My fingers clench tightly around the banister as my short nails dig into the wood. Splinters embedding beneath my nail beds.
“This isn’t about love. This is about revenge. My revenge. No questions asked. You don’t need to know who I’m after and you don’t need to know why. All you have to do is what I say. When it’s done, you’ll get the body and I’ll disappear.”
“And my dad?” Marni asks.
“He’ll never be a suspect. None of us will. I have a plan. Are you in or are you out?”
Still on the steps and out of sight, I continue to listen.
“Looks like you’ve left us no choice. Where do we start?” Talon says.
“I’ve already started. Almost three months ago. We take down the girl to get to the main target.”
“Just fucking say it, man. We all know that you’re after her dad. Why won’t you just say it out loud?” Tommy huffs.
Zed’s feet hit the ground and I can see his shadow as he springs from the couch. “Why the fuck would you say that? He directs his attention to Talon and shouts,” What the hell did you tell him?”
Talon throws his hands up. “I didn’t say a damn thing. It’s obvious, though. I mean, who else does Willa have in her life that you’d want revenge on? Surely, it’s not her mom.”
Moving down, one step at a time, I zero in on Zed. “What did you mean your plan started three months ago?” My fists ball at my sides, and I can feel blood trickle from one of my splintered fingers.
“Ah, there he is. It’s been awhile, Lars. How ya been?”
“Shut the fuck up. I just saw your dumbass last night and if I had my way, I’d never look at your ugly face again. Now tell me, what the hell did you mean?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “The video of course. I mean, did you think it was just for fun? I have a plan, unlike you. How’s your sister doing, anyways?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” I play dumb.
Talon shakes his head in guilt. “I told him.”
“You what?” I spit out. “You fucking told him?”
I don’t even know how I’m friends with these guys. Oftentimes I have to remind myself that I’ve known them since grade school, because you’d think I just picked em’ off the side of the road with how much they surprise me. “Why the hell would you do that?”
“The pact, man. We stick together.”
“He killed the pact. We all know it.” I point at Marni. “It died when he raped your girlfriend and blackmailed me into holding her at gunpoint.” Marni’s face flushes at being called out. And I feel bad, but damn, are they all forgetting what he did?
Talon walks at an amble pace to my side. “Come with me.” He gestures toward the kitchen. “What the fuck, man? We talked about this.”
Weaving my fingers through my hair, my jaw ticks. “I can’t fucking do it. I can’t pretend.” I look him in the eye. “And I’m telling you right fucking now, if anyone touches Willa—if that psycho goes anywhere near her—I’ll gut him, and this time, I’ll hide the fucking body.”
“It’s all temporary. This is the only way. Can we count on you?”
“I’m not making any promises. I need to know what his plan is because I’m dead serious. Willa is out.”
“What the hell is your deal with that girl, anyways? First the performance and now this. You got a thing for her?”
“Hell no.” I huff, with an airy chuckle. “A thing for Willa? Not a chance.”
“Ok then. What’s the big deal?”
“Yeah, what’s the big deal, Lars?” Zed smirks as he leans against the frame of the entryway and crosses his ankles.
Grazing my tongue over my top teeth, I refrain from lunging at him. “Don’t worry about it. Nice cut by the way.” I tip my head with my eyes
to the gash on his forehead.
He kicks one foot off the other and steps toward me. “Oh, I’m gonna worry about it, because she’s my pawn. Has been for a while now. You were just my stepping stone to her.” He laughs and it’s loaded with sarcasm. “Come on now, you got her first. Let me have her second.”
Unable to refrain any longer, I barrel toward him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I swing one leg behind his and push, taking him straight down to the floor. He’s intentionally trying to get under my skin, and it’s working. My fingers wrap around his throat and I squeeze like hell. Zed’s strong, but I’m much stronger.
“Stay the fuck away from her,” I shout. His eyes bug out and it fills me with a sense of relief when I imagine him dying beneath me. I’ve never killed anyone, but I’m all about making this world a better place by eliminating this asshole.
An arm locks around my neck and pulls me backwards. I lose my hold on Zed’s throat but shove my thumb into the wound on his forehead before I’m completely pulled off of him.
“Fuck,” he bellows. “I just super glued that bitch shut last night. Thanks a lot, douchebag.”
Talon holds my arms tightly behind my back as I try to break free. “You’re lucky I didn’t give it a twin.”
“Seriously, this shit again,” Tommy says as he walks in with a bag of chips.
“Really, Tommy? You’re fucking eating?” Talon says from behind me.
“What? I didn’t have dinner. What’s going on here?” He looks over at Zed who is sitting with his back pressed against the refrigerator. “Dude, what happened to your head?” Blood drips down his face and across his lips. Zed darts his tongue out and licks it from his lips.
“I fell.” His voice rises. “What do you think happened? Your rabid friend attacked me. Again.”
Tommy looks at me like he’s my fucking father. “Why’d you do that?”
Drawing in a deep breath, I once again question my own sanity when I chose these guys as my friends.
Zed speaks up. “Because he’s protecting Willa.”
