CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

insight



my plan was set in action before it was time to go to gym. i texted walker to tell madeline about his fake preferences and he acted it out like my message was a script. from what i could see from the back of the room, she was quite disquieted by the news.

and as walker and i were leaving class, i saw her whispering to tasha and jamie, then violet once she reached her old seat. "okay, i think this will work," i said.

"agreed. hopefully jordyn's in today. there's a lot to update him on."

"if he isn't i think that would break his record for how long he's been grounded for."

"usually people try to break records," walker remarked. "dude's breaking them just by living."

we turned the corner into the gym hallway. he was either on the other side of the wall or on the other side of town. in both instances, he would be in the dark about everything we need to tell him. this past week has been jam-packed with so many developments that even jordyn, with his top class being history, might find it difficult to keep up with all the ups and downs.

we parted ways once under the soaring ceilings of the gym, and when i came out of the girl's locker room, i noticed that walker wasn't sitting alone at our usual spots. jordyn was there. he wasn't even late!

joining the two, i said enthusiastically, "welcome back jordyn!"

"hey! i would ask how you've been," said my cousin, "but walker's been filling me in on the whole situation."

"yeah, i saw him in the locker room and had to start all the way back to when we printed out the flyers and the deal and stuff."

"no way there's a hidden theater class right under dowry's nose. that's wild," jordyn said, amazed.

"you can't tell anyone about it," i cautioned him.

"i won't," he chuckled. "i don't even know why i would want to tell anybody. those kids are chilling."

our teacher took attendance routinely, and when she got to jordyn, she called over to him, "you're back!"

"yeah. i was grounded. sorry, mrs. small," he told her.

"that's her name?" i asked.

"yeah, even i knew that," said walker.

"in my defense, i've never said a word other than 'here' to her."

"you know about some secret society in our school but you don't know your own teacher's name?" teased jordyn.

i decided to change the subject. "so, why were you grounded, huh, jordyn?"

"it wasn't about the popcorn mishap this time," he clarified. "i didn't do the chores that i was told to do when i was grounded because of that, though. so i was given more chores and an ultimatum." aunt lauren made jordyn stay home to do chores. i found it crazy how different she was from mom, who was her sister.

"so are you able to cast with us after school tomorrow?" walker urged.

"probably. i stayed loyal to my mom, so i don't see why not," said jordyn. "but she is kind of mad at y/n right now, so i'll have to be really vague with the reason."

"she's mad at me? what about maeve and walker?"

"she doesn't even know who walker is. and she does know maeve, so she expected this out of her. but she was surprised with you."

i hadn't thought about that. i was always the niece who would offer to set the table at the family reunions, the one who would say 'please' and 'thank you' and get mom all the compliments. that little girl was still me though. it was just this new person in my life that made me seem like a new person to my aunt. but i was happy with walker, happy with the adjusted version of me that he had been helping me become.

so, did i want to try and regain her trust and redeem myself, or would that only serve as a distraction from continuing down the freshly paved path ahead? i already knew the answer to that. i didn't need another fork in the road.

"alright. well, it's in the practice room. two thirty, on the dot," i said.

jordyn raised his eyebrows. "i'll be there."

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

it was impressive how quickly words could spread. they ricocheted off the walls of our school and seamlessly found their way into the ears of every student. like a rapid boomerang, they all seemed to circle back to the source. walker was being trampled by questions about tips on acting, even by males who wanted to try out for the more minor roles, as we stretched our legs in between double period chemistry the next day.

it was getting too hectic out in the halls. i had expected this, that we would be once again bombarded but it would spare us later. yet we couldn't proceed through the halls with caution because we couldn't even walk forward. poor walker's class schedule was already public information, but someone also threatened to dox him if he didn't give him, an inexperienced actor, a chance. consequently, we retreated back into class.

"you know, i thought your influence could spread the word, but it seems the school has a way of influencing itself," i said to walker introspectively once we sat down.

"you're right. there's really no start or end. we're both just part of it all," he said.

i hoped he knew how much he influenced me, though. a poke to a giant could be a volcanic eruption to an ant. to this school, his return could be just something that's passed around like a folktale. but it was like he had planted something in my brain that wouldn't shrivel.

when the bell pierced my ears and walker sat up to go back to his seat, i realized i wouldn't see him again until it was time to cast. "so we'll meet in the private room right after school?"

"yep. get hyped for this!"

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

the clock struck two fifteen and i was out of my math class in a jiffy. i took quick steps, my gaze ahead of me unwavering as i made my way downstairs, following the map in my head to the music hallway, a place i'd never been.

apparently, i wasn't the only one who rushed to get there before the given time. it wasn't walker or maeve, but madeline, tasha, and jamie. they were lined up next to the practice room's door like guards. i couldn't help but wonder where violet was.

tasha gave me a funny look. "y/n, do you know if walker will be here?"

i halted before them. i was about to get set up in the room, but i felt threatened by them being so close to its entrance. "yeah." i nodded, catching my breath. "it's going to be me, maeve bishop, my cousin, jordyn, who's a junior, and walker."

jamie looked frightened. "seriously? that many people?"

"if you have the skills to be here right now then you have nothing to worry about, jamie," i told her, opening the door as her fear lessened mine. i also kind of told this to myself as reassurance that my last minute plan worked.

the room consisted of a piano, a music stand, and blank walls. it was really nothing special. as i was getting my notepad and pen out, i could have sworn i saw the three girls peep their heads through the window on the door. it took around two minutes for maeve to arrive next and rid me of the feeling that i was an exhibit in a glass enclosure of what a non-coffee addict looks like for the triplets outside to ponder.

maeve brought the physical excerpts from the script that the actors were going to read out for their audition. jordyn entered next with... his thoughts and opinions, and walker finally walked in with five minutes to spare.

"who were those girls out there?" whispered jordyn with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"that was madeline and her friends," imparted maeve. "that's the one who stole walker from y/n."

"she didn't steal him from me. that's ridiculous."

"i guess it was more fennel's fault than hers, but whatever. i like blaming things on annoying people."

walker chuckled. "remind me why you guys are even letting her audition?"

"it'll be entertaining," said maeve.

"and remember what caused the thumb war?" i added.

"i cannot wait to see how this plays out," said walker.

he read through the excerpt. maeve and i chose the beginning scene and climax, the two parts with the most interaction between caleb and emily. and we thought it could show acting versatility as emily goes from being the love interest to the antagonist. "i don't think i ever finished reading," walker realized. "i didn't expect that."

jordyn checked out what he was referencing. "oh yeah. don't worry, it's a happy ending," he said. "you won't end up with emily. i'm pretty sure it ends with caleb and aurora kissing."



✦•······················•✦•······················•✦



thank you for reading chapter 22!

also, would you guys want face claims for the characters that have become more relevant, aka madeline and violet? i've tried and cannot find ones for the teachers. who do you guys picture the fennels as?