Juliet Immortal

you’re not going to be here for every performance.”
    Gemma growls with frustration. “Maybe you just wanted my part all along and are a nasty little bi—”
    “Gemma, come on.” Mike puts a calming hand on Gemma’s back. Gemma takes a breath, relaxing slightly.
    “Right, Gemma,” Hannah says. “Everyone knows who the
witch
is around here.”
    “Girls! Please.” Mr. Stark’s seat squawks as he rises. “What’s this about missing a performance, Gemma? When did this happen?”
    “I have to miss Saturday night.” Gemma sounds younger, nervous. I drop my brush in my water can and creep closer to the stage. “My parents are making me go to a rally in Santa Barbara Saturday night.”
    “Gemma, you made a commitment to this show.”Mr. Stark stands near the footlights, shaking his head. “You need to be here.”
    “I know. I swear, I know.” The panic on Gemma’s face surprises me. This seems important to her, despite the fact that she pretends to participate in drama club just to have an extracurricular to put on her college resume. “But my dad is never going to let me out of it. I already begged a hundred thousand times.”
    “Can’t Hannah fill in for her?” Mike asks. “She did all the choreography, and knows where Gemma’s supposed to be onstage.”
    “But Hannah’s also the dream Maria in the dream ballet, and the best chorus dancer.” Mr. Stark lets out a frustrated sigh. “It will be confusing for everyone to have her change roles for one night. I’m going to have to side with Hannah. It’s not fair for Gemma to play a lead if she’s not able to be here. Might as well cut the dream sequence and let Hannah step in as Bernadette now and—”
    “But Mr. Stark!”
    “I’m sorry, Gemma.” Mr Stark pushes his glasses up his nose, looking more exhausted than sorry. “It would be different if we had an understudy who could take over for you, but we don’t, and—”
    “I’ll do it,” I say, stepping out onto the stage.
    A strained silence falls over the cast, and twenty stunned glances crawl across my skin. Mr. Stark, Hannah, Gemma, all the other boys and girls in their dance rehearsal clothes—everyone stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. But then, a lot of them are in Mr. Stark’s public speaking class, the one Ariel nearly failed because she’s so petrified of getting up in front of a group of people.
    No one knows how to respond. No one except Romeo, who laughs like I’ve told a fabulous joke. “I think that’s a great idea. I’d love to see Ariel dance. And sing.”
    I can’t sing, no matter what body I’m in. My voice is adequate on a good day and painful to listen to on a bad one. Romeo knows this, but I don’t allow myself the luxury of glaring at him. I’ve already acted out of character by volunteering. Instead, I glance down at my feet, affecting Ariel’s usual awkwardness. If I can pull this off, Gemma will owe me, and maybe she’ll finally open up about what’s happening with her and Ben.
    “I don’t have the best voice, but I know the music and words. I’ve been listening while I paint.” It’s true. Ariel has the show memorized. It would be hard not to after six weeks of rehearsal. “If Gemma teaches me the dance numbers, I can do it for one night. It’ll be easier to pretend to be someone else than to … you know …”
    “She could, Mr. Stark,” Gemma says, though she doesn’t sound entirely convinced. “I think it’s a great idea.”
    “But she’s never been onstage before,” Mr. Stark says. “And singing voice aside, Ariel, there’s a lot of dancing in the show. Can you dance?”
    Can Ariel dance? She’s never tried, but she’s fairly coordinated and has been watching the others learn the choreography for weeks, and
I
can dance. I’ve already taken liberties with Ariel’s personality. Might as well take one more in the name of winning Gemma’s trust and devotion. “Sure. I can dance.”
    Hannah snorts—doubting my ability but unwilling to say anything outright—and turns to stare at Mr. Stark. The rest of the cast studies their shoes. Even Gemma doesn’t say a word.
    Mr. Stark sighs. “All right. It’s not like this is Broadway.” His glasses slip down to the end of his nose. “Look over the lines and music tonight and bring dance clothes tomorrow. You can shadow Gemma and learn the choreography in the next couple days. And give Gemma some time in the front, Hannah. She’s one of the leads. The