The Secret Crush (3 page)

“Like the musical—well, mine and Kathi's and Jasper's,” Zee said.

“Now
that's
going to be a lot of hard work,” Jasper said.

Zee laughed. “That's the difference between us,” she said. “Pushing around dirt is hard work to me. Planning a musical is fun. I'm going to ask if I can write the script, compose the music, work on the costumes, help Mr. P direct—”

“Hey! Between all of that and homework, you're not going to have any time for us,” Chloe interrupted.

Zee reached out and put an arm around each of her friends' shoulders. “I'll
always
have time for you guys.”

Z
ee's dad, J. P. Carmichael, turned his SUV around the corner toward Chloe's house. “What are you girls doing today?” he asked Zee.

“Working on
Taking Sides
with Jasper,” Zee replied.

“Taking sides?” Zee's dad raised an eyebrow. “Against whom?”

Zee laughed. “
Taking Sides
is the name of the Beans' musical. Auditions are coming up.”

“Oh,
that
explains all the singing in the shower.”

“Yeah. Now I need a real audience.”

“Which part are you trying out for?”

“Lily,” Zee told him. “She's the female lead. Dylan is the male lead. They have two best friends named Brianna and
Gabe. And they spend a lot of time at the mall.”

“I wonder who came up with that idea,” Mr. Carmichael joked.

“An-y-way,” Zee continued. “Lily's gang is a group of hip-hop dancers, and Dylan's friends are football players.”

“And they all hang out together?”

“No way!” Zee said. “It's like
Romeo and Juliet,
so the groups totally don't get along. You know, they argue and make fun of each other. But then Lily and Dylan have a crush on each other, so things have to change.”

“Hmmm…,” Mr. Carmichael said as he pulled into Chloe's driveway. “Problems with friends?”

“Yeah—and parents,” Zee said. “Lily's mom and dad don't want her to date.”

“I like it!” Mr. Carmichael cheered.

“Daaaad,” Zee groaned as she climbed out of the SUV and grabbed her stars-and-stripes-studded guitar case.

Mr. Carmichael smiled and shrugged. “I'm just saying.”

Zee shut the door. “Bye, Dad!” She was so excited, she climbed the Lawrence-Johnsons' steps by twos and rang the doorbell.

“Hello, Mackenzie.” Chloe's mother greeted Zee with her soft southern accent. In her flowing silk pants, matching tank top, and strappy gold sandals, she looked as though
she was dressed for a special dinner—not for a casual afternoon hanging out.

“Is Chloe here?” Zee asked.

“She's downstairs with Jasper,” Mrs. Lawrence-Johnson said.

Zee bounded down the stairs to find Chloe and Jasper sitting on the couch next to the pool table.

“What about carrots?” Chloe said. “I like carrots.”

“Me too,” Jasper agreed, writing on his pad of paper.

“What are you guys doing?” Zee asked.

Chloe looked up. “We're just trying to figure out what to plant in the school garden.”

“I thought we were going to practice for the musical,” Zee said.

“We are,” Chloe said. “But there are other things to think about.”

“Not for me,” Zee said.

“My mom says that if the band interferes with my schoolwork, I have to drop soccer—and I am
not
planning to do that,” Chloe explained. “I just want a small role—like one of the hip-hop dancers.”

“Well,
I
want to get the lead, so I need to start practicing,” Zee said. “What about you, Jasper? Who do you want to be? Gabe? One of the gang?”

“Dylan, actually.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose.

“What?” Zee's voice squeaked with surprise. Jasper could be shy, so she hadn't expected him to want the biggest part.

“You should
so
get that role,” Chloe told Jasper.

“Really?” Jasper sat up a little straighter.

Zee slumped over. “Really?”

“Uh-huh,” Chloe said to Jasper. “Nobody works harder than you do. You'd probably memorize all the lines in, like, a day.”

“I do have an excellent memory,” Jasper agreed.

“But Lily and Dylan are completely L.A.,” Zee said. “I picture Dylan as a tanned surfer type.”

Jasper looked suspicious. “That sounds a lot like Landon.”

Why do I always let my mouth get me in trouble?
“Oh, I didn't think of that,” Zee said, trying to sound convincing. “Um…let's get started.”

“Okay!” Chloe shot upright. “I'm gonna sing ‘Love Story.' Good choice for a romantic musical, huh?”

“I'll play with you,” Zee said, picking up her glittery guitar.

As Zee played, Chloe sang along. As usual, she sounded great. She had memorized all the words and hit every note perfectly—even though she was bouncing and spinning around the room. “‘Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone,'” she belted, jumping up onto the couch, pretending to hold a microphone. When the song finished, she kicked her legs up in the air and plopped onto the cushion.

“Brilliant!” Jasper exclaimed.

“What did you think, Zee?” Chloe asked.

“You sounded amazing,” Zee began. “But don't you want to practice the way you'll do it for the real audition? You won't be able to jump around.”

Chloe flicked her hand in the air. “Nah,” she said. “I'm just having fun.”

Zee went to the brick hearth in front of the fireplace. “This is a good stage,” she said, stepping up. With Jasper's and Chloe's eyes focused on her, Zee began to sing “Breaking Free” from
High School Musical.
Her voice trembled, and the first time she got to the chorus and sang “There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach,” she couldn't hit the right notes. Then she forgot some of the words—even though she'd sung the song a million times. The more she messed up, the more nervous she got and the worse she did. She stopped singing. “That was a disaster!”

“It needs work,” Chloe agreed. “Why are you so nervous? You've sung in front of people before.”

“This audition is so important,” Zee explained.

“I know what you mean,” Jasper said, looking away.

“Okay, Jasper,” Chloe said. “It's your turn. What are you gonna sing?”

“Something from
West Side Story
,” he said. “But I'm not sure I know all the words.” Jasper cleared his throat and
nervously shifted his feet.

“Just sing the part you know. Then you can memorize the rest later,” Chloe told him.

In the next beat, Jasper started to sing “Maria,” a love ballad from the Broadway musical. Zee was shocked. Jasper was a great bass player, but she had never heard him sing before. His voice was strong and even. He had no problem hitting the highest notes—or the lowest ones. Had he been practicing as hard as Zee? Did he want the lead that much?

Then when Jasper sang “I just kissed a girl named Maria,” Zee got a really weird feeling inside. She'd never heard him say anything so romantic.

“What's wrong?” Chloe asked her when Jasper had finished.

“What do you mean?” Zee asked.

“Your face is all white.”

Zee reached up to her face. “I don't know what's wrong with me.”

It was the truth. Because the problem was,
everything
was wrong.

 

 

The next morning, Zee woke up early to practice lines with her mother.

“Did you hear that?”
Mrs. Carmichael asked, looking around the kitchen.

“No, what?”
Zee replied seriously.

“I think there's a burglar in the house.”

“Do you want me to go look?”
Zee stood up from the table.

Mrs. Carmichael grabbed her shoulder.
“No, it might not be safe,”
she whispered.

Thud. Thud. Thud.
Zee's brother, Adam, sleepily crossed the room to the refrigerator. His wrinkled white Brookdale Academy shirt was untucked, and his tie hung loose around his neck.

Zee slapped her hands to her cheeks and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Adam flinched. “Thanks,” he said. “I was hoping to lose some of my hearing this morning.”

“Zee and I were just rehearsing for her audition today,” their mother explained. “You look tired.”

Adam opened the refrigerator door and searched the shelves. “Oh, I'm fine,” he said. “Luckily, I don't actually need to sleep.”

“Did you have trouble last night?” Mrs. Carmichael asked.

“Someone was up
very
early, singing in the shower,” Adam grumbled.

He glared at Zee with sleepy eyes.

“Sorry,” Zee apologized. “I didn't realize I was being so loud.”

“I'll forgive you if you clean up my room this weekend.”

“No way! Your room is revolting!” Zee said. “I'll have to live with you being mad at me forever.”

“Well, the early-morning wake-up call doesn't really matter anyway,” Adam said. “I've heard that song so many times, I've started singing it in my sleep.”

“I'll be putting you out of your misery soon. Mr. P is casting the musical today.”

“Good luck,” Adam said. He grabbed a bagel and headed out of the kitchen, humming Zee's audition song.

Zee's mother sipped her tea. “Did you study for your test today?”

“A little,” Zee said. “But I had to get ready for the audition. I'll do fine.”

“You're taking the musical very seriously,” Mrs. Carmichael said.

“Of course I am. I can't let the Beans down,” Zee said, taking a swig of milk.

“Just remember, it's supposed to be fun,” Mrs. Carmichael reminded her. “There are plenty of ways to show off your talents even if you're not the star.”

“I know,” Zee told her mother, then silently added,
But getting the lead is the only way to be sure Landon notices me.

 

“I'll be glad when this is over,” Chloe said as she, Jasper, and Zee dodged the crush of students headed to first period.

“Me too,” Jasper agreed. “I've been practicing for the audition nearly every moment I'm not working in the garden.”

“You have?” Zee asked.

“Yes,” Jasper said. “I was up late last night memorizing my lines.”

“You were?” Zee said. “You know, you really didn't need to do that. Mr. P says you can read from the script.”

“I know, but I thought it would sound more natural this way.”

“Good thinking,” Zee mumbled, hoping Landon had thought of that, too.

“You're going to be awesome, Jasper,” Chloe cut in.

“He is?” Zee asked.

Chloe nudged Zee with her elbow. “You're asking too many questions,” she said.

“I am?”

The three friends stepped into the music room. Zee's eyes zeroed in on Landon, who was reading his script.

The bell rang overhead.

“Okay, when everyone settles down, we'll get started,” Mr. P announced. Zee, Chloe, and Jasper scrambled for seats. Zee found a chair in the front near the teacher.

Two men in blue jeans, with visitors' passes clipped to their shirts, walked into the classroom. One had dark brown hair with bangs and wore a blue plaid short-sleeve shirt. The other had blond hair that went every which way. He wore a plain white T-shirt.

“These are the other members of my band, the Crew,” Mr. P announced. “They're going to help me with the casting.”

As her teacher spoke, Zee twisted her neck and looked at the faces behind her. Jen and Landon looked scared. Kathi and Jasper looked confident. And Chloe and Marcus looked somewhere in between.

“Zee, you can go first,” Mr. P said.

Ugh!
“Me?” Zee gulped.

“Sure,” Mr. P said. “We'll just go around the room in order. No big deal.”

What had Zee been thinking?
Even a first grader knows to sit in the back if you don't want to get picked first.

Zee stood. “Here? In front of everyone?” she asked.

“No, you'll go to one of the soundproof practice rooms where only the judges will hear you,” Mr. P explained. “Kathi, will you please lead the others in scales and warm-ups?”

Kathi tilted her head and rolled her eyes in fake embarrassment as she walked to the front of the room.

Mr. P looked at the class. “When it's your turn to audition, please come to practice room one,” he said, then turned to Zee. “Ready?”

No,
Zee thought, but she knew she couldn't say it. “Yes.” As she stood, Chloe gave her a thumbs-up and Jasper flashed a smile.

Then Landon looked up. “Good luck,” he said.

“Thanks!”
Now
Zee was ready. Until she glanced at Kathi. The fire in her eyes could have burned a hole through Zee's uniform. Zee quickly looked away and followed the Crew into the hall. Her heart pounded in her ears.

“Which part will you be trying out for?” Mr. P asked once they got to the audition room.

“The lead. Lily.”

Mr. P wrote on a blank piece of paper. “Go ahead and start your audition song whenever you're ready.”

“Hm mm mm.” Zee cleared her throat. She was so nervous that when she opened her mouth, she
wasn't sure what would come out. But all of her practice paid off. When she sang, the music took over. Before she'd really had a chance to worry, she'd reached the end of the song.

The judges silently scribbled some notes on their papers. Finally, Mr. P said, “Great! Now let's run through the scene. I'll be the scared roommate.”

The pages in Zee's hands shook, and she wished she had memorized the lines like Jasper had. Luckily, her voice covered up the noise of the paper, and she read the script just like she'd practiced with her mother.

“Very impressive!” the blond Crew member said when she finished.

“You liked it?”

“Yeah,” Mr. P's other bandmate said.

“You can go back and send in the next person,” Mr. P told her.

“Cool beans!” Zee said. With a skip, she hurried back to the music room.

Jen and Marcus took their turns. Then Chloe practically sprinted out of the room for her audition.

“How'd it go?” Zee asked when her friend returned.

“I dunno,” Chloe said, “but it was fun.”

Landon was next. “Break a leg!” Zee said as he walked by her desk.

“Could everyone please pay attention to the concertmistress?” Kathi barked.

Zee tried to play the scales on her guitar, but it was hard to concentrate. What if Landon didn't even want to be the lead? What if he messed up? What if Landon
did
get the lead—but so did Kathi?

Finally, Landon returned.

Is he happy?
Zee wondered. She couldn't tell.

“Ahem.” Jasper got Zee's attention. He was standing next to her.

“What's up?” Zee asked. Chloe gestured wildly and mouthed something Zee couldn't understand.

“Aren't you going to wish me luck?” Jasper asked.

“Oh, yeah!” Zee said, snapping out of her Landon-induced trance. “Definitely.

Good luck. Knock 'em dead.”

“Thanks,” Jasper said, looking down at his feet as he walked away.

Chloe slowly shook her head back and forth.

“What?” Zee asked, shrugging.

“Oh…nothing,” Chloe said.

When Jasper came back, he was beaming. “Mr. P said he hardly recognized me, because I got into the character so much,” Jasper exclaimed.

“It would be so cool if you got to play Dylan,” Chloe said and gave him a high five.

“Especially if Zee could be my costar, Lily,” Jasper agreed.

“Yeah, that would be great,” Zee said, wondering if she sounded as fake as she felt.