“Agreed,” Alyx says.
“Respectfully,” Alyx and I say in unison and then laugh. We spend another hour coming up with theories and get no closer to solving the mystery, but I laugh more than I have in months.
CHAPTER 22
EMMA
It’s the beginning of the spring semester, and that means auditions forTwelfth Night. If I’m going to do a play, it might as well be Shakespeare since I possess zero musical abilities. I think back to my time last year with Professor A-hole and shudder. At least I don’t have to see his stupid perfectly chiseled jawline that’s always covered with the lightest dusting of stubble.
I’m crossing the campus, bundled up in all my winter clothes. Even though it’s only six in the evening, the sky is dark, and the air is bitter cold. After stomping my boots on the mat, I pull open the theatre door and take a place in the back row as I remove my hat and scarf, stuffing it in my bag.
I spot Rylee and Megan, waving as I watch them make their way toward me when a voice from behind startles me.
“Welcome to auditions forTwelfth Night. My name is Professor Ali, and I will be stepping in as the faculty director for Dr. Judy who is on sabbatical this semester.” He points to the student at the front of the house. “And sitting down there in the front row is Mackenzie, your student director. We’ll be getting started shortly.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grumble out of the cornerof my mouth as my friends sit next to me. I thought I was done dealing with this infuriating man.
“What was that, Miss Black?” he asks, zeroing in on me.
I silently curse the theatre and its stupid perfect acoustics. “Nothing, Professor.”
He slowly crosses the aisle and plants a hand on either side of my chair, hovering behind me, and I flinch at his nearness.
“I thought we were past that.” He hovers close to my ear, but not close enough to draw suspicions. My entire body comes alive at his proximity, and I can feel the hair on my arms stand on end under my sweater.
“Past what?” I turn my head slightly to make eye contact with him.
There’s a small crease between his eyebrows, and he looks almost…hurt? He schools his expression quickly, reading the confusion on my face as he clears his throat. “Past this animosity. Aren’t you tired of the endless bickering between us? We could give Benedick and Beatrice a run for their money.”
It takes everything in me to not let my jaw drop to the floor. Benedick and Beatrice bicker because neither will admit their feelings for each other. Is this his way of saying he has feelings for me?
“Tis a pity. I was looking forward to your witty comeback. Alas, you still prove disappointing.”
My blood boils, and I open and shut my mouth like a fish when it hits me. “‘A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours.’”
“‘I would my horse had the speed of your tongue,’” he says with a wink. “Alright, everyone, let’s get started. Emma here has volunteered to go first,” he announces as he sets a hand on my shoulder.
I don’t flinch.
The nerve of this man. I want to take comfort in the fact that Daddy Dom’s lessons were actually helping me. That someone other than he or a family member has touched me,and I didn’t freak out. But I shrug off his hand before I can reflect too deeply on its meaning and make my way to the stage.
I should’ve known he’d be involved with this production, since he’s the only Shakespeare professor on campus, but I was naively optimistic when I didn’t see his name on any of the audition flyers.
With my back to the audience, I take a deep breath, slowly releasing it while willing my nerves to abate. I know most of the people in this theatre. The house is full of friends and familiar faces, the only unwelcome one is his.
I’ve performed in plays in high school, and while becoming an actor isn’t my goal, I’m incapable of doing things halfway. It’s all or nothing. When I turn, ready to start my monologue, I’m filled with determination. It doesn’t matter if I get the role of Viola or not, but I will not let him be right about me.
——————
John
She’s ravishing as she stands center stage, the light brown strands of her hair looking almost golden in the spotlight. Her chest rises and falls with each breath, and I can’t help but stare at her perfect tits hoping to catch a glimpse of a piercing, but her sweater makes it impossible.
I had every intention of walking away. I haven’t seen her on campus or in the club in months, aside from that incident at the beginning of the school year. But seeing her right now has me questioning that decision. Her plump lips part, and as soon as she speaks, I know I’m fucked.
“I left no ring with her: what means this lady?”
The theatre is silent as everyone watches with rapt fascination. She commands the stage and my attention as she continues her monologue.
