“Get in the bathroom,” I hiss.
“What?” he mouths.
“Now.”
I shove him gently but urgently toward the bathroom, grabbing his bag on instinct and silently thanking God he made me get it from the front door earlier. He barely has time to react before I’m pushing both him and his stuff inside and closing the door.
“Frankie!” Za calls again. “You awake?”
There’s a knock on my bedroom door. I take a breath, smooth my hair with my hands, and open it.
“Hi!”
Za blinks at me. “Oh—you’re up. I was about to tell you about—wait.”
Her eyes drift past me.
Straight to my bed. And my floor. The sheets are a mess. Pillows displaced. Very obviously fucked in. Me and Jabari really had a time because my stuff was everywhere.Whoops.
Her gaze slides back to me.
“You have someone over?” she asks.
I don’t even bother lying properly. “I did.”
Her brows shoot up.
“Oh?” she says. “Well. That explains the smell.”
“Come again?”
“The smell? The cologne? It smells like…” she sniffs the air. “...why is it so familiar? Is it Benny?”
I play into it to keep her from thinking too much into it. “Yes!”
“Oh,” Zaza’s eyes are shiny in that way that has nothing to do with lighting. “You two made up… cool.”
“Za,” I interrupt gently. “You been crying?”
She sniffles, immediately defensive. “No.”
I give her a look.
“…Okay, yeah,” she admits, walking away from my room door, down the hall and collapsing onto the couch. “I didn’t get the part.”
My heart sinks. “Newsies?”
She nods, lips trembling. “I waited hours to sing for two seconds then wait again just to say they thought I was good. Really good. Just not what they were looking for. I’m never what anyone’s looking for!”
I sit beside her without thinking, pulling her into my side. “Chinaza. Respectfully. I’d slap the shit out of you, seriously.”
“Francineee,” she drags. “Don't attack me, abeg. I’m going through enough.”
“Exactly! Why would you downplay your hard work right now Zee?”
“Because apparently, I wasn’t working hard enough… not when compared to my peers.”
“Gyal, fuck ya peers. And fuck Newsies bombaclaat too. Tell’em fi go suck out dem mudda.”
