I'm So Vain

18

 "So how'd it go with your parents?" Penny asked as I walked up to her locker before first period. I shrugged, "They'll come around." 

"Ugh," Penny groaned, "So they're being narrow-minded? Honestly, I don't get that. Like, it's your face, you know? When I was thinking about getting implants, my parents were just like, 'if that's what you want'. I changed my mind, though, I figured they might make me look fat." Emma flinched at this; her mom had implants. "Anyway," I said, feeling sorry for Emma, "I was thinking I'd use Keira as a model. What do you think?" Penny scrutinized my face and nodded her agreement, "Yea, I can see that. Nice choice."

"Merci." We parted ways then, and I glanced at my nose in my compact before stepping into my first period class. I couldn't wait for this huge thing to be gone. 

Turns out clipboard woman's name was Mrs. Dibden. It was the first day of rehearsal, and the cast sat in a circle on the stage; I sat next to Nicole. Mrs. Dibden started us off with a discussion about the musical itself, and then we jumped immediately into a read-through of the script. I paid little attention, texting behind my bent knee and getting my cues not by reading along but by waiting for the rest of the chorus to start talking. Nicole's eyes were glued to her script and whenever she wasn't speaking, she  was furiously scribbling notes in a small, red spiral notebook. She saw me watching her and grinned, "Red for blood. Demon barber, you know." I smiled and shook my head, and she turned and continued to scribble. Whenever she had scenes with "Anthony", they stared into each other's eyes as if it was opening night; as if they were madly, perhaps even furiously in love, and they seemed to know all their lines without glancing at their scripts once. I had not one line that was my own, and I still slipped on the chorus lines, even as I read them from the page. I glanced down at my phone and opened a new text, from Penny.

how is it in hell

I'd told her I had practice today, and she'd given me a sympathetic expression and a, "We'll shop after, K?" I touched reply and wrote back, 

hot

Nicole glanced at me, at my phone, and I subtly angled it away from her. She turned back to her script. My phone vibrated again, and I opened the message. 

only u could make play practice sexy

I grinned and hit reply again, then quickly typed a winking face. Nicole elbowed me then, and I looked up to find Mrs. Dibden staring at me. I slipped my phone into my bag and smiled at her, and she looked away without a word. I cleared my throat and looked down at my script.

Nicole met me in the parking lot later as I stood waiting for Penny. "Um," she said, brushing her hair behind her ear, "I, uh, I was wondering if you were busy tonight." I rose an eyebrow. "I mean, just like...my friend and I just go to this coffee shop every Thursday, I mean they have this sort of talent show thing there every week...anyway I was just wondering if you'd like to come." I furrowed my eyebrows, "Oh," I said, "Sorry, Nicole, but I actually already have plans. Thanks for inviting me, though." Nicole nodded, "Yea, of course." Penny pulled in then, drove up as close to the curb as she could get and came to a horribly abrupt stop, the car lurching forward and then back like a Jack-in-the-box's spring. She threw open the passenger door and quoted Mean Girls, "Get in, loser, we're going shopping." I slid into the seat and said, turning to Nicole with an apologetic look, "Sorry, Nicole– maybe some other time?" Nicole nodded, "Sure." Penny smiled at her stiffly and gave a wiggle of her fingers, "Tootle loo!" and we shot out of the parking lot.