At rehearsals that afternoon, Emily doesn’t sit down in her usual position beside Bryan. Thank goodness, Jesse thinks. He isn’t in the first scene they’re reviewing, so he starts to cross the stage to be with Bryan only to watch in disbelief as Zach plops down beside their friend. “Bry-man!” he calls out, his jolly voice booming through the empty auditorium.
Great. Jesse switches direction in mid-stride and heads for the wings, where he can watch Bryan without being noticed…and stew in the unfairness of it all. Why is Zach even here in the first place? The guy’s not even really in the play.
Off the left side of the stage, the students have piled their book bags and backpacks onto one another, with a few jackets and coats tossed on top. With one eye on Bryan in case Zach decides to ditch
