PUZZLE PIECE 25
LOVE HURTS, THE PLAY
Love hearts in real life,
Drama can mimic heartbreak,
Esme was so sad,
She wasn’t acting—it’s real.
Ebony’s angry—dead real.
At last, I knew what my future role might be. What a challenge. But ahead of me, I envisaged so many unanswered questions. Who had compelled the grasshopper to behave in such a cruel way? Could it have been Ryder? If so, why? And would Esme learn to love herself? I had no time to reflect on these thoughts, or to go back to the cottage to gather further answers from Leanne.
Instead, the school curriculum forced me to act like a regular kid with a boring calendar of school events. On the plus side, I couldn’t help but look forward to the long-awaited dress rehearsal for the school play, Love Hurts. I could throw myself into
