Free Dial L for Loser by Lisi Harrison Page A

ordered.
    Claire covered the mouthpiece. “Don’t have it.”
    Massie rolled her eyes.
    The more Claire listened, the wider her mouth opened.
    “Okay, uh, would you mind giving me your number and I’ll call you back from a better phone? My battery is dying. I can’t hear you.” Claire paused. “Oh, that’s right. Good point. Okay. ’Bye, Rupert.”
    “
What?
” Massie shrieked. “Was that really Rupert? How do you
know
?”
    “He said to call your old phone and he’ll answer.”
    “Ehmagawd.” Kristen buried her face in her hands. “How ahb-vious is that?”
    Massie’s head began to throb. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Was all this free time making her soft?
    She pulled out her Razr and flipped it open. Her gold charm bracelet jiggled as she began dialing her old number.
    Once it rang, she dove onto her bed and hit speaker.
    “Hullo, Cleh?”
    “Ehmagawd!” Massie mouthed as she slapped her mattress.
    “Uh, yeah… I mean, I’m here.… I mean, yes… this is Claire.” She fanned her cheeks.
    “As I wuz saying, I’m looking for the gul who owns this phone, and yo name was second in her address book so—”
    “Rupert? It’s me, Massie. The owner.” She grabbed a fistful of goose down and squeezed.
    “Wonderful. This is Rupert Mann. And I am looking to do something totally new with this pick-cha.”
    “Uh-huh.” Massie did her best to sound calm despite the fact that her friends were all on their backs, kicking their legs in the air. She felt like she was watching a synchronized swimming show on mute.
    “I want to fly you and your friends out to L.A. next week on the studio’s private jet so you can audition.”
    “
Private jet!
” Kristen’s blue eyes were wide. “PRIVATE JET!”
    “L.A.!” Alicia grabbed her and they hugged and bounced until Kristen fell off the bed and face-planted on Massie’s floor.
    “Is that them?” he asked politely.
    “Um, yeah.” Massie smacked her hand down on the bed, urging them to stay cool. “Sorry, Rupert, what were you saying?”
    “The auditions ah on Monday. Then it’s a three-week shoot in L.A. Is that going to be a problem with school?”
    “Um, no. No problem at all. We’ll get out of school for this.” She kicked her bare feet in the air.
    Everyone giggled.
    “Yes, but fo three weeks?”
    “Whatever it takes.” Massie bit her bottom lip. “Our principal gives us time off when we get acting jobs.”
    Alicia gave her a thumbs-up.
    “Oh.” Rupert sounded disappointed. “So you have experience?”
    “Oh yeah.”
    “Because I am after an unknown, so—”
    “I mean, you don’t count one day of extra work, do you?”
    “Hadly.” He chuckled.
    “Then we’re good.”
    The girls applauded silently.
    “Oh, and one lawst thing—”
    “Yup?”
    “Dawn’t bring the redhead.”
    Dylan gasped.
    Massie looked at her and shrugged. “Why not?”
    “She’s the reason Hadley quit the pick-cha, and I dawn’t need any bad en-a-gy on my set.”
    “It was an accident!” Dylan burst into tears, then grabbed an unopened basket of sugar cookies and locked herself in the bathroom.
    “Who was that?” Rupert asked.
    “The redhead,” Massie murmured.
    “Tragic. How ’bout I give yo parents a buzz tomorrow and we’ll fuhm up the travel?”
    “Sounds good.” Massie’s knees were shaking. “You have the number.”
    “Actually, I don’t.”
    “Oh.” Massie giggled, then gave him her home number.
    “See you in a few days, then.” Rupert sounded like he was smiling.
    “See you in a few days.” Massie snapped her phone shut, then tossed it on her bed. “Ehmagawd!
We’re going to be movie stars
.”
    “Speak for yourself!” Dylan wailed from the bathroom.
    But the girls were too excited to comfort Dylan. They jumped up on the bed and screamed and hugged and bounced while Bean got tossed about like a kernel in an air popper.
    “Wait.” Massie stopped suddenly. “You realize only one of us is going to get the