Free Beyond Clueless by Linas Alsenas Page B

couldn’t tell if it was my imagination or not, but I thought I saw the shadow of a wink. Like, his cheek went up for a split second to create the slight
suggestion
of a wink.
    That, or he had a twitch.
    But I wanted to believe it was a wink.

Date: Thursday, September 10
    To: undisclosed recipients
    Subject: INTO THE WOODS CALLBACK LIST
    Hi, Jenny McCafferty here, with the results of our first audition (attached).
    Thanks so much to everyone for coming—it was a huge success! Woo-hoo!
    Unfortunately, there are only eighteen roles in the musical, so we can’t have everyone take part onstage. But if you don’t find your name on the callback list, or if you don’t make it to the final cast after the callback audition, there are other ways to be part of the OLOTO fall musical: There are two assistant stage manager positions still open, as well as positions in set design, props, costumes, orchestra, and so on.
    If your name IS listed, callbacks will be held on Monday, September 14, at Jerry Hall, 3:45 P.M. SHARP.
    Keep on keepin’ on,
    Jenny
    P.S. Go, Acorns!
    I took a deep breath before I opened the attachment. My mental drumroll was still rumbling in my head when I saw it halfway down the list:
    Martha Sullivan.
    Woo-hoo, indeed! Fun! Fun! Fun!
    Let’s see, let’s see: Gosh, Kate O’Day . . . Maria Kilkenny . . . Derek Mylvaganam! Ah, there he was: Felix Peroni. (Oh, of course he was there!)
    Hmm, there was no James Caradonna. No Oliver Kaplan, either.
    Crap. Crappity-crap-crap.
    (But yay for me!)
    On Friday night, Xiang told her parents she was coming over to my house to work on a school project. If by “school project” she meant going over to Jimmy’s house to watch Bollywood movies with me, Derek, Oliver, and Kirby, then, no, it wasn’t a lie. Xiang spent about fifteen minutes changing her clothes and putting on makeup at my house before we left for la Casa di Caradonna. I realized that with all her practiced primping, this girl could be a very good influence on me.
    But then, as we were walking through the woods to Jimmy’s, Xiang pulled a cigarette out of her purse and smoked it. So maybe not.
    Jimmy’s sister, Jeanie, answered the door. This time she was decked out in riding boots and an equestrian helmet, and she flicked a riding crop against her leg impatiently.“They’re in the drawing room,” she said archly, putting on a thick British accent so
drawing
ended up with a few more syllables than you would think.
    “Er, you mean the den?”
    Jeanie simply sniffed and stalked away. Xiang asked me where she rode horses around here.
    “Oh, probably nowhere. Jeanie’s just . . . odd.”
    Kirby and Oliver hadn’t come yet, but Derek was very much there. He and Jimmy were sucking face on the couch when Xiang and I walked in.
    “Break it up, break it up!” I said, shoving Jimmy aside so I could sit between them.
    What? Oh, whatever, they see each other all the time.
    Xiang sat down on a big cushion on the floor. “Hey, Derek, congratulations on getting the callback!” she said.
    Derek didn’t look particularly thrilled about it, but he mumbled his thanks. I squeezed Jimmy with one arm, saying, “Aww, and a big thank-you to you, Mr. Caradonna, for auditioning. I know it wasn’t easy . . . for any of us.”
    Jimmy stuck his tongue out at me. “Ha-ha. Well, what’re you gonna do? It was worth a shot.”
    “I’m surprised Oliver didn’t get called back. I mean, he definitely connected with the audience,” I said.
    Jimmy seized my arm suddenly. “Hey, do you know if that super-attractive guy got called back?” he asked.
    Derek jabbed him in the side.
    “Ow,” said Jimmy, laughing, “I mean,
supposedly
super-attractive guy.”
    “Who?” I asked as innocently as I could. There was a collective groan. I clearly wasn’t fooling anyone.
    “You know who. Mr. Dreamboat!”
    “Oh, she knows all right,” Xiang said. “His name’s Felix, and yes, he was called back.”
    Damn her. Traitor.
    “Is