Free Act 2 (Jack & Louisa) by Andrew Keenan-bolger, Kate Wetherhead Page A

us a wily smile.
    “Hey, Belinda,” we sang in unison.
    “I’m just finishing up with these audition announcements,” she said, slinking down the ladder. “What do you think?”
    The wall was plastered floor to ceiling with rows of brightly colored paper. It looked like a downtown Manhattan construction site, the kind always lined with band posters.
    “They look awesome,” I said enthusiastically.
    “Speaking of which,” Lou cut in sneakily, “do you have any idea what the audition material for Nathan and Adelaide is going to be?”
    “Oh, so you’ve decided to go for the comic duo rather than the pair of ingénues,” Belinda said, lifting her chin. “Wise choice. And, yes, I do have an idea, but you’ll have to wait until music class to find out.”
    “You got it,” Lou cheeped, her disappointment well hidden. “Oh!” she blurted, causing all of us to jump a little. “You’re never gonna believe this! My other best friend, Jenny, she’s a ballerina actually, but that’s not the point. The point is, Jenny’s mom went to school with you and was actually in your senior year musical!”
    Belinda gasped. “
Once Upon a Mattress
,” she said, a proud look taking over her face.
    “Yeah,” Lou continued. “And Jenny’s mom still had a recording of the production and showed it to us, and omigosh”—Lou sighed—“you were so amazing.”
    “You really were,” I added truthfully.
    “You know, they pretty much chose that show for me,” Belinda said, gliding up to us like a kideyeing the last slice of birthday cake. “See, I played Bianca in
Kiss Me, Kate
my sophomore year, so everyone assumed I was just a dancer, but then I surprised them all by getting Audrey in
Little Shop of Horrors
the next year. See, I could do comedy, too,” she said, nodding eagerly. “So when they announced
Mattress
, it was pretty much understood that I’d be playing Winnifred.”
    I could tell Belinda was an authority on many things, but her biggest area of expertise was, without a doubt, Belinda.
    “Well, you were awesome.” I smiled.
    “What’s your friend’s mom’s name?” Belinda asked, looking over at Lou.
    “Um, it’s Amy. Amy Westcott.” Lou shrugged. “But that’s her married name. I’m not sure what her last name was in high school.”
    “
Amy Westcott
,” Belinda whispered to herself. I waited for a flicker of recognition to sputter in her eyes, but none did.
    “Really pretty. Long black hair. She was a Lady-in-Waiting,” Lou added. “Number seven, I think.”
    “Number
seven
?! How many of them were there?!” Belinda said with a chuckle. “Hmm, no. Don’t think I can place her.”
    “Well . . . ,” Lou said. “I’m working on getting her daughter Jenny to audition. Like I said, she’s a ballerina. In fact,
a lot
of girls from our class said they’re going to be at tryouts next Thursday.”
    Belinda nodded, pleased.
    “The real challenge is going to be finding boys,” Lou continued. “Of course Jack will be there, but I haven’t really heard of any other guys who are planning on auditioning.”
    Belinda remained silent for a moment, staring Lou right in the eye. I wondered if she’d made a mistake by opening her mouth. Belinda didn’t seem like a person who enjoyed getting bad news.
    “Worst-case scenario,” I butted in. “You could just dress up some of the eighth-grade girls in baggy suits,” I tried to joke. “Or change the title to
Dolls
.”
    But my words were cut short as the force of something smacked me in the back, forcing me to crash into Lou. I looked down to find a soccer ball rolling past my feet. I traced its path back up the hallway to a cluster of boys.
    “Whoops, sorry, dude,” a voice shouted, amid a chorus of snickers. I recognized it immediately as Tanner Falzone’s.
    “My bad,” he said, giggling. “I was aiming for Sebastian.” Sebastian Maroney was the goalie of the soccer team, a kid who at twelve years of age had a deeper voice than my