Page 108 of Method Acting

She shook her head. “Oh no. I’m not... I can’t. I can’t watch that.”

Amos glanced to her phone, hinting that she already was.

“In person,” she amended.

Clearly asking nicely wasn’t going to work.

I took her by the arm and pulled her out of the chair. “Come on. We’re running out of time.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she tried.

Amos grabbed her phone and her bag and followed them out the door.

“Do you trust Max?” I asked, dragging her along.

“Yes, of course.”

“Because you know he’s acting, right?”

“Well, yes . . .”

“And so is Holly. That girl has your back, I promise.”

We came into the courtyard and hit a wall of people. The onlooking crowd was way bigger than we’d anticipated, people standing on chairs to see over heads, and amazingly, they were being quiet.

I could hear Max talking, his voice carrying. “You know how I feel,” he said.

“I’m saying no,” Holly replied.

There was a beat of silence.

Followed by Max’s very confused, “Uh, what?”

“Excuse me,” Chase said, pulling Jenna through the crowd with him.

When people realized it was us, they parted to let us through. And when they realized we had Jenna, people in the audience clapped and a few hollered, “Yes!” and “About time.”

We burst through to the center, where Max and Holly were in a stand off with each other. Jess and Phoebe were behind them, Tucker and Didi too. There were wild eyes between everyone, silently asking us what the fuck? Max looked confused as hell.

And poor Jenna. Looking like a deer in headlights...

Amos pulled me back by the arm, and Holly stepped forward. “I’m saying no, because it’s not me you love.” She took Jenna’s arm and faced Max. “Because every time you’re with me, you’re thinking of her. I know you tried. I know you did. But you’re in love with someone else.”

People in the crowd cheered.

“I know you wish I was her,” Holly said. “I can see it in your eyes. You need to make the choice for you, not our families, not our parents. Be with the woman you love.”

Holly even looked a little sad. Well, her character did. I’d maybe not given her acting enough credit, because she was nailing this.

But Max only had eyes for Jenna... and Jenna burst into tears.

He quickly pulled her into his arms. He kissed the side of her head as the audience hollered and clapped. Even Tucker clapped and Didi was laughing. Jess and Phoebe both stood there with their hands to their mouths.

Holly patted Max’s arm, then she looked over at me and Amos. “Thank you,” she mouthed.

Then she stood in the middle, raised her arms. “And scene,” she yelled, and gave a bow to a standing ovation.

We all clapped.

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