Page 29 of Dungeons and Drama

“Hi!” She looks around, ducking her head shyly when she sees Nathan. “Am I the only customer here?”

“Yeah, mornings are slow. You know Nathan from school.” I gesture to him, and they both give a small wave.

“Is it cool if Hoshiko and I hang out in the stockroom for a bit? We were going to work on stuff before Dad gets in.”

“Sure, I’ll be painting my models.”

I hesitate. I feel a little guilty leaving him alone now that we aren’t flinging snarky comments at each other constantly.

“Don’t worry,” he says, “I’m fine out here on my own. And I’m sure I have zero interest in whatever it is you’re working on.”

I roll my eyes and lead Hoshiko to the stockroom. It’s still incredibly messy, but Dad does have a small desk and a few folding chairs shoved in one corner. I pull the chairs tothe center and push a stack of broken-down cardboard boxes to the side so we’ll have some space.

Hoshiko surveys the room skeptically. Today her hair is braided to mimic a crown and she’s wearing a long-sleevedSound of Musicshirt from our freshman year musical. I really hope we get a new musical shirt this year too.

She hands me a mug of something, and I take a sip. Hot chocolate. “Mmm, thanks.”

“I figured we’d need something warm for our early morning meeting, but I’m too poor to buy us both pumpkin spice lattes.”

“Hot chocolate from home is perfect.” I pull out a notebook and sit next to her. “Are we ready?”

“Uh, I don’t think so.First,I need to know more about what’s happening with Nathan. You told me how annoying he is, but then you joined his D&D group and now you two are looking awfully chatty. What’s going on?”

I sigh. Part of me can’t believe she noticed, and part of me would be sad if she hadn’t. That’s the best (and worst) thing about having a best friend—they know you really,reallywell.

I doodle a flower in the notebook and avert eye contact. This whole scheme is pretty embarrassing when I have to say it out loud. “How about we focus on theater for now and I tell you later?”

She raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, I don’t think so. This is even better than I originally thought. Do you like him now? Or are you getting vibes from him? I need to know everything.” She rests her chin on her fists like she’s readying herself to watch a movie.

I heave another sigh. “Don’t forget you’re my best friend,which means you can’t judge me too harshly. Or at all. I was desperate, Hoshiko!”

“Stop stalling.”

“Fine.” I launch into my deal with Nathan.

She falls back against her chair. “Omigod.”

I sing the next few lines from theLegally Blondesong without batting an eye. It’s an unwritten rule that one of us can’t say “omigod” without the other singing the rest.

“You’re in one of those fake relationships like in the movies?” she asks.

“It’s not a relationship. It’s not like we’re officially dating. If we were, then he couldn’t flirt with Sophia without cheating on me.”

“That sentence is really weird.” She stares at me, blinking slowly, a smile spreading across her face. “So, are you two, like, making out now? Just for show, of course.” She winks.

“No! Everything’s been totally PG. I’m just thinking of it as acting practice.”

She laughs. “Mmm, yes, you’re very dedicated to your craft. And luckily there’s no possibility of more happening since actorsneverfall for each other.” She lifts a knowing eyebrow.

“Shhh, these walls might be thin!” I whisper. “Can we please move on to more important things now? Miss Sahni was not particularly reassuring about our possibilities for bringing back the musical, but she did confirm a meeting with Principal Holloway in three weeks, as soon as she’s done with homecoming prep. There’s so much to do before then that my brain freezes when I think about it. I haven’t doneanythingyet.”

Hoshiko mimes taking a slow, deep breath and then points to my travel mug. “First, drink more cocoa. Then we’ll start by working on a timeline. When the license application is due, auditions, cast list, rehearsal schedule, possible show dates.” She ticks off the items on her fingers. “Once you have it all laid out, I bet you’ll feel way better.”

I take a deep drink of my hot chocolate and smile at her over the mug. Thank goodness for best friends.

At eleven-forty-five, I pop my head out to the front to see how things are going. Dad will be here soon, and I don’t want to get caught hanging out in the back with Hoshiko. Thankfully she was right—having a tentative timeline calmed me down.

Nathan is still sitting at the counter painting. “All finished?”

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