Page 23 of Once Upon a Fake Date

Parker

Did you eat lunch today?

Audrey

Yes.

Well, depending on what you classify as lunch.

Rosie, what am I going to do with you?

Meet me for dinner?

Yeah. Definitely that.

Stowing my phone back in my bag and doing my best not to smile at Parker’s overbearing tendencies, I focused my energy on my advanced musical theater class. We met in the theater building, seated in the front rows of the auditorium unless we were on stage. This building—this stage—felt like home to me after almost three years on this campus, and it never really felt like the semester had begun until I’d walked across the wooden floors.

This was what I wanted to do after I graduated. Perform. Hopefully on Broadway, but I wouldn’t be too picky. Still, the idea of getting to do musical theater for a living sent a rush of rightness down my spine. It might not be an easy road to get there, but I was ready for the challenge.

We were already two weeks into the semester, and it felt like everything was flying by in the blink of an eye. Like if I blinked, it would be February tomorrow. I had my notebook in my lap, taking notes and doodling hearts in the margins.

The hour flew by quickly, everyone shoving their papers in their bag and getting ready to head to their next class as we finished up. I didn’t have another one for another hour after this, so I didn’t have to rush as much.

“Audrey?” Professor Woods called out my name as I was grabbing my stuff. “Can you hang back?”

My cheeks warmed. Shit. I hated being called out like this in front of everyone. Nodding, I dropped back into my seat until the room had emptied.

She leaned against the table at the front and sighed. “I’m afraid I have bad news.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip. “Did I do something wrong? Because I?—”

“No.” She held up a hand. “You’re doing great, Audrey. I’m very impressed with how hard you’ve been working these last few months. Ever since you were cast, really.”

“So… what’s the problem?”

“Your co-star… Will. He was just put on disciplinary probation.”

“Shit.” That meant he was basically suspended from school until he got his grades up, and he couldn’t be a part of any extracurriculars, including the spring musical. I was getting class credit for the production, but not everyone involved was. “What does that mean for the show?” We’d gotten the scripts last semester, but rehearsals hadn’t started yet. Still, this was a big production.

“Well…” She winced. “You know how this normally goes. The understudy gets the part, and we’d find a new understudy from the ensemble.”

My heart stopped. “No.” It felt like all the color had drained out of my face. “Please, no.”

Because the man who’d been cast as the stand-in was none other than my asshole ex. Duke. He’d been hoping for the lead part from the beginning, but I’d been able to breathe easier when his name hadn’t been on the list.

Now, though… I could feel all my muscles tense up.

She patted me on the leg, her voice soothing. “That’s why I wanted to approach you first, dear. Since it’s still the beginning of the semester, and not everyone has learned their lines yet, I thought maybe we could do something else.”

“Yes. Whatever it is, yes.” I dropped my voice into a whisper. “Please don’t make me act opposite him.”

“It goes against protocol, but I have an idea. And since I’m the department head, I can get away with it.” She winked at me. Her eyes were soft—caring—when she shook her head. “If you can find a replacement who can take on a role of this scope, I’ll be happy to make the change. We already have such a hard time getting men to try out as it is.”

“Me?” By myself? How the hell was I going to accomplish that? I didn’t know any guys on campus with copious amounts of free timeandcould sing and dance.

Well… Parker’s face flashed to my mind, thinking of when we’d laid on the grass and sung that duet. But I hadn’t heard him sing since. Plus, he was busy with lacrosse. I couldn’t ask him to do something like this for me. Not that he’d ever even consider it. He might have been my best friend, but some things were just too much.

She patted my shoulder. “I’ll keep my ears open too, Audrey. Just let me know if I can do anything for you.”

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