Page 9 of The Wrong Costar

Evan grinned widely as he went for Hayley. I shook my head at the two of them and focused on Liam as he started to speak.

“Hi, everyone,” he said. His voice was smooth and deep, and it was surprisingly familiar. I guess it was because I’d heard him on TV so much over the years.

“Thank you for such an enthusiastic welcome.” He chuckled. “As your principal explained, I’m going to be attending Lincoln High this semester. I’ll be using my time here to prepare for my role in my new movieUnder the Bleachers,and I wanted to thank you for sharing your school with me and let you know how privileged I feel to be joining you here.

“I’m not sure I’ll be the best student,” he said, earning some laughs from the audience as he glanced nervously at Principal Green. “But please be patient as this is all new to me. Thanks in advance for putting up with me, and I can’t wait to see you all in the corridors.”

The room erupted in a cheer as he handed the microphone back to the principal and began to wave at the room. This was all so surreal, and I had no idea how to feel about it. Most of the students were ecstatic, but none of this felt authentic to me. If anything, it seemed like we’d just joined the circus. There were cameras set up around the room, and they’d all been focused on Liam during his speech. Even now, I could see a woman in a suit giving Liam a thumbs-up, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether Liam had even given us the real reason why he was here or if he’d just been told what to say.

“This is so weird,” Hayley said, as we watched Liam walking toward the exit. “Like, is this really our life right now?”

“I know,” Evan agreed. “Who would have thought when we woke up this morning that we’d be going to school with a celebrity?”

“Not me,” I replied. “And certainly not one with Liam’s reputation.”

“He’s not so bad,” Hayley said.

Evan gave a laugh. “I guess it depends on your definition of bad. He was photographed being removed by security from the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas just last weekend.”

Hayley shrugged. “Maybe he thought it was the pool?”

“It was midway through the fountain show,” Evan replied. “Plus, everyone knows he likes to party. He looked pretty drunk in the pictures.”

“The girls he was with didn’t exactly look sober either,” I added. I’d seen the pictures too and hadn’t been at all surprised because everyone knew Liam Black wasn’t a good guy. He partied too hard, drank too much, and broke girls’ hearts. I had no idea what he was really doing in our school, but he definitely didn’t belong here.

Now that Liam had left the gym, the crowd of students started to move down the bleachers and make their way to their first class. We were sitting toward the back of the stands and had to wait for everyone else to leave.

“So, I guess I was right,” Hayley said, as we finally started to move.

“Right about what?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder to look at her.

“TheLiam Black really is the lead in our play.”

My stomach dropped at her words, and my eyes widened with concern. Hayley was right. Liam Black was going to be my costar in the school play. His name had been written next to the role of Beast, and we’d all just assumed he was some kid with the same name as the famous actor.

Hayley sounded so excited at the prospect, but I didn’t share her enthusiasm. I probably should have been elated at the news, but I was too busy freaking out. So much of my future was resting on my performance in this play and being noticed by the talent scout Miss Appleby had invited to watch it. But how would I ever be noticed when all eyes would be drawn to the Hollywood actor on the stage?

There was no way I could compete with Liam Black, and this play I’d been pinning all my hopes and dreams on was going to be a disaster.

4

Liam

“Here we are,” Angus said, waving at a bland white door. His voice was chipper, like we hadn’t just spent the last twenty minutes being overwhelmed by excited fans. I guess I’d been the only one getting mauled though. The people at this high school didn’t seem to have any boundaries, and I was really beginning to miss Boss about now.

The assembly had been a lot to handle, but it was nothing compared with the school corridors right after. Everyone seemed to want to touch me. The guys wanted to shake my hand, the girls wanted hugs, and almost everyone wanted selfies. Kids squealed when they saw me or hyperventilated with excitement. It wasn’t so bad in small doses, but when large groups pressed in on you, demanding your attention, it could become overwhelming.

I was used to dealing with fans, but it had never felt so real. It was like I’d spent my life in an aquarium. I could see the sharks swimming in the water, but there was a nice thick barrier of glass dividing us so I had no chance of getting hurt. The walls were gone though now. I’d been dropped into the middle of the open ocean like a piece of live bait in shark-infested waters, and the students here were going to eat me alive.

“I’ll be back when the bell rings to show you to your next class,” Angus continued. “I can also take you to your locker then. We would have gone there first, but we’re late to class after all the stops we had to make.” There was an accusing look in his eyes, like I’d asked for all those intrusions into my personal space.

I didn’t mind that Angus was annoyed with me though. In fact, I was surprisingly grateful he had decided to keep playing tour guide. He knew the quickest route to get to class, which was important when I was trying to avoid getting noticed. He was also like walking girl repellant and had done a great job of interrupting fans when they’d been pawing me and telling them we had to get to class.

“I’ll see you soon,” Angus finished before turning and heading off down the corridor. He was probably late for his own class, but he didn’t rush as he walked away.

I focused on the door to the classroom, but I was hesitant to open it. The day had barely started, and it had already been a stimulation overload. I wasn’t sure if I could deal with more screaming fans, and I half-expected to be mobbed when I stepped into class. I liked to believe the teachers would stop that from happening, but it was often older fans who stood at the front of the lines when I did signings. Perhaps the teacher would be leading the charge against me?

Zeke really hadn’t been kidding when he’d said high school sucked. I’d barely been here an hour, and I was already desperate to bail. I took a deep breath in and reminded myself why I was doing this. I needed the role in this movie so I could prove to the world I wasn’t a kid anymore. It was an opportunity to show I could hold my own as the male lead in a serious role. It was my chance to shed my child-star image once and for all and begin my acting career for real. But, I couldn’t do any of that until I did my time at this high school.

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