Page 10 of My Twin Sister's Ex

Mr. Brownley smiled at me like I was missing a big part of the story. “I think you’d be surprised to find that he takes it a lot more seriously than you’d think.”

I gaped at him. “He’s never once memorized his lines. I can’t work with him.”

“You need to at least give him a chance.”

“I don’t think so. And the scene you assigned us has a kissing scene. Multiple kisses. I can’t kiss him.”

“It’s just acting. I specifically had each student fill out a form saying whether or not they were okay with kissing. I saw that you said you were okay with it, or I wouldn’t have assigned you that scene. Anyway, I’ve seen you kissing on stage before, and you didn’t seem to have a problem with it.”

“That was before.”

“And something has changed now?”

“I can’t kiss Bennett.”

“You did mention that.”

I sighed in exasperation. So much for being professional. I was starting to lose my cool. “He’s my twin sister’s ex.” Now I was getting downright desperate.

“Your personal life shouldn’t interfere with what happens onstage. You’ve been in enough productions to understand that. If you want to take this industry seriously, you’re going to have to be willing to be in situations that might feel awkward normally. But you’re only acting. It doesn’t make what happens onstage real. Any actor must understand that.”

“I do understand that. But I’m not so sure Jackilyn will understand it.”

“That may be the case, but I’m not going to let it dictate what happens in my classroom. Part of working in this industry is learning to deal with controversy. You’ll have people in the tabloids and gossip columns with their own ugly opinions, and you’ll have to grow a thick skin.

“But this is my sister. I have to live with her.”

“There will always be someone upset over something. But the show must go on.”

Dread filled my stomach as I realized Mr. Brownley wasn’t about to budge.

“If you want to get a good grade in this class, I suggest you learn to work with Bennett.”

“I don’t have a choice on this, do I?”

“Of course, you have a choice. You can always take a lower grade in this class. Even if you failed this project, you’d still pass the class.”

“Failed?” My voice went up in pitch. “I have zero plans to fail.”

He smiled at me. “That was what I thought.”

I slumped my shoulders in defeat.

He paused a moment and then spoke. “You didn’t hear this from me, but Bennett could use a partner like you.”

That may have been true, but Jackilyn was probably going to murder me in my sleep if she found out I was kissing her ex. Even pretend kissing. Of course, he was gorgeous. She couldn’t have had an unattractive ex-boyfriend. Instead, she’d picked a guy who was utterly drool-worthy.

I sighed. I really did have a soft spot in my heart for anyone who needed help. It was both a strength and a weakness. And I liked Bennett. He was a good guy, despite what everyone seemed to think of him. And not bad to look at either with his longish dark hair with that slight wave and his serious brown eyes. When Jackilyn had first started dating him, I figured she was trying to shock our dad and that it was a game to her. At first, I thought Bennett was shallow, rough around the edges, and mean. But as she dated Bennett, I got to know him better. He wasn’t any of those things. He was decent and kind.

If he needed help, then I was going to do what I could to do my part. It wasn’t like I had a choice anyway. I was stuck with him. Maybe, through some miracle, there would be a way to still win the competition. It was a slim chance, but if anyone could help Bennett with this project, it was me. My biggest worry was that he wouldn’t be willing to do his part. I didn’t know what I would do if that happened to be the case.

“I’ll do my best to help him,” I said.

Mr. Brownley smiled like I’d made him proud. “That’s what I was hoping to hear.”

“I should probably get to my next class.” The bell was going to ring soon, and I’d be late. Luckily, the class was right next door, and I had my books with me. I was able to slip into my desk just as the bell rang. I’d been cutting it close today. The rest of the school day passed by uneventfully. After school, I saw Reese heading out toward her car. She waved when she saw me and headed in my direction. She had her long, blonde hair in a braid down her back. Reese was pretty enough to be considered a knockout, but she didn’t wear much makeup and came across more as a girl-next-door type.

When she got close to me, she leaned toward me with her voice lowered. “I can’t believe Mr. Brownley partnered you with Bennett.”

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