All the Way by Megan Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

fault. I hadn’t really tried to fit in at Norton. I hadn’t tried to make many friends. I had figured I didn’t need them.
    The rest of the morning was more of the same. Except that two of Joey’s friends—Ryan and Matthew—gave me big smiles and said “Hi” when I passed them in the hall. But I knew that all they wanted was a piece of the action Joey had described on his blog.
    By lunchtime, I was a wreck. Holding your head up can be exhausting.
    â€œYou want to go eat outside?” I suggested to Ariel and Gina.
    â€œIt’s a little cold, don’t you think?” Gina said.
    Yeah. It was freezing out. I guess I just wanted a break from all the pressure of being on display and having to act like I didn’t care.
    â€œOkay, we’ll stay here.” I headed for the cafeteria line. “But don’t be surprised if I pig out.”
    â€œBad choice of words, don’t you think?” Ariel said. “Considering?”
    â€œ Oink, oink, and I don’t care who hears me!” I said defiantly.
    We went through the cafeteria line, and I opted for two servings of tapioca pudding instead of lunch—I needed some comfort food. Then we found a spot at our regular table.
    Of course everyone stopped talking the minute we sat down.
    Please just let this day end, I thought.
    But it dragged on forever.
    So here’s a brief recap of the afternoon: (1) another cute guy whose name I didn’t know made a point of saying hi to me in the hall; (2) Molly’s friend Isabel muttered, “I’m surprised you have time to do your homework, with your active social life,” when I turned in my essay in English, and Tyler North smiled when he overheard her; and (3) someone left a sticky on my locker with a phone number and the message “Call me next time you’re in the mood.”
    Could I really survive another eight weeks of this till school was over?
    I didn’t even care about the prom anymore. I just wanted to be a nobody again. I hadn’t realized how lucky I was when I was invisible.

Chapter 5
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    When the last bell finally rang, I hurried toward the door where I usually met Ariel to ride home with her. (Some days Ariel drove; some days my mom let me take our Honda Civic.) I couldn’t wait to get out of school and away from all the gossiping and the stares.
    But as I was about to leave, I noticed Mr. Richards, the drama teacher, putting up a poster in the front hall. It said:
    AUDITIONS!
Norton High School’s Spring Term Musical
GUYS AND DOLLS
Leads and Chorus Parts
Thursday after school in the auditorium
Be There!
    Cool! My face lit up for the first time all day. With all the Joey drama going on, I’d totally forgotten about the upcoming musical. I’d been planning to audition for it all year. I’d always wanted to have a part in a school play, and this was my last chance. And besides, the one guy at Norton I had a huge crush on was guaranteed to be in the cast. Tyler North was the school’s most talented actor/singer. According to Ariel, he had been fantastic in last year’s production of Rent, and he was totally likely to get a big part in this year’s play.
    I ran out to the parking lot and over to Ariel’s car.
    â€œThe musical auditions are Thursday,” I announced happily, feeling so glad to have something positive to focus on. “The sign just went up.”
    â€œReally?” Ariel looked psyched, too.
    â€œAre you going to try out?” I asked her. Not that I didn’t want the competition—I thought it would be cool to do the musical with Ariel. I just didn’t want her getting my part, the big lead opposite Tyler North!
    She nodded. “I think so. Is it Guys and Dolls ? That’s what I heard, but everyone hoped Mr. Richards would change his mind and do Phantom instead.”
    â€œNo, it’s Guys and Dolls ,” I said. “Wow, Phantom would