Jack & Louisa: Act 1 by Andrew Keenan-bolger, Kate Wetherhead Read Free Book Online Page A

Whatever?” he laughed like he’d made the best joke in the world.
    I shifted nervously in my seat. Why couldn’t I be back in New York? At PPAS it would have been totally acceptable to jump up on my desk and wail a big, “
Whoo-ohh-ohhhh
,” condemning my new tormentor like that rocker kid at the end of
Matilda
. But here all I could do was force out an agreeable laugh, attempting to join in on his stupid “joke.”
    “Tanner,” Mrs. Lamon said, shooting him a look to be quiet. I glanced across the room, mortified to realize that everyone was actually waiting for an answer.
    “Um,” I said, clearing my throat. “You know, just the usual . . . sports,” I muttered to the immediate snorting of Tanner and his friends.
    “Tanner, I didn’t catch your last name?” Mrs. Lamon interrupted.
    “Tanner Falzone.” He grinned.
    “Uh-huh,” she said knowingly, flipping through the pages of her leather notebook. “I think I had your older brother, Taylor, was it?”
    “Yeah.” He smiled slyly.
    “Yes, I remember he just
adored
my lesson on
Little Women
,” she replied smartly. Even I couldn’t help but smile a bit.
    “Any other questions for Jack?” she continued. “Yes. The girl in the back with the white headband, you are . . . ?”
    “Louisa Benning. But everyone calls me Lou.”
    I froze in my seat, feeling sweat drip down the inside of my arms.
Well, this is it
,
I told myself.
Here goes my cover.
Suddenly the loudspeaker buzzed to life with static.
Saved.
    “ATTENTION, SHMS STUDENTS,” a woman’s voice screeched. Even a non-actor could tell she’d benefit from moving a few inches away from the mic. “SIGN-UPS for extracurricular activities have JUST. BEEN. POSTED in the lunchroom.” My classroom began to vibrate with whispers of conversation.
    “
KXSUXUSHUXKSSSSKKHKXKSHHH
,” the loudspeaker suddenly hissed, its feedback forcing the entire class to clap their hands over their ears in pain.
    “DON’T FORGET TO SIGN UP!” the voice barked.
    Even Mrs. Lamon was cringing, gently covering her ear with a single index finger.
    “ADDITIONALLY, for your enjoyment, COACH WILSON will be screening a special presentation of last year’s soccer championship game during lunch hour. ENJOY YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!” The speaker fizzled into silence.
    Mrs. Lamon slowly inhaled. “Where was I?”
    I kept my head down.
    “Oh right,” she continued. “New students.” She looked down at her leather book. “Do we have a . . . Molly Shaw?”
    “Present!” said the perky blond girl sitting next to me, raising her hand.
    I spent the morning avoiding all interactions with my classmates, playing an aboveground version of Marco Polo. When we took to the halls to change rooms, I tried to blend in with the other kids, keeping a safe distance from the hoodie-wearing boys and the girl whose secret held my social downfall. As the bell rang at the end of science class, I looked down at my crumpled schedule. “Lunch.”
    I dashed out of the room and headed to my locker. I peeked inside my brown paper lunch bag—edamame, hummus, carrots sticks, and a fruit leather. Guess mom had discovered the Whole Foods. While I appreciated her effort, a peanut-butter sandwich might have been a little less eye-catching.
    Lunch was ordinarily my favorite time of the school day. It was the chance to hang with friends, recap our favorite TV shows, and discuss weekend plans. However, the thought of having to discuss my reason for moving here was enough to wish for five more hours of math. I pushed open the cafeteria doors to the smells of pizza and apple juice. I walked slowly, scanning for a table to sit at. I caught sight of some boys from my class laughing and spooning Jell-O into their mouths. Nope, Tanner was at that table. I walked toward another one, where a group of girls were talking loudly and sipping from juice boxes. Nope, that might send the wrong message. Finally I saw an empty table near the garbage cans, away