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

from the mass of students. Bingo. I reached for a chair when—
    “
Jack
,” a voice called from behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it belonged to.
    “Hi, Louisa,” I mumbled.
    “Do you want to sit with me and my friends?” she said, pointing over to a table of kids from my class.
    “Um, I was just gonna sit here.”
    “Okay, suit yourself.” She frowned. “Wait,” she piped up. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
    “Yeah. Sure,” I said, taking a seat.
    “So, what was with that introduction in homeroom? You should have told them the real reason you were in New York.”
    “Oh, that thing I told you last week about being on Broadway?” I grunted. “Yeah, let’s forget you ever heard me say that.”
    She scrunched her eyebrows.
    “Look, being the new kid is hard enough when you’re
normal
,” I continued.
“For now, I just need to try to blend in.”
    “Are you kidding?” she said, dropping her lunch bag on the table. “You actually have something going for you. Do you know how boring our lives seem compared to yours? I bet everyone would be psyched if they knew the truth.”
    “Oh sure!” I snapped. “Because
you
gave me the
warmest
of welcomes.”
    Louisa bit her lower lip. “Look,” she said. “I’m sorry for the way I acted last week. I guess I was just in shock or jealous or something. I mean, you have to admit your story was a little crazy, and I’m used to being the only one around here who really cares about theater. Like, other kids do the school plays and stuff, but they wouldn’t know a Tony Award from Tony Hawk. So suddenly I’m standing on the sidewalk, and you’re busting out Tony-winning choreography, and I’m just supposed to be all, ‘Oh cool. Well, I’m Lou!’”
    “Actually,
Poppins
was only nominated that year.
Spring Awakening
won for choreography.” I couldn’t help correcting her.
    “Are you sure?” she asked, seeming pretty sure of herself.
    “Yeah.
Poppins
won for best choreography when it was still in London, but Bill T. Jones won it over here for that angsty, modern stuff in
Spring Awakening
.”
    “Exactly!”
she shrieked. “Which proves my point.
You’re
an MTN!
I’m
an MTN. Let’s just put last week behind us and be friends.”
    “MTN?” I squinted. “Excuse me?”
    “Musical Theater Nerd. My friends at Camp Curtain Up came up with it.” She smirked.
    “Listen,” I whispered. “As far as you’re concerned, I’m not a Musical Theater anything. You saw how Tanner and those boys acted when they found out I was from New York. What do you think they’d do if they found out I took ballet every week?”
    “My friend Jenny takes ballet!” Louisa chimed in.
    “Good for her,” I replied. “I don’t do that anymore. For now I just need to keep quiet, go to class, remember where my locker is, and try not to get stuffed in one, okay?”
    She uncrossed her arms. “Okay. Look, if you want me to keep your secret, that’s cool, I will. But that doesn’t mean you have to act like I don’t exist.”
    I slumped deeper into my chair.
    “You know, for someone who had the greatest job in the world—entertaining people and making them feel happy—you’re kind of a downer,” she bristled. “No offense.”
    I knew she was right. I’d spent the past two months sulking around like some kind of Eeyore. It wasn’t her fault I got fired and my parents moved me away from New York.
    “Sorry,” I said finally. “It’s not that I don’t want to be your friend. It’s just you keep talking about how great musicals are, and . . . I guess what I mean to say is”—I felt my throat tightening—“they’re not always that
fun
and
magical
.”
    She looked at me, confused. Her eyes searched my face, as if hoping an appropriate response was printed somewhere on my forehead.
    “Suit yourself,” she said, picking her lunch off the table. “When you get sick of trying to be like every other lame boy in this school, you know where