The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes Read Free Book Online

opening night.”
    “Carmen!”
    “I mean that completely as a good luck thing, of course.”
    Esti hid a grin behind her hands. “Romeo is such a shallow character, I’m not surprised by Greg’s apathy. Romeo needs a great Juliet in order to shine.”
    “Romeo’s the hottest guy Shakespeare ever invented.” Carmen sounded indignant.
    “Romeo’s a fickle poet who happens to look hot.” Esti thought about what her dad had always said. “He goes suicidal over every pretty girl he sees. The minute Juliet smiles at him, he forgets his last girl and does everything he can to get into Juliet’s pants.”
    Carmen’s snort of laughter was so loud that Mr. Niles turned and raised his eyebrows. As he turned away again, she closed her eyes and placed a hand over her heart. “You’ve ruined Romeo for me,” she whispered in a broken voice. “I’ll never fall in love again.”
    Esti smiled, swinging her leg back and forth under her chair. Her dad had delved tirelessly into Shakespeare and his characters. They would spend hours at the dinner table discussing the tragic childhood of Richard III, the witty strength of Rosalind, Shakespeare’s own scandalous love life. Esti had treasured those times with her dad, even at the very end. Especially at the end.
    “Besides,” Carmen continued, “Juliet didn’t wear pants. She was a naive idiot.”
    “Juliet starts out naive, but she’s smart.” Esti was still smiling, remembering the expression on her dad’s face as she worked this one out for herself when she was ten. “She sees through Romeo’s beautiful words and makes him do the right thing. Romeo is the idealist, but Juliet’s the brain, which is even more tragic by the end.”
    “Speaking of tragic, remember that Romeo voice you told me about?”
    Esti forced herself to keep smiling, even though she’d almost decided that Alan had to be a Freudian figment of her poor-little-Esti imagination. Please don’t mention me to anyone . Right. A girl losing it was just that—a girl losing it.
    “No,” she heard herself say to Carmen. “What voice?”
    “You know!” Carmen gave her an impatient look. “You told me you heard a sexy voice prompting you during your audition.”
    “Oh.” Esti gave a dismissive wave. “I’d forgotten about it.”
    “Well, rumors are flying about a real jumbee in the theater. Chaz overheard Mr. Niles talking to Headmaster Fleming about finding some furniture rearranged, then Chaz said that he actually heard strange noises from inside the walls. I dare you to stay with me after rehearsal tonight to try and hear the voice again.” Carmen raised her eyebrows with a devious grin. “We can pull a Hamlet and see if the ghost comes back. I still have some chocolate chip cookies we could use as a lure.”
    Before Esti could respond, Steve’s head appeared between Esti’s and Carmen’s.
    “Esti talks to sexy jumbees?” He grinned widely.
    “Get away from us, Stoner,” Carmen snapped. “Sexy is a concept totally beyond you.”
    Steve laughed, flopping back into the seat behind them. With a huff, Carmen stood up, motioning for Esti to follow.
    Of course Steve would play up the gossip for all it was worth, Esti thought morosely. Now Alan would never come back.

    After rehearsal, Carmen walked Esti to the bottom of Bayrum Hill, still joking about Hamlet. Esti stood in indecision as she watched her friend disappear in the direction of her own house. Sea-scented trade winds gently rustled the palm trees, tickling Esti’s hair against her face and muting the faint sound of waves on the beach below.
    She didn’t want to go back up Bayrum Hill yet. As soon as she reached the house, her mom would know something was wrong. Esti was afraid to explain her delusions of Romeo, her lame rehearsals, or her difficult classmates. What if Aurora decided that Cariba had been a big mistake all along?
    Imagining a sudden low moan in the breeze, Esti spun around and strode back to the old building.