Excerpt from ZOEY 101: DRAMARAMA
by Jane Mason and Sara Hines Stephens
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Chase stared at his emoting roommate. It was terrible. He was . . . perfect. Handsome, sincere, completely in character. The whole audience, and Mr. Fletcher, looked spellbound. It made Chase want to cheer . . . and throw up.
“I know you’re from another galaxy, and I’m just a lifeguard from Earth, but I don’t care if we’re different.” Logan paused for just the right amount of time. “I love you,” he finished, lowering his voice.
The drama classroom was completely silent as Logan finished his monologue. Then everyone burst into applause. Everyone except Chase.
“Fabulous, fabulous!” Mr. Fletcher exclaimed, clapping. “Chase, wasn’t that fabulous?” he asked without waiting for an answer. “You were fabulous!” he shouted toward the stage.
Logan nodded knowingly. He was fabulous.
Mr. Fletcher turned to Chase and looked him in the eye. “Chase,” he said seriously, “we have to give this boy the lead,” he said under his breath.
“What?” Chase couldn’t believe it. Well, okay, he could believe it. Logan was awesome. But he really, really, really didn’t want to give him the lead. “You said I should play the lifeguard.”
“I know, but you saw his performance. He’s a star!” Mr. Fletcher was beaming like a Hollywood scout who had just discovered the next “it” boy.
Chase felt like he had fallen into quicksand. The more he tried to get out, the more buried he got.
“Look, you want your play to be as good as it can be, right?” Mr. Fletcher said, trying a new angle.
Chase thought for a moment. Of course he did. But Logan . . . in his part?!
He looked at Mr. Fletcher’s hopeful face. He wanted Logan to play the lifeguard. Logan’s audition was flawless. And Mr. Fletcher was the director . . . .
“Okay,” Chase finally agreed, feeling miserable. “I guess we should give the part to Logan —”
“Yay!” Mr. Fletcher cheered, cutting Chase off. He leaped to his feet and practically knocked Chase off his seat as he raced onto the stage to Logan.
“Congratulations, Mr. Reese,” he said, shaking his hand vigorously. “You are playing the lead!”
Logan shrugged. Of course he was. Who else around here could be as harming and great an actor as he was? Nobody. “Yeah, I figured,” he said.
Chase walked up to Logan with his head down. “Congrats, dude. You were great,” he said, slapping Logan’s hand. He knew it was true, but saying it out loud was supremely tough.
“I know,” Logan replied. Didn’t everybody? Well, if they didn’t, they would on opening night. Logan was going to rock, and everyone could see him in his glory. “And Zoey’s playin’ the lead girl, right?”
Chase winced. “Yeah, she is,” he said. He had never noticed how much Logan looked like a weasel.
“Sweet,” Logan said with a nod and a smirk.
“Later, man,” he said, giving Chase a low five.
Chase felt sick as he watched Logan go. As the biggest ego on campus disappeared out the door, the quicksand rose up to his neck.
From Zoey 101: Dramarama. Copyright © 2006 Duo Entertainment Vertriebs GmbH. All rights reserved.
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