“August,” she cuts in before I can apologize. “No hard feelings. I didn’t read the room. Or whatever. It’s water off a duck’s back. We’re going to be spending lots of time together with Grease, and I don’t want bad vibes.”

I ask the question that has crossed my mind more than I’ll admit. “Did you convince your dad to accept me to this school?”

She looks around. Shrugs. “We talked that night. I told him what I thought.”

I don’t like that answer. I don’t like it at all. There’s zero clarity.

“We are all good now, Augustus.” She gives me a hug. “Besides, I’m seeing someone new.”

“Care to share?” I ask.

She crosses her arms. “How can I trust you?”

I hold out my pinkie. She wraps her pinkie in mine. Our eyes meet. “Okay. Remember Duncan? The cello player?”

Oh, I remember. And so does Elijah. This is conflicting information.

She continues, “He’s sweetest boy in the world. It’s still new, so we’re keeping it quiet.”

“Wow.”

“I know.”

“How long has this been going on?” I ask.

She does a quick twirl. “Couple days ago. At Haswell.”

“I’m happy for you,” I say. And I’m sad for Elijah. Does he know? Do I tell him?

“Thank you, Augustus. I’m happy for you, too. Don’t know why you went for Rizzo, but I knew you’d land any role.” She pinches my cheek. “You got something special.”

“Thank you,” I say. “Want to walk to the subway after school? Orange line?”

She smiles. “Can’t today. I’m meeting you-know-who after his practice, but I’ll text you later.” She hugs me again and I’m happy to have my first SPA friend back. Even if she’s dating the same guy as my second SPA friend.

Instead of heading to Audition Technique, I find a quiet hallway and call Mom. I want to tell Hugo—my friend from back home who got me into theater—but there would be too much to explain. After two rings, Mom picks up with her usual greeting. “Hi, sweet daughter,” she says.

Those words send shock waves through my body. When I lived at home, I was used to it. But I push through. I am Mom’s sweet daughter. My voice goes higher. “Hi, Mom, great news. Are you sitting down?”

“You got that part?”

“I got the part,” I confirm.

“Honey, that’s so great. How can I sit when I’m hopping up and down?”

She’s happy. That feels good. “Don’t hurt yourself, Mom.”

“This is the best thing. The Lord has blessed you with a gift, and He’s creating a path for more to see it.”

She brings the holy spirit into everything. “The theater has a thousand seats,” I brag.