Turns out, everyone else is looking at me, too. They want to clock the reaction from the official trans person in the room. Tess smiles at me. “August shouldn’t have a problem. He believes the best person should get the part regardless of gender.”

“This is different,” Justin says, earning him a look of death from Tess.

Anna jumps in, ever coming to my defense. “August can play any role he wants, but cis people shouldn’t play the roles of trans people. It doesn’t go both ways.”

“That’s a double standard,” Tess says, acting like the star of Legally Blonde.

“There are very few transgender characters on Broadway, right, August?” Anna asks, giving her best Elle Woods.

Everyone looks at me. Do I hold all trans knowledge? “Yes,” I confirm.

“So why should some little Nickelodeon shit get to play the part? A transgender actor should play the transgender part.”

“I’m fine with it,” I say, not knowing how I really feel about it. But the Infamous August Greene is laid-back and doesn’t like to cause a stir. “Chris Caesar was probably the best person for the role for some reason.”

“August, seriously?” Anna asks. I shrug. I don’t know if I should be mad or sad or what. More than anything, I’m not surprised.

My favorite waitress, Jane, comes by to take our order. “The usual, hon?” she asks me, pen in hand.

“You know it,” I say. My usual is a bacon and egg sandwich with a cup of coffee—helps with the late-night homework. Also, I love that I have a usual order.

“Where’d you find all these people?” she asks.

“This,” Elijah says with an arm flare, “is the rest of the cast. We usually don’t invite them.”

“We usually wouldn’t come,” Anna jokes.

“Well, if your new friends aren’t good tippers, they can’t come back,” Jane says with a wink, then moves on down the table.

“Guys,” Anna says to me and Elijah. “I have some news for you.”

Elijah puts down his spoon. “I’m ready.”

If the news is about Duncan, I’m not ready. They are both still secretly dating him. I was torn on what to do—tell Elijah, or Anna, or tell them together (then run out of the room). Aunt Lil told me to mind my business. So that’s what I did.

“August has known for a while, but I wanted to keep it quiet . . . ,” she begins. I start to panic and stand up, accidentally pushing the table and nearly spilling the water glasses.

“Elijah, can you come outside with me?” I ask.

The entire table is looking at me. I smile at them. “Dude, what’s up?” Elijah whispers.

“I’ll explain outside,” I say, then walk toward the door. Once outside, I start shivering. Should have grabbed my hoodie, but everything was moving too fast.