Elijah exits Old John’s, laughing. “What’s going on?”

“Look,” I say. “I should have told you this before, but Anna has been seeing Duncan.”

His mouth falls open. “My Duncan?”

“Your Duncan,” I confirm. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t know how.”

Elijah leans against the trunk of a car, hugging himself. I watch as he processes what I told him. He claimed the Duncan thing was casual, but it’s clear he caught feelings. “Duncan has been distant. I guess that’s why.” I’m relieved that he’s not mad at me for not telling him sooner. “I thought it was the cello. I guess it was Anna.”

“I didn’t want you to hear it from her first.”

“Thanks, man. I might have thrown up.”

If that’s true, I’m glad I pulled him out here. “You ready to head back?” I ask, hoping he says yes because it’s cold out.

“No,” he says, and buries his face in his hands. “I really like that guy. And now I have to hear Anna gush about him? How will I do that, August?”

I lean on the car beside him. “I understand,” I say, trying to think of what to say. “You’re an actor, so act.”

He looks at me, slightly shocked. “You can do that?”

“Sure,” I say, wondering why he’s surprised. “Just like onstage, I can be whoever I need to be for the scene. It’s working out for me.”

“I can’t do that, but you do you,” he says.

Thirteen

Thirteen

Saturday, October 12

7:45 P.M.

It’s the night before the long tech day, and I should be home. Doing homework. Running my lines. Practicing songs and choreography. Instead, I’m standing on Broadway and Fiftieth Street, waiting for Elijah. I did homework all day—minus a small nap—and feel only a little behind. There’s always downtime during tech week. I can knock some algebra out then.

But tonight, I need to show my friend a good time. He took the Anna-and-Duncan thing hard. I watched his face while Anna regaled us with the blow-by-blow of her and Duncan’s budding romance. They aren’t serious, but serious enough for Anna to brag. Elijah stayed strong, didn’t tell Anna about him and Duncan, and shed no tears into his western omelet. That’s a success in my book.

I texted Elijah this morning and told him I had a surprise for tonight. I went to TodayTix in search of a show cheap enough to not make my aunt’s head explode when she gets her credit card bill. Broadway was out of the question—even the cheapest tickets were sixty bucks each. While scrolling through the Off-Broadway listings, I found a long-running show that sounded like the perfect night out to cheer up Elijah. And the price was right.