“I never wanted to see it in the first place! I know you won’t understand this, but I don’t care about Mr. Campbell and his precious opinions and getting in his good graces. It doesn’t matter to me. I didn’t even—” Stevie stopped herself.

I folded my arms, trying not to look as stung as I felt. “You didn’t even what?”

She took a big, shaking breath. “I didn’t even want to audition for Lear. I just did it because I knew you’d freak out if I didn’t.”

I took a step back from her. It was like she’d just pulled the solid ground out from under my feet. “You—what?”

“This!” Stevie said, pointing from her to me and back again. “I didn’t want to do this. And it seemed easier—”

“How is it not important to you? Our senior year, being in the shows together? You would throw that all away?”

“I’m not going to keep acting!” Stevie burst out. “It was just a fun thing I did in high school, but I’m not delusional enough to think—” She broke off.

“So,” I said. I was on the verge of tears but didn’t want to show it; my voice came out high-pitched and shaky. It was like she’d just reached right into my chest and yanked at my heart. “You think I’m delusional—”

“I think you can do whatever you want, but we don’t have to do the same stuff all the time, and you don’t seem to get that.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re trying to turn this around on me, but you’re not being honest. You love acting and you’re pretending like you don’t and this is—”

“I swear to god.” Stevie was staring daggers at me. Brad was looking between the two of us, his ears back. “If you say Six Flags—”

“It is Six Flags! You’re standing in your own way and not actually giving it a shot, even though you’re amazing. I don’t understand how you can just throw all your talent away. Do you know what I’d give to be as good as you are?” My voice broke on the last word, but I made myself push through. “Do you even care? You never just go for anything, give it a chance—”

“It’s better than what you do.”

“What do you mean, what I do?” It suddenly felt like we were on a roller coaster, the moment you truly realize that there’s no way off—you just have to strap in.

“I mean the way it’s always all or nothing with you. You drop things when you’re done and move onto the next thing like it never even happened. You run full-out toward something, and never even think about if it’s what you really want.”

“I don’t—”