I nodded slowly so as not to disturb the beast even though what I was thinking was, nobody ever sneezes? Really? Didn’t you explode if you tried to hold in a sneeze?

Randy uncovered her mic. “Randy to Terrence…yeah, just keep the alternate on standby until further notice… No, the kid says he’s, like, related to Kermit the Frog… Yeah, totally green…He knows, he knows.” Then she pushed a button on the walkie and bent the mic away from her face. “Okay, people, line up.”

Everyone except me raced to the door.

“Woah!” Randy shooed everybody back with her clipboard.

I walked slowly across the room and took my place at the back of the line. I’m fine. I’m fine.

In front of me, Keya turned around. “Maybe you could ask the medic for a Paracetamol,” she said quietly.

“What?”

“Oh, sorry—I meant a Tylenol.”

Why couldn’t this girl mind her own business? “I don’t need anything. We should go.” Randy had already led the group out of the room, and I slipped around Keya to catch up with them.

I was fine. I was. Believe and achieve, right?

Chapter 15

“Listen up, I’m going to call your name, then tell you which counter you’re assigned to.”

I blinked against the lights. They were everywhere.

And how many cameras did they need? I counted two enormous ones on wheels that looked like Transformers at the front of the set, and six smaller ones that people were holding on their shoulders at each end of three long counters.

“There are two of you to a counter.” Randy held up two fingers like maybe we needed a visual aid to understand the number two.

“Izzy?”

“Here!” The Disney character’s arm shot in the air.

Randy waved her forward. “You too, Harper.”

Trash-talker joined Izzy. I noticed she’d put on her jean jacket even though it was superhot from all the lights, and I wondered whether it was some good luck thing.

“So you two are together at station one.”

A woman in green hospital scrubs with a gummy smile waved from the first counter.

“Guys, that’s April. She’s the medic.” Randy looked at her clipboard. “Okay, next up… Phoenix?” Skinny Jeans raised his hand. “And Gordy?”

The boy who reminded me of Fozzie pumped his fist in the air. “Can you cut it!” he called like he was leading a cheer at the Super Bowl.

“You two are together.”

“Excellent.” Phoenix rolled his eyes. “When does Chef JJ get here?”

“When you do what I tell you to. Now go to your station.” Randy clicked her pen over her head like she was firing warning shots.

Phoenix made a face and dragged his feet over to his counter where Gordy was already bouncing around touching all the equipment.

“So that leaves…” Randy clicked her pen at Keya.

“Keya,” the girl said.

“Keya, right. You’re with Tristan—Tris.”

“Hello, again,” Keya said to me.

“Hey.” I felt my mouth break into a smile against my will. Not smiling at Keya while she was smiling at me was like trying to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in a stadium full of people singing “Happy Birthday.”