{"id":3776,"date":"2019-12-02T08:18:21","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T13:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/?p=3776"},"modified":"2022-08-10T13:54:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T17:54:14","slug":"broken-promises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/broken-promises\/","title":{"rendered":"Broken Promises"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Melody Carlson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A school play sounds like fun\u2026for some.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she settles into life in the middle school of her new\nhometown, Zoey agrees to audition for the school play to encourage Louisa.\nIsn\u2019t that what a BFF does? But she\u2019s none too sure it\u2019ll actually be\nfun\u2014especially when she\u2019s cast as a dog! Louisa really does need her support\nthough when some of the older girls get upset at a sixth grader landing the\nlead role. Zoey does her best to be supportive and finally begins to feel\nreally at home with her grandparents and at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until someone pulls the plug on all her dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. That\u2019s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a \u201cstoryteller.\u201d Her young adult<\/a> novels appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She\u2019s won a number of awards (including RT\u2019s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film\/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

How do I get into these things?\nThat\u2019s what I\u2019m asking myself as I wait outside the school auditorium. How did I let Louisa talk me into auditioning\nfor a play?<\/em> And just now I overhear an eighth-grade girl saying it\u2019s going\nto be a musical<\/em>. I\u2019m sure that means\nsinging and dancing. And, okay, Louisa is very musically talented. Me\u2014not so\nmuch. I glance around the noisy crowd, which is mostly girls, trying to spot\nLouisa. And really, are they here because they want to be in this production\u2026or\nusing this excuse to ditch their last class of the day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReady for this?\u201d Louisa has an ear\nto ear grin as she joins me and the others clustered around the locked entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d I firmly shake my head. \u201cIn\nfact, I made up my mind, Lou. The only part I can play will be a fan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d She waves her hand like a\nfan. \u201cLike that? What\u2019d\u2019ya mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean I\u2019m here for you<\/em>. I\u2019ll cheer you on, but that\u2019s\nabout all I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you have<\/em> to be in this play, Zoey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a play,\u201d I quietly\ninform her. \u201cIt\u2019s a musical.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s even better. A musical\nsounds like fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFun for you maybe. But I can\u2019t\nsing. And dancing on a stage in front of an audience sounds like pure torture\nto me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louisa rolls her eyes. \u201cDon\u2019t be\nsuch a wet blanket. You\u2019re super coordinated so I\u2019m sure you can dance. And you\u2019re\na good singer. You just need to give it a try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe problem is that I don\u2019t want<\/em> to try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you promised me. Remember last\nweek? I told you about tryouts, and you said you\u2019d come with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I came.\u201d I hold up my hands.\n\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miss Flynn\u2014our English teacher,\nwho\u2019s also the middle school drama coach\u2014steps up. Greeting kids, she pushes\nthrough the crowd and unlocks the auditorium. As everyone pours in behind her,\nI try to think of a convincing argument for Louisa. I\u2019m more determined than\never to avoid what I\u2019m sure will become public humiliation for me. Besides\nstill being the new girl in this small town, I\u2019m barely over other recent\nembarrassments. I so don\u2019t need this. And by the way, did I really promise?<\/em> I remember agreeing to consider it. But a\nreal promise? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone, please, take a seat,\u201d\nMiss Flynn calls out. Naturally, Louisa heads straight down to the front row. I\nreluctantly trail her, and after everyone settles down, Miss Flynn steps onto\nthe stage and welcomes us, as well as introducing the other teachers who\u2019ll help\nwith this production. \u201cAnd I\u2019m excited to announce that this year, we will be\nperforming Annie.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a mixed reaction as one of\nMiss Flynn\u2019s helpers pass around what appear to be scripts. Some of the older\nkids let out groans of disappointment at her announcement. A few actually slip\nback out the door, like I want to do. But Louisa looks over the moon thrilled.\n\u201cI love-love-love Annie,<\/em>\u201d she whispers to me. \u201cI know a lot\nof lines already. And every song by heart. This is perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miss Flynn pauses as the door\nclunks shut. \u201cNow, I realize some of you were hoping for High School Musical<\/em> this year, but we did that show only four years\nago.\u201d Miss Flynn pauses as a few more eighth graders stand and exit. \u201cBut it\u2019s\nbeen ten years since we produced Annie<\/em>.\nAnd this time we\u2019ll be doing Annie<\/em>\nJunior, so it should be easier on everyone.\u201d As she continues to describe the\nplans, practice hours, and the dates for performances, Louisa leans forward, her\nface lit up as she eagerly soaks it all in. Meanwhile, I slump down into my\nseat like I hope it\u2019ll swallow me whole. Maybe it will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, I\u2019m going to give you a few\nminutes to look over your scripts. Find a few lines that appeal to you\u2014something\nyou can read for us today. It doesn\u2019t matter which character you read from since\nthis is just a preliminary audition. But I do want you to use a strong voice\nand your best dramatic skills. You can do this with a partner, or solo, or else\nI\u2019ll read the opposing lines with you. Mostly, we want you to show us your\nacting chops. Then after you finish a quick read, you\u2019re invited to sing for us\u2014a capella<\/em>. Of course, this is only if\nyou want to try out for a lead role. And I don\u2019t expect a whole song. Just\nenough for us to get the flavor of your voice. And it doesn\u2019t have to be an Annie<\/em> song. Just something you\u2019re\ncomfortable with. I\u2019ll give you about ten minutes to find your lines and\npractice running them\u2014and then we\u2019ll line up and start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Miss Flynn moves to the edge of\nthe stage, Louisa is already flipping through her script. I\u2019m hoping she\u2019s so excited\nabout Annie<\/em> that she\u2019ll forget about\nme and my so-called promise to try out today. I\u2019m tempted to sneak out\u2014would\nshe even notice? But eventually she\u2019d call me on it\u2026and it\u2019d probably hurt her\nfeelings. So I pretend to read my script. But mostly I just hope to slip\nbetween the cracks today. My goal is to remain an innocent bystander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louisa keeps trying to convince me\nI have music skills. Probably so I\u2019ll keep playing music with her. And,\nalthough she\u2019s helped me to learn the ukulele this past month, I only know four\nchords. Barely enough to accompany her while she plays guitar. And I\u2019ll admit\nit\u2019s sort of fun like that, playing behind closed doors, but the idea of\nsinging on a big stage with a real audience terrorizes me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is this reminds me\nthat I\u2019m nothing like my mom. She\u2019s a wannabe rocker who goes by KT Love. And she had no problem\ndumping me on my grandparents so she could tour the country with her grunge\nband. Seriously, what kind of mother does that? Anyway, I don\u2019t want to be like\nher. Besides being incredibly selfish, I\u2019m sure she\u2019s totally forgotten me. I\nhaven\u2019t heard from her since late August\u2014almost two months ago. Not that I care.\nWell, mostly anyway. It still hurts sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louisa nudges me. \u201cThis is what\nwe\u2019ll do together.\u201d She points to a section of her script. \u201cI\u2019ll read Annie\u2019s\nlines and you can play Tessie and say \u2018Oh,\nmy goodness\u2019 and\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo thanks.\u201d I stubbornly shake my\nhead. \u201cI\u2019m not going to read that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louisa\u2019s lower lip juts out. \u201cWhy\nnot?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I don\u2019t want to.\u201d I fold\nmy arms across my front, suddenly feeling very stubborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you won\u2019t read with me?\u201d She\nfrowns. \u201cAre you reading something different then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d I shrug. \u201cAnyway, Miss\nFlynn offered to read with you. Or you can read alone.\u201d I hunker down over my\nscript as if I\u2019m enthralled by a particular page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Louisa lets out a frustrated sigh\nthen turns back to her own script. \u201cFine. I\u2019ll find a section that I can do by\nmyself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right, everyone,\u201d Miss Flynn\ncalls out. \u201cTime to get the party started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on.\u201d Louisa grabs my hand,\ndragging me over to the stairs where others\u2014mostly girls\u2014are lining up. \u201cThis\nis gonna be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah\u2026right.\u201d I stare down at my\nConverse high-tops as we stand in line, trying to think of an excuse to escape\u2026the\nbathroom perhaps? Fortunately, Louisa is obsessed with her script. I can tell\nby her expressions that she\u2019s mentally rehearsing her lines. Well, good for\nher. Maybe I can sneak away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, who wants to go first and break\nthe ice?\u201d Miss Flynn smiles brightly at everyone, waiting until a brave girl\nsteps forward. I think she\u2019s in the eighth grade, and she looks pretty\nconfident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to read for Annie,\u201d she\nannounces loudly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood for you, Holly.\u201d Miss Flynn\nnods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the auditorium gets eerily\nquiet as Holly steps to center stage and starts to read. And I have to admit,\nshe\u2019s not half bad. But she doesn\u2019t look a thing like Annie. I mean, I\u2019ve only seen the movie once, and that was years\nago, but Holly is too tall and skinny to be a very good Annie. That\u2019s when I glance\nat Louisa\u2014and it hits me. My best friend really does resemble Annie. With her\ncurly red hair, she wouldn\u2019t even need a wig. Even her freckles and dimples are\nperfect. I suddenly wonder if Louisa is going for the Annie role. Does she\nhonestly think she could pull it off? Is that why she\u2019s so excited? Would Miss\nFlynn even allow a sixth grader to play the lead role? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watch with curious interest as a\nfew more kids step up and read lines. And then they sing. Not too surprising,\nmost of the girls choose to sing \u201cThe\nSun\u2019ll Come Up Tomorrow\u201d\u2014which, if you ask me, is getting old. Some\nsound okay, but most are pretty lame. I\u2019m surprised at how badly some of them\nsing\u2014and yet they don\u2019t even seem to know it. Miss Flynn just smiles and thanks\nthem, going to the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strangely, I can almost feel my\nconfidence rising when a boy\u2019s voice cracks in the middle of his song. Not that\nI plan to try out because I most certainly don\u2019t. But I can tell by Louisa\u2019s\nexpression, she\u2019s feeling more confident too. And why shouldn\u2019t she? So far,\nI\u2019m pretty sure that Louisa can out-sing all of them. But for some reason that\ndoesn\u2019t make me feel very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know it\u2019s terrible, but I\u2019m\nreally, really hoping she\u2019ll be a total flop. I so don\u2019t want her to get the\nlead role. I\u2019ll never admit this to Louisa, but I\u2019m suddenly worried that if\nshe gets the Annie part, it\u2019ll take over her entire life. She\u2019ll be so busy\nwith this stupid musical that I\u2019ll never get to spend any time with her. I hate\nfeeling this selfish, but it\u2019s the truth. And I just can\u2019t seem to help myself.\nI\u2019m tempted to silently pray that she won\u2019t get it. But I won\u2019t do that. It would\nbe wrong\u2026and self-centered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a couple more kids audition,\nLouisa steps forward with a slightly nervous smile. Miss Flynn waves her\nforward. \u201cShow us what you\u2019ve got, Louisa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I literally hold my breath as Louisa\nannounces she wants to perform some of Annie\u2019s lines. Then, instead of reading\nfrom the script like everyone else did, she actually recites the lines, which\nshe obviously knows by heart. And she\u2019s not just reciting them, she\u2019s actually\nmoving around, clutching her hands and speaking with such desperation that\neveryone watches with wide eyes. She\u2019s talking about this locket that her\nparents left with her when they dropped her at the orphanage. And Louisa shows\nso much emotion that I almost believe she\u2019s an orphan. Except that I know she\nlives with her parents\u2014right across the street from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she stops, a lot of people\u2014but\nnot me\u2014actually clap for her. Not politely like they did with the others, but\nwith genuine enthusiasm. And then Louisa breaks into a touching song called\u201cMaybe.\u201d\nShe sings it so sweetly and tenderly, it\u2019s as if she\u2019s rehearsed it for days. But\nI know for a fact she had no idea that play tryouts would be for Annie<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she finishes, everyone\napplauds loudly, and some even cheer and whistle. I can\u2019t help but clap too.\nShe\u2019s really that good. And although Miss Flynn said this is only a preliminary\naudition, I\u2019m pretty sure that Louisa just landed the lead role. And judging by\nsome of the other girls\u2019 expressions\u2014some who don\u2019t look terribly happy\u2014they\nmust think so too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sure, I know I\u2019m being totally\nselfish here, but I feel like I\u2019m about to lose my best friend. Even so, I\nforce a cheery smile as I slap Louisa on the back, congratulating her for doing\nsuch a fantastic job up there. And I suppose I must admit that it\u2019s kind of\ncool having such a talented friend, but it\u2019s scary too. Louisa is so completely\nhappy that she doesn\u2019t even seem to notice how I hang back in the line, letting\nothers pass ahead of me. And she doesn\u2019t even notice that when it\u2019s all said\nand done that I never did step forward. I somehow managed to avoid auditioning\naltogether. Really, what would be the point?<\/p>\n\n\n