She wipes the Popsicle drips off the cover of Mom’s binder with her arm, and I follow her into the air-conditioning to watch three seasons in seventy-two hours. I am grateful for the millionth time in my life for Maggie Cleave.
CHAPTER 47
A dozen kids are onstage shifting awkwardly while the tech crew crawls around their legs sticking colored bits of tape on the floor. Everybody pretends not to notice the whispery conference between Maggie, Lizzie, Mr. Coles, Dr. Moss, and the Barneses in the center aisle. Maggie’s hair glows like something from a Dr. Seuss book.
The assistant director, a French teacher, says, “Okay, lez try like zis. Juss a few bars. Zis should geev Aidan a little more space so he doesn’t step on anybody.”
It’s hard to hear what’s happening over the commotion onstage, but you can tell they are not letting Maggie talk. Mrs. Barnes is tittering away, her head wagging back and forth like an angry bobblehead. Maggie’s cheeks are turning red.
Jessa says, “Come on,” and marches down the aisle to stand with her arms folded right behind them.
Maggie gives us a tiny grateful smile.
I think of how many times I’ve sat on the sidelines, waiting for Maggie to talk herself into or out of trouble. This is the first time I realize how much it means to her to have me standing there.
Dr. Moss is saying how selfish it is for one student to try to take all the attention away from the others who have worked so hard. Maggie finally blurts, “That’s exactly my point!”
“You admit you’re just trying to steal all the attention?” says Mr. Barnes, like he can’t believe the defendant has just confessed in front of the judge.
“No! My point is that it’s not the Lizzie Barnes Show, so I don’t know why everyone is acting like it is.”
“Right! It’s a team!” pipes in Jessa. All heads turn to look at us. I was assuming we were just here as silent extras, but Jess is in it.
“Jessa, what are you doing here?” Dr. Moss puts a hand on her hip.
“We came for Cleave. It’s five against one.”
“Oh, oh, I’m not for or against anybody!” says Mr. Coles, waving his hands around like he wants to fan away the idea that he’s on one side or the other. The seven brothers in the play would have called him yella-bellied or lily-livered. Me too.
Dance practice is falling apart because everyone is trying to listen to the trial down below. The assistant director stops them and the orchestra cuts out at exactly the right moment for everyone to hear Lizzie’s mom say, “But Lizzie should get more attention. She’s the star.”
From stage, Aidan Neal says, “Excuse me?”
Mr. Coles claps his hands and rushes in front of the stage. “That’s looking good, dancers. Big night tonight. Let’s see everybody back here by six thirty, on the nose!”
The cast filters out, glad to be released even if the offstage drama is heating up.
Two of Lizzie’s friends walk by Jessa and me. One says, “See, all the lesbians like to stick together.”
Jessa, unfazed, says, “GSA meetings are every other Thursday before school. All are welcome.” I don’t know if Jessa is the G or the S, but she is absolutely the A. I slide a little closer to her.
The principal is ready to rule. “Maggie, whatever concerns you have should have been brought to the directors in a mature way—”
“I did! I—”
“Don’t interrupt. You are not going to ruin this production for the rest of the students who have been working so hard. Not everyone can be the lead, and most students are happy with whatever part they have. Since you can’t seem to understand that, you’re going to sit this one out.”
“ARE YOU CRAZY?”
Everyone, including me, is surprised to hear my voice. I guess I’m in it now, too.
Pat Moss turns to me like I’m a mouse that’s just challenged a bobcat to a fight.
Like a mouse that realizes that everyone else in the auditorium has just stopped what they are doing to see how this turns out. In other words, to watch the mouse get swallowed whole. So much for staying under the radar.
“They can’t even do the play without Maggie.” Everyone is staring at me, which is not exactly comfortable. But Maggie looks like she’s just discovered her best friend is secretly Spider-Man, so I keep going. “She sings half of Lizzie’s parts because Lizzie can’t hit anything below a G. If you take her out of the play, it’s going to look bad for everybody. Including Lizzie.”
Lizzie shouts, “Shut up, Greta!” Maggie and Jessa laugh out loud, which makes Principal Moss and the Barneses even angrier.
Dr. Moss says, “This has nothing to do with you two. Out of the auditorium. NOW. Or I will have Coach Reinhold bench you both for the season.” We stand there, waiting for Maggie’s okay. She nods and mouths, Love you.
“We were just on our way to practice,” says Jess, as we back up the aisle. “You should come to a game sometime, Dr. Moss.”
My phone buzzes and I peek at the text. “Maggie, your mom is parking. She’ll be here in a minute.”
“Yeah, don’t say anything without your lawyer present,” adds Jess.
“Bridget Cleave is on campus?” Moss is the one who looks scared now. I wish I could stay to watch, but there are sprints to hell to do in the gym.
Rafael Ramos-Sikes is waiting and watching from the back of the auditorium, so quiet we almost don’t notice him, until he high-fives us on the way out.
Jessa and I will have to do extra sets of sprints for being late, but it’s worth it. I would sprint to hell and back for Maggie. Or for Jess.
CHAPTER 48
Maggie is back in the play!
There’s a long video message waiting for me when practice is over. Her mom showed up right after Jessa and I left. Maggie’s favorite lines from her mom:
To Mr. Coles: “How can you be a director if you can’t even express an opinion about anything? Isn’t that your freaking job?”
To Mrs. Barnes, when she said that green hair wasn’t “period” for the 1850s: “Oh, and I suppose Lizzie’s balayage is?” (Sylvie, who was watching over my shoulder in the locker room, had to explain that it’s a fancy hair-highlighting technique. Jessa and I were clueless.)
To everyone: “See, this is why I never wanted to do drama in high school. Everybody’s so freaking EMOTIONAL about everything.”
At this point, the verdict was that Maggie would perform, but that she would wear a bonnet over her green braids. Even Maggie realizes a bonnet is the best deal she’s going to get, but her mom wasn’t quite done.