My phone buzzes, breaking my stare.
My sweet fledglings,
Rumor has it that Fallbrook’s favorite new couple is running the show from behind the glass in the sound booth. Is it my imagination, or are things fogging up in there? Looks like Meredith Evans had nothing to worry about. For our sweet wallflower, Rue, Carlton Peters is nothing but a thorn of yesterday.
Yours Truly,
Little Birdie
I shove the phone back in my bag.
Ezra glances at me. “That better not be what I think it is.”
“I hate her so much.” But as I say it, my chest feels heavy from the weight of the lie. It’s one thing to post as LB without anyone knowing. It’s another to talk badly about her to people’s faces, like I’m not the one behind the app right now.
I hate this feeling.
Ezra shakes his head. “We can sue, right?”
The corners of my mouth twitch. “We’d have to know who’s behind that keyboard in order to sue.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” He sighs. “It’s someone new. Crazy how the posts sound so similar to the way the old Little Birdie talked.”
I choose my next words carefully. “Yeah. Whoever it is must be a really good writer, or someone observant enough to guess how things would be phrased.”
Ezra shakes his head, blowing out a breath. “That’s impressive.”
“Impressive?” I arch a brow at him. If he knew the truth, he definitely wouldn’t think so.
“Well, yeah. I can’t help but appreciate the dedication.”
“You sound as if you might like Little Birdie now.”
He grins. “Nah. But mysterious stuff like that fascinates me.”
When I glance over, he’s already pulling a small handheld console from his backpack. It’s the same kind he used to bring everywhere in middle school.
My jaw drops a little. “You still play that thing?”
“This is a newer model, but yeah.” He shrugs. “Weird, I know. But I think it would be cool to maybe major in game design or something if I can get a scholarship.”
I snort. “What does someone like you need a scholarship for?”
Ezra winces. I don’t miss the pang of hurt in his eyes. “I guess I don’tneedone. But it would be nice to finally know I didn’t land captain or my spot on the team because my dad bought it for me, you know?”
I pause, surprised by how vulnerable that sounded. “What do your parents think of that?”
“They agree that they help me too much. According to them, I’m on my own for college, anyway.” He shakes his head, still pretending to focus on his screen. “But none of my other friends know that. You’re the first person I’ve told besides family, actually.
Something twists in my chest.Did he just tell me something real for the first time in years? Me, and only me?“Well, at least you have the guts to do what you want. I don’t even know what I want.”
He smirks. “I find that hard to believe.”
“It’s true. I thought I wanted to go for the lead this spring, but as soon as I found out it’s a musical, I signed up for crew instead.”
He shrugs. “But why? You should have just auditioned.”
“I literally cannot sing. So here I am, behind the scenes. I haven’t branched out or grown like I want to because I’m still just sitting, watching idly, and not participating in this horrible musical that completely lacks character development and external resolution.”
