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The room is already full of students sprawled in the folding chairs or leaning against the raised stage. The brightly lit front of the room contrasts with the shadowed back rows of stage seating, giving the vast room an almost warehouse-like feel.
Hannah’s formed her own posse of friends, all associated with my family through their fathers, brothers, and uncles. And they stand near the spotlighted stage.
“Hey, Cass,” Hannah says flirtatiously. “What brings you to the theater department so much this semester?”
I’m confident she already knows all about me switching majors. It wouldn’t surprise me if her father, Consigliere Fiore, put her up to win me over, though. After all, marrying his daughter to a Marchetti–even one of the fuck-ups–would definitely strengthen our consiglieri position in the family.
I shrug nonchalantly, not interested in having a heart-to-heart with the daughter of my father’s minion. “Just thought a change of pace sounded nice. I’ll see you around, huh?”
I flash her a smile for good measure, to show I’m not just blowing her off–though I am–then scan the mass of students to find who I’m really looking for. Unfortunately, with Hannah and the other three daughters of my father’s men, who are in the theater or music departments, I’ll need to be smart about when I approach Bianka and when I don’t. I’ll have to keep more distance in some classes than others.
But the good thing is that choreography means moving about the space and interacting with my fellow students. It would seem odd to any spying eyes if Ididn’tspeak to Bianka at all.
I spot Bianka as she finds a chair and tosses her things onto it, her temper still high after she scolded me.
I can see it in the color warming her adorably freckled cheeks. Her smattering of angel kisses across her nose and cheeks is a unique feature of Bianka’s that’s always drawn my eye. While her thin nose and full, soft lips make her distinctly feminine, her stubborn chin and freckles turn her beauty into something that borders on cute.
But then her seafoam green eyes and stunning reddish-tinged curls push her firmly into the category of model worthy. She’s a perfect combination of alluring and adorable, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off her.
And what’s best is she seems to be fighting the same pull. Perhaps it’s because she can feel me watching her, but Bianka casts sidelong glances my way several times over the next few minutes. Still, I give her some space. She clearly needs some time, and now is not the best to approach her anyhow.
“Alright, class. Today, we’ll be practicing stage presence and use of space,” Professor Lihn says as she calls the class to order. “I want you in ten groups of five.” She claps sharply to indicate we should get moving.
I wait, watching the other students find their groups and planning my entrance into Bianka’s toward the end so she won’t have time to find another group. A dirty trick, I know, but I can’t help myself. Any team projects mean more interactions with her, and I have two years of missed opportunities to make up for here.
Of course, Ellie and Bianka end up in the same group. The two girls are like sisters. I’ve spent the past two years keeping tabs on Bianka from afar by asking Ellie about her whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Borderline creeper, I know, but I couldn’t help myself. I had no other way of satisfying my ache to be with her. And spending time with other girls to take my mind off Bianka hadn’t helped at all. I’d tried. So Lucca dating Ellie had been a bit of a blessing in disguise for me.
Another girl joins Ellie and Bianka, her blonde hair cut in a sharp A-line bob. And a guy named Matt, who I’ve seen hovering near Bianka like a lost puppy. He’s definitely into her, if I had to guess.
It gives me a sick sense of satisfaction to watch her eyes scan casually over him before returning back to Ellie. I’m not normally a mean person, but it feels good knowing Bianka doesn’t find her new group member attractive.
Now it’s my turn to make a move, and I step up to their group, making myself their fifth member just before another guy can join their circle.
“Hey, friends. Mind if I join?” I ask, flashing a winning smile.
Bianka rolls her eyes and crosses her arms as she gives Ellie a look that says a thousand words. Ellie’s silent, suppressed giggle says she finds the whole situation far more humorous than her counterpart, and I plan to use that knowledge to my advantage at some point.
“Now, I want the first group of five to take the stage, and we’re going to run through a short scene,” says Professor Lihn. “Let’s have you five.”
She levels a finger at our group, and the rest of the students step down from the stage and take chairs to watch as the professor hands out three pages of script. At the top of each paper is the character name which we’ll be playing.
“Now. The first time through, I just want you to read the lines. Feel free to add emotion and emphasis in the words, but no moving. I’ll read the narrative section, but we’ll leave out the stage directions. Understood?”
We all nod and spread out across the stage as the professor starts the narrative overture.
Then it’s Bianka’s turn to speak. “I told you, Betty. There’s nothing that can be done. I mean, look at this tear. Just look at it! I’m practically falling out of my dress.”
“Oh, please. No one’s even going to notice,” the bob-cut blonde girl responds. “Especially when you do this.”
I snort laughter as I read the stage directions that go along with “this.” Betty’s supposed to take her dress skirts and twirl them about like in a traditional Mexican skirt dance. The humor is totally lost without the action.
I have to get myself together, though, because I’m the next one with a line. “Don’t worry, Maria. I know how to fix it.” When I read through my following actions, my fingers start to tingle with anticipation. I’ll be touching Bianka in this scene, something I haven’t dared do since our kiss for fear that I would lose my self-discipline.
“You imbecile. Now it’s completely ruined!” Bianka shouts, and the anger in her tone is genuine enough that I’m sure she’s channeling her actual frustration with me.
“Unhand her, you fiend!” Ellie scolds.
