Page 21 of For My Finale
Lilah, who couldn’t remember having mentioned that she didn’t feel wonderful, allowed herself to be seated. And then she waited as Gloria danced around, clapping her hands, calling out instructions. From what she could tell, Gloria was both the head of the society and the director. And once the read-through began, she was plainly the leading lady as well.
Crossing her arms and biting her tongue, Lilah let the first scene take place. People read from scripts, which was fine. But Gloria appeared to have lost all control of her arms, gesticulating wildly with every line, and Arty, who was playing Stanley, delivered all his lines with the emotional depth of a satnav.
She lasted five minutes before she snapped.
“What are you doing with your hands?” she blurted out, standing up. “You’re like a wounded pigeon. And why is he talking like he’s giving directions on Google Maps?”
The entire room froze, and even Lilah gasped at herself. She might have gone a tad too far. But she assumed that she’d been invited because Gloria wanted some sort of feedback.
Gloria clutched at her chest. “Ms. Paxton, you wound me,” she declared.
Lilah rubbed at her temples. “I’m just saying—”
“No, no,” Gloria interrupted, dramatically fanning herself with her script. “A professional actress has come to judge our humble work. We are but mere mortals!”
“That’s not what—”
“It’s too much, it’s too much!” wailed Gloria. “I cannot go on!”
Lilah watched as Gloria swooped from the stage, everyone else standing around like wooden puppets. “She might actually be the best actress here,” she muttered to herself.
???
Blossom, who had been watching this disaster unfold from her usual spot near the snack table, was feeling increasingly concerned.
Lilah must be some sort of chaos gremlin. A disruptive influence, as her old headmaster had used to say. And if someone didn’t intervene, clearly Gloria was about to work herself up into a full Shakespearean meltdown.
As Gloria swept toward the wings, Blossom clapped her hands together and beamed a huge smile. “Tea break! Time for tea!Everyone, let’s reset and have a nice cup of tea.”
Tea was the magic word in a room full of English people, and she’d said it three times, so it was like a charm. The tension in the room deflated, and even Gloria slid back in from the wings to come down to join the line for tea.
Blossom turned to see Lilah staring at her in wonder, and she just raised an eyebrow in return. “Behave yourself,” she mouthed over the heads of the tea line.
Lilah smirked, clearly unrepentant.
Blossom thought that she’d gotten away with things. Mostly, she had. Gloria wasn’t about to faint onto her deathbed, and the rest of the cast, well used to Gloria’s dramatics by now, were happily munching on biscuits. Well, most of them.
Daisy had obviously spotted an opportunity.
She’d been lingering around the snack table, practically vibrating with excitement, until finally, Lilah came close enough to be pulled into conversation.
Blossom was just refilling a plate of biscuits when she heard Daisy say, “I love your movies, have you met Chris Hemsworth?”
Lilah took a thoughtful sip of tea. “He’s taller than you think.”
Daisy made an excited squeak, like a small mouse, that had Lilah share an amused look with Blossom.
“But everyone watched The Master of It All for you, not for him, I swear,” Daisy was saying. “Especially Blossom, right Bloss?”
Blossom had a chance to neither confirm nor deny. Because Daisy was still talking. Still talking to Lilah.
“Blossom’s had a crush on you forever,” Daisy was saying. “She had posters of you in her room and everything.”
Blossom dropped the teaspoon she was holding, feeling like her entire soul was leaving her body. Felling like she could simply sink through the wooden floors into the cellar, then through the soil and the rocks, all the way to the earth’s fiery core and be devoured.
And Lilah was looking at her, making it all far worse.
“Has she now?” Lilah said, looking very amused.
