Page 38 of Directing You
Chapter 17
Hazel
God,they’d been gone a long time. I sat in the front row of the theater, script in my lap, reading over my lines. But honestly? I couldn’t concentrate. Why had Jenna and Reid left together? What was so important they had to meetnowat the beginning of our first rehearsal? And I couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with all the phone calls Reid got this weekend while we were together.
Jenna was a little snake. She always had been. She kissed up to the professors and managed to swoop in and get so many of the lead roles, sometimes even after cast lists were announced. And now, for perhaps the first time in my student career,Iwas a threat to her. Was that why she was meeting with Reid?
Melanie slid into the seat to my right with a sigh. “Do you think she’s back there giving Professor Bradley a blow job for your part?”
I nearly coughed up my sip of coffee. “Excuse me?”
Melanie rolled her eyes. “Where have you been living? There’s a rumor that’s why Professor Seder gave her the lead in last year’s musical. And why Professor Lewis always casts her in his fringe shows.”
I spun in my seat to look at the door once more, but it still didn’t move. Silent as ever… Reid and Jenna were talking about God knows what somewhere. I cleared my throat and faced front again. “I doubt Professor Bradley needs help in that department.”
“Oh my God, I know, right?” Melanie kicked her feet up on the chair in front of us. “He’s fucking hot. Think he’s single?”
I took a deep breath. I had no claim to Reid. It was his right to hook up with Jenna if he wanted… Oh, who was I kidding? I’d be pissed if he was even holding her hand, let alone getting fellated by her stupid glossy lips.
I pushed off the armrest, launching to my feet. “I’ll be right back,” I said…not really to Melanie or anyone in particular. As I reached the door, it swung open. The abrupt motion caused a gush of wind to blow my hair off my shoulders. Standing there was Jenna, a cocky smirk plastered on her mouth. I thought about smiling at her. Being nice. Giving her the benefit of the doubt. Only, my mouth wouldn’t curve. It was set into a hard, firm line, and my eyes narrowed at her. Yeah, I guess I was never good at the whole diplomacy thing.
She glanced at the script in my hand. “Did you already highlight your lines?”
“I started to.” My breath was heavy and fast as I looked into her cold eyes.
“Well, then, I’ll take that,” she said, plucking the script from between my clammy fingers. “You’re not going to be needing it as Pam the Prostitute.” Panic flooded my chest. Reid wouldn’t demote me. He wouldn’t replace me with Jenna…not without a good reason and certainly not without talking to me first.
“What do you mean?” My panic was met with rage. Indignant rage. Who the fuck did she think she was?
“It’s not your part for much longer.” She glanced at her phone. “Probably only for another five minutes while Reid calls the writer to confirm the recasting.” I remembered what Reid said about the writer… how he was so impressed with me, he wanted to work with me in the future, too. Was that all a lie? Pillow talk? Jenna paused to wipe the corner of her mouth with a finger. “You know, he wasmucheasier to convince than I expected.” Her tongue swiped across her bottom lip. “Professor Dercy was right when she said he wasn’t likely to ever settle down again. Not after Professor Faith broke off their engagement to marry his best friend.”
My jaw almost dropped, but I refused to give Jenna the satisfaction of seeing me flustered.Professor Faithwas his cheating ex-fiancé? Was that why he’d taken this gig that was so far below his status… to help his ex? And how did Jenna know that information would hurt me? Did she know Reid and I had been together this past weekend? She was heavily implying that something sexual had just happened between herself and Reid…but I didn’t buy it. Jenna was a snake. Reid wasn’t. Reid was kind and thoughtful and respectful.
I swallowed and forced my spine to stay straight and not collapse under the pressure of the emotions weighing on me. Jenna couldn’t know she affected me like this. It would give her way too much power over me…now and in the future. I rolled my eyes at her. “Jenna, you seriously don’t expect me to believe that you just fucked Professor Bradley in his office for my part, do you?” I leaned in closer to her and whispered, “Because you arenotthat talented. As an actress or in bed, if I had to guess.”
Her smile tightened, and I took some small semblance of pleasure knowing I’d gotten to her. “No,” she said, “onlyoneof us here slept with the professor to get the lead. And it sure as hell wasn’t me.”
Shit. Shedidknow. But how? How the fuck did she know? And did Reid give her my role to save his own ass? I shook my head, taking a step back. “Professor Bradley isn’t like that. He’s a professional.”
Jenna snorted and rolled her eyes at me. “Grow up, Hazel. This is what professional theater looks like. People fuck to get parts. People make deals behind closed doors. And if you think Professor Bradley is any different than all the rest of the corrupt Great White Way, you’re about to get a rude awakening in five minutes.”
I took another step back, but she closed in on me, nearly backing me against the door. “Take a second to think, Hazel,” she whispered, and for the first time since I’d known her, there was genuine concern in her voice. Concern for me? That couldn’t be right. Jenna had never shown compassion or care for anyone but herself. “How well do you really know him? How well can you really trust him if he’s willing to sleep with one of his students? Or even one of his actors. A professor—no, adirector—who takes advantage of his power like thatisn’ta good man.”
The wood door was cool against the backs of my arms, and the metal handle pressed into the small of my back. She was right. Ihatedthat she was right. Not necessarily about Reid being a bad man, professor, and director. But about the fact that I didn’t really know him. I thought our tryst this weekend was innocent. But what if he did this with all the women he cast in his shows and workshops? What if this was a pattern of behavior that I’d fallen right in line with?
My heart constricted in my chest. I couldn’t answer her. I couldn’t bluff my way out of this one. Instead, I turned away, blinking back the burning tears threatening the edges of my eyes, and walked slowly out the door and down the hall to Reid’s classroom.
When I reached his door, I didn’t bother knocking. I let myself in and found him staring out the window, his cell phone pressed to his ear. “I know,” he said into the phone. “I know you gave me clearance on the casting, but I still felt like I needed to touch base before making such a big change to the workshop. Yeah, I just need to talk to Hazel first—I know, I know you were impressed with her. I was, too.”
It was true. He was trading me for Jenna. White-hot pain seared into my chest like a branding iron piercing my heart. Goddamn. That betrayal hurt more than I expected. He was silent while the person on the other end said something. “Okay, thanks, Clay. I’ll keep you posted.”
He slid his thumb across his phone and turned, startled when he saw me. “Hazel. How long have you been there?”
I swallowed, my jaw tightening. “Long enough. Long enough to know that I’m being traded out for Jenna. Once again, Jenna gets the lead, and Hazel Stone plays a whore.” My voice cracked with emotion, and I hated that I let this get to me. I hated that I let him get my hopes up. That I let Reidalmostconvince me that this could be real and that I had a legitimate shot at making it in this career.
I saw it in his eyes, in the small sagging at their corners, and the frown that marred his otherwise strikingly beautiful face. It was true. That was exactly what was happening.
“Hazel, that’s not—”
