Comedy Girl Read Online Free PDF Page B

right now!” I said, rolling my eyes.
    â€œYour turn!” Jazzy exclaimed, jumping off the chair.
    â€œNo way.”
    â€œIf you can’t perform in front of your best friend, how can you perform in front of the whole school?”
    â€œExactly!”
    â€œWe crack each other up all the time! You’re always goofing around. You should be used to this.”
    â€œBut it’s not the same. I’ll be up there alone.”
    â€œWe’ll all be up there alone.”
    â€œYou have Leo.” I put my hand to my forehead. “My head feels warm. Do you think I have a fever?”
    â€œI’m hot too. It’s Leo’s scorching image. I’ll put him in the closet.”
    â€œNo, I really think I’m sick.”
    â€œJust take a deep breath and read from your comedy notebook. I promise I won’t laugh,” Jazzy said, and laughed out loud. “Did you get that, Trix? That was a joke! Hey, I should be the one doing the comedy!”
    â€œYeah, you should.”
    â€œNo one said this stuff is easy,” she said, suddenly serious. “Could Sam Chapman do stand-up? He tells jokes in class, but he does it just to get out of trouble, not to entertain. He’d freeze onstage. No one would laugh. We’ll get you drunk!”
    â€œI’ll need more than liquor!”
    â€œI’ll see what I can do, but right now try it one time for me.”
    I looked at my notebook and then at my watch. “Rancid! It’s six fifteen. Sarge will kill me. I told her I’d be home to set the table.”
    â€œBut I need to practice!”
    â€œJazz, I’ll be grounded.”
    â€œThere’s your excuse. You can tell Janson you can’t perform ’cause you’re grounded!”
    I looked at my best friend. And slowly a wicked grin overcame me.
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    The next night I fiddled with my straw as I sat alone at my usual table, hidden by the dim lights and thick smoke that hung over the audience at Chaplin’s.
    But as I watched the opener dying, I thought: I can do that. I can stand onstage and not be funny! But standing up in front of Gavin and the whole school and not being funny was another thing. I looked at my watch. 9:45. 10:05. 10:30.
    Dad was in Houston on business, so I told Sarge I’d get a ride with Ben, knowing he would be one of the last to leave.
    â€œMan, I’m sorry, it’s so late,” Ben said, cutting off the club lights. “I hope Sergeant doesn’t have a fit!”
    â€œI hope she does,” I said with a wink.
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    But my plan had a fatal flaw. Sarge’s punishment wasn’t grounding me from Talent Night after all—herpunishment was chaperoning me to Janson’s Rehearsal Night!
    I insisted Sarge sit quietly in the back of the auditorium. I ignored her and sat as far away from her as I could, slunk down in the front row next to Jazzy.
    Mr. Janson talked to the accompanist who sat at his piano stage left while seventeen drama students giggled, gossiped, and chatted on cell phones, breaking up the nervous tension.
    â€œSettle down,” Janson finally commanded, taking center stage. “Since we only have one rehearsal, and this is the first time Roger is here to learn the musical accompaniment, we’ll run all musical numbers in order first.”
    â€œAwh man!” one student whined. “I’m not even warmed up!”
    â€œThis sucks,” I complained to Jazzy. “We’ll have to wait hours before we get our turn over with!”
    I was right. If Rehearsal Night was any indication of Talent Night, audience members would be fleeing toward the exits—it was a disorganized, off-key mess. Ten students were performing musical numbers, and more than half of them had to run through their songs at least three times.
    â€œWhen will you be going on?” Sarge abruptly interrogated me, nudging my arm while Harold Quimbywarbled through “Music of the