My Invented Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    To be honest, no one appreciates my talents as much as I do. When I finish, Sapphire stands and says, “Good work, Roz. Who else is reading for Rosalind?”
    I slouch in a front-row seat ready to pick apart the performances of my competitors. Eyeliner Andie sidles onstage like a ghost crab, and that surprises me. Techies usually have no interest in acting. They tend to dress in black, lurk in the shadows, and talk softly. Andie fits the type perfectly.
    Except for her clothes. They scream to be noticed. Her ensemble today pairs a neon orange top with low-slung, button-studded pants that flare at the knees. A single streak of magenta slashes through her black hair, which matches her eyeliner. Flakes of mascara speckle her cheeks. I’d call her look neo-Goth shabby chic. There’s a rumor that she’s a lesbian.
    She reads well, and I clap with the others when she finishes.
    At that moment Eva races into the Barn.
    “I’m sorry I’m late. A friend had an emergency. Can I still try out for Rosalind?”
    Sapphire waves her up onstage. Carmen looks like I’m feeling, gray from head to toe with disappointment. She doubles over on a bench with her head down between her knees, ignoring Eva for the entire reading. This freaks me out because I’ve never seen Carmen act this way. As Eva dances down the stairs—not a trace of gloat on her face—Carmen stands up like a zombie to block her way.
    “You promised! You said I could have the lead for once.”
    “I never said . . . you didn’t . . . I didn’t . . . ” Eva goes pale.
    My sister has talent, but even Bette Davis couldn’t fake shock that convincingly, which makes Carmen the liarhere. What game is that girl playing? I barrel into her, pushing her backward hard. She keeps her balance by grabbing onto Bryan. Before I can get in a slap, Sapphire wedges her body between us.
    “What’s this all about?”
    Eva looks genuinely bewildered.
    “I hate you,” Carmen says.
    “Carmen?” Eva says. “I’ll quit if you want me to.” Tears stand out in her eyes.
    Bryan hugs her from the side, and she struggles away from him. “Leave me alone,” she says. She runs out of the theater with Bryan right behind.
    Sapphire has Carmen by the elbow.
    “Eva promised I could have the lead,” Carmen says in a low voice, her eyes downcast.
    “It’s not hers to give,” Sapphire says. “Show’s over, everyone. Go home. Roz, Jonathan’s waiting for you out back.”
    Wild thoughts bounce around in my brain as I slowly drift toward the door. Something about Carmen’s fight with Eva seemed unnatural. Think breast implants, not quite fake, but not exactly real, either.

Chapter
5
    J onathan stands outside
holding a white guitar case in one hand. He has a touch of the lonely stray dog about him. It makes me want to take him home.
    “Hi,” I say. “Pretty dramatic, huh?”
    Silence.
    When gossip falls flat, move on to flattery. “You were awesome in there. Why didn’t you read for Orlando?”
    He stands like a statue—a monument to indifference—looking at me blankly. Maybe he has the hearing of a monument as well. I’m too unnerved to repeat myself, so I start walking toward town. He follows.
    “Orlando’s some rich whitey,” he mumbles after a block or so.
    Though the engine warning light blinks red, I keep trying. “I guess. Are you ready for the grand tour?” I use excess cheeriness to cover my confusion.
    He nods ever so slightly and shifts his guitar case from one hand to the other. I trot out the usual polite conversation starters. “Are you into sports?”
    “You wanna know if Shaq’s my man? ’Cuz I’m black and tall, right?” His jaw sets to a hard edge. He appears tobe clenching his teeth. “Yeah, this here guitar case is where I keep my basketball.”
    Do-over. He has a vendetta against the world, I tell myself, not against me personally. He doesn’t even know me.
    “That was lame,” I say. “What kind of music do you play? And I’m