Play the Game (7 page)

I raced to the netball court but I couldn’t see Tess anywhere. Normally we borrowed
a ball from the sports club and shot goals while we ate our lunch. But Tess wasn’t
waiting by the netball ring today. There were a few other girls hanging around, but
I didn’t know them – they weren’t in my year level. I hung around hoping Tess was
just buying her lunch at the school canteen, but after exactly seven and a half minutes,
I knew she wasn’t coming. This was the first time I hadn’t eaten lunch with my best
friend since we’d started high school. It felt awful.

I sighed, eyeing my soggy sandwich miserably. It drooped in my hand, seeming to match
my mood. I tossed it into the bin and went off to the canteen. When in doubt, the
cheese pizza is always edible, and makes a good alternative to some of the strange
things I find in my lunch box.

All around me, kids were hanging out with their friends. I knew I could find people
to have lunch with, but my best friend not talking to me somehow made the idea of
hanging out with anyone else even less appealing. I kept wondering where Tess was.

I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Three bites into my pizza, just as the hot
cheese fell off and burnt my lip, I saw Tess walk around the corner with a girl called
Saskia. I knew she played netball because she’d been in one of the inter-school sports
teams, but I’d never played with her. I wondered how Tess had suddenly become so
friendly with her. Tess was bouncing a netball and laughing as they walked. She didn’t
seem to be missing me at all. Unless she was pretending – but if she was, she could
have acted her way into the school play, it was that convincing.

I had two choices. Either I could pretend I hadn’t seen her and wait for her to come
to me, or I could dump the rest of my pizza in the bin and take off after her. Who
was I kidding? I didn’t even really like cheese pizza.

As I rounded the corner past the theatre, I saw Tess on the netball court shooting
a goal. At first I thought she was alone, but then I saw Saskia scoop the ball up
and take a turn. They were practicing shooting goals. Just like Tess and I usually
did at lunchtime. I felt sick. I couldn’t believe Tess had replaced me already.

As I watched them, I thought about the fact that Tess and I would probably never
play another netball game together. Maybe when we were old and playing seniors, but
not when we were young. I could keep playing with the Sapphires because I could fit
it in around the school play, but Tess was on her way now. The thought made me really
sad.

Now I felt sure that was why she was so angry with me. Not because I’d chosen to
be Juliet, but because I hadn’t chosen her. No more training together. No more jelly
snakes to celebrate our big wins. No more spending hours dissecting every game. She
would find someone else to do those things with, and soon there would be a huge chunk
of her life that I wouldn’t be a part of.

I had to shake myself out of it. I was playing Juliet. That was huge, and super exciting
too, even if Tess didn’t see it that way. I just had to find a way to make her understand.
I took a deep breath and walked over to where they were shooting. Tess shot a goal,
and I grabbed the ball and threw it back to her, like we always did.

‘Hi, Edie,’ said Tess.

‘Hi, Tess.’ Talk about awkward. It sounded like we didn’t even know each other.

‘Remember Saskia?’

‘Yeah, hi,’ I said, without really looking at her.

‘Hey, Edie, I really want to thank you. Because of you, I’m trying out for a spot
on the state team tonight,’ said Saskia. I think she was trying to keep it all light
and friendly, but my stomach sank as she said it. Obviously when I’d turned down
my spot on the team, they’d decided to run tryouts for my replacement. Great. If
Saskia got in, she’d probably replace me completely, and she’d become Tess’s new
best friend.

‘Good luck,’ I said to Saskia, not really meaning it.

‘Thanks,’ she said smiling, then picked up the ball and shot another goal. Tess passed
it back to her and I decided it was time I found somewhere else to be. Obviously
they didn’t want me around.

‘See you, Tess,’ I said as I walked off.

‘Bye, Edie.’

Tess and I had been best friends since we were seven – around the same time we’d
first started playing netball together. What if netball had been our glue? What if,
without it, our friendship was nothing? I hated the thought. And despite being super
excited about the play, I just couldn’t shake the idea that giving up the chance
to play state netball meant I’d be missing out on much more than just the sport.

The rest of the day dragged by. As soon as the last class finished, I headed for
the theatre. As I got closer, I could see some of the other kids from drama class
running towards the theatre. Everyone was racing to see the list. Freddy came thundering
up behind me, and ran straight past.

‘Come on, Edie!’ he yelled over his shoulder.

Laughing, I tried to catch him, but
he was too fast. It was a mad scramble. Everyone banged through the front doors, across the foyer
to the corridor that led backstage. Freddy was in front. All around me, people were
laughing – it was like a crazy marathon. I reached the wall where the list was pinned,
but there were so many people crammed around it, trying to see their names, I couldn’t
see anything at all.

I wasn’t as desperate as everyone else, because I already knew what part I’d been
given, but I still wanted to see my name on the list. I squeezed my way through the
crowd of students, closed my eyes and took a huge breath. I knew what I was going
to see, but I wanted to feel the buzz of the surprise. I slowly opened my eyes and
started scanning. I read Freddy’s name opposite Romeo, and grinned. I was going to
star in one of the most beautiful tragic love stories ever written – with the cutest
boy in school! We’d get to kiss every single night on stage!

I looked under Romeo and found Juliet, then scanned across to see my name. I just
wanted to yell with happiness, and finally share my big news with everyone else.
But it didn’t say Edie. It said Belle. I looked again. Wait, that couldn’t be right.

I scanned down the list and found my name. Next to my part. The part that Kerry had
referred to wasn’t Juliet. It was the Nurse. Juliet’s Nurse. All of a sudden I felt
dizzy. I stepped back from the list, and leant against the wall. My mind was spinning.
The Nurse? I tried to remember exactly what Kerry had said about my part.

I hope you don’t feel too young to carry some of the weight of the play …

I felt my stomach drop. She never said I was the lead. I’d heard what I wanted to
hear. All she said was that I’d done a great audition, that I’d be playing an important
role. And she was right. The Nurse was one of the major roles – but it wasn’t Juliet.

What was I going to do? How would I ever face Tess? It was bad enough having to give
up state netball to play Juliet, but to play the Nurse?

All around me other students were celebrating. I heard Belle squealing and Freddy
singing. I had to get out of there before I started to cry. That would be the worst.

I pushed my way through towards the foyer, keeping my eyes down so I didn’t have
to talk to anyone. I felt so embarrassed. How was I going to tell Jean? What about
Tess? Oh god.

Before I could make it outside a girl called Mel, who was in my English class, appeared
at my side, grinning. ‘Congrats, Edie!’

I must’ve frowned at her. ‘Thanks,’ I said, sounding anything but happy.

‘Don’t you want to play the Nurse?’ she asked, surprised.

‘Not really,’ I said honestly. ‘It wasn’t what I’d expected.’

She laughed. ‘Tell me about it. I’m backstage!’

I felt awful. Here I was complaining about my role, which actually wasn’t a bad role,
and she didn’t even have a part. ‘Oh no, sorry. I didn’t mean to …’

She laughed. ‘Actually, it’s fine. Sure, I was hoping to be on stage, but I don’t
mind the behind-the-scenes stuff, either. I still think it’ll be fun.’

‘Oh,’ I said, surprised at how fine she sounded. ‘But aren’t you upset?’

A girl called Sam pushed past us, crying, and Mel pulled a face. ‘Yeah, sure, a bit,
but I’m not going to cry about it. I get it. It’s not just about being able to act
– you have to be right for the part.’

I nodded. What Mel said made sense, but I still wanted to cry. I’d spent days imagining
myself as Juliet. I was having a hard time adjusting.

‘Besides, being backstage means I get to boss you guys around. Make sure you don’t
break the props!’ she said, laughing.

Mel was being really good about the fact that she hadn’t got the part she wanted,
and what she was saying made sense, but I just couldn’t make myself see it that way.
I’d given up state netball for this.

‘I’m really happy for you, Edie. You’ll be great in that role. And it’ll be fun hanging
out,’ said Mel warmly.

I managed to nod. ‘Thanks, Mel. Yeah, it should be fun.’

I looked down the hall and saw Belle and Freddy laughing together. That’s when I
realised there was something even worse than losing the part of Juliet to Belle.
I would have to watch Belle and Freddy together on stage, kissing, and being amazing,
for the next two months. Now I really felt sick.

I looked at my watch. Netball training would be just about getting started. If I
rode my bike faster than I’d ever ridden before, I could still make it to the netball
centre. Maybe I could explain that I’d changed my mind, and beg to be put back on
the team. Maybe I could still play state netball after all. But I’d already told
my sister and Tess how excited I was to be playing
the
part. How could I admit that
I only wanted to act if I got to play the lead? If I really wanted to be an actor,
then surely I should be happy to play any role – not just the lead role?

What was worse? Accepting the part of the Nurse – and admitting to everyone that
I wasn’t Juliet after all – or grovelling my way back onto the state netball team?
I couldn’t decide which one would be more embarrassing.