“Yay!” she mouthed joyfully.
“Yay!” I mouthed back. I was really happy for Erica, because she’d wanted to play the fairy godmother so badly.
“The part of the fairy queen,” Mrs. Hunter went on, “will be played by Cheyenne O’Malley.”
Cheyenne wasn’t the only person in Room 209 who gasped upon hearing this—but she might have been the only person in the room who didn’t gasp in a good way. You could tell she was totally horrified.
“Mrs. Hunter,” Cheyenne said, her hand flying up into the air. “I’m afraid there’s been some mistake. That’s not the part I auditioned for. I tried out for Princess Penelope!”
“I realize that, Cheyenne,” Mrs. Hunter said. “But I think, based on your performance yesterday, that you’ll be better in the role of the fairy queen, which is a very good part as well.”
Cheyenne’s mouth fell open. Also, her eyes bulged out of her head a little.
“But that’s not the lead ,” Cheyenne said. “I’ve always had the lead in every play I’ve been in. Back in Canada, anyway.”
“Well, I pictured you as the fairy queen from the play’s inception,” Mrs. Hunter said. “It’s a lovely part. You’ll be able to wear lots of sparkles and a pair of wings along with a beautiful gown and a tiara of compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Plus, you’ll be the head of all the other fairies.”
The other fairies, Marianne and Dominique, looked over at Cheyenne expectantly, as if to say, Hey! Remember us? We wanted to play Princess Penelope and we’re stuck with being compact fluorescent lightbulb fairies, too. Hello! I mean, at least Cheyenne got to be a compact fluorescent lightbulb fairy queen.
But Cheyenne barely glanced at them.
“I don’t want to be a fairy queen,” Cheyenne said. “I want to be Princess Penelope. And I’m telling my mother!”
With that, she folded her arms across her chest, turned her head to look out the window, and dismissed us all.
Mrs. Hunter said, “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. Do let your mother know that I look forward to hearing from her, as always,” and returned to her list.
There were only two names she hadn’t read off yet—mine and Sophie’s. And I knew why.
Obviously, I’d gotten the role of Princess Penelope. I couldn’t think what other part hadn’t been assigned yet, but clearly Sophie was getting that one…
…and just as clearly, she was going to cry when she found out I was Princess Penelope and she wasn’t.
So I couldn’t act too excited when I found out. Even though, of course, on the inside I would be bursting with happiness.
No one likes a sore loser like Cheyenne. That’s a rule.
But no one likes a sore winner, either. That’s another rule.
So if you win, it’s rude to be too celebratory about it and rub it in other people’s faces. It’s important to accept victory modestly.
Then you can celebrate all you want in private, where the losers can’t see you (that’s another rule).
“Allie Finkle,” Mrs. Hunter read from her list.
I leaned forward a little in my chair, trying to contain myself. I wasn’t going to jump to my feet or anything, let alone climb on top of my desk and do a self-congratulatory victory dance.
But I might do one tiny fist pump. Just a little one. I mean, I could celebrate a little. After all, I’d earned it. I’d worked hard on that audition!
“…I’m giving you the part of the evil queen,” Mrs. Hunter said.
Yay—
Wait. What?
What had she just said?
“Cool, Allie,” Rosemary, down the row of desks from me, whispered. “We’ll get to be in tons of scenes together!”
“And the role of Princess Penelope,” Mrs. Hunter went on, “goes to Sophie Abramowitz.”
Sophie, in her seat a few rows ahead of mine, let out a little shriek. Then she put both hands over her mouth and said, “Oh, my goodness! Oh…my goodness! Me? ME? ”
“Yes, Sophie,” Mrs. Hunter said, smiling at her. “You. Now, class. We don’t have very much time. I
“Yay!” I mouthed back. I was really happy for Erica, because she’d wanted to play the fairy godmother so badly.
“The part of the fairy queen,” Mrs. Hunter went on, “will be played by Cheyenne O’Malley.”
Cheyenne wasn’t the only person in Room 209 who gasped upon hearing this—but she might have been the only person in the room who didn’t gasp in a good way. You could tell she was totally horrified.
“Mrs. Hunter,” Cheyenne said, her hand flying up into the air. “I’m afraid there’s been some mistake. That’s not the part I auditioned for. I tried out for Princess Penelope!”
“I realize that, Cheyenne,” Mrs. Hunter said. “But I think, based on your performance yesterday, that you’ll be better in the role of the fairy queen, which is a very good part as well.”
Cheyenne’s mouth fell open. Also, her eyes bulged out of her head a little.
“But that’s not the lead ,” Cheyenne said. “I’ve always had the lead in every play I’ve been in. Back in Canada, anyway.”
“Well, I pictured you as the fairy queen from the play’s inception,” Mrs. Hunter said. “It’s a lovely part. You’ll be able to wear lots of sparkles and a pair of wings along with a beautiful gown and a tiara of compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Plus, you’ll be the head of all the other fairies.”
The other fairies, Marianne and Dominique, looked over at Cheyenne expectantly, as if to say, Hey! Remember us? We wanted to play Princess Penelope and we’re stuck with being compact fluorescent lightbulb fairies, too. Hello! I mean, at least Cheyenne got to be a compact fluorescent lightbulb fairy queen.
But Cheyenne barely glanced at them.
“I don’t want to be a fairy queen,” Cheyenne said. “I want to be Princess Penelope. And I’m telling my mother!”
With that, she folded her arms across her chest, turned her head to look out the window, and dismissed us all.
Mrs. Hunter said, “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. Do let your mother know that I look forward to hearing from her, as always,” and returned to her list.
There were only two names she hadn’t read off yet—mine and Sophie’s. And I knew why.
Obviously, I’d gotten the role of Princess Penelope. I couldn’t think what other part hadn’t been assigned yet, but clearly Sophie was getting that one…
…and just as clearly, she was going to cry when she found out I was Princess Penelope and she wasn’t.
So I couldn’t act too excited when I found out. Even though, of course, on the inside I would be bursting with happiness.
No one likes a sore loser like Cheyenne. That’s a rule.
But no one likes a sore winner, either. That’s another rule.
So if you win, it’s rude to be too celebratory about it and rub it in other people’s faces. It’s important to accept victory modestly.
Then you can celebrate all you want in private, where the losers can’t see you (that’s another rule).
“Allie Finkle,” Mrs. Hunter read from her list.
I leaned forward a little in my chair, trying to contain myself. I wasn’t going to jump to my feet or anything, let alone climb on top of my desk and do a self-congratulatory victory dance.
But I might do one tiny fist pump. Just a little one. I mean, I could celebrate a little. After all, I’d earned it. I’d worked hard on that audition!
“…I’m giving you the part of the evil queen,” Mrs. Hunter said.
Yay—
Wait. What?
What had she just said?
“Cool, Allie,” Rosemary, down the row of desks from me, whispered. “We’ll get to be in tons of scenes together!”
“And the role of Princess Penelope,” Mrs. Hunter went on, “goes to Sophie Abramowitz.”
Sophie, in her seat a few rows ahead of mine, let out a little shriek. Then she put both hands over her mouth and said, “Oh, my goodness! Oh…my goodness! Me? ME? ”
“Yes, Sophie,” Mrs. Hunter said, smiling at her. “You. Now, class. We don’t have very much time. I
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