I'd learned at a very early age that there was always going to be someone who wanted to tear me down. Sometimes it was another guy trying to prove they were bigger. Other times it was someone who wanted to prove they were smarter or better.

None of this had prepared me for theater perfectionist Lorne Ryder. The moment I walked into his theater he'd treated me like a foreign and hostile invader. I'd done absolutely nothing, but he was determined to point out everything that I was possibly doing wrong from my mispronouncing old English to how I was standing.

Lexi gave me a slightly smaller part in the rehearsal readthrough. The Boatswain only had a few lines so I could focus more on the other actors and their performances.

While all the actors were good there was something about Lexi reading as Prospero that was mesmerizing. She became the oppressed wizard and seemed to go from wrathful schemer to caring parent in the blink of an eye and it didn't seem out of character or forced.

Lexi and Emma Kate seemed to throw themselves into their roles. Kayleigh read each line like a diva. Her boyfriend Jude liked to correct his fellow actors, but he always complimented Kayleigh.

When we finished Lorne walked over and crossed his arms. "You have to feel the rhythm of the words. Learn how to act Christian or find some other class to torture."

"It's Christian-Porter," I said. "And I'm trying my hardest. You should give me a chance."

"I looked into you," Lorne said. "Your daddy might be a big hotshot engineer but that doesn't give you the right to invade. This is my theater. This is my senior Shakespeare show and that means that we can't have someone like you stinking up the place."

Crossing my arms, I looked straight into Lorne's eyes. I had maybe fifty pounds on him and while he was toned, I had muscle mass. It didn't matter what his problem was with me though because I would never throw a punch.

There were a thousand other ways to win battles. My mother reminded me of that over and over as a child. Working smarter and harder was the only way to prove my worth.

"I know you decided that the moment I walked in here that I was a threat," I said. "But I haven't done anything to you. I promise I'm working on a great monologue, and I'll rock the auditions tomorrow."

"You don't belong here," Lorne said. "And I'd figure that out before someone else does Christian. If you know what's best for you, you'll stay out of the way of real stars."

With that, he walked over to his friends. Jude nudged his friend and frowned as he gathered up his things.

"What was that about?" Jude asked.

"How can we possibly proceed when so much apathy radiates off him?" Lorne scoffed. "First they put Emma Kate and Lexi in charge of this infantile production and expect it to be amazing and now this."

"Tunstelle would have to be an idiot to give him a major role," Jude said. "I mean you're perfect for Prospero. Even Loopy Lexi and Emma Kate can't mess that up for you. We can talk to your uncle. Everything is going to be fine."

"He's right," Kayleigh tossed her sleek hair back. "This football player isn't going to wreck our summer and if he does, we'll call Dean Ryder to get it all straightened out. Besides this afternoon I need the two of you to help me shoot the perfect promo."

The three of them walked out talking about some Instagram makeup promo that Kayleigh was obsessed with. Lorne hated me. So had a million people before him. It wasn't a reason to change anything I was doing. I had to hope that Lorne didn't have any Tempest-style revenge plot planned like Prospero.

I'd enjoyed reading the play last night more than I thought. This dude was really annoyed his brother kicked him out as duke, so he held a revenge party on his exiled island using magic to get his daughter to marry the prince and have a better station than he ever did. There was also a magic fairy and a cruel creature that seemed to think two drunken crewmen were gods because they had alcohol.

"Don't mind Lorne," Bradley said as he walked over. "He's still mad that Tunselle passed over him for director. His aunt is the dean of the department but she's really nice. You said that you'd picked out a monologue. Want any help?"

"Lexi picked it out," I said.

"Oh," Bradley looked mildly surprised. "Tunstelle asked Lexi to help you? I would have guessed she'd pick Emma Kate. Lexi's usually really busy."

"She's on the track team, right?" I said.

"And she works almost forty hours a week," Bradley said. "She's working her way through college. Emma Kate says sometimes she barely gets a chance to sleep."

"And she's tutoring me," I said. "That's..."

I didn't quite know what to say. There'd been great upheaval in my life, but I'd never had to work a job unless I wanted to. My father paid a tremendous amount of child support to my mother, but I'd never been poor. I was staying with my father in the richest part of town while Lexi was scraping by.

"Try not to mention I said anything," Bradley ran a hand through his brown hair. "Lexi hates talking about her home life. Even Emma Kate is in the dark about a lot of it and she lives with Lexi."

"Got it," I said. "And my monologue is about half memorized."

I'd gotten to work on it almost as soon as Lexi gave it to me. Last night after three phone calls, two hours, and a promise of a commission I had a recording of the monologue Lexi has assigned me put to a sick piano and drum track. My sister's boyfriend's best friend had been more than willing to help me out with such short notice purely because I was Parker Christian-Porter. Or maybe just because I was Shayna's cool big brother.

I'd listened to the song as many times as I could while my half-siblings ran around my father's house in a rambunctious game of tag. I'd been able to listen to the play while I lifted weights. 

The monologue rhymed which meant it had rhythm. Between the music track and the rhyme scheme, it was easy to tackle. Plus, Carson's music gave it a great beat now all I had to do was memorize the lyrics and sing it in my head as I recited it.

"I had a friend put it to music," I said.

Bradley nodded. "That's awesome. I would never have thought of that."

Emma Kate moved next to Bradley, and he reached out and plucked her yellow beanie off her head and held it over her. She jumped trying to reach it until he set it back on her head.

"Not funny, Bradley," she snapped.

Bradley tousled her hair and she smiled. Chase ran down from the rigging on the stage and pulled his orange scarf loose before it could get caught.

"What are we doing for lunch?" He asked.

"Cheesy Fattened Café?" Bradley suggested.

"Sure," Emma Kate said. "Maddox, join us?"

"Coming," Maddox put his script in his leather bag. "Who's all coming?"

"The usual, Parker if he's game, and Lexi if we can convince her," Bradley said. "Who's driving?"

"If there's six of us, we, unfortunately, can't all fit in my car," Maddox said. "Anyone else?"

Raising an eyebrow, I looked at Maddox. He'd dressed again in expensive designer clothes. A Rolex gleamed on his wrist and his bag looked expensive. He didn't seem embarrassed about his money, and he had offered to drive.

"I'll do it," Emma Kate said. "We should all fit in my minivan."

"Sounds lovely," Maddox said. "You coming Parker?"

"Sure," I said. "Did you already invite Lexi?"

Emma Kate readjusted her hat. "I'll get her. Meet you all out in the car."

She tossed a pair of keys to Bradley. He caught them and she walked off to the back of the theater presumably to find Lexi.

"Come on then," Bradley said.

We followed him out to a gray minivan in the parking lot. It was parked alongside a silver Porsche. Maddox unlocked the Porsche and threw his backpack inside and relocked the vehicle.

The four of us piled into the van. My knees were crowded almost against my chest as Maddox adjusted the seat in front of me apologetically. Bradley started up the van and pulled up to the front of the theater to wait for Emma Kate.

She came out several minutes later with Lexi behind her. Emma opened up the driver's side and Bradley moved into the shotgun position. Lexi climbed over Maddox and Chase to slide into the seat beside me.

Bradley cranked up some song on the car stereo that I guessed was from Hamilton. Everyone seemed to brighten and sing along.

Lexi's voice mixed in with Emma Kate's in the second song. They sang a song about lost love as Hamilton got married. Lexi could sing higher than her friend and the dissonance was strangely beautiful.

We pulled into the Cheesy Fatted Café as the song ended. I almost fell over trying to move my legs over the seats to crawl out of the van. Once I was safely on the ground, we all piled into a booth and waited for someone to take our orders.

Almost everyone ordered hamburgers except Emma Kate who picked out a chicken sandwich. She claimed she didn't eat red meat. Maddox ordered a round of shakes and fries for everyone and when I reached for my money, he held up his hand.

"Don't worry about it dude," he said. "It's my treat."

He handed the waitress a shiny credit card and told her to bring us one of the pies on the back shelf. A few minutes later we had a bowl of chips, some queso, and a meringue pie.

"You rock Mad Dog," Chance said as he slathered a handful of chips in queso.

"Having stupidly famous parents comes in handy when I want to feed my friends," Maddox said. "College students are always hungry. You can always buy their affection with a meal."

"Maddy we'd like you even if you didn't pick up the tab," Bradley grinned. "You aren't all just parental fame. You owned the stage in Into the Woods."

Maddox blushed. Talent shouldn't ever be denied even if your parents had the same talent. My father had taught me that success was success and talent was always earned.

Food arrived and the theater kids started talking about their previous semester's musical. They were so energetic and friendly I almost completely understood what had drawn my sister to the theater community at her high school. Bradley, Maddox, and Chase were some of the most genuine guys I'd ever met. No one even batted an eye after Chase nearly inhaled his hamburger, half a basket of chips, and a piece of pie and claimed he had to go back to campus.

The group just packed up their food in some To-Go boxes and we all made our way back to Emma Kate's van. They sang a chorus of "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" boys versus girls all the way back to campus until Emma Kate pulled back in the theater parking lot.

Chance made off towards the business building on foot while Bradley and Maddox climbed into his Porsche to head back to their shared house.

"Lexi?" Emma Kate asked. "Need a ride to your next location?"

"Parker and I have a study date," Lexi said. "So, it's his choice where we study."

Emma Kate nodded knowingly and readjusted her beanie. Lexi looked at me expectantly and I realized she was excepting me to say where I wanted to study.

"Well, I'm not sure the track is the best place to recite a monologue," I said. "I think I know somewhere. I can drive."

"Fine by me," Lexi said. "See you back at the house later EK."

I lead Lexi across the parking lot to my green truck. My uncle had done a custom body job on it for my eighteenth birthday. Opening the passenger side cab door for Lexi her long legs managed to get in the raised truck easily.

Climbing in the driver's seat I programmed the GPS on my phone and plugged in the aux cord so we could listen to some low country music. It wasn't my favorite, but I found it usually was liked more by girls than by music I actually cared about.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Emma Kate didn't leave her parking spot until I was at the entrance of the lot as if she meant to follow me but when she pulled behind me, she turned her blinker in the opposite direction.

I let out a breath and focused on the road. It was too easy to overthink things. Emma Kate was just worried about her friend. There was nothing to worry about.

"You alright?" Lexi asked.

"Yeah," I let out another tense breath. "I like your friends."

"They're cool," Lexi said. "So where are we going?"

"My house," he said. "My dad's kids will be out until dinner at swim class and day camp, so it'll be quiet, and my stepmom has a killer pantry so loads of snacks."

"Oh," Lexi's voice sounded small.

I frowned at her hesitancy. "Is that not cool?"

"It's fine," Lexi said. "I usually don't leave the vicinity of campus that much."

I smiled. "It'll be fun."

And with that, we drove slowly to one of my least favorite places in the world.

Hey everyone!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Parker is getting to know some of the cast of The Tempest and soon he'll be getting to know Lexi a bit better too. As always feel free to let me know what you think. I love hearing what you have to say!

--Eliana