Two days away from the showcase auditions. All of our studio classes have been turned into practice sessions.

Sophie and I are in one of the piano suites, going over her song.

“It’s sounding so great, Em.” Sophie gives me a little squeeze.

One thing I wish Ethan, Carter, pretty much anybody would understand is that Sophie has been so nice about the mix-up of me being photographed and identified as Carter’s girlfriend. Once I told her my side of the story, everything was fine. I was really expecting a ton of drama, but she believed me and hasn’t brought it up since.

Now we’re focused on doing the best audition we can. We go through the song a couple more times. Sophie looks satisfied after making some notes on her lyric sheet.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom and maybe get some tea.” She pats her throat. “Want anything?”

I tell her I’m good, and before the door even closes, her phone, which she left on top of the piano, buzzes, and her screen comes alive with a text.

“Oh, Sophie!” I grab her phone and call after her, but she’s already down the hall.

I quickly glance at the phone and freeze as I see my name is mentioned in a text from Amanda. I set the phone down. I shouldn’t look.

But I can’t help it.

I pick up the phone and see Amanda’s text.

Tell Emme the Needy I say HI. Hang in there!

Emme the Needy?

Amanda calls me that? I can’t believe that Sophie would let her….

I know I shouldn’t do it. That I’m a horrible person for doing so, but I touch the screen and the entire back-and-forth from Sophie and Emme scrolls out in front of me.

Sophie: Off to see E. Ugh.

Amanda: Just a few more months and then U don’t have to deal w/her.

Sophie: June can’t come soon enough. Can’t believe I have to spend an hour kissing up 2 her.

Amanda: NP for an awesome actress like U.

Sophie: She really thinks she can get a spot at the SS. Delusional much? Gah, she’s here. Barf.

Then there’s Amanda’s last text. I think I’m going to be sick.

I run out of the suite and head in the direction opposite to the bathroom. I need privacy. I run past a row of the practice suites, fighting back tears.

“Hey,” Tyler says to me as I rush past. I can barely even nod at him. He deserves more than that from me, but at this moment, I can hardly breathe. I turn the corner and search for an empty practice suite.

“Emme?” I hear Ethan call out my name. I turn around to see his head poking out of one of the rooms.

I burst into tears. He runs over and grabs me by the hand and leads me into the tiny solo room where he was practicing. He leans me against the closed door so nobody can see me.

“Is everything okay? Are you all right?” His eyes are filled with panic.

I’m sobbing so hard I can’t speak. I shake my head.

“What can I do? What do you need?” He looks around the room like there is something that can help me.

But there’s nothing. The realization of what everybody has been saying hits me.

I’m a fool.

I stop crying and just stare at the wall. How can Sophie say those kinds of things behind my back? Such hurtful things. Even though our relationship has changed, I thought we were still at least friends. Maybe not best friends, but with all the history we share, how can she look herself in the mirror after treating someone like this?

“Emme?” My silence freaks out Ethan even more.

He’s wiping my tears away and then starts rubbing my shoulders. This isn’t the first time he’s had to comfort me while I sob uncontrollably.

Sophomore year: Sophie invited me to go to a Broadway show, then two days beforehand canceled on me, saying she couldn’t make it. Although Gossip Guru ran an article about Carter Harrison going to that play, and even though his date’s arm was cut off in the picture, I recognized Emme’s music charm bracelet. That’s how I found out they were dating.

Junior year: I spent three weeks helping Sophie get ready for her audition for Grease. I fell behind in a few classes since Sophie wanted to practice her routine two hours a night. I was with the guys when we ran into Sophie and Amanda celebrating Sophie’s role as Frenchy. She didn’t call me or text me or even tell me she got the part. Instead she went out with Amanda.

“Emme, please say something; you’re scaring me,” Ethan pleads.

I look at him and see how much he cares about me. Out of the thousands of students in this entire school, I’m so glad he found me.

Then it hits me.

“Ethan?”

“Yes.” I don’t think he’s breathing.

“You’re my best friend.”

He lets out a little laugh. “That’s why you’re so upset? The realization that I’m your best friend?”

I shake my head. Then I tell him about what happened. He tries to pace back and forth, but the room’s too small. So he just shakes his knee while I repeat the texts. (I don’t think those words will ever be erased from my memory.)

After it comes out, I sit down in his chair. Exhausted.

He kneels down beside me. “I don’t have to tell you about my feelings for Sophie, but Emme, I’m truly sorry. Especially that this was the way you had to find out. You didn’t deserve this. You know that, right?”

I think back on everything I’ve done for Sophie. I have no doubt that we were truly close friends once. That the friendship we had as kids was real. But then we came to CPA and things changed. I didn’t want to believe it, and I held on to something that wasn’t there for so long. I wanted to believe that things were still the same, but they weren’t.